Mighty Omega-3 Fatty Acids

September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

On your journey to health, a sufficient intake of Omega-3 fatty acids is mandatory.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids offer incredible benefits for both the body and the brain. In fact, getting an adequate amount of this powerful nutrient both during pregnancy and early life is crucial for early on healthy, normal development of children, while a deficiency of omega-3 early on has been linked to poor eyesight as well as lowered intelligence and an increase in other health issues.

Omega-3 fatty acids provide key nutrients that the brain needs to function optimally and are vital for keeping inflammation levels down. Those who consume adequate omega-3 fatty acids on a regular basis are less likely to develop debilitating conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and even bipolar disorder.

Although Omega-3’s are a must for psychological health, most people still fall short in consuming enough of them with their day to day diet plan. If you find yourself in this group, focus on increasing your intake by choosing omega-3 rich foods. Salmon, mackerel, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, leafy veggies and walnuts are all great choices.

While increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, reduce your intake of omega-6 fatty acids. These are harmful to psychological health and can be found in processed foods as well as vegetable oils.

Omega-3 fats are a key family of polyunsaturated fats. There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA, and DHA.

  • Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are sometimes called “marine omega-3’s” because they come mainly from fish.
  • The most common omega-3 fatty acid is Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It is found in vegetable oils and nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, and some animal fats (focus on grass fed). ALA is what the human body generally uses for energy, while conversion into EPA and DHA is limited. EPA appears to be the best at fighting depression.

Omega 3’s Improve Risk Factors For Heart Disease

Heart attacks and strokes are currently the world’s leading causes of death and this is where omega-3’s help because a great deal of the strong evidence presented for the beneficial effects of omega-3 fats has to do with heart disease. It seems these fats keep the heart beating at a steady clip, avoiding a dangerous or potentially fatal erratic rhythm.

Omega-3’s improve and reduce the risk of many diseases and offer a wealth of benefits with heart disease leading the pack. Years ago, scientists observed that fish-eating cultures had lowered rates of heart disease and this was later partially attributed to their omega-3.

These healthy fatty acids continue to reveal numerous benefits for heart health.

These include:

  • Inflammation: Omega-3s reduce some substances released during the inflammatory response
  • Triglycerides: Omega-3s can cause a major reduction in triglycerides
  • Blood pressure: Omega-3s reduces blood pressure levels in those with high blood pressure
  • HDL-cholesterol: Omega-3 raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol levels
  • Blood clots: Omega-3s help prevent the formation of harmful blood clots by keeping blood platelets from clumping together
  • Plaque: Omega-3s help prevent the plaque that can restrict and harden the arteries by keeping the arteries smooth and free from damage

Although omega-3s have been found to improve numerous heart disease risk factors, omega-3 supplements have not proven to reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Your body has the potential and the power, to slow down the aging process and restore itself to a level of wellness that it may no longer be experiencing. Superior health. the kind that pays off long-term, involves maintaining healthy body weight throughout life, eating a healthy diet, and having sufficient physical activity in our lives.

The information here, when implemented as suggested, will be life changing and you will enjoy greater health like never before.

“Reclaim Your Longevity” can help you do just that…

For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:

Carolyn Hansen Fitness

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, diet, Healthy Mind, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With: , ,

Reverse the Aging Process with Strength Training

September 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment

With advancing age, comes change. However, the changes that occur are accelerated or stalled depending on our actions. Whatever we continually put into play mentally and physically becomes our world…including our health – the foundation of all other things.

If our lives have been sedentary for the most part, then aging means weight gain, lost muscle mass and suffering from aches and pains – all the result of being out of shape. If we have not cared for our body physically, then our diet has likely suffered through the years too. A sedentary lifestyle coupled with poor nutrition is a formula for the early onset of disease and “age acceleration.”

Wearing glasses and hearing aids and engaging in cosmetic surgical procedures as well as dying one’s hair are all popular and effective methods of adapting to some of the “effects” of aging. However, they only ease the effects and do nothing to stop the aging process itself.

The most effective thing that can be done to “reverse the aging process” is to engage in regular strength training exercise.

Muscles are the engines of our body where energy is released, power is produced and movement originates. Because the condition of our engine has a lot to do with the way we look, feel and function, strong muscles are very advantageous and the only way to get strong muscles is to use them.

Muscle mass is mandatory for healthy living and longevity. But, the reality is, you and I (and everyone else) have been losing muscle and gaining fat every day since sometime in our twenties and studies reveal that most of this muscle loss is due to the fact that we’ve stopped doing active things that require muscle power – not because we age.  This gradual loss of muscle mass starts a vicious cycle as it weakens the entire body. The immune system, nerve cells, hormones and other chemicals are all negatively affected.

The truth is, if you are not building muscle, then you’re losing it. If your body is not receiving the necessary stimulus to trigger muscle growth, a slow process of muscle atrophy or wasting begins. This loss of muscle tissue directly or indirectly causes the degenerative processes and conditions that characterize the aging process.

In other words, lack of movement is devastating to the human body.

Since most of us are employed in jobs that don’t require maximum use of our muscles, we need to create avenues that actively engage and put them to use. Strength training is the answer.

Only strength training can prevent age-related muscle loss. No other form of exercise or physical activity is adequate. Strength training is not only the most effective exercise in addressing the biomarkers that affect how young we look, but more importantly, how young we feel. It is empowered to reverse many components of the aging process and is probably the single most effective way to lengthen life.

Although aerobic activity helps your heart (the most effective fitness programs consist of strengthening component and a cardiovascular component), they alone fail to stop muscle loss. Just being “active” is not enough either. Becoming stronger is key. It’s what helps you remain active for your entire life.

Strength training makes you stronger and improves the quality of your life no matter when you begin. Even if you are currently enjoying your nineties, strength training can add valuable, active years to your life.  In fact, six months of proper strength training has the power to turn back one of the body’s molecular clocks and rejuvenate aging muscles to the extent that they are nearly as powerful as those found in someone much younger.

If you’ve been searching for the perfect anti-aging pill, search no more. Proper strength training exercise can rejuvenate and take years off your chronological age and it’s all natural.  In other words, proper exercise adds years to your life and life to your years. It does not matter if you are a 40-year-old runner or 75-year-old retiree when you begin.

Bottom line is this –

Strength is not a luxury as we age. Increasing strength is now a proven way to make the aging process turn around at the genetic level within the cell. It is an absolute necessity for longevity and health. Strong muscles lead to strong bones and increased bone mineral density.

Those that age well and seem younger than their years, retain their lean tissue mass and have a longer life, fewer illnesses, and better mental functioning.

The right exercise program will increase your lean muscle mass, and your metabolic rate – burning more calories and producing more energy. This is the real secret to turning back the aging clock.

Your body has the potential and the power, to slow down the aging process and restore itself to a level of wellness that it may no longer be experiencing. Superior health. the kind that pays off long-term, involves maintaining healthy body weight throughout life, eating a healthy diet, and having sufficient physical activity in our lives.

The information here, when implemented as suggested, will be life changing and you will enjoy greater health like never before.

“Reclaim Your Longevity” can help you do just that…

For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:

Carolyn Hansen Fitness

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, Exercise, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With: , , ,

Health Shakes are Health Investments

March 19, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Health Shakes are more than a trend, they are a long term investment in health and the cornerstone of a nutrient-dense eating plan.

Once you begin enjoying your Health Shake in the morning you’ll notice a difference in how good you feel about yourself and how easily you handle the decisions you are faced with that day.

If you’re on a conscious road towards getting healthier or losing excess weight and fat then adding a Health Shake to your life every single morning will give you magical results.

Nutrient-dense foods are key players and critical to combating weight loss resistance and enjoying optimal health. They supply us with a hefty amount of important nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fats, and water while generally light on calories.

 

There’s no quicker or more effective and efficient way to get on the nutrient-dense eating track, experience better health and quell intense cravings than to make yourself the perfect Health Shake every single morning and enjoy some of it within an hour of waking.

 

This particular kind of shake satisfies quickly and you will not need to worry about getting hungry “pangs” and eating again for hours. They easily maximize your micro-nutrient consumption and are the quickest road to losing weight and feeling fantastic.

They are rich in health-promoting proteins, essential fatty acids, real food carbohydrates, water, vitamins, minerals, fiber and important phytochemicals that include live enzymes used by the body to aide digestion among other things.

 

It’s time to invest your time wisely by allotting 3-4 minutes every morning to making a Health Shake. It is a whole lot less stressful than grabbing and eating “whatever, or whenever” and experiencing the resulting metabolism slow down, weight gain and energy loss as a result.

 

The typical weight loss results that most people experience after adding in a morning Health Shake generally range around losing 10-20 pounds or more of pure fat in just the first three months. It’s easy to see how, for some people, this can truly be a life-changing strategy.

A properly made morning Health Shake provides at least 50 percent of our daily nutritional needs.

 

The perfect morning Health Shake includes:

Protein

Fiber

Fruit

Water and ice blended well

 

Morning Health Shake Recipe:

1 Scoop of protein powder (it can be plant or whey based)

1 serving size frozen fruit (fresh or frozen organic berries are perfect)

Liquid…you can use water, almond or any nut milk as well as unsweetened coconut water.  If you should opt for coconut milk make sure you choose “full fat coconut milk or cream” and not the watered down kind. The idea is to get lots of healthy fats so always reach for the finest quality milk or cream you can find.

Add-ins:

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon nut butter

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal (flaxseeds must be ground in order to take advantage of their nutrient value)

1 frozen or fresh green leaf vegetable of your choice. You can choose silver beet (chard), spinach or kale for example or choose to use 1 scoop greens powder.

2 tablespoons – ¼ cup coconut milk (not the watered down kind)

Adding chia seed and flax seeds are essential because they are the magic ingredients to making us feel full and staving off hunger pains for 4 or more hours. Although you can make your shake without them, you will not experience the same kind of results so always try to include these magic seeds in your morning Health Shake.

Note: You can choose to make your own almond milk at home by blending in a high speed blender 2 cups water with 1 cup raw almonds. Strain and keep refrigerated.

Make sure to drink some of your freshly made morning Health Shake within an hour of rising to get the maximum morning benefits. You can easily store the rest in a cooler bag and take it with you.

Infusing your body with a super-nutrient Health Shake first thing in the morning empowers you from within and your daily challenges are much less stressful.

Whatever you do…just get it into your tummy and the rest of the day will be easy.

Consciously, with effort, develop these positive habits, and you’ll strengthen your inner resources, reinforcing all healthy habits and propelling yourself towards real health, real growth and real success.

Everything you need to know to slow down and even reverse the aging clock can be found in my anti-aging library of help: “Reclaim Your Longevity.”

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, diet Tagged With: , ,

Mighty Muscle Magic…

March 12, 2017 By Leave a Comment

The biological role of skeletal muscles goes far beyond locomotion and, it’s becoming crystal clear that the benefits derived from our muscular system are essential to our health.

The muscular system, our largest energy facility, is responsible for keeping our metabolic system intact. It protects us against metabolic and hormonal decline, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Muscle strength not only makes every task and activity easier to perform, but the amount of toned muscle also relates to control of body weight, bone health, cellular rejuvenation and a reduced risk of certain diseases.

As an aging adult, few things impact the quality of life as much as seeing your functional strength decrease. Lose enough strength, and you’ll no longer be able to perform even the basic functions of daily living and this in turn dramatically effects how you feel about yourself and your level of happiness.

What causes muscle downgrade?

Hormonal disorders such as insulin resistance, inflammatory disease, dietary abuse, nutritional deficiencies and chemical toxicity all contribute to muscle downgrade, however, the main culprit is not doing enough muscle building and maintenance activity. In other words…living a sedentary lifestyle.

One of the most powerful and important things you can do to reverse muscle and bone loss is strength training. It is the perfect anecdote and the only type of exercise that stimulates the release of HGH. Human Growth Hormone helps your body build more youthful muscle tissue.

The body is a very efficient machine. If your muscles are not being stimulated, you are basically sending the message to your body that you no longer need lean muscle mass. Since muscle mass is an energy costly substance to maintain, if your body doesn’t need it, it wants to get rid of it.

Strength training however, sends the message to your body loud and clear that it still needs to be strong and needs this muscle to complete your daily strength training exercises.

If you are currently trying to shed fat, the more muscle you have, the easier it is to lose because your resting metabolic rate is fast and working for you. And, let’s not forget about what strong healthy muscles do to build strength in our joints and bones as well. Osteoporosis is a serious condition that sadly impacts far too many older adults. Without actively strengthening their muscles, their bones get weak and brittle and all it takes is one small misstep to happen that breaks a bone.

Maintaining your lean muscle mass is mandatory if you want to live a long productive life. As a bonus, you’ll get a boost to your self-esteem and self-confidence. You’ll feel better about the way you look as you maintain that fit appearance.

Your body was made to move. Keeping your body in shape not only makes you feel younger and stronger, but also might just save your life. Remember, it’s never too late to start. You are better off doing something now than just letting your health continue to decline due to the process of aging.

If you truly want to stop the aging process, you need to put an exchange your sedentary lifestyle for one that promotes muscle strength.

Strength training is key.

If you can only do one type of exercise variation, resistance training should be your number one choice. It is the one exercise that will make all your muscles stronger, boost your immune system and is empowered to restore your manhood.

Everything you need to know to slow down and even reverse the aging clock can be found in my anti-aging library of help: “Reclaim Your Longevity.”

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, Exercise, Healthy Mind, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With: ,

Are You Really Hungry?

March 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Being overweight is an open door to so many diseases that shorten our lifespans and steal away our precious moments. Managing and maintaining healthy body weight is mandatory for living a long, productive life.

If you are struggling to lose weight, you’re not alone. Obesity and overweight conditions have ballooned out of control.

One of the primary reasons why the average person continues to becomes fatter with each passing year – becoming anything from mildly overweight to obese – is that their appetite control system hormones have become out of balance.

The appetite control system is a maze of complex chemical interchanges and interactions between your brain, nervous system, and metabolic hormones that all work together to tell you whether or not you need food. Your internal biological processes communicate whether you are currently hungry or full.

Experiencing hunger is both a mental and physical challenge and you’ll need cast iron strategies for both if you want to experience long-term success with any weight-loss.

 

Two Primary Types of Hunger:

Normal hunger –

When the stomach has been empty for several hours, normal hunger kicks in, starting slow and intensifying until food is taken. Any time you have exhausted your easily accessible energy stores (such as after a workout session) you will experience this type of hunger. It is your body’s way of signaling its need for nutrients and energy to be replaced. You feel immediate relief after eating.

Hormone Driven Hunger –

This type of hunger does not come on slowly like normal hunger does but comes on suddenly and most times has nothing at all to do with meal time. If you’ve ever found yourself “attacked” and compelled to eat a chocolate bar even though you are not experiencing physical hunger pangs (and, you’re trying to stick to a diet), you can be sure it is hormonal driven hunger you are responding to. It causes a gnawing intense hunger and often strikes right after a meal causing wild irrational cravings for specific foods – especially those high in sugar or carbohydrates.

This type of hunger can be merciless in its demands overwhelming the most determined dieter. It leaves in its wake mood swings, anxiety and stress as well as zapping energy levels. Emotional eating is a term often associated with this type of hunger because it is linked to human emotions but science is revealing that it may not be down to human emotions at all but simply an interplay of various “out of balance” hormones in the body.

Hormones all play off each other and are triggered by and become unbalanced by catalysts such as the types of foods we eat or do not eat and when we eat those foods. Destructive habits such as consuming too much sugar or eating too many of the wrong kinds of foods can set off a cascading hormonal imbalance that could last for hours and possible even days leaving you at the mercy of whims that cause you to continue to overeat and binge (fake foods make us feel hungry all the time and also make us malnourished). A very damaging cycle to your system.

Unfortunately, modern day diets are filled with highly refined and processed foods that are laden with chemical additive and toxins. These foods not only fail to provide us high quality nutrients that nourish and sustain our bodies, they actually cause harm by throwing our appetite control mechanism out of balance causing us to lose touch with our natural hunger signals.

Hunger Hormones

The number one hormone that needs to be kept in check is insulin. This hormone relays to your fat cells that they need to mop up excess glucose (blood sugar) in the blood and convert it to fat for storage as future energy.  When insulin levels remain relatively stable as occurs in a natural unprocessed diet that suppresses the occurrence of highly fluctuating levels of blood glucose, the other hormones tend also to be properly regulated and no “out of balance” hormonal profile develops.

Ghrelin is another hunger hormone that needs to be controlled and normalized in order to have a sense of real hunger (so that we are not responding to false signals and eating more than we need to). In fact, much of the blame you have placed on yourself in the past for not having more control over your appetite and eating habits may well have been due in large part to allowing ghrelin to build to uncontrollable levels.

With so many chemicals lodged into the tissues of our body and our diets filled with “dead” foods offering no nutritional value, it’s no wonder that our hormones are confused and messed up causing so many people to struggle with permanent weight loss these days.

We need to fill our diets lean proteins, grass fed meats, free range poultry and eggs, ocean fish, vegetables and fruits and whole grains. We need to eliminate sugars, unhealthy fats, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, chemicals and unhealthy food preparation as well as heavily processed and other “junk” type foods.

If you are trying to take weight off, adopting a conservative calorie reduction program (including the foods listed above) and embracing a slow steady weight loss effort is the way to get your hunger hormones working with you to achieve lasting success.

When you have these fundamentals firmly in place in your life at least 80 percent of the time you will not have an excess body fat problem. It will be long gone! Your health will improve as well as the quality and longevity of life. 

All my products address a whole body approach that supports both the body and the mind. If you are serious about achieving a truly healthy lifestyle, one of youth and vitality – “Reclaim Your Longevity“ was created for you.

It will absolutely help you in every area of your life to stay as young, healthy and vibrant as possible, squeezing every ounce of life out of every minute of your life!

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, diet, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With: , ,

Nutrition counts – 4 Anti-Aging Secrets

February 11, 2017 By Leave a Comment

There are certain issues related to nutrition that when present accelerate the aging process. Learn what these are will help you to avoid them.

Lack of Anti-oxidants

If there’s one thing that your diet needs in order to combat the aging process it’s – plenty of antioxidants.

So, what exactly are antioxidants and why are they important?

Every day we encounter a number of toxic substances either in the air we are breathing or because of the unhealthy and unnatural substances we eat. As these stressors take place, they slowly but surely break the body down and antioxidants are the warriors that help to defy this process.

Antioxidants serve to neutralize free radicals that would otherwise lead to oxidative damage thus helping to improve your health significantly. They help combat disease such as heart disease and cancer, keep our skin, hair and nails looking their best and have us feeling more energized and healthy on a day to day basis.

Where can we get these antioxidants?

The best way to ensure you are getting the antioxidants your body needs is through a steady intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. The more nutrient dense the foods are that you eat, the higher your antioxidant intake will be. Other foods such as nuts and some oils also contain antioxidants but they don’t offer the level of antioxidants that you get from fresh produce.

Anti-aging secret #1 –

Consume as many organic fresh fruits and vegetables as possible. You cannot eat too many of these wonderful foods.

Over consumption of Sugar –

If you intend on stopping the hands of time, you need to reduce your intake of sugar. Although most people are better about not eating table sugar, sugar hides everywhere and excess sugar still finds a way into their diet. Today’s foods are loaded with this sweet tempting substance and taste buds are now so desensitized to the natural taste of food that we sugar to feel satisfied. The problem is, we don’t realize how much sugar is going in until we are struck down with diabetes or we have packed on a whopping 10-20 extra pounds.

In order to avoid taking in too much sugar you must learn to read labels.

So, why is sugar so bad?

Sugar accelerates the aging process by placing great stress and strain on your body. When you take in sugar your blood glucose levels spike. As a result, your body releases a huge hit of insulin from your pancreas. This insulin goes in and sucks the excess glucose up out of the blood stream helping to bring your blood glucose levels back down.

Where does this glucose go?

Straight to your body fat cells most times. Short of finishing an intense workout program (in which case, they’ll be shuttle towards your muscle cells) that excess sugar goes to your body fat stores. This excess body fat now puts you are high risk for a number of age related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Since sugar contains no nutrients, you won’t be getting any antioxidants. Filling your diet up with sugar causes you to miss out on the nutrition that would otherwise keep you as healthy as possible.

You’re only allowed so many calories daily so make sure those calories count!

Anti-aging secret #2 –

Eliminate as many added sugars from your diet as possible.

High Intake of Trans-Fats – 

Man-made fats are designed to increase the shelf-life of the food products you consume.  Manufacturers do this to add texture and taste to the foods you are consuming. For many consumers, trans-fats can be very addicting and hard to stop eating. Foods like cakes, cookies, pastries, frozen foods, deep fried food and other heavily processed foods that are rick in dietary fat.

Look to fill your diet up with an abundance of fats that contain an abundance of healthy vitamins and minerals and work to prevent disease. Olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia nut oil, avocados, fatty varieties of fresh fish, flax-seed, nuts and nut butter as well as coconut oil based products are all good choices.

Anti-aging secret #3

Avoid trans fats at all costs, instead replace them with unsaturated fats, omega fats and medium chain triglycerides.

Insufficient Quality Protein Intake – 

If you have insufficient intake of quality protein you are accelerating the aging process because protein is the major player when it comes to tissue repair and rebuilding and essential for keeping your body functioning at it s best. Without the proper amount of quality protein in your diet, your body won’t have the necessary raw materials it needs to generate new cells and hormones necessary to keep all systems in your body functioning properly and for generating lean muscle mass that keeps you active and able to excite physically as you should.

For best results, focus on getting at least 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily. The best forms of protein are chicken breast, turkey breast , lean red met (in moderation), fish, and seafood, low-fat dairy products as well as whey or nondairy protein powder.

Anti-aging secret #4 –

Focus on getting sufficient quality protein into your day, aim for at least 1 gram per pound of body weight and choose lean sources of both animal and non-animal based protein daily.

When you put the right fuel, raw materials and nutrients into your body, it goes a long way towards ensuring that you are looking and feeling your best.

As you consciously, with effort, develop these positive habits, you strengthen your inner resources, reinforcing all healthy habits and propelling yourself towards real health, real growth and real success.

Everything you need to know to slow down and even reverse the aging clock can be found in my anti-aging library of help: “Reclaim Your Longevity.”

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, diet, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With:

Quality Sleep Adds Years to Your Life and Life to Your Years

February 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Sleep is one of the most critical factors driving good health, and if you aren’t sleeping as well as you should be, every area of your life will be impacted in a negative way.

For beginners, nothing ages you faster than a lack of quality sleep. In fact, quality sleep could easily be considered the fountain of youth.

Lack of Sleep Impacts:

Your skin –

Not enough quality sleep a few nights in a row and your complexion begins to look lackluster and you’ll likely have some bags around your eyes.

Your metabolic rate –

Just one night of insufficient sleep can slow down your metabolism, making fat loss much more challenging.

Your disease risk factor –

Those who suffer with sleep quality deprivation will not have strong immune systems and the risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke increase. Without the strong defenses needed to fend off invading bacteria and viruses, they will likely fall ill more often. Furthermore, the immune system plays a vital role in keeping oxidative damage down. If its weakened, oxidation takes place, causing you to age far more quickly than you otherwise would.

Your mental state –

Sleep deficiency alters activity in parts of the brain. When you are tired and your body suffers with lack of quality sleep your brains’ ability to keep the nervous system clear is impaired. You may have trouble making decisions, controlling emotions and behavior, solving problems, and coping with change. Lack of quality sleep has also has been linked to risk-taking behavior, depression and even suicide.

A weakened and tired mental state also directly influences your ability to stick with your diet and workout protocol.

Your motivation –

Feeling fatigued from lack of sleep is the quickest way to crush any desire to get your workout in for the day ahead or tackle any new activity you had planned.

Your insulin sensitivity –

Too little sleep means your body is more likely to store carbohydrates as body fat rather than burning then up for energy or devoting them towards building lean muscle mass tissue.

Your appetite –

If your brain is lacking energy from not getting enough sleep, it often turns to food for that energy. Truth is, poor sleep messes with your hormones. It increases the production of ghrelin (your hunger hormone). Too much ghrelin causes your body to crave fatty and sugary foods, not a good state to put your body in. Poor sleep also messes with leptin your satiety hormone. Bottom line is: when you lack sleep, you tend to eat more of what you are craving because your hunger hormones are messed up and you’re not feeling the signals to stop eating.

When you are consciously asleep, your body is working overtime in repair mode fixing all the damage that took place in your body throughout the course of the day.

Sleep is when your body goes to work repairing and replacing. Without enough time devoted to sleep, your body won’t be able to repair itself or recover as quickly from your daily activities or workouts and any further progress is you would otherwise experience will be compromised.

Remember, it’s not just sleep you need, but quality sleep you’re after. You always know when you’ve gotten a quality night’s sleep because when you wake you feel good and ready to tackle the day.

Truth is, you can take control of the aging process and add years of good health and quality living to your lifespan by paying attention to a few critical players beginning with quality sleep.

Sleep quality is a good place to start because it directly influences your energy level.  As your energy level increases, your physical performance increases. This in turn increases your weight loss results which in turn boosts your appearance making you feel much happier overall.

Bottom line is this: the way you feel while you’re awake depends in large part on what happens while you’re sleeping. 

All my products support a whole body approach that supports both the body and the mind. If you are serious about achieving a truly healthy lifestyle, one of youth and vitality – “Reclaim Your Longevity“ was created for you.

It will absolutely help you in every area of your life to stay as young, healthy and vibrant as possible.

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, Healthy Mind, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With: , ,

Conscious Eating is Preventive Maintenance

January 22, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Wonder where your weight is coming from?

Are you paying attention when you eat?

Too many people find themselves eating throughout the day without even realizing they are doing it. By day’s end, their calorie count has gone through the roof, the weight comes on and they wonder “how and why.”

Eating, like any other important task you do throughout your day requires conscious attention.

Conscious eating is habit you need to adopt.

Here’s some daily habits you can adopt that will help you become a “conscious eater.”

Sit Down When You Eat

Seems logical and something we do automatically, but you’d be surprised at how many people “eat on the run”…literally eating while they are moving. When you consume foods while standing or moving, most likely  you won’t be paying attention to how much you are consuming. The calories you’ve consumed won’t be registered or fill you up like they should.

Make a concentrated effort to be seated whenever you eat a meal or snack. This helps you to focus on the foods you are consuming.

Avoid Distractions During Meals

Distractions are well, just that – a distraction from what you should be paying attention to. In regards to meals, too many people engage in unhealthy eating habits like sitting in front of the TV while they eat, or browsing the Internet while at work as they quickly…without conscious attention, down their lunch.

The moment you focus on anything but the food you are eating is the minute that you reduce the psychologically satiety that comes with eating. Get into the habit of focusing on eating when eating!

Sit at the table and consciously enjoy your food…every bite. Put your attention on your food not on a book, cell phone or TV.

Put Your Fork Down Between Bites

Putting your fork down between bites helps to ensure you are not rushing through your meal and potentially consuming more food than you would otherwise. It takes a while before your body registers that you are full, so give yourself a chance to get those signals by slowing down. Putting your fork down between bites helps you to do just that.

Pay Attention to Taste and Texture

Make a conscious effort when you sit to stop and notice the taste and texture of the foods you are consuming. Do this first thing when you begin so that it sets the tone for the entire meal. The idea is to help make you feel satisfied so that you stop eating when you are full. Those that consume foods without noticing the texture and taste, typically end up going back for seconds even if they are not really hungry.

Psychological satisfaction is a very real thing and you must strive to satisfy that along with physical hunger to really see optimal health and weight control.

Rate Your Hunger

Rating your hunger before eating will help you to see if you are in the habit of eating despite not actually being hungry so that you can make adjustments. Only when you hunger levels reach 7 or 8 on a scale of 1-10 should you be reaching for food. If you begin before that, you’ll be consuming too many calories and open the door to weight gain.

Eat Until 80% Full

As you eat, you should be keeping tabs on your hunger. Once you are 80% full, put your fork down and push away from the table. Because it takes time for your brain to register “full,” if you keep eating beyond this point, you’re in danger of reaching 100% full and you’ll end up by the price later in terms of weight gain and how you feel. By stopping at 80% after digestion finishes up, you will be satisfied and saved yourself from becoming over-stuffed with too much caloric intake.

Once you have your nutrition and eating habits in check, the next thing to focus on is building great activity habits that ensure you stay fit, active, and healthy.

All my products support a whole body approach that supports both the body and the mind. If you are serious about achieving a truly healthy lifestyle, one of youth and vitality – “Reclaim Your Longevity“ was created for you.

It will absolutely help you in every area of your life to stay as young, healthy and vibrant as possible.

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, diet Tagged With: ,

Stretching Exercises Increase Flexibility

January 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment

With so much focus on losing weight and the benefits that strength training provides us, we sometimes overlook one very important pre-aspect of successful strength training – flexibility.

Truth is, stretching exercises that increase flexibility are easily some of the most overlooked forms of exercise, yet flexibility is the reason you can perform in the first place!

Most anyone who goes to the gym and works out knows of the importance of stretching before beginning their exercise routine, however, stretching exercises are not created equal. Let’s examine the types of stretching you can perform.

 

Types of stretching:

Dynamic stretching:

This type of stretching requires you to move your body through an increased range of motion using body-weight movements like lunges, push-ups, squats, side lunges or jumping jacks before beginning your workout. Unlike static stretching that is passive, dynamic stretching is “active” since the muscle you are using is contracting and relaxing. Performed correctly, you should be in a “light-sweat” and ready for your cardio or lifting session afterward.

Static stretching:

This type of stretching is not as beneficial before working out but best used after you are finished working out. When you perform this type of stretch, you must elongate the muscle and hold that position for a defined amount of time – usually around 20-30 seconds. It is a passive stretch that allows the muscle to adapt slowly and remain relaxed throughout the entire exercise. Static stretching can alleviate muscle soreness. It is a safe way to begin – especially for individuals that have led sedentary lives.

Ballistic stretching:

Sometimes confused with dynamic stretching, this type of stretching is intense and uses bouncing movements to push your body past its normal/comfortable range of motion. Dynamic stretching does not require any bouncing or jerking motion nor does it push muscles past their normal range of motion. However, stretching movements that are too forceful can easily damage soft tissue such as ligaments and tendons around joints eventually causing tendinitis. Small muscle tears lead to reduced flexibility and range of movement.

Because of the danger of straining or pulling a muscle, ballistic stretching is usually not recommended for those who simply want to stay in shape or improve flexibility. Static stretching is much more gentle on the muscles and a much better choice.

To summarize:

Stretching is the key to increasing flexibility. The more flexible you are the easier it is to perform daily tasks as well as your workout routine without incurring injury.

Static stretching is best used after your work-out when your muscles are warm and your joints and ligaments are more elastic.

Dynamic stretching: Best used before a work-out because it actively engages the muscles to relax and contract.

Ballistic training: Best left to the pros. Always consult your trainer before performing this type of stretching.

Be aware that even stretching can be overdone. Too much static stretching and you’ve opened the door to injury.

In order to maintain mobility your joints need attention. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Just as our muscles wilt and shrink from disuse and age, if we don’t pay close attention to our flexibility, we lose that too! Every joint should be taken through a full range of movements daily for maximum flexibility.

Stretching and flexing your muscles should not stay at the gym. If you are really interested in maintaining or increasing your flexibility, static stretches should be done daily.

If you fail to challenge your joints and muscles to stay strong they will continue to weaken and fail.

* Everything you need to know to slow down and even reverse the aging clock can be found in my anti-aging library of help: “Reclaim Your Longevity.”

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, Exercise Tagged With: , , ,

Lifestyle Based Anti-Aging…

January 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment

 

As we evolve, we progressively obtain new answers to age-old questions and much of this new knowledge is positive and exciting – 

Studies Prove –

Over 30 years of research reveals that the more you change your lifestyle (particularly in areas of physical activity and nutrition) the more your health improves because you turn off the bad genes that lead you down the path of poor health and turn on the good genes that protect you by turning on self-healing processes that promote longevity and stellar health.

Adopt the right lifestyle changes and you can alter how you age by lengthening rather than shortening the telomeres located on the ends of DNA thereby slowing or even reversing the aging process from within.

The result is super-health or super-wellness at the cellular level as old worn out cells and tissues get replaced with new younger, healthier, stronger ones, turning back the biological clock in your body, muscles and brain.

 

Super Wellness

Super-wellness is proactive. It’s about building a strong disease resistant body and finding and eliminating the cause of disease – not just managing the symptoms. It’s about staying well when you are healthy, and extending middle age into the far reaches of old age. It’s about increasing the healthy span of aging, and avoiding the worst aspects of old age until the last minute.

There are two strategies that are gaining popularity as new lifestyle-based anti-aging plans that literally change what goes on with the DNA that is involved in disease and the aging process. Not surprisingly, those two strategies are exercise and healthy eating. Lucky for us, both these things are well within our personal control.

 

The Goals of any Anti-aging Lifestyle are, (at any age):

Robust healing and cell renewal – activating the self-healing processes

Healthier – beyond simply “not being sick”

Strength and high energy – regardless of age

Hampering/slowing/reversing the aging process

Improving body composition – muscle to fat ratio

Achieving a health span that equals life span

To be free of and not at risk of disease and to experience wellness through every decade of life. That’s what anti-aging is about. By choosing to be proactive and responsible, you develop a strong sense of personal identity and empowerment for your own health.

The reality is, a decent old age is something that only we are empowered to deliver to ourselves. By adopting an anti-aging diet and lifestyle that includes challenging exercise, you’ll have a real chance of adding decades of additional happy and healthy living to your lifespan.

Those who succeed with anti-aging practices are those who believe in the values of independence, productivity and self-care in later life. For them, anti-aging practices become a way of life – a lifestyle driver. Are those values important to you?

As you consciously, with effort, develop these positive habits, you strengthen your inner resources, reinforcing all healthy habits and propelling yourself towards real health, real growth and real success.

You don’t need to age the way your parents and grandparents did. It’s time to set an example of how hot your 60’s and beyond can really be.

Everything you need to know to slow down and even reverse the aging clock can be found in my anti-aging library of help: “Reclaim Your Longevity.”

 

For more tools and resources from Carolyn Hansen to assist you in attaining your health and fitness goals and achieving the success you desire in life, please visit:

Carolyn Hansen Fitness

Filed Under: Anti-aging strategies, diet, Exercise, Reduce Disease Risk Tagged With: ,
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