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3-D Living Newsletter - December, 2009 Issue
December 1, 2009
Welcome to the December issue of the 3-D Living monthly newsletter! Christmas is just a little over 3 weeks away! This is the time for giving gifts! I have a gift for you - my story was included in a beautiful e-book called, "No More Mondays." There are uplifting, inspirational stories from many people about how they are making their dreams reality. If you would like a copy - please send an email to ann@threedimensionalvitality.com and request it. I would be very happy to send it to you.
**COMING NEXT MONTH: Look for information on my new 7 week Today's The Day Weight Loss Plan!**
In this issue:
Ann's Article: "8 Ways to Stay Fit During The Holidays"
Nutrition Nugget: Barley
Supplement Spotlight: Beta Glucan
Featured Product: Aktivated Barley
Words to the Wise: Your Life is a Ministry
Ann's Article: "8 Ways to Stay Fit During The Holidays"
I believe it is NOT what you do from Thanksgiving to New Year's that makes or breaks your fitness plan, but what you do from New Year's to Thanksgiving!! What you consistently do day in and day out is what really matters. Holidays are wonderful, fun times to enjoy with family and friends. We know there will be foods we don't eat normally and most of us will overeat. Let's just be honest! I see no value in berating yourself or in placing unrealistic demands on yourself either. Jesus Himself said He came that we might have and enjoy abundant, overflowing life (John 10:10). Special holiday treats and meals that bring to mind cherished childhood memories are part of this.
The most important thing is to enjoy the holidays with your family - if you look forward to a particular family favorite dish - eat it with relish and enjoy it thoroughly - don't eat it and then feel guilty or beat yourself up because you over-indulged. If you are going to eat - eat and enjoy. Get right back to your routine in the next day or two. A week of over-indulgence - like Thanksgiving and the day or two after (leftover turkey sandwiches are awesome!); Christmas eve and day and New Year's eve and day - a week or two out of 52 is NOT going to completely ruin all your hard work.
It's more about making good choices when you can and keeping a balance. If you eat a lot of carbs one day, try and balance with more protein the next.
That being said, here are a few tips to help you keep the damage to your fitness program and weight gain to an absolute minimum:
1. First of all, at holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter - focus on the meaning of the holiday. Don't let yourself spin out of control and make it ALL about the cookies, or the stuffing or the lasagne. Keep the reason for the particular season in mind. Keeping perspective is very important.
2. There are ALWAYS holiday parties. If you go there starving, you will definitely make bad choices. Here are some good strategies:
Have a high protein snack (a handful of almonds, a small protein shake, a few slices of turkey rolled in a leaf of lettuce) and 16 oz. of water with the appropriate amount of sea salt before you go.
Taking 8-16 oz. of water with the fiber supplement of your choice before going to a party is another helpful strategy to help you feel fuller and therefore be less inclined to binge! Two Konjac Root fiber capsules with 16 oz. of water works well.
Taking 2 CLA softgels with 16 oz. of water before the meal is also helpful in assisting your body in burning fat and blunting your appetite.
Using the herb Hoodia has been shown to help curb appetite and may be helpful in strengthening your resolve. One or two capsules depending on the brand with 16 oz. water works well.
3. Make sure that the foods you simply MUST have are really worth the calorie expenditure. Our traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes both my grandmother's and mother-in-law's stuffings. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving for my family without both. (And neither is low cal.) That's ok. We only have those dishes once a year and I intend to enjoy them both. I don't "waste" my calories on chips, dip or candy. I can have them anytime. I concentrate on foods that make the holiday special and that I don't get any other time of the year. That makes it a real treat and worth the added effort to work off those calories.
4. The more active you stay, the better off you are. Try to increase either the amount, duration or intensity of your exercise sessions the week before the holiday to help your body compensate for the extra calories. If you normally do a 30 minute walking tape twice a week, try bumping it up to 45 minutes, three times that week. Add some intervals of brisker paced walking. Be sure to include strength training - muscle is your best friend for burning fat.
5. After an especially large meal, try to stay active rather than just collapsing on the couch. Take a walk if the weather permits, play with your children, dance - see what you can do to just help your body utilize those excess calories rather than just storing them.
6. A good strategy to help you digest more effectively and protect against cardiovascular damage caused by a high fat, rich or heavy meal is to take 1,000 mg. of vitamin C, 800 IU of natural mixed tocopherol vitamin E (above and beyond what you'd normally take), lecithin and double your digestive enzymes.
7. If one of your holiday meals includes high carbohydrate dishes (you know - sweet potato pie, stuffing, pie, cookies, lasagne), try a starch neutralizer. One brand is Phase 2 and it is a white kidney bean extract. There are several different formulas and brands but basically you take 2 capsules with 8 oz. of water before a high carbohydrate meal it helps block the absorption of some of the carbs so they are eliminated rather than stored as fat.
8. Also, when your diet is radically different, you may find you need some help staying regular. Fiber supplements are helpful here, so be sure to take yours daily. Aloe juice is also helpful as it not only helps you stay regular but is soothing to your digestive tract as well. There are some herbal tea formulas (Get Regular is one) that also work well and, of course, making sure you still drink adequate water will be very helpful.
So go ahead, enjoy your holidays including the delicious food and use these suggestions. You will keep the damage to a minimum while not depriving yourself.
NUTRITION NUGGET: BARLEY
Barley has a nutty flavor and chewy, pasta-like texture and is an excellent source of fiber,selenium, phosphorus, copper and manganese. Barley is high in beta glucan, a fiber which helps to lower cholesterol by binding to bile acids and removing them from the body. It also provides insoluble fibers that act as prebiotics, feeding friendly bacteria in the digestive tract. Barley makes a great addition to soups and stews, and can be
combined with vegetables as a nutritious, fiber-rich side dish. Barley flour can also be used in bread and muffin recipes.
SUPPLEMENT SPOTLIGHT: BETA GLUCANS
Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber derived from the cell walls of algae, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, cereal grains like oats and barley, and plants. They are sugar molecules which are found bound together as a sugar/protein complex. It is thought to be helpful in reducing cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure as well boosting the immune system by stimulating white cells and keeping the cardiovascular system healthy. It has also been used as part of natural cancer treatment.
FEATURED PRODUCT: AKTIVATED BARLEY
The first Olympic athletes used barley to increase strength and endurance. Aktivated Barley is a patented, 100% certified organic, non-gmo, pre-sprouted barley beta glucan powder. It is an excellent slow-burning energy source. In fact, I use it during my monthly 3-day juice fasts mixed into my green drinks.
To order, call 1-888-747-6733 and use sale code 11379 to receive your 20% discount and be set up as a preferred customer. Subsequent orders can then be placed online by visiting http://www.phporder.com/11379. You'll then receive the same 20% discount on ALL subsequent orders!
WORD TO THE WISE: Your Life is a Ministry
This story was sent to me in an email by one of my subscribers, Gloria - it touched my heart and I believe it's a wonderful reminder of what we are all called to do - especially in this holiday season. I realize it's a bit longer than my usual - but so worth it.
A CABBIES LIFE
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy's
life, a life for someone who wanted no boss. What I didn't realize was that it was also a ministry.
Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, made me laugh and weep.
But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night.
I was responding to a call from a small brick apartment in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some partiers, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.
When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my
assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.
"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear
something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
"It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."
"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."
I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove
through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.
"Nothing," I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered.
"There are other passengers," I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more
important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
**I invite you to sign up for my friend, Rob Clinton's wonderful free weekly newsletter. His insightful, practical articles will uplift and encourage you. He has graciously invited me to contribute health articles which will also appear twice a month. It's free - just go to www.180coach.com, and click the registry button in the top left.**
If you enjoyed this issue of the 3-D Living Newsletter, please forward it to anyone you know who will benefit from it. They'll love you for it! If a friend forwarded this issue to you - just go here to get your own free subscription: http://www.threedimensionalvitality.com/Welcome.html.
Until next month, as always, I wish you and your family abundant health, peace and joy, a blessed and joyous Christmas and a prosperous and peace-filled 2010! Ann
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