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Spring vs. Winter

What is it that makes us go out of our way each spring to slim down, tone up, and put on fresh coat of sunshine? We all want to feel good, and be more attractive, so that we look better in those revealing summer clothes. I originally wrote this article for a spring publication, but decided that this time of the year may be even more appropriate because let’s face it, this time of year is when nearly all of us put on the most weight. If we start now, during the cold months to slim down, tone up and get ready, we’ll be ready for the summer long before it arrives!

Make the Time

In today’s busy world, especially during the holidays, who has the time to put in a few hours of aerobics every day? Most of us don’t, or are not willing to take the time, even if it is available to us. But there are many things that we can do to help get a flatter tummy, lose some of those thunder thighs, help clear up skin problems, breathe better, have more energy, and get a little sunshine, safely, and in a small amount of time, if we can just get motivated and put aside the time to do it. Proper nutrition and exercise are extremely important. We are learning more and more about foods and combining them. Herbs, minerals and vitamins can be an excellent tool for weight loss, maintenance and revitalization of energy.

Love Thyself

Loving yourself is one of the most important parts of living life. Without self-love there is no way you can truly love another, right? And the body is your temple, a great place to start. Changing is just that. Losing weight and getting in shape have to come from making lifestyle changes that need to last throughout your life.

My Story

My personal diet and exercise regimen helped me to lose over one-hundred pounds through trial and error in 1999-2000. I was at my wits end. I had tried just about every diet product and exercise plan that was known to man. Nothing worked.

Just a little over 8 years ago by the grace of God, I found a popular set of herbal products, and I lost forty-five pounds in two mos. and kept all but ten of those forty-five pounds off for well over a year. I still had another twenty-five pounds to lose in order to reach my goal. I had plateaued. I became discouraged and gave up for awhile.

The end weight is the hardest to take off, but I knew that I would eventually do it. About 15 mos into my plan I got my mindset straight again and I began getting more into diet and exercise. With the help of herbal and nutritional supplements, I was able to take off the ten pounds that I had gained back, plus an additional fifteen pounds in ten weeks. In just five more weeks, I was back to my goal weight(where I was ten years earlier), and in better shape than I had ever been in my entire life. Over the years I have occasionally gained weight again, especially over the winter months but I was able to lose it again fairly quickly by using the same methods as in the past. I’ve kept most of it off for over 8 years!

These are excellent results that come from empowerment, discipline and a little hard work. Different people may achieve different results, but your own realistic goals are truly achievable, if you can simply commit yourself to attaining them. This may sound difficult, but it’s really not that hard. Empowering yourself to do what you need to do to maintain your health is the greatest gift you can give yourself, and those that love you.

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Why We Gain Weight

Why do we gain weight, and why is our society fat in general? One of the main reasons is that the body is filling up with toxins that are not being properly eliminated. Poor nutrition, including excessive amounts of sugar and sodium from processed foods, lack of education, a fast lifestyle, cigarette smoking, drugs(including some prescription drugs) & alcohol, chemical compounds, and just plain laziness contribute to this problem, as well as the fact that our food itself is not what it once was. We fill our vegetables and fruits with pesticides, we combine foods improperly, and we eat “on the go”. Our meat is fed on the vegetables that are filled with these toxins and our air and water are polluted with all kinds of horrible substances. What do you think are the main causes of cancer, heart disease and stroke(the number one killers)? In a word… TOXINS.

When we gain weight, we become sluggish, slow, have skin problems, lose range of motion, lose energy, and breathe less freely. Giving the body less cleansing oxygen and water, we literally starve ourselves from the inside out.

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What the Body Needs

The human body is made up of mostly water, so what do you think we need to cleanse the body? No, we don’t want to drink a lot of water, this will only bloat the system. Drink for thirst only. Water-rich foods are the best medicinefor cleansing the body.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to breathe more freely, move about more easily, and see incredible results in the mirror, without having to give up much of anything but a bunch of old fat, and poisons that you don’t want or need anyway?

The body needs water-rich foods, vitamins, minerals and oxygen to become, and remain healthy. Without these life-giving nutrients the body must store something else, so it stores the fat, starch(carbohydrates) which later turn into sugars, and salt which retains water instead of using it properly, that we provide it in our fast-food junky lifestyles. This process causes these unwanted wastes to be trapped within the body. Opposing that, if there are enough nutrients properly absorbed in the body, the body will instead eliminate most of the “garbage” and keep the “good stuff”. Remember the phrase, ” You ARE what you EAT?”

What Can We Do?

What can we do about it? Well, for one thing we can take a step back and look at what we are putting into our bodies and our world. Decreasing the amount of toxins that we put into our world and our bodies is the first step. Eat water rich foods, especially fruits which are great for energyand mental clarity. Get plenty of exercise, even a small amount if you are pressed for time is healthwise. Recyclethose cans and bottles. Stop smoking cigarettes. Lose the aerosol cans. Look for reasonable and safe ways to eliminate our waste. Empower ourselves to eliminate the garbage in our world and our bodies and decide on proper nutrition and exercise. Major manufacturers can look to exceed the EPA’s standard expectations for keeping pollution out of our world.

We MUST remember that we only receive from our bodies and our world that which we put into them. Let’s make a difference, one body, one person at a time.