Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Training Idea

We began talking about HITT training the other day, so let us continue and I will give you another workout, the one I did today.
  The reason the training which you have been taught, do 30-60 minutes of cardo three times a week, even five times a week. Then after this, do some abs exercises and some boring weight workout that you rest in between every exercises and do not push yourself. The problem with all of this is It Does Not Work! If you have been doing this for some time, you know. You have been doing everything they tell you for weeks now, decreasing your calories to nothing and starving and then doing the latest workout you saw in some magazine, all to no avail. They want you to stay fat and over weight. You see if you lose the weight and get into great shape for good, they lose money. You do not need more of all their "ideas" and latest and greatest. You just need good hard body weight workouts with sound nutrition.
  The reason HIIT training works so well, is how hard you are training. By doing this type of workout, you will raise and lower you heart rate. How do you this? This is done by mixing heart bounding exercises along with isometric holds, then resting in between sets. For each set you do, you push as hard as you can, giving it everything. By the time you are finished, you should be sweating and your muscles tired and shaking. You know you got in a great workout then! With raising and lowering you heart rate like this, you will burn an enormous amount of calories and burning fat, most importantly. It goes beyond calories in calories out, it is more about burning fat and HIIT training will do this. 
   This is why you do not need to waste your time doing cardio work outs, it is done right along with your training. By doing heart pounding exercises you are increasing your heart rate, then by doing an isometric hold you will bring it done, this burns fat. Work outs can be finished in 10-30 minutes instead of the hours you are told to do.
  Here is another example of a heart pounding, sweaty work out. Just so you know though, you might not like me very much while you are doing this. You will be calling my every name in the book. But, once you begin to see results and the body you have always wanted, begins to come through, you will love me!

20 jump squats onto a block
15 step up with a leg raise on each leg
12 planks with side lateral raises, each side
10 single leg Romanian dead lift, each side
10 stability ball knee tuck twists on each side
30 second plank hold with my feet on the block from my jump squats.

Planks with a lateral raise, I kind of made up on my own. Since destroying my wrist, I have very limited rang motion. I can not be in a prone position, this is the position for a push up. I have done push ups with lateral raises and they are a great killer core and upper body workout. Because I can not do them, I modified them so I can get some of the benefits of this exercise. How you do it:
Start in a plank position  on your elbows and toes.
Then lift one arm and twist all the way over until you are side ways, a side plank with your hand raised. Be sure to hold your core tight as well as you shoulder so you do not go past vertical. Hold briefly. 
Lower back to the plank position and repeat on the other side.

If you want the exercise to be either easier because you are just starting or harder, here are ways to do each. I will begin with the easier version and then put the harder one right after.

Jump squats up onto a block:
Easy, instead of jumping up onto a block, just jump straight up into the air as high as you can.
Harder, use a higher block

Step ups:
Easier, do not do the leg raise on the top of the block.
Harder, add some weights, do an arm raise while stepping up, or with weights do the arm raise.

Planks with lateral raises:
Easier, do them on your knees.
Harder, you can add weights or you can first do a push up and then the lateral raise. With the push up, you can also do them with weights once you progress.

Single leg Romanian dead lift:
Easier, do not try to balance on one foot the entire time. Also, until you have the flexibility, do not go down as far.
Harder, add weights or if you are not ready for weight, but need something slightly harder, use a stablity ball.

Stability ball knee tuck twists:
Easier, do not go to the sides, just tuck your legs straight in front of you. Also, this is an exercise you need to work up to. If you can not do a plank on your toes and hold it with good form, do not do this exercise. It is very advanced. As a progressive move, you can do planks on the stability ball with out doing the tuck ins.
Harder, This move is already advanced, if you think it is too easy, add more repetitions. 

Plank hold with my feet on the block from my jump squats:
Easier, This is also a move which needs to be worked up to. Do not try this until you can hold a plank on your toes with proper form. For beginners, do your planks on the floor on your hands, if you can, with your knees on the floor. Once you can hold this with proper form and have the strength, move to doing it on your for arms, with knees on the floor. Then, progress to holding them on your hands up on your toes. Lastly, do them on your for arms on your toes. Once you have the strength, then begin trying them with your toes elevated, either on a block or a stability ball or with your arms on the block or ball. It is much more difficult with your toes elevated.

What you want to do is do one exercises right after the other. Do all six and then rest. This is a circuit and meant to get your heart up there and pumping. Try to do all of them one right after the other. Once they are finished, rest and then go again. How to time your rest period is by how you feel. Obviously, if you are just beginning, you will be very tired after one set, rest until you feel like you can go again and give it your all. You want your heart rate to come back down some as well. It will not come all the way back to your starting rate, but you do want it to come back to a comfortable rate and your breathing is more stable. If you if like you are sucking air, can hardly breath and your heart is still racing, you are not ready to begin another set. Eventually, you will want to rest for two minutes. Resting for two minutes is something you will have to work up to. Some one who can do this set, rest two minutes and then go again is in great shape. Take your time, listen to your body and work up to it.

Well, there you have it. A great fat burning workout. Try to do at least three sets and work up to doing four to five. Five sets is probably not necessary with so many exercises, but you are more than welcome to do that many if you would like. Enjoy!

Until next time,
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn








Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuesday Recipe Post, Squash Chips

We have a summer squash plant that has been a producing fen this summer, it is slowing down with the cooler fall weather. Anywho, what I decided to do with it instead of giving it away, was make chips out of it. I no longer like t eat corn chips because corn is not that healthy for us, can cause weight gain and the oils which are used cause heart disease and weight gain, not very good or enjoyable any longer. One of my favorite foods was chips and salsa. I still love salsa, especially my family's home made salsa or when Hublet makes fresh salsa, so I had to figure out something to do. I needed something to go with it, enter in the squash chips.

What I do:
I let my squash grow larger than if you were just going to cut it up and eat it.
I cut it into about 1/4 inch slices, or Hublet does for me when my wrist hurts so much that I can not, what a great Hublet I have!
I put some olive oil on them, not a lot, but enough to coat them.
Then I put what ever seasoning on I want on them. Sometimes I do sea salt, blackening seasoning, or different ones from a spice company we love called Penzyes. You can put whatever you would like on them. Try different things to see what you like.
I then place them in my food dehydrator Hublet gave me for my Birthday after we got married, I love my dehydrator and I highly recommend them. If you do not have a food dehydrator, you can use your oven. I would put it on the lowest setting you have and watch them to make sure they do not burn
I allow then to dry until they are crisp, I like the crunch and for them to be crispy enough to hold salsa on them, play with  them to see how long you like them done.
Once they are finished to your liking, place them in a storage container and you are finished.
Eat them either plan or with salsa, humus, as nachos, whatever you would like really!

I know you might be thinking they would not be very good. Trust me, they are. The first time I made them, Hublet told me to make them however I wanted because he probably would not eat them, they did not sound good. However, he told me, you make things that do not sound good at all and turn out to be delicious. But I will probably not eat them. The first batch I made, he ate the whole thing. Everyone else who has tried them, loves them. Give them a try before mocking them!

Know I can have chips and salsa whenever I want. Instead of corn chips, I have very healthy squash chips with all of the added benefits of vegetables!
You can do these with any type of squash you would like. You can also try them with yams, sweet potatoes or a regular potato if you would like. When it comes closer to Thanksgiving time, I want to try them with yams and sweet potatoes to see what they are like!
Go enjoy some healthy chips!
Until next time, in the love of Christ,
Jenn

Monday, September 26, 2011

HIIT Training


Sorry I have not been posting as much, I want to try and post about daily, but my wrist has been hurting and typing increases the pain significantly. I have to type in moderation or type one handed. On to today's post.

You might be wondering why I have not talked about training at all yet, considering I am a personal trainer. The reason for this is because I believe nutrition is 80% of weight lose or maintenance. If you have your nutrition dialed in 80% of the time, you will lose weight and see amazing results, working out just helps to speed up the processes. You need to make sure you have your nutrition going first and then add in the training. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, this is important. You do not want to tax your hear and if you are significantly over weight, your heart is already having to work over time. You do not want to add hard training on top of it.
   Here, I must also give another disclaimer. Before beginning any nutrition or training regmine, you need to speak with your doctor to clear. If you have heart problems, be sure to speak with your doctor for how hard you should train, increase your heart rate and push yourself, if at all. Follow his advice. I do not want you hurting yourself.
   How do I train and what do I think is the best type of training?
   I train with HIIT, high intensity interval training. It is heart pounding, sweat drenching and tiring. The beauty of this is I do everything at the same time, my weight training and cardo workout at the same time and I am usually finished in 20-30 minutes, if I do a long workout. With some of my workouts, I am finished in 10 minutes. Time restraints, not any longer. Who does not have 10 minutes to work out? If you continually say you do not have time to work out, you are making up excuses know. How many hours do you spend watching TV? If you think you need to workout like the CDT teaches, then yes, I can see not having the time. I can see not having two hours a day to workout, but 10 to 30 minutes, you have that. However, when you train with HIIT and it takes 10 minutes to get in a workout, you have no more excuses.
  I do not waste my time doing a cardo workout, which are a waste of time anyway and do not get you results, and then do some slow weight training workout. With HIIT, you will naturally take your heart rate through highs and lows, burning a huge number or calories at the same time. It is great time management, it is all finished in one feel swoop. It does not take hours to complete and you will see results faster because of your diet, number one, and then because of the calorie burn. With most of these workouts, once you are finished, unlike if you go for a 30 minute run, you do not stop burning calories. You obtain what we call the "after burn effect". If you work hard enough, this after burn can last up to 72 hours! Who does not want that? Train really hard and three days later you will still be burning calories, my type of training.
  By the time this 20-30 minutes is up, I am breathing hard, drenched in sweat and my muscles are done, they are tired. I feel great from working so hard.
  Enough about all of this, what do the work out entails? A lot of hard of hard work, determinations and will power to work hard. What you need is not another gizmo or contraction to work out, you need yourself and once  you work up to, a few items will do. But even then, your body weight is the best thing and really all you need. If you want a longer workout, take four or five exercises and do them in order, one right after the other without any rest. Once you have finished them, rest for about one to two minutes and then repeat. Do three to five sets depending on how you feel. Remember, through all of this, listen to your body. For a short set, if you only have 10 minutes, take two exercises and do them one right after the other until you have finished five sets. It might not sound like it, but these will be awesome workouts.

For example of a longer set:
30 seconds to one minute of mountain climbers,
20 lunges, 10 on each leg
10 push ups
20 squates
30 second plank

For a shorter set:
20 jump squats
30 second plank

   For any of these exercises you do not know how to do, what they or making sure you have proper form, go to You Tube and type it in and you will see how to do them with proper form.
  You see, it is not difficult or complicated to work out. If you are just beginning, take  your time and start slow with more basic workouts. Once you have the strength and stamina to go harder and perform harder workouts, push yourself to advance. You do not need more information to work out or another "thing", you need yourself and to decide to do it.
 In the next couple of posts I will explain more of HIIT, give some more work outs and other ideas!
Until next time, get your sweat on!
In the love of Christ,
Jenn 






Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tuesday Dishes... Dill, Jalapeno (Grilled Peach) Hamburgers

Hublet has thought it would be a great idea to have one day of blogging to be recipes I have made up or places where I find recipes to make for dinners. I have had several friends tell me eating the way we do sounds great and they want to try it, but they need ideas so they are not making the same thing over and over again. Here you all go!
Last night for dinner we did hamburgers. I got ground beef and made my own hamburgers. I like to seasons mine and know what it is in them. We like to have a lot of seasonings in our hamburgers, a lot of flavor. I put in the ground beef:

Dill Weed, several tablespoons, I really like dill
Sea Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, maybe a 1/4 cup, to taste
 Roasted garlic seasoning, several good shakes.
1 egg, the meat was really lean and needed something to help it stay together

I made patties and Hublet grilled them. We did do cheese on them, melted it on the grill.
Instead of buns, we each had one piece of sprouted whole wheat bread for one of our hamburgers.
On top, we had a few condiments, along with red onions and tomatoes picked fresh from our garden. We also had some jalapeno jelly my mom made, not something you want on it every time due to the sugar, but it was good. I had purchased some fresh peaches, here in Utah it is getting to our peach season and I love them! Anywho, I cut them in quarters and had Hublet grill them. I put mine on my hamburger, and it was yummy. Hublet thought I was crazy and just ate his with the jelly on it.

 You see, you can have some of the classic American meals with a Primal twist. Instead of stacking everything on a bun, place your hamburger on your plate and stack everything on top of that. Then eat it with a fork!

 You can think I am crazy and not put freshly grilled peaches on your burger, or you can give it a shot because it was delicious! I will be doing this again. Do not be afraid to experiment with combinations and new foods, this is how we find out what works together and what does not. What we like and what we do not like. Enjoy the yumminess!
In the blessing of Christ,
Jenn

Friday, September 16, 2011

Weight Lose Goals

When trying to lose weight, ask yourself why, why do you want to lose weight? Go and purchase a journal to be your dream journal. In this journal, you write down your dreams and goals for your life. Whatever they are in every area of  your life, not just health. Keep this journal by your bed and visit it often. Reread what your dreams and goals are, when they change, rewrite them. Do not be afraid of them changing. We are creature who change and develop into different people than we were five years ago. As we begin to search out our dreams and goals and go out there to achieve them, we may change our minds and this can be a good thing. Because, we will probably begin to dream even bigger and better than we had in the first place. We will become a better person because we are pursuing our dreams. Our dreams change and they should. Do not be afraid to dream and dream big. In your Weight Lose/Dream Journal write on the top of the page:
Why do I want to lose weight?
 Then list all of the reasons you want to lose weight. By making it personal like this, it is more than just oh, I want to lose weight. You know have written reasons as to why you want to lose weight, it has become personal. The reason for having them written down, is it becomes visible then, it is not just in your mind and whishy washy. Once we have written goals, they become real and not abstract. We can go back and look at them, remind ourselves of what our goals and dreams are. It is very important to write them down. When it comes to weight lose and writing down why you want to lose weight, you have had to think about it, not just say I want to lose weight, most people want to lose weight. You have reasons to lose weight. Take the time to think about this and write it down.
  These reasons need to be genuine, realistic, attainable and not just for vanity reasons. Saying you want to look better naked can be a great reason to lose weight, but it has to be a reasonable, I want to look great naked and then becoming anorexic because you can not ever see yourself  for who you really are and the weight you have lost. You need to see what is actually in the mirror and not what is in your mind.
  If you can not think of reasons you want to lose weight other than, I am fat and need to lose weight, you do not have a real motivator to make the necessary changes in your life. There is a difference between just thinking you are fat and need to lose weight  and saying, I need to lose weight because I am not healthy, I have heart disease, I want to be here for my grand kids and be able to keep up with them go out and play, not site and watch. I want to lose weight because... Or an even better way to look at it might be, I want to be healthy because.... Weight lose and being healthy are two different things. Being healthy is making this processes personal and not vanity. It is becoming in charge of your health and fixing your health issues, not just losing weight.
  After you have written down all of the reasons you want to become healthy, take your top three or four reasons and write them down on sticky notes and post them everywhere, from the mirror in the bathroom so you read it every time you brush your teeth and wash your hands, on the fridge and pantry doors so when you go to open them you can read why you want to become healthy and that junk food is not going to sound so yummy any longer. Put them on your computer screen, places on your desk, as the book mark for your book, anywhere you need them. Find where you weak spots are, where you need the most reminders to choose better, healthier food options to help you reach your goals. If you are reading these goals through out the day, everyday, this will help you to stay motivated. You will have a reason to make better health chooses. Wanting to lose weight, get into shape and be healthier will be a priority for you. Instead of telling yourself, today is the day, I am going to make better choices today and then you do not and yo feel guilty and horrible about yourself and then you eat even worse because you have already messed things up, so what is the point. You lose your motivation and mentally beat yourself up, a down whirled spiral. You then promise yourself tomorrow will be a better day and you will have the will power. If you have been telling yourself this for five, ten years or more, why is it going to change this time? The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Is this not what you are doing? If you want real, lasting results, you need to make real changes. You need different habits. If you have notes all over the place, and you actually read them every day, you can stay motivated. You can have the necessary tools to make the changes you need to make. Once you begin to see results, it is even easier to continue on with the change. Instead of setting yourself up for failure one more time, set yourself up for success.
  This can be in any area of your life, not just weight lose. Have a goal, have a dream, write them down, write down why you want to obtain this dream, and make it happen. You are in charge of you. Do not settle for a second rate you or say you can not reach your goals and dreams, because you can, you just have to decide you are going to do it. Write those sticky notes and remind yourself everyday, all day, why you want to reach your goals. Keep going forward and watch your life change!
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn







Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Sun....

Oh the sun... How I love thee, no really I am  not kidding. I love the sun. I love to spend hours sitting in it rays, soaking them up, relaxing, reading a book, gardening, spending time with Hublet and our two dogs, Mungo and Otto, or collectively "the Boys", most of the time I am correcting the Boys though because they are too busy barking at everything and anything that moves, crazy dogs. How I enjoy working on my tan...
 Ok, enough day dreaming. I already did that while I laid in the sun this afternoon. Let us get to business. To sun or not to sun, with or without sunscreen. I am going with sun and without sunscreen. Following are my reasons.
 The sun is healthy for us. Think about it, if the sun were not healthy for us, then why would have God given it to us? The sun is the center of our solar system, it shines for about half of the day, well more during the summer and less during the winter, but you get the point. It is a very important part of our days. It makes everything grow. The sun has a powerful effect on our mood. When the sun does not shine for days or weeks at a time, do you get depressed? When you spend time in the sun, does it make you feel happy, is your day better because you were in the sun? It should be. When we are in the sun, our bodies produce Vitamin D, which can also be called the "Happy Vitamin". When our Vit D levels are adequate, we have less depression, anxiety, mood swings and mood disorders. This vitamin plays very important roles for our mental health.
 One of the best sources of Vit D is the sun. Others I have mentioned are cod liver oil, milk, cheese, organ meats, and anything which has been fortified, but we do not do processed foods any longer, remember, so we need natural sources. With the sun being one of the best sources of this important vitamin, how is it best to obtain it? Great question. First, we want to be in the sun, in the suns direct rays, with out any sunscreen. Without any sunscreen!? Are you crazy? Well, as a matter of fact a little, but not in this regard. You see, when we wear sunscreen, our bodies are not able to absorb the full spectrum of the suns rays. The sunscreen blocks it. When we can not absorb the full spectrum of the rays, our bodies can not produce Vit D.  When we do not produce Vit D we suffer greatly. Everything from becoming sick, to cancer, to our genes not coding correctly, to mental health issues. So you see, Vit D is important for our health and the sun is just as important so you can make it! They go hand in hand.
 There are some very dangerous chemicals in sunscreen. Have you ever taken the time to read the back? It is pretty scary what is in it. Through research, there is thought that from the combination of chemicals in the sunscreen along with the sun, they can interact and actually cause cancer. This is how scary these chemicals are. You are doing more harm to your body by putting that sunscreen on  than leaving it off.
 But what about skin cancer and other cancers from damage from the sun? These do exist and can be deadly. All you need to do is take a few precautions and you shall be good. After the long winter and no laying out in the sun, take your time and build up a natural defense against the sun, a tan. Start with a few minutes a day of being in the sun, until your skin turns a like pink, work your way up to longer periods. If for some reason you have to be out in the sun for a long period of time before you have built up your tan, then cover up, if you have to form head to toe. Wear a hat to protect your face and eyes. But, try to avoid sunglasses. Just as important as the sun is for our skin, it is just as important for our eyes. Even if you have been spending time in the sun and you feel like you are beginning to burn, either get out of the sun or cover up. Covering up is a far better option than slathering yourself in chemical laden sunscreen. If for some reason you will not be able to cover up, you can try and find an all natural sunscreen. There are some out there, you just have look for them. In the end, you are far more likely to have cancer from not being in the sun enough than having too much sun. In the end, it is burning that causes you to have sun damage. When you take precautions and do not burn, you have all of the benefits from the sun and none of the negative effects.
 The sun is not the same in all parts of the world. Up here where I live in Northern Utah I will not have the same intense rays as someone who lives near the equator. So who cares? Well, you should if you want all of the benefits from the sun, mainly producing your Vit D. The farther away form the sun you are, the less of the full spectrum rays which are emitted. These are the rays your body needs to produce Vit D. Therefore, when we live farther from the equator we usually need to supplement to have our levels where they need to be. For example, I had my levels checked and they were not above the 50 ng/dl, so I sat in the sun everyday through the summer for about an hour a day, I worked up to it. At the end of the summer, I had my levels checked and they still were not where they needed to be. So, I began supplementing with a high quality Vit D, and now my levels are perfect. Remember before beginning a regime of Vit D you have your level checked.
 Other things the sun has great benefits for is your skin. If you want wrinkle free skin, you want to be in the sun. Between the sun and Vit. D, your body will begin to build collagen. I do not know about you, but I want that sun kissed glow on my skin, and for it to look healthy and wrinkle free. On the flip side, you do not want to be out in the sun so long you are tanning deeply or burning, these will destroy your skin. We have all seen those woman who spend so much time in the sun, they are all wrinkly and leathery. This is because of the long hours they have spent in the sun. There is a difference between being in the sun, enjoying it's health benefits, having a healthy sun kissed glow, but not so much that you are tanning darkly or excessively. Just like everything else in life, it is about a balance and you need to find that balance for youself.  

 I hope I have given you some good reasons to want to go out into the sun and enjoy it, soak it up. If not, or even if I have, go do some research on your own to help you understand the benefits of the sun and Vitamin D!
Until next time, I will be enjoying the last of the summer rays and God bless,
Jenn






Friday, September 9, 2011

Our Amazing Skin

Today I thought I would spend some time talking about our skin. Who does not want perfect, clean, small pores, glowing skin, you know what we always see all of the celebrities and models have? Do remember, they air brush and shape their faces and bodies so they look perfect. How many times have you herd celebrities say once they were finished it did not even look like them? I think it is ridicules they do this. We all strive for this so called perfection that is unattainable and unrealistic. But, we can have great skin! The best way to be sure to have beautiful skin, is to begin with the inside, your diet.
 If you think I am going to begin with vegetables, you are correct. We have spent time talking about veggies, so why not talk a little more about them. One more significant benefit of vegetables is what they do for our skin. As we have discussed and know, vegetables provide many vitamins and minerals. One of those is Vitamin A, which as we know is a very powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help to keep our cells from being damaged. Vitamin A also helps to fight infections, which is all acne is, an infection of the pores in the skin. Vitamin A will help to improve your immune system, thus being able to fight off infections. It is also helpful for eczema and psoriasis, wounds, wrinkles and stretch marks. All in all, Vit A is important to have clean, clear skin. However, you can also find Vit A in animal sources, such as egg yolks, liver, milk, and cheese.
A great way to make sure you are consuming enough Vit A, is to eat a lot of veggies, but also animal sources. One of the best is code liver oil. Code liver oil has both Vit A and D along with omega fatty acids, which will all help with the skin as well. A good easy way to kill three birds with one stone, by taking code liver oil supplements. This is one I do take for its varied benefits.
 Vitamin D is also another vitamin which will help to fight infections. The only place to find Vitamin D is from fat sources and the sun! This is why code liver oil is great to add to your diet. Now the sun... For the sake of this post, let us just say the sun is not an enemy or something to be avoided. The sun is a key to healthy, glowing, wrinkle free skin. You see, the sun and Vitamin D, helps to make collagen, which is what keeps our skin taught and keeps the wrinkles away. Do not be afraid to spend time in the sun with no sunscreen of covering up.
 The other fat soluble vitamins, E and K, also support your skin. Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant. Not only can you take Vitamin E internally through nuts and seeds, you can also put it on topically. If you have inflammation or flares ups, putting Vitamin E on these spots can help. Vitamin K can help when it is put on topically for dark circles under the eyes and bruising.
 We can not forget about the water soluble vitamins, C and the B complexes. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, helping to rid the body of free radicals. It can also help with inflammation. Making a face mask with fresh squeezed lemon juice mixed in baking soda and applied to the face can help exfoliate the skin and give it a healthy glow. If you have a big event, doing this the night before you will be glowing and the talk of the party the following day. Vitamin C can also help with the damage from to much sun exposure.
 For the B complexes, biotin is the most important. This forms the base of the skin, nails and hair cells. Bananas and eggs are a great source of this vitamin. Again, topically, all of the B vitamins can give you a healthy glow instantly, hydrate the skin cells and help give an even tone to your skin.
 You do not need to go out and pay a fortune for beauty products to have the benefits of all of these vitamins. You can make your own masks at home. Put a variety of fruit and vegetables, like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, pumpkin, kale, avocado, in a blender with some heavy cream and blend. Apply to your face and skin, even your hair if you would like. Let is sit for about 15 minutes and drink the rest of it. Then rinse it off. You will have enviable hair and skin. Everyone will ask you what you do and think you spend a fortune on your products. You can either them or keep your little secret to yourself.
 Another great thing for our skin is fat. Eating fat, like eggs, cream, butter, whole raw milk, nuts, seeds, avocados and coconut oil will help your skin, nails and hair. Not only are there all of the vitamins and minerals in these foods which we know now are very healthy to give us great skin, the fat in these foods will also hydrate your cells, keep their integrity and make your skin soft. Remember, your cell walls are made of fat, if you need a reminder, go back and read Cholesterol, A Villain or Healthy. If you want gorgeous skin, hair and nails, increase your fat intake and see the amazing results.
 Along the lines of fat intake, coconut oil is a wonderful "lotion" to use for your skin. Remember, coconut oil has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties to it. If you are having problems with acne or other skin irritations, this is a great thing to put on your face. Instead of using lotion, I use coconut oil from head to toe. I have decided if it is not good for me to eat, than I should not put it on my skin because you will absorb what you put on your skin. In fact, it can go right into your blood stream. Since I have increased my fat intake and using coconut oil on my skin, it is doing so much better. Much smoother, more even toned, I do not have as many breakouts and it looks healthy.
 What about things you want to avoid? If you are having problems with acne, you will want to avoid sugar. Until you have your acne under control, I would avoid fruit and grains as well due to the sugar content.  Avoid anything with sugar in it. The reason being is bacteria feeds on sugar. If you are consuming sugar you are feeding the bacteria.
 You will want to make sure you are consuming probiotics, through whole raw milk and other fermented foods. By eating the probiotics you will be helping your immune system to fight off the bad bacteria. Eat and put coconut oil on your skin. Be sure you are consuming a lot of vegetables for the vitamins, minerals and making your body alkaline. Another tip, if you have a break out, try putting some raw honey on the sites. For the same reason you do not want to eat sugar, by putting the sugar on the acne, you will draw out the infection from the sugar in the honey. You can also try salt. Salt has been used to help rid meat of bacteria for centuries and can do the same for your skin.
 There you have it. Some great tips on getting and maintaining great healthy skin! Go enjoy a veggies smoothie with some probiotics in it and watch your skin glow!
In the love of Christ,
Jenn




 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

More Benefits of Veggies

Let us talk about some more of the health benefits of the fiber in vegetables. We talked in the last post about fiber binding to toxins and being eliminated and fiber helps to keep things a moving through the digestive tract. What else can fiber do? Well, fiber can help control blood sugar levels. I have talked in previous posts about fat doing this, stabilize blood sugars. Fiber can be a key player in being able to do this as well. If you have type II diabetes, and you eat nothing but raw vegetables for two weeks, you can actually stabilize your blood sugar levels. I do not know about you, but I am not going to go on a raw veggie diet for two weeks to this! I do not have diabetes either and I do not want to have it. Therefore, I eat a lot of healthy fat, protein and vegetables.  Having stables blood sugar levels will help to prevent diabetes and any blood sugar issues.
 Fiber can also help in weight lose. You see, fiber will help to keep you full longer, just like fat and protein. When we are full for longer periods, we do not eat as much. Fiber will stick around in your stomach for long periods because it is not broken down. It hangs out, finds toxins, binds to them and then helps you to eliminate. If you are wanting to lose weight, be sure you are adding raw vegetables to every meal or as a snack throughout the day for all of their benefits. There are some fruits that have a fiber in them as well, like berries, apples or pears for example. Eating these will have the same benefits as eating vegetables, just watch the sugar content.
We have talked about the many and varied and wide benefits of eating vegetables. You are saying, all right, you have convinced me to eat more of them, but I do not like them and it is boring to eat them raw all the time. What are some ways I can add more vegetables to my diet? I am glad you asked! Here are some of my favorite ways to eat them.
 Hublet and I really enjoy eating stir frys. We use a wide verity of vegetables, always trying to hit every color. We add some sort of meat. Then we do a hot, spicy curry in coconut cream to top it off. They are delicious. We try to eat one at least once a week. Be sure to not cook the vegetables to long,  you do not want them to be mushy. Instead of white rice, which is sugar and will spike your insulin levels, we like to eat quinoa. Quinoa also has great health benefits to it.
  I am a big salad eater, I love salads. Here again, you can add whatever type of vegetables you want, the more the better. The great thing with this, is they are raw. I do not use store bought dressing. There are some very scary ingredients in those. If you are looking for weight lose or weight maintenance, there are things in store dressing which will make you gain weight. We will talk more about those later. I make my own dressings or use vinegar and olive oil. Be creative with your salads, they do not have to be boring. Add things like nuts and seeds for taste and health.
 The newest thing I have started doing is vegetable smoothies. I am more into smoothies than juicing. My biggest problem with juicing is you lose the fiber in the vegetables and fruit. Beings I obtain most of my fiber from vegetables and fruit, I do smoothies. I like to put in yogurt and then a wide variety of vegetables and a little fruit. I put in salad, spinach, kale, beets, tomatoes, carrots, celery, avocado, whatever I have in my fridge. For fruit, I like to use some frozen bananas, again whatever I have in my fridge or freezer. Blend until smooth and enjoy.
 I enjoy eating my veggies or fruit with all natural peanut butter or some other nut butter. By putting some nut butter on your veggies and fruit, it gives them more flavor and the added benefits of the nuts. With the fruit it is great because of the sugar in the fruit. You should always eat your fruit with some fat and protein so you do not spike your insulin levels.
 Soups during the winter months are always great. I will even put some in my chili. Cook the vegetables with the chili and then blend them. Everyone will think it is seasonings.
 Frittata, which is basically a quiche, it just does not have a crust getting in the way are very yummy. Eggs, bacon, sausages, whatever meat you want, if you want it and all the veggies you want. I put cheese in it, bake at 350 for about half hour, check for doneness with a toothpick. Add full fat sour cream, avocados, salsa, what ever you would like.
 Grilled vegetables are always yummy. you can put them either right on the grill, depending on what it is or in tin foil with butter and seasonings, cook until done.
 Steam them on the stove. You need a little water and loads of butter. I like my vegetables dripping in butter, that is when they are the best steamed. I added seasonings and enjoy.
 In my garden this year, we had a summer squash that was a producer. What I did was cut them in about 1/4 inch slices, put a little olive oil on, some seasoning and dried them on my food dehydrator. Hublet got it for my  for my birthday the first year we were married, I love it. Hublet did not think he was going to like them at first, my first batch, he ate the whole thing. I have tried several different seasonings and they have all been good. They are good to eat plan or with salsa. I am a huge fan of chips and salsa, but since I do not eat many chips any longer, due to their unhealthiness, which is will talk about later, I have been depressed. No longer! Salsa and dried squash chips are awesome. Here I am eating homemade salsa and squash chips, veggies all around.
 Be creative with your food and adding vegetables to your diet. Once you begin eating them, you will feel better and begin to crave them.
 Am I advocating a vegetarian diet? By all means, NO. I am not one who promotes this type of diet. God designed out bodies to eat meat. There are very important vitamins and minerals we receive from meat and can not get them any other way. People who are vegetarians tend to be more sick, they get more colds and bugs that are going around. They are also deficient in very key minerals and vitamins, making them sick. We need meat. We also need to be eating more vegetables along with our meat.
 Be sure to listen to your body. I know of people who do not eat vegetables because their bodies do not do well with them. This is few and far between though. Most everyone needs some vegetables. Your body will tell you if a certain vegetable or fruit is not right for it. If you eat anything and feel sick, tired, lethargic, gaseous or just not right, it would be best to avoid that food. Avoid it for several weeks and then eat it again. If it makes you sick, do not eat it. We need to learn to listen to our bodies. They are amazing and can tell you what it needs to be healthy and thrive.
In the love of Christ,
Jenn

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Wonderful World Of Veggies

In my last post on how to avoid getting sick the season, I talked about eating vegetables and how they help to make our bodies more alkaline. I thought today I could go further into the importance of vegetables.
 We have all been told since we were little tots to eat our vegetables and you know, mom was right, again. There are very important vitamins, minerals and enzymes in vegetables that are vital to our health and a long life. Most people do not like to eat vegetables, they do not taste good. The reason they do not taste good is because they are not sweet. There is no sugar in vegetables, and there should not be. We have become a nation addicted to sugar and this is reeking havoc on our health. We no longer enjoy the taste of vegetables or know what they taste like due to all of the genetic alterations, pesticides and fertilizers being used today. There is always that notion too of it if it tastes good it can not be healthy for us. Let us talk about some of the health benefits of eating vegetables and easy and great ways to add more to your diet.
 As I disused in my last post, one of the most important things vegetables do is keep our bodies alkaline. What this means is our bodies our more basic. A little chemistry lesson for the day. The pH scale is a measure of acidity and basicity. When we usually see it, there is a rainbow of colors along with numbers on the side. These colors and numbers relate to how basic or acidic something is. The scale goes from 0 to 14. 0 is the most acidic. These are going to be things like gastric acid, the acid in our stomachs, which is about 1, lemon juice is about 2 and so on and so forth. What this is measuring is how much acid is in it. On the other side of the scale we have the basics. Bleach is about 13, soapy water is about 12, baking soda is 9 and so and so forth. This is the lack of acids. Seven is considered neutral, distilled water. For life to happen, your body has to maintain a certain pH balance. Human blood is between 7.34-7.45, not a large margin. For optimum health, we want to be more alkaline, which is basic. When we eat to many sugars and processed foods, our bodies become more acidic. The consequences of this is sickness, an inability of being able to absorb minerals, the energy production of our cells goes down,  the body has a more difficult time repairing it's cells, we can not detoxify heavy metals, a cancer cell haven. Does this make sense of why cancer is abundant today? Cancer is a disease of the common era. Our ancestors did not have this disease because of their diets, their bodies were more alkaline. Not only does an alkaline body ward off cancer, it will also defend the body from other diseases. For more on this, read my previous post here.
 Some of the best ways to get our vitamins and minerals in everyday is to eat vegetables. Do you need more Vit. C, eat citrus fruits, putting lemon or limes in your water is a great way to both drink more water as well as the added benefits of these powerful foods. How about Vit. A, eat pumpkin, kaleor leeks to name a few. Pick any vitamin you would like and Google it, see how many and what types of vitamins and minerals are in it. The best way to make sure you are consuming all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs is to eat a rainbow of colors. You want your diet to be colorful. It also makes it more fun when you can see if you can eat all of the colors in a day, especially if you have kids. I think we all know this, we just need to apply what we already know! As a side note, if you are going to take a multi-vitamin, it is best to take one which is plant based, not synthetically made.
 Enzymes are proteins which act as a catalysis. A what? A catalysis is a protein which makes a chemical reaction happen faster in the body. There are some reactions that take so long to perform that they simply would not happen in the body if it were not for a catalysis. They are very important to the functioning of the body. One of the best sources of enzymes is raw vegetables. You can steam your veggies if you prefer them this way, just make sure you do not cook them over 104 degrees or to soggy. At this temperature and above, the enzymes are destroyed. It is good to do a variety of both, raw and steamed vegetables. The reason for this is because some of the vitamins are more bio-available to our bodies when they are steamed. Things like calcium from spinach and kale. The lycopene in tomatoes is most available once the tomatoes are cooked and eaten with fat. Other vitamins will be destroyed with cooking. So, to account for this, I eat both raw and steamed vegetables. When steaming or cooking your veggies, be sure it is not over 104 degrees or that they are overcooked and mushy. If you cook them this long, you can kiss everything good bye.
 Another health benefit of raw vegetables is fiber. Fiber helps to keep things a moving in your digestive track. If you are not eliminating everyday, two to three times a day, with none stinky poops, you have some problems. It is important to eliminate our wast products. When we do not ride them through urinating and poopen, they will stay in our bodies and this causes problems. If your poop stays inside of you, the toxins can reabsorb into your body. Yuck! All of the crap your body is trying to rid itself of stays in and becomes a toxic waste land. This is even worse for your body because it is more toxic than it was before. If you do not poop for days, it has to go somewhere and that somewhere is making your stomach stick out and you gain weight. Not helpful in weight lose. An easy to help this problems is eating more vegetables and drink water. The fiber will bind to toxins and take them out in the elimination processes. The fiber is also some roughage and will push things out. The water will help to make things softer. Pushing to hard can cause problems. Be sure to drink water especially if you are not used to fiber, this can cause you to be constipated. Water is also a natural way to detoxify your body.
I believe this is enough to swallow. We will continue in the next post.
In the love of Christ,
Jenn

Monday, September 5, 2011

Cold and Flu Season and What To Do

 If you think I am going to tell you to run to your nearest drug store and get a flu shot, you better think again. With everything else I have been talking about on this blog, you think I am willing to go and inject all of the nasty crap in a flu shot into my body, you had better read all of those posts again because I will not. Our bodies have been given everything they need to fight off bugs and viruses and disease, we just have to know what to do and how to give our bodies what they need to fight. 
You have probably heard the largest portion of your immune system is in your gut, about 80%. What does this mean? We need to feed our guts healthy food to fend off would be intruders making us sick. One of the best things to be consuming is beneficial bacteria. You can find these in fermented foods. Yogurt is a great place to start. However, you need to be very careful on the type of yogurt you are consuming. Most have high fructose corn syrup, HFCS, in it. I do not think I need to remind you of how bad this stuff is. I am sure I do, so we will talk about this in another post.For now, if you do not know how bad this stuff is, you will have to take my word for it, avoid at all possible costs. Avoid it like you would the plague, it is just as bad if not worse for your health. If the yogurt does not have HFCS in it, it will probably have some other form of sugar as an ingredient, avoid highly sugary yogurts. If it has artificial growth hormones in it, avoid as well. If it does not say has multiple strains of live cutlers in it, you are wasting your hard earned money. If it has any ingredients you can not read or now what it is, avoid. Are you picking up a trend here? 
What do you want to look for in your yogurt? You want to make sure it is all natural, organic is even better, no growth hormones, no HFCS, watch the sugar content and live cultures. I personally like to eat Stoney Fields. Their yogurt is organic, has no HFCS, limited amounts of organic cane sugar and six different live active cultures. It tastes great, smooth and creamy. Another type of yogurt which is very good for you is Greek yogurt. There are some people who can not stomach it. I would try a little before you buy a big container or a lot of it. Generally there are no added sugars to Greek yogurt, you might want to try adding some raw local honey to it. The same rules apply to Greek yogurt as they do to the other yogurt. One other great benefit of Greek yogurt, besides not having sugar added, is it has more protein than regular yogurt. Make sure  you read the labels.
 Other foods which have live cultures are: raw milk, kefir, which is a fermented milk and this can have as many as 10 different live cultures present, kombucha, which is a fermented tea, kimchi, sauerkraut, and any other fermented food.
 We used to eat a lot more fermented foods, mainly due to lake of refrigeration, and for their health benefits. Now days, we have refrigeration and we tend to not eat the fermented stuff. If you want to be healthy this cold and flu season, and for the rest of your life, I would start eating more fermented, live cultured food. This would mean, you can not go to your local grocery store and buy canned, pasteurized, severely heat treated dead food.  
 We also need to eat food which is going to help keep these cultures alive in our  guts. What? You have herd of probiotics, the healthy bacteria like we have been talking about, but have you heard of prebiotics? All prebiotics are is the food to sustain the bacteria. The main food for this are vegetables, fruits and if you are doing some sprouted grains, oats and inulin, a form of soluble fiber. What you are looking for is the fiber in these foods. If you are like me and do very little grains, you can get all of the fiber you need from vegetables and fruit, no need to worry there. Raw apple cider vinegar, the kind which still has the mother in it, is also good as a prebiotic. The bacteria in your gut thrive in the acidic environment of your intestines and stomach. Adding apple cider vinegar can do your body good. What I like to do is called the Vermont method. I found this searching for ways to help with arthritis, more on this in another post. But any who, what the Vermont method is is:
1 TBS of raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of raw honey
room temperature water, anywhere from 8 to 16 oz. 
Since I have been dong this for a time, I usually do a little more than a table spoon of the vinegar and I do not measure the honey, just squeeze some in, and I have been doing less of the water than the 16 oz. I really enjoy this, especially when thirsty. I find the best time to drink it is after my workout, crazy I know. Try doing up to three times daily. There are many health benefits to raw apple cider vinegar, enjoy for your health. But for this post, we will stick to it being good for feeding your gut flora, the bacteria in your gut!
 Other measures you can take for preventing any type of sickness is making sure your Vitamin D levels are adequate. I do not recommend beginning a Vit. D regime until you have had your levels checked. You want to make sure your levels are about 50 nano grams per milometer. Depending on your levels will depend on how much you will need to take to get them up to at least this level. The more research that is done on Vit. D, the more we are finding how important this fat soluble vitamin is for us. We are also finding people are at very inadequate levels. If you are getting sick all the time, be sure to have your levels checked. Vit. D plays a very important role in our immune systems. Since having my level where they need to be, I avoid most everything that goes around. If I feel like I have something coming on, I will take a few extra doses of my Vit. D and I am good to go. If you would like to know more about Vit. D and how vital it is to your health, I believe Dr. Mercola has some of the best and most extensive knowledge base on his web page, http://www.mercola.com/  Get those Vit. D levels up there, your immune system will thank you.
 Do not take anti-biotics unless it is life or death situation. You see, when you take anti-biotics, you kill all of the bacteria in your gut. They do not target only the bad stuff. Doctors today hand out anti-biotics like they are candy. They will even give them if you do not have a bacterial infection, they will give them for viruses! This is absurd. They will do nothing for you for a viral infection. Be sure, if you are given anti-biotics you have a bacterial infection and try to take care of the infection on your own. If you do have to anti-biotics, take all of them that have been prescribed to you. When you do not take them all, this helps lead to anti-biotic resistance, take them all! Be sure to eat good yogurt and other sources of probiotics. Once you are finished with the anti-biotics, you will want to be increasing your probiotic intake dramatically to reestablish your flora. This is the time I would take a multi-strain supplement of a probiotic. The reason you want to do this is so you get your immune system back as soon as possible, which will help you to not get sick again and so other things like yeast can not take over your system.
 If you remember the post on saturated fat you will remember me saying saturated fat is healthy for your immune system and how great coconut oil is. Coconut oil has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties to it. So, by eating coconut oil everyday, you will be helping your body fight off all of the intruders we face everyday. Along with taking some extra Vit. D when I feel something coming on, I will also increase my intake of coconut oil. One of my favorite things to do is a hot taughty with a table spoon of coconut oil in it. For those of you who do not know what a hot taughty is, it is an alcohol base drink:
 shot or more of whisky
 fresh squeezed, I like it freshly squeezed anyway, lemon or lime juice, a half or one 
 some honey, to taste
 hot water
Be sure to drink it nice and hot, go to bed with a few extra blankets and sweet it out. If it is a bacterial infection, this will help kill the bacteria. If it is viral, it will help your body to fight off the virus. With the coconut oil added, this gives your body the added extra benefits of the coconut oil. Ladies, this also works wonders for UTIs! 
 Working out is another good habit to have. This helps our bodies be stronger in all ways and be healthier. Being outside as much as possible gives you the added benefit of fresh air and sunshine. Along those same lines, be sure to air your house out, daily. This includes during the winter and hot summer months. The air quality in your house's and be even worse than the most polluted city, including Utah during our winter months. By airing out your house, you will help to ride it of the bugs which make you sick. 
 When you keep your body more alkaline, the way God intended our bodies to be, you will also ward off all types of diseases. You see, bacteria, viruses, cancer, you name it, can not live in an alkaline environment. By eating all of your vegetables and fruit, along with avoiding sugars and processed foods, you will naturally keep your body alkaline, warding off disease and sickness. A very good reason to eat your fruits and veggies!
 Use common sense. If you are sick, stay home! I have not figured out why people are so inconsiderate. I am sick, but I am going to go to work and to the store and breath on everyone. If you do not feel well, stay home and take care of yourself and help stop the spread of sickness.
Here is to a happy and healthy season of no sickness!
In the love of the Christ,
Jenn







Thursday, September 1, 2011

Weight Lose

Ok, so you are asking me to make all these changes and begin eating all this fat and not eat as much grains or any grains and you tell me it is suppose to be healthy for my heart, stabilize blood sugar levels and on and on. But, if I make these changes will it help me lose weight? If I am eating all of this fat, shouldn't I be gaining a bunch of weight?
 If you remember back from the post about grains I talked about insulin levels and how eating grains can spike you insulin levels, leading to weight gain. Remember, weight lose is about about stabilizing your insulin levels. As a review, if you are eating a lot of grains and sugars from processed foods and candy, junk food, even fruit your insulin levels are going to spike, then drop. When they are high, this puts your body into a fat storage mode. Not only will grains and sugars in general play havoc on your insulin levels, they will also make you very hungry. If you are hungry, you are going to eat. What is your body craving, something with sugar in it. Sugar is more addictive than cocaine. You eat it and you crave it more and more. This cycle will also make you tired. When you are tired, your brain will want food to function. You brain functions on glucose, which is sugar, and it will make you crave anything with sugar in it for instant energy. It does not fix the problem. It is only temporary and in a few short hours, you will be craving sugar again. Here is where the wonderful world of a high fat diet comes in.
 Sources of fat do not have sugar in them. If there is no sugar, how will effect you insulin levels? When you consume fat you will see very little change in your insulin level, just a little bump. With every meal you should be consuming some animal fat. This is important especially if you are eating grains and fruit, due to the sugar. The fat, and protein, will slow down the uptake of sugar in your digestive system. The sugar will not be digested as quickly because it takes longer to digest fat and protein. What this means is the sugar will not be taken into the bloodstream as quickly. If the sugar is not entering the bloodstream as quickly, your insulin levels will not spike. Instead of having a huge insulin spike after a sugary meal, you will see a smaller rise in your levels due to the fat and protein. Stable insulin levels leads to weight lose.
 Fruit can be healthy for you as long as you eat it with fat so your insulin levels do not spike. If you are looking to lose a significant amount of fat, it would be best to avoid fruit until you have lost most of the weight. Once you add some fruit back into your diet, be sure to eat some fat such as nuts or seeds along with it.
 Not only will eating fat help to slow your insulin levels, it will also help to keep you full longer. If you are full, you do not need to eat. Let us say for breakfast you eat three large cage free eggs, with cheese and a variety of vegetables, onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, whatever you have in your fridge and you like. You add some seasonings for flavor and their health benefits, and to top it off you put salsa, full fat sour cream and half of an avocado. You also have a cup maybe two of coffee with heavy cream. A big breakfast loaded with fat and protein along with your veggies. With such a large breakfast, you might not be hungry again until late in the afternoon, maybe even dinner time. I know the CDT tells you you need to eat every two to four hours to keep your blood sugar up and for weight lose. We have seen why you need to eat every two to four hours due to all of the grains and sugars. With all of the fat and protein, like in the breakfast describe, you will stay fuller for most of the day. Your insulin levels are going to stay stable for the day and in a fat burning zone. If you do not need to eat again until three in the afternoon or even dinner, there is less calories you have taken in for the day. So you see, by eating more fat and protein your insulin is going to stay stable and you do not need to eat as much because you will be satisfied for longer periods. Fat has this ability to keep you satisfied, having a level of satiety as we call it in the nutrition world. The longer you are satisfied, the less you need to eat. 
 Your body will be receiving the nutrients it needs from all of the fat as well, namely the fat soluble vitamins, E, D, A, and K. Because we have become so afraid of fat, most of us are deficient in these vitamins. Eating all of this fat will help you to regain your health from having a lack of these vitamins which are so important to our health.
 Hopefully, you are beginning to understand the importance and value of eating fat. It is great for your waist line, losing or maintaining fat lost and for the vital vitamins it provides.
Until next time, in Christ,