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The Sequoia Advisor
IN THIS ISSUE December 1st 2011
Rushing Around Can Make You Fat
Comfort Foods... Fact or Fiction?
New Workshops at Dream Yoga Studio
Osteoporosis Support News
Reston Patch Spotlights Posture Perfect!
Winter Health Tips for Your Pets
Feel Better... Live Better
Rushing Around Can Make You Fat
(and Other Unhealthy Things)
By Woody McMahon
Rushing Increases Stress Levels
If you find yourself in "rush mode" all the time, BEWARE, you are robbing
yourself of good health and shortening your life. Rushing around raises
stress hormones in the body while increasing inflammation and reducing
your overall enjoyment of the activity. If your kids are rushing around
going to more events than they need each week, they may be jeopardizing
their health as well. Rushing, especially at a young age, does two things;
it teaches kids this unhealthy behavior early in life and it increases
their stress levels promoting overeating while fueling the obesity
epidemic we now face.
Try to Slow it Down
Rushing has reached epidemic proportions; more in this country than any
other in the entire world. When rushing starts to affect your health, many
unhealthy things can happen. Your waistline can expand as healthy eating
habits are eroded. Your bones can lose calcium and matrix as stress
hormones acidify your body. Very quickly, you can find your good health
eroded and slipping away. The most important question to ask is "where did
I learn that running around like this is good for me" and "why do I keep
doing it if it's not?" By slowing your life down, you have the opportunity
to enjoy more things even when you do less.
Let's take a closer look at two areas of your health that can suffer the
most from overdrive living.
Rushing and Your Bones
Your bones need stimulation in the form of safe and effective exercises.
But unlike the saying that goes, "If a little is good, more must be better"
your bones need to rest as much as they want to be active. Rushing around
promotes a hormone shift to higher cortisol levels. Cortisol along with other
hormones are associated with loss of bone strength and density. The only
way to achieve healthy bones is to slow your life down and get your work
and rest time in better balance.
Rushing and Weight Gain
Weight gain is almost a certainty when rushing starts to affect your
eating habits. In most cultures, food is enjoyed, even savored in long
lunches where conversation and social interaction are the norm. When you
eat on the run, not only do you raise stress hormone levels but you
encourage unhealthy habits like overeating, poor digestion, lack of
satiation and weight gain.
Here are 5 reasons to stop rushing especially when you eat:
1. Portion Control: Eating more slowly reduces the amount of food eaten
in the same amount of time. Eating more slowly allows the brain an
opportunity to correctly register when you are full. Without counting
calories or dieting, you can reduce food consumption that can translate
into losing several pounds per year.
2. Food Enjoyment: Meals are a time for enjoyment and socialization
rather than just being another "thing" we need to get done. Taking the
time to really taste your food makes meals become much more enjoyable.
Taste, smell and texture all contribute to your sense of happiness and
well being. Gulping down your food in an attempt to rush off spoils most
of the enjoyment in the eating experience reducing it to just another
activity.
3. Better Digestion: Saliva in the mouth is the first stage of the
digestion and absorption process of the food you eat. Eating slowly allows
you to chew more thoroughly mixing more saliva in with your food. Chewing
more thoroughly allows your food to be more easily digested and absorbed
when it reaches the stomach and intestines. You'll derive more nutrients
from less food with complete digestion. Better digestion also reduces the
chance of gastric distress such as bloating, food allergies and heart
burn.
4. Mindful Eating: This is one of the keys to any successful weight loss
program. Taking the time to eat when you are not distracted by the
television, a newspaper, magazine or the computer helps increase food
enjoyment. "Gulping it down" bypasses your food enjoyment centers in the
brain encouraging you to eat more to feel full. To register with your
brain, food must contact the taste buds in your mouth long enough to send
a pleasurable signal. The way food tastes is also changed by the amount of
time spent on the taste buds.
5. Healthier Food Choices: It takes extra time to consider a healthier
food option and move past the "instant food" selections. More often than
not, rushing to eat forces you to pick "the quick option" rather than the
healthier one. Fresh, flavorful, colorful and nutritious foods may not
necessarily be convenient for you but they are always better. Balancing
your foods and planning a healthier meal is time well spent. You are worth
it so go ahead and stop the rush and enjoy life more.
Would you like to reduce stress and get to a healthy weight but
don't know where to start? I provide an easy to follow program called
Healthy Weight! that helps reduce excess weight, improve your bone
health, posture, balance and strength while improving your health.
Contact me for a no cost consultation at 703-628-2880 or email to
woody@sequoiahealth.com.
Comfort Foods... Fact or Fiction?
by Woody McMahon
Comfort Food Questions
You have read about comfort foods and how they are supposed to "make
you feel so good." Did you ever wonder why these foods affect your brain
the way they do? Have you ever considered if eating food for comfort is
even a good idea in the first place? When consuming these foods do
you tend to eat more than you should if given the opportunity?
Let's answer these questions as we explore the powerful affect these
foods can have on your brain.
Food and Your Brain
Your brain is very sensitive to the foods you eat. Proteins,
carbohydrates and fats are the basic building blocks of all food types.
Each of these building blocks initiates different chemical reactions in
your brain affecting the way you feel and function. Carbohydrates tend to
have the most dramatic brain reaction followed by fats and then proteins.
Be observant the next time you eat and see if you notice the subtle and
not so subtle reactions food has on your brain. You will notice that
certain combinations of foods will change how you feel with some leaving
you feeling comfortably sated while others irritable and ravenous.
Stress and Food
Stress induced eating is one of the most common causes of overeating and
excess weight gain. Generally the foods that are eaten during stressful
times are the "comfort" foods that are higher in carbohydrates and lower
in protein. During a stressful day notice if you eat different foods than
on a non-stressful day. Also track the volume and frequency of the foods
and see if it is more or less. With stress related eating you may have
just eaten but it can feel like you have not eaten in days. Some foods may
have you feeling energized while others make you want to take a nice long
nap.
Comfort Food... Myth or Reality?
Let's get back to our original questions about how beneficial comfort
foods really are for you. Eating foods for comfort is usually a bad idea
and most often leads to overeating and weight gain. Comfort foods are
generally higher in carbohydrates and fat and have a powerful stimulatory
affect on your brain. They also tend to be addictive which means higher
and higher amounts are necessary to produce the same effect. The reason
your brain likes carbohydrates so much is because it uses them to make
serotonin; one of your "feel good" chemicals. As you eat comfort foods
to help the brain feel better, you do so at the expense of your ever
increasing waistline which, when you look in the mirror, makes your brain
feel worse.
Better Ways to Bust Stress
There are many better ways to boost serotonin other than turning to food.
Different types of exercise including posture and balance work, sports,
weight training, walking and yoga all help boost serotonin without increasing
your calorie intake. On the quieter side, meditation, listening to music
or reading a book while enjoying a warm cup of tea can also reduce stress
and increase your "feel good" chemicals. These stress reducing activities
provide relaxation without promoting unhealthy eating habits and unwanted
weight gain.
Try these healthy lifestyle changes for 30 days. Feel what it is like to be
a part of the health solution rather than a health burden. If you need
additional suggestions and advice on living a healthier lifestyle, call me
for a no cost consultation at 703-628-2880 or email to
woody@sequoiahealth.com.
Workshops at Dream Yoga Studio
Announcing an exciting new health partnership for 2012. Luann Fulbright,
the owner of Dream Yoga Studio asked me to offer three of my signature
Fresh Start! programs in workshop format. The workshops bring you practical
and valuable information to help kick-start your health and fitness program
for the New Year. Each workshop is followed by 8 weeks of continuation
classes allowing you to not only learn new skills but get the support you
need to more easily accomplish your health and fitness goals for 2012.
Dream Yoga Studio and Wellness Center is located in McLean, VA.
Luann and I thought that my Be Bone Strong!, Healthy Weight!
and Posture Perfect! programs would fit nicely with her ever
expanding wellness vision and class offerings. You can learn
more about the interesting and diverse offerings at Dream Yoga
and Wellness Studio at http://www.dreamyogastudio.com/main.html
Here is the workshop schedule starting in January of 2012.
Healthy Weight! Workshop Jan 14th from 2 to 5 pm
This workshop is a great way to kick-start your weight loss program for
the New Year. The insights you gain in Healthy Weight! will make this your
final weight loss effort. Period! Losing weight is much easier when you
recognize and eliminate the real cause of weight gain... stress overeating.
Learning to work with your body yields faster and longer lasting results
while eliminating diet frustration and stress. Healthy Weight! Workshop
teaches you a simple, easy to follow system that eliminates the need for
calorie counting, special diets, extreme Boot Camp workouts and unhealthy
supplements. It also designed to compliment your existing yoga practice
if you have one. Handouts Provided.
Posture Perfect! Workshop February 18th from 2 to 4 pm
The New Year is a great time to start looking and feeling your best.
Posture Perfect! is a safe and effective program based on clinically proven
exercises that will have you standing taller, sitting straighter and sleeping
sounder. Woody's program offers you a simple, easy-to-follow system that
improves posture, balance, strength while reducing stress in as little as
10 minutes a day. It's also designed to compliment an existing yoga
practice, if you have one; boost your energy; and improve self-confidence
and body image. Posture Perfect! provides the tools and support you need
to successfully change how you look and feel. Handouts Provided.
Be Bone Strong! Osteoporosis Workshop March 17th from 2 to 5 pm
(more to follow)
If you have questions or need more information please contact
me at woody@sequoiahealth.com or call 703.628.2880.
Osteoporosis Support News
Osteoporosis Resource Center's (ORC) Classes Start Soon
The ORC is unique in the Northern Virginia area offering safe and effective
exercise classes including Personal Training, Yoga, Tai Chi and
Posture Perfect! classes and consultations for people with osteoporosis,
osteopenia, back, hip and neck pain as well as other bone and joint health
problems.
"What makes the ORC unique is that it offers safe and effective exercise
programs that can help improve posture, balance and strength for bone
and joint health problems" says Woody McMahon one of the center's
co-directors. "For the first time people that come to the center can feel
comfortable that the exercises they are performing will only do good and
not cause any harm. "
Who Benefits From Our Classes
Beginners: Our unique classes are great for a beginner who wants to
start exercising but does not know where to start.
Post Rehabilitation: Our classes offer a safe and effective transition from
physical therapy to more general exercise helping to safely strengthen
important stability muscles.
Advanced: The classes are perfect for tennis players, golfers or runners
who want to enhance their bodies to improve their sport.
Current Class Schedule
Tai Chi for Osteoporosis
When: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:30-2:30 PM
Where: Qi Elements Center, 464 Herndon Parkway, Suite 215, Herndon, VA
20170
Tuition: $105 for one class a week, $190 for both classes
Email qielements@verizon.net or call Roger 703 435-4400 for more
information.
NEW Yoga for Boomers & Beyond
When: Mondays 6:45PM to 8PM
Where: Qi Elements Center, 464 Herndon Parkway, Suite 215, Herndon, VA
20170
Tuition: $154 for one class a week for 7 weeks
Email http://www.openingmovesyoga.com/join.php or call Bonnie at
703-407-2065 for more information.
Posture Perfect! Level 1 Class
When: Mondays 7:00PM to 8PM for 7 Weeks
Where: Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc. 483 Carlisle Drive, Herndon, VA
20170
Tuition: $140 for one class a week for 7 weeks
Email woody@sequoiahealth.com or call Woody at
703-628-2880 for more information.
Newsletter Sign-Up
Sign-up for our FREE newsletter The Sequoia Advisor to stay informed
about all of our future class offerings, workshops and seminars. It is
easy... just go to http://www.sequoiahealth.com/ORC and enter your
name and email address.
We look forward to seeing you soon at one of our classes.
Please call Woody McMahon at 703-628-2880 or email to
woody@sequoiahealth.com for more information.
People in The News
RestonPatch Spotlights Posture Perfect! Classes
Reporter Robin Lundgren of the RestonPatch wrote a great article on our
Posture Perfect! classes. She came to the Wednesday morning class
and interviewed several members and took some memorable pictures.
To read more go to:
http://reston.patch.com/articles/dont-be-a-slouch
Each one hour class is designed to help improve your posture, balance
and strength. The exercises are based on the The Meeks Method,
created by Sara Meeks, PT to safely build bone and muscle,
improve posture and balance and relieve back pain.
According to Sara Meeks."Abdominal crunches, sit-ups, and other common
exercises that bend the spine can cause back pain and even spinal
fractures" "It's frightening that most people with low bone mass are not
aware of it," Meeks says. "They think osteoporosis is a disease that only
affects older Caucasian women."
The next Posture Perfect! class starts on Monday November 14th at
Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc. If you would like to host a Posture Perfect!
class at your church, synagogue or office please contact Woody McMahon
at woody@sequoiahealth.com or by phone at 703.628.2880.
Pets and People
Winter Health Tips for Your Pets
By Ingrid King
Do you enjoy winter and love to play in the snow, or would you rather curl
up in front of a warm fireplace with your favorite feline? Regardless of
your preferences for this cold season, being aware of the challenges this
time of year can bring for your pets can help keep them safe all winter
long.
1. Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be
stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to
infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.
During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of
cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the
fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car
hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.
2. Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a
snowstorm - dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are
lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours
always wears ID tags.
3. Thoroughly wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when he comes
in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other
potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads
may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.
4. Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat
will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months,
be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk. Own a
short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar
or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many
dogs, this is regulation winter wear.
5. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather.
A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing
the animal to freeze to death.
6. Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be
difficult to housebreak during the winter. If your puppy appears to be
sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper-train him inside. If your
dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him
outdoors only to relieve himself.
7. Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities?
Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him in tip-top
shape.
8. Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats.
Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider
using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol.
Visit the ASPCA Poison Control Center for more information.
(c) Ingrid King 2011
Ingrid King is a former veterinary hospital manager turned writer. She is
the author of Buckley's Story - Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher. Her
online magazine News for You and Your Pet goes out to subscribers around
the world. Her blog, The Conscious Cat, has been called "educational cat
nip for the cat lover" and is a comprehensive resource for conscious
living, health and happiness for pets and their people. For more
information about Ingrid, please visit http://www.ingridking.com/
Continued Good Health,
Woody
Woody McMahon
The Sequoia Advisor
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Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.
483A Carlisle Drive
Herndon, VA
20170
Required Disclaimer: The material provided herein should not be construed
as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed
health-care advice or instruction. The material is provided with the
understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine
or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care
practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not
advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to
matters relating to their health or well-being other than suggesting that
readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No
action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The
material and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound
at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the
authors. However, readers who rely on material in this publication to
replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult
with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The
publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
Copyright (c) 2006-2012 by Sequoia Health and Fitness, Inc.
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