By Jason Boehm, MS, CNS, MMC

Actress Salma Hayek recently revealed to US Weekly that she got her svelte physique and glowing skin with Cooler Cleanse, a juice cleanse with flavors like “Pineapple & Ginger” and “Spicy Lemonade.” According to their web site, this juice cleanse – which costs $58 a day – “frees energy in the body, which can then return to the essential jobs of deep inner cleansing and healing.”

Likewise, celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore get into movie shape with the Master Cleanse, a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and grade B maple syrup.

Stanley Burroughs first wrote about this plan in The Master Cleanser, first published in the 1950s. Burroughs had an interesting history of hucksterism, and was eventually convicted of second-degree felony murder, felony for practicing medicine without a license, and unlawful sale of cancer treatments.

Visit your local health food store or search online and you’ll find countless detoxification programs and cleanses, from prepackaged drinks to powders to do-it-yourself juicing. Manufacturers often interchangeably use “cleanse” and “detox” to mean many things, but they all promise numerous health claims and a lean, vibrant body.

Most cleanses and detoxes lack the science to validate these claims. Worse, many are almost entirely sugar and provide little if any protein. Problem is, detoxification requires protein, and without this crucial component, cleanses can wreak havoc on your body.

Detoxification defined

According to Dr. Nieske Zabriskie, detoxification involves eliminating or neutralizing toxic substances via your skin, lungs, kidneys, liver, and intestines. Air, diet, drugs, alcohol, smoking, and metabolic by-products all contribute to toxic overload, which damages your cells and eventually contributes to chronic disease.

Detoxification isn’t something you do twice a year with a specifically designed formula or program. Every cell in your body constantly detoxifies, although most detoxification occurs in your liver.

Two Phases of Liver Detoxification

The liver, your body’s detox ground zero, utilizes two enzymatic detoxification pathways, appropriately called phase 1 and phase 2. During phase 1, your liver converts fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble substances. Phase 2 involves excreting these toxins via urine, sweat, and other bodily fluids.

Here’s the thing. During phase 1, your liver converts toxic substances to highly reactive metabolites. Many of these metabolites are free radicals and more toxic than the original toxin. If your liver doesn’t properly excrete them in phase 2, you can suffer significant cellular damage. So how do you effectively excrete these toxic metabolites?

Nutrient Requirements in Liver Detoxification

“What’s important to keep in mind,” says Dr. Zabriskie, “is that there are two pathways by which the body detoxifies harmful substances and it’s essential to support both of these pathways in order to detoxify effectively. Supporting only one of the detoxification pathways can actually do more harm than good.”

Both phase 1 and phase 2 need numerous nutrients to effectively detoxify. Phase 1, for instance, requires many vitamins including B vitamins, calcium, bioflavonoids, and the amino acid cysteine. Phase 2, on the other hand, almost entirely depends on amino acids such as taurine, glutamine, and lysine.

Phase 2 and Amino Acids

Let’s take a closer look at how these amino acids contribute to phase 2 detoxification. Some of the seven pathways in phase 2, such as the glycine pathway and the taurine pathway, are self-descriptive and require that amino acid to properly detoxify.

Another pathway in phase 2, the glutathione pathway, helps your liver detoxify xenobiotics, carcinogens, and heavy metals like mercury. Your body synthesizes glutathione from three amino acids: glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. During phase 1, increased free radical production can deplete glutathione levels, stalling the glutathione pathway in phase 2.

In other words, without the precursor amino acids to build glutathione, your liver can’t sustain phase 2 detoxification.

Likewise, the sulfation pathway helps your liver eliminate numerous medications such as acetaminophen, and demands the sulfur-contain amino acids methionine and cysteine to effectively work.

The take-home: without amino acids, phase 2 detoxification cannot occur. Rather than excrete the oftentimes more-harmful metabolites phase 1 created, they build up and create serious toxic overload.

Sugar Damages Rather Than Assists Your Liver During Detoxification

Back to the Master Cleanse. Your body breaks down maple syrup in this concoction to glucose and fructose. Without fat or protein to buffer out this incoming sugar, the maple syrup creates a high glycemic index, which significantly raises your blood sugar that eventually crashes and creates the lethargy, brain fog, and other uncomfortable symptoms many people experience during a cleanse.

A study in the journal Obesity concluded a high-glycemic diet can even create fatty liver, due to the fructose in maple syrup and juice cleanses that creates additional metabolic havoc.

Fructose is almost entirely metabolized in your liver, which places significant burdens on this already-overtaxed organ that, ironically, you’re trying to assist with detoxification. “When fructose reaches the liver,” says Dr. William J. Whelan, a biochemist at the University of Miami School of Medicine, “the liver goes bananas and stops everything else to metabolize the fructose.”

Fructose overloads the liver, eventually becoming a hepatotoxin. Fructose overload in your liver can create hypertension, high triglycerides, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Fructose also lowers leptin (which puts the brakes on your hunger) and increases ghrelin (your hunger-triggering hormone), which can result in weight gain.

The Master Cleanse and juice cleanses, then, do double damage to your liver. Not only do they not provide your liver the essential amino acids for phase 2 detoxification (creating toxic build-up), the sugar in these cleanses creates additional work for your liver.

Tofi: Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside

Lack of protein in the Master Cleanse and juice cleanses creates stresses beyond your liver. Unlike carbohydrate or fat, your body can’t store protein. Without sufficient dietary protein, your body will break down muscle and other tissues to obtain essential amino acids. Inadequate protein intake can also negatively impact your immune and many other systems.

People do lose weight on these cleanses, primarily due to caloric restriction. But just because you lose weight doesn’t mean you lose fat. Since you’re not getting sufficient dietary protein, some of that weight loss likely results from muscle mass breakdown, which you most definitely don’t want.

Sufficient protein, on the other hand, spares lean muscle and helps you burn fat. A study in The Journal of Nutrition, for instance, showed that women who ate a higher-protein diet experienced significantly higher fat loss and preserved lean muscle tissue much better than those who ate a higher-carbohydrate diet.

The Right Detox Plan Can Help You Burn Fat, Spare Muscle, and Feel Great

Now that you understand the negative effects of carbohydrate-based cleanses, you’ll want to choose a high-quality protein-based cleanse that provides the amino acid and nutrient support to help your liver – and every other organ – effectively detoxify.

Unlike the lethargy, fatigue, brain fog, and overall blah feeling you likely experience on the Master Cleanse or a juice cleanse, a protein-based cleanse stabilizes blood sugar, balances insulin, and satiates you better. You have steady energy with no sugar spikes and crashes.

PEERtrainer’s 14-day Fresh Start Cleanse includes the option of a plant-based protein powder that supports phase 1 and 2 detoxification. It offers all essential amino acids without creating potential burdens and reactions that sugar-loaded protein powders and animal protein can create. You get a professional fiber formula that mixes well without being harsh on your system like many commercial fibers do, as well as a world class detoxification supplement package.

During the cleanse, whether you opt for the “kit” or not, you will eat foods that have the higest Nutrient Density Scores (greens and sulfer-containg cruciferous vegetables), remove problematic and potentially toxic foods, and safely and effectively detoxify using professionally formulated products and guidance to create newfound energy and vigor.

With the 14-day Fresh Start Cleanse, you also get the expert guidance of JJ Virgin, who has designed detoxification programs for years. You will have access to recipes designed by PEERtrainer that feature foods to get you the nutrients you need for long term health, and improved immunity. One can also choose to be part of a very supportive community.

Because you replace several meals each day in this program with protein-based smoothies, you save time and money while providing your body the most effective nutrients that help detoxify. During this “nutritional cleanse” one easily crowds out the toxic foods, allowing for detoxification and optimal nutrition.

PEERtrainer Cleanse Signup

This article was originally published at http://www.peertrainer.com

Time to get moving… oh but just a few more minutes… time to get moving… but I’m so comfortable here…. time to get to the gym… but it’s SO cold outside!  Does this sound like a conversation you have had with yourself?

New Years resolutions.  What is yours?  Is it to join the gym?  To use the gym membership more?  To work out more?  To lose weight?  To become healthier?

Let me ask you a question.  When you think of working out, do you automatically think you have to go to the gym?  If so, I plan to change your thinking on that in the next few paragraphs.  In my personal opinion, the gym is the greatest excuse for the U.S. to not work out.  Do I think the gym is bad?  Absolutely not.  Do I think it is the only answer for working out?  Absolutely not.  The gym is a tool, but it is NOT the only way to get your blood pumping.

I remember sitting in my undergrad sports psychology class listening to endless accounts of research on people trying to figure out how to predict whether or not someone would stick with an exercise plan.  There were two things they found to be helpful in the predictions:

1. If you had a good credit score, because this showed you had discipline and could stick with a plan most likely already.
2. If you had a dog or some other form of accountability.   Don’t we all generally do better with some form of accountability in our life?

We’re all human.  Which means, when we don’t want to do something, we’re going to find a reason not to do it.  We aren’t robots; we can’t be programmed to just do something.  In order to achieve our goals it takes effort on our parts.   The key is taking out the excuses and putting in the accountability.

Find ways to exercise outside of the gym.  Take a walk, do a video on Netflix, play Wii with your kids, powerwalk through the mall, power clean the house, build a snowman with the kids, set up a workout routine in your living room, and so many more options.  Do not limit yourself to one way of working out, and don’t try and force yourself to work out in a place you do not feel comfortable.  The internet provides a lot of great resources for you to work out in your home or while shopping at your favorite store.   When you’re ready and when you feel confident, go to the gym.  It is a great resource and a great place to challenge yourself, but remember it is not the only way to work out.   Keep posted to the blog for further tidbits on how to work out outside of the gym.  Have great suggestions?  Feel free to e-mail us and share so your suggestions can help others.  What excuse is keeping you from making those healthy lifestyle changes? 

To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. – Chinese Proverb

I challenge you to take that first step and take away that first excuse that is keeping you from your goals!

New Years is now behind us.  2012 is now in front of us.  The beginning of the New Year brings the beginning of the new you.  What does your New Year look and feel like?    What does the new you look and feel like?   What will empower you to move forward toward the new you?  The first step toward finding out begins with your connection to your inner self.   To find that connection Breathe deep…

Present Moment Breaths:
Take a moment. Settle your body. You may sit or stand. You may choose to close your eyes, or prefer to keep them open. Begin to breathe in, a slow deep breath in through your nose. Allow the air to fill your chest. Slowly exhale through your mouth. Spend a few minutes just breathing. You will begin to notice the streaming thoughts that invade your mind as you breathe in the quiet. Constant chatter will hum in your mind. Just notice your wandering thoughts and allow them to swirl in and out of your mind.  Without judgment, notice your thoughts as they drift through your mind. Just notice… What are you feeling within your body? The quieter your inner body becomes, the nosier your mind will sound at first. Be patient. Be compassionate with yourself as you gently guide your mind back to your breath. As you focus on your breath, your whole body quietly catches a glimpse of the present moment.   It is within the present moment breaths that inner self connection deepens.  With a quiet mind and peaceful body, the new you will shine through.

A close friend of mine moved to Georgia.  Each time we’d talk she told me I have to watch the movie Bucket List.  I like Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freedman but had no interest in watching the movie.  One day I finally listened to my friend.  To my extreme surprise I didn’t like the movie, I loved it!  It sent a clear message to me.  Why wait!  We spend so much time planning for tomorrow or getting lost in the day to day that we cheat ourselves out of living in the moment.  We restrict ourselves from being creative, resourceful and living life to our fullest potential.  

Each day is a gift of time to use as you will.   I came across a quote whose author is unknown but wanted to share it with you, “What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you left behind… let it be something you’re proud of.” 

Allow yourself the time to deeply assess and ask yourself:   

Are you completely happy with where you’re at right now in your life?

Are you accomplishing what you desire to be, to do, to achieve? 

Imagine celebrating your 80th birthday.  Looking back on your life is there anything you would have wanted to do differently?

What would be on your bucket list? 

Set a goal allowing tomorrow to be today and get started being, doing and achieving.  Why wait to live your best life?

It is so easy for us to identify what we believe are our shortcomings, to allow our inner critic to reign once again.  How often do we really think about the true measure of our contribution in this world?  Sometimes the impact we make on another life is so significant that we never realize the magnitude of what we did for them. Sometimes it’s so repetitive in our daily lives we don’t see the value.     

Today my message is short and sweet. Love and appreciate yourself.  As you ponder how magnificent you truly are, I would like to leave you with something by Neale Donald Walsh,

“On this day of your life, dear friend, I believe God wants you to know…

…that you are valued more than you know, by more people than you think.

It might be good to get in touch today with your true worth. It is much higher than you often give it credit for being — and now is a perfect time to know, and to gently assert, that fact.

This is not about arrogance and it is not about over confidence. It is about a simple, dignified Knowing.

You will not have to think but a second to understand precisely why you received this message today.”

Here are a few tips to save on calories:

• Don’t go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry. When you are hungry you often eat faster and larger portions.  Eating slower gives your body time to register when you are full.
• Be mindful of how much you are putting on your plate.  Fill one quarter of your plate with lean meat, the other quarter with a starch and the remaining half with vegetables.
• Seconds can wait.  Instead of jumping right into your second helping, burn some calories by helping out the host or hostess before you do.   They will appreciate you did!
• Enjoy skinless, white meat turkey. It is a low calorie meat choice.   Leave the gravy on the side. 
• Eat smaller side dishes.  Sample a few bites of different foods. If you are bringing a side dish try experimenting with new recipes that lower the fat content.
• Choose a lighter dessert or take half of a piece. For example: choosing pumpkin over pecan pie can save you approximately 200 calories.  

Try these holiday replacements:

• Instead of half a cup of eggnog, have a cup of hot mulled cider (save 80 calories and 9 grams fat)
• Instead of a biscuit, have a small whole-wheat dinner roll (save 100 calories and 8 grams fat)
• Instead of 4 ounces of ham, have skinless turkey breast (save 71 calories and 9 grams fat)
• Instead of an ounce of mixed nuts, have an ounce of roasted chestnuts (save 99 calories and 14 grams fat)
• Instead of 1/4-ounce piece of fudge, have a cup of fat-free cocoa (save 130 calories, 5 grams fat)

Don’t let the hustle and bustle of the holidays interfere with you staying on track with your fitness goals.  Here are some helpful hints that will keep you moving throughout the holiday season:

• Host the party. This gives you an opportunity to stay physically active, from preparing a healthy menu to taking mini fitness breaks.  You can burn calories by cleaning your house in preparation of your guests’ arrival.  Also, you can plan activities for your guests to do after the big meal like playing a game of football or walking around the block.
• Set a goal to stay active.  Join an exercise group or partner with a friend or family member and support each other.  Training for an event also holds you accountable and helps to keep you motivated.  For local events in your area, visit http://www.active.com.   You could also set simple exercise goals.  For good health, set a goal of 30 minutes, most days of the week. Trouble getting that in?  The 30 minutes of activity can be broken up throughout the day.  
• Manage your stress with exercise.  Research has shown cardio-respiratory exercise is associated with less depression and greater emotional well being. 

Following these tips will help prepare you for the holiday season.  With a little creativity, you can stay active, avoid unnecessary weight gain and feel better that you did.

Research has shown people widely underestimate the calories they consume – the larger the meal, the larger the disparity.  When factoring calories burned into the equation the numbers become even more convoluted.  How can this be?  When determining the number of calories you burn in a given day exercise equipment and activity charts are only estimates of the number of calories you burn per activity.  Whether you are on a treadmill or gardening, actual calorie expenditure varies between each of us.  

As we gage this balance we ask ourselves, how many calories should I consume and how much exercise do I really need in a day?  To calculate an estimated range of the number of calories you should consume, multiply your weight by 11 (the low end, if you are sedentary) and by 15 (the high end, for more active lifestyles).   For a person weighing 160 pounds, they should aim their daily caloric intake from 1,760 to 2,400 to maintain their weight and less if they are trying to lose weight.   For those who are fit with a higher proportion of lean muscle to body fat, they will need more calories than those with more body fat.  

One last variable to add to this side of the equation, make your calories count by making healthy food choices – a nutrient-rich diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, grains, lean meats and seafood.  Avoid processed and convenience foods as these are often packed with added fat and sodium.  

Exercise plays an equivalent role to caloric intake in terms of energy balance.  At least 30 minutes of moderate activity or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on most days of the week can yield preventative strides against cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and metabolic disorders such as Diabetes.   It is also a healthy way to alleviate stress.  An exercise regimen consisting of cardio, strength training and relaxation is essential to a healthy body and mind.  Looking your best comes with feeling your best. 

The bottom line of calculating your energy balance with weight loss remains that you need to burn or eliminate approximately 3,500 calories to lose one pound.  To lose a pound a week you would need to cut 500 calories a day which is almost the equivalent of a Big Mac.  To burn the equivalent of one chocolate chip cookie it would take approximately 20 minutes of jogging, 110 minutes for the hamburger.    Rewarding your efforts to stay in shape with added calories to your diet because you “deserve it” will not get you the results you are seeking.  A combination of both diet and exercise is needed; however, reducing your caloric intake will bring your balance closer in check.  Know your numbers do your math and you may change your statistics.  

Trio of Berry-Fruit Compotes:  Low-Calorie Summertime Desserts

Summer is winding down but there is still time to take advantage of luscious, summer fruits with these low-calorie fruit desserts.   As you take steps towards achieving a healthier diet you can enjoy these berry-fruit compotes after your meals or as a healthy snack. 

Blueberry-Melon Compote with Green Tea-Lime Syrup:  Pour 2/3 cup boiling water over 2 green tea bags; let steep 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove tea bags.  Stir 2 Tbsp sugar (or to taste), 1 tsp grated lime zest, and 2 Tbsp lime juice into brewed tea.  Let cool.  Combine 3 cups cubed cantaloupe (1 small or ½ medium) and 2 cups blueberries in large bowl.  Drizzle with green tea syrup and toss gently to coat.  Compote will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Makes 6 (2/3-cup) servings, each 72 calories, 1 gram protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 0 grams total fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 13 milligrams sodium, 50% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C      

Orange-Scented Peach-Blackberry Compute:  Combine ¼ cup dry white wine (or white grape juice), 2 Tbsp sugar (or to taste), 1 tsp grated orange zest , and 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon in small saucepan; bring to a simmer.  Let cool.  Place 3 cups (3-4 medium) sliced peaches (or nectarines) and 1 ½ cup blackberries in large bowl.  Add cooled wine syrup; toss gently to coat. Compote will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Makes 6 (2/3-cup) servings, each 73 calories, 1 gram protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 0.5 grams total fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 0.5 milligrams sodium, 8% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C

Mixed Berry Compote with Frozen Yogurt:  Place ½ cup mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries and or blackberries) in medium bowl.  Mash with a fork.  Stir in 4 tsp sugar (or to taste), 2 Tbsp black currant juice (or blueberry juice), and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.  Add another 2 ½ cups mixed berries; toss gently to coat.  Compote will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Serve over low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt (or raspberry or lemon sorbet), allowing ¼ cup frozen yogurt and generous 1/3 cup mixed berries for each serving.  Makes 6  servings, each 100 calories, 3 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 1 gram total fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 31 milligrams sodium, 2% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 10% calcium

When we harbor excuses that could allow us to reasonably choose to wait for life to bring us something instead of going out and risking heart and soul day after day to get it we disengage and become passive.  Doubting life and doubting self is a dark place to be.  Sometimes in life what really needs to change for us is how we perceive the world around us.   The value of an open mind and fresh perspective is as measurable as the positive energy you use to ignite the light of your chosen path.  As we change, the world around us changes.  Through giving and receiving we feed our soul.

It is through adversity we learn but it’s what we do with the knowledge of life’s experiences that paint our reality.  What we tell ourselves and what we perceive around us sets the course of our life.  On any given day we can hope for change or discipline ourselves to change it all.  We can wish or we can do.  We can also do nothing.  We can be unpleasantly comfortable or bury deep in discomfort.  The choice is ours to make.    

Where do we begin?  Our natural human tendency seems to focus more on our negative experiences rather than on our positive ones. At the end of the day what stands out in our minds is all that went wrong.  What we have to give thought to is what there was to be grateful for. 

Two powerful forces in our lives is moving away from pain and moving toward pleasure.  Of these, moving away from pain is the most powerful.  That is why we recall and hold on to painful experiences more easily.  Therefore, unless we make a conscious effort to focus on pleasure our natural tendency will be to focus on pain.  

We all experience adversity and blessings, that’s the way life is. Thankfully, we have the ability to organize how we perceive those experiences in a way that places a higher priority on our blessings. This may be easier said than done but the work you do can change the way you experience life.  By focusing more on what we are grateful for each day those positive thoughts expand and reprogram the way we perceive our experiences.   Someone recently brought to mind an old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”   

I leave you with a story of inspiration… 

When I think of overcoming adversity I am reminded of 36 year old Cami Walker.  Cami was a newlywed with a lucrative career in advertising.  In August 2006, shortly after her wedding and new promotion, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  Cami sought relief from the pain of her Multiple Sclerosis and committed to giving 29 gifts in 29 days.   The action she took changed her life, and ultimately the lives of other s around the world.  As the founder of 29 Gifts and Chief Evangelist, Cami’s efforts have transpired into a growing movement that inspires people to change lives and the world one gift at a time.  Cami believes the gift-giving changed her outlook which positively affected her health.  To see a video on Cami’s story and learn how she turned her own challenges into a challenge to help others click on http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1714458183?bctid=1668060546

Challenge Yourself:  An Exercise for the Soul

This is your opportunity to take action!  Challenge yourself by committing to the following actions and feed your soul:

Exercise 1:  Begin working through changes you wish to make in your life by taking your own personal challenge at http://www.healthyedge-llc.com/Challenge.html  

Exercise 2:  Experience how changing the lives of others can change your life at http://www.29gifts.org  

Our minds are an incredible processing center which stores and produces our greatest achievements, foremost failures and images of what we could have or should have done.    Our analytical mind is busy filtering similarities and forming patterns providing an instant resource of choices to be made at our disposal.  

On the flip side is experience.  Like our analytical mind, our senses feed our minds on a very different level.   Our ability to actually experience life is through our five senses.   In fact, when our senses are fully engaged, our thinking often immobilizes.  This is what allows us to savor the moment of our experiences. 

It is when our mind and physical senses converge that we often struggle with living for today.  Our minds minimize sensory input and process information outside of the moment.  We can become so engrossed with our thoughts and how to conjure up a solution that thinking it through consumes us and we lose our sense of here and now.  Sometimes this intense focus benefits us, but it can also take away from life’s bountiful experiences.   To enjoy the experience of living in the moment, we must learn to control our perpetual thought processes and allow our senses to share in the nurturing of our lives.

The transformation of living a truly balanced life, an enlightened way of living, cannot be achieved without looking inward at ourselves and beyond the confines of our daily lives.  We can reshape our lives creating a beautiful life by taking two powerful steps in the right direction. 

Step 1 It begins by embarking on a personal journey, taking an account of where you are today and asking yourself where you would like to be.   Ask yourself…

• Are you completely happy with where you are at right now in your life?
• Are you experiencing life through the being you essentially are or who you are to everyone else?
• What stands in the way of accomplishing what you desire to be, to do, to achieve? 
• How does this fit with your plans, goals and personal values?
• When you are ninety-five years old, what will you want to say about your life?
• If your life depended on taking action, what would be your first step?

Step 2 Create balance in your life by allowing the power of your analytical mind to take a rest while you allow your senses to help you feel more fully engaged in the moment.  This can be accomplished in two very different ways. 

1)      Intensify sensory stimulation

Engage in activities that create a heightened level of sensory stimulation overriding the analytical mind, requiring you to be in the moment such as physical activity or intense exercise (e.g., hiking, aerobics, circuit training, or an invigorating massage). 

2)      Quiet your mind

Engage in activities that influence your analytical mind into a state of peace and calm (e.g.,   meditation, controlled breathing, listening to the sounds of soothing music or nature).

Imbalance breeds distressing thoughts.  A life full of experiences and wisdom is one that has achieved balance between experiencing the moment and thinking.  Our potential for a beautiful life begins with the contributions each make.   It is when we take time for both that we become enlightened opening our eyes to our full potential and all possibilities that lie ahead to experience our beautiful life.

Sarcopenia is a degenerative condition resulting in the loss of muscle mass and strength that slowly rears itself over time.  It can begin as early as our 30s for those physically inactive.  We lose approximately 1% to 30% of muscle mass each year in our 40s.  This equates to an estimated 3% to 5% of muscle mass loss per decade with a corresponding reduction in muscle strength. 

Lack of physical activity, diminishing hormone levels (testosterone, growth hormone, menopausal drops in estrogen), reduced protein synthesis, inadequate protein intake and changes in our neuromuscular  system  are all contributing factors to sarcopenia.  As the size of muscle cells decrease, fat cells increase. 

What can you do to reverse or reduce sarcopenia?  Just a few hours a week of aerobic exercise can lead to substantial health benefits.  In a study which appeared in the January 26, 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a co-author indicated, “People who trained aerobically lost abdominal fat, maintained muscle and became over 30% more insulin sensitive.”

Aerobic exercise is only one means to counter this insidious disease.  An article in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging titled “Strength Training for the Prevention and Treatment of Sarcopenia” reports progressive resistance training is necessary. 

How can you incorporate resistance training into your daily life? 

• Begin by walking, targeting about 90 minutes each week.
• Once you have accomplished this, try adding 20 minutes of resistance training three days per week.
• Work toward a goal of 90 minutes of aerobic exercise and 60 minutes of resistance exercise each week.

Resistance training ideas:

• Weight machines
• Free weights
• Adding body weight to push-ups, standing squats, crunches
• Perform 8 or 10 exercises targeting major muscle groups with 1 set per group (i.e., pectorals, deltoids, abdominals, gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings)
• Alternate between moderate intensity and higher intensity sessions

Aerobic workouts should be at least 12 minutes to get the most benefit. The American Heart Association recommends doing one or more of the following to work your arms and legs giving your heart a great workout:

• Brisk walking
• Dancing
• Bicycling
• Skating
• Swimming
• Lawn mowing
• Leaf raking
• Vacuuming

It is never too late to get started.  The investment you make in your health today could be what gives you your independence tomorrow.