How to source natural vitamins

There are a lot of people who do not have enough natural vitamin sources in their diet and therefore suffer from a deficiency of one or more vitamins. Obviously, it is possible to buy vitamin supplements to help overcome any deficiencies but for the majority of people it should be possible for them to obtain the majority of their recommended daily allowance of vitamins from natural vitamin sources. The key to gaining the correct amount of vitamins from natural vitamin sources is to eat a healthy and balanced diet. 

There are certain diets, such as vegetarian, that provide a limited number of natural vitamin supplements and therefore a supplement may be necessary. Also, the intake required of these natural vitamin sources at certain periods may need to be increased and a supplement may be the best option. It is important to be aware of each of the different types of vitamins and their best natural vitamin sources so that a person can incorporate as many of these as possible into their regular diet. Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body and need to be replenished on a daily basis so it is natural vitamin sources for these vitamins that are the most essential to know. 

• Natural vitamin B1 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, organ meats, egg yolk

• Natural vitamin B2 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, organ meats, blackstrap molasses

• Natural vitamin B3 sources are lean meats, poultry & fish, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, milk, rice bran, potatoes

• Natural vitamin B4 sources are egg yolks, organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, legumes

• Natural vitamin B5 sources are organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, whole grains, wheat germ, salmon, brewer’s yeast

• Natural vitamin B6 sources are meats, whole grains, organ meats brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ

• Natural vitamin B7 sources are egg yolks, liver, unpolished rice, brewer’s yeast, sardines, legumes, whole grains

• Natural vitamin B8 sources are whole grains, citrus fruits, molasses, meat, milk, nuts, vegetables, brewer’s yeast

• Natural vitamin B9 sources are dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, root vegetables, oysters, salmon, milk

• Natural vitamin B12 sources are organ meats, fish, pork, eggs, cheese, milk, lamb, bananas, kelp, peanuts

• Natural vitamin B13 sources are root vegetables, liquid whey

• Natural vitamin B15 sources are brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, brown rice, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds

• Natural vitamin B17 sources are whole kernels of apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, plums

• Natural vitamin C sources are citrus, cabbage family (such as, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, bok choy), chili peppers, berries, melons, asparagus, rose hips.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list but it’s a good place to start. To ensure you get all the recommended vitamins you need to maintain optimal health, click here!

Can Nutrition Help Slow Down the Aging Process?

We all age. That fact is inevitable.  But a lot of the negative changes that take place in our bodies are not. As we age, we become more susceptible to such things as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and arthritis. However, medical research has shown that proper nutrition can slow down and even prevent many of these ailments.

It is estimated that nearly one half of all health problems in the elderly are directly related to poor nutrition. The elderly are by and large some of the most poorly nourished people. Some reasons for this are as you age your sense of taste and smell decreases, it is harder to chew, and you just don’t feel hungry.

In some cases, financial reasons may affect the food choices you make and it may be harder to get out and shop for food due to various physical factors. In addition, as you get older your body may not be able to absorb some of the nutrition from food as well as it could when you were younger. In some cases, a good multivitamin(preferably in liquid form) could help offset this. Your doctor or a good nutrition coach can help you find one that’s right for you.

Here are a few things that you can do to plan for better nutrition in your diet and a healthier life as you get older:

1. Plan out regular meals for each day and try to include vegetables in at least 2 of them every day. If you must snack, use fruits and vegetables rather than junk food like potato chips and candy.
2. If you have problems chewing meat, try going with things like fish and ground meats. Also try to eat more soups as they can have plenty of nutrition in them and they are great choices if you are on a budget.
3. Make meals more interesting by inviting a friend to lunch or dinner once in a while. Sometimes it can get boring to always eat alone and having someone over can entice you to get more creative with meals than you might when eating alone.

One thing you can do to ensure that you’ll be getting better nutrition is to make each plate colorful. Different color vegetables for example generally contain different nutrients so the idea here is, mix it up.

Growing old may be inevitable but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow old gracefully and healthier and with a steady diet of proper nutrition, you can maintain better health well into your golden years.

A Healthy Guide to Good Nutrition

Whether you are at your ideal weight or striving to reach your weight goal is it simply a matter of burning more calories than you take in? The answer, I suggest, is no! Overall body composition and health improvement as well as weight gain or loss must be factored into the equation or you could be heading for problems. The right nutrition can help to reduce the risk of a myriad of health-related problems, the most frightening of which are surely heart disease and cancer. Proper nutrition, however, entails eating many different foods, monitoring your consumption of some food and beverage items, and counting calories. Good diets offer balanced nutrition that reduces cholesterol, blood pressure, and helps with weight control.

To function properly, your body must have the correct combination of nutrients:

Carbohydrates

They are the primary source of ammunition in your diet. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. Too much glucose, however, is stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrates - simple and complex. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates.

Proteins

Proteins help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues. They also function in the creation of hormones. Like carbohydrates, excess protein is stored as fat. 

Animal and vegetable are the two major types of proteins. Too much animal protein can cause high cholesterol, as it is high in saturated fat.

Fat 

Strange as it may seem; fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. Saturated fat puts you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat is healthy, but if it goes through any type of refinement process, it can become saturated fat.

Vitamins

These are also required nutrients. Different vitamins perform different tasks within the body. They can work with the metabolism to help with energy levels for any task you can think of that you need your body to perform. It has also been noted that certain vitamins can prevent disease. 

For example, vitamins A, C, and E, also called antioxidants, can assist with the prevention of coronary artery disease by keeping build up from occurring on artery walls. Vitamin B-1 is needed for digestion and proper nervous system function. Vitamin B-2 is needed for normal cell growth. Vitamin B-3 helps to detoxify your body. Folic acid assists with production of red blood cells. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin K helps your blood clot. 

Minerals and trace elements

These are another nutrient your body requires. Both are used in many different body processes. Minerals like chlorine help make your digestive juices. Phosphorus helps build strong bones. Both can be found in the foods we consume, but with a trace element, your body just needs a tiny amount. Salt is one final nutrient your body requires. You should not consume more than 2400 milligrams per day, though, as it might raise your blood pressure. 

You should follow several guidelines to create a well-balanced, nutritional diet. First, try to consume 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day. When making your selections for each day, be sure to choose a good variety. A good rough guide is to eat as many different colors as possible, this will help you to select from all five vegetable subgroups at least four times per week.

You should eat at least three ounces of whole grain products each day. At least half of your grain intake should be whole grain based. Milk should also be part of a healthy diet. Consume at least forty-eight ounces of low-fat milk or milk products on a daily basis. Your total fat intake should only be between ten and thirty percent of your calories. Most of the fats you consume should be in the form of unsaturated fats, as saturated fats can do much to damage your health. Meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products should all be lean, low-fat, or fat-free. Less than ten percent of your calories should come from saturated fats, and you should always try to avoid trans-fatty acid.

Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be a regular part of your diet as should potassium rich foods. Alcoholic beverages should only be consumed in moderation.

Excellent nutrition is the basis of a healthy diet. For simple meal plans that have all the components of this healthy guide to good nutrition and suits your lifestyle, TAKE THE QUIZ!

Oven Baked Salmon

Remember the benefits of omega 3s to brain health I talked about last week?  Here's a delicious way to get those nutrients in your diet in less than 30 minutes. I'm excited to try this for dinner this week.

Feeling under represented in the wellness space? Here's how to overcome it!

This delightful young lady wrote in an article in Cosmopolitan magazine about not being represented in the “wellness” niche. I know how she feels on so many fronts and I am sure I am not alone. Nevertheless, she, like me, was not afraid to try new things (many new things) to discover what works for her and what makes her feel good in pursuit of her own wellness goals. She discovered that listening to her body was the most effective way to achieve her weight loss and wellness goals. At the end of the day, that's what being healthy is all about, isn't it?

Here is what she had to say about her discoveries along her journey into her new wellness lifestyle:

“After a week of experimenting with surprisingly attainable recipes, the superfood-phobe in me realised it is possible to give your body and mind proper attention without necessarily resorting to fancy foods I can’t pronounce. It might sound obvious, but actual[ly] living, [it] has done confidence-boosting wonders for someone who felt a little excluded from the wellness zeitgeist”.

I agree that some of the wellness or “fitness” images that we see on our timeline has been, in the best of terms, somewhat deceiving. I believe it's because a lot of so-called diets and workouts are designed to be a “one-size-fits-all” type of solution to achieving wellness. However, we know that’s not true.

I’ve always believed that you should run experiments on yourself (be your own guinea pig) in your quest to achieve wellness. Try new things and give them time to work (30 days is a good benchmark) to see if the system you've chosen is sustainable to your lifestyle. That means listening to your own body and truly studying what works for you. This is the secret sauce to wellness, fitness and weight loss.

Source:‘How I reworked #WhatIEatInADay to improve my wellbeing’

3 things folks often overlook during their weight loss journey

What you eat

Hey let’s face it what you eat matters. If you’re not getting enough protein, fiber and carbs (yes, I said it, carbs) you are going to experience plateaus and weight gain. 

Examples of the types of protein you should consider are:

Lean beef such as flank steak, sirloin 90% lean ground beef

Fresh tuna, albacore or chunk light tuna fish in the can ( in water)

Chicken thighs (trimmed) chicken breast

Salmon

Cod

If you can get you chicken and beef organic or grass fed and your fish wild caught, all the better. 

Examples of the types of fiber you should consider are:

Green leafy greens like spinach, kale, spring greens (for salads)

broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini

Examples of the types of carbs you should consider are:

Sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain pasta, green beans, green peas, carrots, turnips

Although some of these are typically in the veggie category, they are also a great source of carbohydrates that don’t do a ton of damage to the waistline. 

When you eat

I can’t stress this enough.  When you eat is just as important as what you eat in my humble opinion.  Frankly, practicing intermittent fasting is a very effective way to manage your weight. Intermittent fasting is when you choose an eating window in your day.  For example, my eating window is typically 12p - 8p eating the largest meal of the day first. Throughout the eating window, I decrease the portions proportionately at each meal.  The last meal of the day is the lightest, usually a superfood shake which I have found boosts my metabolism and makes for a more restful night’s sleep.

A good night’s sleep

Speaking of sleep, it should never be underestimated how much a good night’s sleep contributes to weight management. The more sound sleep you get, the deeper the rejuvenation of your bodily functions and the healthier your metabolism will be.  We all know that your metabolism contributes significantly to achieving a healthy weight. A good night’s sleep will almost guarantee your weight loss goals once you make how much you sleep and your quality of sleep a priority.

Bonus Tip!

Movement

How much you move is definitely related to healthy weight management.  While diet and sleep account for about 90% of your weight loss goals, movement and exercise give you an edge.  Even walking can get the heart rate up, help you break a sweat and get the blood flowing.  All of that contribute to the commonly accepted and basic concept of calories in calories out that is essential to effective weight loss. Thirty minutes a day is all you need.  So take that walk at lunch time. Taking a walk does wonders for your digestion and it’ll do you good to enjoy the sunshine (on a nice day) and get some vitamin D as well as clear your mind from the stresses of the day.

So there you have it. My tips for healthy weight loss. If you want to begin your weight loss journey but don’t know where start, start here. 

God wants what you have left

Even when you think you have lost everything, God will use what you have left to create miracles in your life 

What this says to me is:

🙌🏾You have to start where you are to get where you want to go. 

🙌🏾You gotta start messy and continue until get a flow going. 

🙌🏾You gotta keep going until you start setting the example. 

🙌🏾You gotta set the example until others want to follow. 

🙌🏾You gotta have others follow so you can start building community. 

🙌🏾You gotta build community so people start talking about that joy they found in that thing they are doing

🙌🏾You gotta have people talking so much that they build their own community around this here good thing

🙌🏾And you keep going until He pours down a blessing in the form of LEGACY until you hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Just think...This all starts from what you have left...

Time to detox!

Does this sound familiar:

👉🏽I’m really thinking a lot about the way I lived my life in the past and how I intend to live now to prepare for my future

👉🏽I can’t sleep at night and feel lethargic during the day

👉🏽 I would do about anything for just a little more energy

👉🏽I wanna focus on my health but who has the time? 

I hear you. It’s been a crazy few months but you can find some calm in the anxiety and rejuvenation from the fatigue. Let’s focus on our health as the foundation for all other things we want to do. I have an idea that might help. For starters, I’m joining my team’s 11 day glow up challenge starting July 6th. For 11 days, we are going to nourish our bodies in a way the reduces the stress, gives us a good night’s sleep (I know right, what is that😳), giving us the energy to get through the day! 

How could that change your life right now? 

Inquire within to get all the details on how join us on July 6th. Bring a couple of friends with you and share the love 💗 It’s gonna be a blast!

Looking back to where I started my journey, I’m astonished at how far I’ve come.

At first, becoming a Coach was about getting a discount on a new strength-training program. As the years went by, I realized that this, live healthy and get fit “thing” actually had some merit. I started to see the differences in my overall health and realized that now is the healthiest I’ve been in like….ever. So, I wanted to share this phenomenal transformation with anyone who would listen.

When I started my own journey in weight loss, I was 50 pounds overweight in a medically induced menopause and a failing marriage. I was in pain most of the time and was seriously contemplating whether I would spend whatever time I had left in this state of despair. There came a day when I became sick and tired of being sick and tired and actually considered ending it all.

There came a day when I became sick and tired of being sick and tired and actually considered ending it all.

Then out of nowhere (as Divine intervention would have it), this bubbly little blonde woman dancing and kicking on my TV talking about kickboxing to house music will help you get to a healthy weight and have fun while working out. I was like Whaaaaaat? Got up off the coach started dancing to the music and said to myself, “Wait a minute, girlfriend said this is a workout”. So I stopped crunkin’ and sat down and started to pay attention to what this new “thing” was all about. But I also cried a little because my hip started to hurt and I realized that all the nightmares I heard about menopause was starting to come true. But I also thought maybe, just maybe this program would be the thing I needed to get the kinks out. Maybe this was my last chance to get the vibrant, fully functioning body that I had as a younger woman in my 20’s. So, I ordered the program that was offered... and everything that came with it. From there, I started on my journey to be fit and healthy and guess what? I am not stopping! Besides having my beautiful daughter, becoming a Coach and using this lucrative means to spread the word about health and wellness as a real, viable lifestyle, was the best decision I have ever made. NO REGRETS.

I started on my journey to be fit and healthy and guess what? I am not stopping!

Although Coaching has proven to be a lucrative business for many, by sharing workouts, nutrition and support, I intend to show that adding these things to your life will improve the quality of it. The company I work with has provided an excellent platform through which sooooooo many people can have the life they have always deserved-(1), to be healthy and fit, and (2), to be able to create a livelihood helping other people do the same thing.

My testimony is simple- I was once overweight, aging and suffering from all the ailments associated with both. But since I started making fitness a foundational part of my life, to this day people do not believe I am a 48 year old mother of a 23 year old who, by the way is my biggest supporter and cheerleader in my quest to do my part to create relationships, create change and rebuild lives. I am sharing my story because it has changed many lives but there is still work to do. I am committed to doing the work. I know now that helping people create happy more fulfilling lives for themselves, is what I was put here to do.

This is my story, but it’s nowhere near over! My lifestyle change is a lifelong journey and I’m looking for others to join me. If you want to start your health and fitness journey with me and learn how you can create a business helping others do the same and creating a life by your own design, leave your e-mail address in the comments.

Turn Up Tuesday-How fitness geeks celebrate

Don’t you love a good success story? How do people turn their life around by focusing on their health? The discovery is nothing short of amazing when you find out that focusing on fitness improves other areas in your life. Well here is Briana’s story. Briana lost 53 lbs. using full, comprehensive programs that she did at home!

“I used to overeat every day and binge on junk food after a long day at work. I also hardly ever exercised. I had gained weight steadily over the past few years because of these bad habits. I was ashamed with how I looked in the mirror and clothes never fit me the way I wanted. I had lost self-love for myself and all confidence with the way I looked.

I was inspired to change my life and begin my transformation journey because I’ve always said I will look my best at 25 years old. So when I hit 24 I knew I needed to do something to get my body back in shape and lose the weight I had gained over the past few years. People around me that ate healthy and looked fit inspired me. I wanted to look like them and feel good again. I knew that if I made the effort to eat healthy and exercise that I could do it in a year.

I was inspired to change my life and begin my transformation journey

My greatest challenge I faced was staying committed to any type of program. But because of the motivation, support, and accountability that I received from my Coach, and people within the accountability groups online, I was able to stay on track.

Over the last year, I did a few different at-home programs which all incorporated a mixture of weight lifting/strength training and cardio - to reach my goal. I really liked this because you get the advantages of both types of exercise.

I have lost 53 pounds and upwards of 45 inches off my body. I am now strong enough to do push-ups, many bodyweight moves, and my heart is strong enough to endure intense cardio. But I am most proud that I am healthier, stronger, and happier than I have ever been in my entire life.”

Has this story inspired you to change your life? There are many ways to get started on your own transformation journey and I can help you along the way. I know the thought of doing something new is scary but what do you have to lose by starting today except never living out your true potential? You have to ask yourself, are you okay with that?