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Success Story: Phylicia Rashad

When Phylicia Rashad (Claire from the Cosby Show) signed up with Jenny Craig in her attempt to lose 35 ibs I got quite excited and cheered her on as she embarked on her personal journey toward health. Having only seen two update commercials air on television, I wondered if she did ever lose the weight and was surprised to learn that she did when I came across this video.

Check it out...

Health Tip: Always Carry Your Food With You

One of the best piece of advice I've ever received around nutrition is the importance of always carrying my food with me. It doesn't matter if I'm at work, grocery shopping, at a public event, or running a few errands, I always try to pack the meals I need for the duration that I'm away from home.

Carrying my food with me not only helps me stick to my diet, but prevents me from grabbing something on a whim as a result of not having prepared in advance.

So my tip of the day for you looking to stick to a solid healthy regime is to always prepare for those times your away from home by carrying your food with you.

Boot Camp Diet

So I've been on a Gillian McKeith kick lately and have been completely enthralled by anything that has her name stamped on it-her show, "You are What You Eat", her books, her site, you name it, I'm on it.

The one book of hers that I thought I'd share with my readers is her, "Boot Camp Diet". I wouldn't consider her boot-camp a diet per se, but more of a guide toward making a healthy lifestyle change.

So What is Gillian Mckeith's 14 Day Boot Camp Diet?
Gillian's Boot Camp Diet, is a 14 day program to help kick-start weight loss and assist you in making the necessary changes toward living a healthy lifestyle. Gillian guarantees that if you follow her program to the letter, you will succeed in losing weight. If you're a person just starting out or one looking for the motivation to stay focused on your goals then this book is a must have.

The book is pretty much broken down into 3 parts with the first 14 chapters geared toward helping you make the necessary changes needed to help you lose weight. You start off the program with a brief orientation and by completing a "Declaration of Intent" in which you declare what you hope to get out of boot camp. You then complete a personal health assessment to assess where you're currently at with your health, and then Gillian has you weigh in and take measurements in order to compare your progress from the beginning right down to the end of the program.

To get really get the ball rolling with weight loss, Gillian provides you with an action plan that includes tips for healthy eating, a complete food list, and strategies to help you stay motivated while following the program.

Part two of the book is for those who have graduated from the 14 day challenge and are looking to deal with specific health factors that they may need help with. These include but are not limited to stress, blood sugar, digestion and female hormones. Each health factor starts off with a questionnaire to rate your current health states and offers a detox plan to help combat whatever health issue your dealing with.

And finally, Gillian wraps up the book in part three with a recipe section to help guide meal planning while on the program.

All in all, I think Gillian McKeith's Boot Camp Diet is a great starting point for those beginning or even those struggling to get motivated enough to reach their weight loss goals. I don't think I'd recommend the book to those who are a little at the more advanced stages of a program, even though some of the tips and advice may be beneficial. Then again-you be the judge!

To read up more on Gillian McKeith check out her website at:

http://www.gillianmckeith.info/

Healthy Guacamole

In my attempt to eat really clean and not make my diet seem so much like a diet, I've been experimenting with all sorts of new recipes as a way to liven up my meals and take the BOREDOM out of following a healthy, clean diet.

One recipe that I recently came across is a guacamole veggie dipper which I just love and one that I use as a snack alternative with celery sticks. The best thing about this recipe is that it's super, super, healthy and it not only satisfies your cravings, but also makes up your daily fat intake. You only need about 1-2 tbsp/serving and you're good to go.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2-3 avocados

1/2 a lemon or lime

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

1/3 cup of chopped onion

1 small tomato or 1 tbsp of salsa

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, pit the avocados and mash together with a fork. Add chopped cilantro, onion, tomatoes and/or salsa. Squeeze lemon into mixture and add salt and pepper.

Free Online Personal Training

Need a little support getting into shape but can't afford a personal trainer, check out Bodybuilding.com's 12 week Daily video training.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Bodybuilding.com, it's a one stop site for anything and everything related to health and fitness. The site is especially great for amateurs looking to get into shape but have no idea where to start. It's filled with tons of information related to diet, exercise, supplementation, contest prep etc. Not only that, the site is complete with forums and discussion boards for those looking to connect with other health minded individuals. Bodybuilding.com is the one site I've really relied on in answering the many questions I have around fitness and nutrition.

The site recently posted a 12 Week Daily Video training series for those looking to shed some extra pounds without the cost of hiring on an expensive trainer. What I love about this program is that over the course of 12 weeks, you will literally get one and one time with a personal trainer who will "teach you everything you need to know about nutrition, setting goals, tracking results, lifting weights and choosing the right equipment and supplements for you". This program is designed for pretty much anyone-man, woman, beginner...right down to the most advanced.

I pretty much have a solid plan that following to right now, but I may adopt a few of the tips provided within the program to help support my journey over the next few months.

Bye, Bye to Commercial Skin Care Products!

A few days ago, I made a conscious decision to part ways with the line of skin care products I have been using for the last 16 years and start using natural homemade products, many of which are provided by Mother-Earth herself. I have nothing against the products I was using in the past since they worked well for my needs at the time; it's just that with the path that I'm on toward living as healthy a life possible, it made sense to not only watch what I put into my body, but what I put onto it as well.

I must say that I've always been blessed with good skin, but with age and the life altering events such as child-birth, my skin has changed quite a bit and is not quite what it used to be in my younger days.

So what am I doing to get my skin back to its natural state?

1. Diet, diet, diet: I'm eating a well-balanced diet and ensuring that I'm eating a nice mix of protein, fruits, vegetables, and complex-carbs. As tempting as it may seem at times, I'm also trying to stay clear of foods that don't agree with my body: sugar, white flour, wheat, dairy etc.

2. Water: I am making sure that I drink approximately 3L of water daily (this includes plain water and teas without caffeine such as Nettle and Green Tea. I should note that the amount of water I drink is based on my body weight.

3: Cleansing: I cleanse each day-first thing in the morning and before I go to bed. I recently started using bar soaps made by Mountain Sky, a natural skin care company out of the lovely British Columbia. My favorite bar soap is Mama's Oatmeal and Milk.

4: Exfoliating: I've been experimenting with a few things here and there and the one method that seems to be working for my skin is exfoliating with organic honey. I usually do this 3x/week and it's unbelievable how soft my skin feels after each application

5. Moisturizing: A friend of mine recommended Sweet Almond Oil to moisturize my face and I've been hooked ever since! My skin just loves this stuff and I can already see a difference in my general appearance.

It's been about a week since I've started on my new skin care routine and I can already see a difference in how my skin looks and feels. I'll probably do an update in about a month to compare the difference between commercial vs natural skin care products.

The Many Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

I discovered the health benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) years back when I was dealing with some health issues and have seen some real miracles occur as a result of drinking it on a daily basis.

What is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple Cider Vinegar, otherwise known as a natural "Miracle Drug" was fist cited for its health benefits back in 4000 BC. Many used it mainly to treat and heal illnesses, fight disease and boost energy.

ACV is the result of fermentation of fresh organically grown apples into hard apple cider, followed by a second state of fermentation which results in what we know as apple cider vinegar. This process retains all the nutritional properties of fresh apples and further fortifies ACV with extra acids and enzymes giving it the many health benefits associated with it.

Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar?

* A reduction in high cholesterol

*Treatment and cure of skin conditions such as acne as eczema

*Loss in weight

*Reduction and treatment of cellulite

*Strengthening of the immune system

*Increase in stamina

*Promotion of digestion

*Prevention of bladder stones and urinary tract infections

Use of Apple Cider Vinegar

The way I use ACV is by boiling a cup of hot water and adding about a TBSP of it to my water. I usually drink it once or twice a day.

I also use AVC in my hair care regimen by doing what is known as an ACV rinse. I do this twice a month to cleanse my hair and remove build up from the products I use. I just love how clean my hair and scalp feel with these rinses.

Where Can You Buy Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV can be purchased at any major grocery store; however, it is important to note that all ACV is note created equally. For ACV in its purest, natural form, you want to purchase it from a health food store.

For more information on ACV, visit:

http://www.homeremediesweb.com/apple_cider_vinegar_health_benefits.php

or

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/health-benefits-apple-cider-vinegar.html