Wine, the miracle drug?

October 29th, 2011 Dennis

Red and White wine are healthy.

Many of my clients ask me regularly – “Is it ok to drink wine?” The answer is – yes but, as I always say, all things in moderation.

Recent studies in various countries show that the positive effects of drinking a moderate amount of red wine are higher than you think. But white wine has also protective forces that are in some ways equal to red wine –and in some instances white wine is even more protective than red wine.

Sports Medicine Specialist and Professor at the University of Mainz, Dr. Klaus Jung has performed several consecutive studies in the past years on the health effects of white wine. He and his colleagues have proven in detail the following protective effects of white wine (if it is consumed in a moderate amount):

  1. The “bad” LDL cholesterol, drops while the “good” HDL cholesterol, that protects the heart, rises.
  2. Polyphenols which are only contained in wine act as antioxidants.
  3. Fibrinogen, that supports the clotting of the blood, drops too.

This means that wine prevents dangerous embolisms, thrombosis, heart attacks and cerebral infarctions. However, Dr. Jung points out that as much as wine can protect you against ill health it is important to note that it cannot heal existing illnesses.

How does the moderate consumption of wine affect our bodies? Read on.

Wine, your heart, and blood circulation

In France there are less people dying of heart attacks than in the US. At first there was no explanation to that fact, as French people love to eat “good food” too. But recently a possible explanation as to the cause of less heart attacks has been found: the consumption of wine! – Why?

  1. Lack of oxygen rich blood supply to the heart due to narrowed arteries (accumulation of cholesterol and potential formation of blood clots) is the main reason for a heart attack. Red wine works against that in multiple ways: The tannins in wine avert the oxidation of cholesterol (Vitamin B) and minimize the risk of accumulation of cholesterol inside the blood vessels. Furthermore, those tannins and the alcohol combined prevent the formation of blood clots; and can even cause a certain widening of the blood vessels.
  2. The consumption of wine – especially red wine – also helps to prevent arteriosclerosis (narrowing of blood arteries due to the accretion of cholesterol). Therefore the consummation of a moderate amount of wine can stimulate and stabilize low blood pressure. But beware – too much alcohol can cause high blood pressure too! Moderation is the key.

Conclusion: Wine can prevent the buildup of cholesterol and blood clots in the blood vessels and can therefore abate the risk of getting a heart attack. It also can help prevent arteriosclerosis; and stimulates and stabilizes low blood pressure.

Wine and your digestion system

Flavoring, mineral nutrients, the acid and alcohol contained in wine cause increased salivation and gastric juice secretion. Therefore, wine – especially highly aromatic wine with intense flavor – has long been consumed as an appetizer and to prevent the loss of appetite.

Wine activates the production of pepsin, which is a digestive enzyme, in the stomach. Furthermore the secretions of the pancreas and gall bladder are augmented, which increases the efficiency of the whole digestive system (and the risk of getting gall stones becomes smaller).

Wine can also be used as “medicine” for frequent digestive disorders especially young and fresh white wine or fermenting young wine. It abates constipation; while red wines rich in tannins can help cure diarrhea. This is because wine has a disinfectant effect on the gastrointestinal tract and kills the bacteria there.

Conclusion: Wine boosts the secretion of saliva, gastric juices and increases the production of digestive enzymes and helps against constipation and diarrhea!

Wine, your brain, nervous system and old age

A long-term study of approximately 4000 persons over 65 years of age showed that regular, moderate consumption of wine can help to prevent the degradation of the brain due to old age. Therefore wine drinkers often maintain their mental youth longer than people who don’t drink wine at all. Plus, according to that same study a fourth of a liter of wine per day reduced the aging process by more than a third.

The study also indicated that moderate consumption of wine also affects the nervous system by making us more aware of what is happening around us. Wine, as previously mentioned also causes the blood vessels to widen and an increased circulation of the blood, and therefore improves the oxygen supply to the brain.

Anecdotally, Johann W. Goethe, who was a fancier of wine, was said to say that wine increased his creativity.

Conclusion: Consumption of wine can increase awareness and creativity. And it slows down the degradation of the brain and helps slow down the aging process!

Wine and your immune system

The positive effects of the consumption of wine, especially the tannins and acids in wine, on the human immune system are based on its ability to detox the intermediate metabolism byproducts of bacteria and alcohol – and are therefore helpful in preventing intestinal infections caused by coliform bacteria and infections in the respiratory system.

Wine also helps to stimulate the respiratory system: the deepening and speeding up of breathing after drinking wine leads to a better transport of air through the bronchial tubes and therefore increases the supply of oxygen.

Conclusion: Wine can help fight against bacterial infections and helps to strengthen the immune system!

Can drinking wine help you lose weight?

Of course the consumption of a high amount of alcohol causes weight gain. But did you know that you can lose weight with alcohol too?

Weight loss methods using wine have been known and used for over 150 years. Around 1820, Dr. Johann Schroth developed a healing diet called “Schroth-Kur”, (still available today in Germany) – which essentially is an intensive purification of the body.

The vegan diet consists of low salt, no fat and is mostly protein free – and one has to alternate between “drinking days” (days where you drink a lot of a combination of herbal teas, juices and dry white wine and water) and “thirst days” (days where you don’t drink much at all).

Together with hot and cold body wraps, exercise and relaxation this cure guarantees weight loss by increasing your metabolic rate. It also rids the body of toxins, strengthens the immune system, calms the organs, lowers high blood pressure, lowers cholesterol and blood sugars, helps fight diabetes and respiratory and skin diseases and reduces the acidic build up in the body plus it lowers the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Conclusion: With a moderate consummation of wine, combined with a vegan diet, it is possible to effectively lose weight!

Wine, your hormones, sex and love

The nervous system is not the only “controlling system” in the human body; another one is your hormones. Hormones are messengers that are manufactured in different places of the body (such as the thyroid, pancreas, and brain that regulates the reactions and maintenance of your body) to cause special effects on the body.

Moderate consumption of wine initiates the whole hormone system – and therefore increases the production of sex hormones. The noticeable feeling of warmth while drinking wine is caused by the expansion of blood vessels underneath the skin.

Consuming wine prior to love making relaxes the body and heightens the awareness of the moment and helps one feel “good”. Furthermore it has an impact on the production of estrogen – which therefore can help to ease the discomfort of menopause.

Another important significance is that wine increases the activity of the thyroid and therefore the resistance to diseases, such as colds, flu, rheumatic disorders and generally helps against stress.

Conclusion: Wine stimulates the hormone system, makes one feel “good” when making love and helps against discomfort during menopause. It also helps to reduce stress.

What is a “moderate” amount?

Generally speaking drinking a glass or two of wine a day combined with proper nutrition and regular exercise is considered to be moderate and beneficial to your health.

Drinking to excess of any alcohol is detrimental to your health. Balance is the key.

Yours in success in health and fitness

Dennis Croll

Vital Living

www.vitalliving.co.nz

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We Don’t Need Milk

August 17th, 2011 Dennis
WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT HIGH MILK PRICES – WE DON’T NEED MILK IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Once upon a time, there were farmers who milked cows by hand on the family farm. The milk was fresh and pure, full of living enzymes and nutrients. It was fattening but because it was fresh it was also life giving and nourishing.
In fact milk today is bad for us – so not only are the supermarkets and dairy producers creaming it they are making us sick and potentially killing us! Not to mention dairy cows drastically polluting the environment. (The average cow and production of milk needs about 1000 gallons of water per day per cow – draining your water reserves and tons of of fertilisers to produce good grass which filter into our waterways
Contaminants
Milk contains contaminants that range from pesticides to drugs. Milk naturally contains hormones and growth factors produced within a cow’s body. In addition, synthetic hormones such as recombinant bovine growth hormone are commonly used in dairy cows to increase the production of milk
Modern milk products come from factory farms with practices aimed at increasing profit. The bottom line is more important than public health. To optimize production, cows are given large amounts of antibiotics, steroids and growth hormones. The path that transforms healthy milk products into allergens and carcinogens begins with modern feeding methods that substitute high-protein, soy-based feeds for fresh green grass and breeding methods to produce cows with abnormally large pituitary glands so that they produce three times more milk than the old fashioned scrub cow. These cows need antibiotics to keep them well.
The toxins from these medications are transmitted to the milk in concentrated doses. The cows are milked throughout their pregnancies and pushed to their limit of milk production, stimulating the release of stress and sex hormones into the milk. The presence of these hormones has been linked to the early onset of puberty of young girls in industrialized countries as well as the development of hormone related cancers (breast, prostate and ovarian). .
Cows on factory farms are exposed to high levels of environmental toxins from their feed, water and surroundings. The cow’s body naturally protects itself by storing these toxins in its fatty tissues and milk. Consequently, high levels of concentrated dioxins, pesticides and other toxins wind up in the commercial milk supply. When tested, modern milk shows a 400% higher pesticide level than an equivalent sample of grains.
Fifty years ago the average cow produced 2,000 pounds of milk per year. Today the top producers give 50,000 pounds. How is this accomplished? Drugs, antibiotics, hormones (the most dangerous of these is bovine growth hormone BGH by Monsanto), forced feeding plans and specialized breeding.
Because treated cows are producing quantities of milk nature never intended, the end result can be mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary glands. Treatment of this condition requires the use of antibiotics, and antibiotic traces have occasionally been found in samples of milk and other dairy products. Pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxins are other examples of contaminants found in milk. These toxins do not readily leave the body and can eventually build to harmful levels that may affect the immune and reproductive systems. The central nervous system can also be affected. Moreover, PCBs and dioxins have also been linked to cancer.
Cancer
The recent approval by the FDA of the use of BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) by dairy farmers to increase their milk production only worsens the already sad picture.
BGH causes an increase in an insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in the milk of treated cows. IGF-1 survives milk pasteurization and human intestinal digestion. It can be directly absorbed into the human bloodstream, particularly in infants. It is highly likely that IGF-1 promotes the transformation of human breast cells to cancerous forms. IGF-1 is also a growth factor for already cancerous breast and colon cancer cells, promoting their progression and invasiveness.
It is also possible for us to absorb the BGH directly from the milk. This will cause further IGF-1 production by our own cells. BGH will also decrease the body fat of cows. Unfortunately, the body fat of cows is already contaminated with a wide range of carcinogens, pesticides, dioxin, and antibiotic residues. When the cows have less body fat, these toxic substances are then transported into the cows' milk.
BGH also causes the cows to have an increase in breast infections for which they must receive additional antibiotics. Prior to BGH, 38%of milk sampled nationally was already contaminated by illegal residues of antibiotics and animal drugs. This will only increase with the use of BGH. One can only wonder what the long term complications will be for drinking milk that has a 50% chance it is contaminated with antibiotics.
Prostate and breast cancers have been linked to consumption of dairy products, presumably related to increases in a compound called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). IGF-I is found in cow’s milk and has been shown to occur in increased levels in the blood of individuals consuming dairy products on a regular basis.16 Other nutrients that increase IGF-I are also found in cow’s milk.
Case-control studies in diverse populations have shown a strong and consistent association between serum IGF-I concentrations and prostate cancer risk.17 One study showed that men who had the highest levels of IGF-I had more than four times the risk of prostate cancer compared with those who had the lowest levels.18 Other findings show that prostate cancer risk was elevated with increased consumption of low-fat milk, suggesting that too much dairy calcium could be a potential threat to prostate health.19,20
Ovarian cancer may also be related to the consumption of dairy products. The milk sugar lactose is broken down in the body into another sugar, galactose. Research suggests that the dairy sugar galactose might be toxic to ovarian cells.21 In a study conducted in Sweden, consumption of lactose and dairy products was positively linked to ovarian cancer.22 A similar study, the Iowa Women’s Health Study, found that women who consumed more than one glass of milk per day had a 73 percent greater chance of ovarian cancer than women who drank less than one glass per day.23
Pasteurization and Homogenisation
In addition to this contamination, all commercial milk is pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurization is designed to kill harmful bacteria. It also destroys nutrients and the vital enzymes needed to digest the milk.
Pasteurization kills all the valuable enzymes (lactase for the assimilation of lactose; galactase for the assimilation of galactose; phosphatase for the assimilation of calcium).  Literally dozens of other precious enzymes are destroyed in the pasteurization process. Without them, milk is very difficult to digest. The human pancreas is not always able to produce these enzymes; over-stress of the pancreas can lead to diabetes and other diseases.
Homogenization breaks apart the fat molecules so the cream and milk no longer separate. This practice has serious health repercussions. Homogenization allows the enzyme Xanthine Oxidase (XO) to enter the bloodstream instead of being excreted as it normally would. This XO enzyme passes easily through the intestinal lining. There it acts as little knives inside your veins and arteries, cutting away at the artery walls. Your body makes cholesterol to repair these wounds. This process leads to atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and heart disease. These diseases are now being discovered even in the bodies of very young children and homogenized milk is suspected as the cause
Homogenization offered two big advantages to the dairy industry: (1) the abolition of the "creamline," as it's called, made it possible to package milk in more convenient cardboard packaging instead of traditional glass bottles and (2) homogenizing made it possible for a commercial dairy to "calculate the amount of fat in incoming milk, completely remove it, and homogenize it back into milk in any desired proportion…"

The dairy-processing industry decided that whole milk should be milk with 3.25% fat (raw milk straight from the cow averages between 4 – 5.5% fat). That way, no matter what cow produced the milk, after homogenization all the milk would taste the same.

When you buy homogenized milk, you're buying a whole food that isn't whole — it's had its fat removed, evened out, and injected back into it in an amount less than what appears in nature.

Synthetic vitamin D, known to be toxic to the liver, is added to replace the natural vitamin D complex in butterfat. Butterfat also contains re-arranged acids which have strong anti-carcinogenic properties.
Non-fat dried milk is added to 1% and 2% milk. Unlike the cholesterol in fresh milk, which plays a variety of health promoting roles, the cholesterol in non-fat dried milk is oxidized and it is this rancid cholesterol that promotes heart disease.
Like all spray dried products, non-fat dried milk has high nitrite content. Non-fat dried milk and sweetened condensed milk are the principle dairy products in third world countries; use of ultra high temperature pasteurized milk is widespread in Europe.
We are the only creatures on the planet that continues to drink milk after the normal weaning period.
Thisis interesting because nature really made milk to be a short-term nutrient for mammalian offspring to be given up a short time after birth called weaning. The weaning period, defined as the period during which breast milk is being replaced by other foods, usually begins when the infant is 4-6 months old. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breast-fed for at least 12 months and thereafter for as long as mutually desired. .

"There are 4,000 species of mammals, and they all make different milk. Human milk is made for human infants, and it meets all their specific nutrient needs," says Ruth Lawrence, M.D., professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University Of Rochester School Of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y., and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

We've known for years that the death rates in Third World countries are lower among breast-fed babies," says Lawrence. "Breast-fed babies are healthier and have fewer infections than formula-fed babies."

Cow’s milk is made by the cow for her calf; she puts blood products, RNA, and DNA into the milk to produce another cow not a human being. If the calf continues to drink its mother’s milk after it has matured it will kill it.

Bone strength?
We hear the misleading message over and over again touted by the dairy companies that milk is good for building strong bones in children and preventing osteoporosis in older persons. However, clinical research shows that dairy products have little or no benefit for bones
The ratio of calcium to magnesium in milk is 8 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium; at that ratio the calcium cannot be absorbed and becomes toxic. In order for the calcium to be absorbed the ratio must be 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium.
A 2005 review published in Pediatrics showed that milk consumption does not improve bone integrity in children. Similarly, the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study,2 which followed more than 72,000 women for 18 years, showed no protective effect of increased milk consumption on fracture risk. While calcium is important for bone health, studies show that increasing consumption beyond approximately 600 mg per day—amounts that are easily achieved without dairy products or calcium supplements—does not improve bone integrity.2
In studies of children and adults, exercise has been found to have a major effect on bone density.
You can decrease your risk of osteoporosis by reducing sodium and animal protein intake in the diet, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, exercising, and ensuring adequate calcium intake from plant foods such as kale, broccoli, and other leafy green vegetables and beans. You can also use calcium-fortified products such as breakfast cereals and juices, although these products provide more concentrated calcium than is necessary.
High in Saturated Fats and cholesterol
Dairy products—including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt (yogurt is a dairy product that is fit for human consumption in moderation. Yogurt has been transformed by another creature into a product that can be easily digested and does not cause the above problems); contribute significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat to the diet. Diets high in fat and saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease, among other serious health problems. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, in combination with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart disease, but may also reverse it.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is common among many populations, affecting approximately 95 percent of Asian Americans, 74 percent of Native Americans, 70 percent of African Americans, 53 percent of Mexican Americans, and 15 percent of Caucasians. Symptoms, which include gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, and flatulence, occur because these individuals do not have the enzyme lactase that digests the milk sugar lactose. For those who can digest lactose, its breakdown products are two simple sugars: glucose and galactose. Nursing children have active enzymes that break down galactose. As we age, many of us lose much of this capacity. Additionally, along with unwanted symptoms, milk-drinkers also put themselves at risk for development of other chronic diseases and ailments.
Vitamin D
Individuals often drink milk in order to obtain vitamin D in their diet, unaware that they can receive vitamin D through other sources. The natural source of vitamin D is sunlight. Five to fifteen minutes of sun exposure to the arms and legs or the hands, face, and arms can be enough to meet the body’s requirements for vitamin D, depending on the individual’s skin tone. Darker skin requires longer exposure to the sun in order to obtain adequate levels of vitamin D. In colder climates during the winter months the sun may not be able to provide adequate vitamin D. During this time the diet must be able to provide vitamin D. Fortified cereals, grains; bread, orange juice, and soy- or rice milk are healthful foods that provide vitamin D. All common multiple vitamins also provide vitamin D.
Milk Proteins and Diabetes
Insulin-dependent (type 1 or childhood-onset) diabetes is linked to consumption of dairy products. A 2001 Finnish study of 3,000 infants with genetically increased risk for developing diabetes showed that early introduction of cow’s milk increased susceptibility to type 1 diabetes.
Health Concerns of Infants and Children
There is also a problem with a protein enzyme called xanthine oxidase which is in cow's milk. Normally, proteins are broken down once you digest them. Milk proteins, milk sugar, fat, and saturated fat in dairy products pose health risks for children and encourage the development of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Ear specialists frequently insert tubes into the ear drums of infants to treat recurrent ear infections. This surgery has replaced the previously popular tonsillectomy to become the number one surgery in the country. Unfortunately, most of these specialists don't realize that over 50% of these children will improve and have no further ear infections if they just stop drinking their milk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants below one year of age not be given whole cow’s milk, as iron deficiency is more likely on a dairy-rich diet. Cow’s milk products are very low in iron. If dairy products become a major part of one’s diet, iron deficiency is more likely. Colic is an additional concern with milk consumption. Up to 28 percent of infants suffer from colic during the first month of life. Pediatricians learned long ago that cow’s milk was often the reason. We now know that breastfeeding mothers can have colicky babies if the mothers consume cow’s milk. The cow’s antibodies can pass through the mother’s bloodstream, into her breast milk, and to the baby. Additionally, food allergies appear to be common results of cow’s milk consumption, particularly in children. Cow’s milk consumption has also been linked to chronic constipation in children. Researchers suggested that milk consumption resulted in perennial sores and severe pain on defecation, leading to constipation.
In addition to weakening your bones, dairy can cause digestive disorders and allergies. Most adults are unable to properly digest milk sugar (lactose). The enzymes needed to digest lactose typically phase out of the human body around age seven, when they would no longer be needed in nature. Your body responds to undigested lactose with mucous and inflammation.
Excess mucous in your system will clog up your digestive and respiratory tracts. The common results are frequent colds, asthma, allergies, sinus problems, tumors, cysts, constipation, colon trouble, Candidiasis, and excess weight. People suffering from these conditions often experience “miraculous” recovery when they eliminate dairy from their diet or find a healthy milk substitute.
Commercial milk causes problems with our immune system, allergies, ear and tonsillar infections, bedwetting, asthma, intestinal bleeding, colic and insulin dependent childhood diabetes. Side effects for adults using dairy products heart disease, arthritis, allergies, sinusitis, leukemia, lymphoma and cancer.
Eating dairy products also contributes to an acidic condition in your body. An acidic body is the perfect environment for a wide variety of diseases. Regular dairy consumption has been linked to each of the following diseases:
  • Acne
  • Anemia
  • Arthritis
  • ADD
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Headaches
  • Osteoporosis
  • Low Immunity
  • Allergies
  • Ear infections
  • Colic
  • Obesity
  • Heart Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Breast, prostate and ovarian cancers
  • Sinus infections
 
The Low Fat Milk Alternative?
Here's why low fat is not good for you:

1. Our bodies cannot digest the protein or absorb the calcium from milk without the fat.
2. Vitamins A and D are also fat-soluble. So you can't absorb them from milk when all the fat has been skimmed off. (This makes fortified skim milk the biggest sham of all — you can pump fat-free milk full of a year's supply of vitamins A and D, but the body can't access them).
3. Milk fat contains glycosphingolipids, types of fats linked to immune system health and cell metabolism.
4. Contrary to popular belief, low-fat and fat-free diets do not help prevent heart disease and science has now revealed that the link between saturated fat (long villainized as a cause of heart disease) and heart disease is tenuous at best.
5. In fact, studies now show that eating saturated fat raises good cholesterol — the kind of cholesterol you want and need in your body.
6. The world's healthiest foods are whole foods — foods that have not been processed. Why? The nutrients in whole foods have a natural synergy with one another — that is, they work best in and are most beneficial to the body when they are taken together (not when they are isolated in, say, beta-carotene supplements of Vitamin C capsules). So when you pull some or all of the fat out of milk, you throw its nutritional profile out of whack. Basically, you discard all of the health benefits when you discard the fat.
7. And last but definitely not least: healthy dietary fat will NOT make you fat. We've been taught for years that dietary fat is the root of all evil. But we need healthy fat in our diet for proper body composition and long-term weight maintenance. The key factor here is knowing the difference between good fats and bad fats (for more on good and bad fats and the role healthy fat plays in weight maintenance

In Conclusion
It’s common knowledge in the medical research field that commercial dairy products are linked to many of the serious diseases of our modern society. It is also well known among researchers, holistic nutritionists, and traditional healers that with a healthy milk substitute there are much safer and healthier ways to get adequate calcium and build healthy bones. The dairy industry is well aware of these facts. It’s time for you to be aware as well. This is only a small sampling of the research and evidence that warns against the dangers of modern milk.
Dairy Companies around the world have done a very effective job of marketing this product. Most people believe they need to consume large, daily quantities of milk to achieve good health. NOTHING could be further from the truth. Public health officials and the National Dairy Council have worked together in this country to make it very difficult to obtain wholesome, fresh, raw dairy products. Nevertheless, they can be found with a little effort. In some states, you can buy raw milk directly from farmers.
Whole, pasteurized, non-homogenized milk from cows raised on organic feed is now available in many gourmet shops and health food stores. It can be cultured to restore enzyme content, at least partially. Cultured buttermilk is often more easily digested than regular milk; it is an excellent product to use in baking. Many shops now carry whole cream that is merely pasteurized (not ultra pasteurized like most commercial cream); diluted with water, it is delicious on cereal and a good substitute for those allergic to milk.
Rice milk and Almond milk is also a good alternative. Soy milk is not – is mostly processed and devoid of essential nutrients.
Milk and dairy products are not necessary in the diet and can, in fact, be harmful to health. It is best to consume a healthful diet of grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fortified foods including cereals and juices. These nutrient-dense foods can help you meet your calcium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin D requirements with ease—and without health risks – or the rising costs!
Sincerely,
Dennis Croll
Vital Living
www.vitalliving.co.nz

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Let a Personal Trainer Enhance Your Workout

December 21st, 2009 Dennis

It’s Tuesday after work and it’s time to go to your step aerobics class. You didn’t have time to feed the kids and now you are all eating fast food for dinner so you won’t be late. How can this be healthy? Keeping ourselves in shape is one of the most difficult tasks that we face after 40. As middle age sets in we lose the time and the desire to add exercise and activity into our lives due to long days at work, family and personal obligations.

We will not reclaim our health and fitness unless and until we make the effort and the commitment to include it in our lives again, and hiring a personal trainer to enhance one’s workout is one of the most effective ways to zoom in on your own needs and give you the flexibility that you seek.

A personal trainer will customize your workout based on your own body type and dietary habits, weight goals and measurements. They take down all of your information and use it to create a plan of action that they then help you implement. You will never again go to the gym without a set course of action and a road map to follow.

Often having a customized exercise routine also includes monitoring your diet and providing you with information you need to stay healthy in regards to supplements, massage and physical therapy and more. If your schedule does not accommodate several trips to the gym each week, a trainer will create a program that you can do from home to suit your schedule in many cases.

Hiring a personal trainer to customize your workout offers flexibility in scheduling and it also offers something that we could all use more of, and that is external support and motivation. It makes a tremendous difference to know that someone other than the little voice in your head is pulling for you, and excited about your progress and your success.

Feeling as if we have a partner in our growth, we are able to move ahead more rapidly. If you are the type of person that needs to be held accountable by someone else in order to motivate you into action, then the individualized instruction of a professional will benefit you very much.

A personal trainer also keeps records of your workout progress at each session, giving you feedback, providing you with information and helping you with your posture and your movements, taking you step by step through your routine and making sure you get the most out of your workout.

Our time today need not be wasted  on failed attempts to get something going in our lives that will get us healthy again. We can keep ourselves on task and on track by partnering up with someone who has the knowledge and wisdom that we need to get us where we want to go.

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Exercise More Effectively Using Visualization Techniques

November 29th, 2009 Dennis

People over the age of 40 have had a lifetime of experiences that have diminished our body's youthful vigor. We have to work harder and smarter in order to stay healthy and strong in our later years, but it is worth it. If we don't actively commit to taking care of ourselves, we put ourselves on a detrimental path, joining the millions of adults whose lives are diminished or cut painfully short by preventable disease. Exercise and visualization, when combined, offer a way that we can do more work on ourselves without having to work out harder and longer. Exercise and visualization for healing and health supports our body in getting rid of fat and promoting lean, firm muscle tone. It assists our bodies in ridding themselves of harmful substances and cells, and it supports the formulation of healthy self awareness and conscious thought. It brings focus to our bodies in a way that is positive and that feels amazing. Pairing exercise with visualization, we work twice as hard on our own behalf using the same amount of physical effort. You see, everything that we are, at a core level, is energy. Thoughts are also comprised of energy and they have the ability to manifest into actual physical elements. What we think of ourselves is what we encourage our physical bodies to strive for. If we worry that our arteries are clogged because our father had a stroke or we constantly fear that we are going to die of cancer or some other life threatening illness, then we are giving those very unattractive outcomes the energy needed to create themselves in our lives. To counteract these negative thoughts, we must be creative and conscious. Commit to trying this exercise in visualization whenever you are working out, whether you are walking, running, lifting weights, playing golf or whatever. In your minds eye, imagine yourself as being inside of your body, able to see everything that is taking place there. You hear the blood rushing through your arteries and the thunderous rhythm of your beating heart. Feel the expansion of breath in your lungs as you inhale and exhale deeply. With each movement, feel the muscles of your body becoming stronger, more elastic. Imagine yourself holding a magic ray gun that shoots unwanted fat cells and explodes them. Or wave a magic wand and turn all of those pounds of fat into melted butter that drains out of the ends of your toes and runs into the ground beneath you. Imagine your body as being whole and perfect and keep that image firmly entrenched in your minds eye. You don't need to be exercising when you do this visualizing, but when you combine the two, the effects that you experience are more pronounced. Exercise, combined with visualization techniques, gives us the ability to shift our mental outlook while we are working on our physical selves and increases our chances of being the energetic, clear, active adults that deep down we know that we can be. When we create a situation in our minds eye, the effects of our thought creations ripple out like waves in a pond, forming the basis for new outcomes in our physical life. The more passion and surety we can bring to our creative thoughts, the more likely we are to watch them take shape. Join the Vital Living Club and take advantage of the amazing support, guidance and information that is available to assist you in improving your health, your appearance and your life. As Featured On EzineArticles

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How to Balance Your Work, Life and Health to Create a Whole and Perfect Self

November 26th, 2009 Dennis

Finding balance in life is up to each one of us. We are the sculptors of our experiences and we can change them with presence of mind and some well placed intention. Figuring out how to balance work, life and health can be challenging. How do we learn to craft our lives into a manageable and competent whole when we can't even get to work on time? Here are some suggestions for creating lasting change. We all have plenty of responsibilities to attend to,  but we will not learn how to balance work, life and health until we begin accepting our ultimate responsibility; for ourselves and for everything that is happening in our lives. More importantly, we must accept full responsibility for changing it. No more victim mentality. No more blame. Just a keen awareness that we create every situation that we experience so that we can learn from it. While we take ultimate responsibility for ourselves, our inner wealth shines when we let go of the need to have everything work out a certain way. Staying open in the moment and present to the opportunities at hand will result in a more well rounded experience. Letting things occur naturally is how to balance work, life and health in such a way that our needs are being met as they arise. In order to be truly balanced, our body needs to be strong, alert, well functioning and able to serve us. Our sedentary lifestyles must be traded for a hobby or an interest that we enjoy. It could be rock climbing or dancing, sword fighting or pole vaulting. Keeping our bodies active not only helps us live longer, it helps us get things done that other people wouldn't have the energy to undertake, such as starting our own yoga class or creating our own exercise routine. This is how to balance work, life and health, by tying our exercise into our passions, combining the two, and making it fun. Feeling like part of a group is another experience that helps us learn how to balance life, work and health into one harmonious whole. Our community involvement can be large or small, but the more emphasis that we put on active participation and open communication with other people, the more we are able to see the lessons that we are meant to work on, and continue on our path to wholeness. Indeed the more people that we know and associate with, the more opportunities for growth we will be presented with. Tying all of this growth together and acknowledging ourselves at every turn for our dedication and our effort, we can enjoy the fruits of our labor. The attitude with which we approach our lives is a direct contributor to the adventures that we get out of them. We may as well make an effort to do it right. Living a great life after 40 is possible. Read Power, Passion and Vitality Forever to find effective ways to live in healthy balance throughout the rest of your life. As Featured On EzineArticles

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The True Incentive for Fitness

November 24th, 2009 Dennis

It's easy to spot people who place a high incentive on fitness and health in their lives. They stand out in a crowd with a radiance that somehow seems to extend beyond their physical body. They bound up three flights of stairs on the way to the break room rather than take the elevator. They carry themselves well, smile more often and laugh more fully. It isn't just their good health that is impressive, it is the way in which their life seems to unfurl with such ease. We all want to have boundless energy and passion in our lives. When we set ourselves on a path to wholeness rather than focus exclusively on working out and dieting, we begin to see a true incentive for fitness emerge that takes into consideration all of the aspects of our lives, such as our relationships and our creativity. When we stop to examine the reasons why we think we should get healthy, we may conclude that these reasons have less to do with us and more to do with what we feel expected to do. If other people are telling us that we need to get in shape, it isn't going to be enough motivation to sustain us in doing it. Feeling like we must look good to meet other people's approval will never bring us to a place of higher awareness. Standards of beauty and attractiveness are imposed upon us by outside influences. We can choose to identify less with those standards and more with what makes us happy, approaching our lives from a place of self awareness. We get healthy because we want our best selves to shine through. We develop an appreciation for our body and all that it can do for us. Being aware of the areas in our lives where we act out our unconscious fears and repeat the same patterns over and over, such as when we find ourselves automatically resisting someone elses point of view or over indulging in comfort foods, we can make a conscious choice to do something different. The key is to refrain from blaming ourselves for what we are doing and simply start being better right now. To be whole and balanced, our motivation must come from within and be expressed as a desire to improve all of the areas of our life. When we are intrinsically motivated, we move closer to living from our essential nature. What starts off as taking better care of our health by cutting out fats and oils extends into other areas of life, like incorporating exercise and meditation into our days, which opens up doorways to the unseen energy realms that tie all of our existence together. Our physical body is the vehicle of expression through which all of our life is perceived and created. To make the most use of it, it deserves attention and care. Vital Living Home Fitness Programs offer superior home fitness for those over 40. Regain physical strength, vitality, mental and emotional health in 30 days or less.

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Back to basics with nutrition (butter v margarine)

January 15th, 2008 Dennis

Pass The Butter … please.  Butter has been around for years and years – its basic good food.  Why? Lets compare it with margarine . . . . .Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback, so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring, some clever flavorings and sold it to people to use in place of butter. So what really is the difference between margarine and butter? Both have the same amount of calories. Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in men by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study. Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added! Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years. And now, for Margarine..Very high in trans fatty acids. Triple risk of coronary heart disease. Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol) Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold. Lowers quality of breast milk. Decreases immune response. Decreases insulin response. And here's the most disturbing fact…. Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC..This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance). You can try this yourself: Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:  * no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that  should tell you something) * & it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast? Thats why my Vital Living philosopy on nutrition is easy. Go back to basics and quite simply if it wasnt available 100 years ago don't eat it! Find out more by reading my book Power Passion and Vitality Forever by visiting http://vitalliving.co.nz/shop/books-category/power-passion-hard/.

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How to get great looking legs and butt.

December 2nd, 2007 Dennis

Sometimes I hear that a person doesn’t like running. I think thats a pity because all it takes is little effort each day – a few meters here and there, rest a bit and then eventually just like that, the distance gets greater and greater. And why you ask – well apart from the obvious benefits to improve your cardiovascular heath (heart and lungs), and developing awesome looking legs and butt – the emotional feeling one gets when one can say for example run to a hilltop and look out over the valley below – the valley you have just run from is wonderful. You really feel part of the your surroundings – there is peace – there is power and a quiet knowing you can do anything.

Will you give it a go right away or will you give it a go later or will you just notice yourself beginning now to understand that really you would like to run. Others who have begun this way now can’t believe how easy it is, how great they look and feel and how relaxed they are. 

Want to find out the way to do this – grab a copy of my book or contact me at dennis@vitalliving.co.nz

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It’s that first step!

November 24th, 2007 Dennis

For some of us we often think about starting an exercise programm for a while – and somehow never get going. Maybe its no time you hear yourself say (despite only needing about 1% of your time each week to get the tremendous benefits you know exercising will bring) – maybe you don’t know what to do – maybe its what you think others will think of you – it could be alot of reasons, All of them quite valid.

But there comes a time when a person just has to STOP and say to yourself, “Stop messing about and make a decision” and take that first step.

After all its only a choice, that really you do want to make. But I’m not saying you need to start looking after yourself. I mean you know all the facts – the media is full of it. That decision you have to make for yourself.

My book Power, Passion and Vitality could help encourage you to take that first step and to help you gain that confidence again. Its available online at www.vitalliving.co.nz

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STAYING WITH IT

November 22nd, 2007 Dennis

Hey thanks Rosemary about my Stairway To Heaven blog regarding my grammar.

I’m new at this blog stuff – just like I guess some of us trying to get started on an exercise program who also have good intentions and make mistakes. So I wecome any more suggestions on how you would like to make this blog work for you.

I was reminded today by someone who had read my book, that it when you try something new the first thing to do is give it a go, and stay with it – knowing that (as in his case) when he looked back at how difficult it was to start and commit to an exercise program, when he felt the difference now it makes to everything about his life – including more energy, passion and general well being, he looks back and laughs at how easy it is now to exercise regularily. And can’t beleive at how much weight he has lost!

So much so he has told all of his friends to go out and get my book or order it online.  (www.vitalliving.co.nz)

Thanks mate!

So again thanks for your feedbasck – as they say practice makes perfect!  

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