Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is...

I figure since I am all in a twist over a posting on FB about weight loss wraps, I would do a little post of my own. See, there is this gal promoting a (pyramid scheme) website where Body Wraps are sold. Supposedly, they *shrink your fat cells, help you lose weight/inches, fit in your skinny jeans, remove toxins from your cells!* Um, ok. There are some very *dramatic* before and after shots(of course) and the whole thing reeks of a scam. Reminds me of the saran wrap weight loss deal(those of you old enough to remember the days of wrapping your midsection with saran wrap and exercising, or those rubber suits they sold to increase sweating...???) I got on and pointed out that not only was this bogus and wouldn't last, I suggested people save their $100 and do things the old fashioned way, as they would have permanent results, feel better about themselves and be $100 richer! Not to mention the free ways to rid oneself of toxins...Well, my comment was deleted. As were all subsequent comments. Yeah, the truth...it hurts. This is right up there with the Fat-Burner pills,  and various other workout enhancing *supplements* which contain a whole host of chemicals that will REALLY mess with your system sooner and/or later. (oh, and btw...just because something claims to be *natural* does NOT make it safe...do your research before you put anything into or on your body!)

So many people make losing weight/eating better/exercising their New Year Resolution. I am not one for NY Resolutions but I think that is a good one. But often times what happens is people have such lofty goals that they end up giving up inside a month. Also losing weight/exercising needs to be a LIFESTYE change, not something you do for 3mo and then toss out. If you are going to start an exercise program, pick something you TRULY enjoy. Then decide that you WILL set aside x-amount of time each day for that exercise, NO EXCUSES. You can find time, you can make time, this is a gift you can give yourself. You have to love and take care of yourself FIRST if you are going to be any use to anyone else...it is a fact. :) Start slowly, and build up. If you pick running, don't go out the first day and try and run 5m. Start with a set amount of time, such as "I am going to walk/run for 20 mins a day." Or, pick a C25K program that works you up to running. That insures success. If you think you are going to go out and run 5m your first day, you will fail and want to give up. If you DO make it, you will be so sore the next few days you won't be able to run.

Find an exercise buddy. I think this helps a lot of people stay committed and motivated knowing someone else will hold you accountable. Plus, it gives you both someone to whine to on the days it is hard to get going(and there will be those days). Speaking of those days...even if you don't feel like doing said exercise, do it anyways. Tell yourself, "even though I feel like shit today, I am going to go run for 5 minutes so I can say I did." You will find, more often than not, that its simply the "get going" that is the hard part. Many a day I have thought *GAH! I don't feel like running!* and within my first mile or 3 I feel good and was so glad I got out. Most of the time once you get started you WILL feel better.

Make exercise part of your life. Like brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, any other habit you have. If you can keep it up for 30 days, it will become easier. 90 days and it is a habit. Plus, by 90 days you will see results. :) Exercise is NOT an overnight *quick fix*...you see gains over the long haul, but they are permanent gains as long as you continue to stay active. Diet pills, *wraps*,  even plastic surgery are not going to give you the body you want. Diet pills are evil. These wraps and other gimmicks may give you some sort of water weight loss results but unless you follow up with a diet and exercise routine(and don't drink anything, lol)you will not maintain any of the results you achieved.

I know there are lots of people who want to *fast* or do some sort of *cleanse* to jump-start their weight loss...and I am not opposed to that. Actually, I think it can be a great tool. There are plenty of fairly safe cleanses/fasts out there...the *Lemonade Cleanse* is reasonably safe, as are the various juice cleanses, which ease you into the fast and ease you out, and have you follow up with a clean diet. Again, if you are going to do a fast, you WILL lose weight, but most of the weight you lose will be water. Are you losing *toxins* as well? Yes, depending on how toxic you are. If you eat a lot of processed foods, junk, eat out a lot, you are going to be hurting on the fast as your body detoxes. Once you get through it though, you WILL feel better. (Doing a cleanse of anything less that 7 days, imo, is a waste of time. Your body is just starting to detox by day 3...staying on for the extra days is well worth it.) BUT! You can't go back to eating the way you did! You have to change your eating habits.

There are so many diets out there, its crazy. I personally believe that a vegetarian/vegan/raw diet is best for *me* but you need to decide what is going to work for you and your lifestyle. I do recommend several things though...EDUCATE yourself about what you are putting in your body!!! Crap in, crap out. If you eat processed foods, pesticide ladened veggies and fruits, antibiotic/hormone laced meats, eggs and milk, GMO foods, don't expect to feel your best. I firmly believe that eating GMO foods contributes to a whole host of issues, not to mention your body doesn't know what to do with the food! Our bodies are used to eating foods that it can recognize. If you eat GMO corn, and your body doesn't recognize it, what is it supposed to do with it? I believe that is causing the RAPID rise in people(including myself and my kids) with food allergies/intollerances. Food allergies cause a histamine reaction in the body causing (amongst other things) fluid retention/swelling...weight gain...food cravings...etc.

Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. Steer clear of the middle isles of stores. If it comes in a box with more than 3 or 4 ingredients...DON'T BUY IT! I am not saying you can't treat yourself once in a while, but make sure your food choices the rest of the time are good ones. Your body will thank you! Eat more fruits and veggies. Eat organic whenever possible, make sure your meat/eggs and dairy are coming from reputable sources, and DEFINITELY check for GMO products. You can use this link to be sure you are purchasing non-GMO foods: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/ It doesn't HAVE to be expensive. I feed a family of 5 on probably less than the average Standard American Diet eating family because we don't eat crap, we rarely eat out, and we eat wholesome foods. When you are eating processed foods, your body is NOT getting all the nutrients it needs. Therefor, it goes looking for those *nutrients* and tells you it is *hungry*. It isn't that you are actually hungry, its that you are nutrient deficient! Eating more whole foods will fill you up in more ways than one and you WILL lose weight. Calorie restricting, skipping meals, I-am-only-going-to-eat-lettuce-for-a-month, etc will not help you lose weight and get healthy, as a) you aren't going to stick to it, and b) you are setting yourself up for failure. I do think there is some value to the low-carb diets if done right...I  believe cutting out grain carbs can definitely help people lose weight and get healthy as I am in 100% belief that wheat/starches are a drug...they have a drug-like affect on our brains, causing us to *feel* addicted to them. I could go into the whole chemical process behind that but I will spare you... ;) suffice it to say, taking out the grains, and sticking to veggies, fruits, beans, some nuts, protiens-of-your-choice, with the occasional starchy veg like sw. potatoes, squashes, etc will definitely yield results.

Honestly, if you do nothing else, adding a green smoothie a day to your diet would do wonders for anyone. We do NOT eat enough green leafy veggies...you know, the ones that contain the most wonderful nutirents? :) Using spinach or swiss chard, both greens with a very mild taste is perfect. Start slowly, with a pinch of greens to a blender of fruit and water. I buy frozen fruits: berries(organic) mangos, pineapples, etc. I also will buy bananas and freeze them. Buying extra fruit in season(peaches, apples, etc) and freezing them is a great money saver. I freeze everything including my greens as I really lke my smoothies to be like milkshakes. :) Greens are also one of the EASIEST things to grow, they will grow in less than stellar soil and will grow late into the season. I grow all my own greens(usually) and freeze them for the winter. I typically grow enough greens to last me until Spring of the following year, at least. Or, again, you can buy them on sale and freeze them to use later. Green smoothies are great as they break up the greens/fruit so they are half way to being digested already! This is great as the nutirents in the smoothies are more readily available for your body to use. Cool, no? You can work up to more greens as your body/tastes adjust, and green smoothies will aid in eliminating toxins(and they taste better than body wraps).

There are plenty of supplements and powders, superfoods and tinctures on the market and I am not going to say one way or another about them. I know there are some great products out there and believe there is a time and place for all of them, and I know I used quite a few during my healing process. Again, its one of those things where you need to educate yourself about what you are using, steer clear of anything that sounds too good to be true(because if it SOUNDS too good to be true, it probably is...) and don't rely on those supplements to make up for, or take the place of a good diet. Everything in moderation. :)

OK, that is my soapbox for today. Now, I am off for a run...then I think I will have a big, ol' green smoothie :)