A five day cleanse for me is sufficient in my current state of health - so I am ramping back into my diet with lighter foods and my Plant Fusion protein shakes (http://www.plantfusion.us/). Weight has stabilized at 138.4 and I am within 3 to 5 pounds of my goal weight.
Sunday starts the reintroduction of consistent exercise as I have been recovering from shoulder surgery and have reached a good level to be active again. Exercise for me will consist of my Wii Fit Plus and going to Physical Therapy for another 4 weeks.
So far this year is starting off well. When reviewing my cleansing/diet journal - this time last year I was 153 pounds. When I started my cleanse this year I was 143 - so 10 pounds down from last year and about 5.5 down in the cleanse.
Once I am where I want to be - I will cut back on the cleanses to twice a year.
More to come...
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday Product Commentary - Sketchers Shape-Ups and Tone Ups
This is the first of my weekly Product Commentaries. If you have a specific product you want me to review - drop me a line at lrkeiles@gmail.com
Sketchers is now diversifying its line of Shape-Ups sneakers and has added Tone Ups. I have been using my original Shape-Ups and the XF (Extended Fitness) versions for a year and 6 months respectively. http://www.skechers.com/women/styles/shape-ups
I bought them to evaluate and determine if they really work and not just because there is a health/fitness guru who said they do. Remember I have to prove it to myself first...
Many people have asked me - do they work? I say, for me - YES. Have I recommended them - YES but with reservations. Not every one follows the directions when getting them - you have to work your way into them - 20 minutes a day for a week. Then you can start wearing them every day if you choose. I had a girlfriend who went full on wearing them and got such wicked cramps in her calves and hamstrings she had to stop within 2 days of wearing them and work herself back into them, properly.
I have tracked my progress and improvement using the Wii Fit as my "tale of the tape". I have always had posture and hip issues after my kids were born and when I had struggled with my weight. Within 1 month of wearing the original model shoe - I had improved my center of gravity and weight distribution by 75% and corrected it within 4 months. I no longer shift my balance to my left like always - I was even for the first time ever, and I was within the 'bulls-eye' of balance as well. Could I still do the table tilt or hula hoop better than before - well, better - but I am still lack coordination for somethings - have to have something to improve.
Some people ask their doctor's if those shoes can help - that is a good approach to preparing for any exercise or health improvement. For those with lower back/bulging disc issues - there are options in the Sketcher shoe line. The ones with the reverse heel - Shape Ups and their associated versions - are tough to start off with. Center of balance and gravity is challenging when your mid-back and lumbar have issues already and the shoes can exacerbate it in the SHORT TERM. You start to tone not just the muscles in your legs but your core using these shoes and if you work up to wearing them full time - in 20 minute increments at a time - it is just like exercising :)
The Tone-Ups do not have such a drastic heel and look more like traditional work out shoes and that becomes an easier start to getting fit on a small scale. Then you can work your way into Shape-Ups.
As for me - they are my shoes of choice and I even have a "work version" of the shoe so I can not be in sneakers all day long. Frankly for me now, working from home - there is nothing wrong with that either.
Next Thursday's Commentary: Probiotics - Do they really help?
Sketchers is now diversifying its line of Shape-Ups sneakers and has added Tone Ups. I have been using my original Shape-Ups and the XF (Extended Fitness) versions for a year and 6 months respectively. http://www.skechers.com/women/styles/shape-ups
I bought them to evaluate and determine if they really work and not just because there is a health/fitness guru who said they do. Remember I have to prove it to myself first...
Many people have asked me - do they work? I say, for me - YES. Have I recommended them - YES but with reservations. Not every one follows the directions when getting them - you have to work your way into them - 20 minutes a day for a week. Then you can start wearing them every day if you choose. I had a girlfriend who went full on wearing them and got such wicked cramps in her calves and hamstrings she had to stop within 2 days of wearing them and work herself back into them, properly.
I have tracked my progress and improvement using the Wii Fit as my "tale of the tape". I have always had posture and hip issues after my kids were born and when I had struggled with my weight. Within 1 month of wearing the original model shoe - I had improved my center of gravity and weight distribution by 75% and corrected it within 4 months. I no longer shift my balance to my left like always - I was even for the first time ever, and I was within the 'bulls-eye' of balance as well. Could I still do the table tilt or hula hoop better than before - well, better - but I am still lack coordination for somethings - have to have something to improve.
Some people ask their doctor's if those shoes can help - that is a good approach to preparing for any exercise or health improvement. For those with lower back/bulging disc issues - there are options in the Sketcher shoe line. The ones with the reverse heel - Shape Ups and their associated versions - are tough to start off with. Center of balance and gravity is challenging when your mid-back and lumbar have issues already and the shoes can exacerbate it in the SHORT TERM. You start to tone not just the muscles in your legs but your core using these shoes and if you work up to wearing them full time - in 20 minute increments at a time - it is just like exercising :)
The Tone-Ups do not have such a drastic heel and look more like traditional work out shoes and that becomes an easier start to getting fit on a small scale. Then you can work your way into Shape-Ups.
As for me - they are my shoes of choice and I even have a "work version" of the shoe so I can not be in sneakers all day long. Frankly for me now, working from home - there is nothing wrong with that either.
Next Thursday's Commentary: Probiotics - Do they really help?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Day 3 of cleanse in Winter time :)
One of the biggest issues with doing cleanses all year round is how do you deal with being cold. Your body undergoes chemical changes, breaking the links to toxins, stripping of cellular and digestive debris and you get cold. Normally, folks who do cleanse annually do it in the Spring, when it starts to get warm so that the coldness of the body is not such an issue. I do one of those too :) You can also have sniffles and congestion, vicious headaches and feel exhausted. A cleanse is time to take care of yourself, but more likely than not, you are doing it while working or being stressed to begin with. So with that stated - one has to TRY and take it easy :)
Based on my current weigh in of 139 lbs - as long as I can keep myself around 133-135 consistently - I am good to go. I normally do not "keep track" of weight - I keep track of how I fit in clothes. I found that for standards in the "medical community" and keeping a professional perspective - it does not hurt to be within the 'range' based on my frame size.
The best way to see what your 'frame' size is to wrap your fingers of your dominant hand around your opposing wrist. I am right-handed so I encircle my wrist using my thumb and fourth finger (ring finger). If they touch, that is a medium frame; if I go past my fingers and overlap - that is a small frame and if I cannot reach then it is a large frame.
There are various sites available to calculate your 'ideal weight' based on frame size. But to be realistic - the best health you can obtain is not inherently by you scale, it is by how YOU feel. Your mind set is truly your frame of reference. What you think about yourself IMPACTS your health - really.
So remember that one must appreciate and respect what you were given - it is your body to take care of - and no one else will do it for you. You can have all the support, love and guidance in the world and that is a blessing in itself. You look in the mirror and if you are happy, it shows; if you are stressed, it shows!
Today on day 3 of my cleanse I look in the mirror and thank my body for working with me through out all my stress of work and life, shoulder recovery and removing 3 months (and whatever is newly surfacing) of residual toxins. I also vowed to my body, I would continue to take care and look after it and make smart health choices at least once a day. I know this is not my pre-marriage/kids body I am taking care of - but to be honest I feel I look better than when I was younger and that makes my day, every day.
I still have two more days of cleanse - shifting from the Burroughs Master Cleanse to Protein shake for two days and gracefully back into food. Next week is RESTAURANT WEEK in NYC and I am stoked to make a trip in at least one day and attempt NOT to put all those toxins back on in one visit - I still have another 3 months before I do this again :) If I do - at least I know they will come off again next quarter and I will be smiling no matter what.
Based on my current weigh in of 139 lbs - as long as I can keep myself around 133-135 consistently - I am good to go. I normally do not "keep track" of weight - I keep track of how I fit in clothes. I found that for standards in the "medical community" and keeping a professional perspective - it does not hurt to be within the 'range' based on my frame size.
The best way to see what your 'frame' size is to wrap your fingers of your dominant hand around your opposing wrist. I am right-handed so I encircle my wrist using my thumb and fourth finger (ring finger). If they touch, that is a medium frame; if I go past my fingers and overlap - that is a small frame and if I cannot reach then it is a large frame.
There are various sites available to calculate your 'ideal weight' based on frame size. But to be realistic - the best health you can obtain is not inherently by you scale, it is by how YOU feel. Your mind set is truly your frame of reference. What you think about yourself IMPACTS your health - really.
So remember that one must appreciate and respect what you were given - it is your body to take care of - and no one else will do it for you. You can have all the support, love and guidance in the world and that is a blessing in itself. You look in the mirror and if you are happy, it shows; if you are stressed, it shows!
Today on day 3 of my cleanse I look in the mirror and thank my body for working with me through out all my stress of work and life, shoulder recovery and removing 3 months (and whatever is newly surfacing) of residual toxins. I also vowed to my body, I would continue to take care and look after it and make smart health choices at least once a day. I know this is not my pre-marriage/kids body I am taking care of - but to be honest I feel I look better than when I was younger and that makes my day, every day.
I still have two more days of cleanse - shifting from the Burroughs Master Cleanse to Protein shake for two days and gracefully back into food. Next week is RESTAURANT WEEK in NYC and I am stoked to make a trip in at least one day and attempt NOT to put all those toxins back on in one visit - I still have another 3 months before I do this again :) If I do - at least I know they will come off again next quarter and I will be smiling no matter what.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Starting the New Year with my cleanse :)
Today is the first day of my cleanse for this year. Since May 2009 I have been doing cleanses quarterly. My very first cleanse was 8 days and that jumpstarted my periodic removal and management of toxins from diet and everyday life. There are those who feel doing a cleanse at least yearly is sufficient for them to help them maintain their health. Those yearly cleanses can be fairly long in duration - 10 to 14 days. Knowing what I had to do for 8 days - that is commitment!
I found that over the years of my diet, and my allergies and my health have fluctuated and with that invariably were toxins. I believe in the "Last on - first off" philosophy of toxin removal in the body. You can keep removing toxins annually, but even with diet modification and hidden toxins - there is some residual build up that can occur. At least, it did with me. Removing gluten from my diet, as stringent as I am, there is still the hidden glutens in everything. It has taken me a year to become a rigourous reader and educator of gluten free - to the point of celiac. I have not been diagnosed celiac - but I treat my diet as if I was. So - those glutamates found in glutens and dairy were still finding their way into me.
A cleanse quarterly is what I found to continue the toxin removal process on a more regular basis. Think of beautiful piece of furniture that has been refinished multiple times. Stripping wood for refinishing - really slowly you find out how many times this piece had been worked. Each layer that came off - exposed more and more times it was "processed". I see toxins in the body that way - each cleanse removes the most recent toxins and then "strips" a bit deeper to get more out. There is a law of diminishing returns - which is a GOOD thing because at some point - there are very few stubborn, long standing layers that will break down and finally be released. I am at that point now - my last 7-10 lbs. I am in no rush to lose them and just have them come back. I want the toxins done and gone for good - or at least until the next cleanse :)
So - Day 1 is almost in the books and I am feeling a bit hungrier than usual; it is winter and cleanses now can put more stress on as we are supposed to be "staying warm" versus removing our fat stores. I am doing the Burroughs Master Cleanse available through powdered form http://www.vibranthealth.us/. I used to do the squeezing lemon, cayenne, maple syrup and found I had some small inconsistencies with measurement and that would effect my outcome. The 100% organic and controlled portioning of using Vibrant Cleanse makes the quality of my cleanse better and this process much easier to keep up. I will do this for three days and move into a vegan protein shake cleanse (http://www.plantfusion.us/) for two to three days depending on how I feel before moving gently back into my normal diet.
This cycle however I will be assessing dairy more stringently to see if it helps with my shoulder surgery recovery. There has been more inflammation than I like - and sure it is MOST LIKELY due to my working on computers ALOT, but it could be diet related as well. Stay tuned as we chronicle this cleanse and see my progress.
Initial weight 143 today - next weigh in Day 3.
Yours in light and vibrant health -
Laura
I found that over the years of my diet, and my allergies and my health have fluctuated and with that invariably were toxins. I believe in the "Last on - first off" philosophy of toxin removal in the body. You can keep removing toxins annually, but even with diet modification and hidden toxins - there is some residual build up that can occur. At least, it did with me. Removing gluten from my diet, as stringent as I am, there is still the hidden glutens in everything. It has taken me a year to become a rigourous reader and educator of gluten free - to the point of celiac. I have not been diagnosed celiac - but I treat my diet as if I was. So - those glutamates found in glutens and dairy were still finding their way into me.
A cleanse quarterly is what I found to continue the toxin removal process on a more regular basis. Think of beautiful piece of furniture that has been refinished multiple times. Stripping wood for refinishing - really slowly you find out how many times this piece had been worked. Each layer that came off - exposed more and more times it was "processed". I see toxins in the body that way - each cleanse removes the most recent toxins and then "strips" a bit deeper to get more out. There is a law of diminishing returns - which is a GOOD thing because at some point - there are very few stubborn, long standing layers that will break down and finally be released. I am at that point now - my last 7-10 lbs. I am in no rush to lose them and just have them come back. I want the toxins done and gone for good - or at least until the next cleanse :)
So - Day 1 is almost in the books and I am feeling a bit hungrier than usual; it is winter and cleanses now can put more stress on as we are supposed to be "staying warm" versus removing our fat stores. I am doing the Burroughs Master Cleanse available through powdered form http://www.vibranthealth.us/. I used to do the squeezing lemon, cayenne, maple syrup and found I had some small inconsistencies with measurement and that would effect my outcome. The 100% organic and controlled portioning of using Vibrant Cleanse makes the quality of my cleanse better and this process much easier to keep up. I will do this for three days and move into a vegan protein shake cleanse (http://www.plantfusion.us/) for two to three days depending on how I feel before moving gently back into my normal diet.
This cycle however I will be assessing dairy more stringently to see if it helps with my shoulder surgery recovery. There has been more inflammation than I like - and sure it is MOST LIKELY due to my working on computers ALOT, but it could be diet related as well. Stay tuned as we chronicle this cleanse and see my progress.
Initial weight 143 today - next weigh in Day 3.
Yours in light and vibrant health -
Laura
Sunday, January 2, 2011
How I got here ...
As a pending graduate of Clayton College of Natural Health, I am my own test case, my own example of how commitment and determination yield to success. It was about this time, two years ago - Jan 2009, I was stressed out from work, attempting to keep up with my studies, and family commitments of the three men in my life - my husband and two boys. I weighed at the top I had ever been - 172 pounds - and was dealing with arthritis in my left shoulder. Something had to give and I was hoping is was not me.
Everything to me is a project, always has been. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP #3921 out of over 360,000) through the Project Management Institute since 1995. My present work is specifically software projects, solution implementation - but I have done many varied projects other than software and IT:
As good as I was in my studies, I found application of all of the natural health knowledge challenging - all theory, all information but no practice. Two months later during one of the scheduled weekly seminar calls, I listened intently to one of our MD Professors talk about detoxification and cleansing each spring. Pieces started to click, but it did not stick entirely. As per the seminar, two additional books were recommended to help with the detoxification and cleansing process, both by Dr. Elson Haas - The New Detox Diet and The False Fat Diet. www.elsonhaas.com/books.html After reading those two books, the assimilation of all I had learned at that time, flooded my brain and all I could think of what how to apply it in a repeatable, successful manner.
Over the next month and half from that call, I designed the Detox Cycling and Maintenance Program and enlisted 3 friends to join me. At my one year anniversary of the program - I had lost 32 lbs in one year and have kept it off. My three friends lost between 20-35 lbs as well. I am presently adjusting the maintenance segments from what I have learned since and am fine tuning the cycling steps and will be ready to share this at the two year anniversary of my Eureka! May 23, 2011 it will be 'ready for primetime'.
In this program, each individual is given specific attention, just like one of my projects - detailed, supportive and goal oriented. Your success is my success and just like any successful project manager - we are in the background while the results are in the forefront for all to see!
If you want to try it now - email me and you will be one of the first to experience the improvements and simplicity introduced into the program.
Make 2011 the year you say "I want to be the next great project" - and make the change!
Everything to me is a project, always has been. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP #3921 out of over 360,000) through the Project Management Institute since 1995. My present work is specifically software projects, solution implementation - but I have done many varied projects other than software and IT:
- Residential and Commercial Construction
- Land development and management
- Legal Systems
- Insurance Claims
- Anti Money Laundering programs
- Office Relocation/Build Outs/Space Planning
- Pharmaceutical Drug/Therapy development/Clinical Trials
I even Project Managed my two pregnancies - and that was as challenging as putting in a corporate financial data warehouse I assure you!
As good as I was in my studies, I found application of all of the natural health knowledge challenging - all theory, all information but no practice. Two months later during one of the scheduled weekly seminar calls, I listened intently to one of our MD Professors talk about detoxification and cleansing each spring. Pieces started to click, but it did not stick entirely. As per the seminar, two additional books were recommended to help with the detoxification and cleansing process, both by Dr. Elson Haas - The New Detox Diet and The False Fat Diet. www.elsonhaas.com/books.html After reading those two books, the assimilation of all I had learned at that time, flooded my brain and all I could think of what how to apply it in a repeatable, successful manner.
Over the next month and half from that call, I designed the Detox Cycling and Maintenance Program and enlisted 3 friends to join me. At my one year anniversary of the program - I had lost 32 lbs in one year and have kept it off. My three friends lost between 20-35 lbs as well. I am presently adjusting the maintenance segments from what I have learned since and am fine tuning the cycling steps and will be ready to share this at the two year anniversary of my Eureka! May 23, 2011 it will be 'ready for primetime'.
In this program, each individual is given specific attention, just like one of my projects - detailed, supportive and goal oriented. Your success is my success and just like any successful project manager - we are in the background while the results are in the forefront for all to see!
If you want to try it now - email me and you will be one of the first to experience the improvements and simplicity introduced into the program.
Make 2011 the year you say "I want to be the next great project" - and make the change!
Welcome to the first step towards better health!
Today being the second day of the new year 2011 - one can think about last year's resolutions and plans waylaid from last year - and throw them away. A new year, a new time and place and a new reason to make a change that will last. Follow me and the journey past and present into wellness from the inside, out.
This blog is intended to introduce you to my upcoming wellness practice, the history of how I got here and how I currently help others in my student practitioner capacity.
Thank you for visiting and keep checking as I discuss relavent topics to diet, health, energy and healing.
Yours in health and wellness,
Laura Keiles, PMP
This blog is intended to introduce you to my upcoming wellness practice, the history of how I got here and how I currently help others in my student practitioner capacity.
Thank you for visiting and keep checking as I discuss relavent topics to diet, health, energy and healing.
Yours in health and wellness,
Laura Keiles, PMP
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