Work Out To Work Well

In order to do whatever job it is you are trying to do in a physical or mental arena, the smartest way to ensure good results is ...to work out! Studying, training for a specific task via courses or on the job tasks is a given, but the true way to make the most of your abilities is to get moving. By giving your body a physical workout on a regular basis and raising your heart rate for 30 to 45 minutes will ensure a good boost of blood flow to the brain. When this happens you not only get to release endorphins and reduce stress, you handle later stresses better, and open up your brain function to working on a more efficient and creative level. By fast paced walking, or a good aerobic activity of your choice, running, biking, etc., you engage the mind in a whole new arena. Keep a pad and pen on you and write down new ideas or solutions that may pop into your head.

On the physical side, per the manual labor side, you will condition your body to withstand physical and mental stresses that your job doles out on a regular basis. Take the nurse and her patients...lifting people out of bed, or helping someone out of a chair, and that list can go on and on. The body and mind takes a toll, and these stresses can be reduced drastically by regular workouts. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or over the top either. Walk briskly, do some stair climbing, and do some core training with crunches, squats and push ups a few days a week for about 30 minutes. You will feel a difference, get stronger, be better at your job, make a better impression to others at work, and be less prone to injury, no matter what your career. You will also be healthier. So in a nut shell, eat lots of veggies, focus on positive instead of negative, and work out for physical, mental, spiritual ...and even occupational health. Be strong! Preserve and empower your life!! Merry Christmas!

Supplements and Nutrition

There are great supplements out there that can really help your nutritional balance, but NOT give you the answers all in one or two conatiners. Don't let a great sales pitch fool you into buying a product (or five) and let you think that you don't have to make an effort to change your diet for the better. With all that is offered in the world of supplements (and we can get great balancing benefits from some of them) we must be careful not to depend on them.

Whole foods vitamins and Amazon Thunder with the extras like flaxseed oil and spirulina are to be taken as extras and not depended on for the main sources of nutrients. Our diet should consist of mostly vegetables and fruits and be minimal (if at all) in consisting of animal proteins. Dairy and meats are acidic to the body and calcium is taken from the bones to buffer the acids in the body and keep the body alkaline. This is why the countries that consume the most dairy and animal proteins actually have the highest in Osteoporosis. Fruits and veggies are great for micro-nutrients (we can't get them naturally from animal proteins) and are responsible for the protection from free radicals on a cellular level. Colorful foods rich in antioxidants and other nutrients and enzymes help keep the body functioning in tip top shape, and best of all preventing disease!

The reason for the extras such as the Amazon Thunder, whole foods vitamins, and the others mentioned above, are to support the body better because our soils have been so depleted in minerals and vitamins. Organic foods and supplements are best for keeping the system supported in times of incomplete nutrients in our food supply. Less pesticides in the body is optimal, as some cancers can be initiated from these and other chemicals. Wash your produce, and buy organic when possible from the local Farmer's Market. Drink lots of clean water, and try to use a good filter. I use the Aquasana filter, and enjoy confidence when giving it to my family. Go to http://www.aquasana.com/ you can check it out for yourselves.

So although it seems so odd to lose dependency on meat and dairy, try it for a while. www.fatfreevegan.com is a great site with awesome recipes to help you into the new cuisine. The fresher the better, and try raw foods when you can. It retains the enzymes and nutrients and gives you such a boost of energy! Have a food processor? Then you could have a lot of fun with new recipes that are extremely good for you!

Plant based foods, whole foods vitamins, and fresh water with any extra help you choose to add to your diet for a boost in health and disease prevention, and you are on a great road to good health. As for the Acai Berry and it's weight loss benefits...it is not what it is mainly intended for. The nutrients is where the gold is in this fruit, but should it help drop extra pounds from the body, then so be it!! I won't mind at all! Be healthy, and get happy about it! Preserve and empower your life...only you can.

Viral Defense

This is the time of year for colds and viruses of all kinds. How many times have you gone to the doctor only to hear,"It is a virus. I can't do anything for you and antibiotics won't touch it. Just let it run it's course." Well in the world of working for a living and trying to keep healthy, I know that there are some things you can do to boost that immune system from a viral attack.

First, keep the fruits and veggies in full swing! Have your OJ and take your whole foods multivitamin in the morning with breakfast. Keep breakfast healthy and make sure you have breakfast! Keep the body healthy by giving it nutritious fuel, and not causing it extra stress!

Keep dairy at a minimum. That is correct...little to no dairy so that the system is less acidic and the mucus doesn't have a chance to increase. Drink lots of water and keep those sinus cavities clear. Niel-Med makes a great nasal rinse complete with bottle and pH balanced saline mixture packets (appx. 50 of them!) to help make it easy to combat the sinus infection via cold, virus or allergy. It is awesome, and nobody needs to know you actually do it if you are sensitive about it. But it beats weeks of sinus pressure and pain and keeps you healthy.

Keep your foods fresh and organic when possible. Better nutrients ARE in there. Keep active to keep that immune system up, and wear the activity and weather appropriate clothing to protect yourself from the elements. Stay dry in wet weather, and drink plenty of water in all weather. Drink some tea-green is the best, and a bit of hot chocolate is a great treat and immune helper, too! It doesn't have to be dairy...so don't worry about that.

Keep foods higher in vitamins A and C in the diet rather than taking a pill. Beta Carotene is absorbed in the body best from the food sources and is very good for your kidneys, too. Sweet Potatoes, pumpkin, squash, yams, carrots, yellow peppers, oranges, tomatoes, kiwis, and berries are a great way to keep your system in good shape. Throw in lots of greens too!

A little boost with some Acai Berry, spirulina, and chlorella for a great defense...as long as you are not prone to allergies to specific molds that spirulina and chlorella may belong to. Always keep food allergies in check!! Check with your physician for all allergies and any specifics in your diet that may inhibit these things from benefiting you.

At last, a huge factor in viral defense is Elderberry Syrup. This wonder extract works wonders in keeping virus cells at bay by destroying them when the body has enough nutrients to give it the help it needs. If you can support the body through nutrition, fitness, and the little extras like Elderberry Syrup, you stand a very good chance of keeping illness at bay through this season of colds, flus and viruses. You don't have to take my word for it, just try it yourself. Stop at your local health food store and ask for Elderberry Syrup extract. You can take it and drink liquids with it, as it will still work. Amazon Thunder is my choice for Acai Berry products.

Elderberry Article....

Elderberry flavonoids bind to and prevent H1N1 inf...[Phytochemistry. 2009] - PubMed Result

Amazon Thunder...

http://www.amazonthunder.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&ref=5782&products_id=6&affiliate_banner_id=1

Check out this article if you would like to read up on the benefits of Elderberry! Stay healthy, and have a great Holiday Season! Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and many Blessings to those celebrating their own holiday of choice.

Keep Moving and Eat Well

Some people think that no matter how "healthy" their diet is they can slack on the workouts. Not so! The key to good health is a diet high in a variety of vegetables, fruits, with seeds, grains and some nuts minimizing(if not eliminating) animal proteins of all kinds. This means dairy, meats, fish, and eggs of all kinds. I know you are thinking, " But Lise! That is NOT what the mainstream media has been saying! How can you say that and why?!" Easy...because it is the truth, that is why. The mainstream "healthy diet" has always pushed high protein foods, pegging animal based proteins as the best source for muscle building and repair. Yes, animal based proteins do help these cells increase at a high level...but at what cost? The cells that are also being nourished are diseased cells. Cancer cells, and such are not left out when the time for reproduction of cells occurs. On the contrary, there is no preference in this process. ALL cells are nourished, even the bad ones.

It's not because we need to all hold hands and sing happy songs that I am saying that the plant based diet is the way to go, (although I am sure it wouldn't hurt in the same respect). I say this because it is the wide variety of disease fighting antioxidants in plants that the body needs and uses to get what it truly needs. There are no micro nutrients and antioxidants in animal proteins. Vitamin D is added to milk, and high animal protein intake actually blocks the absorption of Vitamin D, and calcium for that matter!! The animal may have Vitamin D in it...but it made that for it's own use, just as our bodies do! We can't absorb the animal's source for our own use, it doesn't work. Go to www.tcolincampbell.org, or read the Harvard Nurses Study for information regarding vitamin D and calcium absorption and release from increased animal proteins. John Robbins also wrote a great book called "The Food Revolution" which sites this study and I feel should be required reading for every person in the country.

That is why high animal protein consumption is linked to colorectal cancers ( and other forms) as we make our own from sunlight. And popping a vitamin isn't the answer. It can be used as a compliment to a diet lacking, but the only true way to ensure these nutrients and proper absorption of them is to eat the vegetables and fruits themselves, and get some daylight for about 10 minutes or so a day.

If you don't like vegetables, dress them up a bit. Add lemon, or hummus, or a bit of orange juice to add flavor you like. Even a touch of pomegranate adds a nice flavor to say...brussel sprouts. Okay, a big touch, but the point is if you don't eat what your body truly needs, and eat what the major companies are telling you to eat simply because they sell it ( or are working with those that do) you will become ill. It may not happen all at once, but it will happen eventually. Sadly these diseases come in the form of not just cancer, but M.S., Fibromyalgia, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and many other forms of cardiovascular disease.

As for the workouts, start light and go for a walk or a swim, or even do some chair workouts if you can't get up and walk around! How? Grab a resistance chord or some light dumbbells, and start doing reps that you can handle to get your body moving. Doing light repetitions ( the same movement over and over) to start with, and getting up to the point where you can do 20 to 25 reps at a time is ideal! Don't ever think that it is too late or that it won't help, because it will. Get your heart rate up for 20 to 30 minutes a day for good cardiovascular health and prevention of disease! It can be done and YOU can do it! Not moving has the same effect on your cardiovascular system as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day! You can fix that! Keep moving, and eat well, and you will feel amazing!Add resistance training to help build strong bones and muscles and be strong no matter what your age or fitness level. Even if it takes a little while to get there, you can do it!!! Get moving, and eat your veggies and you can be Healthy at 100!

Autumn Antioxidant Health

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Autumn arrived full blast, and you can bet there will be some caught with their immunities down! Don’t be one of them! Keep your immunities up with healthy foods, and heart warming dishes and good wishes! Awe, that sounds so sweet!
It is really, and so it should be in these colder, cloudier months, we tend to get a bit on the blue side, and that can really drop your resistance to illness and fatigue. What we can do is keep our spirits high, and our menu bright as well! How? Add a bit more of the yellow , orange and red foods for vitamins we need for resistance to illness. Beta carotene, vitamins C, A, carotenoids for cellular health and protection from cellular damage. These antioxidants provide essential health properties we need for optimal health.
And who would have guessed the colors of sunshine would be the colors of the foods we need to stay healthy in the colder season. Here are some great fruits and vegetables to keep us bright in the bluer months!
Squash, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, sweet peppers-yellow, orange or red- for a sweet snack that is great in salad, too! Keep that orange juice handy, (buy low acid if you have tummy issues), or try cranberry, blueberry, and for a brilliant antioxidant boos, pomegranate juice! It’s antioxidant value is above and beyond! And it is a nice holiday garnish on a yogurt or ice cream treat if you like. Blend it in a smoothie for a good blast with protein powder. The Acai berry of Brazil is most definitely something to get your hands on if you can! Try the health food store, Genesis brand, or try Amazon Thunder, an online company that will deliver the most amount of the berry in freeze dried form. All the berries you like, and as often as possible.
Hit the local market for seasonal foods, and keep them in use as much as possible. Don’t depend on foods that are not normally in season from main supermarkets, as you can bet there is a lot of Genetically Modified products on those produce shelves. If getting there and keeping up with all that is too much, try an antioxidant blend, like Antioxidant Science with five servings of fruits and vegetables per serving. Sometimes it is great help when you can’t keep up with the produce cost or demand in the house. There is also a coupon code:SAVE35 for saving 35% off the entire order.
There is a great little fall soup recipe that keeps me warm, in case you’d like a change.
Autumn Barley Bowl
1 large pot of water
½ box low sodium vegetable broth
1 ½ cups of barley
2 carrots chopped
1 celery stalk chopped well
2 potatoes peeled and chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic (more if you like- I like!)
1 small chopped turnip (rutabaga)
1/4 cup dried wakame
1/8 tsp. Ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Italian or mixed Provincial herbs
1 can organic squash
*1 secret weapon ingredient!
Heat water, add vegetable broth, and the can of squash. Add all other ingredients, and stir.
* Now your secret weapon ingredient is something with a kick, that you like! It can be curry, mustard powder, or my favorite...Pick-a-peppa Jamaican Sauce. Oh, yes! It is quite a great little kicker, and I usually toss in a good 3 tablespoons or so, to taste. Many don’t like the pick-a-peppa, let alone the healthy soup, so that is why it is a"pick your own". Try a good chipotle sauce or use your imagination. Spicey foods act as a thermogenic, making your body burn 25% more calories than you would without the spice up! It’s also great for anti-inflammatory purposes and keeps us warm in the cold months! I hope you enjoy, if you brave the Barley Bowl!