Rule of thumb. New Years Resolutions Beware:)

"This year I am going to......". Famous last words for some of us.

 Declaring change and actually experiencing change are two very different concepts. Our brains are wired to do what is comfortable and familiar. 'Hyperbolic Discounting' is a term used by scientists (Dube 2010), to describe our brain's adaptability to negotiate the present moment to get what we want, maybe a piece of chocolate cake, and, to put off our immediate goal, maybe limiting sugar intake. For example, how many of us have said "I'll start tomorrow"and tomorrow never comes. However, in that "I'll start tomorrow" moment their a sense of satisfaction and even gratification.We get what we want, the cake, and convince our minds that we have stuck to our initial goal of limiting our sugar intake. Perfect, right? No no.

  I believe the following "rules of thumb" will help attain our New Year's wellness goals and, overcome our 'oh so smart and tricky minds'.

1. You know your body best. Their is something J. Rosenthal refers to as Bio-Indivduality, which means your body and your system is unique to you. Unfortunately, their is no one simple fix for all.  So if you are starting a fitness or wellness program, give yourself permission to play with it, see what works with your body and tweak as needed.

2. Make sure your goal is sustainable. Personally I think it's none-sense to start something that is not sustainable. So if you are doing a cleanse for a week and then hopping back on your gluttonous diet for the year, consider this: cleanse and clean up your diet a little bit. Make it goal to be more aware of what you are eating. Maybe incorporate more leafy dark greens or vegetables, when you are making rice always choose brown, take the stairs or walk when you can. These little changes add up over a year and are monumental to your long term health.

3. 80/20 Rule. I don't really believe in diets. 2 out of 100 people are successful on Western mainstream diets (J. Fuhrman). That sucks. So try this, 80% of the time eat relatively clean. 20% of the time have some drinks and dessert or, some salty chips (my fav). If working out more is one of your goals, maybe commit to 3 - 4 days a week rather than 7 days a week. Make it a little easier on yourself and more attainable.

*Find out what works for you. It may take a little longer to get to your desired goal but that's ok because you are doing it at a pace that works with your life. The goal becomes enjoyable and not stressful, it's not taking away from anything but adding tremendous benefit to your life and your health.

Good luck New Year's Resies:)

I hope this helps,

Mich

Marriage or Bust! Where r u Headed?

Just tying the knot myself, I though this talk on The 4 Steps of Marriage (or committed relationships) by Dr. Harville Hendrix was very thought provoking, a must read!

"Getting the Love You Want" Dr. Harville Hendrix

The 4 Steps of Marriage:

1. Romantic Love
2. Power Struggle
3. Resolution
4. Consolidation


First Stage: Romantic Love 

The Selection Process: bringing together 2 incompatible people to grow and heal.
The selection of a mate is first fuelled by attraction and then our unconscious mind selects it's partner based on our childhood wounds. Our "Imago Match" is the picture we have in our minds of what our marriage should look like when we are older, we carry that ideal through our life into our committed relationships, creating our "Dream Like Partner" in our minds.

Second Stage: Power Struggle
The natural second stage from the Romantic Relationship leads into the Power Struggle. The natural high or honeymoon stage begins to fade, your dopamine and serotonin begins to recede, typically this honeymoon stage can last anywhere from 2 days to 18 months.

During the Romantic period we do what we need to do to stay in our "new" relationship, once a commitment has been made we tend to drift back to our natural self. This is when resentment can creep in, the idealization of the women or man you fell in love with has changed. The dopamine has now been replaced with adrenaline and cortisol. You "Partner of Dreams" has turned into anxiety and maybe a disappointment. The differences between the 2 partners in the relationship has come to light, which brings us to Stage 3.

Third Stage: Resolution (3 possible options)

1. Parallel relationship options: You begin to recreate and heal your relationship or  look for fulfilment outside of your relationship: you withdraw into your social circles, consume your life with work, devote all your time to your children or fall into the arms of another mate.
2. Hot Marriages:  you are always in conflict and negative.
3. Divorce: 50 % of marriages end in divorce.

if you make it to Stage 4....

Fourth Stage: Consolidation 
This is a recommitment to your relationship, making a decision to close all possible exists in your relationship ie. drinking to much, too much golf, to much time at work...

Relationship vs Self
When you constantly come back to self your relationship suffers, when you commit to partnership the self is taken care of.

The Way of the "Imago" partner or dream partner is to ask "What does our partnership need from me" More: laughing, intimacy, reliability, healthier diet...etc.

The conditions for success in your relationship is to remove all negativity, surrender.
Acknowledge your partners "otherness", its not bad, its different, its not you.

Imago Dialog: Keep connection always, don't get stuck in negativity... Listen, Repeat "what I heard you say is....is there anything else you want to add to this ?" and then hug and practice empathy. Your connection to one another is never broken....

I am working on the Imago!

That's it!

Love your thoughts!

90/10 Rule

This gave me a little "piece" of mind...

I am really working on eating clean, whole foods, lots of greens and veg and no meat for the most part. I feel the best I have ever felt as far as digestion, energy and just general happiness.

In my quest to create my "clean" body, trying making up for the food colouring, milk and white sugar soup I used to make for breakfast as a kid, I have discovered I have to give myself permission to suck sometimes.

My Prof: Dr. Joel Furman gave an interesting stat to our class: 2 out 100 dieters are successful, in other words, the 2 people kept the weight off and the diet was some what sustainable.

He said as soon as deprivation sets in, the mind focuses on what is can't have......

Steve found this amazing pizza place around the corner form us...our order:
One Deluxe Pizza, extra meat and one small veggie hold the cheese....the veggie pizza minus the cheese is actually aok...but beside Steve's mouth watering cheesy, meaty, salty yummy pizza mine totally sucks.

So I have build in a 90/10 rule for my eating habits...90% of the time I am pretty spot on, fresh organic veg, organic whole grains: brown rice and spelt, fresh fruit, beans etc....and my 10%: a deluxe piece of pizza, extra cheese and meat and why not a beer...:)

Hats off to 100%'ers, for the rest of us who crave a little greasy pizza, but want to strive for a healthy lifestyle most of the time, 90/10 is a great way to go. 

Grilled Chicken Salad? Think Twice.

I thought this lecture by Dr. Neal Barnard was interesting.

“When you subject skeletal muscle (Chicken, Beef, Fish) to high temperature cooking carcinogens are formed ie. Heterocyclic amines, specifically phenylmethylimidazopyridine, are mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds found in grilled chicken.”

So what is a Carcinogen? 

A carcinogen is a something that is known to cause cancer in humans or animals. A carcinogen affects a body in the most fundamental level. It can act on the deoxyribonucleic acid – the DNA itself, which causes aberrations or mutations that can lead to the abnormal increase in the growth of cells. The effect on cell division will likely increase the chances of mutations in the DNA. Some carcinogens can also have a bad effect on the body without having to attack or change the DNA.

Dr. Neal Barnard and his team, after taking hundreds of sample from “fast food” restaurants and concluding that "every sample" of meat did test positive for carcinogens, took MacDonald’s, Burger King, Apple Bees, TGIF and KFC to court. Proposition 65 in California: which states if you are selling something “harmful” the customer must be informed: Burger King has settled and has posted that there Grilled Chicken contain cancer causes chemicals. 

crazy right.

(Lecture by Dr. Neal Barnard)

Coffee Drinker/Drug Addict?

“Caffeine is a drug. We are a nation of drug addicts” Joshua R.

America drinks 400,000 Million cups of coffee a day, making the USA the #1 coffee consumer world wide.

I love coffee, I love the culture of coffee, the mocha flavor, the cream, I hop out of bed and so look forward to my morning cup of java:)

The question I get the most when it comes to nutrition is: “Can I drink coffee?”

Yes, there are some great benefits to drinking coffee. It’s chalk full of phyto- nutrients which can support your hormonal system, it stimulates your central nervous system helping you with concentration and focus, some research claims it can help prevent colon cancer and may have a positive effect on MS. 

However, we also need to consider the negative effects, which I choose to ignore sometimes as I love my one cupper....but you should know so you can make the best choice for your body. 

FYI: “Espresso has oil in it, it’s broken down differently. It maybe better for your body” JR. 

(i am looking for information this now:))

The Downside of Coffee/Caffeine: 

“It doesn’t give you the chance to find neutral, to chill, the unnatural stimulation of our nerves creates stress levels that can damage the resilience of our immune system. It’s essentially a drug that effects your adrenal gland and nervous system that keeps you going even when you want to sleep or rest: we call it “over attention disorder” coffee puts pressure on the adrenal glands to the point of exhaustion.” Joshua Rosenthal

“Caffeine inhibits the absorption of essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium and zinc and well as some B vitamin. Many studies have linked heavy coffee consumption with osteoporosis, miscarriages and heart disease.” 

Integrative Nutrition, Rosenthal.

Sex and Caffeine: 

No Energy for intimacy or sex?...less coffee could be your answer.

Coffee has been borrowing and using the adrenaline in the body, exhausting the adrenal glands, your adrenals are just above your sexual system, therefore compromising your entire system.”  Notes from lecture JR Lecture, IIN

So my solution for my body is moderation I have 4 - 5 cups a week, and love every sip! I am also exploring alternatives:

Green Tea

Dandy Blend: Dandelion, Chicory Root and Sugar Beet

Pero: Malt Barley, Chicory and rye

Teechino: roasted herbs, grains and nuts. It brews like coffee and has a very simular flavour to coffee. It also high in potassium so it balances the acidity.

I’d love your thoughts on Coffee/Caffeine!

Happy,

Michelle

Interesting Resource on Pro’s and Con’s of Coffee:

http://voices.yahoo.com/drinking-coffee-pros-cons-10786381.html

Juice: Danger Zone?

Juice: To Drink or Not to Drink

My Prof was talking about sugar (refined) & fructose (the sugar in fruit) drinks today and I thought his question was interesting:

"Would you sit down and eat 2-3 oranges?" Ah for me no.

Yes organic juices and some natural juices have great nutritional benefits, they can be loaded with minerals & vitamins.
Lets look at Orange Juice:
Vitamins: C - aka ascorbic acid, functions as a antioxidant helps protect cells, assists in formation of collagen, helps assist in wound healing and can decrease (LDL) bad cholesterol.

B1 - Thiamine, assists the nervous system and heart muscle and regulates the appetite.

Folate - (Natural form of Folic Acid) - Helps with red blood cell production, can help prevent cervical dysplasia, enhances energy and stamina.

Having said all that, this information is based on 100% pure organic orange juice, that has not been concentrated, fortified or compromised.

 Sound great so far Right?  However, with juices, when the pulp is stripped away the absorption of the natural sugar (fructose) is much faster, therefore the pancreas has to work much harder secreting insulin to bring your blood sugar back down.

See the article below by Dr. Silverman below.

Again Food for Thought you decide, I say have a glass of water and an orange or, cut the juice with water & always buy organic when possible:)




By Dr. Robyn J.A. Silverman
www.DrRobyn’sBlog.com

How much sugar is in juice?

It can be confusing. After all, juice comes from fruit and fruit is good for us. It’s one of our food groups! Many juices have antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals—so shouldn’t we give our kids a lot of it? In this case, too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

The amount of sugar in juice depends on the brand and type of fruit juice we’re discussing. For example;

• Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice and Apple and Eve Clear Apple Juicecontain 22 grams of sugar per 8 ounce glass. Since four grams of sugar is in a teaspoon then an 8 ounce glass of orange juice would have 5 ½ teaspoons of natural sugar in it
• Juicy Juice has 26 grams of sugar in an 8 ounce glass, which means that it has 6 ½ teaspoons of natural sugar in it.
• Minute Maid Fruit Medley (which does have some added ingredients) has 32 grams of sugar per 10 ounce bottle. That’s 8 teaspoons of sugar.

These juices say 100% juice and therefore do not add additional sugar—fruit is simply sweet and contains “fruit sugar” (n : a simple sugar found in honey and in many ripe fruits [syn: fructose, levulose, laevulose]).

The medical world is quick to remind us that “it’s much healthier to eat the fruit rather than drink the juice. For example, a 12-ounce glass of orange juice, which is the juice of two to three oranges, has about 180 calories . But eating one orange is only 80 or 90 calories and it does more to fill you up.” (University of California, San Francisco, Children’s Hospital)

Soy the Good Bad and the Ugly?

I'd like to start out by saying that every person is a little different when it comes to health and nutrition, Bio Individuality means that what's right for me isn't necessarily right for you.

Having said that I want to throw out some ideas around health and nutrition that get us thinking, get us curious about what we are putting in our bodies.

Food for Thought Quote:

"62% of the calories we eat in the American Diet comes form Processed Foods.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman


_____________________


So Today I want to write about SOY!

I am becoming Soy Ninja, Dr. Kaalya Daniels spoke at my school this year, and the information she presented on Soy was jaw dropping!

I have recently reduced Meat and Dairy in my diet so Soy seemed like a great replacement, however after hearing Dr. Kaalya Daniels speak, I got curious, and started looking at every article I could get my hands on to find out more about these PhytoEstrogens in Soy, and if the good out weighs the bad.

The part that really struck me was when she spoke about the fetal development, especially for baby boys growing in the womb the male hormones are inhibited by the Phyto-Estrogens, causing problems with male sexual development. We are planning to have a family soon so this was super important to me!

Decide for yourself, below are some articles I wanted to pass on, funny that they all claim science and fact, yet they are different in resolution from Dr. to Dr.

You can Google Dr.Kaalya Daniels and her theories and studies.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Soy and the source of your information too, so Soy or Not?

For me right now the jury is out!

http://blog.wholesoystory.com/

http://vegetarian.lovetoknow.com/protein-sources-vegetarians/risk-vs-benefit-soy-products

http://healthybodydaily.com/soy/dr-oz-soy-harmful-or-helpful-soy-and-cancer-heart-disease

The link below is a little scary: Regarding Soy Infant Formula.

http://www.businessinsider.com/nestles-infant-formula-scandal-2012-6?op=1

Be Curious, your life depends on it...for real.

M