Three-Minute Stretch with Chris Heslin
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Home Slide – Moving
The health and safety of our members and San Diego community is our top priority. Due to concern regarding the Novel Coronavirus all group meetings, i.e. Healthy Balance, Maintenance, Boosters, Yoga, Muscle Toning, wellness seminars, and bariatric Program group meetings will NOT be meeting for the next two weeks. Medical Weight Management Programs (meal replacements) will check -in during their regular class times to purchase product and do labs, etc. Each participant will receive weekly phone calls from their...
Read MoreWhat humility does, is create a sort of receptacle of acceptance, so we are open to being filled with the knowledge and opinions of others. Humility is a kind of hunger for more abundance. The greater our humility, the greater our fascination with the world around us, and the more we learn.While some people seem to be more naturally humble, the reality is humility is a learned skill and one that can be strengthened. Humility is often confused with meekness or timidity, but they’re not the same. Humility comes from the Latin humilis, meaning grounded. Humble people are confident, self-assured; they take their roles and responsibilities seriously. Humble people have a quiet confidence about themselves. They are comfortable with who they are, and this frees them to recognize and value the strengths in those that surround them. They do not feel threatened by others achievements, instead they experience joy in recognizing others. They make great leaders, they attract people to themselves and lead by inspiring. Strengths of genuinely humble people… Admit mistakes Respectful of all people regardless of position or what they can offer. Focus on others strengths and take joy in recognizing the contributions of other. Be-self aware. Self-reflect, and seek input from others on “how I am doing?” “It takes humility to ask the question and even more humility to consider the answer. Understand personal limitation. Be secure enough to recognize weaknesses and to seek the input and talents of...
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Illness, Hormones, Steroids Made it Hard to Lose, But Linda Conquered It All!
Linda’s struggles with weight began when she was just 16 years old. Hormonal imbalances made it easy to gain and difficult to lose. Later in her adult life she continued to gain weight with each of her three pregnancies. As the number on the scale climbed so did the many health challenges that she faced. Her daily routine included many medications. At one-point, Linda experienced a medical complication that damaged her liver and was prescribed steroids. These medications made weight maintenance even harder. After years of suffering she met Dr. Patton, a gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Patton didn’t just recommend a visit to the Positive Choice Integrative Wellness Center, she insisted that Linda pay them a visit. Strongly motivated, Linda didn’t even care as much about the weight loss as she did about a life free from the many medications she was prescribed. She just wanted to feel better. Linda chose to participate in a medically supervised full liquid fast to help her lose weight. It was comforting to her that a whole medical team was following her progress and that she had regular lab-work as she lost weight. Linda describes her experience in the program as a “Life changing experience.” She learned about healthy food choices that help her maintain her weight loss and health. She describes the way she feels now as, “healthier than ever” and “such a relief” to be free from so many medications and health...
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“If You’re Disciplined and work at it, you can do it!”
Like so many of us, Jim’s weight crept up over the years. His first serious attempt at weight loss was in a Fasting Program at the Positive Choice Integrative Wellness Center. He lost the excess weight quickly but went back to old habits and re-gained. Feeling frustrated, he decided fasting wasn’t for him, so he joined a Healthy Balance full-food program. It was in this program he started building a practice of eating healthy foods. His counselor Kay started every class with exercise and 10 minutes of meditation; and it was Kay’s introduction to the benefits of meditation that Jim credits with his continued meditation practice. Since his class with Kay, he has logged in over 1349 days straight of meditation on his mobile app called Calm. As long as Jim was participating in a Healthy Balance class he did well, but over time the demands of his work life took over and the long hours made it impossible for him to attend class. A busy teacher, baseball, and football coach meant 12 to 14-hour days and a lot of stress. He let go of his Healthy Balance program and the healthy habits and started to rely on the convenience of processed meals and fast food. His blood sugars crept up as did his cholesterol and blood pressure. One summer, Jim’s work load increased significantly as he was assigned a major project designing a county-wide High School field trip for the National Park Service at Cabrillo National Monument. His thoughts we’re “I’ll get back to eating right, exercising, and stress management when this project is done.” Sadly, just as Jim was completing the project he suffered a major stroke at the age of 61. Jim was forced into retirement before he was ready and the sudden loss of work, being home, and the demands physically of recovering from a stroke left Jim feeling depressed and anxious. His weight crept up, he couldn’t exercise, his health issues worsened. Jim decided to get back into another Healthy Balance program. He had to wait a month to get into a group, but he was so motivated he started on his own practicing the many things he had learned from Kay. In this new...
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Give Your Body and Mood a Boost!
Exercise can help boost your mood. Getting regular exercise is important for not only good physical health, but it can provide benefits for mental health. It promotes the release of feel-good brain chemicals. The first thing you might think of when it comes to exercise and feeling good is what is commonly known as runner’s high. This describes the release of endorphins that your brain experiences when you physically exert yourself. Endorphins are a type of neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger. They help relieve pain and stress and are only one of many neurotransmitters released when you exercise. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood. For example, regular exercise can positively impact serotonin levels in your brain. Raising your levels of serotonin boosts your mood and overall sense of well-being. It can also help improve your appetite and sleep...
Read MoreMay 17, 2019 at 5:30 pm Positive Choice Integrative Wellness Center Come listen to Esther Loveridge’s inspiring story of losing over 100 pounds in less than 2 years on a whole food, plant-based diet. In pain and diagnosed with bone on bone in her knees, Esther was overwhelmed when her physician said she had to lose 70 pounds to have knee surgery. She wasn’t sure she could accomplish it, but then a friend gave her a book on a whole food, plant-based diet that changed her life. Come hear how Esther lost the weight, went from size 24 to a size 6, avoided knee surgery and healed her thyroid eating so many of the foods, that we are often told will cause weight gain. Click here to Register for...
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Hot Dogs as Bad for You as Cigarettes?
After a review of more than 800 studies, The International Agency of Cancer Research concluded processed meat is a “definite cause” of colorectal cancer — making processed meats equal in risk for colorectal cancer as tobacco is a risk for lung cancer. The World Health Organization classified smoked, cured, salted, and canned meats and meat with added sodium nitrite as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning the scientific evidence firmly links it to cancer. That includes common meats like sausages, hot dogs, salami, bacon, ham, corned beef, smoked meat, beef jerky, luncheon meats, and canned meat. According to the research, as little as 1 ounce of processed meat per day – one hot dog or about six pieces of bacon – raises the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. Unfortunately, the risk of other cancers were elevated as well. Red and processed meats increase the risk for stomach, prostate and pancreatic cancers, but the risk for colorectal cancer is the...
Read MoreMade from Camellia Sinensis plant, green tea is not fermented like black teas. Instead it is produced by steaming fresh tea leaves at high temperatures. When tea leaves are steamed instead of fermented, many of important plant nutrients are protected. Green tea contains a high concentration of nutrients called polyphenols which play a role in decreasing inflammation and swelling. Polyphenols also help protect the cartilage between bones and lessens joint degeneration. Green tea contains only 2% to 4% caffeine and stimulates the nervous system, heart, and muscles by increasing the release of certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. Consuming green tea or taking green tea extract containing 150 to 2500 mg of green tea catechins, an antioxidant found in green tea, daily for up to 24 weeks has been found to reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in people with high levels of blood fats or cholesterol. Early research also suggests that green tea extract might reduce damage to vein and artery walls in people with high...
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The Incredible BULK! Curb Appetite, Boost Health with a High Fiber Plant-Based Diet
The Incredible Bulk 2019 Every year Americans spend 30 billion dollars on vitamin and herbal supplements hoping to boost their health, lose weight, and feel better. That comes to about $100 a year for every person including children in the United States for substances that are often of questionable value. Sadly, most do not gain their hoped for health benefits. Even sadder is the fact that so little focus is placed on the relatively inexpensive foods that add bulk to your diet and do provide clearly documented health benefits, as well as aid in weight loss. Colorful, high-fiber plant foods provide you with nutrients that curb appetite, lower inflammation, boost the healthy bacteria in your gut, and lower risk for disease. Unfortunately, people usually only give fiber consideration when they are constipated and then they supplement just enough to get the pipes unclogged. But plant fibers provide some of the most important nutrients you can ingest. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body doesn’t have the digestive enzymes to break down and absorb. Once consumed, fiber travels through the digestive track to the colon, where trillions of bacteria can, and do digest it. People who eat low-fiber diets are at increased risk for heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, arthritis, and possibly auto-immune disorders.1,2,3 In fact, low-fiber eaters have increased mortality rates for all causes.4 One reason for the increased mortality rate may be the protective anti-inflammatory affect of whole, natural fiber-rich plant foods. People who eat a diet high in meats, dairy, and eggs, and low in fibrous vegetables, fruits, beans and grains have increased blood levels of C-reactive protein, a known marker for inflammation. Inflammation around the major organs can be a trigger for the development of disease. In contrast, people who consume all or mostly plant-based diets (40 grams of fiber a day or more) have much lower levels of C-reactive protein and high levels of natural plant anti-inflammatories circulating in their blood.4 Fiber also provides health benefits for the gut. Bacteria in the lower GI tract digest fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids fuel the delicate cells that line your intestinal tract and have a tremendous impact on overall gut health....
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