Power Women Magazine

March 2011 Issue

How to Quit Resolving to Lose Weight and Get Healthy, and Start Doing It! By Lisa Lewis On January 1, journals and diaries across the globe were filled with lists, goals and resolutions that would (hopefully!) make the New Year a successful and better one. And, at the top of many lists were the important, but elusive, goals of 'lose weight" and "get healthy." I have a lot of firsthand knowledge and personal experience with these resolutions. For most of my adult life, I have struggled with my weight, and along with the weight, came other things that burdened my life...lack of self-esteem and confidence, health issues and low energy, and the blocks that being overweight seemed to place around every corner, both personally and socially. I consistently included those two resolutions on my list year after year. My resolve would always wane within a week or two, like it probably already has for you. I finally recognized this as a negative pattern and decided that I needed to ask myself WHY I was making the resolution in the first place. With some time spent soul searching, I was able to find the answers that solidly ignited my determination and commitment to keep my resolutions. I discovered that I was sick and tired of being overweight, making unhealthy choices and feeling bad about myself every single day of my life! I also realized that I was the only one who could ultimately motivate me to reach these elusive goals. This was the major breakthrough that helped me to begin to keep my commitment to losing weight and, thus, change my life forever! Starting with that first step, I have now reached my comfortable goal weight, and I am healthier and happier about myself today than ever before in my life! I went from a size 16 to a size 8 in a matter of months. I continue my commitment by making time every day to support and maintain my healthy and energetic lifestyle. If I can do it, so can you, and I am here to help you succeed! In fact, my life's mission and work is to make a profound and lifelong difference in people's lives and give every person the opportunity to experience vibrant health. Here are 7 success strategies that worked for me, and I know they can help you keep your resolutions once and for all! 1. Ground Yourself Emotionally - The most important step you can take is to become very attached to how great you can feel and look. Write down all of the fabulous ways your life will change and what it will be like when you do achieve your goal. Then, spend time visualizing in great detail what your life will be like. I can't tell you how many times the strength of my "feelings" about being vibrant and healthy helped me to make better choices about what I did and didn't do and kept me focused on the fact that the decisions I made today directly related to my goal and my future. Visualization helped me to start living that life in the moment. 2. Small Steps - Focus on realistic goals with measurable results. Break things into the smallest steps you can manage. Be prepared to try several different approaches to achieve your goal. Prepare a plan of action that gives you plenty of

options. 3. Enlist Others to Cheer You On! - Share your intentions with as many people as possible that care about you and want to see you succeed. Ask them to be your support team and be sure to tell them all the reasons you want to be successful. Call on them when you are strugglingthey can remind you of your "why" when you need it most and cheer you on to success! 4. Get Moving! - Get started immediately! Action precedes motivation, not the other way around. Instead of waiting for inspiration, get moving. If you are having trouble getting out for that walk, start moving and you will soon find the motivation was there, just waiting for you to shake it loose! 5. Encourage Yourself - If you fall off a bit or even relapse, don't be too hard on yourself. Remind yourself that it was just a minor setback and don't let it undermine your self-confidence. Just because you didn't get up early today to take a walk doesn't mean you can't find 30 minutes in the middle of the day to get some exercise. Relapses can be challenging, but the best solution is to start again. 6. Help Yourself with Positive Reinforcements - Create your own triggers to help you to stay on track. Change your home page on your computer to a healthfocused website so it's the first thing you see when you start your day. Pack a healthy lunch so you don't have to make the often difficult decision of where and how to get a healthy meal. Sleep in your exercise clothes if it makes it easier to head out the door first thing for a walk. And last, but not least 7. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY but be serious about living your life. If you are unhappy about your weight, you can resolve it. You can take control of your eating habits and feel better about yourself and your body. Treat yourself like you would someone else in this situationwith support and encouragement. Be your own best friend and cheerleader. Don't give up on yourself so easily. It's never over till you quit trying! If you are ready to live your most healthy life, then there is never a better time to start than now. It doesnt have to be New Years to lose weight and get healthy. Take the time to follow these 7 strategies, refocus your energy and don't quit until you get there! ------Lisa Lewis Bio Lisa Lewis is a certified Nutrition and Wellness consultant who has personally experienced the life-changing benefits that proper nutrition and exercise has made in her life. She shares her knowledge and experiences in her debut book, Being Fat Sucks, But Life Doesnt Have To!, an insightful exploration into selfdiscovery and the discovery of vibrant health. Also a business owner, Lisa expanded the services she offers to include marketing and advertising by forming Leading Edge Marketing Solutions, LLC, in 2009 with seasoned business professionals. www.LeadingEdgeMarketingSolutions.com Born and raised in Kalamazoo Michigan, Lisa settled in Marin County in Northern

California, where she has lived since 1976. She is committed to helping people understand the importance of properly integrated nutrition as a vehicle for improving their physical, mental, and emotional well being. Visit her website www.whybeingfatsucks.com to purchase her book and to learn more about Lisa.

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Size Doesnt Matter in This Two-Dog Household Dear Inquisitive Canine, I have 2 dogs, a Dane and a Chihuahua. The Chihuahua intimidates the Dane. She won't let him eat, play with toys, or do anything. I have to separate them or else he would live in a corner. She doesn't bite or attack him. All it takes is a look or at most a growl. What can I do to restore my happy home? My friend Shirley says the Dane is a wimp, but he's fine with other dogs, and so is the Chihuahua. Help! Thanks from the war zone Dear War Zone, Ah yes, sibling rivalry. Its a shame when family members dont get along. Humans have been known to have arguments now and again, and from my experience as a certified professional dog trainer I can tell you that our pet dogs are really no different. No matter the cause, the approach is the same: create an environment where both dogs love being around each other. How do you achieve this? Simple. Pair each dog with something the other dog loves, then theyll start to love that dog. Take it slow and steady - baby steps if you will. When youre not training, manage your environment to help prevent both dogs from practicing objectionable behaviors. Training: the goal is to change your dogs perspective of how they see each other using classical conditioning techniques. Pretty fancy for dog training. But its simple and it works! Right now it sounds like the mere sight of one another brings on feelings of dread. You want to reverse that, right? So instead of each dog predicting that the other being around will result in something unpleasant, you can pair the Dane with something the Chihuahua loves, while pairing the Chihuahua with something the Dane loves. For a more in-depth training plan, please see the complete column on our Inquisitive Canine website blog.

 Management: remove all objects the Chihuahua likes to guard (or gets bossy over). Keep them apart from each other if necessary, but if youre confining them to separate areas, provide enrichment so its not so much of a punishment. Include chewies, interactive food toys, etc. Also, make sure theyre tired from exercise so theyll want to nap. Most importantly, remember to reward desired behaviors. Catch your dogs in the act of doing what you want, then reward each one! Trust us, youll get more of those lovely behaviors youve been striving for! To read this complete Dear Inquisitive Canine column please head to our Inquisitive Canine website blog. Youll find handy training tips on this multi-dog household as well as other dog behavior and training tips. Dear Inquisitive Canine is written by certified professional dog trainer Joan Mayer and her trusty sidekick Poncho the dog. Joan is the founder of the Inquisitive Canine and developer of the Out of the Box Dog Training Game, If you or your dog have questions about behavior, training or life with each other, please email them directly.

Magnesium, Estrogen and Vitamin D A reader recently asked me to explain the relationship between magnesium and estrogen and other nutrients. I'll tackle estrogen and vitamin D in this blog. Estrogen I talk about the relationship of estrogen to magnesium in my Magnesium Miracle book. One of the original papers I referenced is by Dr. Mildred Seelig in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and it's available online at the Magnesium Water website http://www.mgwater.com/estrogen.shtml. According to Dr. Seelig's considerable research, normal levels of estrogen enhance the uptake and utilization of magnesium by soft tissues and bone. She says this may explain why young women are not subject to heart disease and osteoporosis but then fall victim to the conditions when estrogen secretion declines at menopause. However, in cases where estrogen is high and magnesium intake is low, the excess estrogen can quickly burn up magnesium making it even more deficient. In the face of low magnesium in blood calcium gains the upper hand and can lead to blood clots, atherosclerosis, kidneys stones, gall stones, heel spurs and calcium deposits in breast cysts and fibromyalgia. Since there are so many signs and symptoms of excess estrogen, go to Dr. Roby Mitchell's website www.drfitt.com and fill out his symptom profile on estrogen dominance. The treatment of estrogen dominance has to be individualized but if you have it you should at least be taking extra magnesium. Vitamin D According to the Vitamin D Council (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/), vitamin D has co-factors

that the body needs in order to utilize it properly. They are: magnesium, zinc, vitamin K2, boron and a tiny amount of vitamin A. The Council goes on to report that magnesium is the most important of these co-factors. Clinically it is common for rising vitamin D levels to uncover an underlying magnesium deficiency. So if you are taking vitamin D and start to feel worse rather than better, you might be experiencing magnesium deficiency symptoms and need to increase your intake of magnesium. Carolyn Dean MD ND The Doctor of the Future P.S. I apologize in advance to people who write me with personal health questions. I will no longer be able to answer them but must confine myself to answering emails from clients and members of Future Health Now! I am working on cloning myself and when that process is complete I will then be able to answer the 100+ emails I get every day. However, please send general questions that I may be able to answer in my blog.

Dating Violence 101...What is Dating Violence? Dating violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner. A Pattern of Behavior Calling dating violence a pattern doesnt mean the first instance of abuse is not dating violence. It just recognizes that dating violence usually involves a series of abusive behaviors over a course of time. Here is a model of how it works: You can see the cycle on the post which is a vicious cycle: Tension Building - Things start to get tense between a teen and their dating parter. Explosion - There is an outburst of violence that can include intense emotional, verbal, sexual and/or physical abuse. Honeymoon - The abuser apologizes, trying to make up with his or her partners and to shift the blame for the explosion to someone or something else. Every relationships is different, but the one thing that is common to most abusive dating relationships is that the violence escalates over time and becomes more and more dangerous for the young victim. Continue Reading: http://bit.ly/ihf6E5 Posted By: Anny Jacoby Members in Project Safe Girls: Stop Domestic Violence & All Assaults Against Females

Weight Loss Guarantee Hang on to your hats everyone. I want to share with you a weight loss program that is guaranteed to make you lighter. What is even better is that this plan does not require any money, pills, travel or painstaking exercise on your part. A sure way to make you feel lighter is by letting go of the past. It weighs very heavily on your mind, body and soul. Give up the baggage you have been holding onto for so long to lighten your steps as you enter into a life of freedom. Surrender to it and have faith in the things you cannot see. Open your heart and mind to the undiscovered possibilities for yourself. By holding onto the past it is clouding your vision of what might be. Everything you need the world will provide you. All you need to do is trust yourself to believe that you are worth living a life in the NOW and that your energy is being wasted on trying to remedy the past. Knowing that we cannot change what has already happened it will allow you the freedom to see that today is the only thing we can control. Keep today in your sight and forget about yesterday. If you do this every day you will notice that each step you take in your journey is lighter. The best thing about living in this state of lightness is that you will finally be able to smash the scale that sits on the floor of your home. You will not need a machine to verify the loss in weight. You will just feel lighter with every step you take into your life of freedom. Kim Malchuk http://tastingrain.com

My Inspiration, My Mother
By:Michelle Shamlow My inspiration in my life and my writing can be summed up in five words, Rita Ann Shamlow, my mother. I understand that may sound corny but it is my truth. From the time I learned how to read and write, my mother expected the most out of me. She corrected my grammar and made me rewrite any paper submitted to school several times. To some, this may sound annoying or irritating, and I agreed but over time I have learned that this "tough love" has gotten me to here. My parents have always expected a lot from me and I try to deliver as much as I can. I had an amazing upbringing, in a small town in the Midwest, in a loving Catholic family. My mother always expects me to do the best that I can and, I believe that I have. Failure is not an option for me and I pride myself in that. The inspiration my mother has always given me is that I don't need to step on people to get where I want to be, but to overcome obstacles to do better, just like she has proven in her own life. I'm a very strong willed female and I know I can take on any challenge that is thrown my way. My goals and dreams are endless, and I know I will accomplish every single one within my lifetime. Writing for me, has proven that over the years. I do my best in every piece that I compose. I reread everything I write several times before anything is delivered. The inspiration I have learned from writing is that it reflects who you are. If you sound uneducated it may give others the impression that you are not familiar with what you are talking about. It is important to research and know every detail about your writing piece. For this, my inspiration shines through every piece of writing I proudly submit. Thanks Mom!

Type 2 Diabetes
From Old Dogmas to New Realities
by Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE To say there's a type 2 diabetes tsunami brewing is a vast understatement. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2011 statistics released recently indicate that: 26 million Americans have diabetes (90%+ have type 2) 79 million (35% of American adults) have prediabetes Unfortunately, many old dogmas about type 2 diabetes prevail yet recent research has led to new understandings and treatment options. The new reality? Take action early and often. Don't delay, don't deny. Here are four old dogmas dispelled and the new realities explained: Old Dogma: Type 2 isn't the serious kind of diabetes. Typically diagnosed later in life, people just need to follow a healthy eating plan, lose a few pounds and perhaps over the years, they'll need a "diabetes pill." New Reality: Recent research underscores that type 2 is a progressive disease and the progression is typically kicked off nearly a decade before diagnosis. Insulin resistance, due to excess weight, mixed with a positive family history are the common culprits. Type 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in younger adults and even children. By the time of diagnosis, most people have already lost half to three-quarters of their insulin making pancreatic beta cells. Expert guidelines now recommend starting individuals on a medication to treat the insulin resistance right out of the starting gate. It's now known that insulin production will dwindle further over time. Most people will need a progression of blood glucose lowering medicines over the years. The good news: research shows early, aggressive management to control blood glucose can slow this progression. Healthy eating, losing a few pounds and being physically active will always offer an assist. Old Dogma: Blood glucose control is goal number one. New Reality: Having type 2 diabetes, it is said, carries a risk factor equivalent to having had a heart attack or stroke. The most common complication of type 2 is heart and blood vessel diseases, not eye or kidney disease, as is often thought. Research has shown that to get and stay healthy over time, people with type 2 need to focus squarely on their ABCs: A for glucose control (the A1C result), B for blood pressure and C for cholesterol. Studies show that when people think diabetes, they think glucose. They don't make the link between diabetes and circulatory problems. Yet, three-quarters of people with diabetes have high blood pressure. Old Dogma: Losing weight will always rapidly control blood glucose. The dogma people hear from their providers ad nauseam is if you'd only lose weight your blood glucose would be lower. New Reality:

Research shows that the greatest impact of weight loss on blood glucose is in the first few years after diagnosis. In fact, the biggest bang per pound is in the prediabetes phase (sad fact is most people don't know they have prediabetes). With loss of 5-7% of body weight and 150 minutes of physical activity, research has shown people can prevent or delay the progression to type 2. Once insulin production is on its dwindling course, weight loss will have less impact on glucose control. Reality is if blood glucose is out of control, it's time for medication. Old Dogma: People with type 2 diabetes must follow a low carbohydrate diet. New Reality: Nutrition recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes from the American Diabetes Association and other health authorities echo the recently unveiled U.S. 2010 Dietary Guidelines for carbohydrate consumption: about 45 to 65% of our daily calories should come from carbohydrates. (Americans currently eat about 4550% of their calories as carbohydrates.) Countless research studies do not show long term benefit of low carb diets on blood glucose, weight control or blood fats. People with type 2 diabetes, like the general public, should lighten up on added sugars and sweets. They should eat sufficient amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy foods -- all healthy sources of carbohydrate. To get and stay healthy with type 2 diabetes means facing the diagnosis promptly and taking action immediately and continuously tracking and controlling blood glucose, blood pressure and blood cholesterol.

Remember: Take action early and often. Don't delay, don't deny. _________________________________________________ Hope Warshaw, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, is the best-selling author of 8 books, including Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy, Real Life Guide to Diabetes and Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating. Learn more at her informational web site www.hopewarshaw.com.

New Guidelines to Understand

by Janine Sherman, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC
When I was 18, my mother made me an appointment to see her gynecologist to have my first Pap smear. I was not yet sexually active but my mom wanted me to have an exam before I left for college. Many years later, working as a Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner, I would similarly tell my patients that age 18 is when a girl who is not sexually active should come in for her first pelvic exam and Pap smear. I would also tell moms that if their daughter was younger, but sexually active, she needed to be seen even sooner for a Pap smear. Back then, this was thought to be the right thing to do; now, most girls no longer need to have this test performed at such an early age. A Pap test (officially called a Papanicolau test or smear) has been around for decades; its development was a huge breakthrough in the detection of cervical cancer. Prior to the advent of the Pap smear, cervical cancer was a common cause of cancer deaths among women. The Pap smear allowed for early detection of pre-cancerous cells and treatment before cervical cancer was present, leading to a very significant decrease in the cervical cancer rates in the US. Since most cervical cancers are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) -- which is transmitted through sexual contact, we would recommend that any girl who is sexually active come in for an annual Pap test to look for early evidence of cervical cancer. Often, the results in young women would indicate that they had some abnormal cells on their cervix and we would aggressively follow and treat these abnormalities. Not only was it expensive to follow these abnormal tests, the testing and treatment could have long term side effects for the young woman. Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to gather enough information to know that most young healthy girls who have these cervical abnormalities will totally clear the abnormality within 2 years with no treatment at all. We have also learned that cervical cancer in girls under the age of 21 occurs very rarely.

A Girl's First Pap Test

As a result of these new findings, the guidelines regarding when a girl should have a Pap smear have changed. Now, no girl under the age of 21 needs a Pap test, even if she has been sexually active. Now, this doesn't mean your daughter does not need to be seen by a gynecologist -especially if she is sexually active, but the Pap test is no longer thought necessary for a girl that young. After years of the experts examining these facts, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) changed the guidelines to recommend that the earliest Pap test should be at age 21, then every two years after that. ACOG guidelines also include that a health care provider may still use their medical judgment in deciding to do Pap test earlier or more often, but it is generally not necessary. Although many teens who end up at a gynecologist's office will not have a Pap test, it is still important to start establishing gynecological care for young women so that they can learn about their body and care for it appropriately. Often these visits don't require exams, but they are great opportunities to assess a young girl's health needs as well as provide them with accurate, reliable education. If they are sexually active, they will need screening for sexually transmitted infections. These early visits can help build rapport between your daughter and a health care provider so that when it is time for a Pap, they will already have a relationship with that person. Remember the Pap test changed the lives of women by decreasing the rates of cervical cancer, but it is important to acknowledge that these important guidelines now tell us not to start doing them too early. ____________________________________________ Janine Sherman, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC, is a Woman's Health Nurse Practitioner who specializes in the care of adolescent patients. She currently works in a busy OB/GYN office in Houston. She is also the co-author of Start Talking: A Girls Guide for You and Your Mom About Health, Sex, or Whatever (starttalkingbook.com).

WE ARE DESIGNED TO BE BEAUTIFUL MOSAICS Virginia Woolf stated, "Arrange whatever pieces come your way, and make it work for you." I was talking to one of my favorite girlfriends in California one Saturday night about emotions, feelings, and life happenings. We all go through trials, challenges, joys, happiness, pain, and tears in the course of our lives. We mentioned how we all are broken pieces. Our hearts get wounded not once, but over and over again. The wounds are like broken pieces. I looked at my friend as we talked about our spirits resembling broken pieces, and I came up with this analogy; the broken pieces are our life mosaic. We take all of the broken/wounded pieces, and we put them together gently, and we make a

beautiful mosaic. I love the way a mosaic looks, with every piece exactly where it belongs. We must not fall apart when challenges come our way, but instead we gather up our thoughts and emotions, glue them gently back together, and in so doing we create a beautiful tapestry that is forever evolving! One that is stronger and more vibrant. By changing our attitudes - the way we think and focus on the positive instead of the negative, we are on our way to changing our perspective and taking the broken pieces and making something incredible! What I find is that we are prone to becoming victim to circumstance. We have a hard time with a situation in life, we allow depression and/or anxiety to set in, and like an evil monster it doesn't leave. We so desperately want it to leave, but we live in darkness for so long that we forget the resources available to us, and don't see the ray of light on the horizon. We spiral into the dark abyss and forget that there are other ways of thinking that are more functional, more positive. The darkness will subside if we connect with the positive things in our life, and remind ourselves daily that attitude is everything. We make things so hard, but surely they don't have to be that way. Remember what I said in the beginning of this post, we are intended to be beautiful mosaics. We must honor ourselves in such a way that we truly believe we are! Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us all!

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Nancy Shields Website: http://makegirlfriends.com

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