Achieving Total Wellness Now

People who live much longer lives than the average person eat sparingly, control their weight and remain active throughout their lives.

Most of the research on aging has centered on how to make old age more bearable.  There has been very little research done on just what causes us to age.   This is starting to change.  Of course, most of what is known from studies comes from animal research; but empirical knowledge of aging (observation) seems to show that what is true for the animal kingdom is most likely true for us.

Laboratory animals that are put on subsistence diets (just above starvation) have had their lives extended by 30%.  Human beings who eat very small amounts of food tend to live much longer than people who really enjoy feasting. 

My grandparents on both sides were never fat and ate small amounts of food only when they were hungry.  The men both lived until age 85 and the women lived until 94 and 95.  None of their children did as well. 

The factors that are now known to be important are the standards that are preached all the time.  They are:

• Weight Control- People who are thin and do not have big stomachs tend to live longer…in many cases much longer.   It is important to control your impulses so you can control your weight.
• Insulin- Insulin is what your body produces to metabolize carbohydrates…sugar.  Your ability to control your sugar intake in the form of simple carbohydrates (sweets of all kinds, pasta, rice, potatoes and breads) is critical to a long life. 
• Active Lifestyle- Couch potatoes just move from the couch to the coffin.  Get a hobby like gardening, walking…do something that gets you moving on a regular basis. 

If you need to lose weight and do not know much about nutrition then you should get on a formal diet and nutrition plan so that you get proper nutrition while losing weight.  Contact us and we will point you in the right direction.

Diet and Exercise are mutually inclusive in a healthy lifestyle.  Each is good but without the synergy and balance of both we cannot come close to maximizing our potential.

If you had to choose between a sedentary lifestyle of a consistently good diet versus an active lifestyle of vigorous exercise and a so-so diet, which would you choose?   Personally, in the past I would probably have chosen the vigorous lifestyle with a poor to mediocre diet.  It was my “addiction” to sweets that would have swayed me in that direction.

I hate to tell you all the people I know who are active with terrible diets.  I know a lot of them…or I should say that I have known a lot of them.  Many of them are now dead, mostly before age 70, some even before age 60.  A few have made it longer in spite of the odds.

On the other hand, I know plenty of people who do not exercise but eat very healthy, watch their weight and seem to be doing fine.  What most people do not notice about healthy people with good diets is that they are a lot more active than even they realize.  They feel good, have good energy and therefore are more inclined to be “on the move” than people who neither eat well or exercise.

This is not an argument in favor of our choosing between diet and exercise because what we all know we should be doing is both.  Then the benefits to us increase exponentially.  We mentioned in a recent blog that our life spans are increasing three months a year right now.  In other words, every four years we are gaining, on average, an extra year of life.

If we do not drink to excess, stop smoking, eat right and exercise we can increase our life spans by twelve (12) years over those that do not heed this advice.   People who live to 100 use 2/3 less health care than people who die at the average age of 78.

It’s definitely not all in the genes, folks.  For most of us it’s about how we choose to live our lives.  If you haven’t done so well up to now, change your outlook, then your habits and start living well.

Sincerely;

Joanne & Paul

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The sum total of our well-being resides in the ability of our immune system to fight off disease.   Strengthen and support your immune system and you will win the battle.

There are endless supplements, herbs, concoctions and medicines to help our bodies fight the daily battle against the agents of disease and death that are constantly on the attack. 

Some people think that our success or lack of success against these diseases is all preordained by the genes that we inherited from our parents.  Others feel that if we take the right combination of wonder drugs and supplements we can ward off anything.

There is some truth to the gene theory.  Genes very definitely have a marked influence on certain things happening at particular points in our lives. There are also some good supplements out there that help ward off diseases.

As we look for that wonderful “bottom line magic bullet” the fact remains that it is the strength and well-being of our immune system that determines how well we fight off disease and how long we will live a healthy life.  How do we build up our immune system?

Good living habits such as proper diet and nutrition, exercise and enough sleep help a lot.  The elimination of bad habits such as too much drinking of alcoholic beverages, smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet help a lot also. 

If your genes are not the best, and some of us do have some unfortunate pre-cursors for some diseases, then there are medicines and natural supplements available to us.  There is a natural product available in most western countries that most people know little to nothing about that when taken regularly boosts the strength of the immune system by a large factor.

If you wish to receive more information about this product, email us at this site and we will send it to you.

Sincerely;

Joanne & Paul

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A recent British study of 5,000 people measured four factors in their lives and then followed these people over a number of years.

We talk all the time about what each of us must do to increase the quality and length of his life; but rarely have we found something that actually can put a number on the length of our lives.

In a British study of 5,000 people, the subjects, both men and women, were categorized and analyzed for four (4) lifestyle factors and then observed over several years to see how these four factors played into the length of their lives.

The four factors were: alcohol consumption (men more than 3 drinks/day and women more than 2 drinks/day), steady smoking, dietary habits and level of activity (exercise).

There were many subsections to the study depending on the level determined in an individual’s analysis; but here is the basic conclusion.

People, who regularly drink too much, smoke on a consistent basis, have poor dietary habits and do little or no exercise die on average 12 years sooner than people who only drink on occasion, do not smoke, eat healthy and get 2 to 2-1/2 hours of exercise per week.

If the average life span in America is 78 and you are shortening it by up to 12 years due to your bad habits, turn your life around and start getting on the track that is going up, not the one going down.  Here is why- It is estimated that due to better information about healthy living and better medical care, the life span of the average human being is increasing approximately 3 months for every year right now. 

That means that on average we are getting another year of life every four years.  That is much better interest on your investment in healthy living than banks are giving you on your money.

Sincerely,

Joanne & Paul

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Almost everything we do in regard to the health and well-being of our minds, bodies and souls involves a process…a series of steps that we must take to get to our goal.

The birth of a new life is treated as an event; but if you ask any mother she will quickly agree that it is a process, a nine-month process.  The ending of a long life is also treated as an event but in most cases it too is a weeks or months long process.

This is true of anything worthwhile that we wish to accomplish in our lives.  It is going to take time and effort.  The problem for most of us, I think, is that we have a difficult time reconciling future time with effort.

You see, future time is indefinite and seems to stretch out to infinity; whereas past time is compressed in our memory and seems much more manageable.  Therefore, when we want to start a new “project,” or set and accomplish a new goal it is difficult, if not daunting, to calculate the amount of effort it will require to get there in an uncertain time in the future.

That is why goals must be very specific and always have timetables and deadlines so that the uncertainty of future time and effort can be calculated and managed.  Why do brides always manage to lose weight before their weddings if that is their goal?  Of course, they are unusually motivated; but they also know that they are dealing with a finite amount of time and effort.

If you know that you need to improve your health and should start a good nutrition and exercise program, then lay out your plan for a certain period of time with a goal to reach a specific weight within that period of time; then do it one day at a time.

We can help you in many ways.  Look at some of our other blogs and educate yourself on how to go about reaching your goals and download our free e-book, The Path to Wellness.

How do you eat an elephant?  You eat it one bite at a time!

Sincerely,

Joanne & Paul

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At least 10 new studies are beginning to show that saturated fat has gotten a bad “rap” for a long time.

It often seems that information on nutrition is like the weather in New England.  If you don’t like it, wait five minutes.  Now it seems that saturated fat is going to be in that category.

Over the last sixty to seventy years; doctors, nutritionists and all form of health experts have warned of the dangers of saturated fat.  We were told to limit our intake of it to less than 25% of our daily total of fat.  Butter was bad, margarine was good.  In essence, we swapped the bad saturated fat in butter and other dairy products for the even worse trans fat in margarine.

For the moment trans fat is still very bad but saturated fat is not looking so bad anymore and might move up to almost good.   What are we to believe?

It all pretty much comes down to this.  Most “experts” believed through all these past 70 years that it was fat that made you fat.  Nobody bothered to ask the bodybuilders or their trainers for their opinion.  They knew for decades that it was not the normal ingestion of fats so much as the over indulgence in carbohydrates that made you fat.

When bodybuilders train for a show they cut way back on their “carbs” in order to “get ripped.”  In non-bodybuilder terms, they stop eating carbohydrates to lose water and fat weight in order to show off their muscle striations better.  They continue to eat lots of protein and a normal sensible amount of fat.

It is a fact that in countries that eat less saturated fat there is far less heart disease and cancer.  This is probably due to more than just saturated fat; such as the people in those countries tend to be slimmer, eat a lot more vegetables in their diets and maybe are more active. 

Until this latest bit of “fat” news is more understood we advise caution.

We do not think that you should see this as a green light to eat all the beef, butter, ice cream and cheese you can.  The evidence against this type of diet is still very powerful.  Just be aware that our bodies and their physiology are quite complicated.  It is a factor of many things that decides our ultimate health.

Our favorite mantra- eat healthy, exercise, control your weight and be positive; and you are doing most of what you can to influence the quality and length of your life.

So many overweight people feel that their lives are a choice between being thin and miserable with hunger or fat and green with envy.

We have stated it here so many times before (after all, it is what we are all about) that losing weight and staying slim or “where you want to be” does not have to be a titanic struggle.  It is more about planning and due care with the right diet and nutrition plan than about suffering.  Of course, a small amount of self-discipline goes a long way too.

Remember the man we had over to dinner a couple weeks ago who had lost 25 pounds since the 1^st of January.  He called yesterday, March 2, 2010, and said that he is now down 32 pounds.  Up until the last couple of months he had been carrying around this extra weight for at least a dozen years.  He called to order another round of diet shakes, cleanser and stress supplements from us.

Before going on this diet plan he could eat most people “under the table.”  When in a nice restaurant he would sometimes order as many as 4 appetizers, plus drinks and an enormous entrée; and laugh at Joanne and me for the way we eat.  Now he tells us that he feels so much better, has more energy and has no desire to eat like that anymore.

If you are sick of being “green with envy” and are ready to make a life-changing decision, contact us. We will show you how you can still enjoy food and your life while eating much healthier.

Our weight-loss program works without a lot of pain and stress. More importantly, the results can be permanent. Every time I go up a pound or so I can pull myself right back down in a day or two; and as everyone knows who knows me, I still like and eat cookies, brownies and dark chocolate on occasion.

Joanne & Paul

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It seems like a paradox but it is true.  If you want to get energy you have to give it.

Many of us can claim to feel listless and lethargic at times.  We know that there is a task like exercise or cleaning that needs our attention but the couch looks so much better.

If we succumb to the temptation to lie down and “blow off” the high energy task, the immediate gratification of just relaxing will be wonderful but we will have to deal with the guilt consequences later.  Yet we really do not have the energy to do anything right now.

I am all too familiar with this feeling.  I have spent a lifetime dealing with it and I suspect that I am in a lot of good company.

This may seem like a paradox and it’s similar to love in many cases in that you must first give in order to receive.  If you want to have energy you must give energy.

Inspiration does not come to a lazy, wandering mind; love does not come to a closed heart; and energy does not come to an inert body.  You must first make yourself start moving.

As a lifelong exerciser, I cannot tell you all the times I did not feel like going to the gym or the high school track.  I felt like I could lie down and sleep anywhere at those times.  In truth, some of my best workouts came on days like that and I felt full of energy afterwards.

I know it’s difficult; but get up and get moving!  The energy is in you.  It’s just in passive mode until you start to tap into it.  The good news is that the more you do this the more energy you will be able to command on a regular basis.

In mid-February most people have already forgotten their New Year’s Resolutions regarding diet, exercise and weight loss.

Here it is mid-February and I am sure that most people have forgotten what they promised themselves that they would faithfully do this year in the weight loss department.  Why is that?  They find it much easier to envision doing than to actually do it.

We have a 46-year old client who went on a strict diet right after the New Year.  At the beginning he weighed 245 pounds.  Last night we had him over for dinner to congratulate him for his progress.  What did we serve?

We had salmon fillet on a bed of spinach sautéed with tomatoes, garlic and Italian spices along with pork tenderloin stir-fried with fresh vegetables.  The starch carbohydrate was rice.  Dessert was fresh fruit.  This man’s comment was that everybody would live to 100 years old if he/she ate like this.

That is really our goal.  George Burns said years ago that he wanted to make it to 100 because not many people die after 100.

In a little over six weeks our client has lost exactly 25 pounds and expects to lose another 5 before easing up a bit and going to maintenance for a while.   He admits to being hungry quite often but says he actually feels good being hungry because he knows it is a sign of progress.

When I dieted and I lost 18 pounds last fall I was not nearly as strict as this man has been; and I have had no problem maintaining it with the program that we use.  Yes, I still eat cookies, potato chips, pop corn (almost every night) and dark chocolate once in a while.  The difference is that I eat less of these things and not as often; and I do not feel deprived.

Sincerely,

Joanne & Paul

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The loss of flexibility in our arteries as we age is another factor in the onset of cardiovascular disease.  Arterial flexibility is directly related to body flexibility.

A benefit of our performing regular stretching routines such as Yoga or Pilates is that the body continues to be flexible.  Until recently we haven’t given much thought to the effect of stretching on our arteries and veins; and their need to remain flexible also.  

As we age our blood vessels as well as our muscles and joints start to lose their flexibility; especially if we become less and less physically active.  This lack of flexibility in our blood vessels can increase the onset of high blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular disease.

Now there is a simple test to see how flexible you are.  Sit on the floor with your back against a wall and your legs straight out in front of you.  Now try to touch your toes with your fingertips.

If it is a real struggle or impossible then you need to get busy correcting that. 

A Japanese study found that the there is a direct relationship between your body flexibility and you arterial flexibility.  The more limber you are the more flexible your bloods vessels are too.

Even if you exercise regularly stretching is still a benefit; and, of course, if you exercise not at all, then stretching is more important to your health.

If you tend toward high blood pressure you might want to take 1,000 mg of L-Arginine, an amino acid, each day.  It has been shown to make blood vessels more elastic.  You can find it in capsule form at any health food store or drug store.

Sincerely;

Joanne & Paul

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