STRESS: The Weightiest Problem For Busy Women

March 30, 2010 By 3 Comments

Did you know that the amount of stress you feel, and how you deal with it, can totally determine whether you lose or gain weight?

My clients are busy women – they work hard, run their own businesses, take care of their family, travel, cook, clean, go to school, volunteer, write, create, take on huge amounts of responsibility and rarely have quiet time for themselves. They are stressed to the max!

The frustrating thing is that many women still find time to exercise on a regular basis and even revamp their diets so that they’re eating better than ever before – and they STILL can’t lose weight.

Here’s the thing: it’s not the amount of exercise (or maybe it IS), or the diet that’s the main problem.

It’s the amount of stress women feel on a daily basis that keeps the weight on.

The amount of constant, low-level stress humans experience on a daily basis is unnatural and new. By “new” I mean recent in human history. Never before have we been bombarded with stimuli like texts, voice mail, cell phones, emails, streaming video, 24-hour news channels, reality television, radio, schedules, alarm clocks, deadlines, and advertising. Up until a few generations ago, we didn’t even have electric lights! We got up with the sun and went to bed with the sun. Ponder that for a moment.

When I work with busy, stressed-out women who constantly focus on how they can’t lose weight, I often put them on a media diet:
- turn off the tv after 6pm
- no tv in the bedroom EVER
- go computer free on the weekends

Besides lowering the amount of tiny stressors like texts and email alerts, learning how to incorporate daily, even hourly, stress relievers will help the body and mind calm down and stop producing the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These two lovelies set the body up to hold on to fat in anticipation of fight or flight – which was useful when we were living in mud huts and gathering our food in the wild.

My favorite ways to relax during the day are:
- look up a relaxtion meditation video on Youtube
- drink a glass of water every hour
- walk around outside for 5 minutes every 2-3 hours
- stretch in the sunlight or while looking out a window every 2-3 hours
- ride my bike while doing my errands (yes, my 3 year old comes too: I have a bike trailer that can fit one kid and 3-4 bags of groceries)

Bi-weekly or monthly stress reduction techniques include:
- massage
- food rub and pedicure
- sitting in the steam room at my YMCA

Take time out for relaxation on a regular basis for easier weight management. In coming newsletters and blog posts, I’ll be writing more about adrenal fatigue, stress and ways to relax into weight loss.

Are you ready for total body transformation and weight loss?

Join me for my upcoming 4 Week Detox Tele-Course starting April 26th!

Here’s to your health!

Alexandra

Filed Under: self care menu, Weight loss, women's winter wellness and weight loss Tagged With:

Healthy In Vegas with Elton John and Perez Hilton

March 22, 2010 By 4 Comments

My clients are as busy as I am.  Meetings, clients, projects, writing, raising children, eating, self-care and sleep, all topped with a healthy dose of travel – oh my!

Staying healthy on the road can be a challenge. This is one of the obstacles I help my personal clients to overcome. Not only do you need to navigate the dangers of the airport food-court, you’ll also be in a strange city with no access to the healthy stores, restaurants and treats you rely on at home. Even your home-away-from-home, wether it be hotel, motel, Holiday Inn, or a friend’s couch, might be a food desert. Ever tried getting something healthy and delicious from a room service menu? Not the easiest feat, I can tell you.

Over the last ten years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world and all throughout the states, united. I’ve mastered the best ways to make sure you always have access to mood, energy and health supportive snacks and meals when you’re on-the-go.

Let me paint you a picture:

You’re in Las Vegas for a fun-filled weekend or work-related conference, and you have tickets to see Elton John. (Lucky you!)

The hotel has three restaurants, but their menus mainly consist of caffeinated ice cream shakes, fried dough, meat, dessert and alcohol. Not exactly a recipe for pretty skin, rejuvenating sleep, and a sharp mind. Instead of relying on what the hotel has to offer, follow these instructions:

1. Rent a mini-fridge from the hotel. Just call when you book your room and ask to reserve a little refrigerator.

2. Go online before your trip and search for health food stores, farmers’ market or large grocery stores near your hotel. Try the following websites to hunt down a decent place to shop, and print out directions from your hotel and a phone number:

http://www.localharvest.org/

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

http://www.organicstorelocator.com/

3. As soon as you have a moment after checking in to your hotel, find the food store you looked up online and go shopping! If you don’t have a rental car, ask if the hotel has a shuttle service or just call a taxi. Choose healthy snacks, pre-made deli meals, fruit, and other bits and pieces that will help you get through your visit. I like to stock up on hummus, baby carrots, bananas, avocados, tortilla chips, whole grain (or gluten-free) crackers, dried fruit, nuts, small boxes of rice milk, and a really good bar of chocolate.

Your mini-fridge and shopping list will save you from relying on late-night BLTs, french fries and other overpriced, low-quality room service “food.”

If you’re overwhelmed with the obstacles to healthy living and vibrant energy you desire, contact me today to talk about how we can work together to overcome those pesky blocks!

Happy, healthy travels!

Alex

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, healthy travel, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Behind The Scenes: MSN.com and Kashi Video Shoot!

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Earlier this year I was approached by the good folks at Kashi Cereal to shoot a video for them that will be posted on MSN.com (click here to see past examples of this series) in early April. The topic for the video was going to be the food-mood connection – perfect! The food-mood connection is a personal passion of mine.

If you’ve read either of my books or seen Super Size Me, you’ll remember that I’ve helped a lot of people balance their mood and energy by adding and eliminating the right combination of foods.

The video was shot at my apartment in Brooklyn, NY on a cold, rainy February day. I invited my gorgeous pregnant friends Helen Darroch and Chloe Jo Davis (head vegan glamazon at Girlie Girl Army.com) to the shoot. We three girls chatted about food and mood while cooking up a delicious pot of Indian Kitchari (keep an eye out for the recipe in my new Vegan Cookbook for Dummies – out this Thanksgiving!) – the video will be amazing, and I’ll let you all know when it gets posted online!

The best part about having a video shoot in your home is that a makeup artist comes over in the morning to make you look great! I also loved having a crew in my house that cleaned up at the end of the day. The director and camera man had lights, sound and moved all the furniture around to create the right look. I have to say I liked what they did with my apartment!

Here’s a behind-the-scenes Energizing Mood tip I used for this video shoot:

On the morning of a big day, like when I have to speak, present or be on camera, I always have a protein-rich breakfast with a little bit of whole grains. My breakfast this morning was sauteed tofu on Ezekiel bread (flourless, sprouted grain bread) with a side of greens! That’s right, some sauteed greens in the morning do wonders for your energy. I felt prepared, centered and my energy remained stable throughout that hectic day – even though my son was up half the night before!

I’ll be shooting another video in early April for a (hush-hush) cooking show, so I’ll let you know about that as soon as I can. Great things are happening right now ~ it’s up to me to get enough sleep, eat right and get some down time so that I can really bring my A-game to all of these amazing opportunities.

Alexandra

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, Food-Mood Connection Tagged With: ,

Join the free webinar and learn about this great program!

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hey ladies,

It’s no secret that I love what I do. I help women lose weight, feel better, heal and get on with their lives in a fun, empowered way.

I wasn’t always so happy with my career path, and for a long time I felt like my every day job was actually hurting myself and others – I mean, who wants to sell bleach to the American public? That’s what I did for a while, and I know a lot of you want your work to reflect your values, just as I did.

Luckily, I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2002. I went from “just getting by” as a healthy foods chef, to running my own successful business that touches thousands of women every week.

The support, business education, and counseling training I received at IIN was key in building the success I’ve found. My health, career and social life have all been profoundly, positively affected by my IIN education, and I know it has done the same for thousands of others.

If you’re curious about this program, how it works, and what it can do for you (no matter WHERE you live – the program is all virtual!) then you should check out the free webinar with special guest Beth Aldrich Tuesday, March 16, 3-3:40PM ET.

Go here to sign up:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/269998288

Filed Under: Uncategorized

The Food-Mood Connection, Part 2: Are You Addicted?

March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

How I Ate Myself Into And Back Out Of Depression

By Alexandra Jamieson

I was 25 years old and I felt tired, cranky, foggy and depressed. Every morning was a struggle, my afternoons were often punctuated with migraines, and every evening I crashed into bed totally depleted. I knew I wasn’t supposed to feel this bad, and I didn’t want to go on this way.

Once I discovered that what I was eating was creating my depression, exhaustion and mood swings, I was inspired to change my career so I could help other women to improve their lives without resorting to drugs, surgery or expensive therapies.  Food addicts, chocoholics, caffeine addicts, and just plain self-described “moody girls” all flocked to my practice – I guess you attract what you know.

A common theme among my clients is they feel compulsively drawn to certain foods again and again. Daily battles unfold where office workers struggle to stay away from the mid-morning double latte, the afternoon chocolate fix, the after-hours grilled cheese sandwich. Working moms find themselves sneaking snacks like chocolate chips, soda or French fries throughout the day – foods they wouldn’t want their kids to eat.

Often these same foods that we crave every day have a deeper hold on our brain chemistry than we realize. Food sensitivities can cause a craving-withdrawal cycle that not only affects your mood, but your waistline. Common foods such as dairy, coffee, chocolate, wheat, corn or eggs may actually be triggering an undiagnosed food allergy, which often leads to addiction to these foods, causing long-term mood disorders.

The human brain will often produce opioids when you eat one of these trigger foods. These same opioids reduce your perception and reaction to pain.  If you are allergic to wheat and diary, eating a grilled cheese sandwich is like taking a tiny hit of a narcotic. Years of constant consumption of these trigger foods lead to addiction. If your body starts to feel withdrawal symptoms because you haven’t eaten wheat or dairy in several hours, it will start to crave those same foods – your body needs its fix!

This allergy-addiction cycle can lead to irritability, migraines, depression, fatigue, constant digestion problems, arthritis and weight gain. Over the last 8 years I have worked with thousands of women to improve their mood and health by making simple dietary changes. Using a food-mood journal, elimination diets, and analyzing cravings, I have successful assisted countless women to identify and eliminate the underlying causes of their food cravings and mood issues.

Filed Under: Food-Mood Connection

Detox Tele-Class Testimonials – Straight From My Members

March 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I’ve just finished my latest 8 week detox tele-class, and I’m feeling bitter sweet about wrapping up. It’s such a pleasure to create a community of women who all want to feel better, find a new path and work to support each other.

My past members are saying great things about the benefits of my tele-classes:

“I lost 10 pounds, have more energy at night to play with my kids and my digestion is so much better! I prioritize myself and my health – that has been key. By focusing on my own health concerns and what I needed to eat my entire family is doing better. I have a bigger chunk of life to enjoy!

This whole process has been really empowering – no more bloating, no more gas, I finally lost that dress size I’ve been working on for ages, have less congestion, and my skin looks better too. ”

- Sarah C, New York City

“I’m most happy about finally being caffeine free. I have less congestion and I notice what foods negatively affect my digestion. I feel less frantic, less rushed, I’m sleeping better and I can think clearer – all this from changing my eating habits!”

- S., Oahu, Hawii

“Working with Alex has been a wonderful experience for me. It’s been wonderful for my husband, too! He’s satisfied and happy with our meals that are based on whole foods. I have a different idea of what health is now.”

- Christine, North Carolina

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Does this look like your shopping cart?

March 8, 2010 By 10 Comments

I was standing in line at the local grocery store after working out at my local YMCA and taking a nice steam bath. I noticed the woman in front of me in the check-out line was also a member at the Y – I had seen her around the stationary bikes before. She was still in her workout clothes and we both smiled and nodded in recognition. Blonde, athletic and slim, this woman seems to be the picture of a healthy American. She just came from the gym!

But when I looked at the food she was buying, my mouth dropped open:

Equal, a plastic lemon, low-fat, non-organic milk, bacon, Pam Cooking Spray and Gatorade.

Does this look like your shopping cart?

The groceries this woman was buying might be shortening her life span and taking her quality of life down a notch. Here’s what I mean:

Equal: AKA Aspartame

In 1996, the FDA approved its use as a “general purpose sweetener,” and it can now be found in more than 6,000 foods. Serious complaints associated with this artificial sweetener:

Depression: In a study of the effect of aspartame on 40 patients with depression, the study was cut short due to the severity of reactions within the first 13 patients tested. The outcome showed that individuals with mood disorders were particularly sensitive to aspartame and recommended that it be avoided by them.

Headaches: Three randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with more than 200 adult migraine sufferers showed that headaches were more frequent and more severe in the aspartame-treated group.

Instead: Try Stevia or Brown Rice Syrup

PAM: Cooking Spray

The oil isn’t organic, meaning chemical solvents could be found in trace amounts in the fatty liquid. PAM also uses propellants, including isobutane and propane, for the spraying action.

Instead: Use your own high-quality cooking oils and buy a refillable pump sprayer

Low-Fat, Non-Organic Milk:

Non-organic dairy cows are given constant doses of antibiotics to ward off infection in their cramped, unclean living conditions, and growth hormones to increase their milk supply. Both antibiotics and growth hormones can be found in trace amounts in non-organic dairy products.

Dairy consumption has been linked with higher rates of prostate and breast cancers, heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. Symptoms of milk-protein allergy include asthma, cough, runny nose, sinus infections and recurring ear infections.

Instead: Use any other plant milk like almond, hemp, rice or soy

PLASTIC LEMONS: pasteurized lemon juice

The Vitamin C or ascorbic acid levels are greatly reduced in this “convenience food,” so you’ll get more flavor and health benefits from a real lemon. Acidic foods like lemon juice can also degrade the plastic and leach chemicals into the juice.

Instead: Try real lemons and juice them.

GATORADE: electrolyte replacement sports drink

High fructose corn syrup, numerous other sugars, and food colorings added to enhance “flavor perception” are just a few of the ingredients in this drink. Skip the mind-bending excito-toxins and added sweeteners.

Instead: Try young coconut water or those little Emercen-C packets and water.

Filed Under: Food-Mood Connection, Hidden Sugars, Women's Health Tagged With:

The Food-Mood Connection, Part 1: My Story

March 8, 2010 By 1 Comment

I was 25 years old and I felt tired, cranky, foggy and depressed. Every morning was a struggle, every afternoon was a blur, and every evening I crashed into bed totally depleted. I knew I wasn’t supposed to feel this bad, and I couldn’t go on this way.

I grew up healthy, full of energy and had a positive outlook on life. Even with a family history of mental illness and depression I had managed to dodge the genetic-bullet and usually felt pretty sunny, even in the wet, grey wilds of Oregon, my home state. Or had I?

Here I was, just starting my career path, and I was scared that the depression that had plagued and debilitated members of my family was finally showing up in me. So I went to a doctor. He wanted to put me on Prozac, saying “It could really help you feel better. You’ll probably have to take it for the rest of your life.”

What? Was my body lacking a prescription drug? That didn’t feel like the right path for me. I knew there had to be another option.

I started listening to Gary Null’s radio show on healthy living daily on my local radio station. I began to suspect that my diet had something to do with my mood and lack of energy. Oh, and the weight gain! I was up to 150 pounds, and I had never weighed more than 135! Something was afoot.

I made an appointment with a more holistic doctor who used Kinesiology, muscle testing, and nutrition as part of his overall methodology. The first thing he asked about was my diet. No other doctor had EVER asked me what I ate in relation to how I was feeling. So, I was honest and told him what my diet was like at that time:

Breakfast: cereal with milk, coffee with milk and sugar

Lunch: fast food, soda, french fries, Subway sandwiches, potato chips, fruit

Snacks: candy, soda

Dinner: pasta, pizza, take-out, soda, alcohol a few nights a week

This wonderful doctor pointed out that I wasn’t eating any fresh food, and that I was literally eating myself into depression, weight gain and fatigue.

Oh. I knew he was right. I had always been a skinny kid and got away with grim dietary habits for a long time because I didn’t put on weight easily. But now I was ready to do something about it.

I had hit bottom, and I knew my food choices were killing me….

*End Part 1

Filed Under: Food-Mood Connection Tagged With: ,

Raw Soup? Awesome taste and detox in a bowl!

March 2, 2010 By 9 Comments

Drinking your vegetables is a convenient and energizing way to eat while cleansing your body from the Standard American Diet. Blending a bunch of veggies together means you’ll eat more heal-giving ingredients in a sitting, and your body will digest them easier. Why is that?

Your teeth have to do a lot of work to chew vegetables well enough to get all the available nutrition out of raw vegetables. By blending the ingredients first, your body will be able to access all those lovely vitamins and minerals more easily.

I love this recipe because the avocado is high in essential fatty acids and you can easily change the flavor by mixing up the herbs and spices mentioned or by alternating between lemon and lime. This also makes a great breakfast! Just trust me – starting your day with raw vegetables instead of a sugary refined carbohydrate will change your energy in a major way.

Ingredients:

1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted and scooped

2 scallions, diced green and white parts

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled if waxy

2 handfuls of spinach

1 small clove garlic

1 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Optional: fresh parsley, basil leaves, cilantro, cayenne powder, almonds soaked overnight in water and drained, etc.

Blend all the ingredients together until creamy – enjoy!

Filed Under: detox recipes, Recipes, Special Diets Tagged With: