An Inspiration!

Please check out the following story from an RCI field participant in the "Biggest/Healthiest Loser" - Some of you may know her:

Thank you for supporting my participation in the Breast Cancer 3-Day. I did it! I gave my heart, soul, sweat and tears for three days. I suffered a shin splint but I kept on walking. Why? ...I walked because my son will never know my Tante Voute. I walked for my Tante Janine. I walked because my friend Jacky always makes me smile. I walked for all who bravely fight this disease. I walked because I could and everyone deserves a lifetime.

It was an incredible 60-mile journey and I have so many wonderful memories. If any of you are familiar with San Diego County here is how it started:

Opening Ceremonies were at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. ....and yes it was COLD!!! ...but we were off and walking to downtown Del Mar, followed by the picturesque La Jolla Shores boardwalk, an Elvis sighting before lunch, SDFD Station #13, balloon bouquets in Bird Rock and homemade treats from Bird Rock Elementary School and a local Brownie troop. After a long day of walking we were greeted at Crown Point Shores where "tent angels" helped us pitch our tents. I heard there was a band playing but I was too tired so I took a hot shower....yes we had mobile showers and towel service available. After that I ate dinner and went to bed. Wow...Friday night and in bed by 8:30 p.m.!!!!

I was up at 5:15 am "ish" on Saturday morning ready to hit the trail again. We walked through Point Loma and saw a Pair Tree (a tree decorated with pairs of breast), passed some beautiful homes and sailboats along Sunset Cliffs. All along the route we were escorted by the San Jose and San Diego Police Departments who rode their bicycles beside us. Plus the many people who cheered us on like:

Smile Guy and his daughter Little Grin, the Dancing Ballerinas sang:

"1, 2, 3 Shake your boobies
3, 2, 1 Keep walking till you're done
1, 2, 3 Shake your boobies
3, 2, 1 We're dancing till you're done."

South Beach Restaurant handed out sodas and Kleenex, "Hugs 4 Jugs" passed out water, the Hookers for Hooters walked the streets, the Titi Tavern passed out special treats, dogs dressed up to support the cure at Dog Beach, cheerleaders welcomed us to the lunch stop and Team Tami showered us with pink Gerber daisies on the way out. Bonita Fire Department showed their support and we got a glimpse of reality stardom at a pit stop with Gillian Larson from "Survivor" and other reality shows. Pit stop 4 featured a free hug fairy, and the San Diego Police helicopter cheered us from the air.

Our final day of walking featured the Madcaps mother/daughter group along the SD Channel Bike Path, Surf Cities National Charity League in Heritage Park, a pink Mission Hills Nursery, Roosevelt Middle School cheerleaders, cheering by SD Enforcer's Football League and a serenade from Francis Parker School students. Our incredible journey ended with a celebratory Closing Ceremony at Petco Park.

Because of your generosity and support The 3 day raised over $9 million to help end breast cancer. For more information about the 3-Day and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, visit www.The3Day.org.

A special thanks to my friends Laura White, Lynne Titcomb, and Felecia Walker who were there to help me with my son Max and encourage me along the way. To my "office husband...LOL", Phil Kasavage who was very supportive of me. To Pick-Up Stix Restaurants (Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Hillcrest locations), Jill @ Encinitas Facelogic, and Annette w/The Pampered Chef, who helped me with my fundraisings. Thanks also to my teammates Suzi and Stephanie...we did it ladies!!!

Thank you all for making this possible. Maybe next year, you can join me!

You are Simply the BREAST!!

Love,

Jianie Bernard

Now, here's something you might not know either - we had our OWN, Indy office participant in a three-day, 60 mile breast cancer walk fund-raising challenge:  CHARLENE CHEATHAM!

Hope you're all having a great holiday weekend, and see you all Monday!

Getting Set for a HEALTHY THANKSGIVING!!

Hope you're all committing to your soul the strategies for not only surviving but conquering the Thanksgiving holiday, some of which are:
1. Apportion your plate in quarters - one quarter for meat, one quarter for a hearty whole grain, and the remaining half for veggies.
2. Bring your own healthy options - create a new tradition!
3. Be sure to eat breakfast - making yourself overly hungry can really backfire.
4. Add some workout time for days leading up to and days following the "big day".
5. Throttle down the carb intake some for the days leading up to and following.
6. Let your friends and family know your intentions and be specific in how they can help.
7. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.
8. Control portions
9. Go for that special homemade specialty (in moderation) and skip the store-bought posers.

A couple thoughts from John's high school track coach (Marshall Sellers - Elkhart Central) - 
a. Work works - doesn't get much more simple nor direct than that.
b. Big work works big - duh!

Don't Forget! Biggest Loser Bill Germanakos will be on the NBC morning show tomorrow!! And he will be in a segment on Wednesday evening's "Biggest Loser" where-are-they-now special.

Some Highlights and Key Points from this evening's NBC "BIGGEST LOSER" episode:
1. Amazing progress seen in the gym as the contestants lifted weights and ran at speeds that put them over the edge at the start, but which they handle EASILY now - I bet many of you have your own similar story? 
2. The product plugs on the show are not very classy. All I should say about that.
3. So, did the challenge on the football field remind you of the group discussions we had two weeks ago - pretty amazing, don't you think? I mean, do you think we consulted the producers or something? Maybe ProMotion Fitness is consulting with NBC on the side?
4. It was said that one in three kids in the US are obese. Man - we need to DO SOMETHING! Take what you've learned in the BHL and from your coaches and share it with ALL your loved ones! And take those kids out for a long, fast walk.
5.  Y'all  heard Danny's song, right? Well, did you know he played bass for Donny Osmond once upon a time? That's right - former profesional musician.
6. OKAY - the suspense is over. Wendy and John had dinner with Allen last Wednesday - and now we know he will not be the WINNER of this season - but I gotta tell you, the guy is flat out AWESOME! BTW, he's not only a fireman, but also the Bartholomew County coroner. A political office.....


okay, that's all I got - signing off....you'll have to tell me about Allen on Leno tomorrow.....

PHOTOS from EARN THE BIRD!!

WOW! What a GREAT day in the park! The weather was perfect, the trail pristine, and the company grand as about 40 people joined Coaches Wendy, Brian (Wendy's husband), John, Laura, George and Vanessa. We had children young and not-so-young. We had dogs, we had strollers, we had it ALL!  Following are a BUNCH of pictures, and some commentary.

(Warning - commentary on photos may be 100% factual and accurate, or it just as well might be completely farcical and facetious - readers beware!)

Keith Miller, raring to go - 4th place overall and he's out here EARNING his BIRD!

Coach Brian tried to run hard enough so that Keith couldn't ask too many questions... 

 

UPDATE! PASS THE WORD! EARN THE BIRD!!

Hey, all you RCI Biggest/Healthiest Losers (BHL'ers in ProMotion-speak)!
Y'all having FUN!?!?
Has the pot been stirred with this week's announcement and posting of "ELIMINATIONS"?

Well, the fun just never stops - always one foot in front of the other - always ever upward and onward - moving because we CAN!

Did you get yourself in some of the nifty video shooting going on this week in Vacation Plaza? Sure hope so - great publicity for all that YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED in the past several weeks - and just a preview of what and where we'll be, when and why else....

So - tomorrow, THURSDAY, November 19th, Bill Germanakos, "Biggest Loser Bill" and Mark Koning's very best buddy visits RCI for another dose of inspiration and encouragement, good times and good lessons!

And finally - and this is BIG - tell your loved ones, bring your kids and your dog - to the first annual "RCI/ProMotion Fitness Earn-the-Bird Outing"!! 

Where:  Eagle Creek Park

(that's a big place, so a little more detail please - okay, parking lot just inside the 56th Street entrance)

Date: Sunday, November 22nd (that's THIS SUNDAY)

Time: 2pm (sharp, not "Wendy-Time"), ready to MOVE

Who: ALL of our BHL'ers, ALL of our RCI buddies, ALL of their families, and even their doggies.

What: An "earn-the-bird" adventure through the woods and on the trails - walking, hiking, jogging, running. Hopping, leaping, pushing and pulling. The whole idea is to BURN SOME EXTRA CALORIES ahead of our ritualistic, annual feasting and giving of thanks with family and football.

 

There will be an appropriate pace for everyone - no one will be left behind (and if we get lost, well, we'll have company!)

The weather forecast is a 100% chance of "fun", so let's pass the word and all get out there and have some FUN!!

over and out, 

the BHL Helm.

 

A long article, but worth the read...

Dear Biggest/Healthiest Losers!

Right back at you with another interesting post. We've talked a lot about MUCH of the stuff in the following article. If you haven't been listening to Coach Wendy or Coach Chris or the other ProMotion Coaches, maybe  you'll heed this report from Johns Hopkins Research Hospital (and you've ALL heard of them!)

Date: Sunday, October 11, 2009, 10:41 PM


  John Hopkins Update - Good article

  AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY',
  BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY
  STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY...

  Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

  1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not
  show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few
  billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer
  cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable
  to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable
  size.

  2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's
  lifetime.

  3  When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be
  destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

  4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple
  nutritional deficiencies.. These could be due to genetic, environmental,
  food and lifestyle factors.

  5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and
  including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

  6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and
  also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow,
  gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver,
  kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

  7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages
  healthy cells, tissues and organs.

  8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce
  tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not
  result in more tumor destruction.

  9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and
  radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the
  person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

  10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and
  become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer
  cells to spread to other sites..

  11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by
  not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply..

  *CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

  a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one
  important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like
  NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is
  harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses,
  but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make
  it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

  b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-int
  estinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and
  substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

  c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is
  acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef
  or pork... Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and
  parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

  d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds,
  nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment.
  About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices
  provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular
  levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.
  To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh
  vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat som e
  raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures
  of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

  e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea
  is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to
  drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals
  in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

  12.. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive
  enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied
  and leads to more toxic buildup.

  13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from
  or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of
  cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer
  cells.

  14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence,
  Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the
  bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.. Other supplements like
  vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the
  body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded
  cells.

  15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.. A proactive and
  positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger,
  un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic
  environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax
  and enjoy life.

  16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising
  daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular
  level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

  1. No plastic containers in micro.

  2. No water bottles in freezer.

  3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

  Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters.. This
  information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as
  well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins
  are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your
  plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the
  plastic. Recently, Dr... Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at
  Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He
  talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should
  not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This
  especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the
  combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food
  and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using
  glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food
  You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV
  dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc.., should be removed from the
  container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't
  know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning
  Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food
  restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin
  problem is one of the reasons.

  Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as
  dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the
  food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out
  of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel
  instead.

  This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.

See you soon, in the Fitness Center, on the trail, in the pool, with sweat and possibilities....


 

WEEK EIGHT !!!

Hey, Biggest HEALTHIEST Loser Gang - here we are, the end of Week Eight!

Pretty cool - four to go - and that's not LONG! Time to start thinking about the "home stretch run" and how to fine tune, step up, and put forth your very best effort.

Here is a great recipe from Corky Aiken - not playing BHL but still a supporter and watching all the great progress all of you are making along the way.

Scrambled Egg and Black Bean Burrito Filling Makes enough for 4 medium sized burritos
I am not sharing my sourdough tortilla recipe today, but it’s similar in a lot of ways to this recipe. As I was sharing this with my three year old, I made it quite mild. But you could easily add a bit more spice to this filling by adding just a bit of something like red pepper or cayenne pepper. Even better, you could  serve this with a salsa, sour cream, or hot sauce. Oh, and the black beans discolors the eggs. If that bothers you, cook the eggs separate.

2 teaspoons ghee, butter, coconut oil, or olive oil 1/4 cup of chopped onion 1/4 red pepper, chopped 1 small clove of garlic 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans 3 eggs, lightly whisked

1-In a small saucepan, heat the ghee until. Add the onion and red pepper and lightly salt. Cook until the onion and red pepper are very soft and sweet. If they start to brown, turn down the heat. You want to mostly soften, not brown. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute.
2-Add the black beans (you can add a bit more ghee or oil if needed), and cook until heated through. Then add the eggs. Scramble the eggs with the rest of the ingredients. I like to use a fork for this task. Salt to taste, and it’s done!

Now, when I make this one, I substitute egg whites for the eggs (I'd use 5-6 whites in place of the 3 whole eggs in the recipe).

A bit of a surprise that we didn't crest that mystical ONE TON (as in Singleton) mark last week - perhaps THIS WEEK? We do know many have gotten over the hump and are losing nicely again.

And for goodness sakes, we do hope and pray that you've all been out enjoying this fine weather we've been blessed with - one truly should take advantage of every day like today with outside fun and games and sweat and effort.

yours in health and possibilities,

The ProMotion BHL Staff (Wendy, John, Chris, Laura, Nicole, Tom, Vanessa, Sarah and George)

"ROACH SOUP" and Inspiration

Roach Soup:

Here’s a fabulous, flexible, and nutritious vegetarian soup recipe:

Start with the dried beans from 1 bag of 15-bean soup.  (Throw the seasoning away…WAY too much sodium!)
Soak the beans overnight, OR cover the beans with water, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let sit at least an hour.  Pour off the water, add more fresh water and simmer.  (You can also use low-sodium vegetable broth.)

While the beans are simmering add your choice of veggies.  Some of our favorites:

Fresh Roma tomatoes
Canned cubed tomatoes (you can get the low-sodium version)
Diced:  Celery, green pepper, carrots, onions
Mushrooms
Spinnach (fresh or frozen)

Season to taste.  We like these:  Garlic, Mrs. Dash, curry powder, pepper blend

Try to avoid these veggies as they are very high in carbs:
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Corn

Simmer until the beans and veggies are tender.

We used a big pot and a serving-size of 2 cups.  Our pot made 11 servings at about 230 calories per serving.  The protein and fiber make it very filling so you don’t get hungry very quickly.

And the following  missive is from Coach Nicole, Orange Team: Great inspiration for all of us!

Last week I started telling you about What to Eat by Luise Light, .S., Ed.D.  I summarized the first 5 guidelines, which are in line with what Jodi Smith (our nutritionist) told us during the past two weeks and are as follows:

1)      Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
2)      Eat whole-grain pasta, rice, breads, and cereals.
3)      Eat certified organic foods.
4)      Eat natural fats/avoid synthetic fats (trans fats)
5)      Avoid refined starch and sugars.

The following is the next five guidelines as listed in Luise’s book:

     6)  Eat wild fish and meat and eggs from range-fed, antibiotic-and hormone-free animals.   – Luise states that eating more protein and fewer carbohydrates may help you lose weight more efficiently. Toxins are stored in the fatty skin and tissues of animals (as they are in our bodies) so you will consume fewer toxins and fewer calories when you choose leaner protein foods.  Wild fish from the sea are preferable to farm raised fish because they are less likely to contain heavy metals and pesticide residues.
  
     7)  Eat several good sources of calcium. – She states that good sources of calcium are milk or cheese, canned fish with soft bones, leafy greens such as kale, mustard greens, turnip tops, and bok choy, tofu (if made with calcium sulfate) and tortillas made with lime-processed corn.  Read each ingredient and nutrition label to ensure that the foods provide at least 150mg of calcium per serving.
  
     8)  Avoid too much salt and salty foods. – Americans consume twice as much salt daily as is recommended by leading health experts.  In Britain, American food manufacturers (Heinz, Kraft, McDonald’s) have reduced the sodium content of their foods in response to a government campaign to reduce sodium consumption by one-third.  Why isn’t our government doing the same?

     9)  Avoid processed and additive-rich foods. – AVOID when possible Artificial food colors, Nitrates, Sulfites, MSG, Food preservatives, Synthetic flavors, food waxes, plastic packaging, heat-processed soy, and Genetically modified foods.  The reasons are too numerous to list here, so read the book for more info.

   10)  Drink plenty of clean, filtered water. – Water is the most abundant essential substance your body needs. 70% of our bodies are made up of water, and all the chemical reactions continuously underway in our tissues and cells must take place in a watery environment.  Don’t wait until you feel thirsty because that is a late signal of your body’s need for water replacement.

Other Health Promoting Habits Luise recommends:

Eat Moderate Portion Sizes
Exercise Daily
Get Enough Sleep
Use Fresh Herbs and Spices Often and Natural Supplements as Needed


Let’s keep our energy high for week 7…keep striving toward the goal!

namaste,

Wendy, John, Chris, Nicole, Laura, Tom, Vanessa, Sarah and George

 

Here's what's comin' at you...

Here we are in Week Seven. We are having our First Elimination Week! A list of nominees will be sent out shortly, and the deal is you vote for two (2) of the nominees on your color team. Votes must be in by the end of working hours on Friday.  There will be another Elimination Week during Week Ten.

(It is almost eerie how some of those on the nomination list FINALLY made contact with their coach this week, almost as if they sensed what might be coming up!)

As a reminder - those who are "eliminated" can still participate with their coach, get weighed in, etc. They all go onto the  "Eliminated" Team. And the Biggest/Healthiest Loser from that team also wins!

Also, this week we have our health psychologist, Dr. Ari Gleckman, speaking at each of the group sessions - you will NOT want to miss him!

We are taking tee-shirt sizes: If you haven't given your tee-shirt size to George during your weigh in, make sure you get it to us quickly so we can attempt to get you the proper size.

Lastly, if you have had thoughts on "so what comes next?", we hope you've shared those during "Idea Week". It would be helpful to send to John and Wendy as well.

Yours in health,

your BHL Coaches (Wendy, Chris, Laura, Nicole, Sarah, Vanessa, Tom, George and John) 

"Benches aren't just for sitting!"

That quote above is from Coach Chris, and here is Coach Chris demonstrating! He lead some of his Yellow Team members in a jog/hike/exercise session through Eagle Creek Park this morning that was flat-out glorious!

 

This is what the park looked like this morning - cool, sure, but sunny and full of fall colors and smells and feelings.

 

 

Christian, Coach Chris' offspring, joined us, conspiring, perspiring and inspiring all along the way.

Here is the crew at the start, receiving some instructions and "what have I gotten myself into today" from The Coach.

 

After a little warm-up jaunt, we all paused for some light stretching. The "real" fun was just up the trail!

 

Making our way along the trail to the next station - we walked, we jogged, we hopped and skipped. We sweat, we swore, and we rejoiced.

 

Oh yes, Christian had FUN. He liked to be in the lead (imagine that!)

 

Our smiling, happy, warm, accomplished crew at the finish! Thanks to Coach Chris for organizing and leading our fun, and thanks to the YELLOW TEAM for coming out for a little adventure. (And thanks to Christian for constant, beautiful reminders of why one should strive to remain young at heart).