Are you up for a challenge?

How about a pre holiday challenge–Screw waiting for the new year to make resolutions–Let’s hit the new year on the ground running. This is why our wellness patients decided to start the Biggest Loser contest on November 1st. They wanted to attack those holiday parties feeling healthy and fit. Not only are we all going to look and feel better for those parties, we aren’t going to feel guilty if we fall off the wagon and overindulged because we are already doing the work! Congrats to most wellness participants whom have already lost 2-3 pounds before we even hit the month of December! Besides, the only reason we are even using the scales is to determine a grand prize winner. Everyone comes out a winner despite how much they lose because this isn’t about pounds. This is about nourishing our minds, bodies, and souls with REAL FOOD! I am going to be telling you this week about a program we are excited to start. A few of us are testing the waters this week so we can determine what kind of resources and information will be most helpful to you! Stay tuned for more information and SPOILER alert: It may involve smoothies!

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

The Definition of Insanity

I think counting calories sucks!!!! It doesn’t really work–just look around and see the number of overweight people in our country and you will be convinced. As Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So what we are doing isn’t working. We need to really be focusing on the quality of our food. Math and getting caught up with numbers is wasted energy. Ask yourself? Is weight loss really a good hobby? How many of us spend too much time thinking and obsessing over our weight? Use these next few tools at the grocery store this weekend to help you out. Remember that the “Fooducate” app for your smart phone can help you out too.

1. How many ingredients are in it?

2. Is it organic?

3. How much sugar is in it?

4. Does it contain any artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, MSG, chemicals ETC?

Organic foods are nutrient dense, safer for the planet, and are grown with more care. Forget those nasty free radical causing chemicals that make snacks low-calorie—-Let’s just eat real food folks! As Sean Croxton says–Let’s JERF (a great verb in my opinion)–Just Eat Real Food!

Stay tuned for the big holiday challenge–more to come tomorrow!

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Sabotaged by the Holidays

How to keep holiday festivities from sabotaging your health.

We all want to join in the fun of the holiday season. But late nights, too much food and drink, and the stress of meeting others’ expectations can do a number on your health and fitness. Is it possible to allow yourself a few indulgences without completely undermining your wellbeing?

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Dr. Kathryn Colteryahn, with IU Health Physicians – Internal Medicine, provides practical advice on maintaining a healthy holiday season.

Learn more

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Yes, and there are two keys to success: staying active and setting realistic expectations.

Daily exercise, even moderate activity such as walking or taking the stairs, helps burn additional calories, relieves stress, and inspires more healthful eating habits. Try substituting a few food-centric activities (like baking cookies) with more physical activities: take the family ice skating, go caroling, or volunteer at a soup kitchen.

Next, be realistic. If you’re following a weight loss plan, don’t expect to shed pounds in December, but try to maintain your weight instead. Don’t indulge every single day; stick to healthful foods when you can.

Specifically, here’s how you can control the most common holiday culprits:

All those parties. Eat a light meal and drink plenty of water before you go. While you’re there, enjoy a glass of wine or champagne, but alternate with club soda on the rocks with lime. The appearance of a drink in your hand will make it less likely someone else will insist on pouring you another.

Break room candy and popcorn. If these gifts are from vendors, let them know you’d rather have a healthier alternative, like a fruit basket. If that fails, avoid the break room by taking a brisk walk instead.

Dining out too often. Have the server box up half before your meal is brought to the table. (Don’t worry about offending, they’re used to this request.) Make more time for cooking at home by spending a little time on Sunday afternoon to prep the week’s meals. Picking up a few groceries daily on your lunch hour, as opposed to on your way home, can help you avoid the break room candy and get you home a littler earlier to enjoy your time in the kitchen.

Pressure from family and friends. The truth is, we usually bring this pressure on ourselves. So prioritize. Be honest by saying that you simply cannot get around to everyone, every year. Alternate between different branches of the family from year to year. It’s okay to say no, and you’ll be surprised at how understanding they are.

And remember, it’s okay NOT to have plans, too. Take time off for yourself. Remain active, as well as realistic.

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Author of this article

Kathryn Colteryahn, MD, specializes in internal medicine. She is a guest columnist and located at IU Health West Hospital, 1115 Ronald Regan Parkway, Suite 318, in Avon. She can be reached by calling the office at 317.217.2632.

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, disease, Exercise, Family, Guest Blog, Nutrition, Organic, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Get Real

Everyone has a story. A life changing moment when they undergo hardship and change their perspective on life by developing a new sense of identity. Seth Godin calls it the “flipping point”. Alcoholics Anonymous calls it “rock bottom”. I simply call it my story–or your story—- Something that happens to make you change the way you think about things. Certainly it can happen several times in life —and probably should as we all continue to evolve as people and adapt to our surroundings.

My good friend Katie decided to share her story and discovery of her life mission. Katie writes,” 10 years ago when I was on bed rest for my daughter, Molly, my entire perspective on health & life changed drastically. I already shared with you my Juicing love 🙂 but wanted to share with you the rest of the change. Having been a public school teacher & cheerleading coach for 10 years I knew girls needed women who had “been in their shoes” to come alongside them and be transparent about life. Thus, began a ministry I started for girls, Get REAL in Christ (Get REAL inC). www.getrealinc.org We have programs for girls from grades 1 and up.

In Sept. we partnered with the Indiana Fever for an event which opened an exciting door for us. Former Victoria’s Secret Model, Kylie Bisutti, has joined our team and wants to be a voice to girls on respecting themselves & help us empower other women to come alongside girls and start Get REAL groups in their communities.”

I encourage you to check out the Get Real site! Katie is an inspirational person that empowers herself against disease and is constantly reaching out to help others!

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Angela in Benevolence, Body, Call to action, Diet, disease, Exercise, Mind, Nutrition, Spirit, Whole Food Leave a comment

Cyber Monday

Great news! Our friend Sean Croxton from Underground Wellness is offering a great deal for Cyber Monday . He is claiming today as Undergrounder Appreciation Day! He is making all of his products dirt cheap today! His book “The Dark Side of Fat Loss” is ten chapters and 159 pages of everything you need to know about losing fat and getting healthy. It stresses diet, sleep, stress, mindset etc and really focuses on the AngelaMD concept of treating the entire mind, body and spirit. He also offers his cookbook with 80 real food recipes. This usually sells for $39 but today is just$19.

www.darksideoffatloss.com/cybermondaysale

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Why I love Theresa Mazza!

T.H.A.N.K.S.

November 20, 2012 — Leave a comment

Tell people in your life you love and care for them. Give thanks for friendships.

Help your neighbor out of humility and gratitude for the many provisions of God. Give thanks for the ability to bless others.

Always recognize the gifts, talents, and beauty found in those around you. Give thanks for diversity and uniqueness.

Never doubt that you can find blessings and beauty in any circumstance no matter how difficult it is. Give thanks to God for his peace, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. He makes all things beautiful.

Keep in front of you the many times God has helped you, guided you, and taken care of you by surrounding you with caring souls. Give thanks for the help you’ve received.

Savor all that is good in life. Don’t dwell on the hurts and disappointments of the past. Give thanks for you are loved by the one who is good.

Thanks acrostic by Theresa Mazza

Thanks to Theresa for letting me repost this—-please be sure to visit her site at http://www.theresamazza.com– or click the link at sanity pills on the Friends links——

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, disease, Guest Blog, Humor, Nutrition, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

The Blue Honey Mystery

Apparently, there is an issue in northeastern France. Beekeepers have been shocked to find out that their bees have started producing honey in green and blue hues. Ironically, the bees have sought out their own source of sugar addiction. A plant producing M&M’s nearby has lured them to addiction. The bees are picking up vibrantly colored, sugary waste from the plant, operated by the company Agrivalor some 2.5 miles away from their apiaries.

My point being that we are all victims of sugar addiction. Even the bees are not above being sucked into the sweetness and quality of the Mars brand M&M’s. Obviously, actions are being taken by the company to protect the nearby bee population and keep the honey production pure. Unfortunately, our sugar-producing companies aren’t quite as ethical and moralistic to try to protect us as well. We are ultimately responsible for changing our ways as we are not protected! Eat those veggies folks! Eat those veggies!

Here’s a little honey fact—-Honey is an excellent source of natural sugar for a real pick me up —not to mention- you can mix it with turmeric and almond milk to make a paste for your face that will ease hair growth and make your skin shine!

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Nutrition, vegan, Whole Food Leave a comment

Mediocrity

_{_{Another great post by Kevin Deeth—be sure to visit his site.}}

Social Acceptance of Mediocrity

I read this article the other day and thought it was just plain awesome. I wanted to share it with everyone to hopefully encourage people to exercise and stay active.

“I have a list of sayings that make my blood curdle, and “hey now, at least they’re up and moving” is close to the top of that list. We’ve all heard it before and probably have said it ourselves, but if you think about it, it’s depressing to see how that saying has become a norm nowadays.

We now live in a society where doing the bare minimum required to keep your heart beating is supposed to earn you a pat on the back and a sugar-free cupcake (don’t worry, its only 100 calories…guilt free!). Since when did getting off the couch and moving around become an acceptable form of exercise? You may say, “Hey, at least they are moving around”, and yes, you’re right, that is the least they can do–but the problem is that they shouldn’t be stopping there. Getting off your ass should be the thing you do when you wake up, not the physical highlight of your day.

90% of the time, I hear this saying when discussing those who walk as their main form of exercise. Sorry, but walking 15 minutes is NOT a workout; it’s a warmup for your warmup. Just for comparison, Alexander’s army marched over 5000 miles from Thessaloniki to the Indus river. That isn’t even counting the stops at tourist attractions or the journey home.


How long would this take you at 15 minutes a day?

Seriously, what happened to the grit that people used to have? My grandpa would call those people “the old breed”. When he lived in Africa, he would run 9 miles to school and 9 miles home everyday, with no shoes. See if you can get one of your fellow Americans to do something remotely intense for even 9 minutes before crapping out, but not before they congratulate themselves for at least “getting off the couch”.

Folks, you shouldn’t be fine with doing the least amount of work. Putting in the least amount of effort will get you the least amount of results. It shouldn’t be enough to simply walk around, you should be challenging your limits almost daily. I understand if you have a debilitating injury that limits your mobility, but most people don’t have debilitating injuries, they are just bloated and lazy.”


Directions on walking, in case you forgot.”

Conclusion

I really enjoyed reading this. I see this in the gym all the time. People get dressed in their “workout gear”, grab a sugar loaded gatorade, and sit on the bike and pedal at a slow to moderate pace for 15-20 minutes before calling it a day. 100 calories-burned later and mission accomplished. I get the same reaction when i talk to people about this. “well, at least they are in here trying”. I would much rather have people burn 100 calories playing with their kids or doing something active in the community then doing a moderate cardio routine like this. However, we live in a lazy society where convienience and luxury take priority over physical well being and activity. Do yourself a favor and surround you and your family with a group of people who live an active and healthy lifestyle so they hold you accountable when you say you are going for a 15 minute stationary bike ride and claim it to be a “workout”.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions.

From South Bend,

Kevin

kdeeth21@gmail.com

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, Exercise, Guest Blog, Nutrition Leave a comment

Clean Chocolate Bars

Thinking about the holidays? I plan on giving all homemade gifts this year (yes, I am broke). Because my sewing and knitting capabilities are lacking, I am looking for healthy recipes that follow along with our no artificial, whole, clean foods eating plan. Here is a recipe Kathy stumbled upon that might be a keeper.

Chocolate Bars

(12 servings)

3/4 cup pure coconut oil

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp sea salt

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk well. Then spread the mixture over parchment lined cookie sheet and chill in the fridge over night.

Bah Bam!!!! Now that is my kind of easy recipe!!!!! Beware —you all may be getting these for the holidays!!!

You can find more clean recipes at http://www.thegraciouspantry.com This is a great website with tons of CLEAN recipes!

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, vegan, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Simply Become Who You Are

The “Simply Become Who You Are” cookbooks are in and now available for only $10.00. These cookbooks are complications of recipes received by you wellness warriors over the last 16 months. Many thanks go out to all of you skinnies that have helped contribute and participate in keeping our Wellness Program going. The cookbooks make a fabulous gift for the holidays as I can’t imagine a better gift than giving someone the gift of health. We only have around 50 copies left so get a move on! The book has hundreds of recipes of healthy cooking options! The books aren’t vegan or paleo but they are easy recipes that can be modified to fit the type of whole foods you are trying to incorporate into your diet. Free of artificial ingredients and additives is how we roll! Whole foods baby and eat your veggies!!!!

Call and reserve one today or stop by and pick one up at the office.

Michelle or Kathy 317-217-2626

Also a quick reminder that the IU West Fall Farmers Market will be held this Friday November 2nd from 10:30 to 2:00pm to get locally grown inexpensive whole food ingredients. Happy cooking!

Another big reminder—The Biggest Loser contest will start Nov 1st!!!! We already have many enrolled so get signed up!