Who Wants to Lose Weight? Part Three

If you have been following the tips in part 1 & 2 than you have more than likely already started to lose weight so let’s add a component that will push this for you a bit faster.

In part 3, we will discuss exercise. Yes, I understand this is a bad word for many of us. So many of you reading this are already thinking; I don’t have time for exercise. Don’t be concerned though, I will make recommendations that everyone has the time for that will make a difference.

Before I get into the recommendations, I want to share that there are two situations I generally recognize with my new clients in regard to exercise. Either they do not exercise at all, or they exercise too much. That is the general consensus that I see all the time. Some people actually hinder proper health or weight loss by too much exercise or the wrong type based on their challenges and obviously we all know that zero exercise does not work either.

I am going to teach you the simple plan that I give to all the participants in my Express Track to Health and Wellness program that works so well for most. The good thing is that this takes less than 20 minutes per day for you.

First pick 3 days per week that you are going to do your anaerobic exercise and the other 4 days I am simply going to ask you to walk. Make sure there is one day in between your anaerobic workout days to allow proper rest for the body. As an example, let’s say you will pick Monday, Wednesday and Friday for your workout and the other days for walking. I would suggest you follow the directions below.

Movement: Use the listed movements 3 days per week.

• Squat with a ball behind your back against a wall while keeping your feet far enough forward so your knees to not extend beyond your toes. Preferably do this bare foot and spread your toes during this time. Do as many as possible in 60 seconds and squat as low as you are able. Repeat this with a 2 minute rest between sets.

• Complete as many pushups as possible in a 60 second time frame. If it is too difficult to do regular pushups do them from your knees. Repeat this with a 2 minute rest between sets.

• Complete as many crunches as possible in a 60 second time frame. Repeat this with a 2 minute rest between sets.

• On the days you are not following the above routine it will be important to walk at least one mile or as much as you can in 20 minutes. If you are in a cold weather area and you do not have a treadmill available, I would recommend stopping at a shopping mall prior to going home at night for this.

With the directions above the 2 minute rest in between your sets is of utmost importance so please follow these directions closely.

You may have noticed that I am not asking you to partake in any intense aerobic activity such as running or a spin class. Those are the general recommendations that simply do not work well for most.

Many in our culture are troubled with adrenal exhaustion and increasing the heart rate can actually worsen this condition. Besides for that, the aerobic activity often breaks down muscle tissue which is so important for maintain proper weight and to maintain our weight loss with aerobic activity, generally you have to continually increase this aerobic activity. It often becomes a very uncomfortable cycle for many.

If you have any questions or concerns in regard to these recommendations, please feel free to post your reply.

Who Wants to Lose Weight? Part Two

I trust that after reading part one last week you have already increased your water consumption, improved your digestion and are taking a quality multivitamin to assist in nutrient uptake. If you did not read part one, please read this for yourself soon.

In part two we are going to address some of the simple first nutritional steps to assist in losing weight.

It is always important to include all your macronutrients at every meal. Your macronutrients are your proteins, fats and carbohydrates. If you leave any of these out from your snack or meal this will likely lead to a poor conversion of energy in your body and ultimately lead to cravings and the need for more food. The unfortunate reality is that this often leads to some poor quality of snacks or stimulants to “quick fix” your energy.

In regard to protein, it has been shown that increasing dietary protein intake to an amount that equals 25% of total calorie intake facilitates weight loss and white adipose tissue reduction in persons afflicted with obesity. When consuming your protein, be sure to include a source that is as close to natural as possible and use processed proteins only in a pinch. Flesh protein itself is a great source but you want to be sure to use grass fed, free range, wild caught and organically fed as much as possible. If it is difficult to find this high quality in the area you live, please visit www.DepkeWellness.com and click on the Preferred Health Partner page. There you will find links to Blackwing Meats and Vital Choice Seafood, for the highest of quality you are looking for. I just received my shipment of Vital Choice Seafood yesterday at my home and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the salmon that is out of this world.

You could also include eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters and raw cheese. The best protein source nuts would be almonds, cashews and peanuts (peanuts are actually a legume). Seeds are best when sprouted due to the fact that this will increase the protein content and in regard to eggs, please use free range and organic. When using dairy as your protein use raw if available. You can actually purchase raw cheese at markets such as Whole Foods and if you live in California, raw dairy is available in many local markets. For more information on raw dairy go to www.RealMilk.com.

As far as fat is concerned, you do not want to exclude this macronutrient. I know that our culture has been fat phobic for about thirty years but my question is, “How’s that been working for us?” The reality is that since we have reduced fat consumption in our culture, we have actually gotten fatter. Please use health fats such as avocado, raw nuts, raw seeds, coconut oil, raw butter, olive oil and when cooking your eggs, cook sunny side up to hold maintain the integrity of the fat in the yolk. It is also best to consume your fat raw due to the damage created by heating fat. Definitely stay away from cooked vegetable oils since the heat will damage the molecules and create hydrogenated oils.

Now with carbohydrates; if you really want to lose weight, you will only eat low glycemic carbs. Understand that the trigger for weight gain is insulin and insulin is increased when we consume high glycemic carbs due to the fact that this raises blood sugar levels. Blood sugar stability is such a key to optimal weight and the consumption of low glycemic carbs along with proper protein and fat will assist in maintaining optimal blood sugar stability.

So for carb consumption, I would recommend including an above ground vegetable with every meal, since the above ground veggies are typically lower on the glycemic scale. Replace the bread on your sandwich with a large romaine lettuce leaf and create a wrap. Instead of pasta, steam some green beans or use spaghetti squash as the vehicle for your favorite pasta sauce with grated cheese.

I would recommend restricting any flour products and even fruit when you are trying to loose weight. Yes, I know, there are a lot of nutrients in fruit, but there is also quite a bit of sugar that challenges the blood glucose. If you do have an occasional flour product or fruit, be sure to eat it directly with added fat, as the fat will slow down the release of glucose.

These tips along with what you implemented last week should get you well on your way to the weight loss or general health that you are looking to achieve. Next week in part three we will address some common misconceptions in regard to exercise and weight loss.

If you have any questions or comments in regard to this article please leave them below.

Who Wants to Lose Weight? Part One

Did you know that you are not hungry to fill you stomach? You are actually hungry to produce energy and if you have not given your body the nutrients needed to produce optimal energy, the trigger for hunger will continue until your stomach is actually full. This is a bad combination for many of us today and in my mind, one of the leading causes of obesity. To learn what you can do to offset this challenge, read on.

There are three substantial first steps in reducing the ongoing drive for food. Staying hydrated, improving digestion and getting nutrients into your body as easily as possible.

Staying hydrated sounds easy but so many in our culture do not achieve adequate consumption of pure water on a daily basis. A good “rule of thumb” is to drink approximately one quart of water for every fifty pounds of body weight per day. I would suggest that the bulk of this water being consumed away from meal time and try to keep your water consumption at meal time to six ounces or less. Remember also to drink your water at meal time no colder than room temperature. These recommendations at meal time are to assist with improving absorption and assimilation of the food you consume. One more tip with water consumption is to sip your water often thru the day rather than gulping down large glasses with long gaps in between each.

To improve digestion I always suggest taking a high quality probiotic and digestive enzyme. Personally I use and recommend to my clients a probiotic called Ba-Co-Flor which I get from Germany. I have used this probiotic in my practice for about a decade with great success. I would suggest that the only downfall with this particular product is that I cannot offer this on the website for ease of ordering for our followers. This can only be purchased through an approved practitioner and without any internet marketing. If you are interested in learning more about this product, pricing or ordering you will have to leave a reply comment to this post and I can discuss this with you personally. If this does not work for you feel free to use your choice of a high quality probiotic to assist in achieving an optimal ratio of beneficial to detrimental bacteria for improved digestion. Another recommendation for my clients as well as another regular practice of mine is the use of high quality digestive enzyme. For this I recommend and use the Depke Wellness Prime Digestive Support and I will share that since the inception of our digestive support we have received rave reviews from our users. You can find this listed on our newsletter or by visiting the Depke Wellness Store at www.DepkeWellness.com.

The other area to address is allowing for proper micronutrient introduction for your body. By this I mean your vitamins and minerals. Since so many individuals in our culture are digestively challenged and are consuming low nutrient level food sources, I would like to share one of the best products I have come along in some time. This would be the Isotonix line of nutritional supplements. Market America's Isotonix supplements are scientifically-advanced formulas designed to give your body the maximum benefit from vitamins and minerals. When you take a daily vitamin or nutritional supplement tablet, your body must work hard for up to 4 hours to digest and absorb the vitamins and minerals. During that process, your body may not absorb enough nutrients to gain the maximum benefit it needs to remain healthy. Isotonix supplements use an isotonic formula to speed nutrients to your body where they are needed most. An isotonic formula utilizes a great-tasting powder formula, that, when mixed with water, minimizes the amount of digestion needed to deliver maximum benefit to your body. Through this effective method, Isotonix supplements provide superior delivery and speed nutrients to your body. You can find this listed on our newsletter or by visiting the Preferred Health Partner Link at www.DepkeWellness.com.

So remember, to start your month long journey to weight loss, stay hydrated, improve your digestion and introduce adequate vitamins and minerals.

If you have any comments or questions feel free to leave a post below and I will answer this personally.

Why Are My Adrenals So Exhausted?

Today’s post on the adrenals is not to address the function of the adrenal glands or the physical challenges created by adrenal exhaustion. Today we are going to address the challenges that actually lead to this adrenal exhaustion. If you want to learn more about the role of adrenals or dysfunction created by imbalanced adrenals, this was addressed in a post from January of 2010 that you can visit.

I would like to first mention that I have looked at thousands of adrenal results over the years. With these thousands of results reviewed, I can honestly say that I have only seen a few of these thousands come back showing a state of balance. Now let’s recognize that I am talking about health challenged individuals and not those already in a state of optimal health. It is very easy to see though, that if you have a health challenge there is typically and adrenal challenge that goes along with this.

So what creates imbalance within the adrenals? Stress! Yes, the big bad word stress that we all see far too often. This stress though is not only emotional stress; it is also physical stress. Let’s talk about some of the common causes of stress to the body.

One stress to the body is the lack of proper oxygenation of the cells within your body. Most of us breathe using only a limited portion of our lung capacity. If you are one of the many shallow breathers out there it will be very important to incorporate deep belly breathing throughout your day to allow the proper introduction of oxygen into the cells of your body. Lack of oxygen is stress to the body.

Being dehydrated is also a stress to the body. When we are not hydrated properly the body cannot function at an optimal level so be sure to be getting adequate levels of pure water consumption throughout your day.

Many are stressed nutritionally and this can exist from the lack of proper nutritional choices per your Nutritional ID or individuality, or from the consumption of gluten containing products. If you are gluten intolerant and consuming gluten, this can lead to inflammation which can lead to adrenal exhaustion. You can visit a previous post on gluten for more information on this subject by looking through the January 2010 posts.

Lack of sleep is also a significant stress to the body that can affect adrenal function. Not enough sleep or not getting to bed early enough plays a huge roll in maintaining proper adrenal function. Be sure to be in bed no later than 10:00PM for optimal adrenal function.

Lack of proper movement can also create stress for the adrenals; whether this is tied into poor bowel movements, lack of fluid movement within your vertebrae, stagnation in the circulatory system, or lack of movement with our muscular/skeletal system. Remember that the body is designed to move on every level and this lack of movement is stress to the body.

Lack of sun exposure is also challenging to the adrenals. Proper exposure to the sun without over-exposure is a significant factor in maintaining hormonal balance and anything affecting the endocrine system is affecting the adrenals.

I saved the most obvious for last and this is the mental/emotional stress that we bring on ourselves every day. I say, “bring it on ourselves”, because that is truly what we do. We are a culture of victims that love to blame everyone else and not look inside for the answers. I tell my clients all the time that there is no such thing as good or bad news; there is only news. What we make of this news is what makes it good or bad. When we start to release this attachment to blame and victim mentality it allows the energy of our negatively perceived emotions to flow through us rather than remain suppressed. It is the suppressed emotions or unhealthy expression of emotions that creates havoc for our adrenals.

Now that you can see the multiple ways we create stress on the body that affects the adrenals you can give yourself permission to initiate change in your life. It is the changes you make that create the lasting affects.

You can make the choice to create wellness for yourself and wellness for the world!

Please feel free to post any questions or comments on the subjects addressed above.

So Who Really Is Toxic?

There is one statement I can make in regard to toxicity where I hold quite a bit of confidence. That statement is; if you live in our civilized world, you are toxic on some level. Your systems of detoxification and/or elimination include your colon, liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, skin and lungs. These systems are designed for general die off within the body and to rid the body of metabolic waste. They are not designed for the world we live in. Our environment, chemicals in our water, the foods we eat, the cloths we wear, the products we use and on and on.

Our levels of health and wellness, our individual levels of strength and vitality, along with the varying degrees of toxic exposure will determine the levels of toxicity that you live your life with. So what can we do? Many feel that the best way to deal with this is to detox, detox, detox! This is often the most significant focus for those when they enter the arena of natural health practices. I will share that this is not my view.

I recommend that my clients focus first on building their individual health and wellness and assist in the bodies’ natural detoxification process, rather than using some protocol to “push” detoxification. Often when individuals have significant health challenges, there are many symptoms created when they attempt to detox too fast or when they attempt to detox before building health and supporting the systems of detoxification. If you feel that toxicity is a significant challenge for you I would suggest working with a qualified natural health practitioner to build health, support your systems of detoxification and then if needed add in a detox program.

There are some simple steps to help support your systems of detoxification. Here are my recommendations to assist on this level.

• Dry skin brush daily to assist your skin, lymph and kidneys
• Drink one quart of pure water for every 50 pounds of body weight daily to assist the kidneys
• Practice regular deep breathing techniques to assist the lungs
• Jump on a rebounder for 5 minutes daily to support the lymphatic system
• If constipation is a challenge for you, try a quality probiotic and the Prime Digestive Support from the Depke Wellness Store at www.DepkeWellness.com
• Massage or Endermologie will assist in natural detoxification of the skin and lymph

One tool that can assist that helps significantly with detoxification that does not create symptomatic challenges is colon hydrotherapy. For those in Southern California you could visit www.EmbraceHealthWellnes.com for more information on colon hydrotherapy.

Once you have built your vitality and supported your systems of detoxification and/or elimination over a period of at least several months I would typically recommend using a non-invasive and slow detoxification support such as Chlorella. You can find more information about Chlorella and the brand I support by visiting www.DepkeWellness.com and clicking on the “Preferred Health Partner” page.

If you feel that toxicity is a significant challenge for you please be sure to work through these steps with a qualified natural health practitioner that recognizes the steps that I have laid out for you.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to any thoughts shared, please feel free to post these for my personal response. Remember, Depke Wellness is about wellness for yourself and wellness for the world.

You Are NOT What You Eat, Part 3

So far with part 1 we learned that stress plays a significant role in challenging our digestive system and the fact that those who are gluten intolerant may actually be living with undiagnosed inflammation in their gastro intestinal tract, due to the consumption of gluten. This inflammation can lead to many challenges with digestion, immune function as well as adrenal insufficiency.

In part 2 we learned the importance of using a high quality digestive enzyme due to the lack of naturally occurring enzymes in many of our foods today.

Today, in part 3, we are going to discuss bacteria in your gut as well as suggesting a very simple, yet effective way, to assist your body in balancing your digestive system.

Let’s first talk about bacteria. Did you know that there is actually more bacteria in your gut than there are cells in your body. That is astounding and shows the importance of bacteria for an optimal functioning digestive system. Most of the time when you mention bacteria, a red flag goes up for most people because we have been taught that bacteria is bad and this is why we get sick.

It is important to recognize the difference between beneficial and detrimental bacteria. Detrimental bacteria are single celled microscopic organisms that are capable of exerting toxic effects on the digestive system. Our beneficial bacteria though, have a tremendous effect on allowing balance and function within your GI tract. An important understanding is to recognize the significance of allowing the proper ratio of detrimental to beneficial bacteria. Beneficial bacteria will comprise approximately 90% of the digestive tract in a healthy person while the other 10% is comprised of detrimental bacteria.

I believe that there are three main reasons for the lack of bacterial balance in our culture today. Number one is the simple fact that we do not consume raw fermented foods any more. Sure we will occasionally consume some yogurt or kefir from the local market and of course it mentions all the bacteria on the label for our benefit. What the label is not telling us though, is that once this product is pasteurized, the bacteria is killed and honestly, dead bacteria does not provide any benefit for us. In the history of humanity, we regularly consumed raw fermented foods with the benefit of significant quantities of beneficial bacteria. There are some individuals that consume their own naturally fermented foods that they produce at home, or they may have a contact with a raw food coop to purchase these foods. Unfortunately most do not make the time to ferment their own foods or do not have a source, or the financial means, of purchasing these healthy foods.

The other challenge is tied into our high stress life and poor diet. The unfortunate fact is that most of us, are chronically stressed, or we are making poor nutritional choices consistently. This will lead to an over-population of detrimental bacteria. The end result sadly, is the crowding out of the beneficial bacteria which creates a very unhealthy ratio of beneficial to detrimental bacteria.

There are some simple solutions though to improve this ratio. Of course you know that I am first going to mention the importance of reducing your stress and improving your nutritional choices. I would recommend reviewing the blog on Gluten Intolerance and Nutritional ID for this. Beyond these basic shifts, I would recommend that you take a high quality probiotic on a regular basis unless you are going to create a shift in your lifestyle choices by consuming raw fermented foods on a daily basis. Taking a probiotic has been shown to allow for improved balance within the GI tract which in turn will allow your body the ability to utilize your food and nutrients at a higher level. I will share that even though I have a very healthy digestive system, I take a probiotic on a daily basis.

The other benefit is tied into the fact that most of your immune system function originates in the GI tract, so any focus to create balance in the GI, has the ability to assist your body’s immune system function. Remember, a healthy digestive system generally leads to a healthier immune system.

One natural product that I suggest regularly with my Express Track to Health & Wellness program is Ultimate Aloe® Juice which is a rejuvenating tonic made from 100 percent aloe vera, 50 percent aloe concentrated powder, more than 200 nutrients, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, including 13 of the 17 essential minerals needed for good nutrition. The aloe concentrate is actually the aloe vera gel with the liquid removed to allow a lesser intake while maintaining the positive benefits of this rejuvenating plant. Studies have suggested that aloe, when consumed orally, imparts a wealth of health benefits, including aiding digestion and supporting the immune system.

If you are interested in purchasing the Ultimate Aloe® Juice feel free to visit www.marketamerica.com/vitalize or refer back to the newsletter where a link is provided for you.

To review all that has been discussed through our three part digestive series, “You Are NOT What You Eat”. Here are just some of life’s imbalances that lead to digestive difficulties:

• Chronic stress
• Gluten intolerance
• Lack of digestive enzyme activity
• Lack of beneficial bacteria

If you can address these you are on your way to allowing your body to balance the digestive system to assist in reaching your health and wellness goals.

Thank you for being a part of this three part series!

Please post any comments or questions as they are presented.

You Are NOT What You Eat, Part 2

Last week we addressed digestive challenges created by stress and a troubling ingredient in many foods which is gluten. This week we will address an ingredient within our foods that is very often a missing but necessary component. This ingredient is the naturally occurring enzyme activity in raw foods.

It is important to understand that EVERY food that is grown, raised, harvested, or milked for us has within it the necessary naturally occurring enzymes to break this particular food down and assist with absorption and assimilation. There are two challenges presented to us in our world today in regard to this natural enzyme activity. One is that we eat cooked food on a regular basis and anything heated above a temperature of 110 degrees will be void of enzyme activity. The second challenge is that we do not consume raw proteins and fats with much regularity, thus challenging the breakdown of these macro-nutrients due to the lack of proper enzyme activity. I have some clients share that they consume many of their vegetables raw for this enzyme activity but this is incomplete. Eating only raw vegetables does not give you the full compliment of enzyme activity to assist in breaking down some of the most challenging foods which would be flesh protein, fat, beans, and even cauliflower and broccoli. These most challenging foods are the very foods that the Prime Digestive Support is formulated to assist.

The way my clients as well as my family assist in balancing the digestive system and breaking down these nutrients is with the use of the Depke Wellness Prime Digestive Support. To learn more about this feel free to visit www.DepkeWellness.com and visit the Depke Wellness Store, where you will find the Prime Digestive Support and the supplement facts on our enzyme product.

Let’s learn how the digestive system benefits from a digestive enzyme.

While we do produce enzymes that are released in our saliva, this is not a complete enzyme activity. We also produce enzymes in the pancreas that are released to the break down our foods, but this happens later in the digestive process. There is a period in this digestive process where the naturally occurring enzymes of raw food or digestive enzymes would greatly benefit digestive balance. After mastication of our food in the mouth, your meal will set high in the stomach where it will pre-digest with the limited enzyme activity in our saliva, the naturally occurring enzyme activity of raw food or with digestive enzyme supplementation. This pre-digestion can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes, until the further breakdown of our food by our stomach acid production. From there the food is released into the duodenum which is the first 1/3 of your small intestine, where bile is secreted to further break down fat as well as the release of pancreatic juices, glucagon or insulin. This will assist in the further break down and absorption through the lining of the small intestines. To finish the job any remnants continue on to the colon for ultimate release from your body.


Now you can see how a digestive enzyme aids the digestive balance that eludes so many of us. Remember that most of us consume cooked food regularly which is void of naturally occurring enzyme activity. These are the reasons for supplementing with a high quality digestive enzyme such as the Depke Wellness Prime Digestive Support.

The reason I decided to formulate the Prime Digestive Support is due to the fact that many of the enzymes on the market today are vegetarian based. For those of us, that are consuming animal protein and fat, we are trying to break down these animal based macro-nutrients with a vegetable based enzyme and I don’t know about you, but this does not make sense to me. Our product has, in our opinion, the best animal based enzymes to break down the two most challenging foods for most, which is flesh protein and animal fat. The third most challenging foods I recognize consistently with clients are beans, broccoli and cauliflower. For this we added the best enzyme to assist with this grouping.


Once again for information on the Prime Digestive Support and supplement ingredients and facts, visit www.DepkeWellness.com and visit the Depke Wellness Store link.