NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

No one ever said losing weight would be easy.  It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and commitment, but it IS possible at any age.

Too many people use too many excuses why getting healthier just isn't a priority for them right now.

Here are some of the top excuses:

(1) I'M TOO BUSY--
Yes, we are ALL busy, but with a little planning, you can eat healthy and find time for exercise. Plan your meals and snacks in advance.  Many people do batch-cooking where they cook once a week and freeze the meals.  When you get bags of foods, go ahead as soon as you get home from the store and divide the food up into correct portion sizes.  Keep healthy foods, such as fruits, on hand for quick snacks.  For exercise, you have to SCHEDULE  it.  Put it on your calendar like you would any other appointment and stick to it, even if it means getting up a little earlier or staying up a little later at night.  YOU are worth it.  Exercise helps you to handle tasks and stress better.  During your exercise time, really focus on what you are doing.  Make the time count.  This is YOUR time to for self-improvement.

(2) HEALTHY FOOD IS TOO EXPENSIVE--
All food has gotten pricey.  It's just a matter of priority.  Buy frozen fruits and vegetables.  Usually these are cheaper and you don't have to worry about them going bad.  Check out your local farmer's market for seasonal items.  Use coupons to save you money.  Add Shakeology into your diet.  At $3-$4 a serving, you can't find a cheaper meal that has all your daily servings of fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals.  It's the way to go.

(3) DIETS MAKE ME HUNGRY-- 
If your diet is making you hungry, it's probably not a good diet. Cutting calories the healthy way--trimming portions from meals, skipping caloric beverages, and putting the brakes on mindless eating--should not leave your belly rumbling. Learn to listen to your body's hunger signals to determine if you really need to eat or are just bored. Eat approximately every 2 1/2-3 hours. This keeps you from being starved and overeating and also keeps your metabolism revved up.

(4) I DON'T HAVE TIME TO COOK --
You don't have time not to cook. . Twenty minutes of cooking healthy meals will save you excess calories you'd be taking in from oversized restaurant portions and time on the treadmill working that off.

Studies show that people who cook meals at home tend to eat more healthfully and weigh less than those who don't. Use these healthy packaged foods to cut down on kitchen time and arm yourself with the proper resources, such as a healthy cookbook for fast meals or easy recipes from your favorite Web site.  There are tons of sites and recipes out there for fast, healthy meals you can prepare to eat.

(5) EXERCISE MAKES ME TOO TIRED--
That is totally FALSE!! Exercise creates ENERGY!!! The more energy you have, the more you'll be able to get done every day.  Actually, the more you exercise, the more you WANT to exercise!! Squeeze in some kind of movement whenever you can throughout the day to give your body that energy boost.
You recharge your body through food, sleep, and exercise. Movement creates energy. It gets your heart pumping, blood pumping, cleans out toxins, and gets your engine started. It also gets confidence levels up so you feel better about yourself.

(6) I ALWAYS GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK--
You can't diet.  It has to be a lifestyle change.  When you diet, you will gain the weight back as soon as your diet is over. Make changes in your diet, you can stick with. Keep track of what you are putting in your body. Allow yourself the occasional "cheat meal" not a "cheat day." Never skip breakfast. Be consistent with your strongest healthy habits.  Be prepared for your weaknesses by having healthy snacks on-hand.


No more excuses!  Decide to make the changes you know you need to make, Commit to a plan of action.  You will succeed if you stick to it. 

Please let me know how I can help you.  Feel free to contact me at nataliewelch@cebridge.net or on My Facebook Page

A Little Kitchen Reorganization

My kitchen is not very big and seems to always be cluttered with small appliances.  Today, my husband decided to do something a little different.  We have a separate buffet area (or "side-counter" as I like to call it) that is just a countertop with some cabinets underneath.  Normally, I use this for my cookbooks and "this & that."  There are some plugs underneath the counter that normally you can't get to. 

So, here's what we did...

We drilled a hole in the countertop so we could put a cord through.  I set up all my cookbooks at one end of the counter.  My teen daughter likes to use a Mr. Coffee tea-maker so that is set up.  The blender with all the Shakeology stuff is set up in the middle, and then the coffee-making area is setup beside it.  My husband borrowed a Bunn coffee-maker to try out before we buy our own.  This has not only cleared a lot of my other countertop area, but has made making our favorite beverages so much easier and more accessible.

Here are some pics: (Ignore the ugly paneling which hopefully will get painted this summer and the ugly cabinets--that's the next BIG project)




The Shakeology-Making Station

  



The CookBook Area

  



Leslie's Tea Maker

  



The Coffee-Maker Station





All of It

  We will see how this setup works out.  So far, I think I'm going to like it.  

Does Coffee affect Thyroid Medication?

I have noticed a lot of changes in myself since I started drinking coffee in the mornings.  Some of the main changes include fatigue during the day, headaches, weight gain, and problems with simply thinking. I just had a thryoid panel run, so I'll be able to tell in the next few weeks if my thyroid is acting up once again. I started thinking about the times of the changes and it coincides with when I started drinking coffee. 

I did some asking around and it was suggested to take my thyroid medicine at night time, so if I'm to continue drinking coffee, I will have to make the change. Here is the link to an article addressing this very issue.  It is a VERY good read.

Coffee and  Thyroid Medication

What are your thoughts on this?  Leave a comment on Facebook 

E-mail me your comment nataliewelch@cebridge.net

Greenberry Shakeology

I wanted to share my all-time favorite Greenberry Shakeology recipe.  I love having it for breakfast in the mornings.

So here it goes---

• 1 scoop Greenberry Shakeology
• 1 banana
• about 5 strawberries
• 1-11/2 cups of water
• 1/2 pk of Crystal Light Cherry/Pomegranate
• ice
  **Blend in a blender to desired consistency

**Note:  By adding the other ingredients to the Greenberry, my shake is no longer the green color!

It's awesome.  It tastes fruity. There is NO aftertaste.  I use a little more water than most and a little more ice than most b/c I like to make a blenderful.  It's very filling too.

Let me know if you have questions or comments about Shakeology.
 My Facebook Inbox or nataliewelch@cebridge.net

Cut Your Risk for Developing Cancer

Even though, cancer can simply be contributed to genetics.  Environmental factors may trigger cancerous cells to form.  It's important that we live the healthiest lifestyle possible in order to prevent illnesses, especially cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.

Here are small lifestyle changes you can make today that may help lower your risk of developing cancer in the future:

• Limit or avoid fried foods.
• Choose whole grains over refined-flour products.
• Cut down on sweets.
• Avoid fatty meats and poultry with the skin on.
• Eat a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids from such foods as salmon and other-cold water fish and olive oil.
• Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages to no more than one drink a day if you’re a woman or two if you’re a man.
• Quit smoking.
• Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight.

When is the BEST time to drink WATER?

This was sent to me in my email so I thought I would share...

You need your minimum water to flush the toxins out of your body, but this was news to me.
Correct Time to Drink Water....Very Important
From A Cardiac Specialist!

Drinking water at certain time maximizes it's effectiveness on the body:

2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs


1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure


1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack

Healthy Living Tip #2

Add Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids to Your Diet

The AHA recommends a serving of fish two times per week.


Besides being a good source of protein and a food relatively low in the bad type of dietary fat called saturated fat, fish has omega-3 fatty acids -- which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon, are rich in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Foods such as tofu, soybeans, canola, walnuts, flaxseed, and their oils contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which convert to omega-3 in the body. Even though the benefits of ALA are controversial, the AHA still recommends foods containing it as part of a healthy diet.

In addition to their heart-health benefits, there is some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may also soothe an overactive immune system.  Even though this benefit is still being studied, she says there appears to be a link between getting more omega-3s in your diet and reducing allergies, asthma, eczema, and autoimmune disorders.

Tips taken from http://www.webmd.com/