Proactive vs. Reactive

As I was sitting in the audience hanging onto Dr.Oz's every word, it occurred to me that even though this famous doctor has been pleading with the public to be their own health advocate for years that the obesity and disease epidemic has continued to spiral out of control. How many people nod their heads emphatically as they listen to Dr.Oz, Dr.Roizen and others, but then hit up their local McDonald's for a Big Mac on the way home? Are we getting the message? The under lying message is be PRO-active and take steps now to safe guard your health, stock pile longevity, and ward off illness. Why wait until cancer is knock on your door to fortify your defences? Here are a few simple steps you can take to take your health and wellness to the next level:

   1. Get a full blood work up. Not only will this give your doctor an accurate picture of your health, but it will give you a good starting point to measure your success. Health is not measured my the numbers on the scale, but by your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugars, iron levels, and more.

   2. Eat more colour. If you focus on eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables, you will be ingesting a wide range of antioxidants. Antioxidants cleanse your body of free radicals which travel around your body causing damage to cells. Since our health is a manifestation of the health of our cells, focusing on increasing the antioxidant load in our diets is a fantastic way to increase health and vitality.

 
3. Drink more water. Just like antioxidants, water is vital to cellular health. Think of it this way, do you want your cells to look like plump, round, delicious grapes, or like dried, wrinkly, dying grapes? Drink enough water to keep your urine clear. If your pee is yellow or foul smelling you need to drink more!

  4. Move! Chris Powell [from ABC's Extreme Makeover Weight loss Edition] recommends 5 minutes a day. Anyone can move for 5 minutes a day! While watching your favourite show today, march in place, do some squats, jumping jacks, or even high knees for just five minutes.




  5. Take a full spectrum multi vitamin. Dr.Oz recommends taking a half dose in the morning, and the other half in the evening. This will give you a more even absorption rate, as well as keep your immune system in a high functioning state. Think of your supplement as an insurance policy, and look for something that will give you the best coverage possible [would you only put theft coverage on your house? or are you looking to cover fire and water damage too? Same logic applies here] containing A, B, C, D, and E at a minimum. Look for a big reputable company, and for a delivery method that has high bio-availability [meaning, it absorbs quickly and that the majority of what you are ingesting is absorbed into your blood stream instead of being excreted as waste.] The highest bio-availability will be found in a liquid form, but that being said, you need to find one that does not contain preservatives, and comes from whole food sources. Personally, I take liquid Vemma, and also give this to my kids and Hottie Husband.


These steps are simple, straight forward, and easy to implement into your life. Do yourself a favour and become a proactive participant in your health and wellness!

Eli Eats

notice the tears and runny nose? Poor kid feel over a few times during his 11month photos!

I'm often asked what I get my boys to eat, since we consume a plant based diet. The short answer: plants. But, seeing as that cheeky answer isn't the full explanation that is being sought out when asking the question, I kept track of what Eli ate today, just to give you a snapshot of what goes into my babes little bod!

*I forgot to mention that Eli is still breastfed. The 'N' will denote the times he breastfed as well.

Prebreakfast: N

Breakfast: cooked rolled oats with hemp hearts, cinnamon, a smidgen of honey, and almond milk and 0.5oz of Vemma

Snack: Apple pieces [skin removed,] hulled raw sunflower seeds, one oatmeal pumpkin cookie [chocolate chips removed,] puffed wheat, and a handful of cheerios

Prelunch: N

Lunch: Quinoa Stew and half a banana

After Nap: N
Snack: half a CLIFF bar broken into bits, with no chocolate chips in it [not an everyday occurrence, but it sure made him happy after a late nap!]

Dinner: Creamy Asparagus Soup with homemade buns

Before Bed: N

So you see, my little 11 month old man-o eats a lot of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains, seeds, and a scattering of nuts. I'm don't give him refined sugar, as there is absolutely no nutritional value to it, and at Eli's age I need to maximise the nutritional content of what I give him, as he goes through spurts of less interest in food, and more interest in figuring out the stairs/toys/walking/etc that his big brother is constantly doing.

If you have questions about any of the above meals fire away!

Vemma

Do you remember my post about a quick health fix? If you don't you can read it here. Health and wellness are major areas of study for me - as well as millions around the world. I want to share with you a vitamin, mineral, antioxidant formula that I found with AMAZING health benefits. And these benefits are not just found in testimonials - they're found in the lab. With two double blind studies documenting the effectiveness of the Vemma formula, and clinical trials showing actual lab results [blood test results] where the bio markers IMPROVE ENORMOUSLY with the use of this formula, I couldn't turn away from it. Here's why:
 Over $40 Billion is spent every year in America on pain medications. Pain and inflammation are HUGE problems, and bring in big dollars for the pharmaceutical industry. What if I told you that mangosteen and minerals [the Vemma formula] are a powerful anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever [while being completely and totally NATURAL] that will reduce pain and inflammation in two weeks by a measurable amount.
  High cholesterol is an issue that is so prevalent across North America that even Cheerios boasts its cholesterol lowering benefits. What if I told you that Vemma lowers cholesterol by 30 -40 points on AVERAGE in that same 2 -3 weeks time frame. That is HUGE!
In a clinical trial preformed at the        by     Vemma increased immunity. The ramifications of increased immunity are countless - less sick days at school or work meaning more productivity and income; less missed training sessions on your way to your next event, whether that is a marathon, triathlon, fitness competition or other; decreased susceptibility to virus and bacterial infections that take over society [remember the avian flu? mad cow disease? hand and foot disease? The list could go on!]
Above I mentioned just a few of the positive health benefits, all of them stemming from a simple solution. If there are vitamin or mineral deficiency in your body, Vemma will correct them with its full spectrum of vitamins, and 65 minerals [all plant sourced,organic and bio-available]. If your body is riddled with free radicals [which, lets face it, even the healthiest diet and lifestyle does not combat all the free radicals we ingest from our environment and foods and create from our activities] the wide spectrum of antioxidants, including 43 xanthones [found in the mangosteen fruit] mop them up and flush them from your body. Xanthones are described as "free radical scavengers" by pubmed.com and have anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-prolific properties [read: anti-cancer, as the spreading of cancer is called 'prolification'.]
Many different products have been brought to my attention by those consuming them, or contemplating doing so. I have looked at cleansing systems, weight loss systems, meal replacement systems, juices and pills. None had all I was looking for in a supplement. Then Vemma was brought to my attention by a Nutritionist, and after researching the product, I can honestly say this is something that anyone and everyone can benefit from.
IF you want to invest in your health, send me an email, or leave a comment, and lets chat! You will never regret prioritizing your health.

 katiefisher05@gmail.com