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Author: Meredith Mitchell

Your Magic Number

Your Magic Number

Hi Everyone!

“The scale isn’t budging but my clothes are fitting looser and looser everyday, what’s going on?!?!?”.  Does this sound familiar?  Let me help makes sense of this so if you are one who can relate with discouraging numbers on the scale but more room in your clothes, you won’t really have to feel discouraged 🙂

It’s actually very simple.  Muscle weighs more than fat, as you can see above. When you start an exercise regimen your body starts to burn fat mass and build muscle mass. You’re trading fat for muscle which means your body composition is changing and this is very good!

There are two things you need to understand:

First, when you burn calories you are always burning some lean muscle mass along with the fat mass.  How do you burn the most amount of fat and lose the least amount of lean muscle mass? By doing a variety of cardio (alternate between steady state cardio and intense cardio intervals. Click the link for more info http://grapevine.mckinley.com/?p=693 ), strength training (so you can maintain your current muscle mass and build a stronger, tighter body) and by consuming enough protein to support your muscle mass.

Second, it usually takes about 2-3 months of strength training 2-4x weekly to gain 1-2lbs of lean muscle mass for females and in males with the same time span, 2-4lbs of lean muscle mass.  However, if you are brand new to exercise, you may experience the muscle gain a little quicker because you are “shocking” your body.  Once your body is familiar with your new exercise routine you will be back on track to gaining lean muscle mass at the rate I explained above.

To lose weight and keep it off, you can expect 1-2lbs weekly with a balanced diet and exercise.  If you are exercising and still don’t see the numbers dropping on the scale, you may need to change some things in your diet. Need some help? Start a food journal, send it to me and I can make some suggestions :).

Have a great evening!!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith Mitchell

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!!

Hi All!

It’s Halloween!!  Here comes the candy…and lots of it.  Most of you might be expecting me to say “Ditch the candy at the end of the night and rid yourself of the temptation”.  Even though I think that would be the best thing to do, it’s not realistic.  Here are some ways you can avoid eating all of the Halloween Candy:

Option 1:  Allow yourself and your kids ONE piece of candy daily for the next 7-10 days and THEN throw the rest away.  To keep yourself from being tempted to grab candy throughout the day or evening, stuff it in a place that is not easily accessible (in a bowl on the counter or on your kitchen table would NOT be the right spot).

Option 2: Put the decision making in your kids hands.  For every candy they throw away offer them $.10 (or whatever dollar amount you think is appropriate).

Options 3:
From Christina Wurm:
~ You can sell your candy for $1/lb at participating dentists.  Type in your zip code at this site to find your local participating dentist office.
http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/

Option 4:

From Angie Mullan:
~ One of my daughters friends was telling her last night that her family has a Witch Switch.  The kids keep some of the candy they get trick or treating but they put the rest out overnight and the “Witch” switches it for a toy(s)!

Option 5:

From Caroline:
~ Instead of throwing the candy out, folks could donate the candy to a homeless shelter, food kitchen or nursing home as a special treat for the less fortunate who might not be able to afford it! *^_^*

I believe in living a balanced lifestyle so if you choose to have a piece of candy don’t avoid looking at the sugar grams, make yourself aware.  That way you know how much sugar you can eat throughout the day and how much room you need to leave for the piece of candy at the end of the day.  Just to give you an idea, 1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has 8.8g of sugar.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

Understand How Your Sugar Intake Can Affect Your Cholesterol

Understand How Your Sugar Intake Can Affect Your Cholesterol

Hi Everyone!

With Halloween right around the corner I thought it might be fitting to talk about sugar…again.  You’ll find posts on the Grapevine with a host of reasons for why you should avoid refined sugars.  For this email, I want to focus on the connection sugar has with high cholesterol levels.

James A. Surrell, M.D. wrote the book “S.O.S. Diet (Stop Only Sugar)”.  http://www.sosdietbook.com/index.php?page=Sugar_Cholesterol_Connection

He describes the connection between sugar and cholesterol like so:
“You eat excess sugar – The pancreas releases more circulating insulin – Insulin stores sugar as body fat – Circulating insulin causes the liver to manufacture more cholesterol – Blood cholesterol level goes up above safe and normal levels – Risk of heart disease goes up and this is all because of the sugar you eat”

WebMD spoke with researcher Miriam Vos, MD, of Atlanta’s Emory University about data she analyzed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which took place from 1999 – 2006..  Vos found of the 6,113 adults who participated, the lowest consumption group got less than 5% of their daily calories from added sugars, while the highest consumers got 25% or more of their daily calories from sugar.  Sugar consumption appeared to be directly related to HDL and triglyceride levels. The more sugar the participants ate, the lower their HDL and higher their triglycerides.  Compared to people who ate the least sugar, people who ate the most sugar were three times more likely to have low HDL levels.
Click the link below to read the full article:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20100420/high-sugar-diet-linked-lower-good-cholesterol

More and more research points to sugar being the cause of high cholesterol, weight gain and many other diseases.  It is so important that we limit our sugar intake and set the example for our kids so they don’t end up with the problems we are trying so hard to avoid.  Just a reminder, the American Heart Association recommends men keep their sugar intake below 45g/daily and women keep their sugar intake below 30g/daily.  I would encourage everyone to do their best to keep their intake at or below 50g/daily.  If you choose to make the commitment to decrease your daily sugar intake, do it gradually.  I would suggest you decrease your sugar intake by 10g/daily until you get down to 50g so you are able to adapt to and maintain the change in your diet.  Once you eliminate or decrease the amount of refined sugars in your diet, your body will actually stop craving them!!  You can do it!!

Email me with any questions.  Have a great evening 🙂

Breast Cancer Prevention

Breast Cancer Prevention

McKinley Family,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I wanted to take a moment to go over some ways you can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer.  Gentlemen, you may be thinking this doesn’t apply to you.  However, there have been male breast cancer cases reported even though the chances of getting breast cancer are MUCH less in males.  Please read on and share this with the women in your life.

While there are risk factors we have no control over such as gender, genetics, age and family history (click the following link for the full list  http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/overviewguide/breast-cancer-overview-what-causes ) there are things you can control.  Many websites have their own list of “10 Ways to Prevent Cancer” and it can be overwhelming.  The five factors every article agrees on and every doctor I have questioned agrees with are the following:
1. Maintain a healthy body weight
2. Eat a healthy and balanced diet: spinach, kale and broccoli are three popular “cancer fighting” foods.  If you don’t like salads or eating them just as they are, trying juicing 🙂
3. Exercise regularly (3-5x/weekly)
4. Consume no more than 1 alcoholic drink daily or avoid it altogether
5. Regular mammograms: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force mammogram guidelines recommend women begin screening at age 50 and repeat the test every two years.  The Mayo Clinic recommends getting a mammogram starting at age 40 and to repeat yearly.  I have a close family history of breast cancer.  My Doctor recommended I start screening at age 30 so I did.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to meet with your Doctor and come up a with personal cancer prevention plan.  Before your doctors appointment WRITE down the questions you have for your doctor and don’t leave your appointment until you fully understand the answers to your questions :).

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in women in the United States for 2013 are:

~  About 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer
~ About 64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the breast will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
~ About 39,620 deaths from breast cancer

The American Cancer Society also states:

“Cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.  The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 36. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.”

It’s encouraging to read the breast cancer death rates are decreasing.  Let’s do what we can to make sure that number continues to decease by taking care of ourselves, sharing preventative info with our loved ones and encourage them to take the steps necessary.  Email me with any questions 🙂

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith Mitchell

Hemp Seeds

Hemp Seeds

Hi Everyone!

The weekend is approaching and soon it will be time to make your grocery list.  I have a “Superfood” to add to your list this weekend.  Hemp Seeds!  Check out the many nutritional benefits:
1. Contains all 20 amino acids (building blocks for your muscles)
2. Complete source of protein
3. Easy to digest
4. Excellent source of EFA’s Omega 3, 6, 9, and contains more omega 3 than any fish
5. 3 tbsp provides:
~ 14g fat
~ 2g carbohydrates
~ 11g protein
~ 0g SUGAR!
6. Excellent source of energy because of the fat and protein combination

I came across this website http://www.purehealingfoods.com/hempHeartsInfo.php.  The women who designed the website dealt with many different health conditions that doctors were not able to fix.  She started looking for alternative ways to solve her health issues through a naturopath and found great success.  Many of her issues were solved through FOOD, not medications. Hemp seeds is one of the foods she refers to a “Pure Healing Food”.  Go to her website to view the long list of benefits she experienced by adding hemp seeds to her diet.

Hemp seeds have a nut like flavor and taste most like a pine nut.  Here is how you can use the hemp seed:
1. Grind up shelled hemp seeds and keep them in your fridge.  You can add hemp seeds to soups, shakes, omelets, protein bars/balls, oatmeal and yogurt (really, anything you want to add nutritional value to)
2. Hemp oil, you can cook with it or use it in your favorite salad dressing
3. Hemp protein can be used in your shakes or baked goods 🙂

Wondering where the hemp seed comes from and how it differs from marijuana?  Nutiva, a company who provides high quality health and superfoods, has an answer for this FAQ:

“Marijuana and hemp both come from the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa L., but from different varieties. There are different varieties of Cannabis, just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of dogs, Canis familiari.  Marijuana is the flowering tops and leaves of psychoactive varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their high THC content.  Hemp, also referred to as industrial hemp, are low-THC varieties of Cannabis that are grown for their seeds and fiber. Hemp is grown legally in just about every industrialized country except the USA. ”

Hemp seeds contain less than 1% THC if at all.

 

Here are three simple hemp seed recipes from www.lovingthebike.com:

Hemp Seed Power Cereal: Mix ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds, 2 tablespoons hemp seed, 2 tablespoons cacao nibs, 2 tablespoons unsweetened dried berries, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tbsp raw shredded coconut.  Drizzle with 1 tsp organic raw honey and enjoy with any type of milk or yogurt.  Or, just spoon some hempseeds onto your favorite cereal for any extra healthy fat and protein boost.

Hemp Seed Bars: In a large bowl, mix ¼ cup chia or flax seeds, ¼ cup sesame seeds, ¼ cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup whole hemp seeds, ¼ cup dried fruit, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/3 cup melted organic coconut oil, 1 Tablespoon vanilla, and ½ cup organic honey.  Once well-mixed, immediately transfer to a large cutting board. Cover with oiled waxed paper (oil side down) and press flat with your hands or with a rolling pin.  Place in refrigerator until firm, then cut into squares.  Store in the refrigerator.

Hemp Seed Pesto Sauce: Since hempseeds are often described as having a pinenut-like flavor, they work well in pesto recipes.  In a food processor, mix 2 c organic hemp seeds, 1 c extra virgin olive oil, 2-4 garlic cloves, juice from 2 lemons, 1-2 cups fresh basil (to taste), salt and ground black pepper to taste.  If you’d like, you can also add ¼ cup parmesan cheese.  Process until smooth or desired consistency.

You can find hemp seeds at your local Vitamin Shop, Whole Foods or online at amazon.

Enjoy!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith Mitchell