The Secret of Good Gut Health
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Amazing, Simple ways to Enjoy Sweet Potatoes
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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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