H ot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, pizza, soda, kool-aid, potato chips, milk shakes, ice cream, cakes, pies, and all foods such as these are friends of your palate, but enemies of your physique. And when the dastardly villains we commonly refer to as the mirror and the scale reveal the result of our consumption, thoughts of“ how did this happen?” come to mind. In a state of panic we make bold proclamations of our commitment to changing from what we see to what we want to see or what we have seen( many years ago). There are two questions that must be honestly addressed before getting started:“ What am I willing to change? How long will I commit to that change?”
For all of us Change, the Big“ C”, is uncomfortable and when we consider undertaking a behavioral change in our eating patterns, things really get debatable. Drastic overnight changes are often short lived and lead to long term failures. Keep in mind that the Roman Empire was not built in a day, and your body will not be transformed in a day either. Small and successive changes over time lead to lifestyle or behavioral adaptations with long-term implications. This concept is useful to all people, from the elite athletes( Olympians and Professional Athletes) to the“ Joe Blow / Janes”( the rest of us). The following is a 12 week plan for success from Kevin O’ Donnell and Loren Seagrave( Founders of Speed Dynamics). I know that you will see and feel notable differences in your life if you commit to the entire 12 weeks.
Weeks
1
Drink More Pure Water
Consume at least three 8-12 ounce glasses of pure water each day. We must provide our body with
enough of this vital resource to perform many essential tasks. Most city water plant attempts to remove the chlorine transforms into hypochlorite, a bleaching agent, within the body. Commercially available home filters can solve this problem.
2
Eat More Raw Fruit and Vegetables
The American Cancer Institute, the FDA and the
USDA encourage everyone to eat a minimum of 4-5 servings of raw fruits and vegetables each day. This gives our body increased complex carbohydrates and provides increased soluble and insoluble fiber, live plant enzymes and antioxidants. Eating canned or frozen products will not meet the“ raw” criteria.
3
Eliminate Alcohol Consumption
When you force your body to ingest poison, your body will work overtime to expel it. Alcohol dehydrates the body and the body recognizes alcohol as a poison. This should be a big“ DUH” for the redeemed and a week that can be omitted, cutting this process down to 11 weeks.
4
Eliminate Aspartame and Foods Prepared With It
Aspartame is a vasoconstrictor that compromises the blood flow to your brain. Once inside your body it cannot be easily expelled, so it is stored. Aspartame breaks down, when heated, to methanol and formaldehyde.
5
Eliminate Caffeine
Would you rev your car for hours at a time while never leaving your driveway? Caffeine and other stimulants affect our nervous system in a similar fashion. Continual stimulation of the nervous system and the adrenal gland with caffeine will make them rev at a level that can, over time, cause them to be depleted of essential biochemicals and simply wear out. Keep in mind that the adrenal gland is the first line of defense in our immune system.
6
Reduced Salt Intake
In extremely rare exceptions, all the salt we will ever need is already in the food available to us. Salt functions as a vasoconstrictor, making it difficult for the body to pass nutrients to needy tissue.
7
Drastically Reduce Simple Sugars, Especially Sucrose
Refined table sugar contains sucrose and has a profound affect on the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and when you consume sucrose the pancreas usually overreacts to the rise in blood sugar by producing too much insulin. This results in rebound hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Additionally, sugar can have a profound weakening effect on the body.
8
NUTRITION
Avoid Sources of Aluminum
There has been a link between intercellular aluminum in the tissues of the brain and the degenerating disease of Alzheimer’ s. Some common sources are canned soft drinks, some antacids and food cooked in aluminum cookware.
9
Eliminate Sodas
Some sodas, especially colas, contain phosphoric acid, which requires the body to neutralize the acidity in order to restore balance. Unfortunately, skeletal calcium is the element used to return the blood’ s acidity to an optional level. The leaching of calcium is a detriment to skeletal strength and can lead to stress fractures( especially for athletes in training).
10
Drastically Reduce or Eliminate Dairy Products
Many adults experience lactose intolerance. The lack of sufficient enzymes to break down the milk sugar lactose leads to this gastric discomfort.
11
Eliminate Preservatives and Artificial Coloring Agents
Food additives have been linked to compromised function of the brain and nervous system and many have been identified as carcinogens.
12
By Tommie Silas
Minimize the Intake of Meat
Meat provides a large contribution to the fat intake in our lives. In addition, steroids and antibiotics used in the breeding of cattle is regularly to the consumer in meat products.
Success with this plan can be reached by adding one step per week as you continue the previous week’ s component. Remember the Roman Empire was not built in a day. But as you commit to a change in your eating behavior, you are committing to a change in your life. Your fitness begins at the table, not on the track.