Be kind to yourself

During today’s radio show LEAVE YOUR FAT BEHIND, Mark, Soul, Dana and I talked about the importance of being kind to yourself and making sure to practice daily self care. Because when you are not taking care of yourself, to ensure you are 100%, you don’t have 100% of yourself to give to others and there are loved ones depending on us to be there for them — 100 per cent.

LEAVE YOUR FAT BEHIND is on Blog Talk Radio every Monday at 6 PM Pacific time. To access it live or to listen to the archives

Well-being is a journey, day by day, step by step and no matter how healthy you are now, you can always be healthier!

Study – Fasting Causes Enzyme to Switch Off Production of Fat, Cholesterol – Isagenix Health

Study – Fasting Causes Enzyme to Switch Off Production of Fat, Cholesterol – Isagenix Health.

Study – Fasting Causes Enzyme to Switch Off Production of Fat, CholesterolJuly 9, 2010 by Isagenix Nutritional Sciences
A new report reviews fasting as a new approach for healthy weight loss.

Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have found that fasting causes an enzyme (SIRT1) to shut down production of fat and cholesterol, which could open up the scientific field to studying new approaches for lowering weight and improving lipid profiles.

Fasting has been previously known to suppress proteins called SREBPs, which are responsible for controlling fat synthesis and storage, but the mechanism was not well understood. The researchers reported that after a series of experiments in worms, fruitflies and mice they found that fasting acts directly on SIRT1, one of a family of sirtuin enzymes, thereby down-regulating these SREBPs.

Sirtuin enzymes have become an active area of research since early 2000s because of findings that stimulation of sirtuin activity—via calorie restriction, intermittent fasting and compounds such as resveratrol—protected mice fed a high-calorie diet against weight gain, and increased the lifespan in nematode worms, fruitflies, fish and rodents.

Geneticists and medical researchers are only just beginning to understand how genes encode sirtuin enzymes, how the enzymes influence energy metabolism, and investigating various drugs as possible candidates to stimulate SIRT1.

Fasting and Cleanse Days

The study may potentially offer new insights into the science behind Isagenix products and systems. ”The biological mechanism by which fasting turns off the proteins that stimulate fat and cholesterol synthesis may explain partially our success with our two weight-loss programs, where we incorporate one to two days per week of Cleanse Days, which we’ve shown successfully produce healthy weight loss in adults,” says Susie Rockway, Ph.D., director of Isagenix Research and Science.

Dr. Rockway adds, “Similarly, the new study is interesting as it could have other implications because it offers support to intermittent fasting, or Cleanse Days, as a potential alternative to caloric restriction for stimulating SIRT1.”

In late April, Dr. Rockway presented the results of two pilot studies—a nine-day study and 28-day study—both of which found Isagenix products and Cleanse Days supported adults with healthy weight loss, maintaining healthy lipid profiles. The studies also found subjects felt better about their weight, health and energy levels.

Cleanse Days— days of limited food calories and water complemented by the botanical-based detox drink, Cleanse for Life—are a component of the Isagenix Cleansing and Fat Burning System, a nutritional program developed by the company to help customers achieve their health goals with cleansing and detoxification, replenishing with proper diet and nutrition, and controlling caloric intake.

Reference: Walker AK, Yang F, Jiang K et al. Conserved role of SIRT1 orthologs in fasting-dependent inhibition of the lipid/cholesterol regulator SREBP. Genes Dev 2010;24:1403-17.

Hunger or thirst?

Is that feeling in your gut hunger or thirst? It could be both, but before you eat, try drinking a glass of pure water first. Dehydration can feel like hunger.

A great many people are living unintentional, but chronically dehydrated. Since the body is largely composed of water and every cell in the body uses H2O for cell function, when the body is dehydrated it is not able to release waste and take in nutrients.

This results in less than optimal cell function and manifesting a variety of symptoms or disorders.

People that are dehydrated don’t think as clearly, feel fatigue, get headaches, suffer from excess stomach acid and many other maladies.

So, drink water every day — lots of it.

A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So a 200 pound person would drink around 100 ounces of water a day.

A couple of tips to enhance your wellness with water are:

1. First thing upon arising… drink at least 8 ounces of water. During sleep our bodies breathe more deeply and moisture is lost through respiration. If you live in a dry climate or cold winters with dry air and indoor heat, you will need to drink even more water to maintain adequate hydration.

Sip water all day – a little at a time is more effective, so that the cells have a chance to absorb it. When the cells are dehydrated and you drink a lot of water at one time, it tends to run right out of the body without being absorbed, similar to how a heavy rain runs of dry cracked ground. The drip drip drip of a slow “all day soaker” rain absorbs deeply.

2. Before eating every meal, drink a glass of water 10-20 minutes prior to eating. This aids in digestion by hydrating the Gastro-Intestinal track, and the body won’t be struggling to extract water it needs out of the food you consume. (This will also free up energy you can use elsewhere!)

And you will tend to consume less calories since you will feel fuller. Eating fresh or slightly cooked vegetables daily is an excellent way to stay hydrated. The roughage material of the plants helps the body stay hydrated and improves digestion and elimination.

3. Adequate hydration is key to regular and easy daily eliminations of waste. Both urine — which should be light yellow to clear when properly hydrated, and bowl movements. Less time in the loo is more time for you!

So, right now, go drink some water!

Taking baby steps is better than no steps

Some times the hardest step is the first one. So just start. It doesn’t have to be perfect, biggest, longest or fastest. Just have a NIKE moment and simply do it.

If you would like to be in better health in the coming year you can take baby steps by walking a little bit more, drinking more water, and taking time to laugh.

Take those baby steps today. And tomorrow too, because they all count!

Happy Healthy New Year to all!

How to understand more about what you do.

All about Awareness. Read or better yet listen to this blogpost from Bill Harris, creator of Holosync from Centerpointe.

Useful and enlightening.

How to build lean muscle and get “Six-pack” abs

Athletes talk about how Isagenix helps them build muscle, increase stamina and endurance. These guys look pretty dog-gone good with their “six-packs”! Their muscles are amazing.

Many of us are participating in the IsaBody Challenge which ends June 15, 2009. The Challenge is still open to entry until May, so if you are wanting to get in the best shape of your life and have a shot at $150,000 in prize money contact me ASAP to get started. Lifestyle and Wellness coaching is free for Isagenix people! You can do it! We can help!