“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

When you are under chronic stress, your body releases a hormone called Cortisol that ultimately causes you to store more fat.

Here’s how it works: Cortisol helps your body mobilize energy in case you need to fight or flee to handle danger. But cortisol also raises your blood sugar level, which prompts the release of another hormone, called Insulin. One of the side effects of Insulin is that it can cause you to store more fat, in particular around your belly.

So you need to do everything possible to manage your stress so you can minimize these effects.

Here are three things you can do to stress less:

Then, I started thinking about how grateful I am that Jesus saved me from my sins, how that relationship grants me complete access to God’s throne of grace, and how I am being transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory.

As I focused my attention on Jesus, my problem faded into the background and by the time I got to the cash register, I was smiling and my heart was full of joy. Since I had to endure the time waiting anyway, how much better to spend it thinking about my dear Savior rather than murmuring and complaining to myself!

When you were a kid, nobody had to make you want to play. You naturally ran, skipped, hopped, rolled, spun, danced and just generally enjoyed living in your body. To relieve stress, get back in touch with that kid. I have a hula hoop and I love to use that to exercise because it is fun and doesn’t feel like “exercise”.

I received a wonderful poem from a reader named Cindy who expressed what it feels like to have joy in movement. It’s called “On the Go for God”. I hope it inspires you to get moving!

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/on-the-go-for-god-a-poem/

Ha, ha – I just had to get up and do a “Wonder Woman” spin after reading that again. Can you imagine the looks you would get if you skipped around your neighborhood or spun around in your front yard? Wouldn’t it be fun to find out?

Now I admit, many of these tips aren’t new and you might be saying “I already know that.” But knowing something and doing something are different things.

Pick at least one of the tips today and do it. And I guarantee you will stress less!

The eBook contains about 50 techniques for stress management you can practice immediately. Just like I recommended above, just pick a few to do and you will see your stress lower, which should yield better weight loss results.

You can learn more here:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

Have you considered what a blessing God has given you in the ability to move?

Remember how good it felt to run, hop, skip, spin, roll, and dance when you were a kid?

You can recapture that joy yourself now – I just got up to do a “Wonder Woman” spin!

Enjoy Cindy’s poem and then do something fun to move right now. I’d love to hear what you did – just use the Contact form to let me know:

______________________________________________________

On the Go for God

Dancing! Leaping! Jumping!
Skipping rope, inventing choreography,
I crank my fave praise music
from my upbeat, fun c.d.’s.

Stretching! Swimming! Gliding,
Using the body He has made,
walking (happy!) through the woods,
first in summer sun, then shade.

Hitting the hilly path,
delicious trail mix in hand,
when I reach the overlook,
I take in the scene so grand!

Hard to believe this is called
working out, not playing out,
for it’s so fun as I run
and hit the tennis ball all about…

but whatever it’s called,
I’ll just enjoy getting in my groove,
taking care of my temple,
thankful to do each move!

by

Cindy Evans,  GA

______________________________________________________

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

Clinton Walker of Makeoverfitness.com shares five reasons why you may not be dropping the pounds. Make some of his suggested adjustments and you will jumpstart your results!

Clinton’s article starts below.

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Five Reasons You’re Not Dropping Pounds

1. You are not eating enough calories

Under-eating is one of the obstacles in the fight to shed pounds. Many believe if you decrease your calories you will decrease fat on your body. However, your body requires a minimum amount of calories to function properly. If you don’t provide your body with that amount you will not see results. Even the smallest person should consume at least 1200 calories a day. Your calorie intake is determined based upon your weight and activity level. To get the scale moving, you need to eat balanced meals and enough calories.

If you aren’t sure how many calories you are eating, then check out the calorie counter at my website: http://www.makeoverfitness.com.

2. You are on a diet without exercising

You must combine a balanced diet with exercise. A diet alone may help you lose weight, but eventually you will gain it back. Exercise helps tone your muscles and raises your metabolism rate. By raising your metabolism, you can increase your body’s ability to release fat. Exercising along with a diet plan is the best way to achieve and maintain a healthy body.

3. You never change your routine

You must change your routine often to see improvements. For example, if you are exercising on the elliptical machine every day at the same speed, eventually you will reach a peak and stop progressing. You must perform a variety of cardiovascular and weightlifting exercises. When the results slow down or stop, switch your routine to give your body another challenge. If your body is not stimulated to change, it will stay the same.

4. You don’t have an effective exercise program

Doing a couple of exercises without a plan or schedule won’t produce good results. For the best results, you should have a detailed workout plan. Join a gym or use a facility with enough equipment to work every angle of your body. Or if you can’t join a gym, then try a workout DVD series that works your whole body.

5. You don’t have a “can do” attitude

If you desire excellent results, you must be willing to ask for help if you need it, take constructive advice, and move forward. Everyone has something that can be improved about their body. Be willing to take small steps to reach your goals. Have confidence that you’ll get there in due time.

Also, strive to avoid complaining. It only discourages you. Most people suffer from some discomfort at times, but try not to use minimal discomfort as an excuse to avoid exercising.

Also, actively look for solutions to your obstacles, like time and money. Today, most gyms are affordable and convenient. Usually the few dollars a month it takes to join a gym won’t make a difference in your life. You deserve it. Also, look for breaks in your schedule. If you arrange it correctly, you will find one hour to workout.

If you are serious about improving your body, analyze this list and make attitude adjustments if needed. Losing weight and toning muscles is not always easy, but the results could change your life.

Clinton Walker is a personal trainer from Birmingham, AL with over six years of experience. He is the author of the ebook “Fullbody Makeover: 12 Week Exercise, Diet, and Log Journal.” Clinton has studied diet techniques, weightlifting, and nutrition for over 10 years, including the study of kinesiology at the University of Alabama.

Visit his website today for exercise video demonstrations, valuable articles, and slimming recipes at http://www.makeoverfitness.com.

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Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

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

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.

However, keep the following principle in mind as you practice each tip: You will only get out what you are willing to put in. This is a biblical principle: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

So to reap excellent health, you must sow the habits that lead to the harvest.

Without further delay, here are the tips:

1. Create unstoppable motivation. Go deeper than the shallow reasons for wanting to shed pounds. Looking good or fitting into a certain size is an okay goal but that is not enough to keep you going when you want to quit. God did not put you here just for your own pleasure – He created you to make a difference. Consider the many ways that getting fit will positively impact your life and the lives of others:

• It will give you energy to fulfill your God-given purpose

• It will empower you to be a better spouse, parent, employee, or business owner

• It will enable you to be a positive role model and perhaps influence others to take care of themselves

• It will strengthen you mentally and emotionally so you can handle life’s challenges well

• It will give you the discipline you need to reach your goals in all areas of your life

Right now, think beyond yourself and come up with reasons as to why you getting healthy is a great gift for your friends, family, and others within your circle of influence.

2. Eat a high protein breakfast. A study from Purdue University found that eating a breakfast of lean, high protein foods such as eggs and Canadian bacon led to study participants having a greater sense of fullness and boosted their mood throughout the entire day. These same results were not found if the added protein was at lunch or dinner. The great thing is that this one small change may lead to better self control in your daily food intake overall.

Other high protein foods to consider adding to your breakfast include low-fat yogurt (make sure it has less than 10 grams of sugar per serving), turkey bacon, a protein fruit smoothie, a protein breakfast bar (again less than 10 grams of sugar and at least 5 grams of fiber), low-fat cheese, and low fat milk or unsweetened almond or soy milk. I do recommend organic dairy products if you consume them to avoid the added hormones and antibiotics found in regular dairy products.

And a quick note…if you are skipping breakfast, that is the worst thing you can do concerning weight loss. When you skip meals, your body thinks you are starving and holds on to fat for dear life. The one thing that all weight loss success stories have in common (besides exercising regularly) is eating breakfast. So join them by doing the same.

3. Make at least one of your exercise sessions 1 hour each week. A study at the University of Victoria in British Columbia found that people who exercised for 60 minutes burned almost 5 times as many calories in the hours after the workout versus those who did only 30 minutes. Can you believe it? Double the time, but 5 times the results! Going longer forces your body to raid your fat stores to come up with the calories needed for repairing muscles and other recovery tasks.

But if you are not exercising at all and are in poor shape, do not start with 1 hour as your goal. Start with 10 minutes and then add on 5 minutes each week so that you ease yourself into handling the longer workout.

And please, if you are going to put in the extra time to exercise then commit yourself to embracing the effort. Why make it any harder on yourself than it has to be by complaining about it and dreading it? Instead, smile and act as if you have already achieved the healthy results you want. I guarantee with that attitude shift, you will be enjoying the results in reality sooner than you think.

So put these tips to the test this week to jump start your weight loss. And if you are seeking even more ways to get the best results, then check out the Take Back Your Temple ebook as well:

http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of ‘MoneyWise Weight Loss‘ and the ‘Take Back Your Temple‘ ebook

Please forward this email on to all others for whom this information will be a blessing.

This is actually a biblical principle as well. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says:

If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success.

When it comes to weight loss, are you making things harder than they have to be? I am thoroughly convinced that 90% of Christian weight loss success is due to preparation. You simply order your life so that your daily routine makes losing weight easy rather than hard. Remember: “The secret to achieving your dreams is found in your daily routine.”

I heard a minister say once that the enemy operates in the space between knowledge and action. The enemy’s plan is keep you from taking action on doing the right thing. He gets you to take your eyes off your goal. Two examples of this are keeping unhealthy foods within your daily space. Another is mentally discouraging yourself with false images of pain or deprivation at the thought of getting healthy.

When you make up your mind to get healthy and lose weight, expect to be tested in your resolve. The only way to pass these tests is to be prepared for them.

In my own life, I am always tested in my desire to exercise. One thing I have learned about myself is that if I don’t exercise first thing in the morning, I will not do it later. I’ll either find something more “important” to do or I’ll just say “I don’t feel like it.”

So instead of fighting with myself, I just make it easy to exercise in the morning. I keep my workout sneakers and jump rope together. If I’m doing an exercise DVD I will put it into the DVD player before I go to bed. I will prepare the workout clothes I’m going to wear and sometimes, I will even wear them to bed if I know I’m going to be pressed for time in the morning.

What things can you start doing today that will make it easier for you to reach your perfect weight? How can you order your life so that it supports a healthier lifestyle?

If you are having a hard time motivating yourself, then think about this question: With your current style of living, what shape will your body be in five years from now? Will you be in better health or worse? Close your eyes right now and really experience what it will feel like to have those results.

If you like the results then keep doing what you are doing. But if not, now if the time to start creating a better future for yourself to enjoy and save yourself that pain.

If you busy exerting more and more strength to get through life, then slow down and ask yourself, “What can I do to ‘sharpen my ax’ so that I can handle the issues of my life more effectively and enjoy my life more?”

If you need ideas about getting healthy and shedding pounds, then order my Take Back Your Temple ebook and take advantage of the wisdom I’ve gained from my own weight loss journey. Just a couple of the tips, if practiced, will save you time and effort.

You can learn about the ebook here: http://www.takebackyourtemple.com/book.

And as the scripture in Ecclesiastes says you can be sure that when you take action on what you know “…wisdom brings success.”

Be blessed in health, wealth, and wisdom,

Kimberly Taylor, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of ‘MoneyWise Weight Loss’
http://www.takebackyourtemple.com
Take Back Your Temple

Now the reason I brought this up is that I know plenty of people who say that they can’t lose weight. They say they walk for exercise, but nothing seems to be happening. Yet when I see them in action, their walking pattern is like a Sunday stroll and their muscles never heat up.

So my question is, are you working hard enough to turn up the heat in your griddles (muscles) to melt the grease (excess body fat)? If you want to melt a lot of grease, then you’ve got to use big griddles. In your body, those griddles are the muscles of your backside and your thighs. You want to work out at a level in which you feel challenged, but still comfortable.

If you are challenging yourself enough to melt grease, but still not seeing results then you need to take a look at your eating pattern. Are you adding grease back into your body as fast (or faster) than you melt it? Are you eating excess fat in the form of fried, fast, or junk foods? Are you eating or drinking a lot of sugar? Those excess calories will be stored as fat if you don’t burn them off. Usually, all it will take is keeping a food log for a few days so that you can become aware of what you are really doing nutritionally rather than what you think you are doing.

It is very easy to deceive ourselves. I know one time, I thought I was only having a candy bar once in a while. Yet when cleaning out the trash bin in my car, I was startled by the number of candy bar wrappers I saw. It’s really hard to deceive yourself when the evidence is staring at you in the face.

So I urge you this week to start thinking of ways that you can get rid of some of the extra grease in your body. Do you need to heat up your griddles through exercise? Stop piling on additional grease? Just a few simple steps practiced consistently will yield amazing results over time. But don’t take my word for it; prove it to yourself and I guarantee you will have a lot less grease to haul around this time next year.

But, I think I’m being smart with my approach–which is approaching this cautiously. I have posted a run/walk schedule on my refrigerator, which I obtained from the Atlanta Track Club Web site. Even on my run days (my first was Tuesday), I still walk in short intervals. I plan to increase my running periods until I can run the entire time I’m supposed to. So, I walk for the first 5 minutes and then start “mailbox running”. That is, the mailboxes in my subdivision are spaced in neat intervals. I walk from one mailbox to the next, then I run from that one to the next one, then I walk again between the mailboxes, then I run again. You get the picture. It’s fun and you won’t believe the looks I get from the neighbors!

I started my training in the evenings after work and it is so relaxing to get outside and breath in the fresh air. I also see other health-minded neighbors out walking or running or even riding bikes. It’s a beautiful thing to see!