New Health and Wellness Programs for You

Feeling tired, low in energy and looking for something to improve your daily lifestyle?

We're excited to announce some new group presentations for new or existing clients. It's the perfect time of year to reevaluate your self care and get a kickstart on improving your body's well being. Below is a brief overview of the content for just a few of our programs.
 

Weight Management Workshop

“HABIT – Health Awareness and Behavior Integration Training”  

 

Attitude – address barriers to self-care and weight management
Awareness – physical and emotional needs, listening to your body for hunger cues vs. emotional eating
Action – strategies for weight management/ behavior changes/ fitness

• Non-Diet Approach - Exchange dieting for living; stop spending money on diets that don’t work
• Empowering – Learn the skills to manage your weight on your own for the long-term
• Increase metabolism and energy
• Managing portion control and regulating eating patterns  
• Movement/activity incorporated into each session
• Joy of Movement – reconnect to your body in a positive way 
• Making yourself a priority . Balanced eating to eliminate cravings

 

Positive Aging & Risk Prevention Workshop

• Nutritional therapy for reducing risk of disease and optimizing immune function
• Nutritional therapy for energy enhancement and brain power
• Functional exercises for longevity and injury prevention
• Maintaining your independence as you age
• Healthy transition through the retirement years
• Physical and emotional changes

Sports Nutrition & Athletic Training Workshop

• Nutrition for fitness and sports performance training
• Nutritional therapy for training diet and hydration
• Essential vitamin, mineral and protein supplementation
• Sport-specific training skills to include range of motion, form, technique, and more
• Sports psychology – gaining a competitive edge, self-esteem & confidence

 

Contact us for additional information or for registration for these or other workshops.
703-255-7012
info@totalhealthconcepts.net

Paleo Diet: The New Low-Carb Diet?

There is a popular trend with respect to eating, focusing on how our ancestors ate.

Although the books have been entering the market over the last 8-10 years, the anthropological data has been there for anyone interested. Is it just another twist on the low carbohydrate bandwagon? Current research validates that lowering carbohydrate intake may be the most effective way to lose weight…but is it the best way to lose body fat? And does the weight loss last? And what are the long-term effects? We will reveal that to you in the future.

  

For the moment, let’s look at the lifestyle of our ancestors. We know that agriculture has been around for about 12,000 years. So it is probably accurate to say we have only been eating grains and legumes for about the same number of years, if not less. Therefore, if modern humans have been around for roughly 2 million years, the amount of time spent consuming many of the forms of starch we eat today is rather small in comparison. Did early humans worry about their portions, count carbohydrate grams or think about whether something was “fattening or not”? No, they had more important issues to focus on.

 

As for current eating patterns, overly processed foods have been around for less than 100 years. Processed grains are not new and in fact were necessary in order to keep them from spoiling or "going bad." Had we not developed agriculture perhaps we would never have developed processed or milled grains. But then again, if agriculture had never been established, life would be very different today. Perhaps we would still be hunter/gatherers. This is a topic beyond the scope of this article though. Let’s look at the positive and negative of the Cave Person Lifestyle

  Positives:

1. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were physically capable and likely in very good condition in order to survive the many hardships that they would experience.
2. They were probably able to sustain periods where little food was available.
3. It was low in salt, sugar, chemicals and trans fats.
4. Their diet was organic.
5. They were active.

Negatives:  

1. They didn’t live to a ripe old age (although this may be a topic for debate).
2. They learned how to store fat after feasting.
3. They may have been forced to eat things many of us would consider un-palatable.
4. They were at the mercy of their environment and weather more than today.
5. Food spoiled.
6. We are just learning about the impact food had on the pleasure centers of the brain (on a positive note, there was unlikely any food addictions).

Should we examine how our early ancestors ate? Yes, but we need to look at the whole picture. Perhaps the best way to eat for weight loss, health, vitality and disease prevention in the long run includes many of the habits and choices of our ancestors. But to ignore some of the current options, choices and trends would limit us in many ways. Stay tuned for our next installment where we infuse Paleolithic eating with Neolithic eating for a healthy, tasty and optimal compromise!

 

 

The staff at Total Health Concepts
http://www.totalhealthconcepts.net/

 

 

 

The “Luxury” of Free Time

What did you do for yourself today? What did you do that was entirely for you—where you considered no one’s needs but your own? Nothing, right? When I mention the importance of taking time for themselves, most people laugh in my face. Then, when they realize that I’m entirely serious, they look at me exasperatedly and say, “You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t take time for myself. My kids [husband/boss/mother] need me.” Now I don’t deny that. But do they need the tired, crabby, stressed, half-functioning you? Or do they need the you who can actually take care of them because she’s feeling well-rested and charged?

The truth is, we all have a limited amount of energy. We’re like batteries that become less powerful as their energy is drained. What happens to the effectiveness of that battery when it doesn’t recharge? Now think back to the last time you actually did do something for yourself. Recall how you felt afterwards. How much energy did you have? How much more productive were you? How much more effectively were you able to interact with others? These days, when there is so much to do, we have to recognize that if we don’t take advantage of the “luxury” of focusing on ourselves, we won’t be as useful to anyone.
So now, what will you do to recharge your battery?