Thursday, December 15, 2011

Beating the Winter Time Blahs


I’m not sure what happened, but this last weekend nothing got done at my house. I had a whole “To Do” list ready (I LOVE making lists!), but aside from going to the grocery store and making sure a little laundry got done, we were LAZY. Here’s a big secret… I didn’t even take a shower one day! Oh my! I won’t tell you which day it was in case you saw me in public that day. ;-) My husband and I decided it was the cold, gloomy, crummy weather that just sucked all the motivation out of us. We vowed not to let it happen two weekends in a row because neither of us felt good about our lack of productivity. Here are some ideas of ways to avoid having a weekend like we did (I plan to follow my own advice!):

·        Make a list (much like this one!) and put it somewhere you can’t help but see it – like on the refrigerator.

·        Cross things off said list. It’s very satisfying!

·        Make plans with friends or family so someone is counting on you. Invite people over for dinner or a game night. I don’t know about you, but inviting people over motivates me to clean the house like there’s no tomorrow!

·        Make it a point to get some exercise in – even if you do nothing else the rest of the day, you’ll feel great knowing you did something good for your health. 

·        Shower. Don’t be like me.

·        If you’re going to veg-out in front of the TV, at least make it a true “veg” session and have some veggies for your snack instead of junk food.

What other fun things do you do to beat the winter time blahs?

- Dr. Emily :-)

Friday, December 9, 2011

How I'm Staying Sane This Holiday Season


          This is such a hot topic this time of year. With all the Christmas cheer and cookies comes a heaping helping of Christmas stress. There are very few people who are immune to this crushing disease.  I certainly have no immunity built up. But I am trying to lessen the load this year (especially with a new baby), and here’s what I’m doing:

×          Getting adjusted. You might think this is a no brainer, but it’s harder than you think to remember. We get busy in the office and it’s easy to run out the door without an adjustment, but I try to make time with Dr. Loder every week. Even I have to make an appointment so I won’t forget! :-)

×          Cutting down on the gift giving. I have made a point to tell those coming to family gatherings this year that I will not be buying them a gift and I don’t expect them to buy me anything. I only get small gifts for the very small circle of people close to me (my husband, my parents, and Laramie of course!). The holidays are about spending time with your loved ones and not spending oodles of money.

×          Getting enough sleep and exercise. Getting enough sleep with a new baby means going to sleep when she does. And that happens to be 8:30 pm. I may feel like an old lady, but I’m not a Scrooge when I wake up! I also make it a point to get 3 – 5 days of exercise in each week. Since I’m going to bed at 8:30 pm, I might as well get up at 5:00 am to go work out!

We had some other great ideas on ways to cut down holiday stress during our Beat Holiday Burnout day in the office. 

What are some ways YOU’RE de-stressing this Christmas?

- Dr. Emily :-)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The World Wants to Know: What DOES Dr. Loder eat??


The story behind how this post came about is an interesting one.  I happened to be hanging around Dr. Loder near the end of lunch one day and I witnessed something peculiar – he took a large spoon, dipped it into a jar of coconut oil and ate it like it was no big deal. Now, I’m a fan of cooking with coconut oil or putting it in my smoothies, BUT for those of you who aren’t familiar with it, coconut oil is a solid at room temperature – much like Crisco. The texture is a little different, but not much! So in my book, eating straight coconut oil is right up there with eating straight Crisco, except for WAY healthier, of course. Still weird though. This brings us back to why I’m writing this. I know that Dr. Loder is an extremely healthy person and he only eats healthy food, but I don’t really know WHAT he eats. And after seeing him eat the coconut oil, I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting read.

With no further ado, here is what a typical day looks like for Dr. Loder:

Breakfast
4 organic, free range eggs, over easy
2 handfuls assorted raw nuts
Standard Process protein bar
Organic strawberries and blueberries

Lunch
Raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots (and not just a few – a very large container!)
Canned wild Alaskan salmon
1 handful assorted raw nuts
1 apple
Standard Process protein bar
All after exercising for 50 minutes!

Dinner
Beef roast (Dr. Loder grows his own antibiotic free, hormone free and grass fed
 beef)
Carrots, celery, onions
Assorted fresh fruit
1 oz. organic dark chocolate w/low sugar (Even Dr. Loder likes his chocolate – he’s just smart about how much and what kind he eats.)

Supplements
Innate Choice Vitamin D
Innate Choice Omega Sufficiency
Innate Choice Probiotic
Standard Process SP Green Food
Standard Process Catalyn
Standard Process OPC Synergy

Just like Dr. Loder teaches at his Eat Well classes, there is no grain, no dairy, and very little processed food in his diet. And this really is a typical day for him. He didn’t just eat this way so I could write about it. He hasn’t always eaten this way though. As some of you know, Dr. Loder is my step-brother and I remember his eating habits from when I was a child. He’s a little infamous for eating ALL my Easter candy one year! Ask him about the food he used to eat, it’ll surprise you! Even though Dr. Loder didn’t start eating this way until later in life, he’s still healthier than many people HALF his age! He made a commitment to his health, AND SO CAN YOU!

So there you have it, folks! Dr. Loder doesn’t just teach the Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well program – he lives it! 

-Dr. Emily :-)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thanksgiving Thunder Thighs


        


It’s a great thing when our turkeys have thunder thighs on Thanksgiving, but not so much when it’s our thighs. The season of over-eating is about to commence. Are you ready? I don’t remember a time when I felt GOOD after stuffing myself to the gills. Actually, it usually makes me feel pretty crummy. So why do we continue to do it?? Tradition? Peer pressure from our family to try just one small piece of pie? Grandma only makes this dessert once a year and I HAVE to have some? We all have excuses why we do it, just not good excuses. 
I challenge you to NOT over eat this year! 

Here are some ideas to make Thanksgiving about the turkey’s thighs and not yours!

  • Instead of mashed potatoes, have mashed cauliflower (find a recipe that doesn’t use heavy whipping cream).
  • Instead of the traditional stuffing, have roasted broccoli with pine nuts.
  • Skip the dinner rolls.
  • If you’re hosting, insist on only having ONE dessert available. Is it really necessary to have NINE different kinds of pie?
  • Only have water to drink.
Tell me some ways you avoid over-eating around the holidays!

-         Dr. Emily :-)