So I’m off to get the kids ready for school, take them to school, go to Costco, then the grocery store to pick up goodies for the Christmas Party we are hosting tomorrow, then to Dollarama and the Bulk Barn to get goodies for the Advent calendar that started 2 days ago, pick up the boy after morning JK, then somehow turn this disaster zone of a living space into the beautifully decorated Christmas scene ever!  Phew.

First things first, have my morning shake … strawberry/banana, my favourite.  That will give me the fuel and energy I need to get my day going and keep that metabolism going to be able to accomplish everything on that list!  Grab a bar for lunch on the road, and I’m set for the day.  Best thing about Isagenix for me on days like these is the ease and portability of meals.  I can make breakfast in 1 minute flat, take it with me as I walk the kids to school, bring a bar with me for lunch when I’m out running errands and I don’t have to stop what I’m doing or, even worse, grab something greasy from the fast food joints on the road.  I’m always coaching my children to “make a better choice” so I’m following my own advice today and making the best nutrition choice!

Wish me luck!  The adventure begins …

What’s your most/least favourite thing about the holidays?  I’d love to hear your stories …

In happiness & health …

Lisa

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trina_Yount

I made it through the two back to back cleanse days with flying colours.  The second day was definitely easier than the first and other than being tired, which could be attributed to my work/life crazy schedule, or the cleanse days, or both, I feel healthier and more energized.  After Day 3 I weighed myself and had lost 7lbs!  Wow!  Now that I am back on “shake days,” I have put back on a couple of lbs, but that’s to be expected.  I am still 5lbs down from where I started and I still have 2 more days to go after today.

While I love the 30 day cleanse and feel it’s the best one to start with when starting on the path to a healthy, balanced lifestyle, I do believe that there is great benefit to the 9 day cleanse as well.  For anyone like myself, who is maintaining the weight loss and healthy lifestyle but finds some of the pounds have crept back on, it’s a great way to get back down to that ideal weight.  It’s also important to do a cleanse at least a couple of times throughout the year to cleanse the body of the toxins that build up from our over exposure to them on a daily basis.  No matter how hard you try to stay healthy and avoid toxins, it’s next to impossible in the lives we lead today.  Take a look at this video as a reminder as to why we need to cleanse and where all the toxins are coming from.

I’ll check in again at the end of my 9 day cleanse with my final result and report on how I’m feeling.

Have any of you tried a cleanse?  I’d love to hear how yours went as well.  Comment below or send me a message.

Live Happy & Healthy …

lisa

I’m always apprehensive of doing a cleanse day because I know I’m going to be hungry.  Let’s face it, going a whole day consuming water and 4oz of Cleanse For Life liquid every 4 hours isn’t really going to fill me up.  However, I was ready with my snacks and IsaDelight Plus chocolates to get me through the day and was excited to start feeling the healthy benefits of doing the cleanse day.

The day started off with a tall glass of Ionix Supreme to help balance out any stress and fatigue I might be feeling (which, of course, I was) along with my Accelerator to help get that metabolism going.  I had my first serving of Cleanse For Life at 8am and that filled me up until a couple of hours later when I had a lovely snack of an Organic Gala apple, yum!  My second serving of Cleanse For Life came around noon … trying to space them out about 4 hours apart.  The idea of the Cleanse Day is to keep your body from going into digestion mode and having to work hard at digesting while you are cleansing.  The body has to work to digest every day, never having a break for those muscles and organs that do that work to keep our bodies functioning well.  Doing Cleanse Days gives the body that much needed rest.  So, by not having anything over 100 calories every couple of hours, you are able to keep your body’s digestion organs resting.  They do deserve a break, don’t you think?

My mid afternoon snack was a couple of Isa Snacks and an Isa Delight Plus.  The ‘snacks’ are perfect for cleanse days.  They help to regulate blood sugar so there are no highs and lows, and they are also great to stamp out those darn hunger pangs, if they happen to show up (which, of course, mine did!).  The IsaDelight Plus chocolates are my absolute favourite.  Not only are they very tasty dark chocolate, but they are packed with antioxidants and nutrients.  How can you go wrong?!?

Serving #3 of Cleanse For Life came around 4pm.  This was just as I was ending my day at the office and heading home to spend some much needed family time with my husband and children.  I’ll admit, making dinner for the kids was a bit of a challenge.  The smell of corn on the cob was almost too much to bear … melted butter, salt … yum!  But I digress … I managed to make it through their dinner time by having more snacks and drinking lots of water.  Water is so important every day, but especially on cleanse days when you are ridding the body of toxins.  You need extra water on those days to help flush out all the toxins you are pulling from the body with the Cleanse For Life liquid.  Yes, it’s a bit annoying to have to go pee every half an hour or so, but just think, all that bad stuff is leaving the body forever!

After a few games of Go Fish with the family, and lots more water, some bedtime reading with the kids and snuggles as they went to sleep, it was time for my last Cleanse For Life serving for today.  All in all it was a good day.  Not too many hunger pangs, lots of good snacks, and best of all, family time to keep the stress level down.  I’m pretty tired now, so I’m heading to bed to let the whole body rest and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

Live Happy & Healthy …

lisa

How would you like to have that clean and refreshed feeling for your body as well?  Spring is the perfect time of year to cleanse and refresh your body!  Holidays have come and gone … Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Easter … and you may find that you’re feeling a little blah from overindulging on some of those occasions.  I know I am.  I’m looking forward to trips to the farmer’s market for fresh fruits & veggies, grilling up healthy meals on the bbq, spending time enjoying the fresh outdoors with family and friends going camping, canoeing, or just to the park across the street.

I decided that I would do a cleanse to help me get rid of this blah feeling and to cleanse and refresh my body and my lifestyle heading into Spring and Summer.  Yesterday was the start of my 9 Day Isagenix cleanse.  There are two “pre-cleanse” days that get you ready for the 9 Day intensive cleanse.  On those days, you want to have 2 healthy shakes and one healthy meal as well as healthy snacks throughout the day.  I took advantage of the rare free time I had on the weekend to rid the house of any unhealthy, unwanted snacks/foods that somehow made their way into my kitchen (must have been my husband!), and stock up on lots of fruits and veggies and lean protein so that I am prepared for healthy meals and snacks throughout the 9 day cleanse.  In my opinion, this is a crucial part of preparing for a cleanse.  Temptations be gone!

Pre-Cleanse Day 1 went very well.  I was organized and energized to get started on the path to feeling cleansed and refreshed!  I had my Accelerator first thing in the morning to jumpstart my metabolism along with my Ionix Supreme which is a B vitamin booster to help combat fatigue and stress.  With a 14hr day ahead at the office, I really needed that Ionix!  Breakfast shake was vanilla with a few frozen strawberries, yum!  Lunch was a greek inspired salad with greens, whole wheat pasta, cukes, tomatoes, feta and olives and a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I was so inspired that I even made one of those for my husband’s lunch too!  Dinner shake was vanilla with Isa Greens and a few chunks of banana for a scrumptious taste!  For snacks throughout the day, I had an apple, some berries and a Oatmeal Slimcake (best oatmeal cookie ever!) and of course, lots and lots and lots of water!

Would you like more information on a 9 or 30 Day Cleanse with Isagenix?  Click here to learn more, or post your comments/questions below and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a recap of Pre-Cleanse Day 2.

Live Happy & Healthy …

lisa

As fall soccer season winds down, it’s interesting to reflect on some observations from the sidelines!

We’ve experienced very different coaching dynamics on the different teams, and two very different teams as a result. This soccer season has also been about great friends, old and new. I think it’s a great social skill to see kids learn to work together as a team and support each other in a group effort while still pushing themselves to excel on a personal level.

There was much excitement and laughter throughout the season. All-in-all, it was a very positive experience for the kids.

Unfortunately, the dark cloud that loomed over the soccer games was the issue of snacks for the kids. It never ceased to amaze me what would pass as ‘fuel’ for these little athletes-in-the-making. Also, the frequency and timing of the ‘fuelings’ seemed ridiculous. Games were an hour long, yet parents were expected to provide half-time snacks and drinks and post-game snacks and drinks. Many of the games ended at 7:15 at night! Yet, we were expected to provide a ‘snack’ for the team. I thought that particular snack was called “dinner”!

With all the buzz about childhood obesity for the last couple of years, you’d think the soccer powers-that-be would say, “Hold on a minute! Maybe these little people don’t need to eat quite that much… they’re not playing professional soccer and burning through 3,000 calories per game quite yet! Maybe we are part of the childhood obesity problem by sending these skewed food messages.”

Even if these were professional players, it would be highly unlikely that they would ever think of putting this garbage into their high-performance bodies during the game.

When the letters to parents came home at the start of the season, one coach requested that the half-time snack be fruit. I don’t think most parents got the memo! The same coach, however, also recommended juice drinks for both the half-time and post-game snack times and “treats” for post game.

That’s just perfect. Let’s reward kids with toxic garbage that subtracts from their health because they did something good, healthy, and athletic. Craziness! That is exactly why I refuse to call this stuff “treats”. It takes away from health. How can that be a ‘treat’?! The term “tasty toxin” sums it up quite accurately. I’m not arguing that a lot of this stuff tastes good, especially to a kid. But, it’s clearly toxic to our cellular function.

I only saw water served as the beverage of choice two times over the course of two months! Several children wrinkled their noses at the water and made remarks about how they “don’t like water” or “don’t ever drink it because it doesn’t taste good.” That’s frightening. Last time I checked, we need water to survive and be healthy! Alas, what child would choose plain water over colorful fruit drinks in cool, brightly decorated pouches, or over sports drinks and energy drinks that their sports heroes endorse, or over soda pop that has such lively and entertaining marketing. It makes water seem pretty dull.

I saw more Rice Krispies treats offered as snacks than I can shake a stick at. I saw chips galore, pretzel “sandwiches” (who knew?!) filled with fake processed ‘cheese’, bags of cookies, packaged brownies, snack crackers… all loaded with some combination of artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, excitotoxins, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, fake fats, refined grains, excessive sugar, and on and on.

I do not believe that childhood obesity is the biggest issue we have. These kids on the soccer teams were not even close to obese. Childhood toxicity is a far bigger problem. Whether or not any of these kids ever becomes obese is clearly not the most significant and dangerous issue, if they keep eating this way on a regular basis. This type of food cannot possibly result in healthy cell function. What is so painstakingly difficult to understand about this?

The snack at a recent game took the cake… almost literally. An assortment of chips and crackers along with fake, toxic juice drinks to wash down them down took their usual place on the sidelines earlier in the games. Then, to my shock, out came the gigantic cupcakes! Yes, as a snack during a soccer game, these kids were offered an over-sized cupcake (from the local warehouse store), each topped with neon icing that stood an additional inch off the top of the cupcake itself!

The kids drooled! Shoot, I think I drooled! I don’t try to mislead anyone – I think cupcakes taste great, too! That doesn’t mean I eat it just because it’s there. It’s just not a wise choice. That’s also why I don’t bring this stuff into my house. I would obviously eat it in a moment of “weakness”!

As I’ve always taught our kids, if you know you’re going to a birthday party or some special event where there will be “tasty toxins” served, and you’re going to choose to have some, then you need to be a responsible “body owner” and make sure your body has been properly fueled FIRST. Make sure you’ve given it ample fresh fiber in the form of veggies and fruit, clean protein and natural fats. The rest of your intake should be pretty healthy and clean in order to make sure that your body gets what it needs to: 1) create more healthy function for you, and 2) protect you from toxicity, infection, sickness, or whatever it might need to deal with.

These cupcakes were presented at 11:15 in the morning. There’s not a chance that enough healthy fuel for the day had crossed their lips yet to justify this choice! Oh, and this massive dose of sugar and artificial toxic ingredients was served with the toxic fruit drink of choice for this generation. Wow.

So, am I judging? No, actually I’m not. I am, however, venting. I find it frustrating… infuriating… that this even happens. It just makes me sad. I know that parents (coaches, administrators, etc.) don’t really know the true consequences of providing those foods. Of course they don’t! I do not believe that any parent would knowingly harm their children in any way. People just don’t associate giving their children toxic, chemical, factory-made poison with causing harm. They’re thinking it’s a ‘normal part of childhood’ or that they’d be ‘depriving’ the kids of something if they didn’t allow them to eat this stuff. I get it. I think it’s dangerously inaccurate, but I get it.

So, we come to an end of soccer season with mixed emotions. I’m sad to see the running and playing and laughing and cheering and camaraderie come to an end for this season… but, I’m SO glad to put this snack nightmare to an end! Until the next sport, that is!

Dr. Colleen Trombley-VanHoogstraat (“Dr Mom Online”) is a leading expert in Natural Health & Wellness. Her unique perspective and scientific understanding of Wellness, as well as her popular and engaging approach, provides simple solutions and transformational results for families seeking better overall health. To discover her popular strategy for teaching, and living, the fundamentals of better nutrition, go to better nutrition and healthy food.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colleen_Trombley-VanHoogstraat

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5267548

I wholeheartedly agree with the author of this article.  It makes me sad to see what kind of snacks and lunches parents send with their kids, unknowingly setting them on a very unhealthy path.  I am by no means perfect, and have been known to give my kids a packaged Rice Krispie Treat on occasion but it is not the norm.  I teach Ella and Wesley that their bodies need good, healthy snacks/meals to give them fuel and energy so they can learn and grow.  To give them something so completely unhealthy as giant cupcakes in the middle of a physical activity, seems incomprehensible to me.  What would be the reasoning behind that?  I am not judging.  I understand that parents want to give ‘treats’.  I also understand that parents with very busy lifestyles don’t necessarily have the time to find and prepare all healthy snacks and meals.  But what’s wrong with water?  What’s wrong with fruit?  What’s wrong with homemade cookies?  Kids will eat what you give them.  They will drink water if they are thirsty enough.  Let’s give kids the benefit of the doubt and give them what they need to make them as healthy as we can before we have no control over what they put into their bodies anymore.  Set them on the correct path now, and you will have healthy, happy kids for a lifetime.  I hope I will.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?  I’d love to hear from you … please post your comments below.

I’ll keep you posted on my ‘soccer mama’ adventures this summer!

I have to believe that by the time we reach our 30s, 40s, 50s etc. we have all seen or read at least a few things about fitness and nutrition.

There is definitely a lot of information out there that can be mis-information, but the basics of nutrition are pretty obvious. To break it down:

1. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains

2. Don’t eat junk

The importance of health is commonly accepted and yet, also commonly ignored by most of us. We take good health for granted when we have it, but desperately wish for it when we don’t. For this article, I am going to change the semantics a little. Instead of thinking ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’, think ‘wellness’ and ‘sickness’.

I also have to believe that most people have read or seen a list of diseases or health conditions that are linked to poor nutrition and lack of exercise. This is not one of those articles; if you want a list, you will have to Google it. So really, we are all somewhere between wellness and sickness.

Surprisingly, transforming your health is actually easy to do (for those of you who just muttered “yea right”… please keep reading, really). Tapping into good health and a life of wellness means doing things that are easy. Simple little disciplines, done consistently and compounded over time always create significant wellness.

So why do so many people end up sick (unhealthy), especially when wellness is easy to do?

Here’s the problem: Every “healthy action” that is easy to do is also easy not to do. Eating that fast food burger with fries won’t make you fat today or give you a heart attack today. But what if it did? Would you ever eat another fast food hamburger? Probably not. It’s not the first burger that gets you; it is continuing to choose that burger time after time that gets you.

That’s the choice you face every day. A simple, positive action, repeated over time or a simple error in judgment, repeated over time. You can make these simple wellness decisions work for you or against you.

Right now you are somewhere on the line between “wellness” and “sickness.” And like it or not, right now, you are moving either towards sickness or towards wellness. It is your choice which direction you keep moving, so I encourage you to make the choice to take the simple actions of wellness, not sickness. It’s easy to do…but easy not to do.

My name is Kristine Lockwood a.k.a. Musclemommy. I want to help you find your way to FIT by working smarter!

My two passions are being a mom and fitness. As a mom, I appreciate a great shortcut, and I have discovered many fitness and nutrition tricks throughout the years. Since most people are short on time, I want to share these shortcuts and tools with you, so you can get the most out of your fitness and nutrition efforts.

Please check out my web site at http://fitchicktricks.com for tricks and tips to work hard, dedicate yourself to a healthy lifestyle, and become your best FIT self.

http://fitchicktricks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristine_Lockwood

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6179794



www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv2Z3UWYJKk

Interesting commentary on one of the most *popular* health topics today, cholesterol.  Many of us know someone, or have ourselves, been diagnosed has having high cholesterol.  Perhaps it’s not all it appears to be?  Take a look and please share your comments/thoughts.

If you are like me, you have started many a Sunday thinking of how you can improve the week ahead. First thing Monday morning you will wake up a little earlier to meditate, drink warm water with lemon, practice yoga, eat a healthy breakfast, read an inspirational passage, take all the supplements and nutritional products you have been told you need, dry brush your body prior to showering with only natural soaps and shampoos, brush your teeth for a 2 full minutes, floss your teeth (right), apply your natural makeup (or shaving cream), walk to work or take public transit to reduce your footprint, drink several cups of green tea and water, have a mid morning snack, get up from your desk several times in the morning to help your circulation and stay focused (and eliminate the green tea and water), eat a healthy lunch of greens and fish, take your second round of supplements, drink more water, take a walk before going back to work, drink more green tea and water, keep moving throughout the afternoon, have a mid afternoon snack that will give you energy, go to the gym after work, drink more water, cook a healthy dinner, eat it at leisure while enjoying the company of your family, check in with each family member on the positive aspects of their day, laugh and express love, decide what board game you will bond over tonight, drink more water, take your third round of supplements and prior to going to bed early to ensure a full 8 hours of sleep, you repeat the 2 minutes of brushing, flossing and gargling, have a relaxing bath, read a spiritually uplifting book, show gratitude and pat yourself on the back for a day well lived. Phew!

Most of us never get past the mid morning snack before giving up. “It is too overwhelming we say.” “I don’t have the time.” “I don’t have the willpower.” “I don’t have the family support.” “I don’t have the energy.” “I don’t have the money.” But let’s face it, we know we need to do most or all of these things in order to feel good and live a well balanced life.

Sooooooooooooooooo……..inspired by the likes of Julie & Julia, Eat Pray Love and other best selling memoirs, I have decided to balance my life one day at a time. I will endeavor to take the overwhelming “should do” list and incorporate it into my daily living over the course of the next year. I will seek out natural alternatives, eat healthy and organic foods, find the right exercise regime, supplements, nutritional aides, spiritual path, relationship help, books to read, bodywork. I will spend more time with friends, family and myself. I will make time for meditation and spiritual growth. I will reduce my footprint! I will be a better wife/mother/sister/friend. I will become a better citizen of the world. What better way to stay motivated than to have the world watching!!

“You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Who am I you might ask and why should you be interested in what I have to say? I am a person who has tried to live a balanced life ever since I discovered I wasn’t balanced over 21 years ago (strangely coinciding with the birth of my first child). The sad thing is, I know what to do, I, just don’t do it!

I have read more than my share of books and articles on nutrition, diet, exercise, metaphysics, natural health and alternative remedies.

I have tried at one time or another, most alternative therapies such as naturopaths, naturopathic dentists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, cranial sacral therapists, reiki therapists, reflexology, massage therapists and more. I tried infrared saunas, reverse osmosis water treatment, inversion tables, rebounders and reformers. I am a believer in the healing powers of therapeutic grade essential oils, supplements and other nutritional aides. I believe in the power of positive thought and intention.

I have been to psychics, palm readers, past life regression therapists and Angel Therapy!

If you are thinking why am I wasting my time reading this, she is obviously a flake or one of the most gullible people around, you would be wrong. I lead a very “normal” life. I worked hard all my life doing something I loved. I created a company that ultimately had several hundred salespeople and dozens of staff. I sold that company and retired after 27 years feeling “burned out” at the age of 46. I am raising three stable children, 14, 21 and 22. I am or have been a supportive friend, employer, sister, daughter, mother and wife. People come to me for advice (or I give it to them without solicitation â~º) on a myriad of topics because they know I know a little about a lot. I am not a flake. I am not gullible. I am a seeker of information that will improve our lives.

Like most seekers I like to share this information simply because I like to help people. I am all about making positive improvements and personal growth. It took a crisis to really understand that wanting to change my life is easy, actually doing it, is the hard part!

On December 14, 2008 I had a stroke at the age of 52. Fortunately it was a relatively minor stroke affecting only a small part of my brain. Believe me, even a small stroke is a life changing event, at least until the denial takes over.

Those first few months were terrifying. I made promises (pacts with God), my husband made promises, my kids even made promises. No more sitting around at night plugged into computers and TV. We will walk every night after dinner (that might have happened 3 times), we will turn off the TV and play the Wii fitness games (that lasted a month or two), we will eat NOTHING but healthy foods (I think you can guess how quickly that changed), we will take all the supplements and nutritional aides (we ended up throwing them out after they had expired), we were going to reduce stress and increase laughter (that was humorous in itself). We were going to become more spiritual and enlightened. We were going to take time to enjoy all that we had instead of looking for more. We were going to give up unhealthy habits (we were both part time poker players spending hours a week sedentary in an unhealthy environment). We were going to entertain more so that we could enjoy our friends and family. We were going to live a Balanced Life!

As my brain healed itself and my symptoms diminished, so did our resolve. We crept back into unhealthy habits, moved less, sat more, became less conscious of what we were eating and allowed stress to dominate our lives. Instead of doing something to relieve stress we generally took the path of least resistance and avoided doing the things we knew would make us feel better (what is that all about?).

I can imagine the mental picture you are conjuring up of our family unit. Let me assure you, we are not grossly overweight (in fact the most any of us needs to lose would be 10-15 pounds). My husband and I both lost 20 pounds following the stroke but some of it has managed to creep back on. We do not live in a stressful or unpleasant environment. We actually have a pretty close family unit. We are not devouring pizza and hamburgers on a nightly basis (although I do find evidence of that when I have not been home for dinner). We do from time to time all go to the gym together. We like to walk by the ocean (or sit in our chairs and look at it). We eat more vegetables and fruit than the average family and less processed foods. We eat organic meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables and bread etc.

So why do we all feel so lethargic, stressed, ill, fatigued and generally grumpy? Why do we have such a hard time staying focused and interested in anything for very long? Why do we all have minor health issues, colds and flues? One reason is that we never do anything consistently for any reasonable period of time. We try it all but don’t apply it all! We have not yet made it our lifestyle.

Just like the flight attendant’s instructions to place the oxygen mask on yourself first before assisting others, I came to the conclusion that I cannot make this a family project – at least not at first. I am going to lead by example and I have faith that my family will follow. I will continue to introduce new healthy regimes slowly into our daily life and encourage them to make healthier choices outside the home. I will demonstrate the need for balancing the Mind, Body and Soul. By the end of my 365 days to a Balanced Life Journey I hope that I will have created new healthy habits for myself, my family and maybe even you.

“Once the ‘what’ is decided, the ‘how’ always follows. We must not make the ‘how’ an excuse for not facing and accepting the ‘what’.”

- Pearl S. Buck

Written by: Roneen C. Shaffer

Roneen is a Business and Lifestyle Consultant working on a 1 year project, 365 Days to a Balanced Life. Visit http://www.balance365.ca for more ideas on how to improve your life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roneen_C._Shaffer

I found this post on naturemomsblog ( http://naturemoms.com/blog/2009/01/19/save-money-on-healthy-organic-foods/) and just had to share.  Having  just returned from the United States, I found myself having this conversation over and over with my husband.  The $1 menus are everywhere!  And they are FULL of people, more specifically, families!  And that makes me very sad.  We try, wherever possible, to buy all natural and organic foods.  But we see how easy it would be to buy the non-organic apples at $1.39/lb versus the organic ones at $2.49/lb.  My belief is that if we buy natural and organic now, we will be healthier down the road and will need to spend less on health care for the diseases that poor eating habits inevitably lead to.

What do you think?