Change is in the Air!

Whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, change is in the air! If you're north of the equator, Happy Autumn! If you're south, Happy Spring! (I know. I'm a week late. Chalk it off to the change of seasons!)

The changes of season can be a time of change for us, as well. While change can be challenging, or even difficult, it can also be good for us.

Let's consider the change of the seasons. As the earth orbits the sun, it wobbles on its axis. It's a gentle wobble, fortunately for all of us, but it still makes the sun seem to move north and south of the equator. Seasonal changes can seem sudden, like the cooler fall days that just popped into my neighborhood, practically overnight. Most often, however, change is more subtle.

Say you go on a diet and lose twenty pounds. Maybe it came off quickly. Maybe it took a while. Either way, you hit your goal weight and you think, "Aha! I'm there! I can relax now!" "One cookie won't hurt." "Yes, thank you, I'd love seconds."

Sure, you won't put on twenty pounds overnight (unless you have a serious medical condition beyond the scope of this blog). However slow it may be, however, once you stop your diet, the scales may start to creep upward again. A subtle change. Soon you may be back where you were before, or even worse than when you started.

That's the problem with diets. As I stated in my last post, the entire dieting mindset is based on its being temporary. Something with an end-date.

What you need is a life-style change. A program that will give you tips on how to change what you're doing now, so that you can live your life at a healthy weight.

The Bodē plan from VEMMA is just such a plan. Not only is it simple & easy, but you get smartphone support with its award-winning app that will message you when it's time to eat, give you recipes, exercises, and the best vitamin and mineral combo in the business. With the great nutrition you'll be getting, not only will your weight improve, but you'll get more energy for living!

What about it, then? Are you ready for some positive change in your life? Check out the Bodē products today!

Why Diets Fail

How many diets have you been on since you were old enough to know what a "diet" is? If you're like me, you may not remember. Diet fads come and go like leaves on deciduous trees. And with them, the weight. It goes, and then, when you quit the diet, it comes back. And usually the pounds bring their friends.

First off, the modern definition of "diet" is inaccurate. A diet can consist of anything and everything we eat. Calling a program to lose weight a "diet" is restricting the term, and gives us a "temporary" mindset. That is, we think, Okay, this is only temporary. I can do this for a short time and lose the weight and then I can go back to eating all my favorite foods again. Thinking like that is sure to sabotage any long-term weight loss and maintenance goal.

What put us into the overweight category? If you're like me, it was probably a lack of portion control. It's so good---maybe I'll have just one more... And one after that, and another one, and then, surprise! The package is empty.

Another thing that can tip the scales in the wrong direction is a sedentary lifestyle. Believe it or not, standing in one place all day has the same effect as sitting at a desk. My last work-outside-the-home job had me standing for hours, and I put on something like thirty pounds. I was drinking lots of sugary coffees and sodas to give myself enough energy to get through the day. To compound that, I wasn't getting nearly enough exercise. Who had time? It was always (a) get up early & get ready for work, (b) grab breakfast, (c) get to work, (d) get through the day until break or lunch and grab something high-calorie to see me through until the next break, (e) have a highly caffeinated beverage to give me enough energy to get through the rest of the day until quitting time, (f) run any errands, (g) go home for a meal and try to get enough rest to tackle the next day. And on Sundays, in addition to church, sometimes store meetings had me getting there at 6 AM before opening, and then heading to church afterward for my organ-playing job.

Did I have time to exercise? No. Did I need exercise? Oh, yes. Badly. I also didn't need all that excess sugar and caffeine from artificial and non-organic sources.

If you're currently in a sedentary lifestyle, as I was, you can't expect the weight to stay off when it comes off, unless you keep restricting your caloric intake. And, even if you do keep the calories down, a lack of exercise makes it much harder for your body to burn the calories that you take in. As we get older, once past that golden age of development, our bodies begin to lose muscle, unless we stress them on a regular basis. By stress, I mean exercise.

Exercise comes in different flavors:

• weight-bearing, such as hand weights, weight machines, barbells, push-ups, etc.
• aerobic, which increases heart rate and lung capacity and includes such activities as walking, running, calisthenics and jumping rope, to name a few 
• stretching, like Praise Moves,  Pilates, etc.
• deep muscle movement, like Callanetics or Chicometrics 

Each one of these is good, but the best course is to mix types of exercise. Try to do weight-bearing exercise 2 or 3 days a week, but never two days in a row. Lifting weights makes tiny tears in the muscle, and taking a day in between lets the tears heal, which strengthens the muscle. If you're a woman, don't worry about developing a Popeye or Mr. America physique. Unless you're taking steroids, it won't happen. 

Walking can be done every day, as can stretching, because unless done at a frenetic pace, they're gentle. Aim for at least 30 minutes at least 3 days a week. Those 30 can be broken down into increments of 5. Note that if you do, you won't get as good an aerobic result, but it will still increase your metabolism.

Deep muscle movements, like lifting weights, should be done only every other day, to let the muscles recuperate.

Whatever exercise you do will be beneficial, and aid in your journey to wellness! As always, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

For a complete weight loss/maintenance program, complete with recipes and an award-winning phone app, visit Bode. 

Little Steps

Little steps. It sounds so basic. Maybe because it is.

We don't have to take giant steps to succeed. In fact, if we try to take giant steps, we're very likely to fall on our faces.

One small change for the better can start an entire chain of events.

People who run in races train first. They don't suddenly wake up one day and run twenty-six miles without preparation. The name "marathon" came from ancient Greece. There are conflicting accounts of whether Pheidippedes ran to Athens from the plains of Marathon to tell of victory over the Persians, or whether he ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid. Either way, not having trained to run 26 miles, he dropped dead after delivering the message. The moral of the story? Train first.

Preparation is important for almost everything in life. (I qualify it with "almost" only because if I don't, someone is sure to correct me about something they just jumped into and succeeded effortlessly.) When it comes to getting in shape, you'd better start off small. And, if you're very out of shape, see your doctor first!

Changing the way we eat doesn't have to be instantaneous and overnight, either. Just making small changes for the better can improve our health and the way we look and feel. Here are a few suggestions for some small steps we can all take to improve our health.

• Swap out unhealthy fats for healthy ones. Transfats (partially or totally hydrogenated oils of any sort) should be eliminated completely. This means taking most margarine out of your diet completely! Even the saturated fat of butter is better for you than most margarine. Saturated fat usage should be cut down. Healthy fats like those found in nuts and peanuts (a legume) should be the ones most often used. Diets advocating the total elimination of fat from the diet should be avoided. Our bodies need a balance of protein, simple carbohydrates and healthy fats for optimal health.
• Cut down on simple carbohydrates. If you eat potatoes, which are a starch that turns into sugar rapidly in the bloodstream, be sure to eat a healthy fat with it, to slow its absorption into the bloodstream. 
• Be careful which artificial sweetener you use. Some turn into formaldehyde when ingested. I don't know about you, but that's a preservative for dead things that I just don't want to eat!
• Calories DO count, but if you are balancing your diet with healthy foods and not overeating, you shouldn't have to count them.
• Do some moderate exercising. The latest studies have shown that even breaking up the recommended fifteen to thirty minutes a day into five minute segments will have a marked improvement in your overall condition. 
• Find a mentor. Having someone encourage you as you take on the challenge of living a more healthful life can help you through the rough spots (for example, at birthday parties when people offer you a second piece of cake). 
• Be patient. If you're badly out of shape or have a lot of weight to lose, don't expect to meet your goals overnight. The human body isn't designed that way! Besides, remember that those little steps add up to make a big difference.

Meal replacement can be a good way to add in necessary nutrients and effect a slow but permanent change. Find one that gives you the right amount of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients so that it will help you become healthier, not just thinner.

The VEMMA bodē products are some of the most healthful meal replacements in the marketplace today. They contain no artificial ingredients, and support a healthy diet. The protein and fiber help you feel full longer.

All the facts are available here. 

Like what you see? Start your healthy life at
www.enthusiasmpays.vemma.com today!