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Back From The Brink

[caption id="attachment_62" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="The Power of Meditation"][/caption]

My journey to a new body and a new life began with a difficult pregnancy and an emergency cesarean section birth. By the time I gave birth, I was a size 18 and 61 pounds overweight.

[caption id="attachment_63" align="aligncenter" width="142" caption="60 Pounds Heavier"][/caption]

 At 5’2”, I was putting a tremendous strain on my knees and hips. The simple act of walking was an arduous task. Walking places a force of 3 times your body weight on the critical joints of your body. At my height and size, I was burdening my body with 528 pounds of pressure. Every step was excruciating. I developed bursitis in my hips creating an inflammation so severe that I couldn’t walk without flinching. I suffered through two miscarriages and eventual gall bladder surgery. My condition had gotten so severe that I couldn’t even play with my newborn without becoming winded. Exercise was out of the question. I could barely see my toes—being able to touch them was a fantasy.

My wake-up call came two years later, at my son’s birthday party. When I saw the videotape of the celebration, I didn’t even recognize myself. It was time to make a change. I was starting to understand why I had no energy. Staring me in the face, right there on the screen was the reason my hips and back ached so terribly. Every day was another dose of my harsh reality. Commuting to work on the bus was a humiliating experience, as I had to endure the cruel snickers when I couldn’t fit into the seat. I had enough. It was time for a change.

While I was working at CBS on the Geraldo show, a guest panelist and psychologist told me about how meditation could benefit me. I was skeptical, but desperate to try anything that would make me feel whole again. I needed to be there for my son. I decided to give it a try. At first I didn’t understand how a sedentary activity like meditation could help me to lose weight. It was not long before I discovered the secret---during meditation your mind is the CEO and your body the dutiful employee. You tell your body what it needs to do and it follows suit.

The ritual of meditation was the spark that jumpstarted my weight loss plan. I felt energized to exercise daily, choose healthier options and control my portion sizes. The meditation motivated me in ways I never thought imaginable, helping me lose the excuses and get on the track to better health. I started with gentle yoga combined with low impact exercises.

[caption id="attachment_65" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="Beginners Dynamic Yoga for Stress Release and Weight Loss"][/caption]

This not only helped me to start shedding pounds, but also made my day-to-day tasks more manageable.  I incorporated other techniques which are now  on my PBS TV series, Functional Fitness.   I’ve included the low-impact fat burning technique with high intensity workouts for optimal success. I’ve also included instruction on how people can give themselves a non-surgical butt lift using only paper plates with the Fat Burning workout.

Preview Fat Burning Workout

With my series soon syndicated to 90 million viewers, my show encourages everyone to take charge of their health, regardless of fitness level. I also encourage viewers to participate actively in their health care plan by using preventative, cost-effective approaches to managing their health.

Meditation saved my life, and prevented my son from becoming an orphan at 10 years old. I credit my success to the incorporation of mind, body and spirit that meditation encourages. The same breathing techniques that I used to control my appetite and regulate stress also helped to develop my lungs and give them power. It was those same healthy, powerful lungs that delivered me from the brink of death, when a medical miscalculation caused my heart to stop on an operating table. As doctors frantically fought to revive my lifeless body with CPR, my body started to shut down, turning my lips, hands and feet a chilling blue. Near death, I was transported by ambulance to the intensive care unit. My body was on the verge of giving up. My kidneys shut down and my veins constricted so tightly that doctors could not administer a lifesaving intravenous line. My body and my spirit were determined to live. I would not die. I would live. I would see my son again. I started to meditate. After five minutes of willing myself to survive and using my meditation skills, my body started its journey back from the edge. My kidneys started functioning again. My pulse strengthened and my veins opened up. Later, my cardiologist would proclaim in amazement, “I’m an Indian doctor and my patient is teaching me how great meditation is!”

After that day, I had a renewed sense of purpose. I had to motivate others and help other people struggling with weight find their purpose. My weight could have been a death sentence, but meditation and determination was my pardon. My life has been changed since that day. Doors have opened for me. I went from being introverted and soft spoken to a confident, capable and dynamic woman ready to embrace life. I have made it my mission to help others on their journey to finding the healthy and slim person within. You are the CEO of your health.  Exercise and be healthwise. Take care of your body and your body will take care of you. 

Get Fitter, stronger and healthier in the comfort of your own home email your local Public Television station now and request Functional Fitness starring Suzanne Andrews broadcast on your local station.  To find your station go to

http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html

The Best Recipes for Weight Loss has Three Main Ingredients

[caption id="attachment_52" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Measuring Weight Loss"][/caption]

As someone who loves food and cooking, I prefer to think about weight loss like a recipe. There's no shortage of weight loss recipes being promoted these days. Just take a look down the "diet" aisle of your bookstore and you'll see hundreds of books all promising to solve your weight loss woes, many of them with conflicting approaches. It's totally overwhelming.

After several decades of diet experimentation, I've discovered that with weight  loss, as with most things in life, it's best to keep it simple.  Isn't life complicated enough? How many rules and restrictions can we tolerate before we throw up our hands and give up? Then I realized that the best recipes for losing weight have just three main ingredients - food, fitness, and feeling good.

Food and eating is an important main ingredient in any weight loss plan since the kinds and amounts of food you eat, as well as how you eat, are directly related to weight. It's necessary to eat the foods that energize you in a nourishing way most of the time and make room for indulging in the foods that you love so you never feel deprived. Exactly what, when, how much and how often you eat is a matter of personal choice and experimentation to determine what works best for you.

Fitness is the second important main ingredient in a successful weight loss plan. Your body loves to move, even if your mind thinks otherwise. It was designed to move, so again, the key is to find ways to move that feel good to you. Keep it energizing and fun. Experiment until you find what leaves you feeling great. For me that means lots of brisk walks with my golden retriever and healthy doses of all kinds of yoga from gentle to vigorous. For you it may mean working out with an inspiring DVD, bicycling, swimming or turning up the music and dancing around the
house. 

The third important ingredient - feeling good- might just be the most important one for successful lasting weight loss. And it's the one most often ignored in traditional weight loss plans. It's the magical missing ingredient and once you discover its power your life and weight loss efforts will be so much easier and more enjoyable.

When you begin to focus on feeling good, having fun and adding pleasure to your life instead of dieting, deprivation, restrictions, food charts and working out, your mind and body begin to shift almost immediately.  Try it right now. Say to yourself, "I need to lose weight" and notice how you feel. (If you're like me you may feel stressed, depressed, frustrated, tired, sad, and/or overwhelmed - hardly the right emotions for trying to lose weight.) Now say, "I need to find a way to feel good and have some fun." Notice anything different? (When I say this, I feel like smiling as I sense warmth, happiness, excitement and interest. These are much better emotions
for making something positive - like weight loss - happen.)

When you think about it, it makes so much sense. Shifting your focus from losing weight to feeling good sets you up for success because you are in a happier, less stressful, calm, relaxed state, where weight loss can begin to happen in a way that seems almost effortless. When you feel good, you are much more likely to engage in behaviors that make you feel better - like eating better, getting enough sleep and moving your body in ways that feel good - that will all support your desire for weight  loss.

So, the next time you decide to lose weight, I hope you'll remember that the best recipes have just three ingredients - food, fitness and feeling good - and by focusing on ways to feel good about yourself, your body, your life, your career, and/or your relationships - you will be setting yourself up for success.

[caption id="attachment_49" align="alignleft" width="181" caption="Martha Mckinnon"][/caption]

 Martha McKinnon is a weight loss coach and yoga teacher who believes that eating great and losing weight can be simple and delicious when you take a body-mind-soul
approach. To learn more please visit her website,
"http://www.simple-nourished-living.com   

Simple Nourished Living.  While you are there you can pick up a FREE copy of her first e-cookbooklet of healthy homemade granola bar recipes.

Scientists Reveal Exercise Protects Brain Cells

[caption id="attachment_39" align="aligncenter" width="298" caption="How Exercise Affects Brain Cells"][/caption]

Carl W. Cotman and Nicole C. Berchtold of The University of California, Irvine are among numerous researchers who found evidence that exercise helps you protect the brain cells you have, and it even spurs the growth of new ones. In their 2007 study, Exercise: A Behavioral Intervention to Enhance Brain Health and Plasticity, they report that using your muscles kicks off a remarkable process that allows your body to make more of a chemical called Brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This is a substance that actually makes more gray matter.  So what exactly does that have to do with exercise habits, and our mind? It means that when we exercise, we can improve memory, concentration, and thinking skills. Moderate exercise helps our body make the special kind of brain cells that store memory and then get information back when you need it. These cells are found in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that was discovered to be larger in people who exercise regularly. The hippocampus keeps you oriented. It helps you find what you're looking for--everything from your car keys to the roadmap to that highway exit that got by you the first time around.  If you've ever felt more alert during or after some aerobic exercise, it was most likely because your brain got another benefit.

Rehab professional and producer of Functional Fitness Brain Power DVD, Suzanne Andrews states, " we need to approach people living with dimentia differently and focus on helping people achieve to the best of their ability instead of focusing on their disability.   Although it's also best practice to start an anti dementia program as early as age 40,it's never too late to begin."

Suzanne Andrews, host of Functional Fitness on PBS TV and producer of Brain Power DVD  



instructs you with specially formulated cognition enhancing movements  designed to enhance the right side and left side of your brain and get your blood circulating quickly. The faster your heart pumps it, the faster it gets to your brain. That means both oxygen and glucose arrive right when you need them. Your brain is fueled up, so you get a little jolt.   Brain Power is, in fact, so effective in improving mental focus that it is often part of a treatment plan for people who have attention deficit disorder, dementia, memory loss and alzheimer's.  Brain Power DVD is most valuable to mental function because of its effect upon the frontal and pre-frontal lobes. These areas of the brain help you to solve problems, prioritize tasks, and react to situations quickly. By doing this 25 minute session, you can even protect your pre-frontal cells from threats like environmental toxins or injury. These findings are especially promising for elderly people striving to maintain their independent living skills, and to those affected by dementia.

What are your thoughts, concerns on memory loss?   Email us your question or comment in the box below.

5 Eating Triggers You Need to Know Before You Diet

Many people find weight loss a daunting challenge and struggle to shed pounds and return to a healthy lifestyle. From yo-yo dieting to unrealistic goals and deprivation, people who struggle to lose weight often face an uphill battle. By identifying the triggers that lead to overeating and overcoming them, you will be well on your way to successful weight loss.

1.) Stress

People have to deal with stressful situations every day. From hectic work schedules to strained family life and the pressures of the daily grind, stress can wear out even the strongest person. Some who struggle with weight loss use food as a way to ease the stresses in their life. This leads to weight gain, which leads to more stress, creating a vicious cycle that is difficult to break.

2.) Culture

One of the main obstacles to people trying to lose weight is pressure from family. It can be very difficult to eat healthy meals when the family members are snacking on high fat and diet busting high calorie foods. In some cultures, it is a badge of honor to be overweight. Family gatherings such as holidays and celebrations may also lead to the pressure to overeat.

3.) Time of Day

Does the clock dictate what goes on your plate? Many people eat not because they're hungry, but because they are accustomed to eating at a certain time every day. Others fail to listen to their body's cues and allow social pressures to dictate what they eat. Joining the co-workers for lunch is often an automatic behavior that has nothing to do with hunger.

4.) Place

Studies have shown that where you eat has a huge bearing on how much we eat. When you sit down at a table to eat a meal you tend to eat less than if you're sitting on the couch. Eating while doing other tasks such as working at a desk can lead to overeating and weight gain. When eating a meal or a snack, focus on eating only. Attempting to multi-task while eating can cause you to lose track of the amount you're eating and take in too many excess calories.

5.) Social Factors

It can be hard to turn down the invitation to go out to dinner with friends every weekend. Eating is a social activity, and for some, cutting out eating meals in restaurants can be a difficult step. There are ways to enjoy social meals without wrecking your diet. Invite friends to "eat in" at your home and provide healthy choices as a substitute.

According to the National Institutes of Health, meditation is an effective way to lose weight. Meditation can help to release the stressors that lead to overeating. Another effective way to fight the battle with fat is through the practice of yoga. Yoga teaches how to focus the body's energy inward to solve problems and refocus the mind.

Engaging in regular yoga and meditation can help you tune into your body's cues and recognize the signals that cause you to overeat.

PBS TV host of Functional Fitness, and President of Healthwise Exercise,

Suzanne Andrews lost 65 pounds

 using her powerful motivating techniques revealed in her guided meditation CD for stress release and weight loss included free in Beginners Dynamic Yoga DVD. 

How To Stop Osteoporosis in a Snap

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Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone due to deficiency of bone matrix occurring frequently in post menopausal women and men. This condition is preventable and treatable with a bone builder plan of action. Osteoporosis results from a natural loss of bone substance which occurs naturally with aging. In some older adults, this bone loss reaches signifigant proportions, so that bones become thin and porous. When the amount of bone mass decreases as a result of osteoporosis, bones are weakened and may fracture. In the spine, the vertebrae can collapse and the back can take a 'bent' appearance. Osteoporosis can lead to fractures of the hips, wrists and ribs. These fractures occur with only slight trauma such as opening a window, and sometimes occur with no trauma at all.

Osteoporsis Prevention and Treatment

Calcium is stored in your bones and is essential for keeping your bones strong, nerve conduction and your heart beating. When your body is given a choice between your heart beating or your bones thinning, your body is going to choose your bones in order to keep you alive. So it's imperative that you get enough calcium.

The usual recommended dosage of calcium for pre-menopausal women is 1,000 mgs a day and for post menopausal women, 1500 mgs a day. Men under 65 should have 1000 mgs a day and men over 65 need 1500 mgs a day.
Calcium should be taken 2 to 3x a day, as your body can only absorb 500 mgs at a time. There are many calcium supplements; however Calcium carbonate had the highest amount of Calcium per capsule. It's also the least expensive and has the fewest side effects.

Bone Robbers

Some habits can steal calcium from your bones. These including eating large amounts of red meat, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, excessive caffeine and stress.

Role of Vitamin D

Vitamin D acts to increase your body's use of calcium so be sure to include 1000 mgs a day of vitamin D in your diet.

Medications for Osteoporosis

Your doctor may also recommend medications such as;

Actenol
Boniva
Fosamax
Forteo

However just taking a pill is not going to be enough. You have to include exercise in your plan of action if you want to strengthen and thicken your bones.

Role of Exercise

Regular WEIGHT BEARING exercise is essential for development and maintenance of strong healthy bones.
Exercises that combine movement, pull and stress on your arms, legs and spine is best for bone mass.  Just 30 minutes a day can save you from painful fractures and expensive medical bills.

Special Thanks to the Orthopedic Clinic of Daytona Beach for the above information.

Build Strong Bones with doctor recommended Functional Fitness Bone Builder DVD. Free Preview now
Osteoporosis Bone Builder DVD

What Every Boomer Should Know - The Truth About Exercise

We all know by now that exercising strengthens the heart, lungs, bones and muscles. It helps to ward off illness, relieve stress and prevent depression. So let's take a look at the how and why all these benefits occur.

Let's start at the cellular level. No, not your cell phone, I mean the cells in your body. There are trillions of cells. How much is a trillion? That's 1000 x a billion= a trillion. That's a bunch of cells. And every single one of them uses oxygen, water, nutrients from blood and produces waste. It's almost as if they are tiny little bodies in their own right and they need care and support just like you do. And for all the care you give them they give back the energy and stamina you need to complete your activities of daily living.

When you drink the proper amounts of water every day you are keeping your cells immersed in the solution they need to carry nutrients (food) to them and carry away hormones that the other parts of your body need to operate. When you don't drink enough water or supplant it with soda-pop or alcohol, your cells become like tiny fish flopping around on a muddy riverbed. They can't do what they're designed to and you get that blah feeling and reach for the remote instead of reaching for a fulfilling life. This solution they live in also carries away the wastes they produce to the blood so it can flow to the kidneys and be expelled as urine. What would you prefer to swim around in, a clean pool or a dirty pool?

To produce energy, cells also need oxygen molecules to breathe. Again, the more oxygen in your blood the better they can operate. Exercising increases the body's capacity to regulate oxygen flow in and out of the lungs where it is transferred into the bloodstream. By exercising on a regular basis the oxygen rich blood flows to these cells where they perform their job of rebuilding and revitalizing the body. Try climbing a flight of steps while breathing through a straw and that's what you're asking your cells to do when you don't exercise.

Ever since you were a kid your parents told you "eat your fruits and vegetables". Well darn it, they were right. Our modern diet of fats and sugars are not what our cells need to be able to perform the miracles of life they do. Now, I will never advocate you move to a cabin in the woods and live on berries, nuts and twigs, but come on folks, let's take it easy on the "C" foods: Cake, cookies, candy and creamy desserts.

When you really discipline yourself to start eating a sensible diet it might be hard at first, but a few weeks down the road you will feel like a new person. Why? Your body (cells) are cleansed of the fats and sugars that have little or no nutritional value which prevents them from producing the biological products that increase the energy and stamina you wish you had more than enough of every day.

Aerobic activity is any physical activity that raises the heart rate to between 55-90 percent of its maximum capacity for at least 20 minutes. Examples are aerobic work outs, jogging, swimming or biking at a brisk pace. Doing these activities on a regular basis makes the heart stronger, more durable and larger which increases its ability to pump MORE blood through the body thereby feeding the cells the water, oxygen and nutrients they need.

Whoever said it's the little things that really matter was more right than they realized.

Suzanne Andrews, president of http://www.healthwiseexercise.com
and founder of Functional Fitness on PBS TV offers baby boomers and plus size people real life fitness solutions for real life challenges. As a licensed occupational therapy practitioner, she offers DVD's that are medically reviewed and approved for arthritis, weight loss, copd, osteoporosis, brain fitness, diabetes, back pain relief and more. To learn more and for FREE preview go to http://www.healthwiseexercise.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16173&category_id=103