Recently, I read an interesting research report. A study from UCLA found that lack of sleep alters 2 hormones that are important regulators of appetite and energy expenditure: Ghrelin and Leptin. Never heard of these? Well, Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the cells lining the stomach and is responsible for stimulating appetite; Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells and helps to suppress the appetite. Prior to eating, high ghrelin levels stimulates the brain to increase appetite and also causes an accumulation of fat in visceral fatty tissue located in the abdominal region. This is the most harmful type of fat because it leads to an increase in  blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance. After eating, ghrelin levels decrease. An increase in leptin levels will decrease appetite, sending signals to the brain that it has had enough to eat. If the levels decrease, it causes feelings of hunger and craving. Leptin also has an effect on energy level; when levels are high, we have more energy and exercise more and it helps to reduce fat storage in our tissues. People who are overweight or obese tend to have an imbalance in ghrelin and leptin levels. So what can we do to keep these hormones under control and in balance?

1. Get enough sleep. When you sleep the leptin level will increase and ghrelin will decrease suppressing your appetite so you don't feel hungry while sleeping. Try to get at least 6 hours of sleep a night. If you are having trouble sleeping, limit noise and light in the bedroom. Turn off the TV and the computer before bedtime to give your brain a chance to relax. Limit caffeine and other fluids before bedtime. Try relaxation exercises or read before bed. Keep the room cool rather than too warm.

2. Avoid crash diets or decreasing calories too quickly. When you starve yourself or cut calories too quickly, the body will respond by decreasing leptin levels and increasing ghrelin making you hungry! Instead eat small frequent meals.  By controlling portion size but eating more often, you help to maintain more stable insulin levels, you feel satisfied and are able to cut calories without sending signals to the brain that your body is starving and needs food!

3. Eat smart. Increase protein, decrease fat and sugar. High fructose diets cause leptin resistance which leads to overeating because the appetite control mechanism won't be activated. Slowing down digestion helps to maintain equilibrium between ghrelin and leptin. Ways to do that are to increase fiber, increase complex carbohydrates (vegetables), increase protein and decrease fat. Water helps to decrease ghrelin so drink a full glass of water before eating and it fools the stomach into thinking it is full and will decrease ghrelin and decrease appetite. Omega 3 fatty acids will increase leptin levels so add fish, flax seed oil and nuts to your diet.

I doubt any of these suggestions are new to you. While you've heard that these are things you "should" do, you may not have understood why. I hope that by learning more about how our bodies are regulated, it will help you to stay on track to living a more fit and healthy lifestyle. Let me know if you have any questions through my contact page.

Beth

Wow! Here we are in the middle of summer. Hope that everyone is enjoying some fun in the sun! I've just returned from the beach. For me, a vacation isn't about being sedentary and over eating or overindulging. One of the things that I love about the beach is the opportunity to add some variety to my activity. It's great to get up in the morning and go out for a run along the ocean. Best way to start the day! The sun is just coming up and not too searing hot yet, the sound of the waves crashing down helps to pace my run, and the firmness of the sand by the waters edge is great for my muscles - better than the macadem along the road!  When we head to the beach with our chairs and umbrellas and coolers, we also have packed our paddle ball and our horseshoe set and a soccer ball! Games are so much fun played in the sand! There are other people around us playing boce ball or throwing a football. And of course the mid afternoon walk down the beach is always refreshing. Of course, the cooler is filled with plenty of water and healthy snacks. It is so important that we take advantage of our surroundings to get us moving. No reason to  use vacation as an excuse for not getting your exercise.  Use the time and the fresh air and the presence of friends and family to join together and participate in some really fun activities. And most of all, go ahead and enjoy that cone of ice cream - just be sure that you are walking to and from the ice cream shop to make it guilt free.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

Beth

Oh my! I had a terrible week of munchies! Every cookie, every piece of chocolate, popped right into my mouth. I even drank a regular coke and I normally don't drink soda diet or otherwise. Not only did I feel bloated, but my energy level went way down. By 6:30 in the evening, I plopped down on the sofa and didn't want to get up. Then it occurred to me! When my diet is off, so is my metabolism and I feel sluggish. A couple of days of sensible eating and drinking and I was able to get back on track. Much better to eat 6 small meals and drink plenty of water. Keep the diet as clean as possible with lean meats and lots of fresh vegetables and whole grains. Sometimes we feel the need to splurge, but we can't let that be an excuse everyday - that one piece of cake or cookie or ice cream or (insert whatever high fat, high carb, empty calorie vice is yours) everyday will pack on the pounds and drain our energy. Resist tempation with a couple of easy tricks - if you feel the urge to pick, drink some water instead - sometimes thirst is misinterpreted as hunger. Eat small frequent meals which help to keep you more satisfied and decreased the chance that you are going to gorge yourself at your next meal. Add more protein to your diet by including lean meats/fish, eggs, low fat milk products, beans, nuts etc. - protein makes you feel more full and digests more slowly so you feel satisfied longer. Add fiber to your diet with whole grains and fruits and vegetables - these are good carbs, burn more slowly and the fiber keeps you feeling full. And don't forget to bump up your metabolism with some exercise. It becomes a vicious cycle very quickly - you don't eat right so you feel tired and so you don't exercise. And you figure that you've totally blown it this week, so what the heck, wait till next week to get started eating right or exercising. Wrong Answer! No Excuses! Get started today, get back on track as quickly as possible. Make healthy food choices and remember, any exercise is better than no exercise!  Gotta go now, time for lunch - chicken, broccoli and brown rice....yummy in my tummy (and if I keep eating clean and healthy, it will be a flat tummy too!)

Good Luck in your efforts! Beth

On May 10, Mother's Day was celebrated. And we acknowledged our Mother's and grandmothers and sisters and aunts and friends and so many others who have raised children. If you are a mother yourself, you know first hand how selfless a mother is, how she always puts the family, the children, the housework, her employer.....etc, before herself. Before meeting her own needs. So not only was May 10 an opportunity to be appreciated and I hope that you were treated like The Queen, but this week is a special week. It is National Women's Health Week.

National Women's Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority. With the theme "It's Your Time," the nationwide initiative encourages women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life. During National Women's Health Week, communities, businesses, government, health organizations, and other groups work together to educate women about steps they can take to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases. Important steps include:

• Getting at least 2 ½ hours of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
• Eating a nutritious diet.
• Visiting a health care professional for regular checkups and preventive screenings.
• Avoiding risky behaviors, like smoking and not wearing a seatbelt.
• Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.

It is important to celebrate National Women's Health Week to remind women that taking care of themselves is essential to living longer, healthier, and happier lives. Women are often the caregivers for their spouses, children, and parents and forget to focus on their own health. But research shows that when women take care of themselves, the health of their family improves. During National Women's Health Week it is important to educate our wives, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, and girlfriends about the steps they can take to improve their health and prevent disease. After all, when women take even the simplest steps to improve their health, the results can be significant and everyone can benefit.

National Women's Check Up Day is Monday May 11. I am reminded that I have to schedule my mammogram which was due in April. I keep putting it off, just way too busy.  But today is the day - I just got it scheduled. So don't forget to schedule your physical exams and check ups and take care of yourself. For more information on National Women's Health Week, visit the official website womenshealth.gov

Have a great day! Beth

Many of us have probably grown an aloe vera plant at one time or another. The benefits of the gel have long been recognized to help aid healing of cuts and bruises and even sunburn. I certainly can remember years back growing an aloe plant and I'd break open one of the leaves and spread the gel over a cut or a burn from the curling iron (yes, I'm dating myself but curling irons were very popular in the 80's!). Fast forward to today and Aloe is showing up in all sorts of skin care creams and juices. If you'll recall a couple of blogs entries back I had talked about using a diet detox regime. I used the Herbalife products and completed the 21 day Herbal Cleansing Program. Overall, I liked doing it, it was an easy program that cleansed in a very gentle predictable method. I didn't have to worry about leaving the house in the morning. One of the products within the regime was Herbal Aloe Liquid. Even after completing the 21 day program, I have continued to use the Aloe juice. Herbalife provides it as a juice or a mango flavored powder. I feel that I have an increase in energy and a greater overall sense of well being when I take it. My nails and hair seem to be growing great and my skin looks clear and bright. So I did a little investigating and this is the information that I found regarding Aloe Vera juice. I am making no claims regarding Aloe as a medicine or drug or that you should use it; I'm simply reporting what I read. Aloe may aid in digestion and have natural detoxifying properties. It may improve bowel regularity and increase protein absorption, decrease unhealthy bacteria and yeast, and may soothe heartburn and other digestive upset. Aloe is thought to boost the immune system. It may enhance fibroblast function; fibroblasts are responsible for collagen formation. There are a number of vitamins and minerals that occur naturally in Aloe including calcium, sodium, iron, potassium, chromium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc, Vitamins A, B, B6, B12, C, E, Folic acid and niacin. Aloe also contains 8 essential amino acids and may inhibit inflammation. The flavor is mildly bitter so I just mix it in 2 ounces of juice everyday. And I've never felt better!  Have a great day! Beth

I really had the most awesome weekend! The weather was great, the sunshine was just so glorious! I couldn't resist spending every moment outside. I love seeing all the flowers and trees blooming and hearing all the birds chirping! Sunday morning I went for a run. Did 8 miles which felt really good. I'm trying to challenge myself a bit more and so I've been trying to beat my time. I was glad to see that there were a lot of people out on the trail. Some walking, some biking, some other runners. But one thing that struck me was that most of the people were meandering along the trail. Now granted, some people are out there just to enjoy some family time together or just to be outdoors. But others are out there to get some exercise. They were dressed the part - in sneakers, shorts, sports tops, water bottles, etc. But they weren't really getting exercise; they were just strolling along. To really get the most out of your walk for exercise, you have to walk at a brisk pace and increase your heart rate. There are definite benefits to fitness walking. You can lose some weight, increase your metabolism, increase fat burning, improve cardiovascular health, tone your muscles and not to forget improving your mental health; walking can really help to clear your head and give you clarity on some thoughts that plague you! Fit Living is organizing Fitness Walking Groups. Weekend, week night and week day morning groups are available.  Let's get fit together; we'll progressively challenge ourselves plus learn some ways to improve overall health and fitness with diet and exercise tips. Being in a group adds support and motivation. Walk With A Purpose! Call or email Fit Living today to sign up. See you on the trail, Beth.

It seems that every magazine cover and internet search engine has some mention of how to detox your body to lose weight or cleanse your body. There are plenty of reports of young celebrities using aggressive detox regimes to fit into those slinky outfits. Even in my circle of friends, we were talking about trying this. So, this prompted me to do a little research on the topic. This is the information that I found - I'm not recommending that you do it, I'm just providing the info if you are interested. First, let's start with what a detox is NOT. It is not using laxatives to aggressively purge your system. This is not safe as it can lead to electrolyte imbalance, severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. The real purpose of using a detox plan is to rid your body of toxins. The body's organs perform detoxification through their normal functions including the skin, liver, intestines and the kidneys. Use of any modalities of detoxification are thought to support and enhance these natural systems. Using a detox regime is recommended 4 times a year, with the change of seasons. Herbal supplements are thought to bind with toxins to aid their excretion or aid the breakdown of toxins. Foods definitely play a role. High fiber will aid in the excretion of toxins. Specific foods to add to your diet include fresh fruits and vegetables; rice especially brown rice; whole grains like quinoa, millet, buckwheat; beans; unsalted nuts and seeds, but avoid peanuts and peanut butter; herbal teas especially green tea, lots of water and unsweetened juices, rice milk. One cup of coffee is allowed a day mainly to avoid caffeine withdrawal headaches! Foods to avoid include sugars and sweeteners, dairy products, wheat in bread or pasta, yeast, alcohol, chocolate, high fat foods, red meat. Exercise will help to increase the pumping of blood and lymph through the body's filtration systems and increases loss of toxins through perspiration. Heat from a sauna or hydrotherapy is also believed to increase circulation and loss of toxins through persperation. Use of laxatives or colonic irrigation is a quick way to flush the intestinal tract of toxins; both good and bad bacteria are washed away. Probiotics are thought to preserve the intestinal lining's protective barrier and helps to replace the healthy bacteria that has been flushed out. I'm almost done with the 21 day Digestive Health program that Herbalife offers. I'll be back when I've finished to let you know how it worked. Anyone have a successful method or ideas that you'd like to share????

Have a great week! Beth