Susanne Bennett
“There are many different steps in planning your goal of weight loss…”

1. Keep goals short-term… lose one to two pounds a week.
2. Write down your goal… and be specific.

One pound equates to 3,500 calories a day. To drop a pound in a week, cut out about 500 calories a day.

Susanne Bennett
“What is one pound of fat? It’s actually 3,500 calories. That means 35 divided by 7 — which is seven days a week — means 500-calories you’ve got to reduce a day. 500 calories would be… let’s say… a soda pop. Replace it with purified water and you start hydrating your cells with water. You’re going to lose weight.”

If you’re looking into supplements, Susanne recommends a soluble fiber formula, taken about 15-minutes before the largest meal, to fill you up and cut down on your absorption of calories.

She also recommends green tea with EGCG.

Susanne Bennett
“What is does is increases your metabolism. Our cells will burn more calories because it will increase in the metabolic rate.”

Susanne wants you to remember that weight loss takes time.

Susanne Bennett
“I personally like it when you lose about five pounds a month which means if you want to lose 20-pounds that’s going to take 4-months Give yourself a break. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Check out the interview here .  Learn more about Dr. Susanne Bennett at drsusannebennett.com

(Vancouver-December 27, 2010) What’s the difference between the day before your birthday and the day after? “Practically speaking, nothing at all,” declares Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (www.icaa.cc), a membership organization that brings together professionals in the independent and assisted living, fitness, rehabilitation and wellness fields to dispel society’s myths about aging..

“Whether you’re turning 30, 40, 50, 65, or 90, there’s no reason to assume you’re doomed to decline after a certain age—especially if you’re doing everything you can to stay healthy and active.”

Milner offers the following “E-tips” to help you extend a healthy life, or embark on one if you haven’t yet done so (citations available on request):

1. Expectations: If  you’ve been following a healthy lifestyle up ’til now, simply keep going; if you need to make changes, anticipate succeeding, not failing—and don’t let age be a barrier. Research has shown that thinking positively about getting older can extend your life by as much as 7.5 years.
2. Enthusiasm: Few people are thrilled with every aspect of their lives, but many have at least one area—family, friends, work, avocation—they feel good about. Identify an activity or connection that sparks your enthusiasm and make it your lifeline; try to extend that enthusiasm to other areas of your life.
3. Energy: Having the energy and motivation you need to age well are hallmarks of healthy living. If you’re fatigued all the time, don’t let apathy and lethargy drag you down; get a checkup to try to determine the cause—and the solution.
4. Eating: Eating a balanced diet and attaining/maintaining a normal weight are keys to physical and mental health; if you need to lose weight or make changes in your diet, keep your expectations high—you can do it.
5. Exercise: Staying physically active fuels the body and mind. If you’re already exercising regularly, keep it up; if you’re getting started, know your skill level, set goals, progress at your own pace, and be consistent.
6. Engagement: Volunteers have higher levels of well-being and life satisfaction than those who don’t volunteer; volunteering and other forms of civic and social engagement can play an important role in maintaining good health in later life. “Get involved,” Milner urges.
7. Emotions: Everyone feels down at times, but full-blown depression is a major cause of disability. If you’re feeling out of sorts for two weeks or more, talk with your doctor or take an online screening test at www.mentalhealthscreening.org/. In many instances, simply exercising and eating right can change your mood.
8. 8.      Education: Life-long learning is important to living an independent and fulfilling life. Start now to learn a new area of knowledge or physical activity. It’s good for the brain.
9. 9.      Effort: Changing expectations and embarking on new behaviors take energy and effort, but the results are well worth it.
10. 10.   Enjoyment: A healthy life generally is a joyous one. “Savor the process of being or becoming active, engaged, and truly alive,” Milner enthuses.

“The new year is a great time to take stock and ask yourself, ‘where do I want to go from here?,’” Milner says. “Emphasize the positive and don’t let your age, or anyone else, deter you.”

***

About the International Council on Active Aging

The International Council on Active Aging® is the professional association that leads, connects and defines the active-aging industry. ICAA supports professionals who develop wellness facilities, programs and services for adults over 50. The association is focused on active aging—an approach to aging that helps older adults live as fully as possible within all dimensions of wellness—and provides its members with education, information, resources and tools. As an active-aging educator and advocate, ICAA has advised numerous organizations and governmental bodies, including the US Administration on Aging, the National Institute on Aging (one of the US National Institutes of Health), the US Department of Health and Human Services, Canada’s Special Senate Committee on Aging, and the British Columbia ministries of Health, and Healthy Living and Sport.

Naturopathic doctors have been around for decades, but most people are unfamiliar with their training and expertise.  Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is based on six principles. 

• Let nature heal
• Identify and treat causes
• First, do no harm
• Educate patients
• Treat the whole person
• Prevent illness

A licensed naturopathic doctor is a primary care physician who is trained as an expert in natural medicine while also being able to function in the same capacity as a general family medical doctor.  Typically they start with the least invasive treatment and get to the “root cause” of illness instead of just controlling symptoms.   This is the biggest difference between an ND and MD.  Naturopathic Doctors promote the healing power of nature, focusing on health rather than disease, and use natural therapies that are gentle, non-toxic and non-invasive.

Currently, only 15 states license Naturopathic doctors.  When choosing a natural practitioner keep in mind that, because of the current lack of licensure, anyone can advertise themselves as a naturopathic doctor.  It is important that the patient seeks out a qualified professional.

Energy drinks are soft drinks advertised as boosting energy. These drinks usually do not emphasize energy derived from the calories they contain but rather through a choice of caffeine, vitamins, and herbal supplements the manufacturer has combined.

The average energy drink contains approximately the same amount of caffeine as a medium-sized cup of coffee. And, although both beverages provide boosts of energy, the “high” is short-lived.

Besides caffeine, most energy drinks contain more than 125 calories and over 30 carbohydrates (not to mention enough grams of sugar to rot your teeth.) These added ingredients are okay, in small quantities, but a “caffeine overdose” can produce nasty side effects. After consuming four or more of such beverages, nausea, agitation, and, in severe cases, seizures and heart palpitations may occur.

Energy drinks should not be confused with sports drinks such as Gatorade, which are consumed to help people stay hydrated during exercise. Sports drinks also provide carbohydrates in the form of sugar and electrolytes that may be lost through perspiration.

There are healthier solutions.  There are several things you can do to help fight fatigue, such as exercising, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.  Nutrition plays a big role in energy levels, so be sure you are eating a well-balanced diet.  Also get plenty of sleep!

1. Nutrition
2. Rest
3. Strength Training
4. Cardio
5. Flexibility

Whole Body Vibration is great because it helps to take care of the exercise components.  By using Whole Body Vibration only 10 minutes a day, you’ve already completed half of these components.   It makes exercising so much easier and fun.  You’ll then have time to focus on the other components and be motivated to adequately complete them.  The philosophy itself is quite simple and can be made even simpler by using WBV.  Our bodies were designed to move and when we don’t move enough are bodies stop functioning right and we gain excess weight, which can eventually result in our becoming ill. Exercising excessively causes its own problems. Balance is the key here – we don’t want to over-do it or under-do it.  10 minutes a day is something everyone can make time for. 

By practicing these key components you will experience abundant joy, gratitude, contentment, purposefulness.  The importance of a healthy lifestyle should be measured by the incredible sense of well-being and joy that comes from feeling energetic, joyful and radiant.

Whole Body Vibration acts as a regulatory signal in the body, helping direct the mesenchymal stem cells, the originator to both bone and fat cells, to become bone rather than fat as they mature. Not all vibration will induce this effect: if the vibration is too strong, it can kill the cells: not strong enough and cells do not perceive the signals; the strength must be just right. 

Research has shown WBV training to induce a gain in strength comparable to the strength increase following a standard fitness training program consisting of cardiovascular and resistance training.   Further, WBV exercise helps to increase the Basal Metabolic rate (BMR) while reducing total body fat when used regularly.  On its own WBV has proven incredible results in fat reduction and decrease in cellulite, however when combined with 20 minutes of walking the results are even greater.

Of course, proper nutrition and rest are key components of losing weight and getting fit.  Consistency in all areas may be the biggest determinant of success. 

By making exercise easy and fun, people will become inspired to participate and take their efforts seriously.  This combined with the benefits of saving time (only need 10 minutes) and seeing immediate results (within days). WBV exercise is motivating and keeps users coming back.

There is one other major piece to the puzzle. Besides the great workout that only ten minutes daily of Whole Body Vibration will give you, you must not forget to stay healthy by eating healthy. Maintaining a balanced, smart diet with the right amount of vitamins and minerals is absolute key. You will get these by eating enough fresh fruit and vegatables, whole grains and proteins as well as making sure you drink enough water, at least eight glasses per day. At the same time, try to stay away from processed foods and sugars, all those usual calories we are famous for indulging in during the holidays.

A healthy diet alone will help you get through the Winter without too significant a change to how your body feels. Add the excellent cardiovascular exercise of WBV which keeps your system in motion by keeping your blood flow active and taking care of all the calories you need to burn and you’re all set for being in the same great shape you’re in now come next Summer.

(Click here to read the original Post from Women’s Blog)

There was a recent article on healthandwellness.com which discusses this topic along with the implications for health dangers.  “Poor diet coupled with a lack of physical activity is not just stressful on the body, it’s downright dangerous. We have a significant increased risk of developing a laundry list of very bad health problems: diabetes (Type 2), heart disease, arthritis, stroke, respiratory problems, liver disease, several types of cancer, and more.” read article here

This shows the severity of the issue and the immediate need to make a change in our lives.  One of the biggest obstacles to overcome, which is discussed in the aforementioned article, is mental toughness and motivation.  Most people begin an exercise routine and stay on it for a few days, maybe even a couple weeks.  They modify their dietary intake and start to feel as though they are making a change.  However, a large majority of the people soon fall right back into their old habits because of the willpower that is required to maintain these healthy habits.

Part of the reason so many people become deterred from continuing what they started is the amount of effort is required.  This also coincides with the time it takes to eat healthy and exercise regularly.

That is where Whole Body Vibration can help.  WBV reduces the amount of time and work which helps to keep people motivated.  The normal exercise time for Whole Body Vibration is only 10 minutes.  Think about that, instead of dreading a 60 minute workout at the gym you can get your daily dose in only 10 minutes.  Because of the high number of muscle contractions that WBV requires from the body, paired with the recruitment of 100% of muscle fiber (as opposed to 40% in conventional exercise) the body is fatigued much faster.  In addition it is something different so most people find it fun and actually look forward to using Whole Body Vibration every day.

Even though WBV can help with the exercise side of things and greatly reduce the amount of time required, nutrition is the biggest part of the equation.  Without a proper diet, exercise will only create a nominal improvement in your health.  You must eat right and exercise regularly to become and stay healthy.  This is inevitable and something that most people do not understand.

In order to give you a better understanding of a healthy diet and what is recommended for proper health, we need a whole new blog post for that.

So stay tuned, because in the near future I will cover this topic.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “What We Eat In America” report, the 7 most neglected nutrients are:

1. Calcium
2. Potassium
3. Fiber
4. Magnesium
5. Vitamin A
6. Vitamin C
7. Vitamin E

Now what are some easy (and tasty!) things you can eat to make sure you’re not neglecting these important nutrients?

Calcium

• Plain Low Fat Yogurt
• Tofu
• Almonds
• Oranges or Orange Juice

Potassium

• Bananas
• Lima Beans
• Potatoes
• Raisins

Fiber

• Raspberries
• Avocado
• Bran Cereal or Oats
• Black Beans

Magnesium

• Halibut
• Spinach
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Peanuts

Vitamin A

• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Apples

Vitamin C

• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Basil
• Garlic

Vitamin E

• Peanut Butter
• Sunflower Seeds
• Olives