How to Avoid Overeating During the Holidays

In the movie, The Perfect Storm a series of weather fronts plus a hurricane collide off the coast of Massachusetts. The crew of the ship Andrea Gail failed to anticipate how severe the storm was and also didn't heed the warnings of other ships regarding the need for a different course of action. The results were disastrous and now the term ?perfect storm? has come to symbolize multiple, unanticipated stresses leading to personal disasters.
Following this line of thought, winter time in North America (and elsewhere) is a perfect storm of weight management disasters: holiday-related overeating, a seasonal drop in exercise, and a winter-time decline in sun exposure, leading to a drop in Vitamin D.
Seasonal Change Equals Stress
The most accurate definition of stress to our body and mind is change ? any change. This is because changes require us to use our precious resources to adapt rather than to repair. Also, changes in our routine often mean that we make fewer ?deposits? into our physical and emotional wellness accounts in terms of adherence to The 10 Essentials. Fewer deposits and more withdrawals mean a reduced quality of life and health. What?s more, the dietary ?deposits? we often make during holiday celebrations often include foods low in nutrients and high in toxicity.
So, the first strategy to avoid holiday overeating is to maintain your healthy routine in terms of diet, exercise and rest. Why? Because these strategies help us reduce the impact of stress and the squandering of our nutrient reserves. You see, cravings are often a form of communication from your body that it is running out of the vitamins and minerals, proteins and fats it needs to function. To avoid insatiable cravings be sure to take your Healthy Aging nutrients and keep the nutrient density of your foods high and the toxicity (caused by sugar, etc.) low.
Leanology shakes provide high quality proteins and Leanology nutritional chews contain specific fats to help turn off hunger signals and to help thwart cravings. Also fortifying us against the destructive influences of stress are Adaptogens.
These plant-derived nutrients pull us back together as stress pulls us apart!Wintertime Blues
A special weight-loss nutrient is Vitamin D. Most people would make enough Vitamin D with 20 minutes of sunshine morning and evening with 40% of their skin exposed to the sun?s rays. (Never allow yourself to get sunburned.) Vitamin D also acts as a weight loss nutrient by balancing the blood sugar, reducing your appetite and improving human metabolism. This essential vitamin also improves your immune system.
People are exposed to less sunshine during the wintertime. This problem becomes worse the further north we go because of the shorter winter days in northern latitudes. Add the extra sun-blocking-layers of clothes to combat cold temperatures to the use of Vitamin D-blocking sunscreen and it is easy to see why people overeat, gain extra weight and even suffer seasonal illness because of a compromised immune system during the winter.
To combat these very real circumstances that result in weight gain during the holidays we simply must take supplemental Vitamin D. Leanology caps contain 750 IU of Vitamin D per six capsules. I suggest taking six capsules daily to supply a minimum level of Vitamin D during winter and to curb the appetite.
Conclusion
There are stressful realities we must admit that lead us to winter time weight gain. These include less sun exposure, more recreational meals, less exercise and rest and more emotional distress. We can combat these health-threats by keeping a normal, sane routine of sleep, diet and exercise. We can also use Healthy Aging nutrients as well as Adaptogens to combat stress overeating. We can use Leanology protein and the special fats found in Leanology appetite control chews as well as the extra boost of Vitamin D from Leanology caps to control cravings and out-of-control appetite. This strategy should allow us to come through the stressful holiday season with fewer physical and emotional illnesses and greater wellness. It?s the best gift you can give yourself this holiday season!

Nopalea Provides Powerful Toxic Relief

Recently, a series of forest fires ravaged the landscape in Southern California. One particular fire burned many fine homes. The firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the fire and they were making progress. However, with the dawn came a change in circumstances: an increase in heat, a reduction in humidity and hot, dry winds from the south brought dry air and a fresh supply of oxygen that intensified the fire. Soon, a firestorm erupted creating flaming tornadoes.
That is the perfect illustration of the inflammation that can occur in the human body. What may begin as a single spark of inflammation may erupt into an inflammatory disease that engulfs our entire body and threatens our life. Efforts to combat the inflammation may be affected by external forces that fan the flames until we are consumed.
Causes of inflammationThere are four common causes of inflammation:
Trauma or injury
Toxins and poisons
Deficiencies of various kinds
Emotional distress
Any of these factors may trigger the start of inflammation or increase the intensity of the heat by adding fuel to the fire.
An example of this may be inflammation triggered by toxins and fueled by emotional distress. Gout is a form of inflammation strongly linked to toxicity.
For example, gout may be triggered in susceptible people by environmental toxins like carbon tetrachloride or dietary toxins such as HCFS (high fructose corn syrup) found in soft drinks. Gout may also be triggered by depression associated with loss, or by anxiety associated with chronic emotional distress.
A new round of gout may be triggered by simple trauma to a previously affected toe or possibly a Vitamin C deficiency.Adding multiple sources of inflammation together may trigger a firestorm of inflammation that rages out of control - creating serious signs of disease.
Triggers: known and unknown
The firefighters mentioned above lost that particular battle with the forest fire because they could not foresee all of the influences hampering their efforts. The same is true with us:
We can not always foresee all of the inflammation triggers we face
We can not always tell when we trigger the process of inflammation While we may remember our last soft drink, we may not know when we last breathed carbon tetrachloride, ate fruits and vegetables deficient in Vitamin C, or created micro-trauma by our sleeping position, sedentary lifestyle or choice of shoes.
We may also not readily discern the impact of internalized stress.
I recently encountered three people who had different forms of inflammation. One individual suffered from episodes of gout, the second from chronic colitis and the third from osteoarthritis of the knees. They all experienced fast and profound benefits from Nopalea with its anti-inflammatory Betalains. They also later experienced a flare-up of symptoms when their life changed.
In all three cases the inflammation appeared to be triggered by severe emotional upset: loss of a spouse, loss of a sibling and loss of a job.
Trying to quench the fire of inflammation created by these emotional extremes with a minimum serving of Nopalea was like trying to quench a forest fire with a single pail of water! We need to judge the severity of the inflammation and meet it with the appropriate anti-inflammatory response if we are to be successful. Don't be afraid to use 3 ounces or 6 ounces every day for a real "Betalain-Boost"!
Conclusion
When we experience any sign or symptom of distress we should interpret it as a communication from our body to our mind that something is wrong. The frequency, intensity and duration of the inflammation will determine how we should escalate our response.
As detectives we solve the mystery of pain by analyzing the four causes of inflammation. However, we must also realize that our ability to solve these puzzles is limited by our knowledge. The more we know about how we work, the greater the opportunity we have to discern the causes of inflammation, create an appropriate, strategic response and successfully put out the fire.