Temporary weight loss or permanent lifestyle change

How many times have made a pledge to lose some weight? How many times have you gained weight back? It seems that most of us can commit to lose a few pounds but only a few will commit to a lifestyle change. Losing a few pounds is often short term since usually you put yourself on a diet. The problem is that sooner or later or have to go off the diet and then you eat, and eat, and eat. A lifestyle change is a long term plan to maintain health, strength, and energy.

As I write this I just completed a personal weight loss goal. It was to lose 20 pounds by my anniversary tomorrow(September 8). It was done with the help of USANA Shakes and Protein Snacks. There was also a focus on exercise, getting enough sleep, supplementation, and eating right.

                                                       

 This was an exercise in learning even though I have lost weight and then gained it back time and time again. Learning how to make meals that are low glycemic and stressing about calories, fat content, or even carbs.
Learning that you might have days that not only keep you from staying on track but if enough are done together it can put weight back on(duh).

It started with five days on the USANA Reset then moved on to two shakes a day and low glycemic meals. My Wife Sonia started this journey with me and she lost 12 pounds. We walked together and I walked at work with a co worker.

During this time we learned some lessons about making meals with good taste and healthy choices. There are several factors that contribute to success or failure. It doesn't have to end since we hit our goal. Everyone has life situations where your choices of food are not the best for maintaining good health. One day will not affect your overall outcome. If you pick up the following day you will have a greater chance of maintaining your optimal weight and healthy life balance.

Old time remedies still have their place

About a month ago I tore my calf muscle while performing a Blues Brothers routine at a fundraiser. Playing Elwood meant some intense dance moves and doing something I don't do very often. It has been a journey that has allowed me to see things from a different perspective. It is somewhat amazing when you think about it how many things that we do on a daily basis are set up around us being able to walk, drive, and get around from point to point. It all changes when you are on crutches.

After first going to Urgent Care, then following up with an Orthopedic, I was having trouble sleeping each night. I was trying to do as told to rest, put it on ice, use compression first with an ace bandage then with a compression sock, and elevate it. I was not on any pain medication or anything to help me sleep. The problem I was finding was that no matter how I moved or what position I was in I could not get comfortable to a point where the pain allowed me to sleep.

After a couple weeks I was unable to get a good nights sleep even though I would go to bed early enough to get eight hours of sleep before getting up to go to work. One night it was about 2:00 AM and I had been tossing and turning, putting my leg on pillows, and failing in every way to fall asleep. It was then when I began to think, what was the main thing that was causing me pain?

It was the swelling and inflammation not only in my calf, but in my ankle and foot. I also had developed a bruise on the back side of my thigh which was caused by a pulled hamstring. What do I do at 2AM to relive the swelling to get some sleep? All of a sudden I thought of Epsom Salt. We had some that we had bought a few months ago when I had some back pain.  Why not, I am not sleeping anyway. A bath with some Epsom Salt might relax me and hopefully ease the pain so I could sleep.

My Mom always used Epsom Salt to soak her feet. She stood on her feet all day on concrete and had diabetes, and high blood pressure. I was not aware at the time but her sore feet was caused by many health issues she had and not necessarily just by her standing on her feet.

I drew the water and got in the tub. At first the pain in my foot and ankle intensified and I thought oh great this was a dumb idea. After a couple minutes the pain began to ease. I stayed in the tub for about ten minutes then went to lay down back in bed.

The pain in my leg was reduced and I hoped it would stay that way long enough to allow me to go to sleep. It worked and I got about three hours of decent sleep before it was time to go to work. The next four nights I took a bath in Epsom Salt before going to bed. Since it worked one night I wanted to do all I could to get as much sleep as possible each night. Sleep is a time for the body to heal. There are many benefits to getting a good nights sleep and that has and will be addressed in future blog posts.

Epsom Salt contains magnesium and sulfate. Both of these are sometimes lacking in our bodies. There are many uses for Epsom Salt not only to detox our body, but to reduce swelling and inflammation from bruising. It can also be applied to the skin to help with mosquito bites, sunburn, and poison ivy. It can be consumed with water to relieve constipation. It also has been used to exfoliate skin and helps by adding body to hair.

I thought for awhile if I should write this post on this Blog. This Blog was originally created to share the benefits of diet, exercise, and supplementation using USANA Products. Some of my posts have e covered additional ways to live a healthier and happier life and finding a balance. I realized that this is my Blog and I can put anything I want to on it. An old time remedy such as Epsom Salt is timely and still relevant today. Mainly for the healing and soothing that it can bring. Healing can lead to wellness and that is what it's all about.

Vitamin D can help with your recovery after workouts

You workout to maintain your health, lose weight, or to increase your strength. Your body also needs recovery time after the workout. Vitamin D taken with your supplementation prior to the workout can help to reduce your recovery time.
Recently The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital(TOSH) conducted a study that USANA supported to study the effects of vitamin D on recovery after workouts. It can also help your recovery after surgery. The link shows a video explaining the study. http://youtu.be/ENEDhclfCTU


Vitamin D has shown to have benefits to your immune system, bones, and your heart. Learn more about Vitamin D from USANA.

Different labs may produce similar products but are not always equal.

This last week I was involved in a group discussion with some people that rely on daily medications to maintain healthy wellbeing. The discussion focused mainly on the degree of effectiveness of one medication over another. Someone suggested that especially with generic prescriptions that there is a difference in the labs that manufacture the products, with different degrees of effectiveness or in some cases ineffectiveness.

Sometime during the discussion someone mentioned that B vitamins, vitamin D, and fish oil could be used along with the medications to assist in their treatment. I was able to add to the conversation with a bit of information about vitamins. I said that some labs which produce vitamins are higher rated than others just like the labs that produce pharmaceutical . Also that many manufacturers don't list the name of the lab that manufactures them.Another bit of information I was  able to provide is that most vitamins are produced in a lab that is listed a food grade and that is different than the labs that are pharmaceutical grade. The pharmaceutical grade lab is certified under higher standards than a food grade lab.

I didn't share with them that I knew about this by being an Associate with USANA. In this setting it was more of an opportunity for these people to communicate with each other in their healing. There may be opportunities to share that information in the future. I do know the USANA manufactures in house and practices GMP's for pharmaceutical companies( yes a manufacturer of vitamins and supplements that voluntarily manufactures at a higher level). USANA is an FDA registered facility, have received recognition from Consumer Labs, and by NSF.

 

 

3 USANA Products Earn ConsumerLab.com Seal Of Approval

 

USANA products certified by NSF.

 



All you can eat but eat all you can, really?

Eating large amounts of food is often seen as a badge of honor in society. In the movie the Great Outdoors, John Candy is offered a t shirt for eating the old 96er. A 96 ounce steak that a restaurant offers for anyone that can finish it. Homer Simpson is thrown out of an all you can eat restaurant for eating too much. After he sues his attorney tells him he will become an American Hero.
Why do we eat so much? Afterall eating is a huge part of our social interactions and needed for our survival and wellbeing.

A few months ago I saw a billboard that Los Angeles County had placed by the 5 freeway about eating smaller portions. It showed a large burger, fries, and a large soda on one side of the picture with the calorie content and a smaller burger, fries, and small soda on the other with the calorie count. It may not represent the best food choices but it does give you an idea of what a simple choice can make in your life.

I have been guilty on several occasions of eating and grazing due to a constant supply of food placed before me. Many friends have parties and provide enough food for two to three times the amount of people that actually attend. You want to sample as many things as you can and even revisit if there is something really really good. Many people that serve food to others in their homes are offended if you don't eat seconds or sometimes even thirds.We can limit the amount of food we consume but it does take discipline. We can also do it in a way that will not offend our hosts and hotessess. You can prepare yourself for enjoying all the parties you are invited to without eating all the tempting food.

You can eat some vegetables prior to going to a party is one idea from two of the Scientists with USANA. They share some additional tips in a short video which you can watch by clicking here.
http://youtu.be/L0hj9hLD5QE

The Wellness Industry. The next Trillion Dollar Industry

Did you know that USANA is part of the wellness industry? The industry has been growing worldwide and should surpass One trillion Dollars in the next few years.

USANA BiOmega receives approval from Consumerlab.com

Many people that are concerned about their health take a fish oil product. It seems that are so many fish oil products out there and so many questions What do I take? Do they have the things I need for better physical and mental health? Are they safe? Do they have contaminants in them? One question to consider before any other is does it actually have what it says on the label?

BiOmega from USANA recently passed testing by ConsumerLab.com answering many of the questions above. The findings were announced by USANA stating, in a recent study, ConsumerLab.com determined that USANA’s BiOmega TM contains its labeled amount of Fish Oil, EPA, DHA and Omega-3s.  This study tested similar products from various nutritional supplement manufacturers to determine whether they in fact contained the amounts of these compounds stated on their labels.  Problems were discovered in 30 percent of the other Fish Oil and Omega-3 supplements.

The FDA has recently has issued warnings about some supplements being potentially unsafe that are sold on the market. You can find more about the review of Biomega by USANA and additional information about supplements at www.consumerlab.com.