Tag Archives: Weight loss | Weight Management | Diabetes | Menopause | Type II Diabetes

Relieving Stress in This Crazy World

Time Management is all about relieving stress!  We face time stress when we have too much to do, when we don’t have enough time for the important things, when we fail to do what we hoped because we ran out of time, when we are late, and when we hurt other’s feelings with no time for them.  We get up stressed in the morning because our day already has defeated us before we ever begin.  We already know the only outcome is failure.  On those days, we also make it worse by picking a fight with a family member, being crabby, fussing, screaming, and becoming negative.  This adds more stress and takes more time during the day because we certainly didn’t schedule in the time it takes to be grouchy and at odds with others.  At night, we go to bed seeing in our minds the huge list of what we really needed or wanted to do that didn’t get touched!  Yes, usually on that list are the things necessary for hitting our goals and working towards our freedom.

 

As you are working on your schedule, consider the following.  I am not a big fan of time blocks now that I am not working in a J.O.B.  With that said I can also see the importance of using time blocks for short periods of time and to get things accomplished.

 

Schedule In the critical.  Everything you allow IN must be a priority or a matter of high importance!  There is a competition for the hours in your schedule so think protectively over your time.

 

God

Showering/Brushing Teeth

Spouse and Children

Sleep

Meals

Exercise

USANA or Your business or JOB

 

 

Schedule OUT the time wasters. The minute you identify a time waster, eliminate it as quickly as possible. Nothing is worse than a time waster sucking your energy out!

 

Conflict (What a huge waste of time and energy! This is of the enemy so pray on this if consistent)

Unnecessary computer or TV time (a little goes a long way) ( Add up how many hours you waste)

Game playing on phone or technology devices (Add up hours each day then week)

Gossip

Clubs & groups that have nothing to do with your Purpose or Goals (unless you joined them to enlarge your network or increase your influence or to explore new things to add to your life or family.)

Over – sleeping or Under – sleeping

“Hanging out” habit (the habit of doing nothing for hours with others or by yourself)

 

Delegation – Whenever possible, team up on chores, management, administrative, errands, etc.  Spend time with your spouse, family, friends, or team and design a plan that will allow everyone to use synergy to dig out extra hours for building a Live Free life. This can also be a family building time exercise.

 

Multi-Task – Look at the times during your day where multi-tasking would be possible and valuable.  If you are working at a J.O.B. and you have a lunch 30 minutes or 60 minutes, this is a perfect opportunity for multi-tasking.  You can take a Nutrimeal shake (USANA) to work and make calls while you sit outside in the sun and have your lunch.  It’s a power lunch full of energy, fresh air, and sunshine.  And it gives you the time to set up appointments, answer questions, train your team, or even do a Consultation.  Maybe you need this time to talk with your spouse everyday for connection in the marriage.

 

Make it Count – Enjoy and be “in the moment”!  Do NOT think about the millions of other things you should be doing or where you should be at that time.  If it was important enough to find a place in your schedule, then it’s important enough for your undivided attention.  This is huge for say date night or family time.  Be present and make it count for the other person/people to know how important this is.

 

 

Weight Loss and Fiber

Weight loss and foods that are better choices for Fiber

Are there magic foods that we can eat all day and still lose weight? No seriously: Are there? Please tell me! So far I haven’t found any… But there are some foods that are relatively low in calories yet have high nutritive value, either because they are high in fiber, phytonutrients such as antioxidants, or high in protein. These are foods to keep handy in the pantry, refrigerator, or garden and eat daily. Train your family – particularly children – to snack on these top ten foods rather than chips and sodas and you’ll be ahead of the nutrition curve before you know it!

Fiber is critical. Remember your grandmother telling you to eat more “roughage”? Well she was right! We need at least 25 grams a day, and ideally 35 grams a day, for a healthy bowel. I think the correlation between high fiber diets and lower cancer rates is not just from fiber but is synergistic, since most high fiber diets are high in fruits and vegetables, which are also high in antioxidants and other phytonutrients. But, fiber is clearly also very important and few Americans get enough.

Here is my current top ten list of high fiber low calorie foods:

  1. Raspberries rank as one of the highest high fiber low calorie foods, at 8.0 grams of fiber and just 64 calories per serving (1-cup) (1 calorie per raspberry!).
  2. Pears have about 5.1 grams of fiber and only 51 calories for a medium sized pear. They are easy to pack in a lunch and store well.
  3. Apples provide about 4.4 grams of fiber, at roughly 55 calories for a small apple. Choose organic as apples are on the EWG dirty dozen list 2012.
  4. Blueberries provide about 3.5 grams of fiber, and roughly 40 calories for 50 berries. Choose organic as blueberries are on the EWG dirty dozen list 2012.
  5. Strawberries provide about 3.3 grams of fiber and average about 2 calories per strawberry. Choose organic as strawberries are on the EWG dirty dozen list 2012.
  6. Black beans – 1 cup has 15 grams of fiber – along with 15 grams of protein – and just 227 calories[9]
  7. Whole-wheat spaghetti weighs in at 6.3 g of fiber per serving and approximately 174 calories per 1-cup serving (always check the label as brands vary try gluten free)
  8. One cup of steal oatmeal provides 4.0 grams of fiber and about 60 calories per serving
  9. Whole wheat or multigrain breads offer 1.9 grams per slice and some start at 65 calories per slice (always check the label as brands vary – a lot!!!) (Again try gluten free)
  10. Cooked peas, at a whopping 8.8 g of fiber and a low 67 calories per cup serving size. Turn a cup of peas into instant soup with a stick blender and some vegetable stock.

What are food we can leave out?

  • Canned baked beans – pack a lot of fiber per serving, but also lots of sugar and sodium.
    • Processed foods – yes a processed food with added fiber is better than one without, but stick to the foods that mother nature made high in fiber for optimum health.
    •  Using your favorite app (mine is MyFitnessPal available on the app store and at myfitnesspal.com) track your food intake and see how much fiber you’re really getting!

 

When Will I Go Through Menopause?

There is no set age at which all women will start to go through menopause. The average age of menopause in the United States is 51, but it is considered perfectly normal for a woman to go through it at any time between the ages of 35 and 59. Anything above 35 is not premature. It is not known why some women get signs of menopause in their mid to late thirties or early forties. Some women think that if their periods start early, they will stop early as well. However, research doesn’t show that to be the case. You’re not considered menopausal until you’ve gone an entire year — 12 consecutive months — without having a period.
Probably the biggest factor is the age at which your mother and siblings went through menopause — although this only applies to female relatives who experienced menopause naturally (meaning, not surgically or by inducement, as with a hysterectomy). Other factors that may influence when menopause starts include:
• Smoking. Some studies have shown that women who smoke are likely to start menopause one to two years earlier than those who don’t.
• Eating disorders. Women with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa may reach menopause at an earlier age than they would have otherwise.
Stress, excessive exercise, treatments for breast cancer, certain medical conditions, and autoimmune diseases — basically, anything that causes your ovaries to produce less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone — may accelerate menopause.
On a positive note, a recent study by researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that women who experience hot flashes and night sweats when they are just starting menopause may be at lower risk for heart disease, stroke, and death. However, the study also found that if you experience those symptoms later in menopause, you could be at increased cardiovascular risk. The bottom line: You have your own unique biological clock, and it will determine when you start to have symptoms of menopause — it’s usually a quite natural occurrence. Use of supplements, a low glycemic food plan and burst exercise can help lessen some of the side effects of menopause. I know from experience going through menopause at age 44. See you on the other side!

The Glycemic Index and Migraines

When the first glycemic index was first released, most dieticians, nutritionists, and physicians were shocked by the results. It flew in the face of theory that all carbs are created equal. It meant that the food pyramid was also wrong and upside down. What they had been taught was wrong. For example, simple sugar like table sugar, also known as sucrose, had a glycemic index of 61 while sugar found in fruits, known as fructose, had a glycemic index of only 19.
So, a white potato (glycemic index of 85) or white bread (glycemic range in the 70’s) making both of these foods spike the blood sugar more readily than table sugar. Did you know that many of our healthy cereals, I mean that sarcastically, such as corn flakes, brain flakes and Cheerios top out the glycemic index scoring as high as 92! Has your trusted doctor or medical professional been recommending to you, a patient with type II diabetes or hypoglycemia to eat carbs that can dangerously spike the blood sugar levels? Something to think about huh? Did you realize that most medical professionals only receive one hour of nutrition in their entire education process?
Obviously, it takes time to make a paradigm shift. Especially, when it comes to a foundational theory that has been the mainstay of diet counseling for the past century. Our European counterparts are well beyond our nation in this discovery and use labels with the glycemic index printed on them. We now know that many who suffer from migraines have a greater correlation between glycemic levels and onsets of migraines. Seek out a holistic or integrative practitioner to help you find a plan for supplements, low glyecmic food plan and exercise to help reduce the migraines which may be a chemical imbalance.