Obesity

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“Here's how I see obesity: as a symptom. The larger problem is over-consumption. In a society that identifies consumption with patriotism, valorizes 'growth' above all else and assigns status according to how much you consume, we compete with each other to see who can consume the most”.

                                                       ~ Emily Levine

Obesity - Some Sad Stats
There is probably not one amongst us that couldn’t drop 5, 10, maybe 15 pounds and not feel better or more fit because of it. But let’s be clear, that’s not what this is all about. It’s about full on obesity (defined as a BMI {Body Mass Index} of 30 or over), not a slight plump, that we’re digging into here. Let’s give a few examples, one for both an average male and female:   

Male, 45, 5’11” - normal weight is 160-178, obesity starts at                        215 lbs. (equal to 30 on BMI chart) and up;
                    
Female, 40, 5’6” - normal weight is 135-150, obesity starts at                         185 lbs. and up.

Please note that there are exceptions to this standard. Someone with a high % of muscle mass and low body fat (body builder, NFL Linebacker, etc.) can still project out as obese using this 30+ guide on the BMI chart, even when we know better by simply looking at their incredibly sculpted bodies. Again, this is not our subject matter. It is those whom are obese and because of excessive weight, are considered a health risk to themselves, as well as our health system, that we are focusing on today.
It’s estimated that nearly 1 in 3 adults are now qualified as obese, and worse yet, so are 15% of children. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis. It is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food calorie intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although the genetic angle is often just a cop out. Lack of physical activity and the over consumption of calorie rich, nutrient poor foods are the overwhelming causes, making obesity preventable. Not always easy, mind you, yet possible. In 2013, The American Medical Society had to classify obesity as an official disease.

What’s Driving this Epidemic?
Is it socioeconomic conditions? Are we as Americans just getting lazy? Is the plethora of modern desk jobs versus ‘old school’ working the land at the root cause? Are some corporations, by lowering the cost of soda and offering cheap fast food meals, while driving up the cost of fresh fruits, vegetables and grass fed meats at fault? Are our metabolisms and hormone levels totally shot from the pace and stressors of modern living? The answer is probably “yes” to all of the above, on one level or another.
Education is of course paramount, but without ACTION, it’s all useless. We as Americans need to buckle down and move our butts, combined with shopping intelligently and then eating for nutrition, not to fill some other void. As we’ve seen from the popularity of shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “Extreme Weight Loss”, it is possible to take even the most obese and transform them, provided they want it. One common thread I’ve noticed from watching these shows is that at some point of excess weight gain, lack of hope is as much a cause as high calorie food. Hope is the key!

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better
We seem to default to this equation during our blogs, but what works, works. Exercise, eat right (clean), and use supplements to your comfort level. The pace that you are heading towards this BMI obesity standard, if at all, is the degree to which your intensity needs to be cranked up. Don’t let 5 lbs. over become 10; stop 10 lbs. overweight from becoming 15, etc. And parents, for goodness sake, set the proper example for your children. We promise, it will be amongst your greatest gifts given.

      “We as parents are our children's first and best role models, and this is particularly true when it comes to their health”.

                                                              ~ Michelle Obama

PS: Shoot us an inspiring fitness transformation story! We will follow this up with an action plan & some suggestions for fighting the battle of the bulge...

Summer Sunscreen Primer

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Summer Sunscreen Primer
The sun provides energy in the form of rays of different lengths and strengths. Ultraviolet rays give off weak energy from the longest to powerful from the shortest waves in the form of UVA, UVB (and UVC).
UVA: The UVA rays, while less powerful, actually penetrate deeper into the skin. Because of the penetration, these rays cause the breaking down of collagen and therefore premature aging. Regardless of the weather, be it cloudy, sunny, hot or cold, UVA wavelengths are always present (A=always present). These rays are the least associated with cancer, but if delivered in high dosages can lead to skin cancer, freckles and liver spots and of course speed the aging process.
UVB: These are the strongest rays (UVC rays are stronger, but don’t penetrate the earths’ atmosphere) that reach us. Think sunburn (B= burning rays) when remembering UVB. The SPF (sun protection factor) ratings were created to measure a product's ability to block these rays.
Speaking of SPF, let’s discuss and clear up ratings. An SPF of 15 means that you can stay in the sun 15 times longer with sunscreen than without it, before burning. An SPF of 15 protects against between 90 to 95% of the sun’s damaging rays. Contrast that with an SPF 40 that defends about 97.5% of harmful rays. Understanding this may lead some of us to decide that an SPF of 15 worn religiously is adequate, of course depending on lifestyle and situation.
Personally, for day to day indoor work situations, running errands and such, we feel a SPF 15 is adequate. If you’re going to be on the golf course for 5 hours, a hat, covered golf cart and an SPF of 30 applied every two hours would be more to our comfort level. For those of us in year round warmer climates, even driving adds to sun time exposed (left hand, arm and left side of face especially), so factor that in to your SPF choices.
It’s also important to use broad spectrum formulations all over your body and face to help block the combination of UVA/UVB rays. Using hats, sun umbrellas, shade, protective clothing, and sunglasses are also prudent in your efforts to preserve a youthful look and in staying healthy.


Modern Technology Threats

With technology churning along, there is now a new, man-made form of skin threat from computer, laptop, tablet, LED TV and even cell phone screens called HEV (High Energy Visible) light. High energy visible (HEV) light is a high frequency light in the blue/violet region, and while we are typically hip to the dangers associated with excessive exposure to ultraviolet light in the UVA and UVB wavelengths, findings in recent years indicate that the full spectrum of adverse effects has yet to be fully explored. One of the more stunning scientific discoveries is that skin damage caused by high energy visible light may be as harmful as damage caused by UVA and UVB light combined.

Like UVA, HEV light may be another silent, long-term aging wavelength. It does not generate the immediate “sunburn” reactions triggered by UVB so there is no real deterrent, but may have cancer and aging implications. Many manufacturers of skin care and sunscreen products are now including in HEV Melanin as a way of protecting against this new skin threat.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

In addition to sunscreen, common sense may be your best friend when dealing with the sun and other skin aging (and cancer causing) risks. Try to plan outdoor activities on the fringes of the sun’s max phase of damage (in the range of 11am-3pm) and limit time in front of your devices. The pool can be just as much fun at 4 in the afternoon as it is at noon, and the implications of the sun’s damage are less. Reading in the shade still get’s you the pleasure of the outdoors, without the risk. And 15 minutes of sun, unprotected, on the fringe of the heat of the day, will get you the Vitamin D your body requires. Be smart and be healthy!

                        “The worst beauty advice that I have ever taken has been from people who have told me that sunscreen isn't necessary. Not true!”                                             

                                                                     ~ Amanda Schull

PS: Rumor has it that UP Beauty’s Anti-Cellulite Cream under a great sunscreen is a real beach babe hit! Shhhhh...

Beach Body How To's

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Beach Body How To’s

What does having a Beach Body mean to you? I think one thing we could all agree on is that a Beach Body means NOT being embarrassed to put on our swim suit, however skimpy or full. Taken further, this usually means at least tightening things up some, and most likely for the majority of us who aren’t at our ideal weight, losing a few (or more) pounds.

We’ve mentioned this on numerous occasions, and it still holds true here: master the three pillars (eating clean, exercise to your fitness level, and supplementation) of physical health, and you’ll soon be swim suit worthy. But that may be too vague for some of us, so let’s break it down.

Since eating clean and supplementation both cover what and what not to put in our mouths, let’s start here. Everyone has eating plans (I hate the word diets) based on everything from the cavemen (Paleo) to our genetics, to even our blood type. I’ve tried a bunch and here’s what I call how I currently eat: conscious eating, meaning to me, consciously listening to my body, my mood and my knowledge of what I need, and making the best choices based on where I am and what is available.

With any eating plan, planning ahead keeps us out of trouble most of the time. I try to eat a protein (lean when possible) with some form of carbohydrate (fruit, vegetable and/or or small whole grain carbohydrate) with every food intake, be it a snack or meal. And I highly promote eating small portions, 5-6 time per day, to keep our metabolism stoked up. Carrying protein/carb balanced bars or shakes with you is a great way to guard against the candy, pastry, doughnut snack when you get caught in a low blood sugar crash.

If it’s white, take flight – white bread, pasta, and rice, and even potatoes, bananas, and corn (yellow, I know) are very high on the glycemic index, a system that measures how fast carbs turn to sugar (and deposit on your ass). Eating them is somewhat analogous to pouring sugar packets on your tongue. And while fruits and vegetables are encouraged, too many fruits, with their natural sugar content, can pack on the saddle bags. Of course, eating organic, grass fed, non GMO’s, hormone, pesticide and antibiotic free as well as non-processed are your best choices in general.

Oh sorry, how does this info get us to a Beach Body? It’s simple. We are what we eat. Excess body fat will hang, bubble (yes, cellulite, the dimples that aren’t cute), protrude and generally misshape your beautiful body. Six pack abs are only partially formed in Pilates class, as if you have too much fat on board, you won’t see your abs even if they’re well developed. The same goes for definition in the arm and legs. Excess body fat covers it all.

Eat as clean as you can, and pick high quality supplements to use to compliment and aid in the nutrition and performance of your body, where food perhaps falls short. I will say this once...there is a HUGE difference in the quality of multi-vitamins, fish oils and probiotics, as well as protein powders and other performance supplement products. Unfortunately, its’ buyer beware, so find a reputable company (I use Advocare products) and supplement away. You shouldn’t put low grade gasoline in a sports car and expect high performance.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

As far as exercise, cardio burns calories and resistance training, including but not limited to lifting weights, both burns calories and builds muscle. Being that our muscle mass dwindles yearly as we get older, it is imperative that we switch some of our cardio time to resistance training. One of the most common workout mistakes is doing cardio in such a high range (anaerobic) that we actually start to burn muscle instead of fat.

Muscle, for those who don’t know, is your body’s furnace for calorie burning. Why do you think men genetically have it easier in keeping excess weight off? Besides the fact women have built-in higher body fat (for having babies), they also have less muscle mass on average to burn calories with. Don’t be the one that says, “I don’t want to build muscle, it’s unattractive on a woman.” I guarantee you, the alternative is the unattractive choice!

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”                                     

                                                                                                Unknown

PS: By the way, if you find yourself with unwanted dimples, the one’s that aren’t cute, UP Beauty’s Anti-Cellulite Cream really works! Shameless plug!

Mind Power

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“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care as to what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”                                    

                                                                      Swami Vivekananda

Mind Power

We’ve all heard the phrase, “actions speak louder than words”, so where does that leave our thoughts. It’s foolish to try to rank the importance of each, so we’ll voluntarily acquiesce here as thoughts are the base for both words and actions. Let’s face it, we rarely do or say anything we haven’t first thought about. And of course if we do, we usually regret it!

It is believed that the power of thought can reveal itself on many levels, from the fairly superficial to deeper spiritual wisdoms. On the surface, most of us would agree that we have a few friends (not us, of course) that are perpetually ensconced in negativity, and their thoughts are normally the root cause. Most likely their lives are a reflection of their thought patterns.

Many estimate that we process over 60,000 thoughts daily and all of us have a percentage of negative ones, regardless of our own self-perceived positive attitude. What might happen if we were able to convert some of those negative thoughts to positive ones? Wouldn’t at least our attitude have to follow?

Unfortunately, most of our thoughts stem from past conditioning, cultural and religious beliefs, as well as parental and figurehead influences and they tend to repeat and run subconsciously, or under our conscious radar. At first this may seem like really bad news, as I’ve read several books that suggest we monitor them daily, including the multitudes of thoughts running beneath detection. Fear not, we’ll have some ideas on this later.

And, what then do the Spiritual Guru’s have to say about the deeper level of thoughts. According to the Law of Attraction, made popular by the DVD The Secret, thoughts become things. In other words, in simplistic terms, what we think about eventually becomes our reality. Even if this were only partially true, it certainly provides us both the urgency and impetus to move our negative thoughts to positive ones, starting NOW.

A How To Primer

So, how can we improve our thoughts? Indeed, keeping track of them would be a great self-control system to keep oneself on track as we think our way to better lives, but it’s not remotely possible. The easiest way to keep thoughts in line with what we want in our life is to simply observe how we feel in any given moment. In essence, our feelings provide a mirror to our primary thought patterns.

By paying attention to our feelings and emotions, especially when they are leaning negative or feeling conflicted, we have a trigger. If we notice either, the trick then is to trace the feeling to the associated thought pattern. Once identified, we can consciously and effectively make the appropriate changes to our thinking to correct the faulty pattern. On the contrary, if life is good and we’re feeling wonderful, there’s not much to do in regards to monitoring or tinkering.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

Appreciation and self-love are the most vital emotions we could ever nurture and feel, as being in this state is very powerful in creating the life of our dreams. Appreciation of yourself, your current and future conditions, as well as others, is one of the best matches for Law of Attraction success principles we can find. Using our feelings as a sensory tool to monitor, and then ultimately tweak our thoughts, will put us back on course again. That is, of course, until the next time we need to make adjustments!

         “It’s rather simple. Thoughts that bring about good   feelings mean you are on the right track. Thoughts that bring about bad feelings mean you are not on    the right track.”

                                                 Drew Heriot, Director of “The Secret”

PS: Anyone have a story of how your thoughts created something that became a part of your life? Let us have it!