So it’s the end of January if you are like two-thirds of the new years resolutioners you are not longer sticking to the promises that you made yourself only three short weeks ago. That’s sad isn’t it! Three weeks ago your world was going to be changing, three weeks ago you were going to be half way to 10 lbs lighter, three short weeks ago you were going to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week and eat at home 5 times a week. Its amazing to me how three weeks of regular life is enough to knock more than half of the population off course of their goals. Why is that? I personally gave up new years resolutions because they became expectable to not follow through. It became okay to fail. Make a goal and tell everyone around you when it’s not the first of the year, I bet you will be more likely to stick with it. Nobody wants to be a failure in public, but that brings me back to the same question, why do so many people announce to the world every single year that ‘this is gonna be the year……. (fill in the blank)’ and then quit only 3 weeks later. I’m a little biased so I’m going to specifically talk about health and wellness here. I wanted to know more. Here’s what I found. For the most part the people that are making new years resolutions to lose weight are more than a few pounds overweight. According to a survey of more than 1,500 men and women conducted by researchers at George Washington University Medical Center, overweight and obese individuals strongly believe that exercise and diet are extremely important to their success. In the study, about 18 percent of respondents belonged to a health club while 82 percent did not. About two-thirds were overweight or obese. The more someone weighed, the lower their assessment of their own health. Yet despite being well aware that they need to exercise, negative feelings about the health club environment kept them from doing so.
“Both overweight men and women were intimidated by the health club itself, the environment and the staff. They were both uncomfortable about exercising around fit people,” Miller said. “The message to health clubs is they need to do more to make overweight people feel unself-conscious and comfortable.”
But overweight people can’t wait for health clubs to change, said Gregory Florez, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise.
“It’s the ultimate conundrum, or Catch-22,” Florez said. “Obese people certainly know they are obese and they need to lose weight, and in many cases are quite motivated. However, they almost universally have a history of failure. They have tried every bestseller diet. They have tried every diet pill, legal and semi-legal. They have watched every infomercial.”
As a health professional this is very sad and at the same time very insightful. First of all it’s sad because so many gyms, personal trainers, dietitians and fitness professionals let the bottom line take the place of helping change peoples lives. Everyday desperate people look to us for answers, they trust us with their lives and we (as an industry) have let them down. Gyms that push fitness programs and training sessions without teaching the importance of nutrition, doctors and dietitians that slap their name on untested products (the worst is athletes that do this!), crazy juices, extremely low calorie diets, undergarments that squeeze you into smaller sizes….. I could go on forever! If you are in the wellness or fitness profession it is your job to do the research. It makes me sad that so many lose track of that. That so many only care about making profit and they are willing to hurt and even ruin lives to get it. With that being said, I have also met thousands of wonderful people in the fitness and wellness industry that have huge hearts and are working to educate and empower people to make that change. It is encouraging to know that there are still  good people on your side, as you are looking for truth in billions of lies that we are bombarded with in the media. What I am most intrigued about is that fitness establishments really are not helping the obesity epidemic they might actually be making it worse. The more I think about it the more it makes sense. I sometimes even feel intimidated to be working out in a gym. So what can we do to fix it? I say we because this is a society problem. We are all affected by it. Health care costs anyone?

Here are some of my ideas:

For the general population:
• Stop being so damn annoying at the gym if you are in great shape. Men: you don’t have to grunt we know you’re strong. Ladies: thongs are not appropriate for the gym it is not a club.
• The TV is filled with garbage! Stop getting health tips from it! The extreme techniques that are used on the Biggest Loser are not good advice to share with your overweight friends. Stop spreading their lies!
• If you are not an expert on health, please stop acting like one because you are in shape. Advising someone on his or her health problems is dangerous if you are not educated on the subject matter. And no, reading Mens Health and doing P90X does not make you an expert.


For the group that feels uncomfortable:
• Get psychiatric help first! People that are extremely overweight have an underlying issue that needs to be addressed before any progress is going to be made. The food and exercise part is easy once that is taken care of.
• Find a professional you TRUST and work with them to come up with unique exercise programs that makes you comfortable.
• The more you exercise the more comfortable you will feel.
• For the most part, people admire your courage to change, the ones that don’t really are just very insecure about themselves. “Next time you feel belittled by another person’s criticism, recognize this: the same thing for which that person criticizes you actually exists in his or her own being, and is perceived as bad. You are that person’s mirror for his or her own “disowned part” – Robin Meade Morning Sunshine! How to radiate confidence and feel it too.   
• Try different forms of programs to find one that you like. You have to like it or you are not going to stick with it period. Online support groups, walking groups, out door boot camps, private personal training studios, there are a lot of different ways to get the exercise that you need besides getting a membership at a gym.  


For fitness professionals:
• Do your research! Find out what types of programs work specifically for that person and make sure they are comfortable with it.  
• Teach the importance of good nutrition. Preaching about only exercise without nutrition is like teaching baseball by only going to the batting cages and ignoring the rest of the game. Never going to work!
• Ask your clients how they feel.
• Make sure the underlying problem is fixed.
• Stop pushing the fads and flavors of the week! Its irresponsible! And stop telling people to go to GNC to find their own products; the teenager working behind the counter has no idea what is in the sparkling containers on the shelves. Again, your JOB to research and share relevant information.  

PLEASE SHARE YOUR IDEAS!! SO WE CAN HELP CHANGE THE SITUATION!


Peas&Love,
Shanna ‘10



Resources:
http://www.efitnessforlife.com/top-reasons-those-get-fit-resolutions-dont-stick
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers tips on getting fit.
SOURCES: Wayne Miller, Ph.D., professor, exercise science, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Gregory Florez, spokesman, American Council on Exercise, and CEO, FitAdvisor.com, Salt Lake City; January/February 2010 Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

With all the hype about the H1N1 virus in the media you would think that the only way to prevent being infected with the Swine Flu is to get vaccinated. But you have to wonder, is it the safest way to go? As it stands, the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is classified as a Class C drug, meaning that the vaccine has not yet been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential. Nor have animal studies been conducted to investigate possible fetal harm. Another general concern results from the “fast-track approval” approach for which the pharmaceutical companies are pushing to win the race against time. Clinical trials involving all age groups are currently under way in many countries; the trials do not include pregnant women even though pregnant women are a major vaccination target.  With that being said, there are Natural ways to strengthen your immune system.  Here are FIVE natural ways to increase your immune system:

1. Get adequate exercise, sleep and take actions to lower your stress levels. Exercise stimulates circulation, improves muscle tone, improves cardiac function and boosts immunity. It is also a way to eliminate toxins from the body. Exercise is a critical component in the elimination of "poisons"--such as myriad toxins that build up in the body as a result of regular bodily processes in addition to man-made chemicals--from the body for three simple reasons. First, when we exercise we breathe more deeply, more forcefully and more often. In doing so, we release toxic by-products through the lungs. Second, when we exercise we also perspire. Perspiration is another means to eliminate metabolic waster material from the body. Finally, muscular activity is the only way to move waste material through the lymphatic vessels. If we don't sweat, don't breathe heavily and don't move our muscles, these toxins must find another way out. Unfortunately, they usually remain in the body, only to foul the biochemical machinery that makes our immune system operate efficiently. The result: susceptibility to illness.
An article published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine illustrates the effect exercise can have on infections. In this study, only 45 minutes of brisk walking per day was shown to lower the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms, cut the duration of illness in half and increase natural killer-cell activity in people prone to upper respiratory tract infections. Exercise also lowers stress levels and promotes improved sleeping patterns.
One important component to maintaining a regular workout schedule is finding something that you enjoy. Boot camps are growing in popularity across the country because they are designed to incorporate group involvement and variety keeping regular physical activity fun and exciting. Group support is a great way to stay motivated as well.

2. Supplement your diet.  Our food today does not provide adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function at optimal levels.  Simply put, you would have to eat about 5,000 calories a day in order to get enough vitamins and minerals out of your food. Not a good idea for anybody. This is why supplements are so important; they provide sufficient nutrition without calories. Caution: ALL SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. The truth is the FDA does not regulate any dietary supplement because they are not considered a food or a drug. This opens consumers up to false advertising, dangerous un-researched ingredients, and lots of products that do not have a single ingredient that is listed on the label. Be smart about supplement buying. Make sure doctors not marketers and MBAers are making the products, look for science behind products not great marketing, make sure the company has not had any lawsuits and has been around for longer than a couple of years, note that if you do not feel or see results the products are probably not working, and finally don’t take advice from the teenager that works at GNC find a professional that understands the industry and that you trust. The only products that I ever recommend clients are AdvoCare products.
Since 1993, AdvoCare has been a world-class nutrition company specializing in health and wellness, weight management, vibrant energy and sports performance. Their products are formulated by an elite Scientific and Medical Advisory Board with over 200 years combined experience in pharmacology, toxicology, nutrition, sports performance and pediatrics. They have a multitude of product endorsers that includes professional athletes, champion amateur athletes, and acclaimed entertainers.

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3.  Wash your hands Frequently, but not excessively. It decreases the likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Don’t use antibacterial soap, because of the risk of creating resistant bacteria. Instead use a simple, chemical-free soap.

4. Avoid sugar and processed foods. These dramatically decrease immune system function. Look for whole grain and avoid bleached, unbleached or enriched flours. Enrich the diet with fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants to help fight free radicals.

5. Eat phytonutrient rich meals. Theses include lots of colorful salads and dark greens. Always look for organic options when possible. And add garlic to everything - it works as a broad spectrum antibiotic.

-Shanna Tokarsky 2009

Resources:
https://www.advocare.com
http://my.clevelandclinic.org
http://www.healthguidance.org
http://www.naturalawakeningsmag.com