Looking for a Magic Weight Formula?

With the new year comes resolutions, that generally include losing weight. My friend, Dr. Chaney has given us his take on the choices of weight loss vehicles. I have begun a week early on my inch loss decision - ( I am making decisions this year, not resolutions. ) If you want info on Dr. Chaney's reccomended plan, let me know. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on my progress!

To Your Health,
Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Next week you'll be making your annual New Year's resolution that this will be the year that you finally lose those extra pounds and keep them off!

The good news is that you will have lots of choices for losing that weight.

The bad news is that most of those choices are bogus!

You see each diet book and Internet marketer will have a "magic formula".

Sometimes it will be a "magic" diet composition - low fat diets, low carb diets, high protein diets - or don't eat protein and carbohydrates together.

Sometimes it will be a "magic" food - grapefruit, cabbage soup, acai berries or chocolate.

All of these diets are hyped with a lot of scientific sounding mumbo jumbo and many of them have short term studies that seem to show that they work.

But whenever well designed scientific studies have been performed that compare these diets at equal calorie levels and look at weight loss over two years or more there is not a dimes worth of difference between them.

Despite all of the hype that you will hear, weight loss is solely dependent on the difference between calories in and calories out.

There is no "magic diet formula", no "magic diet composition" and no "magic diet food". Calories rule!

Did you really think that someone had repealed the laws of thermodynamics?

Once you understand and accept that the difference between calories in and calories out is the most important determinant of successful weight loss, you can start to understand the key principles of successful weight loss.

Principle #1: The diet doesn't have to be weird to be successful.

In fact the diet is most likely to succeed if it includes foods that are familiar to you.

If you're a "meat and potatoes" guy, a vegetarian diet is not likely to be successful for you (Some of my friends refer to that kind of diet as "rabbit food").

Plus, we are all different. Some of us will lose weight successfully on one diet. Other people will be more successful on a different diet.

That means that the diet that worked so well for your friend might not work at all for you. You will need to experiment a bit to find the best diet for you

And, before you ask me, your body type or blood type has absolutely nothing to do with which diet is going to work best for you.

I do want to add a caveat, however: You do need to make some changes to your diet. You will want to drop some foods from your diet and include some foods and diet drinks that are new to you.

You will want to think about what you are eating and make conscious choices about which foods are helping you fulfill your goals of losing weight and which are not.

Principle #2: The diet should be one that is healthy in the long run.

I'm particularly talking about the popular high fat, low carbohydrate diets here. It is clear that diets high in fat - particularly saturated and trans fats - are associated with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Plus, high fat diets just don't work well for long term weight control. Fat has more calories than carbohydrate. This is not rocket science!

Just in case you don't believe me you just need to consult the National Weight Control Registry. The National Weight Control Registry was established in
1994 and has tracked the weight loss strategies of over 5000 people who have been successful at keeping their weight off long term.

While those people lost weight using every diet in the books, the vast majority of them that were successful at keeping their weight off long term followed a low calorie, low-fat diet to maintain their weight loss.

Principle #3. Don't forget the other part of the calorie equation.

That's right, I'm talking about exercise.

While you burn some calories every time you exercise, the real value of exercise is that it increases lean muscle mass - and lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat.

Again, if you consult the National Weight Control Registry, you will find that virtually everyone who has been successful at keeping the weight off exercises on an almost daily basis.

Principle #4: Don't start if you can't finish.

Once again, the National Weight Control Registry puts that in perfect perspective.

Almost everyone who was successful at keeping the weight off long term had stopped thinking of it as a diet. It was just a way of life.

It was how they ate. It was the exercise that they liked to do on a daily basis. It no longer required any conscious effort. It no longer required any will power.

This is perhaps the most important weight control principle of all.

When you make your resolutions this New Year, don't make a resolution to change your weight.

Make a resolution to change your life!


To Your Health!
Dr. Stephen G Chaney

TOP TEN TIPS FOR RAISING HEALTHY CHILDREN

 Make protein a part of every breakfast (use Energizing Soy Protein, Cinch or Meal Shakes).

 Reduce refined sugars.

 Change to natural peanut butter (this will help decrease the amount of hydrogenated oil your child consumes and eliminate extra sugar).

 Offer fresh fruits and vegetables every day – buy organic whenever possible.

 Offer only High Quality Proven Food Supplements – ex. Vita Lea or Incredivites, Chewable Vita C, and Chewable CalMag to start.

 Change to non-toxic, biodegradable home cleaning products. Shaklee Get Clean has been used by Oprah, the White House & the Vice-President's residense.

 Utilize a water filtration system that will remove chlorine, pesticides and other harmful substances and give your family delicious tasting water. Buy a Filter or BE a Filter.

 Utilize an air purification system that will purify the air in your home, effectively reducing dust, odors, molds, bacteria, gases and other submicron particulates that could be hazardous to your family’s health.

 Exercise daily.

 Get enough sleep.


“Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” – U.N. Declaration

Autism Conference Call

I wanted to share this archived conference call from a Business Associate. I don't know if the information here would be helpful to you, but I felt it should have a wider audience. If you need more information, please contact me and I will do my best to get you the additional information.

You can listen in at your convenience. It was recorded Monday, December 28th.

Host: Master Coordinator Sarah Stauber
Guest: Dr. Laurence Becker


Topic: Autism
What is it?
What does it come from?
What can you do?


Dr. Becker has an enormous amount of resources that can help parents and professionals learn how to help children with Autism maximize their potential and perhaps get rid of their symptoms.


This call will be archived on 712-432-8774 pin 53822#


To Your Health,
Lisa

Doing an office Clean Sweep.

With the new year comes decisions.

(Resolutions get broken, decisions are what I am making this year. )

I am getting a head start by cleaning my office, purging outdated materials, and streamlining, to be more effective.

I came accross a list of sayings, from a presentation by Barb Lagoni that I attended many years ago. Since many of us make a decision to make our health a priority for the new year, I wanted to share a few.

Read the label: set a better table.

90% of Americans are full of it.

Fiber soothes, softens & scrubs.

Buy a filter or BE a filter.

You are either in degrees of healthy or degrees of toxic.

Have any favorites - add them to the comment section.

To Your Health,
Lisa

Are You Drinking Clean Water?

We have been pondering this in our family. Are any of us drinking clean water? We recently had a large number of prescription drugs that could not be utilized - the question arose how to dispose of them. The recommendations we received from medical staff, pharmacists, and police were to flush them! What????? Not in my water supply.

There has been a lot in the news lately regarding clean water. First they told us drink tap water, then along came bottled water. Those bottles are bbuilding up in our landfill, so the recommendation was to fill your own re-fillable bottle from your tap. So confusing!

There are some great points raised in this article.

To Your Health,
Lisa

From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Tuesday, December 22, 2009


Are You Drinking Clean H20?
Want an easy way to be good to your body? Stay hydrated by guzzling down more water throughout the day. Water has zero calories, so it doesn't add to your waistline. Plus, it aids in just about every bodily function, including fat burning and energy production.

Unfortunately, the water that comes out of your tap may not be free of flaws. Water authorities do not yet regulate many endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and conventional water-treatment methods weren't designed to remove them. Studies have found trace amounts of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other substances in municipal water supplies.

Don't be worried thirsty, though. You can get clean water by using water filters religiously. First, go to EPA's Web site to learn about your local water quality and the substances you're dealing with. Then, consider the following three types of filters. Each has its pros and cons, but combining two kinds of filters should get good results.

Reverse-osmosis unit: Using a semipermeable membrane (which allows some molecules to pass through but not others), this type of filter removes particles and molecules of dissolved contaminants. Reverse osmosis can remove heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses, and it may remove some pharmaceuticals. However, it isn't effective for removing pesticides.

Distillation unit: This type of filtration system brings water to a boil, then collects the steam and condenses it back into water, leaving impurities (which need higher temperatures to boil) behind. Distillers can remove heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses, but they can't remove pesticides or pharmaceuticals.

Activated carbon filter: This type is the easiest to find and use. It's available in faucet-mounted models, under-the-sink units, and pitchers. Water flows through a carbon filter that attracts and traps many impurities. The types of contaminants filtered vary by brand, but all activated carbon filters remove chlorine, improve taste, and reduce sediment. Most remove heavy metals and disinfection by-products, and some remove parasites, pesticides, radon, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Staying Healthy during the Holidays...

I thought I'd share this letter on staying healthy during the holidays.

If you want to know more about Cinch, contact me and I'll let you know about our special offer.

To Your Health,
Lisa


Of course the holidays are fun. But let’s be honest; faced with a dizzying array of shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, entertaining guests, and attending too many social events to count, the holiday season can also be stressful, leaving you feeling exhausted, frazzled, and under the weather!

The stress associated with the holidays is a double-edge sword. In the right dose, it can get you going and inspire you to pull together a fabulous holiday meal or find just the perfect gift for someone special. But too much stress all at once, or day after day without a break, can be overwhelming, leaving you prone to holiday melt-downs instead of merriment.

Here are a few ideas to help you manage this holiday season better so it is the happy—and healthy—time it can be!

1) Take Control of Your Schedule

Plan ahead – The next few weeks will be chock full of places to go, people to see, and things to do. This end-of-the-year sprint to the finish zaps even the heartiest among us. It can be helpful to put it all on paper and create a schedule. Book one day to complete your Christmas shopping and another day just for cooking and baking. This can increase efficiency. And be sure to complete your menus, create shopping lists and to-do lists in advance.

Just say no, occasionally - Be realistic with what you can accomplish in a day. Long lines in shopping malls and sitting in traffic jams can increase your stress and leave you short on time. Be realistic with each day’s list—and give yourself permission to take a few items off your plate. Delegate some things to your spouse or even an older child.

Be sure to build in some down time – Take some time for yourself … every day. We ALL need some down time every day. It doesn’t need to be 2 hours—even a 20 minute walk, or sitting and having a cup of tea and reading a good book for 20-30 minutes can recharge your batteries and refresh your soul!

2) Hang on to Your Healthy Habits

A little exercise can go a long way – You’ll feel so much better about indulging in that luscious pumpkin pie or holiday cocktail if you commit to doing something active every day. It’s too easy to skip your daily walk or gym routine. If the weather is bad, try making two brisk circuits around the mall before you do your shopping. Get the family out to the local ice skating rink once a week or find a YMCA or other such location to get in some laps. Exercise helps burn extra calories, helps reduce stress and can help boost your energy!

Eat healthy when you can – Of course you’ll want to sample those seasonal favorites and savor every bite of that holiday meal, but you can also try to be disciplined in filling up with the veggies (with just a smidgen of dip) from the appetizers—and while we’re talking about vegetables, be sure that you eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and/or fruits every day! On non-party days, commit to meals that are based on salads, healthy stir-fry with grilled fish or chicken. This is a great time of year to make a hearty soup full of vegetables and beans. And every morning should start out with a filling Cinch shake—there are a myriad of shake recipes available on www.cinchclub.com.

Avoid fast foods---period! – There just isn’t a good reason to visit fast food places but plenty of good reasons to walk the extra block to find a deli that will make you a wonderful sandwich piled high with veggies on a tasty whole-grain bread choice. Your waistline will thank you!

Snack strategically – Working hard to manage your waistline all year, only to let go completely during the holidays, just doesn’t make sense. So, snack wisely! It really isn’t that hard—it just takes a bit of consciousness-raising. At parties, snack on the carrot sticks, broccoli florets and cherry tomatoes before sampling (yes, just sampling) the dessert table. Go light on the dip and sauces—or better yet, skip them and enjoy the fresh veggies and festive skewers on their own. And, if someone drops off cookies at your home, take them into the office and share them!!

Get your rest – Sleep restores the body and revives your spirits, so make sure to get enough of it—and that means 8 hours for you and 9 to 10 hours for your young children. Too little sleep just compounds the holiday stress and energy drain that can occur for so many.

Remember to take your supplements-- My Rx for a Healthier Life™ is a great foundation providing antioxidants, botanicals and probiotics to support your immune system, vitamins and minerals to round out your diet, a fantastic tasting, energizing breakfast to start your day off right and the incomparable cellular anti-aging dietary supplement, Vivix®!*

Sending warmest wishes for health and happiness,


Dr. Jamie McManus M.D.
Chairman, Medical Affairs and Health Sciences
Shaklee Corporation

Thriving Through the Holidays

Great Advice from the Late Jim Rohn.

To Your Health,
Lisa

Thriving Through the Holidays by Jim Rohn

The holidays are upon us; a time of celebration and joy. I love the last days of November through the beginning of the New Year. The pure magic of the holidays is something that I anticipate and enjoy each and every year.

For some though, the holidays have lost the joy and excitement they at other times have had. The pace of life has grown so fast—much faster than those first holidays I remember in my life—that some people don’t enjoy the times they get to spend with their family and friends during what is supposed to be days filled with joy and peace.

Why is that? Probably a lot can be laid at the feet of how fast-paced our times are, but that isn’t all.

I believe our holiday times should be wonderful and filled with lasting and enjoyable moments and memories. So how can we ensure that we come out of the holidays in January with great memories of the past month? Here are six thoughts that will help you experience the holidays the way they were intended to be experienced:

Be Temperate
Holidays can be days of excess for many—too much food, too many cookies and treats. Too much chocolate, schedules that are too busy. One thing that will help you enjoy the holidays is to be temperate. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the treats. Enjoy the busy schedule of activities and parties. But also be disciplined enough to know when to hold back, when to say, “No.” When we go overboard we regret it and lose the opportunity to fully experience that moment. But when we enjoy a little and refrain from going too far, then we can enjoy all that little piece of time has to offer.

Lower Your Expectations
Much of the frustration people experience from the holidays is from setting their expectations too high. They expect too much from friends or family, and when they don’t get what they want, they get frustrated. They expect presents to be perfect and when they aren’t, they get frustrated or disappointed. Instead of having huge expectations this holiday season, just take it as it comes and enjoy what you can. And this brings me to my next point.

Enjoy What You Can and Ignore the Rest
This holiday season, go with an attitude of knowing that things will be what they will be. You can’t control other people or their actions. If a family member pushes the limits of your patience, ignore that and instead focus on how much you can enjoy the time you have with other family members. If things don’t go perfectly—which they won’t—then enjoy what you can and let the rest slide. You will feel a lot better about life if you can take all things a little easier.

Stay Out of Debt
Debt is a killer. It will steal your enjoyment of life. Be sure to stay within your financial boundaries this holiday season. The last thing you want is to start the New Year with a deeper burden financially. Know where you are financially and stay within those limits. You don’t have to impress anyone, just buy gifts that you can afford and express your feelings in the giving of the gift.

Take Time for Yourself
Be sure that, no matter how busy you get, you take time for yourself. Take time to read. Take a long bath if that relaxes you. Take a walk. Spend some time of quiet in front of a fire. Don’t rush through the holidays and sap all of your energy. Your mind and body need to be reenergized, so be sure to take time to do so.

Focus on Your Spiritual Life
Ultimately, no matter what tradition you come from, the holidays are historically days in which we focus on the spiritual. Men and women are created with a natural draw toward spiritual life. However, our culture today tends to stay away from a focus on the spiritual, and that has even crept into our holidays. Be sure to place an emphasis on building your spiritual life and growing in that area. This will help keep you grounded and able to deal with anything that may come your way.

Friends, this time of year is another chance to remember the important truths of life and to enjoy time with dear friends and family.

May you experience the very best this holiday season and move into January better than ever!