“When you think at that moment, that it is possible-then the magic starts” Unknown

“Count your blessings, not your crosses,
Count your gains, not your losses,
Count your joys instead of your woes,
Count your friends instead of your foes,
Count your health, not your wealth”. – Old Proverb

Kathleen Conway
781-640-5601
http://www.naturallygreenkathleen.com

Are you willing to work hard?

If you are willing to do only what comes easy, then life will be hard. But, if you are willing to do what’s hard, then life will be easy.

Thought this was a nice reminder for us all to get up every day and do our best and push through our fears ~ the payoff will be huge!

http://www.kathleenconway.myshaklee.com

The “good” the “bad” and the “ugly”

We need fat in our diet. We should keep our fat intake at about 40-55 grams daily. That is about 35% of our calories. It can be confusing which fats are good and which are bad.

The “good” fats are extra virgin olive oil and canola oil which are Monounsaturated oils. They help protect your cardiovascular system, reduce “insulin resistance” in diabetes and are linked with a lower rate of cancer.

The “bad” are the Polyunsaturated oils – corn, safflower, peanut, cottonseed, soybean. These oils became very popular in the 60’s and 70’s in an aggressive advertising campaign to lower cholesterol. With the high amount of Omega 6’s compared to low amounts of Omega 3’s (fish and flax oil) has come higher rates of cancer, depression, obesity, insulin resistance, allergies, autoimmune diseases, colitis and diabetes.

The “ugly” are the Trans fats. These are the oils that have been partially hydrogenated to make them solid at room temperature. This is the fat in margarine and gives longer shelf life in baked goods (crackers, pastries, cookies, and snack food). They are found in great abundance in deep fried foods. These fats raise your LDL (your “lousy” bad cholesterol), lower your HDL (your “healthy” cholesterol) and increase your chance of cancer.

So be nice to your body and Go Good Fats!

Women put 120 chemicals on their bodies a day!

I don’t know if any of you saw this on the news last week, but here is the link to some numbers that may surprise you:

http://www.insideprevention.org/2012/05/untested-chemicals-in-beauty-products-abc-world-news-4302012.html

Diane Sawyer reported on ABC world news that women put an average of 120 chemicals on their bodies everyday and men put about 80.  These chemicals are in our shampoos, skincare products, lipstick, deodorants, etc.    Europe has band 1,200 of these chemicals ~ the USA has band 10!!   We need to educate ourselves and purchase products without these chemicals.

I am please to say that this is what Shaklee is all about  ~ chemical free products that contains nutrients that make us healthier and keep our environment and planet healthy as well.

www.kathleenconway.myshaklee.com

 

 

Happy Earth Day

Today is Earth day and a reminder to all of us that we need to take better care of our planet while taking better care of ourselves.  Check those ingredients in your cleaners under your sink.  Do you really want to be putting those chemicals into your environment?  Small changes can make a big difference.  Asthma rates doubled from 1980 – 1995.  This has been linked by some experts to household chemicals among other causes.  Out of the 80,000 chemicals registered for use in the USA, less than 500 have been tested for toxicity by the EPA.  Unfortunately, we cannot depend on our government to be keeping us and the planet safe.   

Change

How is everyone’s New Year’s resolutions coming along?  I know mine is not what I have hoped, but I have lost about 5 pounds.  I have about 5 more to go and it is coming off slower than I would have liked.  Habits are hard to break and change is hard!  I read this quote this week and it inspired me:

“You will never become who you want to be by remaining who you are.”

So I am trying harder and when I want to reach for some salty carb, I am reaching for an apple.  I do want to be the type of person that takes good care of my body because my body is the only thing that will keep me going so I can enjoy this life!

Achievement

I just saw this quote and I really like it:

ACHIEVEMENT – To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe ~ Anatole France

The Early Bird Gets the Burn

If you want to burn fat like there’s no tomorrow, then wake up and smell your running shoes! Studies show that exercising 20-30 minutes first thing in the morning before eating, is more effective in melting fat than a full hour of aerobic exercise performed later in the day when you’ve eaten. Why? Well, when you first wake up, your blood sugar and carbohydrate reserves are at their lowest levels. SO, if you exercise before eating, you force your body to look elsewhere for fuel. That “elsewhere” is stored fat! Exercising in the morning kick-starts your metabolism, when it’s naturally the slowest, igniting a fat-burning fire that’ll blaze all day long. Important: For maximum fat burning and to give your muscles the proper fuel, follow your workout with a high quality breakfast with 20 grams of protein.

Vitamin D

Hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start!  Do you know what your Vitamin D level is?  You should have it checked the next time you go to your Physician.  A lot of people are deficient (especially here in the Northeast) in this essential Vitamin.  Vitamin D is important for your Cardiovascular Health, Bone Health, Immune Health, and Cognitive Function (low levels can cause depression).  Research indicates that optimal levels may be important in maintaining breast, ovary, uterine, prostate, esophagus, stomach, colon bladder, kidney, pancreas and lung cell health.

Ask your Physician to specifically order the 25 Hydroxyvitamin D blood serum test also know as the 25 (OH) Vitamin D test.  This is the only accurate Vitamin D blood test.  Then check your levels against this data:

Vitamin D  (ng/ml)	Health Status	Supplementation Recommendations
<20	Vitamin D deficient	5,000-7,000 I.U. per day for 6-8 weeks.  Retest.  Then 3,000- 5,000 I.U./day for another 6-8 weeks, followed by 2,000 I.U. maintenance dose.  Retest every 3 months.
20-39	Generally considered inadequate	5,000 I.U. per day for 4-6 weeks.  Then 2,000 I.U. per day. Retest every 3 months.
40-50	Adequate/ Replete	2,500-5,000 I.U. per day for 4-6 weeks.  Then 2,000 I, U. per day Retest every 3 months.
>50-60	Proposed level for optimal health	Maintain at 1,000-2,000 I.U. per day, retest yearly.
>200	Potentially toxic, leading to hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia	Human data is limited

New Year’s Resolutions

Here are a few quotes to help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions:

“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can” ~ Michael Korda

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try” ~ Beverly Sills

“The minute you start talking about what you’re going to do if you lose, you have lost”  ~ George P. Shultz