Weight loss and toxicity

Yesterday I attended a wellness seminar led by former Ms. Fitness Bikini Minnesota.  She is very passionate speaker with a great story to share, so I really enjoyed it.  I wanted to share with you some random tidbits that she talked about.

The background is that she was always health-conscious and in shape.  But, she gained 25 pounds in two months with no explanation.  After going to several doctors, they discovered she was living in black mold.  Then, she began her research and promotion of cell detox to boost metabolism.

• When you are ill, you are typically encouraged to find the treatment for symptoms.  Instead, find the cause of the symptoms and cure them through good health.
• 1/3 of children born after 2000 will not live as long as their parents did due to preventable diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes.
• She got her 9-year-old daughter to give up on succumbing to fast food marketing to kids by proving to her that real food molds quickly, while a McDonald's Happy Meal will never mold. (Gross!)
• Eat foods that don't come with labels!  If they do come with labels, read what you are eating first.  
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods like broccoli, sweet potatoes and green tea so you avoid insulin/glucose spikes.
• Avoid hydrogenated oil (trans fats) and sugar.  
• Cook with coconut oil.
• Cooking food in the microwave can deplete nutrients. 
• Living in Minnesota is more toxic than living in California smog because we rarely open windows, etc. Items in our home such as fragrances (ie: Glade plug-ins), cleaning products and beauty products expose us to hundreds of toxins.
• Your body will only burn fat or only burn sugar - not both at the same time.  Avoid sugar (or things that turn to sugar immediately like white bread) to promote fat burning and reduce food cravings.

Good reminders, right?  At the end of the seminar, she was selling a shake system, which I did not purchase.  I can't tell you whether it's good or bad, so I won't comment either way.  It could be a good system, but personally I just prefer to buy fresh foods.  I am all for trying to reduce putting unhealthy foods in your body and cleaning up your environment to stay healthy.  But, I'm also of the mind that we all have a shelf life no matter what we do to try to slow that down - and we don't know what that shelf life is going to be.  We all have to make the decision for ourselves how much we want to work to preserve that.  Always remember to follow the system that works for you and your family.

Check out photos from my workout yesterday

I documented my workout yesterday here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151582648429184.1073741827.98166194183&type=1

I've been doing a split workout and lifting heavy over the winter.  Now that spring is (eventually) coming to Minneapolis, I'll be running more (for enjoyment) and switching to a stamina workout:  less weight, more reps.

A love-hate relationship with sitting

There's nothing more I love doing after a busy day than sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea (or sometimes wine!) and indulging in some reality TV.  It's my "reward" for spending a long day at work, fitting in a workout, preparing healthy meals, and completing errands and chores.

But, during the day, I work at a computer and sit in meetings.  I do my best to get up from my desk often and try to fit in short walks during the day because I know how unhealthy it is to sit for such an extended time period.  I have this article hanging up at my desk so I remember to keep moving throughout the day.

I would like to do more during the day to keep moving and de-stress.  So, I made up the chart below with stretches I can do at my desk.  I'm going to do my best to go through the routine every morning and afternoon.

If you are stuck at a desk all day like me, give this a try.

• Stretch often
• Stand when you talk on the phone
• Get up at least once per hour
• Plan walking meetings if you can
• Move move move!

Touch the sky	Reach your arms up to the sky and as far back as you can safely go.
Side stretch	While standing reach your one arm overhead and to the opposite side.  Keep the other hand on your hip.
Toe touch	Bend at the hip and reach for your toes.
Wrist/ankle circles	Make circles with your wrists and ankles. Rotate in both directions. Also with each hand alternate making fists and opening your hand wide. Do this back and forth a few times.
Neck circles	Slowly stretch forward and back, side to side, round in circles, and twist to look over each shoulder.
Arm stretch	Extend one arm out straight in front of you. With the other hand, grab the elbow of the outstretched arm and pull it across your chest, stretching your shoulder and upper back muscles.
Arm circles	While standing, rotate each arm around in big circles both forward and backward.
Seated twist	First sit up straight. Twist in your chair keeping your hips stationary. Twist all the way from lower back all the way up to your head looking over your shoulder.
Quad stretch	Stand on one leg and stretch out your quadricep muscle.  Bend your knee and pull your foot toward you.
Hip stretch	Sitting in your chair cross one leg over the other so that ankle rests just above the knee. Lean forward to feel a stretch in your hips.
Shoulder shrugs	1.      Inhale deeply and shrug your shoulders, lifting them high up to your ears. Hold. Release and drop. Repeat three times. 2.      Shake your head slowly, yes and no.
Leg extensions	Grab the seat of your chair to brace yourself and extend your legs straight out in front of you so they are parallel to the floor.  Flex and point your toes five times.
Leg hug	Sit on the edge of your chair (if it has wheels, wedge the chair against the desk or wall to make sure it does not roll). Put your feet together, flat on the floor.  Lean over, chest to knees, letting your arms dangle loosely to the floor. Release your neck. Bring your hands behind your legs, right hand grasping left wrist, forearm, left hand grasping the right.  Release your hands to the floor again and repeat three times.