“When you change how you look at things, the things you look at will change.”

How I look at maintaining a healthy lifestyle has changed in the last couple of weeks. I’ve been studying up on the brain neurotransmitter Dopamine and realize it can be a powerful ally to encourage practicing healthy habits.

Dopamine is the body’s natural feel good, pleasure chemical. The body uses it to reward behavior that it wants you to repeat – like sex and eating.

Unfortunately, it also releases Dopamine in response to certain illegal drugs too, like methamphetamine (aka “Crystal Meth”). One of the reasons the drug is so addictive is that it gives a rush of Dopamine that six times higher than normal.

Watch this short, shocking video to see how powerfully this works:

Video: The World’s Most Dangerous Drug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at3Sg6qvgTE

But there are natural ways you can increase Dopamine that does not harm your body the way drugs do. Some studies show that obese people may have lower levels of Dopamine than normal and so unconsciously seek out ways to raise it with food.

The problem is that many times they seek sugar or simple carbohydrates. While these do stimulate Dopamine, these foods end up desensitizing Dopamine receptors eventually. So, it takes more and more sugar to receive the same pleasure – just like with other drugs. It becomes a vicious circle.

You want a win/win situation – to increase Dopamine to make it easier to reach your weight loss goals without the negative side effects. One way to increase Dopamine naturally is through exercise. I exercise first thing in the morning and it makes me feel good all day.

But here is the key – whatever exercise you do, do it with full attention on your body movement. No distractions or mental drifting. Be interested in how your muscles move and imagine them getting stronger. If you have a mirror, I recommend exercising in front of it so you can see your body working and really appreciate how God designed you.

Here are some exercises I’ve added to the regular workout I do most mornings. These are called ‘Tiger Moves’ and I learned them in a book called “The Miracle Seven” by John Peterson and Wendie Pett. In this video, Peterson demonstrates the moves:

Video: The Seven Tiger Moves

I love these exercises because it feels good to do them, plus they strengthen and stretch you at the same time. Peterson recommends you start out by doing all the exercises one time then work up to repeating the sequence three times.

Be sure to take deep breaths as you move, exhaling on the challenging parts and inhaling on the easier ones. In exercising this way, it becomes a form of stress-relieving meditation.

The other thing you can do to increase Dopamine is to eat foods that encourage its production. Your body needs the amino acid tyrosine to produce Dopamine. Foods high in tyrosine include:

Fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, oats, wheat, avocado, bananas, almonds, lima beans, pinto beans, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cottage cheese, and yogurt (get plain and add your own fruit with some Stevia for sweetness; fruit-flavored yogurts are generally very high in sugar).

Most mornings I eat old fashioned oatmeal for breakfast after my workout to further increase my Dopamine production. It makes me feel more energetic and positive for the rest of the day.

I hope you find these tips useful and will use them every day to help yourself feel good naturally! The more pleasure you get from your health habits, the more you’ll want to do them.

Be blessed in health, healing and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

A chef right here in Georgia came up with the idea of a cheeseburger on a doughnut. Why am I not surprised?

Critics are calling it “a heart attack waiting to happen.” What do I say? Well, I do like Krispy Kreme doughnuts (although I haven’t had one in a long time) and I like hamburgers (although not cheeseburgers).

But picturing the two together made my stomach queasy. Does that mean that I would advise someone else who wanted one not to eat it?

No. You see, in the Take Back Your Temple eBook, I advise the SANE approach to eating. The ‘N’ in S.A.N.E stands for ‘No food is forbidden’. Since it is human nature to want the very thing that you are forbidden to have, I advise that you don’t forbid yourself to have any food.

At the same time, you need to ensure that the foods you eat regularly help you and don’t harm you . The bible advises in Proverbs 23:1-3:

“When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

Consider carefully what is before you;

And put a knife to your throat

If you are a man given to appetite.

Do not desire his delicacies,

For they are deceptive food.”

Many modern processed foods impair your body’s natural hunger/fullness signals, which can lead to out-of-control cravings and overeating. Remember the potato chip slogan, “Bet you can’t eat just one”? It is true! That statement applies to many junk foods and the manufacturers like it that way. The more you eat, the more money they make.

My advice is to learn about the foods you eat regularly and the effect they have on your body. For example, if you eat a Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger regularly and find that it makes you bloated, drains your energy, or causes you to have a skin rash, then you may choose to avoid that food by personal decision.

That’s the difference. When you forbid something based on what someone else says, your natural instinct is to rebel against that authority: “You can’t make me!”

But when you’ve experienced the negative effects for yourself and decide that you don’t want them, then you are much more likely to stick with your decision. You own it.

The fact is, having a Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger once a year (or any other unhealthy food rarely) probably won’t hurt you – unless you are allergic. It’s the foods that you eat over and over again every day that can.

Your wisest move is to establish a baseline of healthy eating. I advise that you eat healthy at least 80-90% of the time. That way, you can save the 10-20% for less healthy eating at birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions.

It’s a win/win situation: You can stay healthy and enjoy the taste of some of the unhealthy stuff…just once in a while.

Be blessed in health, healing and wholeness,

Kimberly Taylor
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

Just the other day a question popped into my head: “Why do people eat?” My first thought was to relieve hunger. Then another question: “Why do people get hungry then?”

Have you thought about that?

God designed you so that you must eat to supply nourishment to your body. God gave you taste buds so that eating is pleasurable. Because it feels good, you want to do it.

God also gave you hunger so that it becomes uncomfortable when you don’t eat. So he gave you two “insurance policies” to ensure that you eat so that your body receives the nourishment it needs to stay healthy.

Here are 4 things proper nourishment does for your body. Just remember the word MINT.

• Metabolism – Your body needs nourishment to convert the food you eat into energy for you to work, play, love

• Immune Function – Your body needs nourishment to defend itself against disease

• Nerve Strength – Your body needs nourishment to maintain the messaging network that the brain uses to communicate with your body

• Tissue Growth and Repair – Your body needs nourishment to build muscles and heal wounds

But what if the food that you are eating is not nourishing? What if the foods you are eating are so addictive that not only do they crowd out the foods you need, but you are unable to control the amounts that you eat?

It is clear to me that this is an overlooked key to healing binge eating. The physical part of healing occurs when you begin to fulfill the purpose of food, which is to nourish your body. Healing foods are used to replace any addictive foods from your diet so that you can exercise self control in your eating.

Think about your current eating pattern – if you suffer from binge eating disorders, I doubt that you turn to salads or broccoli when you are emotionally upset. Instead you probably crave carbohydrate-heavy foods since the body breaks them down quickly, giving you an instant sugar high. You feel calmer – that is until the next craving hits.

To get off the roller coaster and start healing, then you must supply your body with the foods that keep it in MINT condition – foods that God made originally for your body like dark green vegetables (rich in magnesium, which is needed for all MINT functions) and fruits like apples, oranges, pears, and strawberry. You also need limited amounts of lean protein like beans, fish, turkey, chicken, lean beef, eggs.

And you do need some carbohydrates but they must be the slow processing kind like brown rice and sweet potatoes. That way, you won’t trigger the sugar hits that compel you to overeat. Be sure though to pay attention to how you feel when you eat carbohydrates until you know how much you can tolerate to stay in balance.

So in addition to prayer, using a journal so that you can identify your binge eating triggers, you must eat for nourishment to restore balance to your body. Your body will thank you for it!

Did you find my tips on overcoming emotional eating useful? You can learn a lot more about this topic and how to achieve healthy weight loss. Check out my Take Back Your Temple eBook and all the bonuses that you get with it.

Click here to learn more.

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ ebook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

This is personal for me because my grandmother died of a stroke when she was only 47 years old. And in my “before” picture, I looked very much like she did – short woman, big belly. Not only does waist size increase your risk of stroke, but also your risk of developing diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.

So women, if your waist is above 35 inches and men, if your waist is above 40 inches, make it your top priority to get your waist out of the danger zone. I did because I did not want anything keeping me from living out my God-given purpose.

To measure your waist size, use the smallest point with your stomach relaxed; if you lack a waist, then measure around your navel. I use a Myotape (you can find one on Amazon.com) to make it easier to get an accurate measurement.

What are some things you can do to reduce belly fat? First, eat mostly real foods the way God made them. Decrease fake food – foods processed and packaged by man. I’ve come to learn that big bellies mostly come from eating a diet high in sugar, white flour products (white pasta, cookies, crackers, bread) and other processed foods.

When you eat sugar and simple carbohydrates like most breads, pastas, fruit juices, and sugared drinks, your body breaks them down very quickly into glucose, flooding your bloodstream. Your body then releases insulin to try to restore balance. Insulin not only moves the excess glucose into the cells but it is also a fat-storing hormone.

So if you are trying to lose belly fat and still eating a diet high in sugar and other processed foods, then it is like trying to start a fire with damp wood! Eating sugar and simple carbohydrates also can increase food cravings. The more you eat, the more you want. But eating real food gives your body the nourishment it needs.

Turn up your fat burning furnace by swapping sugar and simple carbohydrates for increased fibrous vegetables, especially the green ones like Turnip greens, Mustard greens, Collards, Cabbage, Broccoli, Spinach, Watercress, Kale, Bok Choy and all types of salad greens (go easy on the salad dressing because many varieties are loaded with calories), high fiber fruit like apples, pears, and oranges, and lean protein like fish, chicken, turkey, beef, and eggs. These keep your blood glucose stable – no insulin overloads!

Drink water or herbal teas, especially green tea, with a touch of honey. Don’t substitute fruit juice…you need the whole fruit. The fiber in the whole fruit satisfies your sweet tooth and because the sweetness is naturally packaged with fiber (God is so smart), it does not cause the sharp spike in glucose like the fruit juice does.

Foods and drinks with high fructose corn syrup will also make your belly size increase. Soft drinks are loaded with it. Eliminate those from your diet. In addition, go through your refrigerator and cabinet and eliminate products with high fructose corn syrup. When I did this, I was shocked at how many products contain it – products like salad dressings, ketchup, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, meat marinade, and others. You can always substitute brands without it.

If you want to know more about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, then this video will blow you away: Sugar: The Bitter Truth. It’s long and the doctor’s language is colorful at times, but it is great information.

Remember, experts say that waist size is now the best indicator of your risk of disease. So eat real food in reasonable amounts – vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and limited amount of whole grain products – and your waist will love you for it!

“Fruit for food, leaves for medicine.”

Where does this prescription come from? It comes from Ezekiel 47:12:

“Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Ezekiel 47 is a beautiful picture of the heavenly temple. In Ezekiel’s vision, healing waters flowed from this temple. The water nourished the fruit trees near the temple and the fruit and leaves provided wonderful benefits. While it is a vision of Christian life in the Spirit, you can also apply it to your Christian health efforts. After all, your body is God’s temple!

“Fruit for food, leaves for medicine.”

Do you believe that your health and weight would change for the better if you took this advice daily as seriously as you took a daily pill from your doctor? I’ve mentioned this before in previous messages, but I have to repeat it: Experts believe that many lifestyle-related diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer) can be prevented simply by eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day.

Remember, Popeye ate Spinach for super strength! Okay, he is a fictional character but the idea is rooted in reality. Spinach is rich in iron, vitamins and minerals for energy. And most of us have heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

So if chronic diseases run in your family, you especially owe it to yourself and the ones you love to start putting this into practice, little by little if necessary.

“Fruit for food, leaves for medicine.”

Start today by picking up some fruit and leaves at the store to make this prescription easy and convenient for yourself. Make eating whole fruits and green leafy vegetables at least half of what you eat every day.

High fiber fruits to try include: Pears with skin, Apples with skin, Berries (Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries), Bananas, and Oranges.

Leaves to try include Turnip greens, Mustard greens, Collards, Cabbage, Broccoli, Spinach, Watercress, Kale, Bok Choy and all types of salad greens (go easy on the salad dressing because many varieties are loaded with calories). Cabbage prepared with Wiley’s Greens Seasoning is my favorite.

Here are two of my favorite sites on the benefits of fruits and vegetables and both contain great recipes:

www.morematters.org

www.whfoods.com

Too often when Christians wants to lose weight, they focus on what to give up. But that is a sure way to defeat. Rather focus on what to add to your diet to heal, energize, and nourish your body.

And in doing so, you will improve the quality of your life now and in the future. Remember: “Fruit for food, leaves for medicine.”

Post it as a sign on your refrigerator. I did!

Pretend for a second that someone gives you a high performance race car. And let’s say that you are asked to take it a few laps around a track. No problem, you say. But instead of filling your tank with high grade gas, the attendant fills your tank with sugar and melted Crisco.

You try to drive the car, but the gears grind, the car chokes, sputters, and finally just stops, defeated.

Would you be suprised that the car could not race? No, because you know that sugar and melted Crisco is not the fuel that runs a car efficiently.

What I’ve described is exactly what happens if you start an exercise program while still eating a diet full of sugars, simple carbohydrates, and the wrong types of fat. With such a diet, it takes every ounce of energy just to get through the day. Asking yourself to exercise on top of that is as futile as the poor car trying to run around the track with Crisco and sugar in the tank. It will not last.

A diet full of Omega 6 fats, which most processed foods are, taxes your body. It makes your blood thicker and sluggish so that it can’t deliver oxygen to your muscles efficiently. It makes your joints ache. Mentally, it can make it more difficult to solve problems and make wise decisions.

These symptoms make it very uncomfortable to exercise and when you associate pain with something, you usually avoid it.

It amazes me when experts say that if you had to choose between eating nutritiously and exercising, they think it is better to exercise. But I say it is ridiculous to try to exercise without the right fuel to power the activity. I think it is smarter to get your diet right by making some small changes and once you’ve got the right fuel in your body, then add the exercise.

You see, when you eat too many processed foods, you are eating a hibernation diet, or Fall diet to equate it with the seasons. That’s why you feel tired and don’t want to exercise. You just want to sleep, which is exactly what the enemy wants. Preferably permanently.

So what can you do today to turn things around in your Christian weight loss program? You need a diet made for activity, or a Spring diet. A Spring diet will restore your energy, help you think better and even look younger. It’s time for the body of Christ to wake up!

Here are two things nutritiously to bring Spring back to your body. Like any health advice, please consult with a medical professional before putting it into practice.

1. Start drinking 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you weigh 200 pounds, then that would be 100 ounces daily. That works out to about 12 cups per day (if each cup is 8 ounces). Twelve is about the maximum number of cups anyone needs so if you weigh more than 200 pounds, then still make 12 cups your goal.

If you don’t drink any water currently, just add 1 cup per day until you work up to your goal amount. This will also allow your body to get used to it.

2. Start eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day. Have you ever heard that eating green M&Ms makes you sexy? Wrong – eating green vegetables does! The green leaves of plants have an Omega 3 fat in them called Alpha Linolenic Acid. Omega 3 fats are like WD-40 for your body and loosens things up. They help make your joints less stiff and make your blood flow more smoothly. Not to mention that losing weight will be easier for you.

So load up on the greens: turnips, mustard greens, collards, cabbage, broccoli, cabbage, watercress, bok choy and all types of salad greens. Other fibrous vegetables are good too but greens are best. Learn more about the powerful benefits of vegetables at
http://www.morematters.org.

Here’s a shocking fact about the vegetables: it is said that most lifestyle diseases can be prevented simply by eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables every day! How cool is that?

So make the water and the vegetables a priority and then work everything else in your diet around that in moderate portions. Do that for 10 days and then try starting your exercise program. I guarantee you will feel better and exercise will be much more enjoyable!

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ eBook
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

The author said that Omega 3 fats start out in the green leaves of plants, which is the part of the plant with the highest metabolism. The leaves must be active, because they are responsible for converting sunlight into sugars. Fish also have a lot of Omega 3 fatty acids because they eat seaweed and other green plants in the ocean.

In contrast, our modern diets are filled with another type of fat – Omega 6 fats. Instead of active fats, Omega 6s are storage fats. While Omega 3 fats are light and fluid, Omega 6 fats are thick or hard. Think about the difference between Olive Oil and Crisco. They can cause excessive blood clotting and make your arteries stiff.

Many processed foods are loaded with Omega 6 fats because food processors discovered that these fats increase the shelf life of products like cakes, cookies, chips, cereals, breads, and spreads. Obviously, increased shelf life means increased profits. Good for them, bad for us.

In addition, cows are generally fed corn and soybeans (high in Omega 6 fats) to fatten them up for market, whereas in our grandparent’s day, cows ate green grass. So their meat contains more Omega 6 fats.

Now, don’t get me wrong – both Omega 6 fats and Omega 3 fats play a role in your body’s health. But because the two oils compete for space in your cell membranes, you want to eat more of the lighter, fluid Omega 3s.

How can you take advantage of the above knowledge to improve your
health and get slimmer?

Eat more of these foods:

• Leafy green vegetables and other vegetables
• V8 and other mixed vegetable juices
• Beans
• Walnuts (watch the portions because they are high in calories
• Fish
• Foods prepared with olive oil, canola oil or flaxseed oil

Eat less of these foods:

• Fast food (loaded with Omega 6 fats)
• Prepared foods made with butter, margarine, cottonseed, soy, safflower, or sunflower oil
• Foods with “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated oils” on the label

While you can supplement with fish oil or flax oil pills, their effect will be limited if your diet is loaded with processed foods.

So start eating the right fats and watch yourself get slimmer! And even better, pass this article on to your family, friends and others in your mailing list so they too can experience the joys of
good health!

Omega 3 Resources

Shocking Video: The Rat Race (Omega 3s and the Brain)
Prevention Magazine: The Vanishing Youth Nutrient

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ eBook
www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

P.S. Six years ago, I made up my mind to lose my excess weight for good. I praise God for waking me up to what I was doing to myself. I thought about what my life would be like today if I had not heeded the chest pain warning God sent to me then. I was in horrible shape and I would be even worse now if I continued down the same path.

Let me ask you a question – on the current path you’re taking with your eating and exercise habits, where will you be 6 years from now? Will you be better off or worse? If worse, then I beg you right now – turn around. Today is the easiest change will ever get for you. Tomorrow will be much harder.

Make a decision to get your copy of my Take Back Your Temple ebook today and see for yourself how small changes can make a difference in how you look and feel. I promise – if you don’t think it is worth every penny, then I will cheerfully give you a refund, no questions asked.

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

Don’t you owe it to yourself to live your best life now? Take Back Back Your Temple can get you on the path to it!

A plum is firm, juicy and smooth. But take that same plum, remove its juice and it becomes a shriveled, dry, wrinkled up prune. A similar thing happens to you if you don’t drink enough water.

Think about the difference between the young and the elderly. Many elderly people are dehydrated, which accounts for dry, wrinkling skin and flat, shapeless muscles. In contrast, younger people are flexible, their skin is dewy, and they have firm muscles.

Unless you keep yourself well hydrated, you will eventually “prune up”. You lose up to 10 cups of water every day through urination, sweating, and even breathing!

You need water to help you think clearly and to remember (your brain is approximately 80% water). You also need it to cushion your joints and protect them against injury. In fact, in the book “The Body’s Many Cries for Water” by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, the doctor said that a primary cause of joint diseases, arthritic pain, and back pain is chronic dehydration – because the fluid between your joints is decreased, bone begins to rub again bone, causing the joint or disc to wear out faster. Or it causes the bone to grind against nerves, causing pain.

In addition to cushioning your joints, water is needed to convert food into energy, eliminate waste, and maintain a healthy weight.

Drinking adequate water ensures that your liver supports your fat burning process because it produces bile, which is needed for fat digestion. Your liver is a backup organ for the kidneys, and the kidneys must have water to filter your blood. If they don’t get it, the liver must assist – which means it has less time to help with fat breakdown. Give the kidneys plenty of water to do their job, so the liver can concentrate on doing its task.

So what is the ideal amount of water to drink? The following are some recommendations, but please get advice from your personal physician if you have any existing kidney, heart, or other disease before increasing your water intake.

According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, it is recommended that you “drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.” So if you weigh 160 pounds, you need 80 ounces of water, or 10 eight-ounce cups of water each day. Drink it regularly throughout the day.

In addition, Dr. Batmanghelidj recommends that you drink one and one half additional ounces of water for every ounce of beverage you consume containing caffeine, carbonation or alcohol.

Drinking extra water after caffeine-containing beverages and alcohol is recommended because they dehydrate your body. Also, eating sugar makes your blood syrupy and eating excess salt makes your blood like the Dead Sea. Both of these make your heart have to pump harder to get the blood flowing, which contributes to high blood pressure and joint pain. If you do eat food high in salt and sugar, be sure to drink a glass of water 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after to help dilute your blood to help it flow more freely.

If you currently do not drink the recommended amount of water, then simply add an extra cup each day until you reach your recommended amount – then stay there each day.

Over 50 years ago, Dr. Olaf Michelsen wrote, “It is more important to get adequate water every day than getting enough calories.”  This makes sense when you consider that you can live only about 3 days without water, but over 30 days without food!

Drinking water is a great discipline that also reminds you of your constant need for God. You can’t say, “Well I drank water yesterday so I should be fine today.” You need a constant supply of fresh water to function at your best. And so you need God in the same way:

John 7:38
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns–broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

So make a commitment to refresh yourself with spiritual and physical water and your life will overflow with benefits!

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ eBook
www.takebackyourtemple.com

P.S.  To learn more strategies about how to change your life mentally, physically, and spiritually, then evaluate my Take Back Your Temple ebook. You can evaluate it for 30 days, use the tips and change your life. If you don’t agree it is worth your investment then you can ask for a full refund, no questions asked!

But I know you will agree, like the dozens of testimonials I’ve received, that it is one of the best investments you can make in yourself:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

With a busy schedule, you need energy and lots of it. You can’t afford to put low quality fuel into your body. Asking your body to adhere to a busy schedule while eating a poor diet is like asking a car to run the Indianapolis 500 with sugar in the gas tank. You just aren’t going to get very far! You’ll be exhausted and irritable all the time. You also won’t be able to enjoy your life to the fullest.

Below is my list of top 10 high energy foods – okay, I cheated a little on number 10 because it isn’t a food but still very important to maintaining your energy levels.

After the list, I will explain why these foods and others like them are important for energy production. I listed them in order – those that contain the most energy-building vitamins and minerals to the least:

• Whole Grains
• Fatty fish (especially Salmon and Tuna*)
• Sunflower seeds
• Dairy products (Milk and Yogurt)
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Mushrooms
• Beef
• Water

Vitamins and minerals are organic nutrients that the body uses to maintain normal metabolism and health. Vitamins function as chemical partners for the enzymes involved in cell production and tissue repair. Minerals help facilitate the absorption of vitamins.

The food you eat is the primary source for these elements since most cannot be manufactured in the body. Let’s focus on the vitamins and minerals responsible for energy maintenance.

Vitamins That Enhance Energy

• Thiamin (Vitamin B1) is essential for helping the body convert carbohydrates into energy. Foods that are good sources of thiamin are beans and peas, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, and sunflower seeds.

• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and Niacin also help us use the energy obtained from our food more effectively. Sources of Riboflavin include milk, yogurt, mushrooms, and whole grains. Niacin food sources are mushrooms, whole grains, tuna, salmon, chicken, and beef.

• Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) assists in protein metabolism. Foods high in Pyridoxine include spinach, bananas, soybeans, sunflower seeds, tuna and beef.

Minerals That Enhance Energy

Several minerals also assist in energy metabolism. These minerals are Phosphorus, Zinc, Iodine, Copper, and Chromium. Here are the food sources for these minerals:

• Phosphorus: Dairy products, poultry, fish, eggs, whole grains, nuts, seeds

• Zinc: Poultry, fish, eggs, whole grains

• Iodine: Salt-water fish, dairy products

• Copper: Seafood, nuts, seeds

• Chromium:  Egg yolks, whole grains

In addition to these foods, you want to maintain a varied diet of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources for good health and energy. With all of these foods, you want to use moderation in your portion sizes since overeating also drains your energy.

Let’s not forget the most important nutrient of all – water. Your body is composed of 60 to 70 percent water. Because so many of our bodily functions depend on water, it is estimated that you can only live for four days without it.  Your body does not have a mechanism to store excess water, so you must take certain measures to ensure that you maintain an adequate water intake.

You lose up to twelve cups of water per day through various means, so you need a continual supply of fresh, clean water to keep your system flushed and running cleanly. Another good reason to drink plenty of water is that when you become dehydrated, your thinking becomes impaired. Lack of adequate water also has a profound effect on your energy levels.

So how much water should you drink per day? Most experts recommend that you take your body weight and divide that number by 2 (half) to determine how many ounces of water you need to consume per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you would need 80 ounces of water per day, which would translate into 10 8-oz. glasses of water daily. At the very least, strive for 8 glasses of water per day.

* If you are pregnant or nursing, limit your tuna servings to 2 a week due to concerns with mercury in this type of fish.

To learn more about ways to increase your energy and slim down, then check out my Take Back Your Temple ebook. Click the button below to learn more:

But first, what is ‘metabolism’? Think of a running car engine. Just as a car burns a certain amount of gas on idle, so your body burns a certain number of calories at rest. Calories are simply measurements of energy.

Resting metabolism is the number of calories you burn just to stay alive – organs like your heart,liver, and brain all need calories to run.

Since your body is at rest most of the day, it’s wise to maximize your calorie burn during those times. The more calories you burn the more pounds of fat you will shed.

So here are those little known tips to increase your resting metabolism:

1. Drink Green Tea with Lemon: Green tea has component in it called ‘catechins’ which can increase your ability to burn fat and calories. It can also lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Unfortunately, less than 20% of catechins in green tea survive digestion for the body’s use. However, if you add lemon juice, that boosts the catechin absorption rate 13 times more than drinking green tea alone.

If you don’t like the taste of lemon, then add orange, lime, or grapefruit juice. It’s the vitamin C in citrus that does the trick.Two cups of green tea per day is recommended. Sweeten your tea with a natural no calorie sweetener, like Stevia or Truvia.

2. Eat Spicy Food: Red peppers contain a substance called Capsaicin, which is the “heating” component found in cayenne pepper, chili pepper, and red pepper flakes. So sprinkle some red pepper flakes to flavor your food or use cayenne pepper in tomato soup or juice to give it a kick.

3. Use Caffeine with Caution: If caffeine does not make you jittery, then drinking up to two cups of coffee each day should give you a metabolism boost. Don’t overdo this one: overdosing on caffeine can contribute to heart irregularities. Go easy on the sugar and cream too – the extra calories you added would cancel out the extra calories you burned.

4. Lift your Weights: Your metabolism drops 2-3% each decade after age 20. After that age, you typical become less physically active and start losing lean muscle. Muscle burns 5-10 times the number of calories than fat does at rest, so if you aren’t strength training and you are eating the same number of calories as you did when you were younger, then you will gain weight automatically.

So pick up some weights or resistance bands and start strength training to preserve your muscles. Order the Take Back Your Temple eBook for an easy routine to get started right away:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

5. Eat More Protein: When you eat protein, only 80% of the calories are available for the body’s use. The other calories were burned off just doing the work of breaking down the protein for digestion. Compare that to 95% of calories available from carbohydrates and fats. So eat lean protein with every meal and snack – examples include chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, eggs, meat substitutes.

While none of these tips alone causes a huge metabolism boost, the combined effects along with consistent exercise, strength training, and solid nutrition will turn your body into a more efficient fat
burner.

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com

P.S. Want even more little known secrets on reaching your ideal size? Order the Take Back Your Temple eBook and discover a secret that will help you burn 9 times more fat when you add it to your current routine.