Does Bread Make you Fat ? ( part II)

I just read an article where a girl said, "I am about to stop eating carbs because these hamburger buns, white bread and doughnuts are making me fat." I was blown away that she just clumped all carbs into 1 category. I do however see many people running from many good carbs bcs of a fear that it will cause them to gain weight. So let's start off by going over the differences between good and bad carbs.

What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates come from a wide array of foods - bread, fruit, vegetables, rice, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant ones are sugars, fibers, and starches. The basic building blocks of all carbohydrates are sugar molecules.

The digestive system handles all carbohydrates in much the same way - it breaks them down (or tries to break them down) into single sugar molecules, since only these are small enough to absorb into the bloodstream. It also converts most digestible carbohydrates into glucose (also known as blood sugar), because cells are designed to use this as a universal energy source. This is why carbohydrates can make us feel energetic. Carbohydrates fuel our body. Your body stores glucose reserves in the muscles in the form of glycogen ready to be used when we exert ourselves.

Good carbohydrate foods are those that are still in their natural state, or they are still similar to their natural state. They are foods that have not been processed or altered by people or machines. Good carbs are usually high in fiber. Foods high in fiber will give you energy over longer periods of time. They also give you a sense of being full. Foods that are high in fiber help to lower cholesterol levels as well as aiding the body in toxin removal.

Good carbohydrates generally have a low glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index will not cause a spike in blood sugar. This is especially important for diabetics who have to constantly monitor their blood glucose levels. Good carbohydrates are nutritious. Good carbohydrates are rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Examples of good carbs:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
  
• Beans
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Whole grain breads
• Whole grain cereals
• Whole grain pastas
• other whole grains (ie.
• couscous, rice, quinoa)

I will save all the bad carb junk for another blog post another day. As for now, the following are breads that will include whole grains and a good fiber content(still check the label bcs certain loaves in their line may be for the health conscious). Unfortunately, many of them still have 3 grams of sugar in them:

• Ezekiel
• Trader Joe's 9-Grain (0 sugar but only 1gm fiber)
  
• Great Harvest
• Pepperidge Farm
• Arnold & Brownberry (Owned by the same company)
• Joseph's
• Rubschlager
• Earth Grains
• Oroweat

I get most of my breads from the health food stores and I still have to read the label. I mainly check the bread label for sugar, hydrogenated fat and fiber. Each health food store carry there own particular brands. You can also order online by going the brands website. The main nugget I want you to get from this is PLEASE DO NOT BE FOOLED BCS THE FRONT OF THE LOAF SOUNDS GOOD. The mktg experts know how to use the words in such a way that they are giving you a half truth. Flip that baby over and read the label! Once you know the one to get, you can just go in the store and grab it.

Does Bread Make you Fat ? ( part I)

NO, bread does not make you fat! White (nutrient-depleted) bread, and putting lunch meats, spreads and some of the things people put in between the bread can make you fat. The good news is that there are more high-fiber, whole-grain bread choices today than ever before in supermarket aisles. The bad news is that with so many breads on the shelf (and 90% of them are junk and contain sugar), choosing the most healthful bread has become an even tougher task. When picking up the bread, it should actually feel slightly heavier due to the higher fiber content. You will not be able to roll this bread into a small ball like you can with white bread. Look at the ingredient list rather than the color of the bread to select whole-grain breads. Don't judge whole grain products by their colour because many dark breads have caramel or molasses for color and contain mostly refined grains. Read ingredient lists to find whole-grain products and look for the word whole in front of grains such as wheat and rye.

How can I tell if a bread or other product isn’t made from 100% whole grains?If the first ingredient has the word "whole" in it, you know that the most prominent grains are whole. If the product isn’t 100% whole grain, the second ingredient will typically be unbleached wheat flour, which is not whole.

What makes up a whole-grain? A whole grain has three parts: the outer layer, or bran; the inner part, or germ; and the endosperm. When grains are refined, the nutrient-rich bran and germ are removed, leaving only the endosperm.

Whole-grain breads typically contain more fiber. Look for a minimum of two grams of fibre per slice of bread. Do not be fooled by the words fortified with. Fortification typically occurs with refined grains. Precious nutrients that have been stripped away during the refining process are added back in. Manufacturers are sometimes required by law to fortify refined grain products to make up for the loss of vitamins and minerals.

After you eat the bread, notice if you feel tired soon afterward. It could mean that you have a junk bread. Food items that are higher on the glycemic index bounce blood sugar around and often leave you in a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and fatigued state. This is also the time that cravings for starch or sugar usually kick in.
Research clearly demonstrates that whole-grain foods are an optimal source of nutrition for overall fuel and even for weight loss. Instead of dropping all grain products in an attempt to lose weight, simply switch to whole-grain products and watch your energy soar as you healthfully shed those excess pounds.

Stay tuned to find out the benefits of "good breads" and the best ones on the market today........

I Wish My Body Looked Like Hers

I would like to start off talking about my big toe. When I was 20 years old I banged my big toe up against my shoe in an aerobics class and caused my toe nail to get infected with a toenail fungus (I know ewwww). A podiatrist told me I could get on a med called Lamisil, but it was not a guaranteed cure and it could possibly cause liver damage (Let's see toenail fungus or LIVER DAMAGE, wow what a tough choice for me to make!%#). I've tried many different ways to cure it on my own and nothing worked. When I would see people wear cute sandals showing off their freshly manicured toenails, I just drooled longing for the day that I could do the same. I could not wear polish bcs fungus thrive in moist, dark places so wearing polish would make it 10x worse!

I am glad that I stayed optimistic in believing that one day I too would have nice toenails again. I could have felt jealousy towards the women who showed off their toenails and seemed as if they took nice toenails for granted. I could have felt they were just showing off if they decided to add a toe ring. I could have felt as if they thought they were better than others bcs their feet looked so cute. But instead it inspired me to continue to do everything I could to find a solution. I did not want to give up hope. I let it encourage and motivate me to keep looking for a solution.

Now have you ever looked at someone else and said, "I want her body". Have you ever gotten jealous of someone else's body bcs it made you "aware" of your body and caused you to feel as if you didn't measure up? Did you ever feel as if someone was just "showing off" or acted as if they are better than others bcs they were fit? Many times someone else's success just brings out our insecurities. When you see someone's body that you have admiration for, use it as a reminder of your fitness goals. Each time, smile and remind yourself that you will not EVER give up until you are living in your desired body.

I just found a solution to my toenail issue recently. I am soooooooooooooooooooo happy! I had tried everything to make it go away and nothing worked. I had to just look at that pathetic toe nail over and over again. I filed the life out of it to try to make it look halfway descent. I had many failed attempts at failed self-surgeries. So you want to know what finally helped my toenail look normal again? I washed the toenail with soap and water. Then I mixed Clorox bleach and peroxide together and and poured over the Toe nail. I then made a new mixture and let my toenail soak in it for 15 minutes. I dried the toenail and put tea tree oil on a band-aid and put it over it. Continued until my nail looked new again! I just read somewhere that the old Clorox bleach bottles used to have a on their label "Use 1 Table Spoon of bleach in a gallon of water to soak feet as an effective treatment for athletes foot" but the FDA made them remove it - probably because it really worked and a lot of pharmaceutical money was being lost. I've heard that vinegar works for many people but it only gave me insignificant results.

Why do many prisoners have better bodies than you?

This is that time of year when you will see tons of infomercials on weight-loss "gadgets." I glanced at the T.V. and noticed an infomercial on something called, "the wave." I would like to help you by suggesting to you to save your money because if you buy ANY of those items, it will be a waste (there goes my chance of ever coming out with an xyz fitness gadget:) No, seriously in my entire life, I bought one thing from a fitness infomercial. It was a Gazelle and I did use it some. However it was before I came into the knowledge that those things are not necessary to help me lose or maintain my weight. So if you want my Gazelle, it is yours for $50... ok $25... ok just pay for shipping and handling....oh my goodness I need to stop.

Let's take a look at prisoners who are in shape. How do they get in shape without Nautilus equipment, treadmills and in some cases not even dumbbells. First off, they have a HUGE why. They are motivated because of the survival of the fittest mentality. In other words, they need to be in great shape to protect themselves. It helps them pass time (and gives them a nice kick of feel good serotonin to boot.) They have great results because their eating and training are consistent. Isn't it interesting that they don't have or need HUGE amounts of protein to get muscular. They do not have high access to candy, soda and junk foods. They get macronutrients such as Carbs, proteins and fats in their meals and in some cases dietitians are planning their meals. It may look like slop because I'm sure the cooks are not interested in food presentation. I found the following article interesting so check it out:

A Completely Criminal Exercise Program

by Ken Andes

When I studied social work at Rutgers University I spent a considerable amount of time studying the prison system and the people in it. First of all, let me tell you that you can learn a tremendous amount about human nature, our capacity for hate and evil, what makes people resort to evil, and how we handle guilt by studying inmates. Most of all I was shocked to find out that deep inside of our psyches there's very little difference between the average law-abiding citizen, and most hardened criminals. Sometimes by looking at the darkest part of society you further appreciate the light. And perhaps come away from the experience with more understanding.... and more compassion.

Anyway, all that is for another time.

Another cool thing I learned from studying the prison system is a neat workout that you can do at home without any equipment at all, just your own bodyweight. I can't remember the name of the prison where this exercise program came from, but it was one of the worst maximum security prisons in the country, similar to the way Alcatraz used to be. This was a place where they sent the most hardened murderers, rapists, armed robbers, and other people that society no longer wanted. These men were considered to be so dangerous that they were not allowed outside of their cells except for meals, exercise, and twice-per-week showers. And even then, their arms and legs were shackled with chains when they were out of their cells.

These men had no access to weight lifting equipment or any kind of exercise gear whatsoever. They were considered dangerous to the point that any exercise equipment given to them would be turned into a deadly weapon. Their "workout room" consisted of a small bare room with concrete walls and a cement floor with less than four or five inmates allowed inside at any time.

To these inmates, being strong and in good physical condition was vital to their survival due to the constant threat and occurrence of prison violence such as beatings, muggings, intimidation, and rape. To this end, most of the inmates at this prison practiced a workout called the "burpee workout". This workout consisted of a single exercise known as the burpee (AKA squat thrust) done for many reps in a certain fashion.

The burpee workout was designed to develop strength, endurance, speed, agility, and balance. This workout wasn't designed to make you "pretty" or "buff" (why on earth would you want to look good in this environment?!) although it did produce gains in muscle and losses in bodyfat. It was made to give someone the type of functional fitness needed to fight, run, and move with speed and explosiveness whether you're standing on your feet or lying on the ground. As it was meant to give you an edge in surviving violent encounters, this workout will also give you plenty of stamina.

So let's start by explaining how to do the one exercise you'll need, the Burpee.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands raised over your head. Now squat down and place your palms on the floor by your feet.
2. Kick both of your legs back so that you're now in position to do a pushup.
3. Bend your elbows and lower your body until it's about one inch off of the floor.
4. Now push yourself back up and at the end of the pushup quickly pull both knees into your chest while keeping your hands on the floor. You're basically jumping back into the squat position found in the first step.
5. Stand straight up by straightening your legs and throwing your hands in the air over your head. You're now in the position that you started in, repeat as needed.
6. If you want to make the burpee more advanced by increasing the explosive power in your legs, jump about 3-4 inches into the air as you stand up in step 5.

So that's a burpee. That one movement works pretty much the entire body from head to toe by combining a squat with a pushup. Because you're constantly switching from squats to pushups you're teaching your body to use the arms and legs simultaneously, like in a fight. Because you're moving the body from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane continuously, you're learning balance, agility, and the ability to maneuver while lying on the ground and on your feet. Because of the constant alternating use of the arms and legs, your heart has to work twice as hard as if you just did continuous squats or pushups. This movement will give you great endurance as well as upper and lower body strength. You'll notice that you use jumping movements with the legs, back, abs, and arms in this exercise. This will give you speed and explosiveness throughout the whole body.

For a workout, an inmate would stand on one side of the room and do 20 burpees without stopping. Then he would walk to the other side of the room and do 19 burpees without stopping. Then walk to the other side and do 18 burpees. Then walk to the other side and do 17. He would continue in this fashion until he got down to a final set of 1 burpee. Then he's done and it's back to the cell for him. I'm not sure if the ankle and wrist chains were kept on while he exercised, but it's a very good possibility that they were left on due to the nature of this particular prison. Nevertheless, you can still do this workout even with your hands and feet shackled.

Hey, you know what I just thought? Having your hands and feet chained together would greatly add to the aerobic and strengthening aspects of this workout. The extra weight would make you even faster and more explosive. Why the hell not? You could get two lengths of heavy chain at Home Depot, loop them around your ankles and wrists and then fasten it with some bungee cord. Make sure to have about 2-3 feet of chain between your ankles and wrists. Then you could put on your "federal issue" orange body suit (available at K-Mart), go down to your local health club, and start your burpees. You'll have a great workout while the other spandex-clad yuppies use the "pec deck" or that stupid piece of equipment where you open and close your legs as if flashing your genitalia. That would be kewl.

Now for most people, 20 sets in the above fashion may be too much to handle. So start with a lower number of sets like 15 or 10. Then gradually and slowly add sets one at a time as you become stronger and better conditioned. You might want to think about using a watch to time how long it takes you to do a certain number of sets, and then decrease that time as you get stronger. If you want to use this workout as the core of your fitness program, try to do it every day. Remember, a little bit done every day is much better than a whole lot done once or twice a week. If you're doing other exercises in addition to this, you can do your burpee workout 2-3 times per week on the days when you want to build your endurance. If I remember correctly, the prisoners who used this program were only allowed access to their workout room three times per week for 30 minutes at a time. So if you did this workout three times per week, you would be in pretty good shape.

Some goals to shoot for:

At this prison, you weren't considered to be a "man" unless you could do 20 descending sets without stopping. To be able to do 20 descending sets without stopping was sort of a rite of passage or initiation into someone who deserves some respect from the other inmates. If you could do 25 sets you were considered to be pretty tough and people though twice about messing with you. And if you could do 30 sets you were labeled a bona fide stud and given much respect.

So I guess if any of you guys plan on going to maximum security prison for a while you better work up to those 20 sets, lest you rely on protection from your new boyfriend who can easily pump out 30 sets.

Enjoy!

*NOTE* Proper form is extremely important when doing burpees to prevent injury. Also, there are other ways to work the same muscle groups. The main purpose of me posting the article was to make you say hmmmmmmm.

Joy

Q: Does cutting fruits and vegetables cause nutrition loss?

A. Most people do not realize the crucial importance of freshness when it comes to produce. Whenever we slice into a vegetable or fruit we expose the cut surfaces to heat, light and oxygen -- the nutrient destroyers. This exposure results in the oxidation of phytonutrients and loss of some nutritional value of the fruit or vegetable. An example of oxidation can be seen by cutting an apple, pear or banana and letting it sit in the open a few minutes. The “browning” you observe is evidence of the oxidation that robs it of its nutrients. Antioxidant protection can be seen by taking the type of same fruit or vegetable and cutting it up but this time apply some “fruit fresh” crystals and notice how the crystals prevent oxidation, which is the antioxidant protecting the fruit. Some fresh orange juice will work too. In the natural state, fruits and vegetables are provided protection from the air because of their skins. Even though they still “go bad in time,” the protection of their skins is lost when they are cut up, diced or sliced.

According to Dr. Ray D. Strand, M. D. — Specialist in Nutritional Medicine "Fresh salads and cut vegetables and fruit lose more than 40 to 50 percent of their value if they sit for more than three hours". All I know is that I incorporate tons of fruits and vegetables into my eating plan to receive their benefits. If I were not concerned about nutrients, I would just plow down Big Macs and the like and call it a day. But since that is not the case, and I am going to eat premium foods, WHY would I allow nutrient depletion just so I could have the "convenience" of pre-sliced produce? A good rule of thumb is "If I cut it now, I eat it now."

On a side note: It is best to tear lettuce into bite size pieces rather than cut it with a knife. Tearing it will break the bonds between the cells, making for less water loss. Cutting lettuce slices through cells, allowing the water to escape. I have also heard that cutting lettuce (especially with a metal knife) will cause it to turn brown more rapidly, possibly due to a chemical reaction between the metal and the lettuce.

My Favorite kitchen gadget for under $50

OSTER 4722 RICE COOKER

• Prepares 5, 10 or 14 cups cooked rice capacity
• Added cooking versatility with steaming tray
• Clean up is easy with removable, dishwasher-safe, non-stick pot and steaming tray
• Automatic keep warm with indicator light
• Includes measuring cup and rice paddle
• Worry free with automatic shut-off and tempered glass lid

Ok I LOVE this kitchen gadget. I put almost all of my whole-grains in it. Forget about the old way of putting rice in a pot and having to wait for it to boil, drain, make sure it is not over/undercooked etc. I simply put water and grain (ie.CousCous, brown rice, oats, quinoa), put the lid on and push the button. It stops when it done and keeps it warm until I come and turn it off. I had a bag of green lentils and wanted to see how they would cook, and again SHEER PERFECTION! The bonus is that it comes with a tray on the top that you can put veggies in and have them steam as your whole-grains cook. I have had mine for about 3 yrs and it still looks like new. I use it 2 or 3 x/wk and feel grateful that I found a kitchen gadget, that saves me time, prepares my foods with ease and goes above and beyond just being a "rice cooker."

I have the exact one above, but I could not find it at oster.com. They have it at Target, Kohls and Sears. Cost: $26-$31

OUR Best Body Part: The Brain

I really like a hair-care forum and visit it because I get great tips and learn about products, techniques, members trials and errors and get to see many pictures for inspiration. Many of the girls, myself included seem to be really "into" their hair, so I posed a question to find out if they are really "into" their health/fitness. Basically I said, "You love your hair so I know you're not fat." Some people were offended and some were curious as to where I was going with that question. Many people mentioned that it is easy and fun to focus on hair(they felt that you can quickly see results), but that with fitness/eating, they can't seem to find the motivation. I also heard many excuses as to why they can't or choose not to work out or eat healthy.
What I want to do now is show you how you can take your passion or interest for 1 thing (ie. hair, shopping, earning a degree etc.) and use it to have success in any area of your life, particularly health and fitness. Much of the following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, however I will relate it to hair also in this example:

4 Parts of the Brain

L-Brain (words, logic) Focuses on reality, focuses on details, reading, writing
R-Brain (patterns, images) Focuses on changing reality, focuses on the broad picture, creative imaging
Mid-Brain (emotions)
Brain Stem (physical stimulation)

Before I go on let me just say that most of us go through our days in auto-pilot. A big step in realizing your fitness/eating goals is to make it a PRIORITY, not just when you "feel" like it. I will never forget an example I heard on it where if a serial killer is plotting something, he has tacks on the walls of their location, details such as pictures, some of their belongings etc. because of his focus he can get his target. He is not out at a party somewhere dancing and then says, "oh man I am supposed to be killing someone right now." The next thing to remember is that you have to use ALL 4 parts of the brain to hit your goals quickly and effortlessly. Most people leave out 1 or more parts. The last thing to remember is to counteract negative thoughts, excuses and self-sabatoge with repeating your affirmation with a feeling of joy.

Here is the action you have to take now:
1. Write a 1 or 2 sentences written objective and underline it. This is your affirmation. An example is "I easily attain my fitness goals from working out 5x/wk and eating healthy. I enjoy the process and knowing that it is best way for me and everyone involved."(The last part is key bcs you do not want to become thin, but you got that way from an incurable disease.)
2. Give it a name, so when you say it it will come into your memory easily. ex. "Operation Fit Plan"
3. Use as many senses as possible when thinking of your Operation Fit Plan and experience total joy, success and excitement.
4. Look at your written affirmation, say it and feel it several times per day. Why? Because your brain will give you several objections/complaints during the course of a day.

Correlation between loving hair and loving to be fit:
L-Brain (words, logic)
Hair: read comments in hair forums; participate, which is like saying/speaking
Fitness/Eating: Reading and saying affirmation, reading books, belonging to fit/eat online community.
R-Brain (patterns, images)
Hair: Seeing before and after pictures or seeing pics of inspirational hair
Fitness/Eating: Seeing before and after pics or pics of inspirational bodies
Mid-Brain (emotions)
Hair: Excited by the possibilities
Fitness/Eating: Excited by the possibilities
Brain Stem (physical stimulation)
Hair: Physically doing your hair
Fitness/Eating: Physically working out, grocery shopping for healthy foods, preparing and eating them.

It is as simple as that! I hope this has been helpful to you. As with all things, some people can take information, use it and get results while others just seem to take the information and let it pass right through them and get no results.
Obviously as a trainer I help people with the physical stimulation, however I will be offering help in the other 3 parts of the brain with a "members only" website that will be launched Dec 1st (Before New Years Resolutions!!!) You can email me your email address to be put on a waiting list to be notified when it launches. If you are subscribed to the blog, you will automatically be notified.
Joy

Boot Camp Baby!!!

Short but Sweet

You were born an original. Don't die a copy.
-- John Mason

Bucket List 1

I have created a bucket list of things I desire to do. Some things will be small and others huge, but the main thing is that they are regularly done and checked off. I am also encouraging other campers/people to do the same. Otherwise these important things can end up never getting accomplished since they are not part of your daily life. This was my 1st bucket list and gave me the opportunity to be a hairstylist for a day (I also added in makeup and eyebrow shaping). I used to want to be a hairstylist in high school and let me just say it was a fantasy that I should have let stay in my head. I have a new respect for hairstylists now. I was on my feet in one spot for an hour and a half in 3 inch heels. I just wanted to run around and do some flips or jumping jacks or something. It feels so good to go through my bucket list now and not when I'm 90 years old. I really enjoyed and abhorred it at the same time. It was cool but I am glad to be back in the fitness industry again. Stay tuned for the next bucket list desire of mine or others.
p.s. Sorry the after look was not captured. I accidentally hit the stop button instead of record at the end. So you can't even see the after of all my hard work. She looked great before and after for the record.

Day After Historical Election (Question)

My question is IF you consider yourself a Christian, how do you justify voting for (pro-choice) Obama?

Let me start of by saying that I am willing to possibly lose respect from some or get flamed by some who may be offended by my question. I voted for McCain instead of Obama bcs of this analogy: If someone were to approach me and say, "I will kill your baby but, you can have the best health insurance, tax savings, better economy, better gas prices....and so on and so on". I would have stopped him at the 1st 5 words and demanded him to get out of my face. Why? because I consider myself a Christian that follows the word of God (Bible). I am not perfect and I am sure I fall short but before I became saved 7 yrs ago I called myself a Christian but did not walk the walk. Now I am about pleasing God and depending on God as my source and not a president as my source to the things I want in life. God will protect and take care of my desires because of my faith. I do not expect either candidate to be perfect but if one blatantly want to allow known sins then I can not support that. I admit that I am thrilled that the country is changing and color barriers are being broken but again as a Christian that does not precede God's word and commandments. I do not want to judge anyone and I certainly do not want to appear haughty but I want some honest replies. I really want to know if you feel that you just voted on either candidate bcs of race? Do you feel that the only way you can have your best life is based on who's president? Do you feel you pick and choose which parts of the bible have significance? Do you just believe in God/Jesus but are not interested in living it by his word? Click on comments below and help me to understand another perspective please. I will tell you in advance it will not change my mind but at least I will know.

p.s. I will surely pray for President Elect Obama and never express anger or bitterness about him being president. Everything is about love so my motto is always: love the person but not the sin.

Think on This (Part II)

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2).

Here are 10 practical ways in which you can begin to conquer negative thinking today:

1. Affirm yourself daily – An affirmation is a short positive empowering statement declared in the present tense. Note the key words here are: short, empowering, and present. In other words, to affirm yourself you should not say: “One day I will become.” No, you need to claim it right now: “I am!”

2. Choose how you will feed your brain - Plan your daily inspiration carefully. Remember that whatever you feed your brain with -be it people or entertainment – it will feed and nurture itself on it. Choose wisely. Listen to, read and watch only those things that will move you up to the next level. Anything that does not fit that requirement avoid it by any means necessary.

3. Don’t depend on others to approve of you – Stop feeding and depending on the approval of others – approve yourself. People, even those closest to you, might never approve of you and they might never affirm your progress - you must come to terms with that. Their non-approval and non-recognition should never ever stop you from affirming yourself.

4. Stop entertaining pessimistic negative people – Those people in your life that only have sorry stories are impacting your psyche, particularly if they are family. Don’t entertain their negativity. Listen to them, but don’t take it on. If you do, they will bring you down. And don’t listen to them for hours either because they will end up making you a believer. These people are going nowhere because they honestly believe that their situations have no remedy. If you entertain them they will bring you down too.

5. Practice forgiveness – The number one killer of positivism and good thoughts is un-forgiveness. Holding on to grudges and resentment is like feeding your mind with poison. You are literally drinking the poison and hoping that the other person will die. It’s suicide. Learn to love people unconditionally because people will fail you. They are human.

6. Refuse to think certain thoughts – Yes, this is possible. Remember that you have the control of your own mind. You decide what goes into it and what it will think. When negative thoughts about you threaten to invade do an about turn and find a mirror. Once you are facing and seeing yourself in the mirror affirm yourself.

7. Rehearse your success – It has been proven that positive imaging as opposed to fantasizing can help to push you up another level. The difference between both is that imaging makes you envision real possibilities. On the other hand, fantasizing deals with what you wish but will never truly be. You need to visualize yourself in the place you want to be. If for example, you consistently create an image of yourself in a successful relationship, or career you will also see the things that you need to do, and will not compromise, in order to get there.

8. Pray and meditate- Wait! Before you skip over this one it is your most important step. If you are a believer you are probably saying: “Yeah, I know”, and if you are not you are thinking: “Religious yadah yadah.” But psychologists and brain researchers are saying that prayer and meditation work wonders for the brain. When you pray and meditate you are putting your mind in a state of self-empowerment. You are strengthening your faith in the belief that while you cannot now see it, you are most certain that it will happen. Remember that what your mind visualizes is converted in reality. Take time out daily to empower your mind - pray and meditate on promises, proverbs, psalms, and inspiring quotes.

9. Eat brain food – The mind-body connection is the body’s most powerful link. Experts believe that we can eat food that will feed our brain and thus improve our memory and abilities for retention and analysis. You’ve been hearing that spinach, peppers, peaches, wheat products are a good for your body. But, did you know that they also feed your brain? Maximize their intake. Read this article from The Franklin Institute The Human Brain - Diet & Menu to find out how and what to eat to feed your brain.

10. SMILE!

© Copyright 2006, written by Norka Blackman-Richards (Joy added #10)

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Think on This( PartI)

It has been demonstrated that nearly 90% of our thoughts are negative, no wonder we find ourselves struggling. Each negative thought or word is a negative affirmation and these nasty little monsters can be even more powerful than positive affirmations because we often find them easier to accept. It is these negative thoughts that feed and validate our negative internal beliefs. Under this kind of negative bombardment most people simply do not have the strength to break free of their negative thoughts and become hopelessly locked into their own (usually false) negative beliefs.

Kids Rock!

I just finished watching "Extreme Home Makeover". Which is the only show I watch right now every week. The whole family eats dinner and then watches together bcs I love the gratitude we all feel after watching it. Tonight they showed some kids at this Cancer treatment facility and the joy from these kids gave me chills. They were being treated for Cancer, told they have a chance of dying early and were laughing, playing and enjoying the moment. Many adults complain and feel hopeless bcs of things way lower on the scales than that. Let's learn to be very thankful for many things daily and less bitter, depressed and full of complaints.

Do bananas make you fat?

A bootcamper asked me this question today, so now I want to elaborate on it more. Bananas are low in calories, as they contain only 100
calories. They are half the calories of most granola bars, and have one-third the calories of most muffins or bagels. Bananas are not high in sugar and have the same glycemic index as most all fruits. Scientific research reports no evidence that they will spike your blood sugars or increase fat stores. They are extremely low in fat, containing less than 1 gram of fat. They are loaded with
fibre making you will feel full and satisfied after eating them. One banana also adds 2 grams of soluble fibre, which helps to lower blood cholesterol.
Bananas are nutrient-rich. They contain vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin C and are potassium powerhouses. Due to all their potassium, bananas help lower high blood pressure and replace potassium loses after exercise. Potassium is necessary for proper muscle function in active individuals and athletes. And another bonus, bananas are an easily digested source of energy. Athletes
frequently peel a banana before a race for quick energy. In addition, bananas are high in magnesium, a mineral that helps bones absorb calcium.
p.s. I also like how I heard a doc explain it: he said, "In my years of working with overweight clients, I've never had one who became overweight from bananas".:)

Crunch Time

We would like to 1st off thank everyone who took time to give us their thoughts and opinions on helping us with our decision to participate on "Wife Swap". Each one was very much appreciated. I also had the opportunity to speak personally with some girls who have been on "Buff Brides", "Survivor" and who's twin sister is currently filming in a show now. We have decided to go ahead with the process of participating on the show. I like how one person said it to us, "if anybody can pull it off and be a good representation it would be you guys." We would never want our values/beliefs compromised so we would proceed with that in mind. I also know that you never know exactly what would happen unless you experience something so I hope nobody makes me "get Ugly"....just kidding:) We were also just informed that we have to be more discreet right now as it relates to details. We are not allowed to do any media, PR, internet or blogging on the topic. Once things are confirmed we can verbally tell you the when, where, what stuff.

Thanks a million everyone,
Joy

New Slogan

We kick butt with the girls-only and the guys-only bootcamps now so we had to add additional slogans.

Old:(for girls) Gaining BEAUTY while losing BOOTY (the original.......and will be used interchangeably)
(for guys) Gaining STRUT while losing GUT

NEW: (for book and blog) Winner or Whiner Winners CHOOSE to be fit, Whiners TRY not to quit (I Likey, I Likey)

*Elaboration: Unfortunately many people use the word try to prepare themselves to quit at a later date.

The scoop on fiber

Benefits of fiber: *Prevents constipation/Helps with elimination *Can prevent many diseases *Lowers cholesterol *Keeps weight under control *Helps eliminate toxins

Where do you get fiber? Fiber is can be easily obtained from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

*Drink plenty of water to help with digestion.

Expecting support from loved ones

It is amazing how you could have negative habits in your life and no one seems to care, but seriously change for the better and..... You would assume that family, friends and co-workers would feel happy for you and support you; that is not always the case. Sometimes loved ones are afraid of you changing and changing your feelings towards them. Sometimes they feel pressure to change some things themselves but are not ready yet. The good news is that once your loved ones see that you plan to stay on the right course no matter what, they will sooner or later keep their lips zipped and possibly even respect and admire you.

Sunday Serene Reflections

I am always amazed when I hear of people who have committed to our fitness bootcamp although other things were going on in their lives. They wanted to do something for themselves and they knew there was no such thing as "the perfect time". It is very admirable to see people roll up their sleeves and choose to stay focused, choose to give their all, choose to be adventurous and choose to win. It is a choice to have that kind of attitude and it is a choice more people should make.

Stress and Fat

Chronic stress and cortisol can contribute to weight gain in the following ways:

Metabolism -- Do you feel like you're prone to putting on more weight when you're stressed, even if you're eating the same amount of food as you always have? Too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience. This also makes dieting more difficult.

Cravings -- OK, you're stressed. Do you reach for a nice salad or a pint of Ben & Jerry's? I'll bet on the latter. People experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary foods. This includes sweets, processed food and other things that aren’t as good for you. These foods are typically less healthy and lead to increased weight gain.

Blood Sugar -- Prolonged stress can alter your blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and conditions like hyperglycemia. Too much stress has even been linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health concerns that can lead to greater health problems, like heart attacks and diabetes.

Fat Storage -- Excessive stress even affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat. Unfortunately, abdominal fat is not only aesthetically undesirable, it’s linked with greater health risks than fat stored in other areas of the body.
By Elizabeth Scott M.S.

This is some people's reality

Kids are getting introduced younger and younger.





Habits start to form and become "normal".







You are now in excuse city and justify your reasons that you are ok.






You never thought your choices could land you here. Are you now ready for change? Could any of this have been prevented? YOU BETCHA!!!!

Junk Food

Question: What is the #1 reason people say they eat junk food?

Answer: A majority of Americans report that they eat more junk food than they should, either often (19%) or sometimes (36%). The biggest reason, people say, is convenience.

What a good supplement can transform you into

Our bootcamper Juliane was so entralled with energy after consuming Mochatonix that she decided to write a song/rap about it......want to hear it?...... here it goes......

Best Blender

VITA-MIX
The Vita-Mix 5200 blender is an amazing new kitchen appliance that everybody is talking about. The Vita-Mix 5200 is the only appliance that juices, makes ice cream, cooks soup, grinds grains, kneads bread dough and breaks open the cell walls of food to maximize the nutritional absorption of antioxidant rich whole foods. A 120 volt motor on the VitaMix 5200 blender uses a 2 peak horsepower motor with a variable speed dial for ultimate processing versatility.
It is a food processor and blender all in one. It basically does everything both a professional grade blender and food processor would do. Anything from baby food, to chopping vegetables.

*****Note***** This appliance is used by many professional chefs.

The BestJuicer

Obviously this is in my own opinion. My 1st juicer was the juiceman and then I graduated to my favorite. I actually debated for a Month between the Omega 8005 and the Breville. Here are specifications on the two from consumersearc.com:
OMEGA 8005

• Single Gear "Masticating" Extraction
• Low Rotation Speed of 80 RPMs. Powerful motor chews the plant fibers and penetrates membrane to extract vitamins, enzymes, and mineral content.
• Continuous juicing with Automatic Pulp Ejection
• High juice yield - very dry pulp
• Single gear produces less foam than double gears
• Includes 6 nozzle (end caps) to extrude pasta shapes.
• No heat rise promotes a healthier juice
• Heavy duty construction using the highest quality material
• a single-auger, masticating juice extractor. It crushes produce to a pulp before squeezing out the juice. Reviews say this kind of extractor is very versatile. In addition to juice, it can make pasta, baby food and nut butters -- tasks that centrifugal juicers can't do.
  

Voted Best juicer overall based on Consumer search.

Breville 800 JEXL

• The elegant Breville Juice Fountain Elite is the big winner in the two best juicer reviews we found. The Fountain Elite's advantages are its 1000-watt motor and extra wide, three-inch feeder tube, which means users can skip chopping food into smaller pieces. Reviews say the aluminum Juice Fountain Elite is efficient at squeezing the most juice from produce. With dishwasher-safe parts, it is easy to clean.

• The average 8 oz glass of juice took over 3 minutes - the Juice Fountian does it in 5 seconds.

• Harder fruits and vegetables, like apples and carrots, require more power for optimal results. For these items, the Juice Fountain Elite's high-speed delivers a crushing 13,000 RPM, approximately 3 times faster than most other machines.

• Low-speed spins at a whisper quiet 6,500 rpms, which delivers the best results when juicing leafy vegetables, or softer fruits such as watermelon and orange.

Ok so I ended up picking the Breville!!!!! I love how my Breville looks and the taste, texture and quality of my juices. Cleanup is the #1 complaint with the juicers. You will have clean up with all of them but the more you juice, the faster you will get with clean up.

Honorable Mentions: Omega 8005 and Champion Juicers

The Best Portable Blender

I personally recommend this blender....below you will see what it says on their website personalblender.com.

The Tribest Personal Blender is the all-in-one, high-powered, smoothie-blending, coffee-grinding, sauce-making wonder with Blend-N-Serve cups for extreme convenience.

Just put your favorite ingredients in one of the Personal Blender’s single serving blending cups, screw on the blending assembly, and place it upside-down on the motor base. Press for pulse mode, or press and twist for continuous operation. Once you get it to that perfect consistency, just take off the blending assembly, and drink from the cup.

Not everyone likes the same ingredients in their smoothies or blended drinks, and it used to be a hassle to make everyone exactly what they wanted. You would have to stop and clean that clumsy blending jar every single time you switched recipes. The Personal Blender, by Tribest, eliminates that hassle. It comes with multiple Blend-N-Serve cups so you can enjoy your favorite recipe in your own cup, while making something else for a friend or a loved one in their own cup, without that extra cleaning step in between. Plus, each cup comes with its own lid for easy storage.

The Blend-N-Serve cups are made of tough polycarbonate, and are virtually unbreakable. They’re made from the same material as bullet-proof glass. The cups completely enclose the blending and grinding blades, keeping the blades away from probing hands and fingers. The advanced safety features built into the Personal Blender prevent operation when blades aren’t completely enclosed within the cup, making it impossible to come in contact with the spinning blades. An ordinary blender is nowhere near as safe.

Cleaning up is easy too. Just wash your cup and rinse the screw-on blade assembly, or just put the blending containers in your dishwasher. There’s no more bulky blending jar with its hard to reach blades and surfaces to clean, since everything is blended right in your own serving cup!

The powerful 200 watt motor allows you to blend everything from ice to frozen fruits. With the grinding assembly in the PB-200 model, you can grind coffee, nuts, grains, and even those feisty flax seeds. In under a minute, you can make your choice of hundreds of delicious and nutritious recipes. Blending and grinding have never been easier.

Tuesday Trivia

What is a protein that speeds up a chemical reaction?
Enzyme

Do you settle?

We set goals easily and then settle because of the reasoning mind. Most people do not even feel guilty when they settle because they do it so often. Let's recognize when we settle and overcome it for good.

Trivia

Does the human neck have the same number of vertebrae as a giraffe?
Yes

Joy, Peace, Happiness

Joy:

the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying Peace: freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity Happy: delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing

Do you think too much?

Most of the time people are thinking of the past or the future. Some thinking is flat out worrying. Some thinking can be negative and draining. Some thinking is useless. Some thinking is destructive. Some thinking is positive. Some thinking brings comfort and hope. Some thinking brings peace and joy. Some thinking is just the beginning of a series of other thoughts. Some thinking is a series of recycled old thoughts. Some thinking is random. Some thinking is concentrated. Some thinking is conscious. Some thinking is unconscious. Do a test and spend a day monitoring your thoughts.

Whats for dinner?

I just wanted to show you all another quick and healthy meal for everyone. My 5 yr old does not particularly like peppers but she know that all her veggies taste better when she mixes it with the other stuff that she likes. So she ate her peppers with the rice on the fork or with the shrimp on the fork and ate most of her food without complaining. Everyone has their favorite and not-so-favorite vegetables and/or fruit so the main thing is to mix some of your favorites with the not-so-favorites, then Bon appetit.

Teen facts

Teenagers have a reputation for bad eating habits. They go overboard with junk foods and fast foods, follow fad diets, skip meals, and don't get enough of the nutrient-rich foods that their growing bodies need. Nutritionists say such extreme eating habits can be dangerous.
Ironically, the nutrients that teenagers need the most in those peak growth years they don't get, says Sheila Kelly, a clinical dietitian at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Kelly says peer pressure, on-the-go lifestyles and dual-working parents relying heavily on convenience foods contribute to teens' poor eating habits. The media also has an influence, she says.
Extreme Eating Facts
Two-thirds of all teenage girls in the United States have abnormal eating behavior and one half are severely undernourished.
At least one American child in five is overweight.
About nine out of 10 young women and nearly seven out of 10 young men ages 12 to 19 are not getting the recommended calcium.
About 80 percent of 10-year-old girls and 50 percent of 9-year-old girls in the United States have been on a diet.

teens continued

Teenagers are starting off the lifelong bodily damage by living a lifestyle that consists mainly of junk foods. We all know that teens are influenced by their peers in most of their daily decisions. Food and snacks surely falls on the list as well. I have 2 real case scenarios that agree that the problem has and/or still is affecting their children. My final video after this will speak of solutions for change.

Kids and Veggies

Kids will love whatever you get them used to. If you get them used to junk food, they will crave it. If you make fruit and veggies a part of their daily meals, they will will like and desire them. It is ok to let them have 1 or 2 veggies/fruit that they do not have to eat. But outside of those they must eat them, even if you have to start out putting applesauce on them to get them to eat it. They must eat it!

Everyday is new

I love waking up to a new day. Everything is fresh. You can make new choices, get new inspiration and look forward to the new surprises of the day. It is always best to wake up with a renewed spirit and a smile. NEVER tell yourself that this will be a hard or long day. NEVER let the 1st thing you think of when you get up in the morning be negative. The saying worth remembering goes something like this..... Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift and that is why it is called the present.

Joy

Hold onto your joy always. If you have joy you can still accomplish everything you want to complete. If you do not, you will lose motivation. Something about joy helps you stay in action mode while catapulting you to hope, then belief and finally results.

Relax and have fun

Too many people are living stressed and hectic lives. You have to make time to stop and relax and plan vacations, relaxation or meditation times. Why do we put off the 1 thing that can make us more productive in our other endeavours?

My version of fast food

There are many ways to save time when having to eat in a hurry without neglecting health. Check out my 7-minute meal that was oh so yummy!

Commit

Do you think too much and act too little? Do you know that it is more torturous to keep procrastinating than the teeny bit of discomfort that comes with action.

Healthy eating at work

If you can find a way to eat healthy while working at a restaraunt, where you are constantly seeing, smelling and handling food all day then there is no excuse for the rest of us. Check this out.

Undigested Supplements II

This supplement in pill form, like many failed the test!

Undigested Supplements

What would be the purpose of taking supplements throughout the day if you would receive no benefit from them? Many people do this on a continual basis. Let's do a 24 hr test to see if a supplement is being absorbed or if it will be out of our system long before it could be absorbed.

Health tip

I consider a health tip/secret simplistic advice that has worked for many generations to improve health. The above video will reveal 2 of my favorites. Warning: Do not assume that something seems too simple to be true.

The salad disaster

If you know you plan to eat a salad as your meal in a restaurant, make sure you to take a quick look at their menu before being seated. It is not fun to have to leave a restaurant still hungry because your food was nutrient-less, taste-less and color-less.

Trim Body After Having A Baby

My guest Monica did not allow extra weight to stay on her body and just blame it on the baby. Yes, we can all gain anywhere from 25 to 75 lbs with pregnancies, but it doesn't have to mean that you have to kiss your nice trim body goodbye. Let's see what Monica thinks is important and the actions she lives by.

Do you know what does and does not motivate?

Have you tried so many different things that you do not know which is effective or ineffective or have just given up? The solution is very simple watch & see.

Learn from the ant

If someone were to ask you if an ant could accomplish more than you, you would probably laugh. But the truth is everyday an ant is making many people look bad. Why? They do not procrastinate. They do not make excuses. They do not get lazy.....and on and on. We can learn from their attributes in the above video.

Quote

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. — William D. Tammeus
-Oh my goodness, this is soooo true.

Have a phenomenal Mother's Day!

The Best Time is Now

Why put off anything that is good for you? There will never be a perfect day to start getting healthy. It could be a regular ole' Monday that you start and when you get to work, find out that there is a surprise retirement party being thrown for your co-worker. Will you still stick to your plans or decide that you can always put it off until tomorrow instead?

Staying Positive

It is so easy to put yourself down because you did not stay on track for a day a Month or a Year. But it is always best to let the past remain in the past and focus on what you can do in the present and do it! Repeating negative comments will only set you up to fail again shortly.

What to do when feeling blue

It is harder to stay on track with your fitness goals on those days where you wake up in a funk. What can you do to prevent a whole day from being sabatoged mentally, physically and emotionally? 1st realize that it is only temporary. 2. Focus on gratitude: Somehow feeling grateful for different things in your life changes your perspective. 3.Change of scenery:One of the best ways to change the way you feel is to change your environment. When you get in a slump, you start to associate your problems with everything around you. It can get to the point where your environment is a constant reminder of your problems. Go somewhere relaxing or peaceful or change your scenery with candles or by cleaning up. 4.Go outdoors with nature. 5.Get your booty moving: Take some kind of action because if you sit and feel sorry for yourself, you will just continue to think about the fact that you feel blue. The more enthusiastic you become the better you will feel. 6. Meditate, pray and/or write: This will help to clear your mind of junk and replace it with hope and joy.

Caution Advice

When people write books they may talk about the struggle or adversities they faced but they always mention and elaborate on how to have success in that area. Why would you take advice from someone who is still in the struggle part and is searching for the success part? People give and take faulty advice everyday. Do not ask me one single quesiton about gardening or you will hear crickets!

Age Does Not Matter

My girls that are 40 and over tend to jokingly say,"This old xyz body part isn't working like it used to". You have to overcome fitness challenges at every age. What I love about our bodies is that it can repair itself. You literally can resculpt your body at any time. The key is to quit looking at other people's age, fitness level, ability, strengths and weaknesses and focus on your own self ONLY.

Hospital Visit

This video is 2-fold: Shocking surgery statistic and how to be very strict with yourself when you have a short-term eating goal. For instance eating fruits, vegetables and nuts only for a Month can help you break junk food habits or eject you from food bondage.

People talking fitness

People are everywhere and I always wonder what think or have experienced as it relates to fitness, eating, failures and victories. You may be able to relate to some and may be able to learn from others. I just like to pick people's brains to see what they are doing and why. Be on the lookout because you never know if I will be tapping you on the shoulder next to talk fitness, so put on some lipgloss and smile for the camera.

Bags and Boxes

I call snacks "bags and boxes" since most snacks are in them. What makes me mad about snacks is not only are they void of nutrients, but they don't even fill you up. It is very easy for you to eat chip after chip or pretzel after pretzel or cookie after cookie. To make matters worse, you are now training your taste buds to desire those things even more. Your best bet is to only snack on a handful of nuts/seeds for your 1st snack and fruit/veggies for your 2nd snack of the day or vice versa. Then you will start to train your taste buds to crave healthy snacks and a bonus is that you will really enjoy your meals even more.

Starbucks

Interview with a Starbucks Manager.

Caramel Macchiato
Serving Size
16 fl. oz. -->

Amt Per Serving
Calories /Caffeine (mg) 150
240
Fat Calories/ Iron 0%
60
Total Fat (g)/ Calcium 35%
7
Saturated Fat/ (g) Vitamin C 0%
4.5
Trans Fat (g)/ Vitamin A 10%
0
Cholesterol (mg) /Protein (g) 10
25
Sodium (mg) /Sugars (g) 31
130
Total Carbohydrates (g) /Fiber (g) 0
34

Be very careful where you are getting your daily calories. Believe it or not some people drink most of their calories in sweet beverages which causes you to store fat like crazy. The manager of Starbucks said the above drink is the most popular. Make sure that if you meet up with friends at Starbucks you choose one of their healthier alternatives. It may not be their popular one, but you are not trying to win a popularity contest but a bikini contest(Now that was funny, I crack myself up).

Bootcamp Baby

A sneak peak into our happy hour. Fitness is one of the best natural highs on the planet!

Help Me Help You

Hello, Hello
I want to know how I can serve you better. Post comments on your favorite videos and it will let me know which areas to dig into deeper. I know that sometimes you just want to read, listen and go but take a few seconds to leave a comment ( You will get to choose your own screen name). It is my goal to help with the fight on obesity and with your help it will be done one video at a time, one person at a time!

Buy a size 2

The subconscious will assist you in what you plan for. If you keep buying the larger size clothes that are not your goal, you are telling the subconscious that you really do not plan to shrink your size. Your mouth, thoughts, actions and visuals have to all scream the same thing.

Rachael Ray

We are in a microwave society right now and fast is the word people are drawn to. It is a misconception that eating well takes longer to prepare or cook. It actually takes longer when you are eating junk because you never really feel satisfied and end up eating boxes of stuff. Then when your body starts to deteriorate you spend even more TIME sitting at the Doctors' office.

Kit Kat

Just when you think you have seen or heard it all.................. you realize there's more. I am shocked at the radio commercial I heard today. Let me know if you heard this as well. Maybe I was dreaming (NOT).

Baby Steps

Baby steps are a joke! If you want big results then you had better take big actions. So many people want to do things the easy way. It is time for you to get serious and quit being a wus.

Yuck Power

How do you turn yourself off on a bad food instead of being enticed by it? Can you do it over and over, day in and day out? Is it simple? Find out in the video.

On Vacation

I just wanted to let you guys know that since I am on vacation right now I will take a blog break until Monday. My philosophy is work hard, play hard. Check back on Monday bcs I have some really "sweet tips" to share with you all. Keep in mind that everything you learn is just information if you do nothing with it. It becomes revelation when you are ready to act. It's like a light bulb goes off and you "get it".

The Trap

Many people get caught up in the trap of becoming creatures of habit. You never want to eat the same thing daily because it is simple or easy to grab. You never want to only do Jumping Jax everyday because you know how to do them. It is variety in foods that gives us the maximum benefit. It is the variety in exercises that causes the body to sculpt and the brain to not get bored. Get optimum health by adding variety.

Daily motivations

Hearing or seeing something daily that pertains to our goals will help us to attain them. When something is out of sight it is surely out of mind. If someone is a crack addict, more than likely they were reminded to stay in front of that habit daily by who they hung around. That was a crazy, random example but you get the point.

Can you smell the roses

Take time to stop and smell the roses. Why is it important for you to take time daily to relax and do nothing? Because during complete silence you can think clearly, find out your purpose or realize your goals or just re-energize yourself. Many people have heard this suggestion before but because it sounds to simple to be beneficial, they just disregarded it. Start by deciding what time during each day you will promise yourself to devote 10 minutes a day to doing absolutely nothing in complete silence and then see for yourself the difference it makes.

Change

I heard Pastor Mike Murdoch say, "What you can tolerate, you will not change". I totally agree! If you can tolerate being in debt, you will not change it. If you can tolerate a job you do not like, you will not change it. If you can tolerate your kids being out of control, you will not change it. If you can tolerate people taking advantage of you, you will not change it. If you can tolerate being overweight or having a bad eating plan you will not change it. Never be scared to change for the better because it will be oh so worth it.

Grocery tip

Oh the deception! It just makes me upset that the food industry plays on buzz words and marketing to trick us into eating foods that are unhealthy and addictive. No wonder people are filling their pantries and refridgerators with what they think are acceptable foods but still are not losing weight. The good news is once you know what to look for, it will make shopping easier.

Winning the weight-loss game

Everyone has a winning spirit inside of them. Unfortunately some people do not realize it. It is so easy to quit and what do you get at the end of the quitting game? Nothing. What do you get at the end of the winning game? Benefits. If you only stuck around for the benefits, you would not ever quit on something you desired. If you only knew how sweet victory was or how you were sooooo close to achieving your victory. Once you win at 1 thing you realize it was not even as hard as you imagined and you go for more. Choose today to not be your own worst enemy to allow yourself to talk yourself out of what you want/desire. You will win. You have won!

Sugar Shock

I was addicted to sugar for years and I will NEVER be a slave to it again! People think the word addicted is too harsh, but the truth can hurt. If you feel like you have to eat or drink a certain thing every single day then you my friend are addicted. Sugar goes by many different names now and is in many foods and beverages. Be cautious and make healthy food choices that do not come with the many consequences as sugar.

SIDENOTE: Did you know that sugar feeds cancer?

Introduction

Hello Everyone and welcome to the Gaining BEAUTY while losing BOOTY Blog!(UPDATE:R3 Fit Show as of 2010!!) Why do I choose to post and/or video daily as it relates to you reaching your most perfect, fit and beautiful self? Well I can attest personally to the fact of starting, stopping, starting, stopping when it comes to a fitness, eating or beauty regime. However, the good news is that by listening or reading something everyday that reminds you of the benefits of sticking with something you desire will eventually lead to a permanent change. Some people are at the point in their lives where they are ready for a change and some people need more motivation. Well it is my desire that I step up to the challenge and help any and all that allow me to.

Much love and God bless,

JOY