The Marvelous Me Project – January Recap

January rules: minimum 8 hours of sleep every night and 2-3 L of pure water/day.

Okay, so I think I am not alone when I say getting enough sleep was definitely more difficult then getting enough water. However, I think both went quite well.

Like most things, my motivation was very strong to start. For 2 weeks straight I was sleeping 8 hours a night with maybe one night at 7.5 hours. Shutting off at 9:30 was quite difficult as I felt my evenings were so short and not nearly enough time to get things done. However, the more I did it, the more I realized I can still be productive.  It’s amazing how many hours I wasted on Facebook or other guilty pleasures. I took some of those late evenings dilly-dallying in front of my Mac and turn them into blissful zzz’s. My motivation did seem to dwindle in the 3^rd week counting only about 1 night of a full 8 hours. The other nights swayed between 7-7.5, so still not so bad but not good enough. My fourth week was much better than my third but still probably had only 3 nights of 8 hour sleeps. There was only one night the whole month that I got only about 6 hours, but considering this was my average before starting Marvelous Me, I am pretty pleased!!

As for my water intake, I was averaging approximately 2 liters prior to starting Marvelous Me, therefore it was not as challenging. However, my schedule changed completely in the third week. Due to much more travelling and being at several different locations in a day, my consumption decreased significantly. One thing I found is it was easier to monitor prior to my change in schedule. Knowing how much I was drinking really helped to tell me how much more I had to drink to reach my days’ quota. As this schedule becomes more routine, I am confident I will be back on track.

Some physical changes I noticed after my 2 solid weeks of great sleep and lots of water was clearer skin and the bags under my eyes diminished. I had more energy but more importantly, my energy was consistent with no big highs or crashes, just a nice steady flow. I also noticed I was dreaming almost every night. I am someone who unfortunately never remembers her dreams so this was quite nice. And after hopping on the scale this evening at the gym, I noticed I lost about 5 pounds. Yippee!!!

Overall, January has been an amazing start to The Marvelous Me Project. Already seeing results is definitely motivating for the months ahead. And as we slide into February, the month where exercise & protein are the focus, I will do my best to carry forth my good habits attained in January. Remember, this is not a diet. The Marvelous Me project is all about creating lifestyle changes.  

I would love to hear about your January experience at The Marvelous Me Project. Please share!!!

Alright February – bring it on!!!

Sleep: Not only How Much, but When?

I was chatting with my client the other day about his sleep patterns. He claimed he gets enough , between 7-8 hours per night, but couldn’t understand why he often felt unrested.  So I asked him at what time did he sleep. He is a real night hawk, and often likes to work at night. He claimed it was quite common for him to be up until 4am and sleep until about 11. 

Aha!! That is why he felt unrested!!

Much of the focus is on the amount of sleep one gets and not on the time of day/night that they are sleeping. The time of day is actually a very important factor when it comes to the quality of sleep one gets.  As soon as we open ours eyes in the morning, light stimulates our serotonin production by suppressing the production of melatonin, the neurotransmitter needed for sleep. The best thing one can do when one wakes is go to a sunny window and get a full face of natural sunlight. No need for your cup of Joe after that!! However, this can be counterproductive when you are trying to sleep.

The best hours for sleep are from 8pm-7am, because those are the darkest hours. Even if asleep, exposure to light can inhibit your melatonin production, affecting your sleep. If one sleeps much while the sun is up and has thin window coverings, light is seeping in inhibiting one to experience that deep sleep that is ideal. It is said that even the light from an alarm clock can affect one’s melatonin production by stimulating serotonin. This is what was happening with my client. Although he was sleeping enough, half the hours he slept (7am-11am) the sunlight was coming through his thin drapes preventing his from experiencing a deep, healthy sleep.

Many of you following ‘The Marvelous Me Project’ have claimed that getting 8 hours of sleep has been a real challenge this month. Although, it may be a work in progress as we move into our next month’s challenge, focus on getting to bed at a decent time. Investing in some thick, dark drapes or one of those eye masks is also well worth it.  Even if you’re up at the crack of dawn and only able to achieve 6 hours of zzz’s, just make sure they’re good ones!

Let the next challenge begin!!!

Losing Weight, One Drop at a Time

This is a paper I wrote for my Preventative Health Care class over 2 years ago. It may be a dry read for many, but definitely informative. I thought it to be helpful for our Marvelous Me Project - January!

                                        Weight loss products continue to fly off the shelves of both pharmacies and health food stores across the globe. Scientists continue to do countless years of research in hopes of making fortunes with the creation of that ‘magic pill’ that promises to shed those extra pounds without diet or exercise. And over weight consumers continue to be persuaded by clever marketing tactics, throwing away their hard earned dollars only to be disappointed by the broken promises of these drug companies and the rising numbers on their bathroom scales. If only they knew that this ‘magic pill’, has been not only in front of their eyes all along, but is completely free with no side effects. All it takes is a twist of a tap.

                                       It sounds too good to be true. Something as simple as water to help one lose weight, however according to Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Dr. Batmanghelidj, it’s the truth. Dr. Batmanghelidj believes that much of the cause for obesity is that individual’s cannot distinguish the difference between hunger pains and thirst pains. If one could tell the difference, they would reach for that glass of water instead of that bag of potato chips. And many of these poor food choices contribute to more dehydration, causing more thirst pains being mistaken for hunger pains, signaling one to eat more. And the cycle continues.

                            

                                        Water contributes to weight loss in several different ways. In the simplest context, it acts as an appetite suppressant. When consumed, it distends in the stomach, signaling the sensation of satiety. This is much similar to what occurs when consuming fiber. Fiber, when combined with water, expands in the stomach giving the feeling of fullness. Also, evidence has shown that if one consumes 1 glass of cold water 15 minutes before meals, this will prevent one from over consuming when eating. Water of approximately 3-4 degrees celsius causes the pyloric sphincter to shut, trapping the water inside the stomach. Now less food is needed to fill the stomach chamber. Only once the water has warmed to 37 degrees celsius will the pyloric sphincter open and release the water.

                             

                                        Aside from over-eating, weight gain can also be a result of fluid retention and constipation. Many people associate excess water with excess weight, however fluid retention is not caused by the over-consumption of water. On the contrary, water retention is actually a result of dehydration. The body views dehydration as an emergency state and must act accordingly. To reverse this state, the body kicks into survival mode by holding onto and storing every drop of fluid possible. Only once the body is well hydrated will it release the stored water. Many individuals may not even realize they were retaining fluid until they were able to shed excess weight from areas they struggled with for so long. Diuretics can offer some temporary relief by forcing out the stored water, however nutrients are lost as well with this method, creating more of an ‘emergency state’, causing the body to retain more fluids. Therefore, water consumption is the best remedy for water retention and weight gain due to retention. Constipation can be treated the same way. In a dehydrated state, the body will obtain water from wherever possible and the colon is a primary source for this. A dehydrated colon cannot function properly and results in constipation. If one cannot rid of their food properly and develops a back up of waste, naturally they will gain weight. Keeping the body well hydrated will refrain the body from storing or pulling water from internal sources and contributing to complications.

                             

                                        Like all organs in the body, proper kidney function depends on adequate water consumption. The kidneys’ work to cleanse and filter the blood, and rely on water to accurately do this. If the kidneys’ are in a state of dehydration and unable to carry out their responsibilities, the liver must now compensate to assist with the kidney’s duties. This puts burden on an already over-worked liver, causing a chain-reaction and inhibiting the liver to perform properly. The liver’s main function is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy by use of enzymes. If the liver is over burdened, it will metabolize less fat, causing more fat to be stored, resulting in weight gain.

                               

                                        Many people share the complaint of not being thirsty and use this as the reason for not drinking adequate quantities of water. The human body is very intelligent and has learned to adapt to various situations and environments over the last million years. If thirst signals are continually ignored, the body will attempt a different approach for notifying one of their dehydrated state (i.e water retention, kidney failure etc.). However, once supplying the body with the proper amounts of water, thirst signals will ‘turn back on’, notifying when it is in need. The key is to listen to these signals and not misinterpret them for something else. According to The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael Murray, the body needs 32 to 48 oz of water/day. The quality of water is of great importance, however according to Dr. Batmanghelidj, quantity still remains the priority. Although many drinks may contain large quantities of water, many contain diuretics and dehydrating contents that will only worsen ones’ state. For maximum weight loss and prevention of obesity, amongst copious other health conditions, water must be drunk in its purest form.

                                

                                       As the waistlines’ grow, so does the population of obese people creating what some may even call an epidemic. Obesity does not only affect adults but even the un-born due to the rate of obese mothers, creating children with life-long struggles with excess weight and illness. According to the National Institutes of Health, and estimated 300,000 deaths per year are due to obesity. These numbers are ludicrous considering the simplicity of treatment for this disease. Who would have thought that the answer for obesity came from something used everyday. A tool we have come to rely on to do our dirty laundry, clean our dishes, wash our bodies, cook our food, help create our food, provide us with electricity, transport our ships, but for some reason is not multifaceted to heal our wounds. Instead of searching for that ‘magic pill’, realize the magic that flows from your tap.

BIG News!!!

So tomorrow is a BIG day for me! Tomorrow is my last official day as a full time costume maker and as of Wednesday morning I will be a full time Nutritionist!

It has been just over a year since graduating from The Institute of Holistic Nutrition and I have been slowly trying to build my nutrition career ever since. The process has taken me a little longer than I had originally planned, but I do know these things take time.  When looking back on my previous career, it had taken me over 5 years to be where I wanted to be – Cirque du Soleil. So from that perspective, I’m doing alright! Mind you, it will be a little while yet to be where I want to be as a Nutritionist, but tomorrow is a huge stepping-stone on this journey.

Wednesday, my ‘Cooking with Kimmy’ classes start up again, but this session I teach at 4 different school’s instead of 2. I also have 2 elective days that ‘Cooking with Kimmy’ supposedly sold out at! After I deliver the bad news that there will be no sugar ever served in my classes, I will work on getting the kids to like me again with some homemade chocolate! These will keep my afternoons quite busy.

Then, as of Monday January 23, I officially become an employee of Real Food for Real Kids www.rfrk.com. I will be a Lunch Club Coach serving yummy, nutritious food to healthy little tummies around the city. I can’t wait to start!!

Morning’s at Real Food for Real Kids and afternoon’s teaching my own cooking classes; I could not be more excited!!

I wanted to say a special thanks to my boss Jennifer, the Head of Wardrobe at Silver Lining, for all of her support over this past year and a half. Jenn was always super accommodating to my schedule, as crazy as it was at times trying to juggle my cooking classes, a soup program and my costume making duties all at once. At times, it didn’t always go so smoothly so I thank you Jenn, for being so patient and supportive. My experience at Silver Lining Costumes was an amazing one and I definitely felt privileged to be amongst some of the most talented women I have ever met. So I leave, not saying ‘Goodbye’ but instead ‘See you later’. And with me I take great skills, memories, a new liking for jelly-penises and most importantly, new friends. Thank you!

Love Kim – The full-time Nutritionist xoxo

Lesson for the Day: Don't Rush the Process

The Daily Love http://thedailylove.com/, is one of my preferred blogs, full of inspirational stories and loving advice. I really enjoyed today's entry and had to share. Especially since it can be applied to The Marvelous Me Project. You may ONLY be concentrating on drinking water and sleeping enough this month, but yes, it is all part of a much bigger, marvelous process!


 MASTIN'SDAILYDOWNLOAD
My name is Mastin Kipp & I am the Founder of The Daily Love.

I went to see Marianne Williamson speak last night in L.A. - Marianne, by the way, is one of the most authentic teachers I've ever met. We are going to be publishing a brand new blog by her on Sunday; it's an amazing read! Anyway, Marianne is the real deal. She and Tony Robbins are my favorite two teachers at the moment and I'm blown away that I've been able to meet and get to know both of them!

Any-hoo...last night a woman asked Marianne a question and I wanted to share it here. A woman asked how she could move past grieving after losing her mother three weeks ago. Marianne basically said that three weeks is still a fresh time and that because this woman loved so much, it wasn't realistic to think she could move past it so quickly. Marianne said that it's actually appropriate to grieve and that it's not something we want to rush.

And this got me thinking, not just about grief, but also about our spiritual growth in general.

Can you imagine planting a seed in a garden, watering it, giving it everything it needs to grow and then coming back an hour later, or a day later and being devastated that the seed hasn't turned into the plant and created fruit yet? I mean, HOW ridiculous is THAT? It's truly a crazy thought.

We, in many ways, do this all the time. We have planted the seeds of possibility and of our intention in the soil of The Uni-verse - and now we must tend to them and let them grow. Trying to rush the process will actually make it worse. Settling into the process makes things much more enjoyable.

Many of us, especially those in the West are achievers. We are going to do something and we are going to do it well and be the best. And many of us have taken this point of view and applied it to our spiritual path. But that can't fly. We cannot achieve our way towards enlightenment or spiritual growth. It's something we must allow, we must get out of the way of and we must let unfold.

One of the key tenets of The Path is patience. I remember the first time I asked The Uni-verse for patience, I thought I was actually asking The Uni-verse to SPEED THINGS UP! But instead, it slowed things down. And the JOKE was on ME!

I swear I was born in this life just to learn patience. I hate waiting. I really do. I get excited, I get happy, I get all ready to go and then things take twice as long or longer than I thought they would to happen. Heck, I've been doing TDL now for about four years and the blog has been up for about a year. In my mind that is FOREVER... but it's just a blimp in the mind of The Uni-verse.

So, today, if you have planted seeds or want to plant seeds, can you be at peace with the gentle unfolding and growing of what you've planted? Can you tend to it, can you water it, and can you help it along just a little bit day by day? You know, if you improve just 1% a day, in 100 days you'll be 100% :o) Think about that. As we step into 2012 and it starts to get rolling, can we allow things to unfold, instead of trying to achieve our way to happiness? Can we let go and let The Uni-verse arrange our life, instead of just trying to make things happen?

Instead of trying to push our life up the hill, can we allow ourselves to be gently pushed up the hill by angels? The choice is yours. Let me know what you wanna do by leaving a comment or sending me an email at: WhatImGoingThru@TheDailyLove.com

Lots of love,

Mastin

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The Marvelous Me Project - January: More Sleep & More Water

I will definitely be back with more details but I want to give you the basics of getting marvelous this January so you can get started right away!

I know most of you are itching to jump on the tread mill or pump some iron thinking this is the quickest way to results. Wrong! Fatigue causes stress on the body which results in weight gain. And dehydration causes the body to retain water which, yup, you guessed it, causes weight gain. Getting enough sleep and drinking enough water are essentials when trying to shed those extra holiday pounds and get healthy.

Rule #1: A minimum of 8 hours of sleep per night – every night!

Getting enough sleep is probably my biggest challenge. I can cut out the sugar but getting to bed by 10 pm seems near impossible for me. But this is Marvelous Me rule #1. Everything stops a half hour before bed. The computer turns off, the kitchen gets tidied up, teeth get brushed and face washed all in order to be in bed in time. Whatever doesn’t get done, well – has to wait until tomorrow. Now get to bed!

Rule #2: Drink between 2-3 liters of your cleanest source of water everyday!

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this liquid. All of our bodily functions and organs depend on it. It helps to flush out toxins (aka fat) and helps to shed pounds. And not to mention, when you are busy reaching for the H2O, you’re less likely to be reaching for soft drinks, coffees or sugary juices. It a win-win situation. Use a bottle that you are aware of its liquid capacity so you can keep track of how much you are drinking throughout the day. Room temperature is best and when eating, if you must drink at all, make sure water is warm.

These are the basics to getting The Marvelous Me Project started. I will be touch soon with further details about the benefits of sleep and water. However, it is exactly half hour until my bedtime and I am certainly not breaking Rule #1 on day 3!

So You Say You Want a Resolution? Introducing The Marvelous Me Project

During the Songkran festival, which is the Buddhist new year, the Thai’s celebrate by dowsing each other with water. This is to signify a cleansing of the soul/spirit, blessing each with a clean palette and new beginning. The new year is that one time to erase the blackboard and start all over.

Minus the water, we do the same in Canada. We start our new year with many promises on how to better ourselves and let go of old, bad habits. But then February comes around and cracks in our resolution foundation start to appear. It’s the same thing every year, great ideas that only end in disappointment and a return to our same unhealthy ways.

Well, 2012 is going to be different!

When looking at 2012 and my long list of resolutions that have been carried over constantly from the previous years, I thought of a different approach. Inspired by the only book I read for pleasure in 2011 (I know, embarrassing), The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, I came up with The Marvelous Me Project. As The Happiness Project is a fantastic, subtle self-help book about well, how to be happy, The Marvelous Me Project is a guided 12 month program to get healthy. Because true happiness can only be found in good health!

The Marvelous Me Project is broken down to 12 lifestyle changes and 12 dietary changes, 1 for each month. At first glance, and with your January motivation & drive seeping from your pours, this program may seem simple. And the suggestions actually are simple however, sticking to each ‘rule’ for a whole month will be quite challenging. Each month’s goals should produce somewhat of a snowball effect of health. Of course, the main goal of The Marvelous Me Project is to carry forth each month into the next. Continue drinking the recommended amount of water in February, and continue to apply local foods to your diet even in the winter.

Why will 2012 be different? Well, because you have The Marvelous Me Project. But in addition is a nutritionist to consult with throughout. I will supply food suggestions and recipes as well as meditation tips from experts and news of the hottest new fitness classes in the city. Make this February a guilt-free one by sticking to a plan with a focused goal in mind.

Now get your friends on board - together, lets make 2012 marvelous!!

Outline of 2012

January: Sleep & Water

February: Exercise & Protein

March: Laughter & Sugar free

April: Spring Cleanse – Alcohol awareness month

May: Push yourself & Whole grains

June: Grow something & No processed food

July: Get outside & No coffee

August: Yoga & 100 mile diet

September: Meditation & Vegetable madness – 5/day

October: Fall Cleanse

November: 'N' is for New

December: Breathe & 2.5 hour diet

Stay tuned for The Marvelous Me Project - January: More Sleep, More Water