Category Archives: Health & Fitness Blog

Live Food Nutrition

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After doing the seven day juice fast I was really motivated to continue putting in the high nutrient dense foods so I could maintain that energetic feeling that I got by putting all those raw living foods in. I have been eating a vegan diet with whole foods since March 2011 and I have seen a huge difference in my energy level. The juice fast just confirmed what I was already starting to find out: Put live foods in and have more energy, vitality and just feel more alive. Put dead, low nutrient, empty calorie foods in and increase hunger, stress and fatigue sets in.

I learned something about stress. We have a hormone in our bodies called Cortisol. Cortisol goes up when we ingest unhealthy and stimulating foods like sugar and caffeine. When Cortisol goes up, our stress level goes up and that affects our adrenal glands. When our adrenal glands get fried, we feel fatigued and we are unable to lose fat or build muscle. Stress breaks down muscle tissue. What’s the answer to lowering our stress level? Well for starters we can change what we put into our bodies. Start adding more living whole fruits and vegetables. Juice green vegetables, add an apple or pear for sweetener and drink up. I can guarantee your energy will increase as you add more living foods and decrease dead foods. You’ll be amazed. Did you know that green leafy vegetables are 30% protein? Did you know that fruits like dates are instant energy?

Incorporating nutrient dense – High Net Gain Nutrition (living whole foods) will leave you satisfied and full of energy. Low Net Gain Nutrition (dead foods), will keep you craving sugars and stimulants and  they won’t turn off your hunger signal. They just don’t supply what your cells need. Hi Net Gain Nutrition will lower your Cortisol levels. You’ll sleep better and have less stress. Your nutrition plays a huge role in your stress level. Some high stress situations you just can’t avoid, but what you put into your mouths is something you have total control over.

Start now. Try it for 30 days and let me know your results.

Juice Fasting

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I read recently that “Fasting opens the way for the outpouring of the Spirit, and the restoration of God’s house.” I agree and a few people I know have been starting off the New Year with fasting and praying. I joined in and did a seven day juice fast. I felt the Lord calling me to do this so I got out my favorite books on fasting. It’s always a great idea to immerse yourself not only in the Bible but also in good books on fasting to keep you motivated. I did feel the Lord’s presence more intensely and heard some specific things from Him. I highly recommend this practice if you’ve been cleared by your doctor and if you feel the Lord is telling you to do it. Here’s a daily guide in regards to the juicing part of the fast:  

 

Juice Fasting Protocol 

Morning Shake

Blend together: water & ice with1 cup frozen blueberries,

1 cup organic spinach, ½ Banana, stevia to taste – Watch ingredients, some brands have milk. 1 Tbs. Ground Flaxseed,

1 Tbs. Hemp Protein, Optional: Sun Warrior Natural Protein powder,

or just add 1 Tbs. Each of Rice, Pea & Hemp Protein powder

Mid Morning

Fresh Juiced:

Carrots & Beets with greens (Peel beets), Celery, Parsley & Apple

Lunch

Soup: Sweet Potato Bisque or Roasted Creamy Corn.

Or any homemade or other creamy soup OR another smoothie Apples & Greens or Berry Beet (Jamba Juice)

Afternoon

More Fresh Juice or Green Machine Smoothie or Acai Blueberry & Pomegranate juice.

Dinner

Creamy Soup

After Dinner

Protein drink

 

Watch salt intake. Don’t chew anything. Drink lots of water.

Drink a lot of decaf Green Tea or any other herb tea. Sweeten with stevia if you need to.

Drink as many Green Drinks as possible.

Take long walks, breathe deeply and most importantly pray lots.

Calories Do Count

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Getting lean depends on one thing, and that one thing is consistently staying in a calorie deficit. Yes there are “good foods” and “bad foods”, but calories are the biggest influence on how much you weigh and how you look. Now obviously, 100 calories of soda and chips won’t provide the same nutrition as 100 calories of green leafy vegetables or fresh fruit. Different foods affect your hunger levels because different foods either turn on or turn off your internal hunger switch. I can choose to eat a fresh green salad with carrots, spinach, artichoke hearts, jicama, corn, cucumbers, red bell peppers, heaerts of palm, OR I can choose a small bag of chips with dip. Both meals would have around 350 calories, but both meals would not have the same affect on my hunger. I am satisfied for a longer period of time after eating the salad for sure. My body is nourished and tells my brain that I’m full. Chips and dip on the other hand only leave me hunger for something else. It didn’t nourish my cells. My brain is still telling me to eat something so I can be satisfied. I will probably crave something sweet to offset the salt from the chips so a soda would sound good. Do you see where this is going?

Most people don’t know how many calories they’re consuming in a day. They are really easy to track. You can go to Livestrong.com/myplate or MyFitnessPal.com. Both are free and easy to use. When you become aware of the calories going in and the calories being burned off, you will be well on your way to success. Track your daily results and adjust based on your results. This may be the one thing that will make all the difference for you. It may be as easy as creating a 100 calorie deficit per day. You could lose 1 to 2 pounds in 30 days. Now this might not seem like a lot to you, but when is the last time you lost 1 or 2 pounds? And if you did, how fast did you gain it back. By putting these habits in place, you’ll lose it and keep it off and It won’t seem like you’re depriving yourself either. Add to this some exercise and you’ll really see results!

Here are some 100 calorie foods that you probably won’t miss: two Oreos, one-third of a Snickers bar, two-thirds of a Twinkie, half of a glazed donut and a Two-Bite Brownie, 20 roasted peanuts, half of a small apple with 2 tsp. of peanut butter, 12 Quaker Cheddar Cheese Rice Snacks, a mini bag of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn or 60 Goldfish crackers.You may not eat these types of foods, but you get the picture. 100 calories over time can make a huge difference. You get to chose what type of difference it will make on your body.

Strength Training

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Do you want to be strong and have your body work properly? Do you want to move and not hurt all the time? I believe we’ve got to start using our muscles or we’re going to lose them. You’ve probably heard it said that you lose muscle as you age. Well I decided that I wanted to start building my muscles up. Right before my 50th birthday I made a commitment to myself. I was going to lose some fat and gain some muscle. I had a few dumbbells, a weight bench and a wonderful universal machine that was given to me down in my garage. No excuses! I set a goal to start lifting on a regular basis. I followed a split routine workout plan that worked each one of my muscles twice a week. I also followed a diet that would feed my muscles before and after my workouts. In 49 days I actually gained 2 pounds of lean body mass and dropped 6 pounds of fat! Since then I have realized the importance of including a strength training program into my workout routine. I noticed my metabolism has increased. The reason is your metabolic rate speeds up when you increase your lean body mass, and you actually burn more calories even while you’re resting. That was music to my ears! Who doesn’t want a faster metabolism?  Check with your doctor and if you’re clear to lift, start a strength training program. There are a variety of books, gyms, trainers available to help you get started. You can transform your body in as little as 49 days!

PS: Women don’t bulk up….unless they lift massive amounts of weights, eat massive amounts of food or take steroids. But you will get firm, shapely muscles. Men can build muscles. They’ve got what it takes. Testosterone!

Cardio – What gets you moving?

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The best form of cardio (aerobic) exercise for you is the one that you will get out and do on a regular basis. But what type is best for you? Only you can answer that. There are so many options out there but the one that will benefit you the most is the one that you’ll do consistently. Walking is probably the best place to start if you don’t do anything right now. You can start walking with a minimum investment of a good pair of shoes. The benefits to walking  are too numeours to list, but two big ones are: burning fat and developing a stronger heart. Can you use a little of those? Me too! Try taking a walk for 30 to 60 minutes. Your body will love you for it. Go for a prayer walk around your neighborhood. Take a friend or your spouse. It’s a great way to start the day or clear your head after a long day at work.

Other great cardio exercises are, running/jogging outdoors, treadmill, bicycling indoor or out, elliptical machine, stairclimbers, cross country skiing and dancing. Whatever you choose to do, do it for 30 to 45 minutes at a time. Set a goal of doing some form of cardio exercise at least 3 times a week. Pretty soon your body will crave it!

Whole – Living Foods

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Do you ever feel like you’re dragging? Don’t have the energy that you’d like to have? Incorporate more whole and living foods into your diet. What do I mean when I say whole, living foods? Eat foods as close to the way God made them as possible. Cut back on processed foods. When you start eating more foods that are alive, you’ll end up with more energy. It makes sense doesn’t it? It doesn’t take long for food that is alive to enter into your blood stream and energize your cells. If you need energy, think twice about over stimulating your body with something that will leave you dragging in a few hours. Try eating fresh fruit instead. Or if you’re craving something sweet, eat a date. It’s natures candy! Want something salty, celery fits the bill. I have found that for every craving, God has the perfect food. When I eat food that is alive, fresh and whole I am satisfied longer and am more energetic. I don’t come crashing down either. My moods are level and I’m a much happier person. Do this little experiement: Compare the calories in an apple and a cookie. Eat the apple. Savor every bite. See how long it keeps you satisfied. I bet that you’ll be much more satisfied than if you’d eaten that cookie. When it comes to needing energy, you need carbohydrates. Just choose whole and living ones. I used to think that I was carb-sensitive. But that’s a discussion for another time. Just give this one thing a try. See how your body reacts by adding more whole, living foods into your diet every day. Your body will love you for it!

First Things First

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To change an action you need to first change your mindset. This is what I learned that needed to happen before I could break out of my old habits. I had to start believing that it was possible to change and that I was capable of that change. Isn’t this where it all starts? Belief? You can resolve to take action but if you don’t really believe things will change, you will inevitably go back to your old way of doing things.

Nothing significant happens in life unless you plan for it. I sat down and wrote out some goals. But not just off the top of my head goals. I had to put some emotion behind them. I actually saw myself accomplishing those goals. What would if feel like? What would it look like? What would it mean if I didn’t do it? I didn’t just sit down and say, “I want to be _____lbs by next Christmas, I set out to achieve a certain body fat percentage that would require putting on muscle that might possibly increase the number on the  scale. Muscles weigh more than fat so measurements and clothes sizes became more important than the number on the scale. This required a radical change in my mindset.

So the first thing I recommend is to sit down, take some time and set some emotion packed goals. Write your goals out as if they have already been accomplished. Believe that you can do it. See yourself as God sees you. You are chosen, loved, adopted and favored. Start living the healthy life God has called you to.

Ephesians 1: 4-6