Why The Blood Type Diet Works for Me

Hello again! :) Today I want to talk to you about my experiences and issues with food. With the recent seminar about the blood type diet I reveled that I am a huge fan simply because the way food affects the inner workings of the body makes complete sense to me. It makes sense because your immune system fends off unwanted pathogens. The food we eat comes from something that also has a blood type, your body will behave the same way it would given the wrong blood type during a transfusion, that is your immune system will react. My blood type is A. All blood types have a different set of characteristics. They are susceptible to different diseases, should eat different foods, and need exercise in a completely different manner. The Type A blood type historically originated when humans moved away from hunting and gathering to the cultivation of grains. Over time the adaptations that produced Blood Type A were based on the need to fully utilize nutrients from carbohydrate sources. The amount of stomach acid production needed to digest red meat from the hunter/gather lifestyle was no longer needed. As a result, Type A's have low levels of stomach acid production. This simply means that Type A's make healthier vegetarians because they can receive full nutritional benefit by being able to fully digest plant protein. This doesn't mean that as an A Type we can't have meat, just not red meat or at least a limited amount. Subsequently, Type A's do have high levels of the enzyme that efficiently digests carbohydrates that resulted from the introduction of grains and vegetables. Every Blood Type has its history which is revealed in Dr. D'Adamo's Eat Right For Your Type book. Let's discuss "diet" and then I will tell you about my personal experiences. When I say "diet" I am not talking about a weight loss plan, that's just a side benefit to following the Blood Type Diet plan. I am discussing diet in the more traditional sense, meaning a way to eat. I said already that Type A's make healthier vegetarians. If you are an A and you are accustomed to eating meat, I was for sure, you will find that once you begin to limit or even eliminate your consumption of meat you will have more energy. Type A's turn the meat into toxins because the digestive tract can not fully digest and utilize the nutrients. These toxins gum up your inner workings and your body struggles making you ill and lethargic. Moving from the meat and potato fare won't be easy, but it is extremely important that Type A's eat their foods in as natural a state as possible: pure, fresh and organic. With this diet you can supercharge your immune system. I've given you the history and the pathology and now I am going to tell you about my experience with The Blood Type Diet. Personally, I am a text book Type A. When I was younger, I found that certain foods upset my digestive tract but I was young and didn't think it mattered. Because of my neglect to listen to my body, and of course the lack of education on the Blood Type Diet because it wasn't known, I am paying for it now. Overtime, my symptoms have worsened, I feel them immediately and they last longer. I may have had a little stomach ache when I was younger, but now, I get a stomach ache, headache, acid reflux, vomiting and I bloat. Attractive right? Feeling this way doesn't just go away over night. No, I experience the illness for at least 2 days. I said at least. Now that I know why I am having stomach issues there is no excuse. I have a choice, I can continue on the path of destruction or I can make the changes I have mapped out for me and live a pain free lifestyle. I have chosen the pain free lifestyle of course. :) Yes, I stray I admit, it is hard. But, I don't give up. When I go grocery shopping I don't buy red meat. I get most of my protein from beans, not just any beans, but beans Dr. D'Adamo has deemed beneficial. Some beans are on my avoid list. I pretty much "buy out" the produce section at Safeway. I don't keep foods that are wrong for my blood type in the house. Out of sight out of mind. I keep a journal. I record what I eat and if I experience an adverse reaction. I have already started to feel better, I have more good days symptom free. Another downfall of being a Type A is that I have to manage my stress a bit more then other blood types. I am not saying that other blood types do not have stress and shouldn't have to manage it. In fact, ALL BLOOD TYPES SHOULD LEARN HOW TO MANAGE THEIR STRESS EFFICIENTLY and you can do this by reading The Blood Type Diet Handbook. I mean that the physiology of Blood Type A is to have naturally high levels of the stress hormone cortisol and produce more in response to stressful situations. Type A's get on the emotional train and ride it all the way to the end when they probably should have stopped at the depot. This over production of cortisol makes for a more challenging recovery from stressful situations. Exercise of course is a simple solution. Every Blood Type benefits from 30 minutes of exercise at least 3 days a week. Dr. D'Adamo has narrowed down specific exercise routines for each blood type. For a Type A, this includes incorporating exercises that provide focus and calming effects like meditation and deep breathing. The calming activities and regular exercise will put you on a path to a life saving lifestyle. There is so much more that I just can't fit into one Blog. Lucky for all of us, Brenda has invested in all our health and provides for us the resources to the Blood Type Diet. You can purchase products and receive more information specific to your blood type from Brenda's Website. www.healthystepsllc.com/products.html. You will be glad you took the time to check it out. The Eat Right For Your Type book offers a personalized nutrition guide. It will give you the history behind your blood type as well as foods you should avoid and foods that are beneficial. There are also books that contain recipes and a wide variety of vitamins and supplements that will be utilized by your body most efficiently based on your blood type. Don't forget about skin care! You will find skin care info on the website as well. As for me, I will continue to follow the Blood Type Diet until it is a permanent part of my lifestyle. I am confident I will soon be symptom free. I am also going to invest in a product called Deflect. This supplement will help me digest even more efficiently. It will also help my digestive tract out when I do stray from the diet and give into the temptation of a hamburger. :) Live Well, I'll talk to you soon! Melissa

A Recipe for Fun!

Good Morning! I've had a request to offer some insight on how to avoid over-eating at summer BBQs. Unhealthy options are the standard American fare at BBQs, but it doesn't have to be the rule. One major problem with BBQ pot luck gatherings is that we all tend to overindulge a bit. This is largely due to the fact that, when it comes to gatherings, it's easy to rationalize overeating and to stray from our healthier everyday routines. This summer, however, there's absolutely no reason that you need to pack on any extra pounds or throw all your hard earned sweat away. If you follow these simple steps then you'll be sure to remain bathing suit fabulous and not wake up the morning after with a serious case of regret. No. 5: Don't drink on an empty stomach. Without food in your stomach, alcohol gets absorbed quickly, which means it will hit your brain in less than five minutes. That will lower your inhibitions and up your appetite, a recipe for overeating. Before your first sip, eat a small handful of nuts or a few cubes of cheese (or whatever small snack is allowed according to your blood type). The protein and fat both get emptied from your stomach slower, creating a better buffer for alcohol. No. 4: Bring a safety dish. When you bring a dish to share, you're helping out the hostess and yourself. It will help fill you up and balance out smaller portions of high calorie foods like mini quiche or dumplings. A veggie tray with hummus for dipping is a great choice. It's not unusual party fare so you won't stand out. A cup of veggies, the size of a baseball, and a quarter cup of hummus, the size of a golf ball, only pack 125 calories, about half the calories in just one chicken finger. No. 3: Out of sight, out of mind. Stand out of arm's reach of the buffet table. Studies show that the amount of effort it takes you to obtain food and how visible it is greatly impact how much you'll eat. One study found that in a cafeteria, people ate more ice cream when the lid of the ice cream cooler was left open than when it was closed. Another study showed that people given a sandwich in a transparent wrap ate more than those who were given sandwiches in an opaque wrap. "Out of sight, out of mind" really does hold true. No. 2: Dress for awareness. Whether it's a clingy dress, slim-fitting pants, a belt or a body shaper, constricting clothing can definitely prevent you from overdoing it. When fully expanded, your stomach can hold about six cups of food, the size of six baseballs! So an anti-expansion strategy is a smart strategy for helping you stay in touch with your hunger meter. Top Tip to Avoid Summer BBQ Overeating No. 1: Outsmart the post-party munchies. Alcohol can up your appetite, so if you come home from a holiday party a little tipsy, you may be apt to reach for a snack before you go to bed. So think before you go. On your way out the door, pop up some healthy, low-calorie popcorn, put it in a bowl and leave it out in plain sight. When you get home, you'll reach for that instead of a bag of chips. One cup of healthy popcorn has only 25 calories compared to 150 calories in just 13 potato chips. That's it! Your strategy to prevent over-eating this summer while still having a great time. These steps are definitely do-able. You'll be please you took the time to change just a few small things. Your body will thank you! Talk to you soon! Melissa

It's All About Sheep...Sleep!

Good morning everybody! I've had a request in regards to sleeping better. This is a topic that comes as a concern to many, especially because you know very well from Brenda, that one of the key aspects of a healthy life style is getting plenty of Zzzzzzz's. Sleep and your mental health are deeply linked; often a mood episode is triggered by lack of sleep. So, as promised, I am going to bring to you Sleep Hygiene Tips to try to improve your sleep patterns. :) Goal #1: Train the brain to feel sleepy and awake at regular times. • Fixed times for bedtime and awakening, stick to this even on weekends, regardless of how much sleep you got the night before. • If you have to get up during the night to use the bathroom, do not turn on the light. • No daytime naps as this reduces your sleep drive. • Sunlight, get at least 30 minutes per day, no sunglasses. This establishes a circadian rhythm, an oscillation of about 24 hours, establish by external cues commonly the most important is sunlight. Goal #2: Develop a strong mental association between your bedroom and sleep. • Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex, don't read or watch TV in bed. • Get into bed only when you are sleepy. If you are unable to fall asleep, get up and go into another dimly lit room, do not lie in bed awake. Goal #3: Avoid being over-stimulated at bedtime. • Caffeine-avoid after about 3 pm • Alcohol-it may help you fall asleep, but use of alcohol wakes you up early and disturbs the quality of your sleep. • TV, Computers and Texting-stop use 2 hours prior- blue light inhibits melatonin production. • Mental Activity- stop doing active mental work at least 1 hour prior to sleep. • Exercise- at least 30 minutes EVERY DAY, do not exercise 3 hours prior to sleep. • Eating- avoid being too full at bedtime, eat dinner at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime; a light carbohydrate snack may help. • Progressive relaxation- starting at your toes, tighten the muscles for 5 seconds and release. • Develop a bedtime ritual- An evening ritual helps prepare your body/mind for sleep. You can't grab sleep...you can only develop the right atmosphere for sleep to come and take you. o 1. Turn off all electronic equipment 2 hours before sleep o 2. Prepare for the next day (write notes on what you have to do, so you can tell your mind to relax, it is taken care of, when you find your mind going over thoughts of what to do the next day). o 3. Count your blessings, or journal, consciously forgive yourself and others for hurts accumulated during the day. o 4. Have a cup of herbal tea "Sleepy Time" o 5. Have a shower or bath o 6. Use a diffuser in your bedroom and with lavender essential oil o 7. Consider using herbs such as hops, kava kava, valerian, or melatonin sustained release 3-6 mg an hour before bed. o 8. Do some progressive relaxation, gentle stretching, yoga, tai chi, chi gong or meditation. o 9. Do the same thing EVERY NIGHT, as you are training your body/mind to unwind from the day. Goal #4: Create an environment conducive to sleep, your room should be: • Dark, cover LED lights, consider blackout blinds. • Quiet, consider using foam earplugs. • Cool, 65 degrees F is ideal for most people. • Comfortable, use a comfortable mattress and pillow. Alright guys, that's it! Your guide to getting your Zzzzz's. Remember, this will not come easy, you must adopt these hygiene tips and establish a habit. Be patient and you will be rewarded with sound sleep. You will find that you awake feeling rested, and after time, you won't even need an alarm clock. If you are anything like me, that sounds superb! I hate the annoying squawk of an alarm clock. Enjoy the rest of your day, and when it's at its end, sleep well. :) Melissa

IS BRENDA MAD????

Hello Everyone! I am so excited, I get to write my very first blog. You all should feel very special. :-) So, here it goes... You know how Brenda has very specific training movements that we repeat 8 rounds with 10 seconds rest in between each round (intervals). Have you ever wondered what this type of interval training is, the history behind it and of course is Brenda mad? I write to explain to you what this training is, how it came about and the logic in Brenda's madness (hee...hee) for using this specific training. This interval training method Brenda executes so well is called TABATA TRAINING. This method offers more health benefits than traditional cardiovascular exercise. “Tabata” is short, very sweet and most efficient. It can fit in almost any fitness program. Instead of hours upon hours of exercise, Tabata can be completed in 4 minutes. Historically, Tabata was founded by a Japanese scientist named Izumi Tabata and fellow colleagues at a department of physiology in Japan. Izumi and his colleague team,asked the question, "What if we used athletes to conduct a study to compare moderate intensity training with high intensity training?" Of course I wasn't there, I can only assume it went something like that. FYI, Tabata falls under the category of high intensity training. Next they did some research and constructed a hypothesis (standard scientific method protocol). Now for the experiment... Materials and Methods: 2 groups of athletes. Group one: Athletes train using moderate intensity workouts for five days a week for a total of six weeks with each training session lasting an hour. Group two: Athletes train using high intensity workouts for 4 days a week for a total of 6 weeks with each session lasting 4 minutes, at 20 seconds of intense training and 10 seconds of rest. I imagine this specific regiment came about from all that research. They're geniuses. Results: Group 1 results: significant increase in the aerobic system (cardiovascular). However, the anaerobic system (muscles) gained little or no results at all. Hmmmm...we like tone, so this was not favored. Group 2 results: showed much improvement across both systems in all athletes. Their aerobic systems increased much more than group one's, and their anaerobic systems increased by 28%. Yay, tone! We likey! Conclusion? Not only did high intensity interval training have more of an impact on the aerobic systems; it had an impact on the anaerobic systems as well. Highly favored. I LOVE SCIENCE. :-) TABATA BING, BADA BOOM (can't take credit for this, but I thought it was very clever)! Brenda is not MAD, she simply wants to give you only the best, take you to the highest level of fitness each and every workout! I know, hard to swallow especially when you are on your final round of BURPEES. HA...HA...HA... But rest assured (only 10 seconds :)), it is worth every gut busting move. That's it, my first blog! Hope you all enjoyed it. Live Well and I will see you next Wednesday! Melissa Martin