Jacquelyn Johnston, M. Ed, Diabesity Coach
You’ve heard about portion distortion, and how it leads to waistline caution. You probably also know that you are what you eat. And drink
OK, OK, now that we’ve got the clichés out of the way maybe we can get into your reflection in the mirror. If you walk towards it and that jelly belly moves, it’s time for a lifestyle change. No mention of weight loss—simply a lifestyle change. You might be on your way to diabetes, or you might already be a candidate for a diabesity diagnosis.
Next, just to make sure, go stand with your belly touching the wall. Feel your toes touching the wall? Can you see your feet? No? Maybe it’s time for some belly dancing. Actually, if you can’t see your feet your belly has been dancing; that’s what it did on the way to the mirror.
Not funny.
Not at all, because if you’re in that shape, like Ted, who brushed it off with: “All the guys in my family are like this, including my cousin Dan, who died of a heart attack at 59”.
Indeed!
In fact, the reason why Ted’s twin brother, who bore that “family characteristic”, wasn’t there at their birthday dinner was because it was his kidney dialysis day, one of three he had every week. Hmmmmm…
Besides being a sign of diabetes and excess fat cells in the mid-section, this body shape is often one that harbours back pain as well.
So, what to do? Well you could start training for the Boston Marathon, or visualize doing that and taking a walk round the block this evening. Tomorrow night, amble round the next block as well, and the third evening, walk around the two blocks again. Fourth night, get a piece of paper and write a congratulatory message to yourself for the first 3 days’ accomplishments, and toast yourself with no—not a beer, but a glass of alkaline water.
Ted said he was continually out of breath the first 2 evenings, but the third , things were already a little easier, though there was quite a lot of belly dancing as he finished the lap around his neighbour’s property. He then started on the next thing I suggested, as he worked his way up to the seven other fun things I’d laid out for him on his journey to lose 20 pounds in three months. Will keep you posted on Ted’s adventure.
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 23, 2009
June 22, 2009
Water Babies
Jacquelyn Johnston, M. Ed, Diabesity Coach
If you’ve been adding a glass of water per day since you read my blog a couple of days ago, kudos to you! The most FAQ I get is “Do I have to drink 8 glasses a day?” And the answer is no, you don’t. 7½ will do.
I’m just kidding.
Don’t count the glasses. Just drink a glass every hour. And why, you ask.
Because the average North American diet is acidic, most of us are terribly dehydrated, highly toxic, under-exercised and dangerously diabetic. And I haven’t even mentioned obesity!
Those born in the years following the 2nd world war started enjoying a prosperity boom that led to a greater availability of the foods that were scarce during the war. Unfortunately, the late ‘40’s and “50’s were also the years when acidic, processed foods, like TV dinners were popularized by the budding television culture. Maybe you were among them. Those were the years when genetic modification started.
All this coupled with highly processed acidic foods like meat, pasta, refined sugar, salt, sodas, food colouring and flavor enhancers, to name a few, led to the obesity epidemic we see every day. All of these foods leave toxic residues in the body, and without adequate water to help flush them out on a daily basis we have opened wide the door to the Big 5: cancer, heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic kidney disease and diabetes. In fact, the Big 5 has now become the Big 7, with diabesity: the double burden of diabetes and obesity, and lung disease. No wonder our health care –or rather sick care systems are stretched to breaking point!
At the basis of all this is a highly acidic diet. What’s acidic? you may ask. Practically everything you’re eating, except maybe if you’re a vegetarian. An acidic body is the best breeding ground for any disease.
Your body’s pleading with your for hydration; if you wait till you’re thirsty you’re already dehydrated. It’s pleading for detoxification; if you wait till you’re parched the toxins will park themselves in your acidic fat cells, and your fat cells will find its favourite safe harbor in your mid-section. So be kind to your body; it’s a non-renewable resource.
When you hydrate, don’t add an extra job for your liver by putting in acidic colouring, caffeine and tannins of all sorts. Be kind to your body: keep destructive acids from flowing through you blood, your fluids, cells and tissues.
We are water babies, so keep your cells bathed.
Have a glass of alkaline H2O now!
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
If you’ve been adding a glass of water per day since you read my blog a couple of days ago, kudos to you! The most FAQ I get is “Do I have to drink 8 glasses a day?” And the answer is no, you don’t. 7½ will do.
I’m just kidding.
Don’t count the glasses. Just drink a glass every hour. And why, you ask.
Because the average North American diet is acidic, most of us are terribly dehydrated, highly toxic, under-exercised and dangerously diabetic. And I haven’t even mentioned obesity!
Those born in the years following the 2nd world war started enjoying a prosperity boom that led to a greater availability of the foods that were scarce during the war. Unfortunately, the late ‘40’s and “50’s were also the years when acidic, processed foods, like TV dinners were popularized by the budding television culture. Maybe you were among them. Those were the years when genetic modification started.
All this coupled with highly processed acidic foods like meat, pasta, refined sugar, salt, sodas, food colouring and flavor enhancers, to name a few, led to the obesity epidemic we see every day. All of these foods leave toxic residues in the body, and without adequate water to help flush them out on a daily basis we have opened wide the door to the Big 5: cancer, heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic kidney disease and diabetes. In fact, the Big 5 has now become the Big 7, with diabesity: the double burden of diabetes and obesity, and lung disease. No wonder our health care –or rather sick care systems are stretched to breaking point!
At the basis of all this is a highly acidic diet. What’s acidic? you may ask. Practically everything you’re eating, except maybe if you’re a vegetarian. An acidic body is the best breeding ground for any disease.
Your body’s pleading with your for hydration; if you wait till you’re thirsty you’re already dehydrated. It’s pleading for detoxification; if you wait till you’re parched the toxins will park themselves in your acidic fat cells, and your fat cells will find its favourite safe harbor in your mid-section. So be kind to your body; it’s a non-renewable resource.
When you hydrate, don’t add an extra job for your liver by putting in acidic colouring, caffeine and tannins of all sorts. Be kind to your body: keep destructive acids from flowing through you blood, your fluids, cells and tissues.
We are water babies, so keep your cells bathed.
Have a glass of alkaline H2O now!
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 21, 2009
The Magic Bullet for Weight Loss
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
That’s right, “drink this, and watch the pounds melt away”. Or “This one little magic pill twice a day will do it for you. Watch that waistline shrink!”
Yes folks, and my name is Santa Claus.
Many people with extra flab entertain the comfortable myth that there really is a magic pill. Any idea where they got the idea from? Nor have I.
Now if you’re Alice in Wonderland you can take a bite out of a certain biscuit and shrink to the size of a mouse—then another and you can recover your original body size. Ah…what fun!
Today, however, there’s no such deal. Even Star Trek will only allow you to vaporize, not change in size. I guess it’s been a fantasy mankind’s had since the beginning of time—played out in our favourite fairy tale characters like Tom Thumb and Tinkerbell, and, in our day “Honey, I Shrunk (correction:shrank) the Kids”.
Sorry, but we’ve got to get real here. What is it you want: to have a more desirable shape, one you’ve envisioned by imagining yourself like one of the airbrushed stars in the glossies? If you’re just looking to lose weight you might get there, but if you want to keep it off, try “health” on for size.
Think of this:your skeleton is only designed to be draped with a certain amount of muscle and fat—especially fat. Go over the intended amount and you affect every organ in the body.
Many who are overweight don’t know (because they can’t see) that there’s inflammation all over the body, and the first place they need to look is inside their blood vessels. Wouldn’t it be great to have CTScan vision, where we could look inside our bodies in three dimensions? Just go on-line and look at the cross-section of a blood vessel. It’s a fairly common picture these days, an enlarged blood vessel with gobs of yellowish cholesterol blocking the flow.
Well, if the arteries are blocked like that around your heart, maybe you’d want to take your thoughts up to your brain, where the same thing could happen, and frequently does. When the clogging gets too heavy you get a stroke. No pill will sweep it out. Not a magic one, not a 3X a day one.
It’s time for a lifestyle change, my friend.
You may not feel bad yet, but you will when that ambulance is piercing the city with its siren and you’re strapped to a stretcher. Hope this never happens. How to make sure it doesn’t?
You might want to consider calling the number below. Let's talk soon.
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
That’s right, “drink this, and watch the pounds melt away”. Or “This one little magic pill twice a day will do it for you. Watch that waistline shrink!”
Yes folks, and my name is Santa Claus.
Many people with extra flab entertain the comfortable myth that there really is a magic pill. Any idea where they got the idea from? Nor have I.
Now if you’re Alice in Wonderland you can take a bite out of a certain biscuit and shrink to the size of a mouse—then another and you can recover your original body size. Ah…what fun!
Today, however, there’s no such deal. Even Star Trek will only allow you to vaporize, not change in size. I guess it’s been a fantasy mankind’s had since the beginning of time—played out in our favourite fairy tale characters like Tom Thumb and Tinkerbell, and, in our day “Honey, I Shrunk (correction:shrank) the Kids”.
Sorry, but we’ve got to get real here. What is it you want: to have a more desirable shape, one you’ve envisioned by imagining yourself like one of the airbrushed stars in the glossies? If you’re just looking to lose weight you might get there, but if you want to keep it off, try “health” on for size.
Think of this:your skeleton is only designed to be draped with a certain amount of muscle and fat—especially fat. Go over the intended amount and you affect every organ in the body.
Many who are overweight don’t know (because they can’t see) that there’s inflammation all over the body, and the first place they need to look is inside their blood vessels. Wouldn’t it be great to have CTScan vision, where we could look inside our bodies in three dimensions? Just go on-line and look at the cross-section of a blood vessel. It’s a fairly common picture these days, an enlarged blood vessel with gobs of yellowish cholesterol blocking the flow.
Well, if the arteries are blocked like that around your heart, maybe you’d want to take your thoughts up to your brain, where the same thing could happen, and frequently does. When the clogging gets too heavy you get a stroke. No pill will sweep it out. Not a magic one, not a 3X a day one.
It’s time for a lifestyle change, my friend.
You may not feel bad yet, but you will when that ambulance is piercing the city with its siren and you’re strapped to a stretcher. Hope this never happens. How to make sure it doesn’t?
You might want to consider calling the number below. Let's talk soon.
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 19, 2009
Water, Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop You Drink
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
You and I are mostly water. In fact, we are approximately 67% water. If you don’t maintain this level of hydration you will get symptoms you won't like. Simple as that.
So, of you need to lose weight because you have diabesity, i.e. obesity and diabetes combined, you need to drink more water. If you don’t have diabesity, drink more water. If you have diabetes, drink more water. If you are obese, or simply overweight, drink water.
Now, if you’re like a lot of people I know, you’ll say: “What do you want me to do? Go round gulping like a fish?” No, not at all. Rather, go round gulping like our ancestors who drank at every stream they could find.
Now, let me tell you something you won’t believe.
I suggest you think it over, for, say two months, then come back and read this blog again, and see if you’re any further along the yellow brick road to the land of belief. Ready? Here goes: most people who have diabesity don’t drink enough. If they did, they’d probably weigh less and they would not have to deal with the ravages of diabesity. Oh yeah, if it were that simple there wouldn’t be any overweight people around. Yes, exactly. So when are you going to start drinking? You want to lose the weight, right?
Well, if I’m gonna start I hafta know WHY.
OK, so I’ll tell you why. Your blood moves around your body—if you’re lucky. And to help it move, you need water. Lots of it. While your blood’s trying to move around, to interesting places like your brain, for instance, it needs to be carried along, and water does it rather nicely.
As water helps things along it grabs any toxins you may have taken in, like the exhaust of the No. 98 bus, the smoke that wafts over from your 3 neighbours’ barbecues, the chemicals that were sprayed on your cheesies to make them yellow, the artificial colouring in your hot dog, the the blue dye in your sports drink, the 11 grams of sugar in your-hem-healthy granola bar, the chlorine in your shower…need I go on?
If these toxins stay in your body you liver works overtime. When your liver can’t handle any more, fat cells to the rescue! They wrap themselves round the toxins to protect you, and take up residence in your belly. Yep, that’s the main reason people get fat in the abs.
But you don’t have to believe me. Let this sit for a couple of months, while you take up water-drinking, then read my blog on the omentum and come back to this one. If you haven’ t lost any weight by then, call me. I’d love to help.
Start a love affair with H2O.
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
You and I are mostly water. In fact, we are approximately 67% water. If you don’t maintain this level of hydration you will get symptoms you won't like. Simple as that.
So, of you need to lose weight because you have diabesity, i.e. obesity and diabetes combined, you need to drink more water. If you don’t have diabesity, drink more water. If you have diabetes, drink more water. If you are obese, or simply overweight, drink water.
Now, if you’re like a lot of people I know, you’ll say: “What do you want me to do? Go round gulping like a fish?” No, not at all. Rather, go round gulping like our ancestors who drank at every stream they could find.
Now, let me tell you something you won’t believe.
I suggest you think it over, for, say two months, then come back and read this blog again, and see if you’re any further along the yellow brick road to the land of belief. Ready? Here goes: most people who have diabesity don’t drink enough. If they did, they’d probably weigh less and they would not have to deal with the ravages of diabesity. Oh yeah, if it were that simple there wouldn’t be any overweight people around. Yes, exactly. So when are you going to start drinking? You want to lose the weight, right?
Well, if I’m gonna start I hafta know WHY.
OK, so I’ll tell you why. Your blood moves around your body—if you’re lucky. And to help it move, you need water. Lots of it. While your blood’s trying to move around, to interesting places like your brain, for instance, it needs to be carried along, and water does it rather nicely.
As water helps things along it grabs any toxins you may have taken in, like the exhaust of the No. 98 bus, the smoke that wafts over from your 3 neighbours’ barbecues, the chemicals that were sprayed on your cheesies to make them yellow, the artificial colouring in your hot dog, the the blue dye in your sports drink, the 11 grams of sugar in your-hem-healthy granola bar, the chlorine in your shower…need I go on?
If these toxins stay in your body you liver works overtime. When your liver can’t handle any more, fat cells to the rescue! They wrap themselves round the toxins to protect you, and take up residence in your belly. Yep, that’s the main reason people get fat in the abs.
But you don’t have to believe me. Let this sit for a couple of months, while you take up water-drinking, then read my blog on the omentum and come back to this one. If you haven’ t lost any weight by then, call me. I’d love to help.
Start a love affair with H2O.
Cheers,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 17, 2009
Fittest Workplace On Earth!
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
More news from Obama’s plan to create a health care system that’s based on prevention rather than reaction. A couple of days ago I wrote about how the President’s speech had underlined the need for preventive health care.
Well, lo and behold, there is a place that is already doing it—the Cleveland Clinic, and MSNBC tells us they are cutting health care costs by tens of percentage points. Not only that, the clinic’s workforce is among the healthiest in the world.
Naturally, I was curious who was running the program, and surprise surprise, It’s none other than the great Michael Roizen, M.D., the Real Age doctor. Dr. Roizen tells us we can actually reduce our real age by 4 years by listening to fine music, amond other things. Some of you may remember Dr. Roizen as the co-author with Dr. Oz of the inimitable “You” series of books (For titles visit my website under “resources”).
So this isn’t a concept Obama thought up at 3 a.m. one morning. It’s tried and true, it’s already happening, and it’s working. Economically, personally and community-wise. The President's saying: here you go, folks, it's being done, it's working, it's cutting costs, go for it!
The whole idea is to keep people from getting sick in the first place. Type in Cleveland Clinic and read it all up for yourself. Watch the videos and click on all the links that take you to Time magazine articles or New York Times features.
There are weight loss programs, smoke cessation programs, diabetes prevention programs, yoga sessions, buddy programs, you name it. There’s resistance training, fitness training—try thinking of something they haven’t thought of! No wonder their employees are so healthy!
If you notice, all the activities are just that—active things. They address the fact that we were made to move, get flexible and make a habit of it. Don’t you wish that were your workplace? Each exercise is a deposit in the fitness bank, providing yet one more insurance premium against diabesity, arthritis, heart and stroke, liver disease, cancer and lung disease. Each exercise contributes to better, restorative sleep.
So start a movement—if your workplace doesn’t provide these services , get some going! Go for a walk at lunch time and take a buddy with you. Need more ideas? Give me a call.
Meanwhile, move that brain!
Cheers for now,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal HealthRichmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
More news from Obama’s plan to create a health care system that’s based on prevention rather than reaction. A couple of days ago I wrote about how the President’s speech had underlined the need for preventive health care.
Well, lo and behold, there is a place that is already doing it—the Cleveland Clinic, and MSNBC tells us they are cutting health care costs by tens of percentage points. Not only that, the clinic’s workforce is among the healthiest in the world.
Naturally, I was curious who was running the program, and surprise surprise, It’s none other than the great Michael Roizen, M.D., the Real Age doctor. Dr. Roizen tells us we can actually reduce our real age by 4 years by listening to fine music, amond other things. Some of you may remember Dr. Roizen as the co-author with Dr. Oz of the inimitable “You” series of books (For titles visit my website under “resources”).
So this isn’t a concept Obama thought up at 3 a.m. one morning. It’s tried and true, it’s already happening, and it’s working. Economically, personally and community-wise. The President's saying: here you go, folks, it's being done, it's working, it's cutting costs, go for it!
The whole idea is to keep people from getting sick in the first place. Type in Cleveland Clinic and read it all up for yourself. Watch the videos and click on all the links that take you to Time magazine articles or New York Times features.
There are weight loss programs, smoke cessation programs, diabetes prevention programs, yoga sessions, buddy programs, you name it. There’s resistance training, fitness training—try thinking of something they haven’t thought of! No wonder their employees are so healthy!
If you notice, all the activities are just that—active things. They address the fact that we were made to move, get flexible and make a habit of it. Don’t you wish that were your workplace? Each exercise is a deposit in the fitness bank, providing yet one more insurance premium against diabesity, arthritis, heart and stroke, liver disease, cancer and lung disease. Each exercise contributes to better, restorative sleep.
So start a movement—if your workplace doesn’t provide these services , get some going! Go for a walk at lunch time and take a buddy with you. Need more ideas? Give me a call.
Meanwhile, move that brain!
Cheers for now,
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal HealthRichmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 16, 2009
Sweet Tooth?
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
Did you see Dr. Oz on Oprah today? An overweight couple had been invited on the show--he was about 100 pounds overweight, and his girlfriend wasn’t far behind. Dr. Oz measured his heart rate, examined him and told him he had diabetes as well—diabesity. Both the man and his girlfriend went on –no, not a diet—but a lifestyle change. Actually, the man himself decided his whole lifestyle had to change. Good-bye doughnuts.
Several months later he had lost dozens of pounds. Both he and his girlfriend had taken up the recommended exercise and were happy with their progress. The man actually demonstrated about a dozen push-ups on a swissball right in front of an appreciative audience.
What struck me was that, after Dr. Oz told him his weight would shorten his life by about a dozen years he immediately decided that he would have to eat differently, start exercising and generally change his lifestyle.
Wouldn’t it be great if every obese person made that decision? Better still, when you feel those darned jeans getting a bit tight, when you go swish swish every time you walk, why not stop, make a decision to change your lifestyle and stick to it.
Why wait until weight is combined with diabetes? At that point you’re looking at a life-shortening future. Think of the effect it would have on your loved ones—more importantly, ask yourself if you’d enjoy getting arthritis in the knees, pricking your finger several times a day, losing your eyesight, getting gout and losing a foot, or a leg…
Have you ever set a fitness goal? Do you have a friend who’ll check in on you on a daily basis, cheer you on and celebrate each pound you take off, every time you give your heart a break?
Or, better still, what if that friend knew how to help you make food choices according to your particular needs and preferences, who knew what exercise regimen would work best for you, so that you’d build muscle rather than just lost fat…a friend who really understood how the body worked and could help you make wise choices so that you reached your goal in the safest possible way? That friend is called a professional health coach..
Call me if you’d like to know more about how this works. Try it on for size! Best to pick up the phone and get a free consultation.
Cheers for now,
Jacquelyn Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
Did you see Dr. Oz on Oprah today? An overweight couple had been invited on the show--he was about 100 pounds overweight, and his girlfriend wasn’t far behind. Dr. Oz measured his heart rate, examined him and told him he had diabetes as well—diabesity. Both the man and his girlfriend went on –no, not a diet—but a lifestyle change. Actually, the man himself decided his whole lifestyle had to change. Good-bye doughnuts.
Several months later he had lost dozens of pounds. Both he and his girlfriend had taken up the recommended exercise and were happy with their progress. The man actually demonstrated about a dozen push-ups on a swissball right in front of an appreciative audience.
What struck me was that, after Dr. Oz told him his weight would shorten his life by about a dozen years he immediately decided that he would have to eat differently, start exercising and generally change his lifestyle.
Wouldn’t it be great if every obese person made that decision? Better still, when you feel those darned jeans getting a bit tight, when you go swish swish every time you walk, why not stop, make a decision to change your lifestyle and stick to it.
Why wait until weight is combined with diabetes? At that point you’re looking at a life-shortening future. Think of the effect it would have on your loved ones—more importantly, ask yourself if you’d enjoy getting arthritis in the knees, pricking your finger several times a day, losing your eyesight, getting gout and losing a foot, or a leg…
Have you ever set a fitness goal? Do you have a friend who’ll check in on you on a daily basis, cheer you on and celebrate each pound you take off, every time you give your heart a break?
Or, better still, what if that friend knew how to help you make food choices according to your particular needs and preferences, who knew what exercise regimen would work best for you, so that you’d build muscle rather than just lost fat…a friend who really understood how the body worked and could help you make wise choices so that you reached your goal in the safest possible way? That friend is called a professional health coach..
Call me if you’d like to know more about how this works. Try it on for size! Best to pick up the phone and get a free consultation.
Cheers for now,
Jacquelyn Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 13, 2009
Sugar is Sweet and So Are You
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
So you’ve been diagnosed, and been given a prescription , and now you are looking at ways to deal with diabetes.
Rob said the most difficult thing was to have to prick his fingers several times a day, and that he dreaded the thought of having to do this for the rest of his life. I asked him who’d told him he’d have to do this for ever. “Well”, he said, “no one I particular”, but everyone was telling him he had to learn to manage his diabetes, not cure it. He was quite freaked out about having to give up so much. He then “fessed up that, before heading home after work, he stopped by at the pastry shop and picked up his last apple pie.
Rob! You’re not on death row!!!
I asked Lynn, who had been through something similar last year, to talk to Rob. Lynn has been on the lifestyle program for over a year, lost twenty pounds, and not missing sweet “treats” at all. Rob was surprised to hear that she had lost her sweet cravings, and that, best of all, she felt she was thinking clearly once again.
I explained top Rob that we would take a good look at what had brought him to this point, and that he would have to decide whether or not he wanted better health outcomes down the road.
You see, Rob didn’t have to give anything up—that’s not the point at all.
The point is, where does Rob want to go now that he’s been diagnosed? Does he want to eventually lose a foot, or maybe a whole leg? Does he want to go blind? Does being 100 pounds overweight make it easy for him to move around? Does he know that diabetes is often the forecaster of a heart condition, and in his case this could already have happened?
I guess Rob needs to decide what it is he wants. Once he’s done this, we can move ahead with the lifestyle changes. And we’ll do them one at a time. Lynn made the decision, and although she does have the occasional waffle, she doesn’t inhale the dinner-plate-sized ones she used to.
Rob wants to know how to make lasagna that tastes like the real thing, not something made with tofu! No probs. Ann Lindsay has a fabulous recipe, and I’ll e-mail it to him right now.
If you want it too, just shoot me an e-mail or enter a comment.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
So you’ve been diagnosed, and been given a prescription , and now you are looking at ways to deal with diabetes.
Rob said the most difficult thing was to have to prick his fingers several times a day, and that he dreaded the thought of having to do this for the rest of his life. I asked him who’d told him he’d have to do this for ever. “Well”, he said, “no one I particular”, but everyone was telling him he had to learn to manage his diabetes, not cure it. He was quite freaked out about having to give up so much. He then “fessed up that, before heading home after work, he stopped by at the pastry shop and picked up his last apple pie.
Rob! You’re not on death row!!!
I asked Lynn, who had been through something similar last year, to talk to Rob. Lynn has been on the lifestyle program for over a year, lost twenty pounds, and not missing sweet “treats” at all. Rob was surprised to hear that she had lost her sweet cravings, and that, best of all, she felt she was thinking clearly once again.
I explained top Rob that we would take a good look at what had brought him to this point, and that he would have to decide whether or not he wanted better health outcomes down the road.
You see, Rob didn’t have to give anything up—that’s not the point at all.
The point is, where does Rob want to go now that he’s been diagnosed? Does he want to eventually lose a foot, or maybe a whole leg? Does he want to go blind? Does being 100 pounds overweight make it easy for him to move around? Does he know that diabetes is often the forecaster of a heart condition, and in his case this could already have happened?
I guess Rob needs to decide what it is he wants. Once he’s done this, we can move ahead with the lifestyle changes. And we’ll do them one at a time. Lynn made the decision, and although she does have the occasional waffle, she doesn’t inhale the dinner-plate-sized ones she used to.
Rob wants to know how to make lasagna that tastes like the real thing, not something made with tofu! No probs. Ann Lindsay has a fabulous recipe, and I’ll e-mail it to him right now.
If you want it too, just shoot me an e-mail or enter a comment.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 12, 2009
Diabesity Band-Aid
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
Do you ever watch those antacid commercials on TV? I saw one right in the middle of a news program this morning: first, you see a guy with an ear-to-ear grin eyeing a large, juicy hot dog with eager anticipation. Next frame, you see the same guy reaching for salvation in a bottle of antacids!
Now, let’s stop there a minute. If he knew the hot dog was going to produce acid reflux, why on earth did he eat it in the first place? (Is there nothing else to eat?) That was a rhetorical question, by the way.
The same goes for people struggling with diabetes and obesity—diabesity. Most people who got there. i.e. became diabesitics, did so on their own steam. And how? By blindly chomping away on the worst of the North American diet. And you know I don’t mean sinking their teeth into organic carrots.
You might just want to make a game of this. Take this week’s flyer from your favourite supermarket. Check off all the items that come in boxes. Most of them have too much salt—sometimes a week’s worth in a serving—too much white sugar, and some hidden sugars the manufacturers “forgot” to mention, plus a healthy dollop of fat. Anyone who doesn’t know what this looks like should go see one of those Oprah shows where Dr. Oz does a demo on a massive lump of fat. That’s guaranteed to gross you out at least till the next meal. Then go watch a program where he shows you the inside of a clogged artery. I don’t know which is the prettier sight. Now go cross off the boxed items from your shopping list.
When you are overweight you carry around a number of hidden killers. Your arteries are inflamed, your sinuses are inflamed, and you have difficulty breathing. Add Diabetes to the mix and you have a few major organs in distress—and that’s not just your pancreas. Why are you eating that stuff? You probably don’t know it, but you’re addicted to fake food. When that happens your body protests, and the fat cells increase in number to envelop all the toxins your body can’t handle.
Fake food leads to fake hunger, and you reach for more of the same.
Look in the mirror and see yourself in profile. Is that the profile you send out to all who see you. How many more years have to go by before you decide in favour of yourself? Oh, and by the way, how are your knees? Call me if you’d like to see a safe way out.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
Do you ever watch those antacid commercials on TV? I saw one right in the middle of a news program this morning: first, you see a guy with an ear-to-ear grin eyeing a large, juicy hot dog with eager anticipation. Next frame, you see the same guy reaching for salvation in a bottle of antacids!
Now, let’s stop there a minute. If he knew the hot dog was going to produce acid reflux, why on earth did he eat it in the first place? (Is there nothing else to eat?) That was a rhetorical question, by the way.
The same goes for people struggling with diabetes and obesity—diabesity. Most people who got there. i.e. became diabesitics, did so on their own steam. And how? By blindly chomping away on the worst of the North American diet. And you know I don’t mean sinking their teeth into organic carrots.
You might just want to make a game of this. Take this week’s flyer from your favourite supermarket. Check off all the items that come in boxes. Most of them have too much salt—sometimes a week’s worth in a serving—too much white sugar, and some hidden sugars the manufacturers “forgot” to mention, plus a healthy dollop of fat. Anyone who doesn’t know what this looks like should go see one of those Oprah shows where Dr. Oz does a demo on a massive lump of fat. That’s guaranteed to gross you out at least till the next meal. Then go watch a program where he shows you the inside of a clogged artery. I don’t know which is the prettier sight. Now go cross off the boxed items from your shopping list.
When you are overweight you carry around a number of hidden killers. Your arteries are inflamed, your sinuses are inflamed, and you have difficulty breathing. Add Diabetes to the mix and you have a few major organs in distress—and that’s not just your pancreas. Why are you eating that stuff? You probably don’t know it, but you’re addicted to fake food. When that happens your body protests, and the fat cells increase in number to envelop all the toxins your body can’t handle.
Fake food leads to fake hunger, and you reach for more of the same.
Look in the mirror and see yourself in profile. Is that the profile you send out to all who see you. How many more years have to go by before you decide in favour of yourself? Oh, and by the way, how are your knees? Call me if you’d like to see a safe way out.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 11, 2009
Diabesity in the Crystal ball
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach.
Someone sent me an e-mail today with the recent diabesity stats. In less than a decade half of all Americans will have diabetes. How’s that for fun?
Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, arthritis, especially in the knees-- these are all signposts on the road to an early demise. And yet large numbers of people are still routinely drinking pop, eating empty calories out of cereal boxes, swallowing whole bags of chips, then gaping with wide-eyed surprise when the doctor tells them they have diabetes.
Upon diagnosis Steve moaned “The doc says I have to attend a diabetes management course, and that means I’ll have to eat vegetables and fish”. Well, yes, Steve, last I checked those were items defined by the dictionary as “food”. He wanted to binge on all the pop and chips he could find in the kitchen first.
Now let’s sit down and talk, Steve.
Do you or do you not believe that you have diabetes? Do you or do you not believe that you have to lose some weight? He had complained that stairs were a real pest, especially going down. He had to hold tight onto the banisters as he could not see his feet. Then the knees would start creaking and the pain would shoot up and down the leg with each step.
Years ago the doctor had told him he’d have to lose some weight. He had maintained his ritual of home-couch- supper-couch. And while on the couch he’s downed a couple of beers. And who drinks beer without chips, or peanuts?
When Steve eventually came for coaching he had also been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
I had, in fact, dropped a gentle hint about diabetes a couple of years before, when he started acquiring a substantial muffin-top. How big must the elephant in the room be before we acknowledge it? Well now he had to go round with a brace on each knee, and with summer upon us the knees are heating up and he has a rash on top of it.
Know anyone like Steve? I do. I met a former colleague at the movies last week. She waved to me with three fingers as she shoehorned her 190 pounds into the seat, a bag of artificially-buttered popcorn and a supersized pop in the waving hand. I went by at the end of the movie. She was in agony as she tried to yank herself out of the seat, her knees were killing her.
I have to tell you, I rest my case.
See you tomorrow. I’m going to have some blueberries. Want some?
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
Someone sent me an e-mail today with the recent diabesity stats. In less than a decade half of all Americans will have diabetes. How’s that for fun?
Diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, arthritis, especially in the knees-- these are all signposts on the road to an early demise. And yet large numbers of people are still routinely drinking pop, eating empty calories out of cereal boxes, swallowing whole bags of chips, then gaping with wide-eyed surprise when the doctor tells them they have diabetes.
Upon diagnosis Steve moaned “The doc says I have to attend a diabetes management course, and that means I’ll have to eat vegetables and fish”. Well, yes, Steve, last I checked those were items defined by the dictionary as “food”. He wanted to binge on all the pop and chips he could find in the kitchen first.
Now let’s sit down and talk, Steve.
Do you or do you not believe that you have diabetes? Do you or do you not believe that you have to lose some weight? He had complained that stairs were a real pest, especially going down. He had to hold tight onto the banisters as he could not see his feet. Then the knees would start creaking and the pain would shoot up and down the leg with each step.
Years ago the doctor had told him he’d have to lose some weight. He had maintained his ritual of home-couch- supper-couch. And while on the couch he’s downed a couple of beers. And who drinks beer without chips, or peanuts?
When Steve eventually came for coaching he had also been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
I had, in fact, dropped a gentle hint about diabetes a couple of years before, when he started acquiring a substantial muffin-top. How big must the elephant in the room be before we acknowledge it? Well now he had to go round with a brace on each knee, and with summer upon us the knees are heating up and he has a rash on top of it.
Know anyone like Steve? I do. I met a former colleague at the movies last week. She waved to me with three fingers as she shoehorned her 190 pounds into the seat, a bag of artificially-buttered popcorn and a supersized pop in the waving hand. I went by at the end of the movie. She was in agony as she tried to yank herself out of the seat, her knees were killing her.
I have to tell you, I rest my case.
See you tomorrow. I’m going to have some blueberries. Want some?
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
June 10, 2009
Weighting at Emergency
Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach
I spent a day at the Emergency last week, as my Mom had to be admitted for some leg issues. Ever waited while a loved one was wheeled in and out for treatment? You walk down numerous corridors and meet a lot of medical personnel. Most looked overworked and weary that day, as did the security detail present in all corners of the emergency department.
One other thing I observed: the weight of so many members of the attending professions. Many could have lost 20 pounds. Some could have lost 100. What is happening to the very personnel that’s supposed to be modeling the desirable body weight?
As I stood at my Mom’s curtain I could hear the 250-pound security officer pant. She was leaning against a pillar, just keeping an eye on things, not even walking or escorting someone out. Laboured breathing…now, you all know how the heart and lungs work as a team; well, her heart was protesting the lack of cooperation from the lungs. What would have happened if someone had needed escorting out in a hurry? Or if a drunkard had decided to wander into a cubicle? Would she have had a heart attack? Wonder whether she had diabesity, the lethal combo of diabetes and obesity.
There were a number of patients being moved in and out of the Emergency on stretchers. The nurses have a way of moving people expertly off a stretcher, but what a call on manpower! It takes at least four people and a couple of pulled back muscles to lift a patient off a stretcher and onto a bed; no wonder my nurse friend Carrie tells me many of her colleagues have had to take sick leave on account of back pain. Not good, when we are experiencing a shortage of nurses. My local hospital has had to invest thousands in crane-like hoists to help with the job.
Last night I saw an amazing Japanese robot that could make delicate sushi dishes. Looks like we’ll soon have to invest in robots that scoop 250-pounders off a gurney and onto a bed. That’s unless we get serious about prevention. Know anyone with arthritis? Watch for tomorrow’s blog, and in the meantime, you can enter any comments or questions you want in this one. See you soon.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
I spent a day at the Emergency last week, as my Mom had to be admitted for some leg issues. Ever waited while a loved one was wheeled in and out for treatment? You walk down numerous corridors and meet a lot of medical personnel. Most looked overworked and weary that day, as did the security detail present in all corners of the emergency department.
One other thing I observed: the weight of so many members of the attending professions. Many could have lost 20 pounds. Some could have lost 100. What is happening to the very personnel that’s supposed to be modeling the desirable body weight?
As I stood at my Mom’s curtain I could hear the 250-pound security officer pant. She was leaning against a pillar, just keeping an eye on things, not even walking or escorting someone out. Laboured breathing…now, you all know how the heart and lungs work as a team; well, her heart was protesting the lack of cooperation from the lungs. What would have happened if someone had needed escorting out in a hurry? Or if a drunkard had decided to wander into a cubicle? Would she have had a heart attack? Wonder whether she had diabesity, the lethal combo of diabetes and obesity.
There were a number of patients being moved in and out of the Emergency on stretchers. The nurses have a way of moving people expertly off a stretcher, but what a call on manpower! It takes at least four people and a couple of pulled back muscles to lift a patient off a stretcher and onto a bed; no wonder my nurse friend Carrie tells me many of her colleagues have had to take sick leave on account of back pain. Not good, when we are experiencing a shortage of nurses. My local hospital has had to invest thousands in crane-like hoists to help with the job.
Last night I saw an amazing Japanese robot that could make delicate sushi dishes. Looks like we’ll soon have to invest in robots that scoop 250-pounders off a gurney and onto a bed. That’s unless we get serious about prevention. Know anyone with arthritis? Watch for tomorrow’s blog, and in the meantime, you can enter any comments or questions you want in this one. See you soon.
Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
http://www.lifestyleforlongevity.com/
http://www.losetwentypoundsnow.com/
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675
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