Required, Desired, Inspired!

This blog post is from my friend and business associate, Jennifer Harvey.  She has some wonderful insights about setting daily goals that I thought you might enjoy.  Jennifer also makes a plug for exercise and improving health.  If I can help you in those areas, please let me know.  Happy New Year!


My 2010 mantra – Required, Desired, Inspired!

I was on the elliptical the other day. It took all I had just to get on the darn thing. I just was not in the mood. I said to myself just get 15 minutes in. That’s all I require today – just 15 minutes. I can do that. About 10 minutes in I felt better and felt I could make it more than just the 5 minutes I had required of myself. So I reset my expectations to 18 minutes and increased my pace. Ah, I can make it past my required time to my new desired time I thought. At 17 minutes I was feeling inspired and felt I could push it up a notch and go to 20 minutes. I did it. I took that work out from required to inspired.

I have now started setting my day with a REQUIRED goal, a DESIRED goal and an INSPIRED goal. Now the idea hear is not to make INSPIRED too easy so if I am hitting INSPIRED too regularly it’s time to make that the new REQUIRED.

Obviously I would like to push to INSPIRED as often as possible but some days I just don’t feel inspired and ‘required’ is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Everyone has their own motivation techniques. This is a new one I developed and am trying out. Since I just thought it up while working out a few days ago I felt with the new year it would be a perfect way to implement this new plan.

I’m not really setting a New Year’s resolution. I’m already on a path of improving my health by exercising and making better food choices. All I want to do is stay on the path, take each day as it comes and make time to enjoy the journey.

Exercise makes me feel great mentally and physically. It improves my appearance and therefore, self esteem. It relieves stress and releases toxins from the body. I can enjoy the occasional bad food choices without guilt because I know I can burn it off through exercise. I believe exercise is the magic bullet, the key to long lasting health and happiness.

I will turn 40 in 2010 and my oldest son will graduate from high school and start college. It’s going to be a big year and I can’t wait.

Bring it on!

Jennifer can be reached at Get Up Get Moving

Tune Up Your Immune System

Note:  Today’s blog entry was written by Dr. Stephen Chaney. Dr. Chaney is a professor of biochemistry, biophysics and nutrition at UNC Medical School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is also a prominent cancer researcher with a well established research lab he directs at UNC.

Many of you have been saying to me: "All I hear about in the news is shots and drugs. Is there a holistic approach for strengthening my immune system?"


My answer is yes! Here are my suggestions:
1) Start by eating a balanced diet composed of whole, unprocessed foods without a lot of fat and simple sugars. A great place to start designing a balanced diet that is perfect for your age, gender and activity level is www.mypyramid.gov.


2) Get plenty of sleep. The experts recommend 8 hours of sleep a night, but a majority of Americans get far less than that.

3) Exercise on a regular basis. Both too little and too much exercise can weaken the immune system (You might have guessed that the problem for most of us is the "too little", not the "too much"). The experts recommend at least 30 minutes every day.


4) Maintain ideal body weight. Those excess pounds really zap our immune system.


5) Minimize your reliance on medications. Many common medications weaken the immune system (Just listen to the disclaimers in the TV commercials for examples).


But you must work with your physician on this. Once your physician knows that you are willing to take personal responsibility for your diet and lifestyle, they will generally be willing to minimize the number of medications that they prescribe.


6) Focus on the positive. Studies show that optimists are healthier and live longer than pessimists. And the good news is that anyone can cultivate an attitude of optimism. For most of us it is a lifestyle choice - not something that we were born with.


7) Add a supplement program to assure that your immune system is functioning optimally. In the ideal world supplements wouldn't be necessary, but there are very few "saints" who do a great job in all 6 of the areas that I mentioned.


A well designed supplement program fills in the "gaps". We want to make sure that we are getting adequate:

•  B vitamins and protein because our immune cells need to divide very rapidly when we have immune challenges.
• Antioxidants because our immune cells create lots of free radicals.
• Trace minerals, especially iron and zinc, because they are required by important enzymes of the immune system.
• Vitamin D because it is vitally important for a strong immune system and most of us are not getting enough.
• Probiotics (healthy bacteria) because "bad" bacteria and yeast in our intestines can weaken the immune system.
• Omega-3 fatty acids to modulate the immune system once it has taken care of the invading bacteria or viruses.

We don't need megadoses. We just need enough.


One final thought: A holistic approach to strengthening our immune system is not an "either - or" proposition.


The flu shot is 66% effective in preventing the flu for people with a strong immune system and only 33% effective in preventing the flu for people with a weak immune system.


To your health!
Dr. Stephen Chaney, PhD
Shaklee Master Coordinator


If you would like a free 30-minute health consultation, please fill out the form at the right.

A Natural Approach to Infertility

Infertility is a health issue that I seem to be encountering more and more these days. I have read that 1 in 6 couples experiences infertility issues. In my experience, I have come across many couples today who are having trouble conceiving. So what’s the problem?

For men, infertility is most often associated with a decrease in the number, quality or motility (are they strong swimmers?) of sperm. Underlying conditions affecting sperm health are smoking, exposure to toxins and chemicals, and urinary tract infections.

For women, infertility could be caused by an allergic reaction to sperm, ovulatory issues, endometriosis and uterine fibroids. These are the most common, but there are many others, including psychological issues and age.


Many of these underlying issues are the result of xenoestrogen toxicity which results in endocrine disruption. I did a 4-part series on this serious topic and would encourage you to go into my archives to read about endocrine disruption – especially how it affects us and what we can do about it.


The good news is that there is HOPE.


For couples who are struggling with infertility, a medical evaluation is definitely in order. Depending on the outcome and before venturing into costly fertility procedures I would suggest that you consider making some lifestyle changes.


Both men and women can improve their fertility by doing such things as avoiding toxins of all kinds – found in household cleaners, poultry, dairy & meats, on fruits & veggies, in personal care products & tap water (bottled water isn’t necessarily the answer), and pesticides. The list is much longer, but these are some of the more common areas of exposure.


You should also strive to reduce stress, get plenty of rest and get in some daily exercise. Of course you want to eat a healthy diet: fresh fruits and veggies (preferably organic), lean protein (soy is an excellent protein source), lots of fiber & whole grains and plenty of purified water.


And caffeine, tobacco and alcohol should be avoided.


Another aspect of a natural approach to infertility is the addition of certain nutritional supplements. Some of the more important ones would be a well-balanced multivitamin/mineral, alfalfa, B-complex, milk thistle, soy protein, Vita-E and zinc. These should be taken by both partners.


This all may sound way too simple, but I have seen it work! What a joy it is when a couple is able to conceive after making a few lifestyle changes and without having to undergo the stress and expense of more extensive fertility processes.


I can’t stress enough the importance of having the specific cause of infertility diagnosed by a natural physician before more serious solutions are considered. And I cannot say that these suggestions will work for all couples. But nothing I have mentioned is risky and…what if it did work!


The success I have experienced has been with the line of products I have marketed for over 12 years. So I don’t know what kind of results you would get with other products. You might want to check my blog on how to select good quality supplements before taking this route. And if you would like a free 30-minute consultation, please fill out the box on the right.


I wish you all the best in your journey to conception.

Endocrine Disruptors Part 4...What Can We Do To Protect Ourselves?

Well, first I must apologize for taking you down a rather dismal road and then leaving you hanging. Sometimes life just gets in the way, but I am back and ready to wind up this discussion on endocrine disruptors by sharing with you some of the ways we can avoid them.

1. Buy organic. Yes I know it is more expensive, but meat and dairy consistently have the highest levels of persistent hormone disruptors. If you can’t go totally organic, than at least limit the amount of dairy (especially cheese and butter) that you consume. And be sure to wash your fruits and vegetables to remove as much pesticide residue as possible. FYI—strawberries, apples, peaches and grapes are among the fruits with the highest level of residue of endocrine disruptors and reproductive toxins from pesticides.

2. Use filtered water for drinking and cooking. You can have your tap water tested, but it is likely that it will contain chlorine and/or trihalomethanes. Also, beware of bottled water—this industry is not well-regulated and so you could be paying for tap water. See NRDC for more information.

3. Consider purchasing an air purifier for your home. According to the EPA indoor air is 5 to 70 times more toxic than the air outdoors. See EPA for more information.

4. Replace your cleaners & laundry products with toxic-free products.

5. Do not microwave in plastic

6. Do not use pesticides

7. Remove the plastic from dry-cleaned clothes and air them out in the garage before bringing into the house.

8. Replace personal care products—lotions, soaps, shampoo, cosmetics, toothpaste, etc—with chemical-free brands that are free of parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde and other extremely harmful chemicals. These are in baby products too! (Keep in mind that it is the repeated use of these products, day in and day out, that causes the health risks.)

This list is far from exhaustive, so as always, I encourage you to do your own due diligence. And I don’t want to overwhelm you with this information. Even one positive change is better than doing nothing. So, start slowly, continue to educate yourself and tell others what you learn. Together we can truly make a difference for ourselves, our families and the planet.

If you have any questions concerning endocrine disruptors please contact me. It has been my pleasure to share this information with you.

Endocrine Disruptors: How Do They Affect Us?

Well, this is another huge topic. And so to keep this blog as concise as possible, I will give you the abridged response. But again, I urge you to please do your own due diligence and learn as much as you can about endocrine disruptors.

How do they affect us? It starts before birth in the womb. What a mother has been exposed to throughout life as well as what she takes in during her pregnancy become the legacy of the next generation. Many exposures during pregnancy don’t even manifest themselves until the child reaches sexual maturity or beyond.

Children are exposed to more chemicals today than ever before. As a result we are seeing a more rapid maturation process. Doctors are seeing eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds exhibiting signs of early puberty.

Endocrine disruption has also been linked to an increase in childhood cancers & asthma, abnormal development of sex organs; in addition, birth defects, preterm births and low birth weight babies are increasing in number. Lower IQ’s, behavior and attention issues also may be linked to endocrine disruptors.

Problems related to men’s health range from reproductive issues like low sperm count and testicular cancer to other types of cancers such as leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease; and an increase in heart disease has been seen in several dioxin-exposed populations.

There are a number of women’s health conditions that are possibly related to hormone-disrupting chemicals in the body: endometriosis, uterine fibroids, benign breast disease, PMS, ovarian cysts, infertility and increase in reproductive cancers. And this is just a partial list.

Think for a minute – I bet you have friends or family members who have experienced some of the above mentioned issues. I can tell you that I personally have encountered many of them among my clients and friends, and I truly believe that this is a topic that we must treat seriously.

The information that I have been sharing with you may be alarming to some. But because it is a serious issue that historically has not gotten a lot of press, I am determined to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can. There are things we all can do to alleviate our exposures to endocrine disruptors, but people have to know that they have been exposed to them in order to be proactive about make changes. Spreading awareness is the essence of what I do…I hope you have been enlightened but what I have shared with you.

Next time we finally get to the good news: Ways to protect ourselves and our families.

Healthy Back-to-School Ideas for Your Kids

It’s that time again- the yellow school busses have hit the roads, school doors are open and the kids are back to filling their brains with knowledge. They’ve been equipped with new clothes, new shoes, new notebooks, pencils, and backpacks.

But, what about their health? Have they been equipped with vitamins and minerals to avoid illness? Do they head off to school with good protein to help their bodies and minds stay energized all morning? My sister used to tutor kids with dyslexia and would often ask, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?” Most often the reply was Frosted Flakes, Pop Tarts, or donuts. With these refined carbs, energy spikes and then quickly plummets. Two hours later the kids are sluggish and distractible.

Lo-fat yoghurt, fruit smoothies with some added soy protein powder, natural peanut butter on a piece of whole wheat toast and lo-fat cottage cheese are just a few ways to get some good protein in them.

This year parents are especially concerned about the H1N1 virus. One of the best things we can do is be sure that our kids are as healthy as possible. A strong immune system is a good defense against viruses, colds and the flu. So adding some supplements to a good diet is not a bad idea. All kids should take a good-quality multivitamin/mineral supplement. Recent studies have shown that lactoferrin supports a healthy immune system in kids. So look for a supplement which contains lactoferrin.

Additional Vitamin C will help strengthen the immune system. And a chewable calcium-magnesium product contains essential minerals to support bone development; plus it’s a natural nerve and muscle relaxant. It’s especially helpful for allergies and brain sensitivities caused by milk and dairy.

Here are a few other suggestions to help avoid illness or spreading colds:
• Stay home from school if you are sick
• Cover your cough with a tissue
• Sneeze or cough into your sleeve or elbow
• Wash your hands often

Besides nutritional support, children also need to get adequate sleep and lots of exercise. I always encourage drinking plenty of water and be sure to avoid sodas at all costs. FYI-Soda pop leaches calcium from bones which has lasting effects into adulthood.

I’m passionate about giving kids all the advantages we can to support their bodies and brains. Switching to non-toxic household cleaners & laundry products is a great idea, especially if you are concerned about hyperactivity, allergies or asthma. Also choosing personal care products – shampoo, toothpaste, bathing products – that are free of harmful toxins and chemicals, is another wise decision. (for further info on this topic please visit my blog post).

If you would like to know more about how you might implement some of these suggestions, please feel free to contact me.

Will fasting jumpstart my weight loss efforts and boost my health?

The answer is NO. Check it out here: Will fasting jumpstart my weight loss efforts and boost my health?

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