Walking Into Holistic Wellness

Today I was thinking about what it means to be fit and well. Mosby’s Medical Dictionary defines physical fitness as the ability to carry out daily tasks with alertness and vigor, without undue fatigue and with enough energy reserves to meet emergencies or to enjoy leisure pursuits. The same dictionary defines wellness as a dynamic state of health in which an individual progresses toward a higher level of functioning, achieving an optimum balance between internal and external environments. I like both of those definitions because being fit and well truly means integrating all of who we are and having enough vital energy to function physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The title of this short article is walking into holistic wellness and I choose this title because I wanted to point out the benefits of something as simple as a daily walking ritual. According to a recent study conducted by the Ochsner foundation in New Orleans, African Americans are at particularly high risk of disease from lack of physical activity.


The major findings:

• On average, African-American men in the study were three years younger than the white men, yet African-American men's fitness capacity was 7% lower than that of white men. The difference is considered significant.

• On average, African-American women in the study were four years younger than the white women. Yet African-American women's fitness capacity was 3% lower than that of white women. This difference is not considered significant.

• African-American men were more likely to be obese than white men: 44% vs. 33%.

• African-American women were more likely to be obese than white women: 37% vs. 27%.

• African-American women were also more likely than white women to be severely obese: 19% vs. 11%.

The study notes that the best predictor for premature death is poor physical fitness. Developing a walking routine takes about 20- 30 minutes of your day and is a great way to start developing overall physical fitness. We must banish the myth that in order to be physical fit you must join the gym or work out with the latest equipment. Walking into holistic wellness is free but the rewards are worth much.

Let me take the time to point out a few of the benefits according to recent research. According to Active.com walking will tone your body, put you on an emotional high and melt away pounds. All you need is the correct technique, walk faster and longer and you will definitely see and feel results. Researchers at the University Of Massachusetts found that people who walked everyday had 25% fewer colds. According to Johns Hopkins University, walking will reduce high blood pressure; the reason for this is that exercise produces weight loss and increased sensitivity to insulin (a hormone involved in the control of blood sugar) which in turn decrease blood pressure. Unfortunately, hypertension in African Americans is quite common, it is something we have come to accept and I say that it does not have to be so. African Americans have a higher rate of death from stroke and kidney disease. My mother died from kidney failure at the young age of 57, but she also suffered from hypertension as well, she never drank alcohol, she never smoked, but she also never exercised and  ate the wrong types of food. Studies are now revealing that hypertension treatment can begin with a lifestyle change and for many that will be the only treatment that will ever be needed. Take the time today to walk into holistic wellness. It will definitely impact your body,mind, emotions and spirit.

Fateria Johnson M.A. CMBFS

Fateria is a NESTA certified Lifestyle And Weight Management Specialist and Holistic Wellness Educator. She welcomes any questions you may have on getting well holistically. She can be reached at naturalhealth@its4yourwellness.com

www.its4yourwellness.com

Healing With Whole Food

As I was doing some research this week about healing foods and I came across fiber, and the importance of fiber in our diet.  Many people today are suffering from ailments that can truly be corrected with the proper nutritional balancing.  The term fiber refers to carbohydrates that can not be digested and fiber acts as an intestinal broom in your system. There are two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble. Our body requires 35 grams or more of fiber a day in order to function properly. 

According to the Linus Pauling Institute,  viscous fiber such as those found in oat products and legumes can lower serum LDL levels and and normalize blood glucose and insulin response. The same study reports that numerous people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes that increased their fiber intake improved blood serum lipid profiles.  As we can see, fiber is a very important element that should be included in our diet on a daily basis.  There are numerous studies that show a link between high fiber intake and the reduction of disease.  When we eat high fiber food, the fiber absorbs the toxins in our body and drives them out with it as it is eliminated.  Since fiber is not digested or absorbed it very beneficial for this purpose.  Cancer, diabetes, diverticulitis, breast cancer, IBS, colon cancer, all of these diseases are positively affected by a high intake of fiber.
Food Serving Fiber.  Studies report that African American Women are likely to die from breast cancer and this same study believes that diet and exercise (or lack thereof) is a contributing factor. Read more about the study on the following link.
http://main.uab.edu/Sites/reporter/articles/81083/

It is truly time to heal our self with whole food.  Processed food is destroying our communities at an alarming rate.  We are truly paying the price for it in the form of these lifestyle diseases that even the experts are realizing the truth about what the underlying causes are.  Disease does not just happen by chance, it is a process that happens as we provide the conditions in our body that welcome these offenders.  Healing will begin with going back to the basics of a whole food diet.  That will provide us with the dietary fiber we need for maximum wellness.



Legumes
                                                        Serving  and amount of dietary fiber in grams(g)
Navy beans, cooked from dried      1 cup            19.1

Split peas, cooked from dried          1 cup           16.3

Lentils, cooked from dried               1 cup           15.6



Kidney beans, canned                    1 cup 13.6

Refried beans, canned                    1 cup 12.1

Cereals and grains

100% (wheat) Bran Cereal             1/2 cup 12.5

Bulgur, cooked                              1 cup 8.2

Pearled barley, cooked                 1 cup 6.0

Oat bran, cooked                         1 cup 5.7

Quinoa, cooked                           1 cup 5.2

Instant oatmeal, cooked                1 cup 4.0

Rice, long-grained brown, cooked 1 cup 3.5

Vegetables

Artichoke hearts, cooked          1 cup 14.4

Spinach, frozen, cooked              1 cup 7.0

Brussel sprouts, frozen, cooked    1 cup 6.4

Winter squash, cooked              1 cup 5.7

Mushrooms, cooked from fresh   1 cup 3.4

Fruits

Prunes, uncooked                   1 cup, pitted 12.4

Asian pear                              1 pear 9.9

Guava, fresh                           1 cup 8.9

Raspberries, fresh                  1 cup 8.0

Blackberries, fresh                 1 cup 7.6

Nuts and Seeds

Almonds                             1 ounce (23 kernels) 3.5

Pistachio nuts                     1 ounce (49 kernels) 2.9

Pecans                                1 ounce (19 halves) 2.7

Peanuts                               1 ounce (33 kernels)


Fateria Johnson M.A. Holistic Wellness Educator

http://www.its4yourwellness.com/

Taking The Wholistic Path To Wellness

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I am sitting here thinking about wellness and our communities. I often get concerned at how people would rather be fixed, instead of just taking preventive measures to maintaining wellness. If we are going to be truly well as a community of people, we must become educated in the Wholistic Path To Wellness. The Barnhart Concise dictionary of etymology defines holistic as the theory that nature produces whole organisms from small units, the term holism and holistic were coined from the Greek word holos meaning whole.

Taking the Wholistic path to our wellness involves looking at our whole self, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It is important to understand how our thoughts influence our actions and the way that we feel in general. When we began to understand the journey to Wholistic wellness we will experience the freedom that comes from making wellness choices that impact our life and the lives of those around us. As we become educated about proper food choices, the benefits of fresh clean air, the effects of spiritual practice and physical exercise, we will become empowered and through this empowerment we enact change. The day has come for us to take charge and to not stand by helpless as diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer and other lifestyle diseases plague our communities.

I remember when my mother was dying, I was not fully educated in ways to help her overcome her illness. I have made a promise to myself and to God that I will share the education that I have gained with others so that they can be prepared in the many battles that we face in life and at least have a fighting chance. One thing that I have learned is that regular herbal detoxification is very important, because it helps to clean out our liver and kidneys and these organs help to filter out the toxins in our body. Toxins are a major cause of disease, as the toxins in our body accumulate in our body we become sluggish and are prone to sickness and disease. In order for us to function properly, we must have clean blood, and detoxifying helps to ensure that this happens.

Medical science tells us that disease can be cured by drugs, when in actuality in most cases what is happening is that you are suppressing the symptoms. Unless you get to the root of a condition (cause and effect) You will most likely suffer from that condition again or a similar condition like it, to truly be healed means not having to rely on an outside substance to maintain homeostasis. To be well is to be free . It is important to take the Wholistic path to wellness and to understand why you are sick in the first place and to trace the cause of the problem and work to eliminate that cause so that the effect will be complete wellness. Always remember these important points (Naturopathy For The 21st Century;Thiel)

1. The body under the normal natural conditions, is a self sustaining organism

2. The theory of health and disease is based on nature itself.

3. The body is governed by definite natural laws with regard to the physical, chemical, biological and physiological basis

4. Ill health, is therefore, as a result of a departure, from healthful living out of harmony with Natures laws.

5. To the degree that man adheres to and applies Natures beneficial laws, to that degree will the body, through its natural inherent powers restore itself to normal.

I hope that something mentioned here will encourage you to take the path to Wholistic Wellness, and to living a life full of vigor and joy that was intended for you from the beginning.

Fateria Johnson M.A. CSMC, CMBFS

http://www.its4yourwellness.com/

Soul food for your wellness

In our African American culture, we have a rich tradition of what we call soul food, golden delicious deep fried chicken, collard greens with fat back, white rice and plenty of gravy, plenty of bread, rich desserts and plenty of sweet, sweet drinks. This brings back a lot of memories for me, unfortunately, I cannot leave out the high rates of obesity in our communities, high blood pressure, diabetes and many other lifestyle diseases that can be prevented with just a few lifestyle changes. According to blackhealthcare.com, Diabetes mellitus is one of the serious health challenges facing the nearly 30 million African Americans.



African Americans with diabetes are more likely than white Americans to experience complications from this disease.

According to the office on minority health,

African Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic whites. In addition, they are more likely to suffer complications from diabetes, such as end-stage renal disease and lower extremity amputations. Although African Americans have the same or lower rate of high cholesterol as their non-Hispanic white counterparts, they are more likely to have high blood pressure.

African American adults are twice as likely than non-Hispanic white adults to have been diagnosed with diabetes by a physician.
In 2006, African American men were 2.2 times as likely to start treatment for end-stage renal disease related to diabetes, as compared to non-Hispanic white men.
In 2005, diabetic African Americans were twice as likely as diabetic Whites to be hospitalized.
In 2006, African Americans were 2.3 times as likely as non-Hispanic Whites to die from diabetes.

As a natural health professional, I understand that under the right conditions the body will function properly. When we provide our body with the proper fuel, we are also providing our cells the needed nutrients to sustain a healthy life. These warrior cells provide the defense for would be invaders. Like any army though, these cells must be properly fed, when we feed our body valuless foods highly processed and laden with refined sugars we make the process of eliminating harmful bacteria a tedious one, and the end result will be dis-ease. A weak immune sytem is one of the major reasons that people get sick, and foods high in refined sugars suppress our immune system function. There is a sugar that I have found and it is called sugar in the raw. It is a raw natural cane sugar, it is not refined.



The refining process removes the vitamins and minerals out and leaves you with pure refined carbohydrates, thats why it is so dangerous. It is an empty or naked calorie, it is pure sucrose. Raw sugar (sugar in the raw) Can be purchased at your grocery store (you may have to look hard) but it is natural and the nutrients remain intact. Sugar in the raw can be used to replace that pure cane refined sugar in your lemonade or ice tea recipes, also use fresh real lemons instead of processed lemon drinks or koolade as these contain hidden sugars and artificial flavorings as well. Lemons have beneficial health benefits that will last a lifetime.



Lets talk about bleached flour and cooking oil, most people when frying chicked use white bleached flour and lots of cooking oil, but there is a better healthier way. Replace that bleached flour with unbleached whole wheat flour, bleach flour is very poisonous because in the refining process, all the nutritous grain is removed. White flour also contains a diabetes causing contaminant called alloxan, alloxan is the chemical that makes white flour beautiful and clean, now is that worth your health?.


According to the Organic Consumers Association, Scientists have known of the alloxan-diabetes connection for years; in fact, researchers who are studying diabetes commonly use the chemical to induce the disorder in lab animals. In the research sense, giving alloxan to an animal is similar to injecting that animal with a deadly virus, as both alloxan and the virus are being used specifically to cause illness. Every day, consumers ingest foods made with alloxan-contaminated flour. Would they just as willingly consume foods tainted with a deadly virus? Unless they had a death wish, they probably would not. Unfortunately, most consumers are unaware of alloxan and its potentially fatal link to diabetes because these facts are not well publicized by the food industry.


Wheat flour is nutritous and I use it for my oven fried chicken recipe. I coat my chicked with the wheat flour, of course I use all natural sea salt and herbal seasoning, fresh garlic powders...no season salt with msg (monosodium glutamate) or table salt. I oil my oven pan lightly with olive oil, no need to drown the chicken, and then I cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes each side...delicious and good for you oven fried chicken and noone even has to know you cooked it in the oven! Taking the time to just replace refined sugars and ingredients in your recipes will greatly impact your overall health, and do not forget after that delicious meal, take a family walk around the block or make time in your daily shedule for some form of exercise. Now, that is soul food for your wellness, stay tuned as we discuss more topics for African American Wellness.



You can contact me @ http://www.its4yourwellness.com/