 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Newsletters |
|||||||||||
|
|
|
|
February 2008 Newsletter "Life's most urgent and persistent question is what have we done to help others." Martin Luther King Client Success: Patsy Saye What if you could lose 18 lbs. in six weeks by eating every two hours, resting more, and doing gentler exercise that also heals your back? It's with great happiness that we report to you the success of Patsy Saye, daughter of long-time Total Fitness client Theresa Dean. Theresa sent her daughter to us after Patsy lost no weight despite participating in a local boot camp. Patsy is living proof of what James Williams, Nina Lynn, and I are constantly advising our clients - follow the principles of Total Fitness and avoid high-intensity aerobic exercise if you have a damaged metabolism. Despite running three times a week for 1 hour early in the morning, all that huffing and puffing had brought Patsy three results: exhaustion, an injured back, and even greater frustration about her weight. I worked with Patsy on critical point analysis to identify the key areas she needed to shift in order to lose weight. These included bringing her blood sugar back into balance, correcting her adrenal health, getting her inflammation under control, and taking more rest. James wrote an corrective exercise program that she could do at home to heal her aching back. Result: Patsy has lost 18 pounds in six weeks.
How did you feel before you came to Total Fitness?
What had you tried before to achieve the weight loss you desired?
What are the key things you have learned through our work at Total Fitness?
How did you feel after running in a boot camp 3 times per week and still not losing weight?
What advice would you give other women who are frustrated with their weight? The Total Fitness program has helped me identify my true needs, helped me get off medications that were contributing to my poor health, taught me how to eat correctly, and determined my food sensitivities. It's also put me on a good exercise program that is helping to repair the damage I have done to my back at Boot Camp. I have lost 18 pounds in the last 6 weeks! It has been fun watching the weight slip away. My hair and skin have never looked better! But the bottom line is I feel (and look) healthier! Plus, I know what I am doing is right for my body!"
What To Drink Instead of Diet Soda In every business, there are measures of a job well done. Here at Total Fitness, we see constant evidence of our work :
I am happy to report there's hefty new evidence that diet sodas in fact can contribute to making you fat. The latest article on the subject in The New York Times asserts that researchers from the University of Minnesota found that the risk of developing metabolic syndrome - a combination of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and a large waist size - was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda per day compared with people drinking no soda. This was not a fleeting study. The scientists followed 9,500 men and women ages 45 to 64 for nine years. They tracked what they ate and the health consequences that followed. There are many other health consequences of drinking diet soda, such as decreased serotonin, seizures, headaches, and greater likelihood of depression and cancer. If you want to be slimmer or give up sodas and be healthier then read on. Why give yourself diabetes by drinking diet soda when there are so many other great alternatives that taste great and may improve your health? One way to give up a drink that is harmful for you is to find a substitute that's healthy for you and tastes even better. From years of experience, I am proud to say that I am 100 percent successful in switching my client's beverage of choice from sodas. The alternatives are so delicious that when you try them you'll hardly notice that they also happen to be good for you. Most people who are addicted to diet sodas simply like the sweet, fizzy taste. Here are two alternatives that are sweet and fizzy - two of my secret weapons in the war on fat, toxicity, altered brain chemistry and diabetes: Cranberry Cocktail Ingredients:
Organic Lemonade Ingredients:
Directions:
Breathing For Better Health & Exercise Performance Breathing is a basic function for our survival which most people take for granted; yet it can help us to achieve greater inner peace. By understanding the relationship between our breath and our body systems, we have a useful tool to achieve a more positive, balanced and stress free life. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates the heart, nervous system, and brain functions. We are able to influence the ANS by changing our breathing patterns because breathing can be done both voluntarily and involuntarily. The root cause of many ailments, including irregular heart rhythms, hypertension, headaches, anxiety and depression and disorders of circulation and digestion are related to ANS imbalance. For instance, when we're stressed our breathing becomes quicker and shallower, a sign our sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system - the fight or flight response - has been activated. When we're stressed repeatedly throughout the day, the cascade of stress hormones damage our tissues and organs. If you would like to learn more about what you can do to achieve less stress and greater balance, listen to Total Fitness radio show #74 Avoiding and Recovering From Adrenal Fatigue, An interview with James Wilson Ph.D, N.D., D.C. broadcast on February 23, 2007. One of the simplest tools we have to overcome stress is taking deep full breaths. When we do this, we shift into the parasympathetic - rest and recovery - branch of the autonomic nervous system. This brings us back into balance and quiets the mind and activates tissue repair and growth. You can also practice deep breathing no matter how you exercise. The most developed breathing practices are an integral aspect of hatha yoga, and Hindu teachings have shown for centuries the many health benefits of breath work. Now, Western scientists are catching up and have acknowledged the following health benefits of breathing practices:
Conscious breathing is a powerful technique to rid the body of unhelpful thought patterns and old emotional issues we no longer need. It is almost impossible to stay upset if your breathing is slow, deep and regular. The more you relax your breathing, the more oxygen is delivered to your organs and your nervous system will function more harmoniously. Try this simple breathing exercise right now. Sit in a relaxed but upright posture, breathe-in through your nose, and into your belly. Keeping your shoulders relaxed. The breath in should be to a count of 4. Now hold your breath to a count of 4, (check your shoulders haven't tensed), and then exhale slowly and fully through your mouth to the count of 4. Finally hold your breath for a count of 4. Repeat that sequence of "4 square breathing" for a minute. If you cannot make it to a full minute, work up to it. Notice how much more relaxed you feel in body, mind and spirit - how problems are replaced by solutions - and how your energy has subtly, yet powerfully increased. That simple activity demonstrates the impact of conscious breathing. Another form of conscious breathing is called "polarity breathing" and is used to balance the body's ionic pressure and electric polarity. The right nostril takes in positive ions and the left nostril, negative ions. Our nasal breathing changes from one dominant nostril to the other automatically every 20 minutes to help our nervous system stay balanced. However, the ANS of people who habitually breathe through their mouth has fallen out of balance and they are stuck in the sympathetic fight or flight response. They have their mouth open to be ready to take-in huge gasps of air to flee from a potential stressor should one come along. Such individuals are always on the alert for mental or emotional danger and the stress this causes means they're susceptible to headaches, panic attacks and even seizures. It is wise to keep your mouth shut, place your tongue on ridge immediately behind the upper row of front teeth, and breath through your nose, even during physical activity like weight training, yoga class, or walks around your neighborhood. The next time you feel a headache coming on try this exercise: Press your left thumb against your left nostril and breathe in deeply into your belly through the right nostril once. Then press the index finger of your same hand to your right nostril and fully exhale through your left nostril only. Repeat this 3 times, and then reverse the process, by breathing in through the left nostril and out through the right nostril 3 times. This will bring your polarity into balance and stop your headache before it takes hold. We at Total Fitness incorporate breathing exercises into our clients' workouts or lifestyles. We encourage you to do the same - whether you are playing tennis, rowing on a lake, lifting weights or simply going for a hike in nature. Without breath there is no life, but more importantly breath carries life force energy that we all need to lead fully conscious, radiantly healthy lives. Why just barely breath to stay alive, when you can breathe deeply, fully, and consciously to really live!
Client Success: Anne Shoulders One of our great joys at Total Fitness is helping our clients find their own way to happiness. Such is the case with Anne Shoulders, who started working with James Williams and me in December. How did you feel before coming to Total Fitness? Unfortunately, it took hitting rock bottom for me to find Total Fitness. Physically, I was overweight, tired. and had global body pain all the time. I had recently been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes which was scary and was not making healthy food choices or eating regularly. I'm embarrassed to say I actually did not really know about food despite being a very educated person. I was not exercising, and I had lots of great excuses. Emotionally, I was so depressed that I had almost checked into a mental hospital - I was crying at the drop of a hat, pulling away from friends and family, unable to focus or concentrate well at work - yet still forcing myself through high-powered work situations. I had daily feelings of being lost, helpless, and alone. Resentment, anger, and frustration were all common emotions for me, despite knowing I am a happy person under it all. Spiritually, I was questioning how God could let me fall so low and pour myself into my work, simply because I felt there was no other substance in my life. What have you tried before to get better? Like so many other people, I have tried lots of different tactics over the years to "get healthy." My experiences with weight loss (Weight Watchers, Diet Center, South Beach, Atkins, etc) were successful but never sustainable...the weight always came back on once I hit a hiccup in life. I have spent years in therapy and asked multiple medical doctors for help. They put me on many anti-depressants and blood pressure meds yet I felt like they were only treating the symptoms instead of the root cause, and I was never actually getting better. Then I found Catherine Carrigan and Total Fitness. How do you feel now? What improvements have you noticed? Wow! What a difference three months with Total Fitness has made. I meet with Catherine several days a week, and I genuinely look forward to each session. I actually feel like I have caring partners helping me bloom. My body pain has decreased exponentially. I have exercise and nutrition plans that have been specifically created for me given my needs and limitations. My blood sugar is under control. I am happier and have more energy. I am continuing to learn how my mind and my issues are linked with my body. And while I still have a lot more work to do, I now enjoy taking care of myself because of Catherine and James. I am not a chore. I am a gift. What would you say to other people who are facing similar challenges? I am convinced that the mind/body/soul connection is supremely important to a healthy and balanced life - you simply can not focus on only one area of your life and expect incredible sustainable results in all the others. Sometimes you aren't even aware of what is blocking your success. But Catherine, James and Nina at Total Fitness can help. They understand what it feels like to be out of balance and can guide you through a total body solution tailored to your needs, at your speed. Several months with Catherine and James have done what years of other treatments have never been able to do for me. I feel happier, healthier and more in control now that I understand what my body needs. Calling Total Fitness was the best thing I have done for myself in years.
February Deals for Total Fitness Customers Save $10 on our Blood Pressure Cuff. It comes complete with gauge, inflation system and a zippered carrying case. Use coupon code - BP - during checkout. Find out more about other great deals in fitness, nutrition and healing products by visiting our webstore. You can also save money on Sally Larsen's fabulous organic lip gloss. Save $2 per pot simply by giving the coupon code Total Fitness when you check out at Sally's site, or when you purchase your favorite colors at the Total Fitness office. We support Sally B's Skin Yummies because she uses organic and pure ingredients. Whatever you put on your skin is absorbed into your body as well as your skin. Your skin care products can either help or harm you so choose wisely. Find out more at www.sallybskinyummies.com.
Yoga and Qi Gong Classes in Atlanta Yoga Classes: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Qi Gong Class: Every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
Booking appointments with Total Fitness To schedule an appointment to start putting together your personal fitness, nutrition, or healing plan to help you get results, please contact us: In Atlanta Catherine Carrigan catherine@totalfitness.net James Williams james@totalfitness.net In California Nina Lynn nina@totalfitness.net You can also visit us on the web at www.totalfitness.net |
|||||||||||||
home bios fitness nutrition healing radio show seminars & classes newsletter store contact us
Copyright 2005 Catherine Carrigan. No content may be used without permission.
Webdesign by Letterdance.
