Are You Exercising Enough? (DE)

Exercise every day isn't just for losing weight, it's about keeping fit. It's not about having a skinny body, it's really about having a body that will work properly for you with the energy and stamina to help you do what you want to accomplish. It's about being strong, and keeping strong as you age. It's about taking care of the structure you have been given and learning to appreciate it more and more each day by giving it the best care you can so it will work properly for you.

Daily exercise in weight loss is vital because the only way to lose weight permanently is to change your set point, or lower your fat thermostat. Otherwise, you will most likely lose muscle weight instead of fat weight - a real problem in aging and continual weight loss!

Whether you work out at home, out on a path, or in a gym, there are three components to an effective workout. They are:
· stretching
· muscular fitness
· aerobic fitness

Stretching benefits:
· keeps joint flexible
· reduces tension and stress
· tones your body
· helps protect your body from injury especially as you age
· slows down aging and promotes youthfulness

Muscular benefits (by lifting weights even moderately):
· makes you look and feel better
· it speeds up your metabolism
· gives you more energy
· primes the body for ultimate fat burning
· increases bone density more than activities like swimming or even running
· offers tremendous protection against the thinning of bones (osteoporosis)
· builds more muscle to protect your joints

Aerobic benefits:
- your body burns fat as fuel
- lungs operate more efficiently
- blood vessels are more pliable for easier blood flow
- oxygen supply increases which means healthier blood
- healthier heart
- you eat, digest, and eliminate waste better
- you sleep better
- feel mentally and emotionally better

Here are my suggestions for the ultimate fat-burning workout (which I show you on my Living a Healthy Lifestyle Workout DVD at http://erleentilton.com/store.htm)

1) Do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach
Forces body to tap into fat stores much more rapidly than on full stomach
Morning - blood sugar is very low, and hitting cardio now is advantage. When fully fed, body must burn through a lot of blood sugar prior to tapping into body for fuel. So when blood sugar is low, you will begin burning body fat first.
More muscle work you do first, the more fat-burning works to your advantage throughout the day
2) Start out with a 12-16 oz. glass of pure water before any session to hydrate yourself thoroughly
3) Begin with stretching and weight work for about 20 minutes
Stretch out your body thoroughly before doing any workout session
Next do weight work whether at a gym or at home using 3-10 lb. dumb bells or sand weights for both feet & hands (this doesn't mean heavy strenuous weights)
4) Good cardio program follows
Body has been primed for fat burning with weights - a good cardio is super effective as you'll be burning almost nothing but fat during exercise period
If time is limited - do a 16 minute 3-2-1 cardio workout (below)
If time permits - do a longer, moderate cardio for 45-60 minutes: jog/walk/hike outdoors or put on an educational program or music indoors (uplifting and/or high energy)
5)Ultimate secret to fat burning procedure for limited time:
The 16 minute 3-2-1 cardio workout, indoor or outdoor (or do the longer moderate cardio)
- 2 minute warm up
- 3 minute run (elevation of heart rate)
- 3 minute brisk walk
- 2 minute run
- 2 minute brisk walk
- 1 minute run
- 1 minute brisk walk
- 2 minute cool down (moderate walk)
6) What you eat following your workout session greatly affects your results
· no processed carbs (breads, cereals)
· raw vegetables with protein, or small amount of raw fruit and protein is best
7) Whenever possible, take a brisk walk prior to retiring at night, preceded and followed by at least16 oz. water, no food.

Get started on a good workout routine by ordering your copy of the Living a Healthy Lifestyle Workout DVD at http://erleentilton.com/store.htm. Also, consider coming to a health retreat this year where you learn the workout and do it following: http://erleentilton.com/retreats.htm

Have a wonderful week with Daily Exercise (DE)!
Remember Whole Foods, Pure Water, Daily Exercise (WF, PW, DE)! It's all important!

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton

Are You Getting Enough Water? (PW)

Water! Something we have an abundance of, yet we don't get enough of and in its pure form. Did you know this about water?

* The normal adult is approximately 60-70% water
* You can survive almost two months without food, but only a few days without water
* Water is vital for chemical reactions in digestion and metabolism
* It is vital for cleansing the system of toxins
* It carries nutrients and oxygen to cells through the blood
* Cools body through perspiration. We must sweat for cleansing, but sweat that smells means toxins are being expelled.
* Water is necessary to lubricate our joints
* To breathe, lungs must be moist with water to take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide
* Every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water
* Water, the solvent of the body, regulates all functions, including the activity of the solutes it dissolves and circulates
* Drinking 3 quarts water daily helps shed pounds - ultimately our best diet aid
* Hydration of skin with water slows down the aging process
* It is chronic water shortage in the body that causes most of the diseases of the human body.

A while back, while driving I read a billboard which said - "One out of 10 will have kidney disease, will you be the one?" You don't have to be and you won't - if you drink enough water!

Not enough water:
* Incurs excess body fat
* Produces poor muscle tone
* Causes decreased digestive efficiency and organ function
* Increases toxicity in body
* Causes water retention (retains to compensate for not enough)

It's interesting to note too that the Arizona Lung Association suggests that for respiratory problems and sinus sufferers - drink plenty of water daily!

Many people will argue that they are drinking plenty of water if they drink milk, soft drinks, sport drinks, etc. throughout the day. But the truth of the matter is that:
* your body is not being cleansed from these other drinks
* these other drinks contain fillers, extra calories, and pollutants
* most of these other drinks are acidic, de-energizers, and dehydrators
* your body digests these as foods, not water
* IF IT'S NOT WATER, IT'S NOT WATER!

To get rid of unwanted body fat and excess toxic substances in the body, drink more water! Two to three quarts daily should be a minimum for most adults. Children also need plenty of water instead of juices, milks, soft drinks, artificial drinks, etc. They need to be weaned to good pure water - not all these other drinks.

To learn more about the importance of water in wei/ght loss, get the Healthy Permanent Wei/ght Management 3-CD set at http://erleentilton.com/store.htm. It all makes perfect sense!

Have a wonderful week drinking lots of good Pure Water (PW).
Remember Whole Foods, Pure Water, Daily Exercise (WF, PW, DE)!

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton

¹ Your Body's Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj

Are You Getting Real Nutrition? (WF)

Think about this question - What is the definition of a food?
According to the dictionary - a food is defined as something that builds, strengthens, provides nourishment, health

Why do you think food was created? To fill the tummy or nourish the body?
If you think about it, food is usually only in the mouth only 3-10 seconds (though it should be up to 20 seconds), but in the body for approximately 24 hours (or months if it goes all the way to the cellular level)! So do you choose foods to please the wants of the taste buds or to please the needs of the body?

A while back, my grandson came to eat lunch with me. I cut up a few carrot sticks on his plate and he exclaimed that he didn't want those and didn't like them. So I said to him, "I think you are telling me that your tongue doesn't like those, but did you know that your arms and legs love carrots because they make you stronger and run faster?" He thought about it a few seconds, then got up and ate them all! What can you learn from this?

Do you eat to fill the needs of your body?
Foods are meant to be full of vitamins and minerals that provide the nourishment for our bodies to function properly. On the other hand, taste bud pleasers are full of added fats, sugars, & calories, and are low in nutrients - this is specifically why we are overwei/ght as well as experiencing many unnecessary health disorders. Take a look at this comparison below:

COMMON FOODS VS. WHOLE FOODS

Common Foods
· processed foods
· ready-made prepared foods
· fast foods

High in Carbohydrates: refined sugars, refined flours
High in Salt
High in Fats
High in Animal Proteins
Low in Fiber
Low in Enzymes (for digestion & cell building)
Low in Vitamins & Minerals

* These foods are: taste bud pleasers, cloggers, polluters, de-energizers, void of nutrition, creating sickness and obesity!

Whole Foods
· fresh fruits & vegetables
· whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, & sprouts
· limited animal foods

High in Fiber
High in Vitamins & Minerals
High in Enzymes (for digestion & cell building)
Balanced Carbohydrates (using grains & legumes whole, cooked or sprouted)
Balanced Proteins
Low in Fats

* These foods are whole body pleasers, cleansers, energizers, healers, full of nutrition, creating wellness and wei/ght balance!

So here it is in a plain and simple form. If you were to omit the common foods from your diet and focus on the whole foods - there basically wouldn't be an overwei/ght problem! It's just that simple! Focus on your body's needs and get rid of the taste bud wants!

Tip: One flaw most people make in today's world is too many carbs/starches. So focus on lean proteins (beans, tofu, lean wild fish, etc.) and vegetables, and limit the carbs!

Here's another great recipe from the Healthy Leaner Lifestyle series! See Creatively Complete Dinners at http://erleentilton.com/store.htm

BLACK BEANS OVER RICE

1 C. brown rice
3 C. cooked black beans (with liquid)
2 tsp. hot red pepper sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt (less if beans are salted)
2 avocados, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1-2 large ears corn, cut off cob
4 green onions, chopped
Chopped red or green leaf lettuce
½-1 C. fresh chopped cilantro

* To cook rice: in medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to boiling and add rice. Turn heat down to a light simmer, don't stir, simmer uncovered 30-35 minutes, turn off heat and place on lid until ready to serve
* Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, combine beans with red pepper sauce, cumin, and salt; heat until hot
* Prepare raw vegetables as suggested and place in separate bowls
* To serve, mound rice on individual plates, spoon on black bean mixture, and top with generous portions of vegetables as desired
* Serve with more hot red pepper sauce on top, if desired.

Start the New Year out right with a cookbook of wonderful healthy recipes - full of nutrition not calories! Here's the link to get your copy of the Creatively Complete Dinners: http://erleentilton.com/store.htm

Have a great week choosing Whole Foods (WF)!
Remember Whole Foods, Pure Water, Daily Exercise (WF, PW, DE)!

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton

Change Your Weight Permanently!

At the start of a New Year, I have decided to take one month at a time to focus on natural wei/ght management, then nutrition & health alternately throughout the year. Please feel free to give me your feedback, successes, challenges, and questions. I always try to respond if I can.

So How Do You Change Your Weight Permanently?

Because millions of dollars are spent each year on weight loss products, you would think that there would be many people losing weight! On the contrary, 65% of all Americans are overweight and the numbers are rising, not decreasing. In order to understand how to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight balance, we must first understand why people are overweight. And if you understand why people are overweight, you can reverse it in a simple, natural and permanent way.

There are 3 basic reasons one becomes overweight:
1) Choice of foods. Foods that are refined and processed in any way lose nutrition and have added calories (extra fats, sugars). In other words, most foods people eat are low in nutrients and high in calories, so the wei/ght piles on naturally.
2) Choice of drink. A variety of drinks are often drunk throughout the day: milk, punch, soft drinks, juice, coffee, teas, cocoa, sport drinks, alcohol - the list goes on. Most of these are dehydrators, de-energizers, full of pollutants and lots of extra calories!
3) Lack of exercise. Our lifestyles today require little natural forms of exercise. We ride, not walk or bike to work or to shop, we ride elevators & lawnmowers, hire out forms of labor, and we look for ways to make life easier without hard work!

Now, there are 3 basic ways to reverse this pattern and lose weight naturally and permanently. It's simple, it's not expensive, it's not time consuming, and it will be permanent if you stick to the principles. However, one KEY factor must be clearly understood: If you want to make a permanent change in your weight, you must make a permanent change in your lifestyle!!!

Here are the 3 basic ways to make a permanent change in your weight:
1) Choose to eat Whole Foods (WF). Whole foods are not found in packages, boxes, or cans. Start by filling up on lots of raw or lightly steamed vegetables, raw fruits, cooked whole grain cereals, cooked beans, fresh cooked wild salmon (or other lean fish), and omit the processed foods from your diet. You will find the weight will come off naturally.
2) Choose to drink Pure Water (PW). Pure water is so needed for cleansing the body of any impurities and pollutants all the way to the cellular level. Drink lots of water each day and you will find an increase in energy more than you can imagine.
3) Daily Exercise (DE) is a must. Plan it like you do your meals - and plan to do it twice daily instead of once. For example, start out the day with stretching, weights & aerobics for a 30 minute session or more, then go on a walk or bike (to the store, the neighbors, etc.) in the afternoon or evening. Plan it, and follow through with it.

I will go through these 3 steps in detail in the next three weeks, so stay alert because these are simple success secrets will greatly benefit you. First memorize these 3 steps:
Whole Foods (WF), Pure Water (PW), Daily Exercise (DE)
WF, PW, DE! WF, PW, DE! WF, PW, DE!

To start the year off right, commit to attending a health retreat to "live the healthy lifestyle" for 3 days and learn how to continue that process at home. To get full details and register, go to http://erleentilton.com/retreats.htm

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton
contact@erleentilton.com

Your Cells Determine the Quality of Your Life!

The health of your body depends on the health of your cells. You have over 75 trillion cells in your body - the tiny powerhouses are what keep us energized and alive. Cells are the miniature factories that process the nourishment we need and cleanse what we do not need.

Everything is cellular. Your body's outer world is reflection of your inner world. Since cells are only 7 years old, it's important to strengthen and improve quality of cells at any age.

What do our cells need to survive? Where do we best get these?
1. oxygen - source of all energy in the body through EXERCISE
2. nutrition - minerals specifically as our cells communicate with them through FOODS
3. the ability to eliminate waste - cells don't like a polluted environment, and chlorine and fluoride kill cells - the body wants PURE WATER

What 3 things cause Poisons to build up in the bloodstream?
1. taking in more than can be eliminated - OVEREATING, even if it's good foods
2. eating toxic substances - PROCESSED FOODS, UNHEALTHY ANIMAL PRODUCTS, more
3. an overly acidic diet - HIGH IN MEAT, DAIRY, SUGAR, STARCHES - which allow microorganisms to grow (yeasts, mold, etc.) and multiply, adding to the toxicity.

To keep the cells and blood healthy, it all begins with diet! Diet is really key to great health, energy, longevity, and youthfulness!

Start the new year right by getting started with some great new tools for eating a better diet! Take advantage of the final last few days of savings this year by going now to my Healthy Lifestyle store: http://erleentilton.com/store.htm

Have a great New Year!
Erleen

Keep Children Away From Flame Retardants

I don't think many of us realize the dangers of flame retardants, especially for children.

The following is a short clip of information from the Environmental Working Group (ewg@ewg.org):

We just finished the first investigation of toxic fire retardants (called Deca) in parents and their children, and we found toddlers had 3 times the levels of Deca in their blood as their mothers.
That means young children in the U.S. bear the heaviest burden of flame retardant pollution in the world. Deca is a neurological and hormone distrupter, and children are more susceptible to its effects than adults.

What's a parent to do? Take these steps to protect your family:
* Inspect foam items and replace any with ripped covers or misshapen/breaking-down foam
* Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter
* Don't reupholster foam furniture in homes where children or pregnant women live
* Carefully remove old carpet because the padding may contain PBDEs.
* Have small children wash their hands frequently so they put clean hands in their mouths!

I add:
* Do not put children to bed in flame retardant sleepware
* Help babies and toddlers avoid direct contact with carpets by placing them on blankets on floor.

All these things do and will affect the health of individuals and especially young growing children. We can take better measures to eliminate the exposure.

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton

Unbelievable - another reason Why Not Milk or Meat!

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a luncheon. One of the attendees shared some recently shocking news coming from an associate of hers. Her second grade daughter had started her menstrual cycle! At second grade?

Amazing it seems! But the truth of the matter is that with each generation, girls (and boys) are beginning their hormonal cycles and changes younger and younger. Why? One big fat cause: growth hormones used in producing animal products for human consumption.

Most of us can read the histories of our grandparents and find that they:
1) grew their animals on their family farm, or bartered with a neighbor
2) ate meat sparingly - killing a chicken or two for Sunday dinner, and/or hunted, dried, prepared other meats on different occasions
3) had their own milk cow or traded with their neighbor
4) all animals ate grass, insects, garden scraps, whole grains, etc.

Animals raised in these conditions are more difficult to find today. You have to go to specialty stores, health markets, or request the grocery stores to carry them for you - and they are much more expensive than the main stream market meats (understandably so - they are allowed to grow naturally with better food and without the speed of hormones). But you must remember most milk and meats products found in grocery stores:

are from animals grown with hormones - for quick growth which means more profits
these products (milk, cheeses, meats of all kinds) now contain the growth hormones
the growth hormones are passed onto the consumer
which results in: people putting on extra weight, children coming into puberty earlier, and people growing taller and have longer extremities (shoes & clothes sizes have increased dramatically)
So what can you do about it?
1) Quit eating main stream meat and milk products from: grocery stores, fast food restaurants, any restaurants
2) Limit your meat and milk intake - eat them sparingly or infrequent
3) Shop for grass-fed or non-hormone produced meat or milk products
4) Realize that what you eat really does make a difference
5) Care about today's and tomorrow's children by stepping up to the plate and demanding the best or nothing! Our children really do depend our knowledge and decisions!
6) Get into the habit of creating your own good healthy menus for yourself and those around you. Get some great cookbooks that are created for this very reason: see http://erleentilton.com/store.htm

For your best health,
Erleen Tilton