<![CDATA[TrueBalance - Good Reads]]>Mon, 21 May 2012 14:44:02 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Modern Cavemen ROCK!]]>Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:07:29 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/03/modern-cavemen-rock.htmlPicture
With all the hype and attention this lifestyle has been getting lately you might think this is the new fad diet. Also know as  the Paleo diet, a modern caveman basically eats what our paleo ancestors would have back in the day; lean meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds & berries. And stays away from grains, sugar, dairy, legumes, and processed fake food. But this is way more than a diet this is a lifestyle, if you are looking for an easy crap diet this is not for you. If you are looking for a healthy lifestyle mixed with rugged nature and that makes scientific sense, this could be the answer you have been looking for. Now of course there are a lot of different variations. Some are more extreme like eating only raw meats and fasting to simulate the unreliable food source that our ancestors would have faced. And there are less restrictive versions that eat some grains and enjoy modern supplements. Obviously, cavemen were not mixing up protein shakes and taking omega capsules in their caves before they went on a long hunt. They did however,  have the luxury of a completely organic food supply uncontaminated by chemicals, pesticides, pollution, artificial hormones and plant based foods full of all their original nutrients before we started crossbreeding them for beauty and shelf-life. So it is what it is. While our technology has allowed us to mass produce food, fly to the moon and communicate in seconds across the world, our human bodies that are ruled by mother nature's laws have paid the price. The complexity and severity of the health crisis is a cruel reminder of what happens when we try to change the rules of nature. How you treat your body and planet will directly effect the quality of your life. I didn't make the rules, that's just how it is, if you don't like them take it up with big man upstairs when you get there. All I'm saying is that the earth produces everything that we need to thrive and we need to respect the natural order of things if we want to be at our best. : )

Peas&Love,
Shanna Tokarsky '10

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<![CDATA[Workout the world forgot]]>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:57:37 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/02/workout-the-world-forgot.html
"MovNat = Move Natural / Movement in Nature / Movement for Nature MovNat® is a philosophy and practice that empowers Zoo humans to experience their true nature.

the Zoo… The “zoo” is a modern, global and growing phenomenon generated by the powerful combination of social conventions, technological environment and commercial pressures. Increasingly disconnected from the natural world and their true nature, zoo humans are suffering physically, mentally and spiritually.

Are you experiencing chronic pains, are you overweight, do you often feel depressed or do you suffer from frequent illnesses and general lack of vitality?

These symptoms indicate that you are experiencing the zoo human syndrome. Modern society conditions us to think that this is normal and unavoidable.

We don’t think so. Our true nature is to be strong, healthy, happy and free.

We have designed a complete education system that empowers zoo humans to experience their true nature.

It is called MovNat."
-Erwan Le Corre


MovNat is by far the best training/all inclusive lifestyle method that I have ever seen. Absolutely LOVE it!! Watch for this movement to take over. No more gyms, no more expensive equipment, no more prepackaged diets. Live the way you were deigned to live as part of nature! Does this make perfect sense to anyone else? If you took a wild bear and put into captivity and feed it processed unnatural food, what would happen? No doubt, the bear will suffer health consequences. Why would we think that as human animals we can do the same thing and be okay? The concept of the modern "zoo" is an intriguing concept to think about, but it makes sense. We have created a fake environment that promotes sedentary lifestyles, pushes mass consumption of processed foods and consumer goods, manifests disease, wrecks havoc our amazing planet and encourages stressed lives of mediocrity.  I do not accept that lifestyle as my own and encourage others to make small lifestyle changes to move away from the traditional way of thinking that is keeping our planet and our species in the health crisis that we face today. Could we be the first species to extinct ourselves? Not changing anything is putting ourselves on a Fast track to failure as a species. The answer is simple……incorporate where we came from, what is natural and the knowledge that we have today about the human body. A treadmill is not natural, nor is processed food. We did not survive millions of years to sit in front of a computer all day and worry about finances. There is more to life. There is more to a being human and the answer is right in front of us. Nature. Nature has written the laws that we must follow. If you feel depressed, deprived and stressed, my advice is to get outside, go explore nature feel what it is like to be a real human in your natural habitat. God created us to be FREE!!! Free yourself from the bondage of the environment that we have created.

Peas&Love,
Shanna Tokarsky ‘10

Resources: More about MovNat: http://movnat.com/
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<![CDATA[Obesity 7 Years Ago....]]>Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:16:33 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/02/obesity-7-years-ago.html
This is what we knew 7 years ago! What is going to change in the next 7 years? We need to make changes NOW!!! I do not want to bring children into a world that is plagued with disease. Why are you?! We are all connected, this effects every one of us and we ALL need to band together to come up with better solutions. Obviously what we have done in the past is not working. Children cannot make this decision for themselves. As adults it is our job to protect them and we are failing. WE are killing them. We are responsible.
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<![CDATA[Obesity RANTS!!]]>Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:56:55 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/02/obesity-rants.htmlPicture
Overweight and obesity have tremendous consequences on our nation's health and economy. Both are associated to numerous chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers. Even more alarming is the childhood obesity epidemic that is climbing in numbers every year. James Baldwin was quoted at the 2003 California Child Obesity Conference.  Mr. Baldwin stated, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” Child obesity is not a problem with the children.  It is a problem with the adults in society.  However, the complexity of the declining health and increasing obesity situation that our country is facing today cannot easily be broken down into one easy solution. It is very certain the need for change is crucial and extremely time sensitive. More importantly the need for strong, creative, and passionate leaders to revolutionize the current preventative health systems that are in place are essential to the success of redesigning a society that encourages healthy behaviors. 

I am one of those leaders and here’s my beef:

If you are alive today it is not news to you that we have a HUGE problem in our country today. 50 years ago it was very uncommon to see any overweight or obese people in society, let alone obese children, people would stare, point and laugh. Funny how the tables have turned in that short amount of time, now it’s uncommon to see healthy people.  If a healthy person is seen in public; heads turn, whispers spread about how they must only eat raw vegetables and live in the gym or be on some crazy low calorie diet between all the ‘normal’ people around. The truth is; with over half of Americans overweight or obese it’s now a social norm to be that way and a taboo to be healthy. As a preventative wellness advocate and a social outcast heath nut there are a few rants that I need to get off my chest about this “Obesity epidemic”  if you are offended its because you know it’s the truth.
1. Obesity should not be considered a disease! People decide to be obese.  Everyday, every decision, every minute matters and has major affects to your health. Small choices that are made every day determine if a person is going to be healthy. The reason that obesity comes along with so many other real diseases is because our bodies were not made to carry around 100s of extra pounds of fat. God made our bodies to be amazing and the majority of us are turning them into disease packed landfills! Your body is your temple you only get one treat it with some respect.
2. Overweight people should not work at places that facilitate healthy living programs unless they are willing to make the healthy lifestyle changes themselves. NOTHING gets under my skin more than extremely overweight orpeople leading more overweight people on a health quest. First of all why would you follow someone that doesn’t know how to get healthy for themselves and secondly how is that person going to help you? They need help!
3. Health insurance should not have to pay out claims to preventable conditions like obesity. Think about it; your auto insurance policy would not pay out your loss if you deliberately crashed your car, why should health insurance be different? If you deliberately plan to ruin your body by the choices you make why does the rest of the population have to pay for it with increased health insurance rates?
4. Childhood obesity!!! AHHHHH this is by far the worst! We do not have a childhood obesity problem; we have an adult obesity problem. As adults we are completely responsible for all the unhealthy children that we are cursing with our bad habits. I can understand if you as an adult want to make unhealthy decisions but how can you look at your children and know that you are responsible for killing them slowly by making the same unhealthy decisions for them. Probably a better decision is to give them cigarettes, beer and the keys to your car, their chances of living healthy are much higher. I am dumbfounded when people say, “I only keep it in the house for the kids” (referring to junk food, soda and other unhealthy crap). So you don’t think its okay for you to eat it but you are willing to feed it to your kids? What?? How about adults deciding that PE is not important in school or that cafeteria lunches are less nutritious than what we feed inmates at the local jails. What is wrong with our country?
5. Excuses! Seriously, if I hear one more ‘overactive thyroid’ excuse or ‘I have big bones’ excuse I’m going to pop a blood vessel! For F**k sake people what are we going to come up with next? Take some responsibility for your actions!

Are you angry? Offended? Upset? GREAT! AWESOME! FANTASTIC! You should be! That was my intent.  I am passionately discussed with the health of our country and need a tribe of equally as angry people help make a change. Me ranting and raving all by myself does not get much done. There is no question that drastic changes need to be made within our society before its too late and we’re all dead. There is no question that it is going to take time and that we are going to need more than just a few ‘health nuts’ to make the necessary changes.  It is also clear that what we have been doing in the past is NOT working and that it needs to stop immediately. I do also understand that our society does not embrace healthy living, which makes it extremely difficult to live a healthy lifestyle. Notice I said ‘difficult’ not impossible.  For every one positive action we are bombarded with ten negative reinforcements that support unhealthy living. For example, you go a to a boot camp class (P) on your way there you buy a Gatorade to drink during class(N), drive 1 mile to get to class (N) , drink muscle milk to refuel afterward because you read in a fitness magazine muscle milk was the way to go now (N), pick up Burger King for the kids and husband on the way home (N), eat your prepackaged garbage diet food instead(N), watch TV for 3 hours, don’t want to miss the biggest loser (N), start getting hungry half way through the episode but don’t eat because Oprah says to close down the kitchen at 7pm (N), go to bed starving because there was no nutritional value to  your dinner (N), wake up half way through the night with hunger pangs and drink a warm glass of milk to go back to sleep (N) and finally wake up in the morning to refuel on only carbs (fruit and cereal, high fiber of course) and coffee to start the whole cycle over again (N). Most people are fooled to think they are doing the right things. Its not! Look at the statistics they are getting worse. We need to get fired up, mad and start demanding change! The great thing about America is that we always seem to get what we want. Pretty sure that is what got us in this mess in the first place.

Here's a Start:

• Take responsibly. Stop making those excuses and realize that you are in control. The world is not a turmoil place where random things happen to people. We make decisions everyday that affect every single outcome in our life. Once you start to take responsibility for everything in your life and realize you are where you are because of the decisions that you made, you are then able to move forward. Isn’t cool to know that you are in complete control? Isn’t cool to know that you have the power to change? That is really the only solution! To change we need to take responsibility for our current situation. Best advice I have ever heard in my life:

Excerpt From The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success
by Andy Andrews
From this moment forward, I will accept responsibility for my past. I understand that the beginning of wisdom is to accept the responsibility for my own problems and that by accepting responsibility for my past, I free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing.

Never again will I blame anyone else for my present situation. Neither my genetics or the circumstantial ebb and flow of everyday life will affect my future in a negative way. If I allow myself to blame these uncontrollable forces for my lack of success, I will be forever caught in a web of the past. I will look forward. I will not let my history control my destiny.

The buck stops here. I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success. I am where I am today - mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially - because of decisions I have made. My decisions have always been governed by my thinking. Therefore, I am where I am because of how I think. Today I will begin the process of changing where I am by changing the way I think.

My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the future. It will not dwell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world. I will never seek comfort by associating with those who have decided to be comfortable.

When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will make one. I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to make a decision and then make it right. The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my course. When I make a decision, I will stand behind it. My energy will go into making the decision. I will waste none on second thoughts. My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement.

The buck stops here. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. In the future when I am tempted to ask the question "Why me?" I will immediately counter with the answer: "Why not me?" Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with; I will have a choice to make. My thoughts will be clear. I will make the right choice. Adversity is preparation for greatness. I will accept this preparation. I will be prepared for something great! I accept responsibility for my past. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. I am responsible for my success. ...The buck stops here.


The rest of the book is amazing too!

Peas & Love,
Shanna ’10

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<![CDATA[Why don't new years health resolutions stick?]]>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:16:54 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/01/why-dont-new-years-health-resolutions-stick.htmlPicture
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

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<![CDATA[LIFE = RISK]]>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:28:27 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/01/life-risk.html
GREAT way to start your day!
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<![CDATA[Get Fit in Lake Carolina in 2010]]>Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:17:38 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2010/01/get-fit-in-lake-carolina-in-2010.html
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The New Year is here! No surprise that the most popular new years resolution is to lose weight. According to a new survey commissioned by Weight Watchers and Harris Interactive(R) almost half (45%) of U.S. women say losing weight will be one of their New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year. Among those 45% who will resolve to lose weight in the New Year, almost all (97%) say they will need some assistance to keep their resolution. So what is your plan for 2010? Will this be another year with unfilled promises to yourself or will this be the year you rock your body into shape and become the healthy person you’ve always wanted to be. Why not this year? Here are three things that I have learned over the years about successful weight loss plans; 1) they have to be convenient and work with your personal style, 2) you must be accountable to a plan and to someone, a friend, a family member or a fitness professional and 3) you have to see and feel results to stay motivated.  The great news is that you live in an excellent community that offers resolution-helping options for you and your family. Here are some ideas to stay in shape at Lake Carolina this year:

Utilize the trails and paths Beautifully landscaped sidewalks connect our neighborhoods, while miles of bicycle and nature trails amble through 200 acres of preserved Lake Carolina wildlife areas. Currently, over 30 miles of sidewalks, bike paths and walking trails interconnect Lake Carolina, its 34 neighborhoods and Town Center. Use them! 3-4 times a week for at least 20 minutes if you are walking. Get a group together and be accountable to each other.

Join the local outdoor boot camp Did you know there is a local outdoor boot camp in Lake Carolina? Boot camp classes meet daily in the morning and night. Find a class that fits your schedule. You will see results from boot camp classes and you are accountable to be there once you have paid. Plus the group dynamic and constantly changing workouts keeps your fitness plan fun and exciting! Click Here for more!
 
Play outside Lake Carolina has a handful of beautiful outdoor public parks for you to use. Get outside and play! Walk the dog. Start a game of family football. Get your neighbors involved too.
 
Get involved in the sporting events held at Lake Carolina – The big event every year is the Tri the Midlands Triathlon during the middle of June. There are also countless other races and sporting events that happen in Lake Carolina year round. You need some serious motivation sign up for a triathlon or marathon, knowing that everyday the race gets closer will get you out of bed in the morning! Check out The Lake Carolina Blog for a list of upcoming events.
 
Join the YMCA – Enjoy the 55,000 square foot, $10 million Jeep Rogers Family YMCA at Lake Carolina. Adjacent to Kelly Mill Middle School, the new 12-acre Y is simply stunning. They also offer various kids programs and adult fitness classes. It's important that you take into consideration your fitness style. Just because you pay for a membership to a gym does not mean that you will be getting fit. If you have never enjoyed going to the gym save yourself some money and try something else from the list.  Visit www.columbiaymca.org for more about the Y.
 
Hire fitness professional – Make it easy for yourself hire a professional that knows what steps to take to get you to your specific goals. The good ones will keep you accountable because they know they have a vested interest in seeing you succeed. If you are not seeing the results that you are looking for its probably time for a new trainer. All trainers are not created equally! Find one that you like and that can give you what you are paying for…..RESULTS!! And you don't have to join a gym to take advantage of a personal trainer there are trainers that will come to your house, making it even more convient for you! Check it out!
 
Start a weight loss competition  – get a group of neighbors, friends and family together and start your own weight loss competition. Host meetings occasionally to share successes and to keep each other motivated. You can also get fitness professional to help facilitate your competition. Here is a program that is already put together.

Shop at the Farmers Market – Fresh local produce brought to your backyard. Every Thursday from May until November Lake Carolina has farmers market in Town Center, making it easy and convenient to pick up fresh produce every week! Eating whole foods is a great way to stay on track. The closer the food is to coming straight from the Earth the better. Stay away from processed food as much as possible.

Peas & Love,
Shanna Tokarsky '10

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<![CDATA[Christmas Craze! ]]>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:53:47 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2009/12/christmas-craze.htmlPicture
Recently one of my good friends shared a video with me that rocked my world! A company called Box of Crayons created the video called “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun” This fun and very creative video goes through eight principles to banish boredom from your life and start having fun. But more than that it teaches you how to live the life you want to.  Watch it here.  As we go through the Christmas season two of the Principles really stuck out to me.  
• “Stop being busy – Being busy is seductive. Just because you’re going flat out doesn’t mean that you’re on the right track. If it’s the wrong hole, you need to stop digging.”
o Think about that, sometimes we are just busy to be busy, especially during the holiday season. Are you doing busy work in your own life?  Sometimes we have to slow down to speed up. Are you so busy going nowhere that you don’t have time to realize that you’re only going in circles? How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll do that when its not so busy….maybe after Christmas…..after New Years…..after this cold passes ….. after the kids start school….when the summer is over…..after labor day….after Thanksgiving…..then we’re back to Christmas….and it goes on and on and on. The point is if you don’t know where you’re going it doesn’t matter how fast you are going to get there. So SLOW down make a plan, set some goals, and fill your time with meaningful action steps that will get you to where you truly want to be in life. The circle of life will always get in the way if you let it. Getting caught up in busy is easy. Listen to people around you today, I guarantee you that most of them will be complaining about how busy they are. What are they really busy with? Next year will they be in a better position because of the work they were busy with today? For the most part probably not. Successful people never complain about being busy. They know where they are going and know what they have to do to get there. Its not busy work if it creates results. And you really can’t complain about results. You should feel good about doing productive work, not overwhelmed with business. The next time you have the urge to complain about being busy slow down to think about what you are filling your time with. We all have 24 hours in a day, learn how to be efficient at filling them and you will be able to live out your dreams.

• “Stop taking it all so damn seriously. – In this moment, is it a life or death decision? In 10 years, will you remember what you’re fretting about? In 100 years will anyone care? So lighten up – this too will pass”
o Ohhhh this is good for the Christmas season. Does it really matter that the tree is perfectly decorated or that your kids’ hair is perfect for the Christmas pictures? A lot of the time we end up missing the true meaning of Christmas because we are so caught up in the stress that we create. This applies our lives too. How often do we worry and obsess about little things that at the end of the day really do not matter? Life is not perfect. We should be enjoying the ride with all the ups and downs not trying to rebuild the track as we’re on it. Stress has serious health effects too. It releases a hormone in our body called cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels have been shown to increase body fat, triglycerides, blood sugar, depression and injuries. It can also decrease immune system functions and fertility. With that being said think about what you are stressing about. When you start to worry, ask yourself can I change this and will it matter in 10 years? Will anyone care in 100 years? Another good tip is to stop worrying about other people, you can only control yourself and how you react to situations. Knowing that you are only responsible for how you react takes a lot stress out of your life.  Remember you are the only one that can make the decision about how you feel. You decide to feel stress or you decide to feel happy. You have the control so DECIDE to laugh, have fun, be happy and most of all make the decision to enjoy the ride you only get one time around!
Peas&Love,
Shanna 09

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<![CDATA[Make Each Meal a Protein + Carbohydrate]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:30:27 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2009/11/make-each-meal-a-protein-carbohydrate.htmlPicture
Rule of Thumb for each meal:
PROTEIN = at LEAST 10 Grams
CARBOHYDRATE = UNDER 30 Grams

Why?
-Carbohydrates are digested slower when combined with proteins
-Stabilizes blood sugar levels
-Protein is needed to burn fat and feed muscle
-Need Carbohydrates for many functions, however too many at one sitting causes the fat storage process
-Carbohydrates are our bodies main source of energy. If we eat more than we actually need for energy our bodies story it for later (as body fat) Body fat is really just stored up emergency energy.
-30grams of carbohydrates is an amount that your body can use, without going into "surplus"

Foods that contain larger amounts of Protein:
-Meat
-Poultry
-Fish
-Eggs
-Cottage Cheese
-Protein Powders
***Peanut Butter & Cheese are FATS not Protein***

Carbohydrates:
-Bread, bagels, rolls, croutons, cereal, oatmeal, rice, all flour products
-Fruit and fruit products (jelly, juice)
-Yogurt, Milk
-Corn, Peas, Squash, Potatoes, Yams
-Beans, Lentils
-Candies, sweets
-Alcohol

Serving Sizes
CARBOHYDRATES (15-20 grams)
- The size of your palm
- 1 slice of bread
- 1/3 bagel
- 1/2 English muffin
- 1/2 tortilla
- 1/2 cup rice, pasta, dry cereal
- 1/2 banana
- 1 Tbsp Regular Jam
- 1 small piece of fruit

PROTEIN (10 grams)
- 1/2 the size of your palm
- 2 egg whites

THE KEY IS TO READ FOOD LABELS!

Make it Happen:
- Veggies are free - except for corn, peas, squash, potatoes
-Read food labels
-Plan your meals ahead of time
-When in doubt eat a Meal Replacement shake or bar that has the proper carb/protein ratio. Advocare has both.
-At Restaurants:
- Eat open-faced sandwiches with no other carbohydrates
- For Salads, make adjustments to remove "added" Carbohydrates - example if you eat the croutons, skip the roll

Peas & Love,
Shanna Tokarsky 2009

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<![CDATA[Holiday Secrets Skinny People don't want you to know!]]>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:56:26 -0800http://www.betruebalanced.com/1/post/2009/11/holiday-secrets-skinny-people-dont-want-you-to-know.htmlDid you know that the average Thanksgiving dinner has over 2,000 calories?! Eggnog has 340 to 460 calories per eight-ounce glass. Add in the extra deserts and alcohol, no wonder most Americans gain on average 5-10lbs each years between the Thanksgiving and New Years. I know that doesn't really sound like much but the truth is those 5-10lbs are not lost from the year before and keep piling up over the years. So how do you avoid the temptation to eat until you can’t move on Thanksgiving? How do you not drink a cocktail at your company Christmas party? There are a few secrets that healthy people have to keep themselves in check during the holiday parties. Here are a few of mine:

1. Don’t ever go to a party hungry!! You know there is going to be thousands of bad choices and you don’t want to be the psycho in corner eating the entire veggie try. Do yourself a favor and eat a healthy meal (300 calories, More than 10g protein, Less than 30g of carbs) right before you go. This way you can still taste to get your fix but you don’t have to make a meal out of it. Notice I said taste, one or two bites of anything is enough to satisfy your craving.

2. Make and bring a healthy version of your favorite holiday treat to the party. This way when if you do get hungry you can fall back on the healthy version that you made. Note: don’t go around broadcasting that it only has 100 calories, 10g of protein and no carbs……most people are scared of healthy anything and that’s why they will be gaining 5-10lbs this season. Just smile and take complements when people tell you how awesome it tastes. I sometimes wait until its all gone to share the fact that is was also healthy for them. Still people will always try to avoid healthy especially at a party…..maybe they don’t want to be known as a health nut. Either way I’m not going to let their weird obsession with crappy food ruin my body. My favorite recipe for Thanksgiving is a pumpkin pie made with meal replacement shakes and protein powder. It actually tastes better than the normal way!

3. Stay hydrated! You should be obsessed with drinking water! You body can and most of the time does send you mixed signals about wither it is hungry or thirsty. Always always reach for water first before you decide that you are hungry. You will be amazed on how often it was just a hydration issue. Plus drinking water will help fill up your stomach when you are hungry. Also add electrolyte replacement drinks to keep you super hydrated. Watch for sugar though! A lot of  "sports" drinks are loaded with sugar.

4. Look for lower calorie alcohol beverages. Seriously I’m not going to say to stay away from alcohol during the holidays, I definitely don’t, but there are some damage control tactics that are helpful. Eggnog is delicious, especially with rum and cinnamon, as stated earlier one 8oz glass can have almost 500 calories!! AHHH! This is actually my favorite holiday drink so here’s my secret, Silk Eggnog instead! You cannot tell the difference taste wise and it has less calories and even gives you protein too. Stick to light beers, clear liquors like vodka with non-sugary mixers (flavored vodka and water is actually really good), and pace yourself. Try drinking a glass of water in between each drink. It will slow you down and keep you hydrated and that my friends leads to a much more pleasant morning.

5. Stay active! If you are at a party and there is wii bowling jump in on that! Dancing anyone? YES please!! Park down the street and walk. Help other guests carry in bags and trays. Help clean up. Use the upstairs bathroom…..You get the point! Just like all those little desserts add up….so do these little extra activities. Now just cause you used the upstairs bathroom doesn’t mean that you can eat 5 mini cheeseburgers, but it will add to your calories burned that day. If you know that it is going to be a bad night than put in extra time at the gym that day and eat extra healthy, but that to me is kind of setting yourself up to fail don’t you think?

Those are some of the tactics that I use to stay on track at the holiday parties. Of course I have more but if I give out all my secrets then you wouldn’t need to keep coming to me for advice and then I wouldn’t have a job. Stay healthy this Holiday Season, because you won’t be getting a new body for Christmas this year either! : )

Peas&Love,
Shanna 09
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