January 2005


Words from us…

Wayne’s World
   The second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking, is obesity and being overweight. They are the most common nutritional disorders in the industrialized world today.  Our hormones may be the culprits contributing to our fatness, for there is a complex interplay of hormonal, biochemical, genetic, physical and lifestyle factors involved.  Low thyroid function and exhausted adrenals are also reasons why we gain weight.  A healthy liver is essential for fat loss, involved in literally hundreds of vital functions.  Any disruption of the liver detoxification pathway contributes to excesses or imbalances in hormones, toxins, and the ability of our body to lose weight.  Signs of a congested liver are excess weight around the abdomen, yellow fatty bumps dotting the whites of the eyes, and skin mottled with age spots.  Other factors also cause our liver to inadequately break down or emulsify fats, and this causes our fat cells to store too much fat which promotes weight gain or resistance to fat loss.  Remember also that the liver is also responsible for conjugating estrogens, hormones, drugs and chemical compounds.  Too much estrogen is one reason why we have a difficult time losing fat around our middle.  A decreased rate of estrogen excretion via liver detoxification contributes to this occurrence.  Make sure you get a quality multivitamin for optimal nutrient status.  Use Livercare by “Himalaya USA ” for proper liver function and maintenance and drink plenty of water.  Your colon needs to eliminate those toxins sent to it, so water and fiber are essential.  Other nutrients include green tea extract to enhance thermogenic fat loss, Gymnema Sylvestre improves the action of insulin to improve overall blood sugar control, Phaseolamin (Phase 2) blocks starch, Garcinia Cambogia increases fat-releasing enzymes, CLA burns fat as does Carnitine, 5-HTP stops carbohydrate cravings and improves mood, and protein powder revs up fat burning and contains amino acids to make thyroid hormones.  Ask our staff for more health tips on losing weight.  Stay healthy and enjoy a happy, prosperous New Year!
Thank you so much for your patronage. Stay Healthy!

Jenny's Jive:    We live in a time & place where being overweight is an epidemic.  Your metabolism (how your body converts food into energy & then burns that energy as calories) slows down as you get older. Fewer calories are burned & more are stored as fat. As we age we tend to lose muscle & gain fat. Since muscle burns a lot of energy, our energy needs diminish as we lose muscle & our metabolism slows. Eating large amounts of refined sugars can upset the metabolic balance, while refined sugars lack the vitamins & minerals required for their own metabolism & must draw on our body’s reserves of these nutrients. Another pound-packing issue is refined “empty-calorie” foods, likely to cause us to gain fat and over-eat. By the time we’ve filled up on these concentrated calories, fiber-poor foods, we’ve eaten more calories than we need and excess turns to fat. There’s hope! Your metabolic rate isn’t completely beyond your control. Aerobic exercise & strength training are good ways to combat the overweight issues that plague us today.  Another suggestion for losing weight & maintaining high metabolism levels is to look at our eating habits.  One writer suggests that the difference between being slim & overweight is this: Some people eat only when hungry, eat whenever they like, & stop when the hunger subsides.

Jeff's Positive Vibrations: Control of your weight is a major health concern for a majority of American citizens today.  Our fast paced lifestyle and lack of exercise has created a serious health crisis with men, women and even our children.  Weight loss, however, can cause nutritional deficiencies that further impair our health. Eat frequent but small meals and snacks, and eat them slowly.  You can always have additional servings if you are still hungry after the first.  Do not eat fried or junk foods for extra calories, instead, eat high-calorie snacks between meals or before bedtime such as raw cheese, turkey, chicken, or tuna sandwiches with cheese, raw nuts, rice crackers with nut butter, yogurt, yogurt fruit shakes, almond milk, nuts and avocados.  Eliminate from the diet coffee, tea and anything else (such as soft drinks) that contains caffeine.  Eat in relaxed surroundings.  Do not try to eat when you are upset or nervous. If you smoke, stop.  Investigate food allergies.  Avoid any foods you think you may be allergic to and if possible, get regular moderate exercise.  Walking and similar activities are good.  Moderate exercise helps in the assimilation of nutrients.  Avoid strenuous exercise, as it can lower your immune system.   

J.C. Speaking Words of Wisdom
Weight loss should be a “Life Style Change”, for this type of thinking will lead you down the path to a new healthy lifestyle rather then a quick fix diet fad. A new health regime would include drinking more water, adding more highly beneficial whole foods (grains, vegetables, fruits, etc.) to your daily meals and less junk food (candies, chips, etc.), fast food and fried foods. A journal will be key to following your plan and seeing your progress improve. Consider herbs as forgotten foods rather then foreign plants, and add these into your daily regime in the form of teas, powders, and capsules.  Herbs that help increase body metabolism include green tea, ginger, turmeric, and cayenne. Cereal grasses and algae can serve as natural appetite suppressants. Complete multi-vitamins are in barley grass, wheat grass and chlorella. Try one of our store favorites, “5GREENEST” by WARRIOR MYSTIC FORMULAS for a good boost of natural energy. Exercise is absolutely necessary for everyone on this planet. Tai-Chi Chuan, hiking, cycling, and all forms of moving exercise activates metabolism and increases endorphin levels, making you feel good about yourself and the way you look. Motivation is probably the biggest key to losing weight. Try to inspire yourself by setting realistic goals and looking at or reading about people that have achieved similar success.  Affirmations have been proven for the body-mind connection. Say to yourself “I will do whatever it takes to be healthy and fit” everyday to program yourself with a positive attitude. A New Year is the perfect time to pray and be thankful for what you have and also the time of year to start fresh with a new outlook towards your health and overall sense of well-being. 
Happy New Year and Peace on Earth.
Knowledge applied is wisdom…

Nik Notes:  The magic pill is still back-ordered with no delivery in sight.  If we could have it our way, the magic pill would allow us to eat whatever we want and the pill would melt it all away.  Unfortunately there is no pill, and there never will be.  People try to make life into a complex formula of specialized diet and extracted supplementation, when the formula is really very simple.  Eat nutritious food and regularly perform some kind of exercise.  That’s it.
   If you want to rationalize on it, think about this:  Fresh foods cost less and have more nutrition than anything you could buy and throw in the microwave.  Exercise doesn’t have to be done at Gold’s Gym. Walk around the block and keep track of your time.  Each day when you walk, push yourself to improve.  By pushing yourself, you take responsibility for your body and for your success.
   If you had to change your life to save it, would you?