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

So much as transpired since my last post! I gained a new son-in-law, who has really been a part of our family and we already considered him our son years ago, but the wedding made it official! Michael and Kayla said their vows on April 6, 2013 in the late afternoon. God gave us the most beautiful day under his eyes he blessed them and held them as they made the commitment to one another. A vow of marriage that will hold them even stronger in their relationship. Another big event in our household was my son getting his driving permit! He is a good driver and of course I never get to be behind the wheel if he is with me! :) This month I am also gearing up for my new program called FitRanX! The following has been strong and I am so excited to meet all the new people who come through my doors and help them achieve success once and for all in fitness and nutrition! I really liked the concept of this program because I was in the U.S. Army and it is structured the same way as far as moving up in ranks, but not just getting there easily but working towards a goal and then getting recognized for it! I also have also dug in my heels and went after the Sugar Breakthrough Solution and am only 4 days away from the 14 day cleanse. Has it been hard? YES! But can it be done? YES!! I am happy to say that I have dropped 4lbs but even more important than that is my body fat which went from 29.8 down to 26.9 as of last Friday!! I do of course get my workouts in there and use every second to push myself harder! In doing this program I realize there are still things that I need to tweak in order to be even more successful and to find easier ways for my clients to benefit as well. Amy and Lisa was conversing over a book the other night in Tactix and I heard O as blood type, I was interested as that is what my blood type is. In getting the book that night, I was very intriqued by the findings. So in combination to the cleanse on sugar I will implement the list of foods that are good for me as an O blood type and with that I am going to be golden!!! I am also doing series in my daily email for my members on stress. This also goes hand and hand with the sugar and the correct foods to eat. I realize with those 3 components, I am on to something big and I am going to be putting together a plan for my clients not only here but also online so all my other friends and family who live far away can benefit from it too if they choose to invest in it! :) I want to end this blog with one of the best stories I have ever heard. It is from a book called,"Think & Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill. I find it so astounding and so true. I have actually applied to myself over and over again when I feel I am falling short of my dream! I won't go into the story verbatem but I will tell you this, I highly suggest you read this book and keep it and read it more than once! Have you ever felt like you are so close yet so far and then you just give up? Not realizing that you were only THREE FEET FROM GOLD!!!!?!??! This is what happened to the uncle of R.U. Darby. He had it made or so he thought. He went west to dig and GROW RICH in Colorado. He was successful in hitting the shining ore that he was digging for, yet he needed a bit more machinery to bring the ore to the surface. He quitely covered his tracks, went to his hometown of Williamsburg, Maryland and shared this news with family, friends and neighbors as he needed investors to help him get the machine. After they sought the faith in him, he was back to Colorado to mine his first car, which he sent to smelter. The returns proved they had one of the richest mines in Colorado! He was estatic I am sure! He could see with only a few more cars all the debt being cleared, and then the big killing of profits would come! But, down went the drills, Up went the hopes of Darby and Uncle. Then something happened! The vein of gold ore disappeared! It was done, the dreams, the vision, vanished, just like that! So they did what I highly suggest you do not ever do, "THEY QUIT!" Yes, they decided to sell the machinery to a junk man for only a few hunderd dollars. That junk man was not a stupid man, he knew that there was no way he could figure this out on his own so he searched for mining engineer, who revealed to him that the project had failed, because the owners were not familiar with "fault lines." His calculations showed that the vein would be found JUST THREE FEET FROM WHERE THE DARBYS HAD STOPPED DRILLING!!! The junk man took millions of dollars to ore from the mine, because he knew enough to seek expert counsel before giving up! I love that because we have all been there right? And what would have happened if you would have just kept going? So I say this to you, "Never quit because you never know what is just THREE FEET ahead of you! It could very well be your GOLD!!"

So Blessed!

I am sitting here surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. For the past 4 years we have been coming up to Estes for our mini-vacation to just unwind for a few days and have it just be my husband and kids. This year seems more sentimental to me as my daughter is about to get married to her fiance who she has been with for the past 5 years. A new chapter will begin in their lives but our traditions will remain as we plan on keeping this getaway on the calendar for years to come. The family will grow and the memories will be even more blessed. But for now I am enjoying the moments. My husband and I will be married 24 years this year and it sure doesn't seem like it has been that long. Time will never stand still and you must always work together and grow too and the most important know that above all else God is the biggest part of your lives. If he is not in your relationship then you will have a rough time of it. We all grow up and become responsible, we all want to be good examples to our children, and we all want to grow in our success. This is another area I am so blessed in. There are times I get scared and I feel like I will fall, but I pray and through faith I know I am on the right path. God just gave me another sign to move boldly ahead with a new program that I will kick off in May called FitRanX! I was drawn to it immediately because of the ranking system. Being in the U.S. Army I love the way you had to work your way up the ladder to get promoted. It gave you something to work towards. This is no different. You will work your way up in the fitness levels. You can only get better and stronger, more healthier and definately more fit. It will give recognition and the best part it will I pray bring new people for more challenges within the bootcamp. I am so blessed to have great women now surrounding me and supporting me in both bootcamp and tactix. I look forward to having the new ladies and even gentlemen come on board and join in this new elite program that will be the talk of the town! I will keep you posted on the progress! ;) I am now going to go sit by the fire and enjoy some coffee and relaxation before heading out for the day! We are going to go hiking and enjoy God's country! ;)

Are You Free?

It's been over a month since I did my last blog and one of my goals was to try and do better at being a blogger! I have had a great month with the ladies in my bootcamp challenge. They took 30 days and committed to follow a fitness routine, implement nutrition and look for key emails that would give them points in order to win. I had 4 ladies who were very close in the running just about the whole way. I had others that still hung in there and were successful in there own right. It takes something deep inside you to really want to change. To finally be done doing what you have always done and just leave it behind. You think you will miss it if you let it go, or that your identity won't be the same if you move forward and gain a new perspective on fitness and health. You might think that you will fail and because of your fear you don't even try. That is the worse thing you could do because when you let fear override what you truly want to be it robs you of so many victories in your life. What if you didn't have your freedom to choose? Then you might not have to worry about fear because it would be taken care of for you. When you have no freedom you are trapped. And some people are not free although they have the freedom at their finger tips to choose to change. What makes a person want to be so obese and miserable that they won't even get up and try to change? Or if they have changed what takes them back to that place that they once hated so much? These are questions I often ask. I don't judge a single person because everyone has a story and although I might see choice and freedom as an easy thing, someone else might find it very difficult. Some people are slaves to food. That seems like a crazy concept doesn't it? But sad to say, millions of people, maybe even billions by now have this food addiction. It is like any other addiction, it grabs their soul and twists so tight and clouds their judgement so they see no light, just darkness and no hope. I live in a small town, I have seen in my last 3 years of being a business owner and personal trainer, great strides in the transformations that come through my door. When someone meets with me for the first time, I see all sorts of emotions, I hear all kinds of excuses, good ones it may seem to them, but to me, nothing short of having a limb or two absent, and even then, is no excuse to not make that choice and choose to be hopeful and set new goals in your life. All of us have a fire deep inside us that needs to just be lit and remain burning for the rest of our lives. I love to see the transformations in my clients. It is the biggest joy for me. It is not over night and it is a process. It can be painful at times, it can be very emotional, that is due to the changes that happen within your body, it is not easy, but not as hard as one might think it out to be, it is the ultimate victory when you hit those mini-goals driven to the main goal. What is the main goal? LIFE! We never get younger, although that would be great for some things in life,however, we don't have to let our bodies go into a state of oldness before it's time. Again, that is our freedom of choice. We can all choose to be more fit and healthier. To add years to our lives and do it in such a way that it is fun and lasting! How do you do this? By putting one foot in front of the other and just choosing to ignite that fire! Here is something I bet you have said at one time or other in your life when you wanted to start losing weight. "I will start Monday." And say that is on a Friday, you eat so much junk food and just veg out in front of the t.v., more than normal, if that would be possible, and then Monday rolls around way to fast and your mindset isn't strong enough yet to follow through with the start. For one, you didn't share that with anyone but yourself, so you have no support, which is the number one thing you must have in your choice to change. Some people have to hit rock bottom before they climb up the ladder. It is sad, because it is no one else's fault but their own that they landed in the hospital due to that Monday never coming around. That is my point, your tomorrow may never come so while you have today no matter what day it is, you can start on the road to recovery and your tomorrows will be brighter and if you don't see it then those left behind will have been impacted by your efforts. So today, no matter what day it is, get up, put one foot in front of the other, and help yourself and others that may be in your same situation, start on a road to freedom, on a magical journey filled with endless possibilities. Have faith and hope in yourself and share your victories with others who are looking for that same hope!