It is important to take care of our bodies on the inside with proper nutrition, supplements, and regular exercise.  One supplement that is necessary to keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy and give you a Fit, Fun and Fabulous glow on the outside, is a high-quality Essential Fat.  Essential Fats are a high potency Omega 3 fatty acid supplement containing 450 mg EPA and 330 mg DHA combined with Vitamin D3.  Essential Fats is our superior quality, lemon flavored Omega-3 formula providing a high yield of EPA and DHA combined with 1,000 IU of Vitamin D3.  The Omega-3 fish oil, in this product, is from wild caught anchovies, and then the oil is then molecularly distilled to ensure purity and stability.

It is also important to keep our skin glowing on the outside (plus it makes us feel good).  Use olive oil and sugar as a natural, chemical free, hypoallergenic exfoliation treatment to moisturize and replenish your skin.  Olive oil is also a natural antioxidant containing vitamins A and E which nourish skin cells that have been exposed to sun and air pollution.  This exfoliation is easy, relaxing, and inexpensive:

• Mix about one-half cup of sugar with enough olive oil  to make a paste.  Using circular motions gently massage the mixture into your skin — it’s safe enough to use on both face and body.
• Brush the mixture over the face.
• Gently scrub with your finger tips to exfoliate the dead skin from the face.
• Wash, rinse, and blot your face dry with a towel.

If you exfoliate too often, you’ll find yourself with dry, red, irritated skin.  Typically, a weekly skin exfoliation is enough to keep skin looking and feeling soft and smooth, but it may take some trial and error to determine how often you should be exfoliating your own skin.

*Please note:  For those with acne prone skin and/or large pores, olive oil may not be able to be used.

Luckily, Chip refused to exit the barn to go for a ride later that day.  Chip is a very obliging horse that loves to ride, so I immediately began looking for something wrong. Sure enough, his foot was burning up.  A misplaced nail had created irritation to the hoof wall, which would surely abscess, if not immediately addressed.  This happened to Chip once before and it took us two months to resolve his abscess.  Every day I’d wonder if his other three feet could continue to support him.  Luckily, this time we caught it quickly and acted decisively allowing the inflammation to be reduced and hopefully heading off a potentially life threatening infection.

In Native American culture your horse represents your life.  They are the vehicles the natives used to be mobile, they were revered, and life without a horse was harder.  So my question to you (and to myself) is, “What do you do when you have a threatening situation that comes to your life through no fault of your own?”  Perhaps it is an accident or perhaps someone else has caused you pain or hurt you financially.  What is your immediate response?  Do you collapse into victim-hood?  Do you become paralyzed with fear?  Or, do you react immediately to become proactive and manage the occurrence?

There is an expression “no one is innocent.”  This expression means that we all have some level of self- responsibility in any situation involving us.  Unfortunately, that self-responsibility may only lie in our response to the occurrence.  Our response is our opportunity to react to whatever situation is at hand and have some level of power.

I invite you to sit quietly and look at the areas in your life where you feel or have felt that you have had no control and ask yourself; “How did I handle this?”  Did your response help your outcome, the situation, and the people involved?  Or, did your response create more hardship or chaos in your life?  Please do not judge yourself.  The great thing about our human responses is they can be changed, enhanced, and improved again and again. This is personal growth.

Acting decisively, with conscious thought, empowers you to do the best you can even under the most difficult circumstances.  My horse, who I believe represents my life, shows me powerful lessons everyday, as do my dogs, my garden, my family and my friends.  Consider your world to be a great big mirror reflecting back to you opportunities to learn, grow, and become more of who you were meant to be.  As you walk through life’s lessons know you are meant to be big, be happy, be grateful, and perhaps most importantly be loved!

Finally, always remember that life, no matter what it is currently reflecting back to you, is very, very good.

God Bless & Go Well

Dr. Kath

Whether you listen first thing in the morning, just as you are drifting off to sleep at night or during your busy day this Meditation For Conscious Living CD will change your life!  Enjoy 15 minutes of peace filled energy balancing and beautiful music as you connect with the energy centers of your body, peacefully aligning them with every cell tissue and organ to create relaxation and authentic power.  Exhale constrictive energy draining thoughts and belief patterns while inhaling new vital energies and ways of being. Click this link to purchase your Personal In-Home Daily Retreat.

How often you eat is just as important as what you eat…

Your daily diet should consist of three main meals and two smaller snacks – taking in consideration your portion sizes.  This point was visually brought home to me when pulling out my grandmother’s china for a family dinner.  Grandma’s dinner plates were about two-thirds the size of the plates we use today.  So, begin taking smaller portions or perhaps just eating from smaller plates.

The reason for the small snacks between meals is actually twofold.  First, nutritious snacks (we’re not talking about the bag of Lay’s here) help stabilize and regulate your blood sugar levels.  Second, eating a healthy snack will prevent you from being so hungry (a.k.a. starving) at your next meal and prevent you from diving head first in to the refrigerator or pantry.  Whatever you do, do not skip a meal.  Skipping meals will decrease your basal metabolic rate, increase your deposits of fat, and create a condition called gluconeogenesis – where your body breaks down your muscle to use as fuel when no glucose is present in the system.

To recap, eat healthy nutrient-dense food the way it comes from the earth.  Have 1/3 of the food on your plate in the form of protein and 2/3 be alkaline food from vegetables.  Enjoy a multitude of colors in your vegetables and low-glycemic starch selections.  Eat frequently, preferably five times a day – two of which can be small snacks to help stabilize your blood sugar levels and control hunger cravings.

Here are some great BREAKFAST suggestions:

1.  Omelet made with 1 whole egg or 3 egg whites and vegetables chopped and cooked with 1 tsp olive oil and 1 slice of whole grain toast.

2.  3/4 cup nonfat or lowfat cottage cheese, 2 small fresh peaches, and 8 walnut or pecan halves chopped and sprinkled with cinnamon.

3.  4 oz plain low fat yogurt or 6 oz nonfat yogurt, 1 1/2 cups mixed berries, 2tbsp sliced almonds and a drizzle of honey.

4.  1/2 whole grain pita, 1/4 cup nonfat or low fat ricotta, 1 1/2 oz smoked salmon/lox, and red onion slices.

Here are some great SNACK suggestions:

1.  1 hard boiled egg and 1 medium apple

2.  1 medium pear and 10 whole almonds

3.  1 slice whole rye bread, toasted and 1 tbsp almond butter

4.  1 medium carrot, unlimited celery and cucumber sticks, and 1/4 cup hummus

5.  2 pieces turkey bacon and 1 hard boiled egg

6.  1 small nectarine or peach, 1/2 cup blueberries, and 4 oz plain low fat yogurt or 6 oz nonfat yogurt

If you have any questions, visit my website at www.drkathleenhartford.com or purchase the download the Amazon version of the book – Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age.

In Health,

Dr. Kath

Hello friends, clients and colleagues

I see so many wonderful people in my practice who often come to me for issues unrelated to health or weight even though their health and weight are often far from ideal, too.  The one thing they all have in common is a stress level that has gone way beyond a level they can cope with.  Sadly they often feel there are no other options so they have given up on feeling healthy/fit/well and often even happy!

The big thing to remember is that stress is always subjective.  What feels unbearable to one may feel easy to another.  It doesn’t matter what others think of your personal stress levels, it all boils down to how they make you feel and how you manage to cope with them.

Most people assume stress is unchangeable and a part of life so they try to ignore their stress levels saying things like “you try being stress free when you have kids” or “do you know how much pressure I have at work?” or “what am I supposed to do…give up my life?”

Here’s the thing…if you’re ignoring your stress levels, you might as well just be reaching for junk food!   Because, generally if you don’t deal with your stress levels, you’ll relapse on healthy eating and exercising habits.  Stress is the key in a vicious cycle that eventually will lead to ill health and chronic disease.  Most visits to doctors have stress as the root cause of one’s symptoms.

And STRESS affects EVERYTHING when it comes to health…from your hormone levels, to your ability to stay on a healthy diet, to your ability to maintain exercise habits and get quality sleep.   If you want to feel healthy/look good/have energy or even just have peace of mind – the number one thing you need to change is the level of stress in your life.

Realistically, very few of us have the luxury to completely change our lives so it is crucial to add stress relief to your everyday routine. Remember you didn’t reach your levels of stress overnight so they are not going to totally change overnight either! Like with everything, it takes time to change and create new habits.

Learn techniques to reduce stress and try sneaking in one or two each day.  Even just five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night, will start making a difference to your stress levels over time.

Daily Tips for Stress Relief

• Visualizing a stress-free place and other relaxation techniques are quick and easy ways to help your whole body calm down and give you just the boost you need to get on with your day.  Literally just closing your eyes and thinking of an image that relaxes you — such as the warm sun on your skin and the sound of the ocean, a big country field sprinkled with flowers, or a trickling stream will help you reduce your stress levels.

• Take Serenegen – This is a wonderful supplement to bring down cortisol levels which are a big factor in weight gain.
• Try hypnosis – hypnosis has also been proven to reduce the flight or fight response which is often over stimulated by stressful living.
• Meditation/visualisation cds – listening to a cd which has been designed to reduce stress is also a wonderful tool.  There are many on the market so it is just about finding the voice/sounds that suites you.  You may like to hear chirping birds, rolling waves, or gentle rain — whatever your choice, closing your eyes and listening to these soothing sounds while doing some deep breathing can help you relax and de-stress.
• Look out a window. Distract yourself for a few minutes when things feel too much by focusing on something other than what’s stressing you.  Grab a steaming cup of coffee or tea, close the door, and take a mental break.  Do a little people watching, appreciate any birds within view, or enjoy some fluffy clouds rolling by.  Allow yourself to daydream for a few minutes.
• Deep Belly Breathing – breathing right down into your belly, filling your lungs and holding for a second before exhaling slowly will help your body re-balance itself.  This type of deep breathing done for even 5 minutes at a time will greatly reduce stress levels.
• Meditate for five minutes a day.  Sit up straight and focus your attention on your breath.  When your mind wanders, as it will, just relax and observe, bringing you attention back to your breath.  Over time you will notice it becomes easier and you will start to look forward to these quiet moments.
• Make a plan for dealing with what stresses you.  What will you do when things go wrong?  Don’t leave your answer to chance or your whims; instead, write out a plan, however simple.  If you find yourself snapping at your children when they’re running late, make a plan for what you’ll do when they’re dawdling and you are in a big, big hurry.  Write out what you’ll do instead of yelling — e.g., take deep breaths, walk away from the car, etc.
• And when you do mess up?  Forgive yourself and move on.  You are only human, and judging yourself as a bad parent or lazy slob will make you less likely to meet your goals, and more likely to give in to any unhealthy habits.
• Sleep.  That means becoming more disciplined with your bedtime routine. Try avoiding emails, stressful or stimulating programs or work related topics AT least an hour before bed.  Make your room as peaceful as possible and try keeping light and noise to a minimum.
• And the obvious!  Too much caffeine, alcohol, sugar and fast foods will add to your stress by chemically and physically altering your body’s health and hormonal responses.  The fewer nutrients you are putting in your body, the harder it is for your body to keep in balance and cope with stressful situations.

And lastly, remind yourself WHY you are trying to improve your stress levels, and what you will lose if you give up.  Why are you trying to start new habits or quit your old one?  Be honest as you do this; remind yourself what you really want, rather than what you think you should want.  For example, I could tell myself, or my friends, that I’m exercising more because I want to be a good role model for my children (what I should want).  But what I really want even more than that is to fit into my jeans and feel healthy.  Research suggests that these less moralistic motives tend to be more effective in the long run and motivate us more.

So ask yourself, frequently: How do you want to feel? Then visualize what you will lose if you let your stresses control your life.

Wishing you a wonderful May,

Warm regards

Lesley Wood

www.weight-masters.com

NEWSFLASH! I will be doing a teleseminar on stress in May/June with my friend and colleague in America, Dr. Kathleen Hartford.  It will be in the evening South African time so look out for my email giving you all the details.

Eggs, Mushrooms and Spinach

Eggs, Mushrooms and Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil

Green scallions to taste

1 pound white or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

5 ounces baby spinach

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 large organic eggs

4 slices of whole-grain toast

1. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Stir in the scallions, and mushrooms. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are softened and a lot of liquid is released, 7 minutes. Uncover and add the soy sauce and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the liquid is reduced, approximately 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer the onions, mushrooms and spinach to a plate.  Continue by scrambling, poaching, or cooking your eggs over easy.  Place on top of spinach and mushrooms.
3. Serve with the toasts.

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from Food and Wine.  http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/eggs-baked-over-sauteed-mushrooms-and-spinach

 

Step #1.  Eat to Beat Stress.  Balanced eating and eating frequency are the foundation of your body’s ability to handle stress.  With the proper nutrients throughout the entire day, you can help to stabilize spikes in stress-related hormones, particularly cortisol, which accelerates the aging process, and help keep blood sugar levels on an even keel.  Your day should be comprised of three main meals and two smaller ones – five meals a day – to keep blood sugar steady and energy high.

All foods fall into three categories:  pro-inflammatory, neutral, or anti-inflammatory, but the best foods to beat stress are those that are anti-inflammatory.  To slow cellular aging, choose foods that are anti-inflammatory and rich in antioxidants, such as cold-water fish and richly colored fruits and vegetables.  Avoid all processed foods, fast foods, excess carbohydrates and sugars, caffeine, sodas and fruit juice and fruit drinks.  (It’s always better to eat the fruit than the juice).  For an extra boost, you can try an FDA approved medical food such as Inflammation 911.

Step #2.  Keep it simple and clean.  Eat food the way nature made it – the way it grows naturally on the earth – and avoid genetically modified foods (GMO) at all costs.  Fruits and vegetables should fill your plate, along with grains, and light, clean forms of high-quality protein:  chicken, turkey, lamb, cold water fish like tuna and salmon; tofu and legumes.  As much as possible, choose organically grown food to avoid the pesticides and herbicides released into our food supply.

Some wonderful meal options include:  for breakfast, choose oatmeal or a non-gluten grain; organic yogurt with granola; a poached organic egg on whole wheat toast, or a fresh fruit smoothie.  Fruits and vegetables should fill half your plate at lunch and dinner.  Keep things simple:  start with high quality rice, legumes and beans, add a huge portion of your favorite vegetables, sautéed or steamed, and a salad with a lemon juice and olive oil dressing; add a protein portion the size of the palm of your hand – simple, clean, and easy.  For flavor, use a drizzle of organic olive oil, sea salt and herbs to taste.

Snacks can be meal replacement drinks, fresh fruit, or a fresh fruit smoothie; raw vegetables with a hummus dip; a small handful of nuts and seeds – raw almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans and walnuts.

Step #3.  Drink plenty of water.  Water is the elixir of life; our bodies are 70 percent water.  How much is the optimal amount to drink?  Here’s your formula: multiply your body weight by .66 – that’s how many ounces you should shoot for each day.  Keep a bottle handy wherever you go, and soon you’ll feel and see the difference.  As you support all of your body’s miraculous processes with plenty of water, you will experience more energy and glowing skin.

Step #4.  Exercise is vital – all life is motion!  Exercise can brighten your outlook, relieve stress and modulate blood sugar, which can help keep your food intake in balance.  Even a ten-minute brisk walk – first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, or right after work – will work wonders at ramping up energy and well being, and dialing down stress.  Even if you think your schedule won’t allow for the recommended time of 30 minutes daily, break it up into five or ten minute increments: power walk up the stairs, do a set of jumping jacks, pick up a hula hoop and work your core, or even grab a jump rope go for 60 seconds of jumping, followed by sixty seconds of rest, eventually moving up to five uninterrupted minutes.  Or you can even take small breaks throughout the day and visit You Tube for a variety of exercises.

Step #5.  Meditation: Try it!  Enough cannot be said about the benefits of meditation. We give so much energy to our children, our spouses, and our careers, but for just 20 minutes a day, take the time to draw same loving energy back to your own heart center and feel in tune with yourself.  Meditation will help clear your mind, release negative thought patterns, and create a more joyful life simply by getting in touch with the stillness within.  If meditation is too challenging for you, try journaling every morning or evening for 15 minutes.  The act of writing down your thoughts moves energy from the inside out, and can bring a new idea, dream, or desire into the physical world.  It’s a wonderful tool to process difficult feelings, and release them into a safe ‘compartment.’

Resolve to make some changes in caring for your own well-being.  Try these simple tips and soon you and your whole family will feel the benefits!

Dr. Kathleen Hartford is an internationally known speaker and the author of “Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age.”  She sees patients in her integrated wellness center in Natrona Heights, PA.  Visit her Web site at DrKathleenHartford.com to learn more about her programs.

30 minutes or fewer

Juicy, portobello mushrooms make these tacos a delicious part of your dinner.

Marinade

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Tacos

• 6 large portobello mushroom caps (can be substituted with chicken if preferred)
• 6 6-inch soft corn tortillas
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups shredded lettuce
• sour cream, optional

Salsa Verde

• 4 tomatillos, chopped (or 1 cup canned)
• 1 large green bell pepper or poblano chile, roughly chopped
• 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 ¼ tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. salt

1. Preheat grill or grill pan to high heat. To make Marinade: combine all ingredients in small bowl.

To make Tacos:

2. Brush mushroom caps with marinade. Grill mushrooms 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cool until easy to handle, then slice into strips.

To make Salsa Verde:

3. Purée all ingredients in food processor 1 minute, or until smooth. Pour salsa over mushroom strips, and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Lightly warm tortillas 15 seconds per side in skillet or on griddle. Fill tortillas with sliced mushrooms, avocado slices, tomatoes, and cabbage. Top each taco with sour cream, if using.

During the broadcast, we discussed integrated wellness, inflammation, Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age, and several habits which lead to accelerated aging.  Life is about choice and the quality of your life is determined by the sum of your choices.  Make a commitment to experiencing life to its fullest.  You hold the key to remaining or even becoming Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age.

To listen in and learn more, please click: Dr. Kathleen Hartford with John Maciel of KW Magazine (CKWR FM) Waterloo ONT

If you have any questions about Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age, please visit the website or contact Michele at 800.893.5000.

In Health,

Dr. Kathleen Hartford.

You are invited to listen in on today’s podcast.  I would like to thank Dr. Kerry Dean, who is currently broadcasting from Bangkok, Thailand, for the opportunity to share health and goodness with his listeners.

During the broadcast, we discussed the Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age, how  Tufts university has found that there are very specific biomarkers of aging, and how each one of these can be reversed through lifestyle changes.  Tufts has created a baseline and those baseline numbers are what we use to determine biological age from a cellular level.  The good news is that we get to determine how we age and aging just occurs naturally and we CAN have vitality as we live.

To listen in and learn more, please visit:  http://karridine.podbean.com/

If you have any questions about Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age, please visit the website or contact Michele at 800.893.5000.

In Health,

Dr. Kathleen Hartford.