BANG is not for your health

I’ll probably step on some toes with this one but I’m putting out here because I love you.

No matter what the company tries to tell you THESE are NOT healthy you guys!
First of all there are several lawsuits against Bang for lying about what and how much is in their drinks ...

What they do have is Sucralose (an artificial sweetener known to wreck havoc on your body)
Here are a few things you may not know sucralose could be doing to your body....

Upsetting your natural gut bacteria balance:
🔹Causing insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes.
🔹Makes you hungrier and crave more sugar and carbs.
🔹Increased Fat Storage
🔹Causing headaches
🔹Allergies
🔹Preventing medication and vitamin absorption

But the FDA Approves it so it must be ok right?

Remember the FDA doesn't approve Baby Formula, multi vitamins, omegas or protein powders (they are monitored tho). They allow like waaaay too much to get through like the drug fen phen that hurt so many people or the gardasil vaxx that’s unimaginably awful (do your research friends).

So they aren’t my go to for health. I am Researching. Choosing to better serve my body daily and it sure as heck isn’t with these sugar filled monsters. We already have enough stacked against us these days, as a Fitness & health lover I’m saying please think twice before consuming these. Your body is worth more.
#insideouthealthstudio #prioritizeyourself #putthecrappystuffdownandwalkaway

Life Called

Sometimes we are going about life, minding our own business and just rolling with the flow. Then out of nowhere, Life tells us that it is time to up our game and more is going to be expected from us. Doesn't matter if we are ready or if we were even expecting it. Life said it... so we must listen.
Four years ago Life informed me it was my time to up it. I told Life I was perfectly content with where I was. I had a successful long time daycare and loved doing my volunteer work. I didn't need to add anything. 

Life told me I was wrong. It told me there are things I need to be doing because they were going to impact the lives of others. I had no idea back then what Life was talking about, but four years later, I am seeing the fruits of my labors.

Four years ago today I partnered with Plexus. At first it was only to help my own self become more healthy. The more I researched, the more I realized this was the opportunity Life gave me to make my impact. Through my research, I knew I needed to be doing more so I became a health coach. I then began studying exercise and helping the body to heal itself naturally.

Over the past four years, Life has allowed me to literally help hundreds of people begin their journey to a healthier self. What I am doing now is nothing grand, but who knows....what I am doing now may one day turn out to be a blessing to someone else who will be receiving that call from Life that it is their turn to up their game.

I know I am not done with this journey I began four years ago, I've only scratched the surface and I can not wait to see where Life takes me next!

Is Celery Juice just a fad?

What a dietitian wants you to know about the celery juice trend

Just another health fad - or the elixir of life?

"A quick Google search will tell you that celery juice detoxifies your body, is good for your bones and can apparently even ‘change your life’. And with every second person jumping on the bandwagon, you might be wondering if you should, too.

So which is it - a silly superfood or a miracle cure? Here’s the answer…Celery has got a lot going for it.

For just 100 grams, you’ve got yourself a small dose of Vitamin A for healthy eyes, Vitamin C to support your immune system, Vitamin K which plays an important role in blood clotting and folate which is key for mums-to-be. Plus, you’ll get a small boost of fiber. And all of that costs you just 15 calories and virtually no fat.

“Heal”, “restore” and “detox” are just some of the buzz words associated with the celery juice fad. But let me tell you – there’s no one single food that will cure all of your health woes, so don’t be fooled by these emotive words.

What’s more, when you juice celery (or any other fruit or veg for that matter), you’re removing much of the fiber content. That’s not a good thing, as fiber is key for a healthy digestive system and can also help to keep you feeling full.

Generally speaking, there’s limited scientific evidence to show that celery juice is responsible for the raft of fanciful claims you’ve seen all over your news feed. But, for some, it might be helpful in easing water retention.

It should also be pointed out the trend was not founded by a medical doctor, or a healthcare professional of any kind.

So, my verdict? Celery juice is simply not the magical elixir that it's made out to be – and if you’re forgoing medical intervention because celery juice ‘heals all’, that’s a real worry. But, if it’s worked for you and you enjoy it, celery juice probably isn’t going to hurt you. Plus, it’s a good alternative to sugary soft drink and cordial.

At the end of the day, eating celery as part of a varied, balanced diet is a great thing to do. But I don’t think you need to guzzle down liters upon liters of its juice. What’s far more important is that you’ve got healthy eating basics down pat – because one healthy food in an otherwise unhealthy diet isn’t going to win you any points."

**Melissa Meier is a Sydney-based Accredited Practicing Dietitian.**

Come stretch with me

New year, new you.  Gosh, how many times have you heard that over the past few weeks?   I don't know about you, but I kind of like me and don't want a whole new one.  But....I guess there are a FEW things I wouldn't mind improving on. 

Over the course of 30 days in January, I am going to improve my flexibility, my mindset and my overall mood with daily morning stretching.  Yep, I will be setting the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier each day and devoting that time just to me.  ME.  No one else.    I would love for you to come along on this journey with me.  Simply follow the link below and 'like' my FaceBook page.

https://www.facebook.com/insideouthealthstudio/

I will succeed!

January begins a more than usual hectic time for me.  My normal hectic is to work my more than full time daycare Monday thru Friday, workout 5 days  a week,  be gone from home for volunteer work at least 3 nights a week, and very seldom have a free weekend.  That's my usual hectic life.

My more than usual hectic life will still have all of the above mentioned busy, but I will be adding into it going back to school, enlarging my health business and buckling down on getting the work begun to open my gym this summer.

How am I ever going to find the time to get all of this in?

I like my sleep...I REALLY like my sleep.  I don't want to have to sacrifice it in order to accomplish all I have planned.  My friend Chris from On Track With Chris has a great time management tool that she has shared with me.  It is a simple time blocking tool.  Simple, right?  Well, you would think so.  My day is all blocked out, ALL I have to do is follow what I am supposed to do at each time and everything would get done.  That is all I have to do...but I just never seem to follow the blocking for very long.   Oh, I always start out with the best of intentions.  My blocking sheet is even color coded to help me.  But within a couple of weeks I fall away from it and before long, I am not getting hardly any of my to-do done.

This time around I will find a way to make this work!  This really is a must...not a want, a must.  I still have a couple of weeks to tweak the blocking and find what is going to work best.  I will find a way, I will make this work, I will succeed!

 We all find ourselves in times of more than usual hectic.  We can sink or we can swim, it is completely up to us. 

White Fat vs Brown Fat

I recently stumbled on the brown vs white fat concept, something I had not heard of before.  I'm finding this very interesting.  Who knew!  Below is a brief summary of these two fats.

1. Brown Fat
This fat is composed of several small lipid (fat) droplets and a large number of iron-containing mitochondria (the cell’s heat-burning engine). The iron, along with lots of blood tiny blood vessels, gives this fat its brownish appearance. Brown fat is usually found in the front and back of the neck and upper back.

The purpose of brown fat is to burn calories in order to generate heat. That’s why brown fat is often referred to as the “good” fat, since it helps us burn, not store, calories. Brown fat is derived from muscle tissue and is found primarily in hibernating animals and newborns. After life as an infant, the quantity of brown fat significantly decreases. Adults who have comparatively more brown fat tend to be younger and slender and have normal blood sugar levels.

You generate brown fat by: exercising, which can convert white-yellow fat to a more metabolically active brown fat; getting enough high-quality sleep, as proper melatonin production influences the production of brown fat; and exposing yourself to the cold regularly, such as exercising outdoors in the wintertime or in a cold room. Lowering the temperature in your living and working spaces is another tip.

Bottom line: You want as much of this type of fat as possible. Bring on the brown!

2. White Fat. 
This type of fat is composed of a single lipid droplet and has far less mitochondria and blood vessels, thus resulting in its lighter white or yellow appearance. White fat is the predominant form of fat in the body, originating from connective tissue.

White fat has many purposes. It provides the largest energy reserve in the body. It’s a thermal insulator and cushion for our internal organs, and cushions during external interactions with our environment (that’s code for a soft landing when we fall on our behind!). It is a major endocrine organ, producing one form of estrogen as well as leptin, a hormone that helps regulate appetite and hunger. It’s also got receptors for insulin, growth hormone, adrenaline, and cortisol (stress hormone). So, it’s a myth that fat cells just sit there and do nothing all day long!

White fat is found, oh heck, you know where it’s found. Just look in the mirror! In women, excess fat accumulates around the hips, thighs, buttocks, and breasts until perimenopause (the 40s), when fat is redistributed to the abdomen as well. Men tend to gather excess fat primarily in the belly region most of their lives.

An excess of white fat inside the belly (visceral fat) is associated with metabolic syndrome—a group of symptoms that signal an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Location of body fat really counts! Excess white fat throughout the body is associated with an increased risk of breast, colon, esophageal, gall bladder, and pancreatic cancer. It’s also associated with sleep apnea, and physical disabilities such as knee arthritis.

Here’s how much white fat a “normal-weight” person would carry throughout a lifetime: Men’s body fat range is 15 to 25 percent; women’s is 15 to 30 percent. Your generic 154-pound person would carry about 20 pounds of fat. One pound of stored fat contains roughly 4,000 calories, so 20 pounds has 80,000 calories of energy storage. If you required 2,000 calories to live per day, you’d last about 40 days on a desert island. These numbers aren’t meant to be perfect or exact, but instead, give you a broad, general idea.

You generate white fat by: consuming too many calories and expending too few calories.

Bottom line: As a species, white fat is very important to our survival. It’s a matter of how much and where it’s located. You want to control your visceral fat level (keeping your waist circumference to less than 35 inches if you’re a woman, and to less than 40 inches if you’re a man) and keep your total body fat within the normal ranges for each gender.

Does white fat interact with brown fat? You better believe it. New research shows that when people overeat, they not only increase their total amount of white fat, but the over consumption results in their brown fat becoming dysfunctional and thus unable to burn calories.

Starting today, make it a point to achieve two major goals: Optimize your brown fat function and manage your white fat load—by doing precisely the same thing. That is, eat whole foods in moderation, stay active, practice stress resilience, and lead a mindful lifestyle. You’ll keep those mitochondria hummin’ while your health and wellness skyrocket!

*Article from Women's Health

Focus

 

"Focus on what it is you want to do. It will expand, it will multiply."

I like to listen to motivational/inspirational messages on youtube while I'm working out. I heard these words this morning and they spoke right to my heart. I am like a squirrel in a room full of shiny things...I go from one thing to the next shiny to the next shiny and then...oh wait...there's a real pretty shiny over there! Can anyone else relate?

Nothing seems to get my full attention for long. Maybe I should mention I'm an instant gratification type of person. I like to see results in short time and if not, I tend to lose interest and move onto the next shiny object. This is definitely not a good quality when working on longer term projects....like myself. 

However, if I pick just one thing to work on instead of trying to tackle the whole project at one time, I find I do much better. For too long I've been trying to take on all of me at one time. Working on becoming more organized, less procrastination, eat better, eat more, exercise, study, open a new business, keep my home clean....whew, I almost lost myself just reading all of that! Too many shiny things at one time.

Breathe. Focus. Choose.