Monday, February 28, 2011

Keep moving forward...


I hope you are all doing well and have had a successful first two months for 2011. Many of you (hopefully all of you) have set goals and resolutions to do something to Make Life Better in some form of personal development. One of the keys to long term success, be it in business or personal health is setting appropriate goals and developing metrics to track your progress.

In 2009, researchers from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, reported that participants who weighed themselves more frequently were associated with greater weight loss. This is not new data. Another group, from Drexel University, reported in 2007 a similar finding - that participants who frequently weighed themselves reported greater weight loss. Even more so - participants who stopped weighing themselves reported an increase in their body weight. Participants who lost at least 30 lbs and have been able to keep the weight off for at least one year share, as a common behavior, frequently weighing themselves. (As an aside - they also ate breakfast.)

Now whether you choose to track your body weight, your waist circumference or your body fat percentage - that is up to you. What is important is that you start keeping track of something. Tracking your progress is a simple exercise that reminds you of your goals and in the process creates a mechanism whereby you will make future positive choices throughout the day. Will all your future choices be the "right" ones (e.g. eating more fruits and vegetables or exercising)? Perhaps not at first, but over time, as you begin to replace poor eating habits with good ones, they will be.

One of the simplest habits that you can start to build is consistently drink Slim. Slim is the key to improving your nutrition and your health. There are many apps, calendars, websites, etc... that are at your disposal to track your progress. You can only see differences but if you are tracking them. The key is STARTING and DOING. "When you track performance - performance improves. When you track performance and report it - performance is accelerated." (Thomas S. Monson) Make it a family affair -get your spouse or loved one to join in with you. Perhaps a friendly wager to see who can have the greatest transformation is what you need to get motivated. Whatever it is - TRACK IT. Get out, get started and keep track of your peformance.

A matter of the heart...

What is the number one selling nutritional supplement in the United States? If you were like the majority of Americans who guessed a multi-vitamin, don’t feel bad – but you’re wrong. In fact, the number one selling nutritional supplement is an omega-3 supplement from fish oil.

What are omega-3 fatty acids and in what foods can they be found? Omega-3 fatty acids or n-3 fatty acids are part of a class of chemicals called polyunsaturated fats. Their name is due to the presence of the first carbon-carbon double bond at the third carbon from the methyl end of the fatty acid. Omega-3 or n-3 fatty acids are found in fish, like salmon, mackerel, sardines and krill. Marine-based sources of n-3 fatty acids, like OmegaLife-3, are particularly rich in two specific types of n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).

Another frequently asked question is, "What the big deal about n-3 fatty acids? The Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine recently answered this question (see here and here). It's also helpful to go through a short history lesson to learn about the importance of n-3 fatty acids. In the early 1970’s a group of Danish scientists traveled to Greenland and by dogsled went to visit the Inuit or Eskimo population. They were investigating why this group of people had very low incidences of cardiovascular disease with a primary diet that consisted of mainly fish and seal. After repeated expeditions and drawing many blood samples, these scientists discovered that it was the n-3 fatty acids from the fish, particularly EPA and DHA that reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease in the Inuit population. (As an aside - we had the pleasure of having Dr. Dyerberg visit the office. He has a great mind but more importantly, is a terrific person.) Since that time, further research has confirmed the benefits of n-3 fatty acids, again primarily, EPA and DHA, on the following:

· Reduces triglyceride levels

· Lowers blood pressure

· Inhibits platelet aggregation

· Reduced inflammation

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week (see here). A very simple, cost-effective way to improve your cardiovascular health is to supplement with an omega-3 product. Look to OmegaLife-3 or Salmon Omega as your sources of n-3 fatty acids.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Dietary guidelines...


As many of you are probably already aware, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released new dietary guidelines for Americans (you can see them here). In their own words, "... the recommendations encompass two overarching concepts:

- Maintain calorie balance over time to achieve and sustain a healthy weight.
...
- Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages. ..."

These two concepts are lofty and noble and the guidelines are safe. A bit too safe and I'm not the only one who thinks this. The folks over at Harvard agree with our take on refined sugars and carbohydrates (here). They also are in line with how we feel about Vitamin D (here, here and here). The guidelines are far too passive on Vitamin D and not in line with the current research for such low recommendations.

Here is one simple, free guideline recommendation for you - drink Bios Life Slim. Slim utilizes a dietary fiber matrix with clinically proven results (go here to see the results on the fiber matrix for yourself) for cholesterol management and blood sugar regulation. It's safe (gluten free) and easy to use (mix and drink). The simple addition of fiber to your diet will have marked impact on your overall health not just on the reduction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks - but your overall health. Get started with Slim today for a healthier you.

Monday, February 21, 2011

It's not only good for the heart but it's great for the mind as well...

I am, of course, referring to exercise. While many of us are well aware of the many benefits that exercise provides to our cardiovascular system - it has one benefit that should be enough motivation to get us up and off the couch. Exercise really does boost the brain. In a recent study conducted by a research group at the Salk Institute, investigators showed that aerobic exercise improved the spatial memory of the group that was randomized to the aerobic exercise arm. They found that aerobic exercise increased the volume of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for spatial orientation, navigation and the consolidation of new memories. The research group also confirmed the increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) a sort of MiracleGro for neurons.

The main takeaway from this research is that is DOESN'T MATTER what age you are - exercise will help keep you thinking in a vibrant manner. The type of exercise you do can be simple and fun. Just be sure to get your heart rate up (be sure to check with a physician if it's been a while.) A great time to exercise is first thing in the morning. As you get your muscles firing, you'll soon see that you get your firing as well. If you need an extra kick in the pants to get off the couch, use Bios Life E. Bios Life E will help you get your body and your mind firing on all cylinders!

Friday, February 4, 2011

The battle of the bulge...

This is not a reference to World War II but rather to what is happening now in the world. A couple of recent popular media outlets (Bloomberg, Independent, and are referencing a recent article published in the medical journal Lancet. The results are - globally we are getting fatter. In the US, 2/3 of the population are overweight, 1/3 is obese. In Mexico - 1/3 of the population is diabetic, while in Japan, where 25% of population is diabetic, diabetes is considered the national disease. The recommendations from the article are that dietary and exercise interventions are needed. What is needed is a Slim intervention.

Here is an example of what a Slim intervention can do that comes to us from Scandinavia. The young man is Jonas Karlsson. Jonas is from Sweden. Jonas over the course of the past year, using Slim and Bios Life E, has lost over 50 kilos (that's over 100 lbs). Here is a comment from his mother Evalis, "Please share with others...about how you can change your life, even when its really difficult. And that its possible to feel so much better even with asberger, adha and low activity. And that its possible to beat a eating disorder with Bios Life Slim.

Jonas almost never went to school, just between 1-3 class. The other kids was treating him very bad and the grown up want better. Jonas never thought that he could have a work or anything. Today Unicity and their products have a so warm place in his heart so he talk to people on internet everyday about this. And he inspire other people to start with Slim and E."

Wow! Over 50 kilos is an outstanding result! Congratulations Jonas! Jonas, through his personal experience, discovered the additive benefits of combing Slim and Bios Life E on his fat-loss
goals. Slim provides the fiber content and the 7X slimming material that lowers the glycemic load of your meals, keeping your insulin loads low. Bios Life E, provides polyphenos, specifically catechins, that have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and increase fatty acid oxidation (fat burning). Jonas discovered, what many others are just now realizing, that Slim is great, but it's even better with E.