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SIMPLE AND NATURAL..

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

I bet in your bathroom you have many beauty products have used…especially for your hair.  You most likely have several different name brand products that promise the same results.  How many different mousses, straighteners, conditioners do you have laying around, half used?

I found this website the other day that has natural at home care recipes for hair, skin, nails, ect.  It is so cool!  The products we buy for our hair can be very expensive and the list of ingredients is ridiculous.  You would have to be a chemist to understand what is in the product.  We might run for the hills and wonder why we have not gone bald!  And, there always seems to be one thing in common with these products.  Most, if not all, contain alcohol which is extremely drying.  I have VERY fragile hair and I constantly battle drying and split ends.  I ride a motorcycle and bicycle and I know that the wind and sun damages my hair. When I wrap my hair up tight and tuck it in the helmet, even that seems to break my hair.  I enjoy swimming and will swim in the lake and streams that we are so blessed to have around us.  But a pool?  Yikes!  The chlorine would eat my hair alive! 

I have spent so much money on high quality products being warned from hairdressers to stay away from the cheaper products on our store shelves.  So, I have used the high dollar stuff, not noticing much difference, yet scared to death of using the store stuff thinking my problem would be much worse. 

So, this natural website was a wonderful discovery!  For deep conditioning, there is a recipe for simply using mayonnaise.  I guess it really isn’t a recipe cuz that is all you use.   According to the recipe, heat up 2 towels on high in the dryer.  Then, while they are heating up, grab some mayonnaise and smear it all into your hair.  Put on a hair baggy and wrap the first towel around your head for 20 minutes.  Then put the 2nd heated towel on your head for 20 minutes.  Rinse, shampoo and condition.  I did not use the towels, but bagged up my hair and let it sit.  And, guess what.  It worked.  My hair was extremely soft.  For extra shine?  Use a tablespoon (or teaspoon?  I can’t remember) to 4 cups warm water and use as a rinse.  Possible caution!  Watch for bears that might tackle you and lick your head!

Laurie J. Souza

Offering in home personal/group fitness training.

Lauriesimplyfit.com  370-8228

 

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Hot again!

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Well, here it is, the hot weather and many of us have not taken off the extra pounds that crept up on our thighs and bellies during the winter.  We thought we had plenty of time and actually we did, but we put it off and now here it is…summer clothes season. 

People, this should not have happened in the first place.  Why put yourself through summer after summer of worry about being self conscious in “less than winter covering” when this should be maintained all year around?

Do you think this is easy for me????  I am 5’2 inches tall.  I do not have a lot of body to take in extra calories so therefore it accumulates quite fast on me!  As yes, I yell “unfair”!  I love to eat and have quite the healthy appetite.  My little friend who is smaller than me eats like a little bird and seems quite satisfied.  I would love to have an appetite like a bird, but I follow more after a horse.   Dear people, keeping a regular schedule of exercise and healthful, portion controlled eating is strict discipline for me.   And, it has paid off.  I feel good most everyday, my skin and hair is still in tack, I THINK I think pretty clear (?) and I still fit into my clothes in the summer. 

Anything worth having takes hard work, sacrifice and discipline.  Many of you are disciplined in your work, or taking care of your family and home and yet you fail when it comes to taking care of yourself.  If you do not take care of yourself, it will become more difficult to take care of the things that matter so much to you.  You become worn out, grumpy, and simply do not have the energy to accomplish your goals or attend to the needs of your loved ones.  Women often feel guilty taking time for their selves to exercise.  They feel it takes away from giving to their families.  This is foolishness!  Our families certainly aren’t thinking “Oh, I won’t watch anymore TV. Since it takes away from my relationship with mother!”

So, here’s the plan…make a plan.   Example of a plan….

#1. Put a 1 week goal at the top of the page.  Example:  lose 1 pound in one week.

#2.  Write out the strategy you will take to accomplish that 1 pound loss.

#3.  Map out Monday through Sunday, and check off each day you successfully stuck to your plan.

#4.   At the end of the week, write in “goal accomplish” because with just a slight change, I’m sure you will drop 1 pound in a week.

Now make a new goal for the next week, check your weaknesses and strengths and continue going forward.

 

Laurie Souza offering in home personal@ or group training

Contact info:  Lauriesimplyfit.com   370-8228

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ALCOHOL EFFECTS METABOLISM

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Quite a few of my gal-pals have been complaining that they are not losing weight like they used to.  Before they could diet a few weeks and knock off the weight.  But now the weight isn’t dropping.  Upon further questioning, one thing is in common.  Every one of them indulges in alcohol.  If they were beer drinkers, they gave it up for hard liquor mixed with diet, or straight shots thinking that would solve the problem.  I too thought that drinking in that way would be alright, since I have always believed in calories in/calories out.  But then I started wondering exactly how alcohol affected the body.  Particularly the metabolism.  And since metabolism can make or break you, I did some research and found this article which I will just copy and paste.

“Weight loss and alcohol do not go together.  Anyone serious about weight loss should be aware of the sabotaging effects of alcoholic beverages.

A research paper in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition can shed some light on fat metabolism and it’s affected when a person consumes alcohol. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade. The drinks were spaced 30 minutes apart. Each drink contained less than 90 calories. Fat burning was measured before and after consumption of the drink.

Alcohol Affects Fat Metabolism by Halting Fat Burning

Researchers found that for several hours after drinking the vodka, fat burning in the body decreased by a massive 73%. The researchers also found that only 5% of the alcohol calories were converted to fat. The rest of the alcohol was converted into a substance called acetate. Acetate was measured at 2.5 times the normal value in the vodka drinking participants. This apparently brought fat burning to an almost grinding halt.

It seems that alcohol acts like jet fuel in the body. It surpasses all other forms of fuel in the body to become the main fuel of choice to meet the body’s energy needs. The body stops burning fat or even carbohydrates. It resorts to burning only alcohol until it is completely depleted.

Alcohol Affects Weight Loss by Increasing Appetite

Weight loss efforts are further sabotaged when an alcoholic beverage is consumed with meals.  One such study was published in the International Journal of Obesity. The researchers wanted to find out the effect of consuming wine and beer on the amount of food consumed. 22 non-obese men were served a meal with beer, wine or a carbonated soft drink. The calories consumed were measured.

The researchers concluded that alcoholic beverages and wine in particular, increased the total calories consumed at a meal. The study seems to indicate that the consumption of alcoholic beverages generally increased appetite. So if you take wine with a meal, the study suggests that you would eat more than you would if there was no wine.

Looking at the 2 studies together, the following would be happening to anyone consuming alcoholic beverages;

  • Someone consume a glass or two of wine with a meal
  • He or she would eat more due to the appetite increasing effects of the wine
  • The alcohol consumed would become the body’s main fuel of choice
  • The body’s fat burning is reduced massively
  • All the calories consumed at the meal are stored as fat. Mind you that one would have eaten more than the amount if he or she had not consumed the wine.

Weight Loss While Drinking Alcohol

Some may argue that they don’t eat when they drink. Well these people would obviously drink more. The alcohol would stay in the blood longer. Their body’s fat burning system would be shut down longer and they would not be much better off.

Anyone consuming alcohol cannot achieve effective weight loss.  Not when the research shows that it decreases fat burning by a massive 70% for a few hours!  You may not have known earlier but at least now you know. Does that mean that you can never drink? Well not really. It’s just that you can’t drink and expect to lose weight at the same time.

Why would you spend an hour on the treadmill to burn 200-300 calories and then bring fat burning to a grinding halt by drinking? To me, it’s synonymous to driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brakes. Remember that the participants of the study only consumed 24 grams of alcohol.

Get yourself down to the body shape that you want. Restrain from alcohol until you are satisfied with the body that you have. Once your body gets used to your new weight, you may indulge in some drinks now and then. But don’t expect any fantastic weight loss while continuing to drink.

Laurie Souza offering in home personal training….lauriesimplyfit.com

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weather worries

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Golly!  This rainy weather seems to go on and on.  Not that I am complaining, (at least I convince myself I’m not) but this rain has hung on.  The lake will surley be full this year, but I was just getting back into outdoor cycling.  And being outside has made it pretty impossible for me to do my work- outs inside.  I’ve been ruined.

 Last week we were on our honeymoon (Yes, I got hitched!) and we loaded up our bikes and headed south on the coast for a whole week of bicycling…well, at least that was our intentions.  But it rained!  My husband Joe was determined to beat the weather so we kept going farther and farther South.  At one time he mentioned San Diego!  Oh well, I don’t care.  I love to ride anyway, especially along the coast line.  By Tuesday the rain finally stopped and WE finally stopped and stayed in Santa Barbara the rest of our trip.  I had never been there.  It is a beautiful town on the coast.  We were able to ride one day which was about 42 miles.  He said the 42 miles were worth 2 days of riding….hmmmm.  Guess I’m a fanatic.  I was hoping for more.

And then for some strange reason, I thought when we returned home, the weather would be done with the rain and be bright and sunny!  Where in the world did I come up with that idea?

So, what to do.  I guess if this continues much longer I will have to put on my gym clothes and hit the treadmill. (Uggg!)  Or maybe be patient and wait it out?  Next week IS June.  At this time last year I was totally tan wearing sleeveless summer dresses!    

Oh look!  As I finish this article the sun just peaked out behind the clouds and shined into my window!  Oh, but now it is getting shadowy again.  Guess I better dig up my shoes.

Laurie Souza

Offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

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MAKING IT WORK (PART 2)

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

MAKING IT WORK (PART 2)

Last week I started my article on how to make exercise and eating healthy work when we are so busy.  In the article, I wrote about being creative and thinking differently.  For example, yesterday I was very busy at my office and knew I would not make it to the gym and would not want to do it at home.  I have 12 pound weights at my office and used them for about 20 minutes.   You can pick up weights pretty cheaply in the store or bands are great too.  Keep this equipment at work and then USE THEM!!!

As for food.  There are several things that make you drive up to the fast food window and order. 

1.      Convenience

2.     Quickness (your hungry NOW!!)

3.     Cheap

4.     Habit

Convenience:  cuz you did not take or make the extra time at home to prepare your food and take it with you.

Quickness:  cuz now you are sooooo hungry you need something quick!  Something fast!!  Or you just know for sure you will pass out!!

Cheap:  cuz it’s a two for the price of one Friday special!  And, you can supersize it for just pennies more!

Habit: cuz it’s what you always do!

If you would have just gotten up a little earlier, you would have conveniently had the food in your purse or bag, and you could have popped it in your mouth with quickness which then you would not have had to dig in your wallet keeping lunch cheap today while creating a new and healthy habit.

 

Laurie Jones offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplefit.

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COUPLES WORKOUTS

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Have you ever tried a couple’s workout?

 

Some time ago, I wrote an article based around the scenario of a young woman who has had a child and she has trouble losing her weight.  She does not like that she is out of shape and has become angry with herself and is convinced that her man is no longer interested in her.  She’s grumpy, so he’s grumpy.  There is a better way for the both of you.  Instead of being grumpy at each other, start getting in shape together!  Doing an active sport together is fun and it can bring the both of you closer.  Most of you have jobs.  You come home from work and most likely start more work at home.  Let it go, and go play together.  Now, what to do?  Your plan is to get fit together, so it has got to be something physical enough to bring up your heart rate.  You want to come up with something that the both of you will enjoy.  There is bike riding with the right warm gear, walking, Racquetball, tennis, basketball, you know, sports like stuff.  There is also the gym.  Weight lifting together is very enjoyable.  You can challenge each other and push each other harder towards your goals.  Doing cardio together is also fun.  You can sit next to each other and talk and play games on the equipment to challenge each other.   You can become very close doing active things together, and when one of you becomes lazy and just does not feel like working out, the other one can be the encourager.   

You can help each other with changing the way you eat.  Now, this is a complaint that I hear from the ladies.  They say that their guys are not backing them.  For example, he gets the munchies late at night and wants to go get a burger.  He wants her company, so she goes.  She smells the food and naturally, she becomes hungry and eats a bunch of fries!  Or, he is sitting around watching TV. and wants her to make him up a batch of brownies.  She may say “no” but now the brownies are on her mind.  She can’t get them off of her mind, and her mouth starts to water.  That’s it!  She’s in the kitchen baking, then eating, then gets mad at herself for blowing it, and then mad at him for suggesting it!  You can support each other in this area by doing it hand in hand.  For a reward, you can give yourselves a day off together, and go to dinner. and lunch…and breakfast!

You are joined together as a couple.  Get in shape as a couple.  It is fun and it SHOULD bring the both of you closer.  (remember, I said should!)

 

Laurie Jones offering in home personal training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

 

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SUPERSIZE ME

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Some time ago I watched the documentary “Super size me”.  Parts of it were boring, but there were some facts in that movie that cannot be ignored.  I need to say that I thought it was unfair to single out Mc. Donald’s since most fast food chains are alike.  They should have taken a month of eating from the most popular fast food restaurants instead of one.  Even so, based on one chain, what you learn from the movie you can apply to all fast foods. 

The man that the experiment was conducted on was checked out by doctors who put him through testing and he was in good health.  He put himself on a diet of Mc Donald’s for 30 days.  As the days went on his health started to sink to the point that the doctors said if he did not get off of that diet, he was putting his life in danger.  He started suffering from depression, and lack of energy.  The food was affecting his major organs, and his cholesterol jumped high and fast.  At the end of the month he had gained approx. 25 pounds. 

The movie showed how much sugar a person consumes in about a week’s worth of super sized soda drinking.  They showed what I believe was a quart jar and it was almost filled to the top with sugar.  One week’s sodas worth.  It blew me away. 

They showed a school that was for delinquent kids.  In this school, they served only healthy foods to the kids.  The kids changed.  They were calmer, able to think much more clearly.  They were staying out of trouble.   Even before seeing this movie, I am personally convinced that what our kids are consuming is causing trouble for them and all those around.

Many have become accustomed to the drive ups, and their taste buds have been polluted.  The “so called” foods are highly possessed, leaving nothing good.   Parents, when taking your little ones up to the drive thru and getting them fries, think again.  The kids are developing a taste for high sugar, salt, and fried foods.  When my boys were little, I would take them to lunch out to those places, but at the most once a week.  I packed their lunches in grade school. 

In conclusion, fast food, processed foods are not food.  They are items of poison, poisoning your body, mind and emotions.  Experiment on yourself.  Stop eating the poison for a month.  At the end of 30 days, see how you feel.  E-mail me your story, and I will put it in my column.   

 

Laurie Jones

Offering in home personal fitness training/nutritional guidance.

Lauriesimplyfit.com

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FITNESS FUN!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Keeping fit can be fun!  Just be a little more creative.  Changing your routine is very important so boredom does not set in.  One night I felt like going for a little run but did not want to get into the car and drive to the gym.  All I wanted to do was put my shoes on and go.  The only objective to my GO RIGHT NOW run, well, at least in some peoples’ eyes (like my mother) was that it was a little dark…just a little.  I live in a safe enough neighborhood.  The only danger that I can foresee is the deer coming out and chasing me!  So, I went for a little night time jog.  It did get darker, and there are no street lights where I live.  Just nice homes with porch lights on and some had those awesome soft light torches around their homes…which I became more thankful as the darkness became darker. 

Oh well, it was an adventure.  Adventures keep us feeling alive.  It was so beautiful outside.  The stars and the lighting on the lake.  The aroma of people cooking dinner and wood burning stoves was so nice.  I was a little worried however with possible ruts and holes in the road that I could not see.  Sometimes I did feel like I was kind of lost which added to the adventure!  It got so dark I had to run up to the street sign to see what street I was on! Then there was a concerned man who drove up in his truck and asked me if I was really out jogging or was I in trouble.  (All dressed in black, I probably looked suspicious!)  I told him I was just out for a run which made him bolt thinking I was a wacko! (Thank you anyway, nice man, whoever you are).

Anyway, all this to say that fitness can definitely be fun and adventurous!  Change up your routine and think outside of the box and exercise with adventure in mind!

 

Laurie Jones offering in home personal fitness training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

530-370-8228

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WORRY….

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

I write so much about physical fitness.  Yet emotional and mental fitness is just as important.  Physical and mental fitness go hand in hand.  If you are physically out of shape, your mental outlook will be down.  If you’re mentally out of shape, physically you will be down.  God has made us a complete being, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  If one part lacks it throws us off center.  We are complex creatures. 

One of the biggest problems with mental fitness is worry.  Think about this.  Have you had one day where a single worry has not passed your mind?  Probably not.  And can we control those little worries that pop into our mind?  No.  But what we can do is choose to control our thoughts. 

When I was 30 years younger I constantly worried.  At that time my biggest worry was money.  I had a baby and my husband was a hard worker.  However, we were poor!  Poor, but still had a home to sleep in, food to eat, car to drive, ect.  (By golly!  Here I was thinking we were poor and yet we were rich!) 

I constantly worried, which would cause me not to sleep and not be a very pleasant person to live with.  I had to make a choice to start changing the way I was thinking.  I started thanking the Lord for every little thing.  It was hard, especially since I did not believe it.  But a miracle happened and I started to believe and truly became thankful.  Worry still was a battle in my life for many years until I really had some heartaches happen to me.  From that point I virtually let go and trusted that whatever happens to me in this life, God is truly in control.  I belong to Him, and nothing passes by Him without His permission.

Worry can cause havoc on your health and well being.  Close your eyes and breathe deep.  Then cast all of your cares onto Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5v7)

Laurie Jones personal fitness trainer offering in home training

Lauriesimplyfit.com

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TEENS!! HEADS UP!!

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

 

Here is a special article for young people, especially teenagers who are rapidly coming up to adulthood.  Many of you at this point have no trouble with your weight.  You can eat anything you like and not gain a pound.  Some of you laugh and joke about how you can eat whatever you want and still stay slim and trim.  You might even be a bit prideful, looking at overweight classmates with disgust because they are “fat” and you are not. 

Take heed, you who judge, because if you do not start taking care of yourselves RIGHT NOW, you too will be in trouble some day.  It usually hits the girls after you have a baby.  You will not know what or how to lose and control your weight because you have been so used to eating whatever, whenever, and how ever much you want. 

Consider how you feed your bodies.  Is your main diet junk foods?  Junk drinks?  Do you realize that even though you are not gaining weight what you are putting into your body is what is feeding your hair, skin, nails, mind, emotions and all internal as well as external parts of your body?  Living on a junk food diet makes me wonder how much of this plays into depression for young people.  And exercise?  Many of you balk at the thought of working your bodies.  I was out walking on my street one morning, and there were a group of girls walking past me.  They were in their p.j.’s so I figured they had just had a slumber party.  As they were walking up the street (and it was a hill) I head one girl say “I can’t make it”!  Yikes!  That’s scary!! 

This is the time NOW to start making positive changes in your lifestyles.  Start now to consider your diet and how you are feeding your body.  Look at the foods you eat.  How much are natural?  Fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, baked products, lean meats.  I’m not saying never to eat French fries and shakes.  Make those foods a treat, not a way of life.  And for exercise.  Instead of ignoring it, change your thinking on it.  Get into something you enjoy doing.  Dancing, bicycling, jogging, swimming, sports anything that gets your heart rate up and stretches and works your muscles.  Grab a friend and the two of you get a routine going.  No girl friend willing to commit?  Then do it yourself, for yourself.  It will pay over and over for you now, and surely in the future.   

Laurie Jones

Personal Fitness Trainer

For any questions or help needed, please visit my website at lauriesimplyfit.com

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