Archive for the ‘A HEARTY HELLO WORLD AND WELCOME TO MY BLOG!’ Category

Tools for Summertime Weight Loss

By Brazos Minshew

Chief Science Officer for Trivita 

Nearly half of all people in North America make a resolution at the beginning of the year to lose weight. The next most common time for embarking on a weight-loss program is in the summertime: the “swimsuit season.” So now is the perfect time for an encouraging article on how to reach your weight-loss goals.

Unfortunately, being overweight is not simply an ornamental problem; it’s not simply about how we look. It is about how well we are. It’s about how much energy we have for the people we love, and how much vitality we have for the commitments we make. It’s about how successful or unsuccessful we will be at reaching our goals and living a life of purpose and meaning. It’s that serious.

Mechanics of weight loss
Let’s review several steps for weight loss that we have gathered from expert sources:

1. Find your Ideal Body Weight range using the Body Mass Index chart below.

2. Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the calculator below. This is the amount of energy you burn at rest. Reduce your daily calorie intake to match this number.

3. Decide how much weight you want to lose each week. Please understand, weight loss of more than 2 pounds per week is unrealistic and probably dangerous. Your goal is to lose fat; rapid weight loss usually comes from water (which you need), muscle (which you need) and bone (yes, you need that too!).

4. Get started: Reduce your caloric intake to match your BMR and increase your activity to burn ½ to 2 pounds of fat per week.

• Always eat breakfast.
• Never eat within 2 hours of bedtime.
• Morning exercise is better than evening exercise, but both are good.
• Never consume more than 400 calories in an hour.
• Eat according to an organized plan. For example, The South Beach Diet, Eat More – Weigh Less by Dean Ornish, The Sonoma Diet (my favorite Mediterranean diet plan), etc.
• Do both aerobic and resistance exercises most days of the week to meet your fat loss goals.

Remember, your sense of purpose will dictate your actions step by step!Speed bumps
Somewhere along the way you are going to experience discouragement, disappointment or despondency. It may be when you hit a weight loss plateau. It may be when you see others doing what you used to do and the old habits pull at your heart. It may be when those inner voices – I call them my “counsel of critics” – start to tell you lies about failure and success. What do you do when you hit a speed bump?

The answer to this question does not lie in the “how – when – what” of weight loss. The answer lies in the “why.” Your personal “why” gives you energy. It inspires you, motivates you and drives you to complete your journey.

Supplements for weight loss
Leanology® supplements are also an important part of weight loss. In many people they represent the critical difference between success and failure in lifetime weight control. However, you must always remember that they are supplements; they supplement a diet and exercise program. Use them wisely as an important part of your total wellness program.

Remember to let your desire fuel your action; let your actions harmonize with your sense of purpose. Simply be resolved to live a life of purpose and you will have the energy to get beyond the speed bumps.

Take Control of Your Health

• Plan a balance of calories and activity for lifetime weight control
• Eat 5, 7 or 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
• Plan aerobic activity most days
• Do resistance training 2 to 5 times per week
• Supplement with Leanology to support the four stages of weight loss: 
• Energy and Metabolism:  Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help increase metabolism and energy to support your body’s ability to burn more calories at rest.
• Cortisol & Stress Management: Leanology Weight Loss Capsules help to limit cortisol production in your body. Cortisol is the stress-induced hormone that can lead to abdominal fat.
• Appetite Control: Leanology Appetite Control Chews help reduce the natural hunger signals in your body to minimize cravings.
• Blood Sugar Control: Leanology Nutritional Shakes help your body use the nutrients you eat as energy, rather than storing them as fat.

Hello world, and welcome to my blog!  I am excited about this blog because it will encompass a variety of subjects and meet many needs.  There will be Christian Encouragement, Animal Therapy for those grieving for their lost pets (yes, pets DO have souls, contrary to what you have been told!!), a category to make you laugh, pyschology therapy, help for the depressed, essays and research papers, and much more.  It will be a complete learning center and encompass a variety of wants and needs.  Thank you for being a part of my blog.  I am here to help.

I am a psychology major, so I plan on making this blog a therapeutic one.  This is the true meaning of Christian living–people helping people.  We live in a very narcissistic world.  One by one we can change this by being “missionaries in our own back yard.” Hopefully, this blog will help us to help each other.  Feel free to express your feelings, even the negative ones.  I am here to help.

Happy blogging.

Again, welcome to my blog.  Maranatha!! Come Lord Jesus come!!

Remember–this is all about you–one little starfish!

The Starfish Story
adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren Eiseley
1907 – 1977

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “I made a difference to that one!”

Few stories have gained internet popularity the way “The Star Thrower” has. Most often it’s sighted as “author unknown,” but it is actually a classic from 1979 written by Loren Eiseley, who has been hailed as a modern day Henry David Thoreau. In reality we don’t have to be rich, talented or even particularly intelligent to make a difference in the life of another.  (Which is why I started this blog) We just need to remember that we ARE here for a purpose, andthat making small changes in the world eventually add up to something bigger in the life of another.

Loren Eiseley was both a scientist and a poet, and to this day his writing is the subject of much discussion and inspiration. In this story he is the “wise man” touched by the innocence and determination of another soul.

“The Star Thrower” is a classic story of the power within each one of us to make a difference in the lives of others. And though it has appeared in many forms (sometimes it’s a native american man who is throwing the starfish into the sea, sometimes it’s a grandfather, or a young girl or boy) it is none the less a powerful reminder that we should be here for each other, and to seek to help, even in small ways, whenever we can.

In such turbulent times as these, when we may feel alone and small and unable to make any lasting changes we may find ourselves asking “What can I do that will make a difference?” or “What can one small person like me do?”

When we become throwers of the stars, we too, have the power to change lives.