over the course of the study, only those in the low protein/high gi diet regained a significant amt of weight. those in the high protein/low gi group actually LOST more weight during this maintainance phase.

One more reason to pour the sugar bowl down the drain!!!

some super easy examples of a high protein/low gi meal are:
–roasted or grilled chicken with roasted brussel sprouts and carrots
–salmon about the size of your palm (not including your fingers) and a salad of greens or spinach with walnuts and garbanzo beans.
–banana with peanut butter (not in a sandwich form)

Last week, as I was whizzing into the grocery store to pick up dinner, something caught my eye and I did a double-take.  It wasn’t anything extremely unusual; just chairs lined up in front of the pharmacy counter.  I thought, what are so many people going to be waiting around for? I looked around, and noticed the sign that explained it:  “Get your flu shot here.” So, with the onset of flu season, the inevitable conversations have ensued.  Almost every mom, dad, and caretaker asks his or herself, “should I get vaccinated,” and “should I get my kids vaccinated.”

Obviously there is a lot of opinion and confusion about the flu vaccine.  Some people I talked to feel it is their moral civic duty, like Valerie from Montgomery who says “I am strong and healthy, but I would hate to be the one to pass it on to someone who dies from it.”  Others think it is a corporate  conspiracy.  Here are some facts from the CDC:
The flu vaccine contains protection from 3 of the most common flu viruses predicted for a particular season.  The virus strains used each year change because the circulation patterns of viruses change around the world and new viruses make their way to new places, as seen with the H1N1 epidemic in 2010;
The CDC recommends people get vaccinated before December because that is when flu activity is at its highest, and getting vaccinated in October or November gives the body time to make antibodies to fight off any exposure;
Some people have a higher risk of life-threatening complications, like people with compromised immune systems.  The CDC refers to high risk groups as pregnant women, chronically ill, or certain elderly, and babies whose immune systems are not yet fully developed.  If they contract the virus, their immune systems may not be able to fight it;
Even if you are strong enough to fight off the virus, you can expose someone who is vulnerable and make them sick;
Some strains of the flu are more contagious than others; and some are more lethal than others.

Just about every medical doctor will tell you that the flu is safe and that you should get it, for all the reasons listed above.  There are some “alternative” health practitioners who do not advocate getting vaccinated because they believe the body’s immune system is designed to innately fight off infection.  It is true our bodies are designed with a wonderous immune system, but if you have ever had any kind of cold or infection, you know it doesn’t always work perfectly.  That may be due to many factors, like the quality of one’s nutrition, the amount of sleep we get and, some researchers think, even the amount of sunlight we are exposed to.

Whether you get decide to get vaccinated or not, there are many strategies you can do to stay healthy and avoid contracting any virus this winter, including the flu.

The easiest measure you can take is washing your hands often.  It is not necessary to use antibacterial soap.  Any soap product will work on getting rid of germs.  Kids are notorious for passing germs onto each other and to the rest of their families, especially preschoolers.  When you pick them up from school, be sure to take them to the sink and wash their hands and gently wipe their faces, avoiding the eyes. To prevent spreading a potential virus from the nasal area to the eyes, or from the hands to the face, use a separate towel for the hands and another one for the face.

If kids get straight into the car from school, be sure to have some diaper wipes or hand sanitizer in the car.  To economize, you can prepare a clean washcloth moistened with water and soap stored in a plastic bag.  Be sure that each child gets wiped down with his or her own wipe or towel and do not re-use until washed.

Covering your sneezes and coughs with your elbow is an important habit, even if they are due to allergies.  Sneezes around the house could be the preview of a cold or sinus infection just waiting to sprout.  They can also be the telltale sign of seasonal allergies, which weakens the immune system.  Using a nasal wash system, like a “neti pot” is a very effective way to keep at bay sinus infections and viruses looking to take hold in the nose.  Neti pots can be purchased in most pharmacies and health food stores.  Be sure to purchase pharmaceutical-grade salt to use with it.

Staying hydrated and keeping nasal passages hydrated is another easy way to stay healthy.  Not only does drinking enough water each day keep your digestive system and other organs healthy, it keeps your mucous membranes (like the ones in your nose and throat) happy and functioning properly so they can defend the body.  A saline nasal spray is another effective way to keep the nose from getting too dry, especially when the air inside is warm and dry from having the heat on.

Vitamin D advocates and recent research points to the lack of sunlight as a cause of higher flu incidence in the winter. Its no coincidence that the flu season corresponds with the winter months around the world.  According to Dr. John Cannell, a medical doctor and one of the world’s leading experts on vitamin D, sun exposure plays a huge role in the contraction of the flu.  He explains that vitamin D plays a major part in our immune system function to fight off viruses such as the flu.  He does go as far as saying, “At least 5 studies show an inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and 25(OH)D levels or sunshine. That is, the higher your 25(OH)D level, the fewer colds and flu.” (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news-archive/2009/h1n1-flu-and-vitamin-d/).  The 25(OH)D he refers to is the form of vitamin D that is most active in the body, also known as vitamin D3.  Vitamin D is produced in the body when sunlight hits the skin and the melanin cells convert it to vitamin D3.  Incidentally, Dr. Cannell still advocates getting vaccinated.

Stress and lack of sleep run down our bodies.  Think about what is going on during the peak of flu season: the holidays.  Factor in shopping in fairly close quarters with lots of people, parties, increased alcohol consumption and you have a perfect situation for any opportunist to come along and ruin it all with fever, aches, and a nasty cough.  Going to bed just 15-20 minutes earlier can make a big difference in your health, your happiness and your fun factor this winter.

Exercise has also been shown to increase your chances of staying healthy.  Researchers found that upper respiratory tract infections (like the flu) were lower in people who were more physically fit and more active on a regular basis. (Br J Sports Med. 2011 Sep;45(12):987-92. Epub 2010 Nov 1.Upper respiratory tract infection is reduced in physically fit and active adults.Nieman DC, Henson DA, Austin MD, Sha W. Director, Human Performance Laboratory, North Carolina Research Campus, Plants for Human Health Institute, 600 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA. niemandc@appstate.edu. ).

Increasing your intake of whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and lean proteins will also support your immune system.  It will not only keep you from getting sick with a virus, it will boost your whole body, providing other important elements like fiber.

Supporting your digestive system is just as important for your immune system as it is for preventing colon cancer.  Scientists and physicians estimate that about 80% of our immune system is one cell layer from our gut, where the body eliminates waste products.  If that waste sits there for a while and it gets absorbed by the cells and blood stream, it has to work overtime to prevent major disease.  Fiber, proper nutrition, and proper hydration help move things along in a more efficient manner, so that the immune system can focus on other things, like viruses.

Exercise, eating right, getting enough sleep and reducing stress—it sounds like a broken record but it’s a prescription for good health no matter what you’re fighting off, and you don’t even need a prescription.  Just common sense.

Dr. Stefanie Stevenson, M.D., an Integrative Physician, also has these suggestions for staying healthy this season:

Take either a good probiotic 10-20 billion CFUs a day or eat a daily serving of plain yogurt
Take a good Multivitamin daily (check consumerlabs.com for tested brands)
Astragalus is a helpful herb to take during the winter months to boost your immune system. It is considered safe in adults and children (half dose of adults).
Finally, elderberry can be used as a treatment for the flu. It has been shown to shorten the duration by a few days.

The distances for the half ironman (which is officially called 70.3 because “ironman” is a trademarked name) are:

1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, 13.1 mile run

I did the swim.  It was the longest distance I have ever swam in my life!  I went through my usual routine right before a race.  I put listen to some music, run for about  a mile, and then get my wetsuit on and get in the water.  The water was cold at first but it was really the perfect temperature for a race.  It was also really slugy.  It had stormed the week of the race which churned up a lot sediment.  When I got out of the water I had a lot of slug on my face and my friends were so nice not to point that out or take pictures.

Besides that, it was a perfect day.  Lake Erie was calm–probably the calmest water ever–and I was only doing the swim so I was ready. I felt really confident, but nervous standing on the beach.  I don’t like to feel overconfident about anything  but I felt good.

Swimming in the pool to train, I began to glean insight from swimming.  What else is there to think about, right??  I realized that if I kept swimming no matter how tired I was I would get the the end of the pool.  Just like a lot in life, we have to keep persisting towards our goal in order to reach it.  I knew that all I had to do is swim to the next bouy that marked the course.  I just needed to keep my eyes on that.  Keeping your eye on your goal will help you reach it.  If I didn’t check my position every fourth or fifth stroke, I might start veering off in the wrong direction and then have to back track.  Sounds like some of my clients’ weight loss efforts!  I knew all this going in.  Even in familiar territory we can lose our way…

We entered the water in a typical wave fashion, where everyone just runs in the water and starts swimming.  Its a big free-for-all.  Something about all those people really FREAKS ME OUT.  I totally lost it! Before I knew it I was hyperventilating and couldn’t catch my breath!  Ugh! I was so frustrated and scared and I thought about the lifeguards out there who would just scoop me out and rescue me from this whole thing.  But there was NO WAY I was going to do that!  Not only would I NEVER live that down, but I also had teammates counting on me and I couldn’t let them down.  I also knew that I could do it.  I just had to put out the effort and trudge forward.

I thought about how incredibly mental this all is.  Each bouy was a speck in the distance-I could hardly see it and it seemed like it took so much effort and felt like it wasn’t getting any closer.  But eventually it did and then I passed the next one, and that blue arch at the end that I had to run thru–I couldn’t even see that until I got to the second to last bouy.  Gosh, I thought it would NEVER come!!  My arms started to ache but it wasn’t too bad–I knew I was just being whiney.

Wow!  This was just like life!!  I found myself in total self doubt WHILE moving forward! I started beating myself up because I felt like I was the last one in the water (NOT true) and I was letting down my team for being slow (also NOT true).

I realized that the goal isn’t always visible while we are moving forward toward it.  But we need to know where it is and that we are doing the right things to move forward.  The keys to success in ANYTHING are:

-having a goal and keeping it in your mind’s eye

-having smaller benchmarks to mark your progress and staying focused on each one–knowing that its part of a bigger picture

-knowing what to do to move toward your goal and DOING it no matter what (I couldn’t just stop–i had to keep moving forward).

-stop listening to negative self talk–know that its NOT true.

my take on it: start checking the bottles of juice you buy to see where the concentrate comes from. A lot of it is from China and Argentina. It is printed on the plastic not on the label. We do not have any control over what pesticides are used in those countries or how the concentrates are processed before they are imported. Other countries do use pesticides that are banned in our country because they are not safe, but we eat produce with those residues on them all the time.
THIS is why it is so important to purchase domestic conventional produce–produce grown in the USA. Organic produce that is certified will not have inorganic arsenic which is from pesticides. So buy organic when you can, and when you can’t buy US grown.
Seriously, who wants apples from China anyway! We have wonderful sources of apples right here in the US!!

Here is the link to the EWG guide to pesticide residues on produce–its a nice handy guide to print, laminate and put in your purse for quick referencing: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/guide/. If you have one, this one is brand new! and there is an app now! check it out!!

• Every year 99,000 people die from medication errors and 98,000 people die from hospital-aquired diseases (nosocomials)
• people who are on antioxidants when they have surgery heal sooo much faster than those who aren’t.
• 60% of women over 60 have had a hysterectomy
• When vitamin D levels are optimal the myometrium (uterine muscle) is healthy and there is a reduced risk of of c-sections.
• your heart has a huge electromagnetic field that affects everyone around you (that’s their “vibe” they are giving off).  We can let love flow over the entire planet with a positive, healthy heart.

Usana Scientists presented upgraded products (i already touched on) and they also gave some really interesting statistics about the cells in our body:

• our bodies renew our skin every month (think of how healthy cells can make your skin look younger)
• our entire blood supply is regenerated every three years (you can clean up your act and it can have a difference on your whole body!)
• Our entire skeleton is turned over every ten years (keep the living part of your cells healthy! Calcium is only half the story!)
• Kids turn over their skeletons every YEAR, and teens do it every other year.

The kicker is that these incredibly important processes can only occur if the cells are healthy and working optimally, and that its NEVER to late to chance your health!

Dr. Heather Tick, a pain specialist with clinics in Toronto, Canada, and in Arizona said that she has had the most success with managing pain in patients with nutritional intervention–making lifestyle changes.  She also said that narcotics that are often used in pain management actually cause more pain in the long run.  She gave the following tips to reduce chronic pain:

• Eat a low glycemic, fresh food diet
• exercise
• stop smoking
• manage stress more effectively
• supplement to get cells healthy and optimally functioning
• One of the most effective things she found was to help people understand THEY are in control and empower people to manage their own relief.
• low Vitamin D levels are associated with pain–95% of her patients were profoundly deficient.
• curcumin plus phophotidylcholine (a phospholipid in our cells) has pain-reducing effects.
• ginger works on cox2 inhibitor pathways and is an anti inflammatory compound.  it works on more cox 2 pathways (4 different ones) than the drugs (vioxx, celebrex, etc–only 2).
• get good sleep and adequate amounts of it.

Dr. Libby Weaver, a biochemist from New Zealand spoke about women’s health and cycles related to weight gain.  She had so much information to share.  Her website is www.drlibby.com and she has a book called Accidentally Overweight that I hope to do a book club on soon.  The book is supposed to be available on Amazon soon.  This is a VERY short summary of what she said:

• 9 factors affect weight gain:  calories, thyroid function, gut bacteria, alkalinity, liver function, emotions, glycemic index, stress, and sex hormones
• the book covers these 9 factors and she reviews them on her website too.
• weight gain under the bra is caused by congested liver
• weight gain around belly button and hips is caused by cortisol (exacerbated by bad diet)
• she reviewed common problems associated with the female cycle, infertility, PCOS and PMS which can be found in the book and on the website. Its pretty involved so I wont get into it here.
• She said a really good way to help increase health is by increasing intake in GREEN veggies.

The other speaker, who was hilarious, was Shawn Achor, a psychologist from Harvard University who studies the advantages of being happy.  He also has a book, called The Happiness Advantage (another book club ). He said:

• intelligence and success go up proportionately when you are a happy person.
• we can change our vision of reality and that actually changes reality itself
• the more positive you are, the more you use the frontal lobe of your brain (he calls it the “thinker” and this is where executive functioning and processing goes on)
• he showed brain scans that showed that when people watch the news the mid brain (he calls the “jerk”) literally steals energy from the front brain.
• He demonstrated how “mirror neurons” work–its like when you see someone yawn and you yawn.  We did it with smiles; its very difficult to not smile when someone stares at you and smiles for 7 seconds.
• Your brain secretes dopamine and stimulates a smile. This shows that we are connected via mirror neurons (and energy from our “vibe” that Dr. Northrup spoke about).
• He has a list of gratitudes that you can perform every day to stay positive.  If you keep looking at the world the same way for too long it gets ingrained into your brain.  He calls it the Tetris effect (yes, like the video game).
• here are some ideas to stay positive–pick 3 to do for 21 days in a row:  write 3 things you are grateful for every day (has to be specific and have occured within 24 hours); journal all the details of one meaningful experience in the last 24 hours; exercise, which releases neurochemicals and creates a cascade of success (he said its actually more effective long term than taking antidepressants); meditation–multitasking actually decreases success rates–focus on one thing at a time; conscious acts of kindness–write a positive email for two minutes to someone everyday.
• the easier something is, the more likely you are to stick with it.  It has to take less than 20 seconds to activate.
• happiness is a choice, it spreads, it is a work ethic that you have to work on–its not passive.

Thursday, at the opening session, Dr. Myron Wentz–founder of Usana–spoke on the state of the industry and the state of the company. Before I give you the synopsis, I have to tell you that Dr. Wentz is a scientist thru and thru.  He is absolutely committed to science first, investing in the best manufacturing and certifications possible.  It is obvious to me that Usana, even though it is a supplement company whose industry has fairly low standards, strives to be not only a supplement leader, but also a leader in the science of nutrition.  They are becoming more and more involved with academic institutions to do peer-reviewed research that is at the level of pharmaceutical standards.  Understand that this is VERY rare in the nutritional industry.  As a former scientist, I have been so impressed not only with the level of science that Usana performs, but also with the level of scientists and physicians that trust Usana as well.

Here is a summary bulleted for your easy reading:

• direct selling industry is growing by leaps and bounds
• the most important factor for Usana and to separate Usana from other products out there is quality science, manufacturing, and complex understanding of the cell-body-nutrient connection.
• watch out for copy cat products: some businesses think they can just copy the award-winning formulation of the Essentials.  Its so much more complicated than that! You have to have the right form of the nutrient, in the right balance with other nutrients, and it has to be stored under the proper conditions and manufactured properly to keep the ingredients active.
• Usana nutritionals are not made out of synthetic ingredients.  The raw materials that they use are the purest natural materials possible.
• They quarantine every shipment received and test it using High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) which is about the most scrutinizing analytical test a chemical can go thru to test for purtity.
• Dr. Wentz is a world leader in researching what keeps cells their healthiest, winning the Albert Einstein award.
• Doing lots of collaborative clinical studies with the Linus Pauling Institute, TOSH (The Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital).
• Hepasil DTX is so effective at enhansing liver detoxification, they are getting it patented. (i added it to my Health Pak).
• They have upgraded Procosa joint health supplement to more effectively deliver curcumin (turmeric–a powerful anti inflammatory and antioxidant) into the cell — 30x more bioavailable than other formulations due to a special liposome encapsulation of the turmeric
• Proflavenol C 100 has been shown to increase blood flow to the periferal arteries (especially important in diabetics!)

This is my new blog!  it will enable me to bring information to my clients and community that I just cannot contain in a simple newsletter.  I hope that you find it informative and interesting, and most of all, relevant to helping you live a healthier life!

Please leave a comment, like, or visit my website at www.venus4her.com.

Thanks…Elyse Jarard

Owner, Venus Fitness for Her, LLC   Cincinnati, Ohio, USA