Mick’s up With the Skinny

Some readers might view this blog’s purpose as an advertisement for one of the “next best” diet fads.

That certainly is not the case.

I have not been one to jump on the nearest bandwagon.  Ask my hubby.  Just yesterday we had a brief discussion in which he assured me that he knows I keep far, far away from anything cliché.  (In other words, I don’t choose the “popular” route, and I despise fads.)

Many people in my circle of acquaintances approach me proudly to tell of a recipe they like to use that has “low fat” this and “nonfat” that.  I actually take offense to those statements.  True.  I shouldn’t.  However, it feels like an insult, because never do I mention those phrases in my information.  The reason is:  They usually have nothing to do with my main objective for sharing what I’ve learned, but instead those phrases give the impression that “diet” and “weight loss” are the tactics involved.

Basically all the health information I share boils down to this: Healthy cells and spines allow the body to function at 100%.
 
Do you want to be and remain cancer-free?  Are you hoping to make your children’s lives as disease-free as possible?  Does your family health history scare you?

I don’t think the catwalk is where you’ll find the answers you need for true health.

You are beautiful just the way God made you!  Your family and friends want to celebrate life with you for a long, long time.  That alone should be enough of a reason to work at being 100% healthy.  Isn’t it?!

Jonny Diaz sings a song that says it well: “More Beautiful You.”  Enjoy the video link below.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

~

A Mick’s up with Aha!

Have you ever read something that you have come away from saying, “Aha!  So THAT’s why!”?  That just happened to me today.  I’m so glad a friend shared on his Facebook a link to the article How to Starve Cancer Out of Your Body - Avoid These Top 4 Cancer-Feeding Foods.

As I read through the article, I had several “Aha!” moments.  Now I can better explain why we do what we do to be a healthier family, as well as why I believe what I believe about doing or not doing certain things for the sake of avoiding cancer and other serious diseases.

As I mentioned in It's a Mick's up With Cancer Information, I don’t like the idea of women getting mammograms.  Focusing on breast cancer, the article I read today gives some good reasoning behind that, as well as some alternatives.  Dr. Horner states, “Everything has its pros and cons… [M]ammography produces radiation, which has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.  It's like, ‘Why are you doing the test to look at a disease when it's actually causing the disease, too?’”

When I read, “Vitamin D cuts your (cancer) risks in half.  Turmeric and anti-inflammatories cut your risk in half,” I thought to myself, “Aha!  I’m so glad my family and I are keeping up with taking our Vitamin D3 and our EFA (Omega)!  I can hope that this means our kidderz won’t have to watch us suffer from cancer, nor experience suffering themselves,” especially when reading, “Healthy fats of particular importance for cancer prevention are omega-3 and omega-9.  According to Dr. Horner, omega-3 in particular serve to effectively slow down tumor growth in estrogen-sensitive cancers such as breast-, prostate- and colon cancers.”  Aha!  Yes, again, aha!  Our major avoidance of bad fats is rationalized!  Woohoo!  We really ARE reading these labels for a good reason.

The next “aha!” was regarding grass-fed meat.  Why am I so picky about my family eating the right kind of meats?  Some days I get doubting this myself, and I start asking that question.  Articles, such as this, put it in perspective again.  We get inflammation issues and cancer risks with the wrong meat.  Meats from confined animal feeding operations (CAFO's) “are given antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drugs that get stored in their tissues.  Additionally, cooking the meat over high heat creates heterocyclic amines, which further add to its carcinogenic effect.” 

Then, if I get thinking about what hormones in foods are doing to children in regard to way-too-early development, I wonder, “So, what is the bad result of this, other than being abnormal and frustrating?”  Articles like this help to answer this and other questions:  Bodies end up getting more “estradiol, which is the strongest, most abundant form of estrogen, and the one that's most associated with breast cancer.”  Plus: “cells become really sensitive to environmental toxins, radiation, and so forth.  They're considered immature.  They haven't differentiated– as a more scientific term for it– so there's a longer period of time that they're exposed to these toxins where they have a greater sensitivity.”  Whether or not it makes sense or can be easily understood, all I know for sure is that I want to give my kidderz the best chance of living with healthy cells and bodies to fight off any risk of cancer.  It’s not fair to do otherwise. Is it? If you have the knowledge, but choose to ignore it and continue to put your loved ones in danger, is that really love?

With that in mind, let’s talk sugar.  Since the start of our “no sugar” kick, I get extremely excited to see or hear someone else with the same opinion about sugar and other inflammatories.  Dr. Horner refers to them as “cancer-promoters” and explains that this includes ALL forms of sugar, including fructose and grains.  “To me, sugar has no redeeming value at all, because they found that the more we consume it, the more we're fuelling every single chronic disease,” Dr. Horner says. 

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Cut out the sugars!!

Dr. Horner continues, “In fact, there was a study done about a year ago… and the conclusion was that sugar is a universal mechanism for chronic disease.  It kicks up inflammation.  It kicks up oxygen free radicals.  Those are the two main processes we see that underlie any single chronic disorder, including cancers.  It fuels the growth of breast cancers, because glucose is cancer's favorite food.  The more you consume, the faster it grows.” Enough said?!

So, what is good to eat? 

Do you have a sister, dad, husband, kidderz (or even yourself) who do not like to eat “rabbit food?”  Are you needing some “ammo” to convince them of the importance of eating greens?  Well, here’s an “aha!” for you.  Dr. Horner describes plants by saying, “some of them behave exactly like chemotherapy.  Every plant has some anti-cancer properties to them. There are some that are standouts.  Cruciferous vegetables are something that I really recommend.  They're a family of vegetables that include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, and Brussels sprouts… All of them have several different chemicals in common.  They've got indole-3-carbinol, Calcium D-glucarate, and sulforaphane.  They have big anti-cancer properties to them, and they inhibit the growth of breast, prostate, colon cancer and a variety of other ones.  Of all the families of vegetables to consume, [cruciferous vegetables] are the ones to be aware of, so you can make sure you're including that in your diet frequently.”

I use flax seed at times, but never seem to remember why.  Dr. Horner helps by saying, “The lignans in flax seed inhibit the growth of cancer in about a dozen different ways, including the exact same mechanism as the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen and Arimidex, which shut down an enzyme in fat cells called aromatase that converts androgens into estrogens.” Aha!  We’ll be adding more flax seed to our recipes, for sure!

My husband tries to get proper sleep, but when he slips up, I try to explain to him how important it is.  Dr. Horner does a much better job at it:  “If we, for instance, go to bed by 10, we have higher levels of our sleep hormone melatonin; there's a spike that occurs between midnight and 1am, which you don't want to miss because the consequences are absolutely spectacular.  Melatonin is not only our sleep hormone, but it also is a very powerful antioxidant.  It decreases the amount of estrogen our body produces.  It also boosts your immune system… And it interacts with the other hormones.  So, if you go to bed after 10… it significantly increases your risk of breast cancer.”  Aha!  (Well, I like to think it doesn’t stop at breast cancer.)  Any cancer in general is a good enough reason, not to mention all the other benefits… but definitely assisting the immune system is something we all need.

Moving on to things other than food, we’ll look at stress.  We cannot stop traumatic events from happening in life, but it is interesting and insightful to read that when you experience stress like that, “your risk of breast cancer is 12 times higher in the ensuing five years.”  That’s more like an “ugh!” than an “aha!”

The final “aha!” is exercise.  It has some good defense, too! “One of the primary ways exercise lowers your risk for cancer is by reducing elevated insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells.  Additionally, exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood.  Your immune system is your first line of defense against everything from minor illnesses like a cold right up to devastating, life-threatening diseases like cancer.”

So, just like it’s nice to know why you’re right in telling your kidderz to wear a helmet when they ride their bikes, it’s nice to know why you’re right in creating healthier habits.  Go with your gut!  You know healthier is better. 

I’ll leave you with an even better “aha!” than all the above “ahas!” combined:

Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you.

Jeremiah 32:17

~

Mick’s up Toxic Foods

I ran across an informative article today at Fox News.  It’s good timing, since I‘m writing on toxins, and it lists out toxic foods to avoid.  I’m glad to have this information, since it puts the “why” behind some of the things we try to do to be a healthy family.

We eat grass-fed beef.  Why?  Meat from cattle that are fed things other than grass ends up being something our bodies have difficulty digesting properly.  Part of the problem is the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 is totally thrown off.  Some of the benefits of grass-fed beef are found in 7 Foods You Should Never Eat, in Five Surprising Steps to Living Younger Starting Today by Dr. Al Sears, and at Strength Food Life.  To find a local supplier near you, go to Eat Wild, or get your meats online at U.S. Wellness Meats.

Microwave popcorn is something we’ve stayed away from for the past year.  Why? We thought it was just because of negative effects of the microwave oven and the GMO issue with corn.  However, other toxins are discussed in the 7 Foods You Should Never Eat, such as “perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag.”

Potatoes are another item we’ve avoided recently.  Why?  It was difficult for me, since I am a meat-and-potatoes person… and grew up that way.  However, I see now that not only are we avoiding the glycemic index problem, but we are also avoiding the pesticides, etc.  Apparently potatoes are a highly-sprayed crop (as are peanuts), and the toxins are soaked into the food, which means washing and/or peeling them won’t even make the toxins go away.

Unfortunately, we in my family are not big fish eaters, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been careful with the little bit of fish we have eaten.  Why?  I was taught by my nutrition coach last year to avoid farm-raised fish.  I look at the label for “wild-caught” and “Alaskan,” and avoid “Atlantic.”  I thought it was for the mercury issue, and now I see it is also because the fish are “higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.... and the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus.” (Prevention Magazine)

Looking at cows again, we are reminded of the dangers of dairy.  If you drink dairy, be sure to be wise in your selections.  Why?  The hormones can cause lots of problems for us (and I have to wonder if there is something to the theory of hormones in our food sources causing our little girls to mature too quickly).  If the former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society avoids certain dairy products, then isn’t that saying something?

Now these last two are the clinchers for me.

We’ve been eating Granny Smith apples almost exclusively, but my family loves most other types of apples, too.  I guess I’m going to have to be even pickier about my purchases, now that I’ve read 7 Foods You Should Never Eat.  Why?  Again, pesticides come into play.  "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers... and increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.” 

Not only that, but my consideration of no longer purchasing foods in cans is going to have to extend into my tomato selections as well.  Why?  The acid in the tomatoes reacts with the material to make the toxins come out even more.  “The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.”

I hope this information has been as eye-opening for you as it has for me.  It seems we'll be making more decisions to buy certain foods that are organic and in glass containers, etc., if we don't want our family members suffering from the chronic, and sometimes fatal, ailments of today.  After all, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves.  The process never ends until we die.  And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate

— bringing forth food from the earth:
Psalm 104:14 (NIV)

~

Mick’s in the Sweets

2007: Before a Healthy Lifestyle

What kind of a romantic am I, forgetting Sweetest Day on the 15th?  I even bought a nice card for my hubby early… but did I remember to give it to him?  Nope!  I guess that clarifies that I am not much of a romantic.  It only makes sense, since Jay is the true all-out romantic of the two of us.  Sorry, Hon.  I will be giving you the card now!  Sweetest Day was a little delayed this year.

It is said, Sweetest Day was organized by candy manufacturers to promote the health benefits of eating candy and chocolate every day.  Ummmm…. Well….  Let’s see what we can find, but I’m a bit skeptical, since they include sugar, and I’ve already covered some of the reasons sugar is not a good thing.

I found some great information quickly at “What You Can Do With Nutrition To Prevent Breast Cancer” in which Kimberly Roberto states:  Cacao is a “raw form of chocolate… rich in Flavanols (powerful antioxidants) which are highly absorbable by the body.  Cacao has a phenomenal ORAC score of over 433,000.  CAUTION: Don’t get too excited and load up on chocolate bars.  This is not a free pass at the dessert counter either.  Most chocolate is loaded with other additions like milk products and sugar.  Stick with raw cacao powder – add it to smoothies, yogurt, or mix with avocado and stevia for a mousse-like dessert.”

You can learn about some “healthy” chocolate and then order it through Beyond Organic.

Here might be a good spot to quote a great doctor I know, “The overall quality of your health is determined by the quality of your habits.”

Tell me something.  What can you do to maximize your nutrition this week?  Do you have some bad habits to break, or maybe some good habits to start?  Give it some thought, and then have fun improving!

“You've captured my heart, dear friend.
You looked at me, and I fell in love.
One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!”

Song of Solomon 4:8 (The Message)

 

~

Mick’s Sum-up for the Week

Toxins come from everywhere, basically.  When we’re not careful about what we’re choosing, then it seems almost hopeless.  We get bombarded from all directions.

I want you to understand, for your sake and the sake of your family, that you do have a choice!  You can strive to do all you can to keep the common cold, chronic illnesses, heart disease, and cancer out of your family… with success.

If it’s difficult to imagine how these actions now can affect future health as seriously as that, then maybe this will speak to you a bit more loudly.  Getting toxins out of your body can help you get rid of pounds and body fat that is holding on so tightly!

Your body knows toxins are bad for your organs, and so it tries to protect your organs with body fat.  Weird, huh?  So, in a sense, body fat is a good thing.  Well... sort of.  It’s a good thing, because it’s acting as protection for survival.  It’s a bad thing, because it means you have toxins in your body.  Hmmmm…  yuck!

One thing I can say about it, though, is that my husband and I found out it’s true… and the right detox works!  It’s an amazing transformation!  Once your body can get rid of toxins, it feels free to let go of the body fat, and you feel healthier, because you are healthier… and as a bonus, you trim down!  Wow!

If you don’t believe me, you might believe the article Detox to Loose Weight by Walter Crinnion in The Vitamin Shoppe’s magazine “Amazing Wellness.”  The detox I mentioned as a recommended choice is Daily Detox.  However, this article lays out a detox system for you to put together yourself at home, too.

So, what’s the summary of the week?

Remember to read the ingredients list on everything!  Watch out for those toxins!  Don’t be fooled!

Warning: 
It seems ironic that the ingredients in some products of companies supporting cancer awareness are actually toxic ingredients, as is addressed in the articles Susan G. Komen for the Cure Isn’t Curing Anything by Amy of the blog “Just West of Crunchy” and Pinkwashing: What’s Wrong with “Think Pink” and Breast Cancer Awareness Month by Susan Melgren in “Natural Home & Garden.”

Some more articles to help you watch for toxins:
Oral Report by Lisa Turner
Save Your Skin by Sherrie Strausfogel
Better With Age – A Tip for Every Day of the Month by Lisa Turner
Toxicity Data by Maximized Living
'Natural' breakfast cereals loaded with pesticides and GMOs by Mike Adams, Health Ranger
 
 

“Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
No longer will the fool be called noble
nor the scoundrel be highly respected.”

Isaiah 32:3-5 (NIV)

 

~

It’s a Mick's of Toxins

With all this talk of toxins, you may be wondering, “Where do we find toxins and why are they everywhere?”

It’s crazy.  I never used to worry about this stuff.  I thought only "extremists" got hung up on avoiding everything “normal.”  I had no desire to be part of that life.

Then I started thinking beyond myself.

It finally hit me.  Why do I want to be selfish and not change my lifestyle to make a healthier family?  Why do I want to curse my children and my husband with unhealthy living, just so I don’t have to go out of my comfort zone?

I love my family more than that!

So, I took a deep breath, and dove in.

I really dove in!  I chose to stop buying anything now considered “junk food” by the new definition.  All recipes were altered to follow guidelines I was given, and really yummy new recipes jumped to the top of the list of favorites.  The kitchen got emptied of its toxic items:  food and hardware.  Ingredient lists were read on EVERYTHING, and the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room were filled with new healthy choices.

Shopping and cooking took a bit longer in those first days (and months).  OK, more than a bit… but it had become a decision as serious as life or death.  Do I want to make things easier on me, at the risk of filling my  husband with toxins, killing him slowly, and possibly leading him into a life of torture with such illnesses as Alzheimer’s Disease?  Do I want to teach my children to live in such a way that would increase their risks of suffering from heart disease or cancer?

Simply, the answer to all of that is, “NO!”

I still don’t consider us extremists or nutcases.  We simply look at ingredients of all things we purchase, and do our best to minimize the toxins we allow into our home and our bodies.
What kinds of things do we look for, and what can we normal, ordinary, every-day families do about it? 

The Toxic Top 10 is a great reference, for example:

• Cleaning/Personal Care Products:  When considering ingredients, if you can’t eat it, don’t use it.
  
• Pesticides and Herbicides:  Follow the list of Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen
  
• Meats/Protein:  There are so many hormones and antibiotics injected into our food sources these days, and there are many harmful effects.  We look for grass-fed beef, raw-milk products, free-range poultry and eggs, and we avoid pork.  A great source is:  Beyond Organic
  
• Preservatives/Additives/Rancid Fats/etc.
  • Neurotoxins/Excitotoxins: We do not consume any product with any artificial/chemical sweetener, such as sucralose/splenda, aspartame, saccharin, ace-k, neotame, nor with MSG (see next bullet).
    
  • MSG: There are many products with this in it. Many of you already know the effects MSG can have on a body, because you’re already suffering from such things as headaches. Other MSG-containing ingredients to look out for are yeast extract, torula yeast, autolyzed or hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.  Mike Adams has a book to help you look for the things to avoid in the grocery store. Pick up a copy of Grocery Warning System to fill your grocery cart with healing foods, and stop being one of the 95% of Americans who fill their carts with ingredients known to cause cancer!
    
  • Sugar:  We stay away from buying foods with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and we go so far as to stay away from even natural ones (to keep inflammation down as much as possible), such as evaporated cane juice, rice syrup, barley malt, honey, and agave nectar (although we sometimes splurge with allowing agave-sweetened foods or honey).  We can choose alternatives for our Sweeteners.
    
  • Rancid Fats/Oils:  Mark’s Daily Apple touches on what to avoid.
  
  
• Pots and Pans:  We threw out our Teflon and other unsafe non-stick kitchen items.
  
• Environment/Biotoxins/Molds:  Check around your house, and keep it as safe as possible.  Fight off toxins with a detox for your body, like the one my family uses:  Daily Detox
  
• Medicines:  Stay away!  Find alternatives, when possible!  Incorporate 5 simple steps to healthy living, to reduce inflammation and toxicity, and to get your brain’s messages throughout your entire body, and to have healthy cells that can function properly.  Then your body can begin to heal, and  you can eventually get off your meds.  (My husband and I did!  Yay!)

Some extra links for more research:
The Stinky Facts About Smelling Good
Propylene Glycol
Fluoride Alert
Natural News:  Chemicals
Natural News:  Organic Foods
Natural News:  Ingredients
Natural News:  Products to Watch
Grocery Warning System
Dr. Russell Blaylock:  Excitotoxins
SLS
Journal of the American College of Toxicology:  SLS
Other Chemicals to Avoid

“Give the people these instructions,

so that no one may be open to blame.

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives,

and especially for their own household,

has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

1 Timothy 5:7-9 (NIV)

~

It’s a Mick’s up with Cancer Information

It seems everywhere we turn we are reminded it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I think it’s a great tribute to all those who have suffered because of this and other cancers.  It is my guess that those people do not wish the same suffering on anyone else, and so we, as their loved ones, should take it seriously enough to be taking all possible precautions to be cancer-free. 

Here are some stats: "Breast cancer death rates have declined steadily since 1990.  The drop has been larger among women under 50 (3.2% per year) than among women over 50 (2.0% per year).
 An estimated 230,480 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2011.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, after skin cancer. Breast cancer accounts for nearly 1 in 3 cancers diagnosed in women." (Learn About Cancer)

As you find out, when you take the quiz on Breast Cancer Myths Debunked: you are not doomed to cancer from genetics; you should keep a healthy weight; signs of cancer are not always obvious; alcohol intake increases your risks; sweating helps your body detox; breastfeeding decreases your risks.  I highlighted these particular statements, because they emphasize where I’m headed with this week’s toxicity topic. We determined in Mick's Max Workout that you are not doomed to being out of shape.  Well, take heart: you are not doomed to cancer, either.  Don’t give up, even if you have a family history of cancer.  There is hope!  Do what you can to take precautions.  Since we’re addressing minimizing toxins this week , the last of the 5 Essentials my family follows, it’s a great time to tie it all in with awareness. 

Thankfully, I have not had to deal with anything so serious in my life at this point.  The closest I got personally was when a lump was detected a few years ago.  I wasn’t yet 40 years old, but I was sent for a mammogram and the results caused enough concern to send me for an ultrasound.  I’m thankful it didn’t get further than that.  The test determined it is a cyst.  Even though my husband and I had prepared ourselves for the worst, we were ever-so-thankful for that good news.  Now, he and I are doing what we can to avoid another scare, as well as pass the lifestyle on to our kidderz.

I think it’s important to take precautions, but I have my reasons for not liking the idea of regular mammograms.  There are some debates about the safety and the necessity of mammograms, which gives more attention to alternative techniques, such as Digital Tomosynthesis.  Most of us will be relieved to hear the recommended age to begin regular mammograms is now 50 years old, and then only every-other year.  You can read more at:  Science Daily, Can Tomosynthesis Find Breast Cancer Better Than Mammography, Healthy Body Daily

“Perhaps most troublesome is that mammograms aren't lifesaving for all women, though many people assume they are.  Statistics vary, but at best, they only reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer by up to 20%.  ‘We've made it sound like every cancer can be found early and cured, and that's not true,’ says Susan Love, MD.  Mammograms miss many cancers, particularly the fast-growing, aggressive ones that are most likely to strike women under age 50.  ‘Mammograms are best at finding the slow-growing, low-grade cancers, not the worst ones,’ she says.” (Lauren Gelman of Prevention)

Early detection is a wonderful thing. Don’t get me wrong.  This Spring, early detection allowed my mother-in-law to begin addressing decisions to change her lifestyle (improving her exercise and already-healthy diet) to combat the cancer cells in her body before it was too late, and now she is on the road to healing.  We plan on having her around for a very long time!
 
"’The most important thing young women can do right now to reduce their risk of breast cancer down the road is to develop healthy lifestyle habits, such as limiting their alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, and adding exercise to their routine,’ says Susan Brown, RN, director of health education at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.” (Beth Howard of Prevention)

A Maximized Living Webinar coming up this month of October will cover the following topics:

• Breast Cancer Statistics Today
  
• What the Government is doing to address the epidemic
  
• Where is all the research money going?
  
• The difference between early detection/treatment and prevention. What does cure mean?
  
• The facts about breast cancer causes
  
• What you can do to prevent breast cancer and raise awareness!

Also, hear how companies offering bad nutrition choices, which can lead to cancer, are jumping on the bandwagon of breast cancer awareness:  Susan G Komen for the Cure Isn't Curing Anything

Mick’s sum up:
We should all be responsible enough to take precautions, when it comes to taking care of our body.  Some ways to try to avoid cancer are exercising, healthy eating, and keeping toxins low.  Mick's in the Oxygen last week explained Exercise = oxygen = healthy cells!  Later posts will discuss the nutrition and toxins.  What better reason to be on the road to a healthier lifestyle than for your family!?!  What’s stopping you?!

Take care of the body God gave you…

and then you can take care of the family God gave you!

“Well done, good and faithful servant!

You have been faithful with a few things;

I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

Matthew 25:23 (NIV)

Mick’s in the Oxygen

What’s your stage of life?  What’s your fitness level?  Are you Mom or Dad, and you have a few extra pounds that you still blame on the kidderz, even if they’re in Middle School?  Maybe you’re a grandparent, feeling as though exercise is for the younger generations.  Oh… do you fit in the category of a younger generation, and you haven’t reached the magical age of 30 yet, which means you don’t know the feeling of everything changing for the worse (no snap, crackle, and pop when you crawl out of bed in the morning…  no pounds sticking around, despite your efforts)?

No matter where you are in life, exercise is important, if you want your body to be healthy.  You’ve heard this before, but do you know the science behind it?

Check this out!  “The most important element you need to survive at your max, or to even survive at all, is oxygen.  Low levels of oxygen enable the accumulation of toxins in your body which can lead to disease.  Exercise increases your oxygen intake and produces lean muscle.” – Maximized Living  (We’ll be getting to the lean muscle part in a post later this week!)

Alkalize for Health states:  "When the oxygen saturation of blood falls, conditions become ripe for the creation of cancer.” (See The Terrible Two: Cancer and Circulation).  “All normal cells have an absolute requirement for oxygen, but cancer cells can live without oxygen - a rule without exception." (Dr. Otto Warburg, quoted in Philpott)

Be sure to get oxygen!

“Deprive a cell 60% of its oxygen and it will turn cancerous (McCabe, page 192).  Deprive a cell 35% of its oxygen for 48 hours and it may become cancerous.” - Dr. Otto Warburg. Read Dr. Warburg's papers in the Library: Lecture 1, Lecture 2.

Mick’s sum up:
  Exercise = oxygen = healthy cells! 

“The best method for intake, usage and storage of oxygen is through movement and the best method for movement is exercise!  Oxygen is one of the most essential elements that you need to intake for survival.  If you take in low levels of oxygen, you enable your body to accumulate toxins, develop disease, and possibly cause early cell death.  Are you starting to understand how all of these 5 Essentials work together?” – Maximized Living

Take it from a mom who has been there.  I’ve blamed the extra pounds on the kidderz.  I’ve kept too busy with life, wishing it was enough to get me fit, and just hoping it was enough to be considered healthy.  Face reality.  It’s not enough.  If you’re not truly exercising, taking specific time in your day to focus on increasing your oxygen intake, then you’re not at your healthiest, and there’s room for improvement… but… I’ll let you in on a little secret!  It’s not as difficult as you might think.  It doesn’t have to be time-consuming.  In fact, lengthy exercise might be counterproductive.  Curious?  I tell you more about it in my next post: Mick's up Exercising!

Are you seeing how the 5 Essentials work together?  It’s not a mistake that these 5 things are packaged together so conveniently to get you information on being the healthiest you.  They are essential!  You need all 5.  Think them through, and they all make sense.  They’re simple enough to follow.  Most likely you’re already incorporating them… at least some of them… into your life.  If so, it won’t take much to improve on them and add in the essentials you’re missing, and then you’re on the road to the healthiest you’ve ever been.

“Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,

and the man became a living being.” 

Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

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What’s the Mick’s up with Artificial Sweeteners?

“Artificial sweeteners can be found on nearly every restaurant table in America.  Sales of Sweet N Low, Splenda, Equal, and many other artificial sweeteners have sky-rocketed in recent years.  Everywhere we look, the multi-colored sugar substitutes enter our food and drinks by the packet.  Most claim to be “natural” and “low calorie.”  As consumers attempt to make smart choices on how to sweeten their foods and drinks, the dangers of these chemical sugars continue to be uncovered. ” - Dr. Aaron Sparks - Maximized Living: "The Yellow Blue and Pink Packets Could Be Killing You"

What are artificial sweeteners?  I don’t necessarily agree with everything said by the clinic, but here’s the Mayo Clinic definition:

“Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar.

“Artificial sweeteners currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are:

• Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One)
  
• Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)
  
• Neotame
  
• Saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet'N Low)
  
• Sucralose (Splenda)

“Approved sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners include:

• Erythritol
  
• Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
  
• Isomalt
  
• Lactitol
  
• Maltitol
  
• Mannitol
  
• Sorbitol
  
• Xylitol
  
• Stevia preparations that are highly refined (Pure Via, Truvia)”

You can find a comparison of some of these sweeteners at WebMD.

The artificial sweeteners are chemicals, which have serious affects on children and their brains.  For example:  Aspartame has a known carcinogen, methyl alcohol, which in this product doesn’t have the pectin to bind it to be safe like it does in fruit.  Also, Splenda contains chlorine, bringing another carcinogen into our foods.  These sweeteners are in 6000+ products, so beware, especially if you have a child with challenges.  Check out this information at the Maximized Living Vlog with Dr. Ashly Ochsner, as well as in the article “Artificial Sweeteners: The Only Thing You Won't Lose is Weight” and the webinar: Know the Facts About Diet Drinks and Artificial Sweeteners (aired: 2011-04-19) (Scroll down to almost the bottom of the page, and find the title to click on.)

The choice has always been easy for me.  I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners, so I’ve always steered clear of them, and now I’m glad I did.  However, I know there are many people out there who are hooked on the stuff.  It’ll be difficult to break that, but it’ll be worth it in the long run, when there is less brain fog, more energy, and a healthier and more fit body.  Reaching that point will allow you to fully do what God has in store for you!

If you don’t do it for yourself, at least do it for your kidderz.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Don’t be like everyone else, and fall into the “diet” and “sugar-free” trend of artificial sweeteners.

Make the safest choices you can.

Do the research, and become empowered!

So, if we stay away from sugar, as in Mick's Scoop on Sugar, because of its affect on our Immune System, as we read in Mick's up on Your Immune System, among other things, then what?


I'm glad you asked!
A couple of safer options are described in Mick's up with Sweeteners.

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Mick's up Conversation

Frozen Berries mixed with Changed Lives!

Growing up as a shy child, and then never wanting to be in the spotlight, whether on stage or in a group, conversation has never been one of my best characteristics.  I am working to improve, though!  My husband saw a big change in me, during my years as circuit coach at our local Curves club.  My next calling at a Maximized Living Health Center took me a step... or eight... or nine... or ten... further.

There is a concept (I was just reminded of today in a Facebook post) that always deserves repeating: The more you let someone talk about themselves, the more they enjoy your conversation.  That is something I need to tell myself over and over again.  My Max Liv boss would remind me often to make it about the other person, and he was great at pointing out how what I thought was about the other person was really about me.  Ugh!  How I hated that, but oh how I loved it at the same time, because not only did it help me to grow, but it also helped to make others feel as special as they truly are.  I have to consciously tell myself how to make conversation with someone, but it feels so good to succeed at it! 

Coming out of the store with a cart full of groceries this morning, I ran into someone God put right in front of me.  That's the only explanation.  There is no reason for our paths to cross.  I knew her when I worked at Curves and she was a member there.  When seeing someone in situations like that, my instinct is to run and hide, but I make myself go out of my way to get the person's attention and let her know she's special enough to be recognized and remembered.  I'm so glad I did!  A life might be saved because of  this obedience!

We had a great conversation, as I initially avoided conversation about me, and instead listened as she talked about her kidderz.  The conversation eventually lead to giving her information about Maximized Living!!  Giving my husband's testimonial about how Maximized Living helped do away with his fibromyalgia then turned the conversation to her sister-in-law.  I am now praying it changes the life of her fibromyalgia-victimized sister-in-law in Florida!  God is amazing, bringing people together to change lives around the world.  May it be so, Lord!

Sixteen years ago, at the Nazarene International Laymen's Conference in Orlando, Florida, a speaker (Alan Nelson, if my memory serves me correctly) reminded us that God places us where we are for a reason, so make the most of it.  For example, since it's not a mistake that we live next to our neighbor, make it count.  Talk to them.  Get to know them.  God has work for us to do while we're here in this location.  As the speaker at the workshop said, what we do affects those around us, even if we don't think so.  "It's all ripples in the pond."

In other words, God works in all of our situations.  We know that.  The Bible tells us that:  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:27-29 New International Version  Even in the little things, like running into someone from the past, God makes use of every situation.

Here are two inspirational quotes from a Maximized Living doctor's Facebook page today:

"Wow, 1 year ago today I celebrated my birthday at Northwestern hospital, diagnosed with stage 4 bonemarrow/blood cancer, metastatic that spread to my brain, this time last year they gave me a few months or weeks to live...they were right...so I left there, got to the cause and this year I'm celebrating my birthday with my wife and children...'There is nothing you can't do! It's not over till it's over!!!'

"These doctors need to see it's possible...How many people have died, given up, because they lost hope!!!" - Dr. Charles Majors

That's right.  How many people have given up hope and died, because we did not take the time to stop and talk to them (or their loved one) to tell them about the hope we know?  My frozen berries might have thawed, while I stood outside in the morning sunshine talking to Debbie today, but it is well worth it, since a precious lady several hundreds of miles away will get her life back… will get the healing she deserves… and will live life to the max!

View this video from that same Maximized Living doctor, Dr. Charles Majors: