All posts by Megan

Moisturize Your Skin By Drinking Healthy Liquids

Healthy Liquids

Moisturizing lotions may be all the rage, but the real key to glowing skin is to begin from the inside out! Simply eliminating caffeine in the form of sodas and coffee is a great place to begin. Caffeine dehydrates both the body and the skin – did you know that? It also acts as a diuretic, increasing urine output, which also depletes both your body and your skin of the soothing moisture it needs. Of course, we commonly battle the effects with all kinds of moisturizers, but the better way is to put the moisture INTO your body, not just onto it.

Drinking plenty of pure water, unheated juices or coconut milk or water will give your skin and body the hydration it craves. Look at the colors in fruit and vegetable juices – they are the colors of the earth and will cause your body to glow in warm and healthy skin tones. You really ARE what you eat (and drink)!

So do you really need to drop the coffee and sodas? Well, the truth is that the overall effects of caffeine in your body will show up in your skin as well. Heavy caffeine consumers can experience a variety of various maladies: osteoporosis, depression, headaches, and sleeplessness, in addition to heightened agitation and irritability. Believe it or not, the results will also reflect in your skin.

When you replace these cokes, coffees and teas made with boiling water with pure water, juices, “sun tea” and coconut milk, you will soon notice that you will start to feel better and sleep better. (Don’t be surprised if you have a few withdrawal symptoms at first, though – this is to be expected). Your skin has no choice but to reflect the good bursts of health that the organs and cells of your body are now cheering about – once you’ve kicked the caffeine habit to the curb.

Another reason for drinking pure water, natural juices and “sun tea”, is simply this: when you boil water, you release oxygen from it. All of those highly processed sodas, juices and the like that come from the grocery store shelves are primarily heated, pasteurized and devoid of any life giving substance. But pure juices, water and tea actually help the body detoxify, and the skin is the largest eliminative organ we have.

So to achieve that healthy complexion you’ve always wanted, drink plenty of water and pure juices, including coconut water or milk if you like, and eat plenty of raw food.

What goes into your body will reflect on that beautiful face of yours – so feed it what will make it glow!

Readers and Reviewers – Hats Off To You!

Healthy Weight Loss, , , ,

I am so pleased that my first flagship book: “Here’s The Deal: Healthy Weight Loss and Fat Burning Over 40” continues to gain readers and reviewers after just a few short weeks on the shelves. Thank you! This tells me that you resonate with the message and are believing with me that getting into shape while eating healthy, delicious food is not only possible, it can also be an adventure!

Since there are always many more readers than reviewers, I especially want to give a special “shout out” to those of you who took the time to give your honest feedback on the impact of the book on your lives.

Here’s what just a few reviewers had to say:

Packed with action items you can check right off of your list – Healthy Weight Loss is a book PACKED with the real DEAL – literally. Using the acronym D-E-A-L, the author makes memorable cues for lifestyle changes that can be acted upon in small increments that affect BIG changes.

If you didn’t like anything ELSE in the book, (and THAT’s not gonna happen!) the price of the book is WELL WORTH the price JUST for the amazing chocolate bar recipe at the end . . . can’t WAIT to try the Organic Homemade Chocolate Bar Bliss TOMORROW!! TWO thumbs up + 5 stars on this one!

— Darin Pope

And Esbee had this to say:

I’m not talking about the price of the book when I say, “What a great DEAL!”

I’m talking about the “DEAL” approach to healthy weight loss as described in this book. A simple, practical approach that really seems easy to follow.

Recipes like “Organic Homemade Chocolate Bar Bliss” and “Chocolate Protein Shake for Breakfast” make sure that the “Yum” factor is not ignored in your diet.

I mean, instead of fighting your cravings, you can actually substitute them with healthy choices. In fact, the book gives plenty of healthy substitutes to satisfy your taste buds.

If you think its all about desserts and chocolate, then consider other recipes like the “Quick and Easy Power Packed Cole Slaw”, “Super Easy Leftover Bean Soup” or the exotic sounding “Sweet Heat Veggie Asian Stir Fry”

But, this is not a recipe book, it is an entire weight loss strategy. The book is entertaining to read and written in a conversational style. You often get a feel that the author is actually having a personal conversation with you sprinkled with anecdotes and humor.

But, the real highlight of the book is the “DEAL” strategy which although aimed at the 40+ crowd is a wonderful approach to healthy eating at any age.

What about you? I would love your feedback on the book as well! Also, please comment below about what types of dishes and recipes you would like to see in upcoming books, and what you crave that you WISH there was a healthy alternative to that you could consume without guilt.

Thank you again to all of you, my special readers. We’re on this journey together, and it wouldn’t be the same without you! 🙂

Megan

How to Lose Weight Naturally

Healthy Weight Loss, , , ,

I’m sure this is not a newsflash to most, but we have a problem. Many of us need a doable way to lose weight naturally, because the food industry isn’t helping us at all! Did you know that approximately 2/3 of Americans are overweight? There are some viable claims that even the “diet drink” industry is in cahoots with the food processors – because diet drinks contain chemicals that actually encourage carbohydrate cravings! The truth is, from the very young to the elderly, it has now become so easy to gain weight rapidly – simply by following the Standard American Diet (SAD for short).

Obesity is now at epidemic proportions. If you fall into this category, you most likely got this way naturally. What do I mean?

Consider that there are two primary factors in our battle with obesity. First of all, most of us eat too much of the wrong kinds of foods (you know – the ones advertised on TV, billboards, and every other media outlet you can imagine) . Second, we simply don’t get enough exercise to burn up all those calories we ingest on a daily basis. And although many of our processed foods put chemicals in our bodies that they were never meant to process, the truth is that our choices are causing the problems. Our unnatural choices lead to a “natural” weight gain.  Bummer, isn’t it?

But on the positive side, our long term solution is natural as well.  Balance is key. We need to eat foods that are nutritious and healthy, and eat them in the correct proportions.  Stuffing ourselves is not helpful here. Then adding exercise to burn off excess calories and build muscle mass faster – these two together will deliver obesity a fatal one-two punch!

But as we know, it’s not necessarily an easy path.  There’s a learning curve for how to begin to eat differently (a big reason I wrote my book) and the discipline of regular exercise.  We all know the stories of those who begin a crash diet in January (every year) and join the gym.  But by mid to late February, there’s usually plenty of room in the workout room, because most have given up their good intentions and “fallen off the wagon”.

And for this very reason, the “pills and potions” industry is booming. Artificial solutions to these problems – whether it is pills, potions or surgery – are no quick fix to the issue. And this is because  – after pill popping or fat stripping is done, it is still the responsibility of the patient to develop healthier habits, or the excess weight will simply return – sooner or later.

So we return to the best solution. It’s time to overcome  this “natural” weight gain by returning to natural eating of nutritious REAL foods, and finding an exercise program that is both enjoyable and beneficial.

I realize that there are many “exercise resistant” people out there. I used to be one of them myself.  But if you can see a clear picture of what added muscle mass can do for you, I think it will change your thinking about exercising. Think about your resting metabolism, for instance. Do you know how many calories a pound of fat burns each day?  About 2.

How many calories does a pound of muscle burn? Typically between 35-50 calories per day. A typical person who jogs a mile will burn around 110 calories during their jaunt.  So what is the message here?

Aerobic, or cardio exercises such as jogging, jumping or running burns calories. But if you can simply add 3 pounds of muscle mass to your body, you would end up burning about as many calories as jogging for a mile every day! You can begin to build this kind of muscle by lifting weights, swimming, or even with an in-home exercise program designed to build muscle.

The truth is, if you need to lose weight – whether it’s 10-20 pounds, or even a hundred or more – one of the BEST things you can do for your body is to add about 10 pounds of muscle mass.  If you will work to build this up and then maintain it, it would be like jogging for 3 miles – while you’re sitting on the couch relaxing! So do your favorite chosen exercises – and let your body work overtime while you rest – by burning more calories at rest. That’s the power of increased muscle mass.

You don’t need to opt for pills or surgery – or wear yourself out looking for a quick fix.  you can lose weight naturally by eating better and exercising consistently. You’ll feel so much better you’ll wonder why you didn’t start long ago! 🙂