Strength Training

Regular strength training revs up your metabolic engine by building more muscle.

A 15 year study of more than 2,800 men and women conducted at the YMCA in

Quincy, Massachusetts, found that after the people participated in a regular strength-training program for 10 weeks, they gained on average 3 pounds of muscle and lost 4 pounds of fat. They also dropped 2 inches around the waist, and that was while making no significant dietary changes!

Let there be no doubt that strength training is an important component in promoting optimal health and fitness!

Rewards 'During" Exercise

Reward yourself 'During' your exercise routine.

Exercise your way through those books on CD you've been wanting to read, or music CDs. Or, if you have an indoor treadmill or other type of exercise equipment, work out while watching your favorite television show(s), recorded if necessary or movie rentals. This makes your exercise time much more pleasurable and passes the time very quickly!

Must or Should "Rules"

When Tony Robbins questioned a friend who was in great physical condition about her "Must" & "Should" rules, it revealed the importance of "thinking strategies" that can make a huge difference in achieving our goals. She had very few "Shoulds" and a lot of "Musts."

He asked her "What must you never do if you want to be healthy?" and she answered, "I must never smoke, violate my body with drugs, pig out or go more than a day without exercising." Then he asked her, "What must you do in order to be healthy?" Her answer was again a long list of healthy habits.

When he asked her what her "Should" rules were, she had only one, "I should exercise more."

Define the "Must" rules in your thinking strategy to get to your healthiest and lose/maintain your weight. Focus on these "Musts."

As you can see, there is a big difference between the thought attitude of "I Must, or I Must Not" and "I Should."

This story was summarized from the book, "Awaken the Giant Within," by Anthony Robbins. Look for it in your local library or bookstore.

"Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives."--Anthony Robbins

Binge Prevention

Your food diary may be showing you where you are most likely to abandon your good weight loss intentions. Look for common risky situations like: parties, restaurants, boredom or leftovers. Use the 5Ds to get through risky eating situations.

1. Determine what's going on. Ask yourself, "Why is my desire to eat so high right now?"


2. Delay your response by figuring out what exactly is tempting you.


3. Distract yourself for 10 minutes.


4. Distance yourself, physically, from the temptation.


5. Decide how you'll handle the situation.

Lower Your Cholesterol

Scientists have revealed that we can get our cholesterol back to a healthy level not only by eliminating damaging foods (such as saturated and trans fats) but by incorporating some of nature's most nutritious foods in our daily menu.

Include these healthy foods into you daily meals and watch your numbers go down.

• Oats - Beta-glucan in oats absorbs "Bad"LDL cholesterol which is then excreted through the bowel. A Columbia University study discovered that eating 2 servings of cereal containing oats each day for 6 weeks lowered total cholesterol by 4.5% and "Bad"LDL cholesterol by 5.3%. Wow! Shouldn't we be finding more ways to get Oats into our daily menus?


• Walnuts - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that eating 1.5 ounces of whole nuts, 6 days a week for 1 month lowered "Bad"LDL cholesterol 9.3% and total cholesterol 5.4%. Be aware that all nuts are calorie dense and a 1.5 ounce serving contains about 277 calories.


• Fatty Fish - Such as salmon, herring & sardines eaten twice a week for 1 month raises "Good"HDL cholesterol by 4%. I found some frozen salmon pattys at my grocer that we use in place of ground beef pattys. They are very delicious and convenient.


• Beans (Legumes) - Carol Johnston, PhD.RD, professor of nutrition at Arizona State University says Pinto beans, when eaten everyday for 8 weeks can lower cholesterol levels 8%. Legumes contain soluble fiber which inhibits the absorption of cholesterol.


• Mushrooms - Eating maitake, enoki & shiitake mushrooms daily can lower blood cholesterol by 25% after 4 weeks. This was reported in a study published in Experimental Biology and Medicine. This is the highest reduction I've found so far! WOW!