Health and Fitness Tip #229 - Chewing vs. Chowing

ARE YOU CHEWING OR CHOWING DOWN? A MORE MINDFUL APPROACH TO EATING...

I found myself eating out of the refrigerator. I would say it was last week but it was more like yesterday. I caught myself and moved to the kitchen counter...where I caught myself again. And the thought hit me, albeit a not so not novel one for for myself and probably others - what if I would sit down at the table and consider the possibility of enjoying my food rather than inhaling it before getting back to work? 

Most days I will take breaks to enjoy what I’m eating. And, being totally transparent, I have also mastered the art of eating on the run. I’m not proud of this skill. It wouldn’t even serve me if I decided to enter the Coney Island hot dog eating contest. But it does serve a particular purpose. It fulfills the fight or flight, expectation, on a time-frame, must complete something or risk possible mental or emotional death requirement that I placed upon myself.

Not how I really want to live my life. Unless moment to moment survival is my only criteria.

So here’s a list of things which I’m definitely going to do more of each day as I move further from a relationship with food, to my relationship to food. You may find this helpful. So, when I say “you” below, just know WE are in this together. 

1. Eat sitting down. Not standing. Not leaning. Not on the couch or in your bed. At a table. In a chair. Not surrounded by papers, notebooks, computers, unpaid bills — just you and what you’re eating.

2. Focus on eating. This isn’t a time to read or scream at the news on the TV. The TED Talk also needs to wait as does the call to whoever you forgot to call back.

3. Prepare your meal or at least parts of it when you can. Avoid eating out of a carry-out box if possible. A quarter sheet of a paper towel is also not a plate. Naturally, depending upon where you work you can make certain modifications.  Just make sure you keep the main meal the main thing.

4. Be grateful for your meal! This may include blessing it, thanking it, or taking a moment to be appreciative for how it ultimately found its way to your plate. Thank your body for it’s ability to turn what your eating into fuel and how it blesses your cells and organs. This doesn’t work so well with donuts but the person who made them is grateful to be employed.

5. Eat with other people. Your canine or feline animals are cool, and when you can, if you can, share a meal with family, friends, co-workers, or make a new friend at a common table eating establishment. Studies show that there is power in relationships, short and long term when families eat together and share their days with each other.

6. Eat mindfully. Know that you’re hungry rather than reacting to uncomfortable thoughts and emotions. Chewing your food, slowly, savoring your foods also assists in your digestion and can encourage you to deal more constructively with anything that might be upsetting to you.

7. Drink your ketones, REBOOT monthly, and listen to your body! This isn’t a pitch. This is a reality. Cravings and once huge appetites shrink. You become more mindful of what, and how much you’re putting in your body based on what it needs verses what you think you want to consume. I would say without a doubt my ability to release twenty-five pounds of fat and keep it off for nearly 4 years (unheard of for me prior to drinkable ketones) is directly related to my twice a day ketone supplementation. There’s also truly nothing better than the monthly REBOOT to be your best accountability partner on this life journey.

If you have other ideas, please leave them in the comments below for all of us to appreciate and implement. I’m forever grateful for this community and the way we get to support each other!

Eat it Up Wednesday - 7 Delicious Strawberry Recipes

Strawberries Are in Full Season

I dont' know about you but I LOVE strawberries! I can eat them raw with no sugar or I can spice them up and bake with them or make salsa with them. 

Check out these amazing recipes to use with strawberries. And if you can get to your local farmers market and grab some now before its too late and they are no longer in season! 

Memorial Day Sale

You can't make everybody happy, you're not KETONES! 

.....seriously though, as I sit here and package up these little LIVE•LIFE•BETTER packs, I can't help but think of how scared, nervous & excited I was to get a package in the mail just like this. 

Maybe you look at all of this and think....."eh, what's the big deal?" --- Well when I look at this, I see.....

.....someone who struggles to get out of bed each morning, finally waking up before the alarm, not hitting snooze a million times, ALL with a big ole' smile on their face! 

.....a mom that feels guilty that she's so tired all the time, finally have the energy to play with her kids! 

.....a wife {& mom} that was rushing out the door everyday with 5 min. to spare, finally being productive & GSD before the kids even wake up! 

.....a friend who's been struggling to bust through a weight-loss plateau, finally reach her goal! 

.....a hard working woman who has struggled to get through her work days, finally plowing through spreadsheets & taking names! 

......a wife that snapped at her husband on the daily, that has had LIFE breathed back into her & can be the wife she wants to her husband. 

Soooooo, YOU may see 'no big deal', BUT I see a whole hell of alot of life changing potential!!  

.

.

.

.

So for Memorial Day only when you buy a box of Ketones from me get a $20 off your FIRST ORDER!!! What?!?! Thats right! Save money, get into ketosis and just FEEL Better over all! drop a  below if you're ready to experience BETTER!!! 

Health and Fitness Tip # 228 - 7 Immune-System Boosters For Cold and Flu Season

7 Immune-System Boosters For Cold and Flu Season

Unless you’re a hermit living in some remote mountain shack, it’s likely you’ve been surrounded by the first waves of cold and flu season — coughing, stuffy noses, sneezing and worse coming from everyone from your family members to your work colleagues.

While you can’t always limit your exposure, there are ways to make your immune system as strong as possible as the viruses surge all around you.

Here are seven strategies to consider:

1. DRINK A LOT MORE WATER

Adequate hydration not only keeps your energy levels up, but also allows your body to shuttle toxins and waste materials out of your system faster. That improves your immune system’s ability to fight infection.

Although water is the best beverage for hydration, you can also add in more foods with electrolytes and complex carbs, which help your body better absorb the fluids you drink, says Tiffany DeWitt, RD, a dietitian at healthcare company Abbott. Opt for foods like celery, broth-based soups, fruits and vegetables and Greek yogurt.

2. PRIORITIZE SLEEP

Skimping on sleep, or even just getting by on the minimum, can lower your immune response because you’re not giving your body the amount of restorative time it needs to fight off invaders, says Hannah Dove, DPT, certified strength and conditioning specialist, at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

“You need plenty of sleep to perform at your highest level,” she says. “Thinking that you can ‘get away with’ fewer hours, or reducing the quality of your sleep with habits like Netflix binges, can make you more susceptible to colds.”

3. DRINK LESS ALCOHOL

Tipping back a few too many — or even one more than you planned — can have a ripple effect that results in dehydration and poor sleep, the two immune boosters you need the most, according to Dr. Joshua Scott, primary care sports medicine physician at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.

“Alcohol clears the body usually after five or six hours, but you have to keep the longer-term effects in mind when thinking about your health,” he says. For example, you might make unhealthy food choices, sleep less than you planned and skip workouts, which can all have a negative effect on your immune system.

4.  WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN

Overuse of hand sanitizer and antimicrobial cleaners has been targeted as one source of antibiotic resistance by some researchers, but good old-fashioned hand washing is here to stay.

The Centers for Disease Control emphasizes that washing your hands with soap and water can help prevent infections because so many items in our everyday world potentially have germs that could make us sick. For instance, you might be vigilant about not touching bathroom door handles, but what about pushing elevator buttons or turning on the spigot of a shared water cooler? You never know where cold germs might be lurking, so upping your hand washing during cold and flu season is a must.

5. FOCUS ON YOUR GUT

Better gut bacteria, better immune system? That’s the conclusion of numerous studies, and it’s not surprising since researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine point out that a huge proportion of your immune system is actually in your gastrointestinal tract. Cells lining the gut are responsible for producing antibodies that fight off bacteria and viruses.

Help them out with tactics that boost gut health, such as lowering stress, increasing exercise, eating more vegetables and increasing consumption of probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and sauerkraut.

6. EXERCISE MORE

Another big tactic in the quest to stay healthy is sticking to your workout routine. Exercise improves the way your body’s immune system fights disease, making it more efficient at fighting infection, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Even if you already have some of the early symptoms of a cold like a stuffy nose or fatigue, physical activity can be helpful, the NIH notes. That’s because physical activity helps flush bacteria out of the lungs and also increases your body temperature — a process that may prevent bacteria growth.

7. DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE

Whether it’s resting your chin on your hand, rubbing your eyes, licking your fingers after making lunch or covertly picking your nose (we’ve all been there), you likely touch your face more than you realize. Even with frequent hand washing, germs can still accumulate on the hands in the between-washing times, and the CDC notes that germs can easily get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth.

BOTTOM LINE

In many ways, healthy habits build on each other, just like unhealthy habits do. For example, when you sleep better and eat more nutrient-dense foods, you tend to have more energy for working out and less time for stressing out. Putting a few immune-happy strategies in place first can help the rest fall in line — and maybe help you dodge some of those cold and flu bugs going around.

Motivational Wednesday - Ignore the Noise

Ignore the Noise

Ignore what people say. Block them out. Turn them off. Close your ears. 

.

And if you have to, walk away. Ignore the one to say it’s too late to start over. 

.

Disregard those who say you’ll never amount to anything. Turn a deaf ear toward those who say that you aren’t smart enough, fast enough, tall enough, or big enough—ignore them. 

.

Faith sometimes begins by stuffing your ears with cotton.

Make it Monday - Pizza Recipes of all Kinds

Pizza Recipes of all Kinds

Check out all these amazing pizza recipes that are GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN, and KETO Friendly!! These are a MUST make for any occasion or meal!! I mean who doesn't love a GOOD pizza?!?!

Health and Fitness Tip #227 - Why You Should Remove These 6 Things From Your Diet

Why You Should Remove These 6 Things From Your Diet

Inflammation is a natural part of the body’s response to protect itself, maintain immunity, fight infection and heal.

However, when inflammation persists over time or serves no purpose, it can damage your body and causes illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, fatty liver and Alzheimer’s.

When the body’s immune system responds to injury with inflammation there is redness, heat and swelling. On the other hand, chronic inflammation is often silent and occurs without many noticeable symptoms.

If you have high blood sugar or blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides), low energy, are overweight or have heart disease or digestive problems, you probably have some level of inflammation.

While lack of exercise, being overweight, exposure to pollution and stress all contribute to chronic inflammation, what you eat can also have a major effect.

Foods That Cause Inflammation

Here are six foods that can raise your levels of inflammation:

1. Sugar: Sugar, fructose and high-fructose corn syrup (sugary drinks, desserts, candy) increase insulin resistance and uric acid levels, injures blood vessels and contain lots of calories, leading to weight gain.

2. Trans Fats: These fats — found in many processed and deep-fried foods — lower your “good” cholesterol (HDL), increase your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and damage blood vessels.

3. Vegetable and Seed Oils: Oils with high amounts of omega-6 fat, such as corn, soy, sunflower, safflower, canola and peanut, can be healthy in small amounts. But most people use too much, which throws off the balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fats (fatty fish, flax), leading to inflammation.

4. Refined Carbs: White bread, rice, pasta, chips and snack foods raise blood glucose, contribute to weight gain and inflame your gut.

5. Processed Meats: Sausage, bacon, ham, smoked meats and beef jerky form harmful substances in protein and fat called AGEs (advanced glycation end-products).

These are formed by high-temperature cooking as the meat is processed and contribute to inflammation in every cell in the body, leading to detrimental health effects like heart disease and, in particular, colon cancer.

6. Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption causes bad bacteria to move out of the digestive tract into other parts of the body, leading to increased inflammation.

While one or two standard-size drinks (5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor) per day have been shown to have some health benefits, too much alcohol is harmful.

Eat This, Not That

In addition to cutting down on inflammatory foods, you can reduce inflammation by eating whole, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich foods.

Eat plenty of these anti-inflammatory foods:

Brightly colored vegetables like dark green, red, orange and yellow

Fruits, especially berries, tart cherries and grapes

Avocados, olives, olive oil and avocado oil

Whole grains and high-fiber carbohydrates

Omega-3 fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel

Nuts and seeds

Beans and legumes

Dark chocolate (85 percent cacao is best)

Green and white tea (black also has some antioxidants)

Red wine (in moderation)

Spices like ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper and cinnamon

In addition to a healthy diet, be active, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and find ways to lower your stress levels. The good news is that the things you can do to reduce inflammation also improve your overall health, so it’s a win-win!

Do you notice a difference in your body when you eat inflammatory foods? What other foods cause inflammation for you? What foods do you include in your diet that are specifically anti-inflammatory? 

Treat YoSelf Thursday - Chocolate Recipes!

Chocolate Recipes Week!

Check out all these amazing chocolate recipes that are GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN, and KETO Friendly!! These are a MUST make for any occasion or treat!!