Living Our Life by Design

Slave to Your Genes or Master of Your Destiny?

2012-03-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

When Watson and Crick discovered the DNA molecule in 1953 they proclaimed, “We’ve found the secret of life!” It sparked over six decades dedicated to the pursuit of uncovering the genetic cause of disease.

We were told The Human Genome Project would map our DNA and tell us of the grave future that lay ahead. Thankfully, Big Pharma had plenty of chemical solutions to keep us alive and ticking.

The results? Well, let’s just say they’ve fallen quite short of the hundreds of billions invested. In 2009, 27 prominent geneticists published a paper in the journal Nature acknowledging they had discovered no more than a fractional genetic basis for disease.

It's not that genes don't matter; it's that they don't predetermine your life. Only a small percentage of disease is "purely" genetic. Bruce Lipton, a former Stanford cell biologist and author of The Biology of Belief, suggests less than 5% of our known diseases are genetic.

Genes play a role in all body function, as they are the blueprint for creating proteins, the basic building blocks for hormones and other important molecules. It is estimated one gene makes up to 30,000 different proteins. This means, for the vast majority, having a certain gene does not necessarily default them to having a particular disease condition.

How those genes are expressed are a result of our lifestyle choices and stressors. It is our environment that is the primary determinate in the way our genes are expressed. How we live, eat, move, think, the quality of our neurological function and the toxicity of the world around us form the basis of our quality and quantity of life.

It's why twins with identical genetics can have different health levels, so much so that one can develop disease once thought purely genetic and the other live well and vital. As Dr. James Chestnut says: "You are the genetic expression of your lifestyle choices."

New research in the field of Epigenetics shows that even our grandparents’ food choices may affect not just the health of their children but that of their grandchildren! Amazing.

What can be controlled is your choices.

The limiting factors for healing and attaining optimal health are time and how much damage has been done with genes turned on in an unhealthy way. And only time will tell what the body is truly capable of.

This is the foundation of Life By Design. Identify what the body needs and then create a lifestyle around fulfilling all those requirements for a period of time, preferably a lifetime.

Essential Supplements

2011-08-18T10:22:00.004-04:00

The first step to living Life By Design is to re-establish and maintain a clear brain-body connection through specific chiropractic adjustments. Once the body starts learning to better adapt to physical, chemical, and emotional stresses and starts to increase its resistance and resilience, then it is time to start thinking about making lifestyle changes that will provide your body with the best possible building blocks. Having a clear brain-body connection is absolutely paramount to living a healthy life. However, if you are not providing solid building blocks through which that connection can work then you will only get so far.

As the next step to Life By Design, we are going to recommend that you begin to supplement your diet with a few things. Even though Eating By Design provides an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, there are some things that our modern-day lifestyle and current food sources don’t provide.

1. Vitamin D: Vitamin D is crucial for bone growth, development and strength. It is also responsible for the regulation of over 20,000 genes and is highly proclaimed for its amazing cancer-fighting abilities. The most natural way for us to obtain adequate amounts of Vitamin D is through exposure to direct sunlight. However, since we live so far from the equator and since most of us have jobs that keep us indoors from 12 pm – 2 pm, and since we have cold winters and the idea of sitting outside with our shirts off at noon on a January day is ludricrous, then we need to supplement with Vitamin D.

The best way to know how much Vitamin D you need is to first determine what your blood levels of Vitamin D are currently. You can do this through a simple blood test at LabQuest. For optimal health your Vitamin D levels should be between 50-80 ng/mL for adults and children. Unfortunately, most of us fall seriously short. Therefore we follow the Vitamin D Council’s recommendations and guidelines for supplementation.
· Healthy children under the age of 1 yr – 1,000 IU/day
· Healthy children over the age of 1 yr. – 1,000 IU per 25 lb of body weight/day
· Healthy adults and adolescents – at least 5,000 IU/day
· Pregnant and lactating mothers – at least 6,000 IU/day

Additionally, children and adults with chronic health conditions such as autism, MS, cancer, heart disease, or obesity may need as much as double these amounts.

2. Fish Oil (Omega 3’s): EPA and DHA are specific types of polyunsatured omega-3 fatty acids. Your body cannot produce these fatty acids – you must get them from the food you eat or via supplementation. EPA and DHA are natural anti-inflammatory agents, and as such, play a role in brain health, heart health, protection against cancer, Alzheimer’s and depression, improvement of skin conditions like psoriasis and acne, fetal brain development, inflammatory bowel disorders, and arthritis, to name a few. Our typical (non-By Design) diets are rich in another type of pro-inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acid called omega-6. When our dietary intake of omega-6′s far exceeds our intake of omega-3′s, our bodies experience a wide range of negative
consequences, all with the underlying cause of increased systemic inflammation. Minimizing dietary intake of omega-6 fatty acids, and supplementing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, helps to reduce inflammation, and the wide range of downstream effects.
If you are new to Eating by Design then we recommend no longer than a 3 week period of super-saturation with Omega-3’s to help your body quickly restore the Omega-3 : Omega-6 balance. To determine how much fish oil you will be taking during those three weeks, visit the Robb Wolf Fish Oil Calculator at and enter in the factors such as your current weight, the EPA and DHA values of your fish oil, the dosage and your health factor. If you are new to Eating by Design and you previously have been eating the typical Western Diet of nutrient-deficient foods, you are overweight, inactive and/or ‘sick’ then you will choose a factor somewhere between 0.75 – 1.0. Follow this dosage for a MAXIMUM of 3 weeks before returning yourself to a maintenance level. Fish oil in liquid form typically has higher EPA and DHA values and therefore doesn’t require that you take as much. We really like Carlson Labs brand.
Please remember, no amount of fish oil makes up for poor food choices, under or over exercising, and poor lifestyle choices. So, use the 3 weeks that you are taking a large dose of fish oil to clean up your lifestyle. Start Eating by Design, Moving by Design and maintaining a clear brain-body connection.

3. Probiotics: The health of your intestinal tract plays a huge role in your overall health and immune function. It is absolutely essential that you maintain a digestive tract that is abundantly populated with “good” bacteria (gut flora). Not only does healthy gut flora contribute to digestive health, but it also contributes to immune function and overall levels of health and vitality. If you have ever taken an antibiotic in your life, chances are you have depleted your gut flora. Probiotics are a great way of rebuilding and maintaining healthy gut flora. We recommend you begin taking a broad spectrum probiotic with a high “live” count. You can’t overdo it on probiotics. Your body will simply pass along what it doesn’t need.

New Health Care Model is Making Waves: Local Doctors on Board

2011-08-18T09:09:00.003-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dr. Jodi Parsons
2 Pages 946 Lake Rd., Suite 102
Avondale, PA 19311
610-925-2572

New Health Care Model is Making Waves: Local Doctors on Board

(July 26th, Avondale, PA.) Drs. Greg and Jodi Parsons, health & wellness experts from Thrive Chiropractic Studio, have recently become certified Life By Design Doctors. Life By Design is a new health care model that is making waves and helping people transform their health far beyond expectation.
With statistics showing we are less healthy than 50 years ago, more medical doctors, nurses and money do not seem to be the answer. Dr. Greg Parsons notes, “The current sick care model is great for emergency and palliative care, but it has nothing to offer for health. How can drugs and surgery be the solution to a problem that is lifestyle-related?”
“Life By Design is a four-step program to reclaim your health and start living the life you deserve. Nerve System Health, Eat, Move and Think By Design,” said Dr. Jodi Parsons. “I’ve been nothing short of amazed at the benefits people are experiencing.”
There are now certified offices being opened worldwide. Even non-clients can learn the “how to’s” by tuning in to the weekly radio show broadcast or catching the podcast on itunes.
Certified offices practice a unique brand of chiropractic care aimed at restoring function to the spine and nerve system. “This is where our approach is different from others. We begin with the Brain – Body Connection as it forms the basis for all other body functions. People get more out of the other steps when the body’s communication highway is clear,” explains Dr. Jodi.
In addition to this foundation, Life By Design Doctors teach three programs called Eat, Move and Think By Design. The fundamental principle is based on learning to live a lifestyle that mirrors what the body is designed for.
“Our body is clearly designed to be well, yet very few people reach a level they are happy with or even begin to approach their full potential. If we can live congruently with our natural state, the normal result will be health. We are excited to be practicing a model that has the potential to make a massive impact on our country’s health crisis.”
Drs. Greg and Jodi Parsons are accepting new clients ready to begin the Life By Design program and are busy teaching the Eat, Move and Think By Design Modules at various locations within the community.

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Editor’s note:
Anyone wishing more information may contact Dr. Jodi Parsons, whose office is located at 946 Lake Rd., Suite 102, Avondale, PA 19311 (610-925-2572).

Average vs. Normal

2011-08-17T13:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, there is a difference. Just because something is average, doesn't mean it's normal. And, just because something is normal, doesn't necessarily mean that it's average. What am I talking about? Here are a few examples.

Blood Pressure: The average blood pressure for adults is 120/70. How did they come up with that number? Well, they took the blood pressure of ALOT of people and determined what the average was. But, is 120/70 normal? Not always. When someone is experiencing alot of pain, their blood pressure will rise. Is that bad? No. It's a perfectly reasonable adaptation by the body in response to an intense stimuli (pain, in this case). What about the blood pressure in someone who was recently exposed to environmental stimulants or toxins (i.e. tobacco smoke)? Would it make sense that that person's body will raise the blood pressure in an attempt to clear the toxins from the system faster? So, while an elevate blood pressure in this case is not "average", it is by all means "normal" for that person at that time.

Weight Gain: When is it normal for a woman to gain 1-2 pounds per week for a period of 20-30 weeks? How about during pregnancy? It's perfectly normal and healthy for a woman to gain weight at this rate during their pregnancy. Is it "average"? No, not at all. But it is "normal."

Fever, swollen gums, mucus production, and drooling: When is this average? Never. It is never average for anyone to experience these symptoms. However, when is it normal? These are the normal responses that a toddler undergoes as they are cutting teeth, aren't they? The fever is present to help prevent bacterial infection as the tooth pokes through the gums and exposes the body's internal environment to the external environment. The swollen gums and mucus production are a softening of the gums and a breaking down of healthy tissue to allow the tooth to poke through. The drooling is the result of the increased production of saliva to flush the mouth clean, thus cutting down on infections. See? So, even those these natural responses of the body are not "average" they are "normal."

Why do I bring this up? Well, because so much of Conventional Wisdom is focused on keeping us "normal," when really they are trying to keep us all "average." But what happens when the average changes? Currently, the average weight for an adult male is 189.9 lbs. The current average weight for an adult woman is 162.9 lbs (according to the National Center for Health Statistics based on a survey from 1999-2002). However, in 1960 we were all, on average, 25 lbs. lighter. But, should 163 lbs and 190 lbs be our goal? NO! Just because the average weights are what they are, does that mean that you are healthier at that weight than at other weights? NO. In fact, if you just take a brief look at our current health status, we are far unhealthier as a nation now then we were in 1960. And, most of the diseases that are plaguing us today are largely due to poor lifestyle choices and obesity. When it come to weight, you most certainly DO NOT want to be average. You want to be NORMAL -- whatever your normal is.

When you live your Life By Design, your body has no option but to be NORMAL. As you remove the foods that are toxic and poison to your body, as you add in foods that are incredibly nutrient-dense, satisfying, and are meeting the genetic requirements of your body, as you begin to Move By Design, and as you establish and maintain and clear brain-body connection, your body will naturally settle out at what is NORMAL for you. And I can say this for sure...It won't be AVERAGE!

So, go! Be extraordinary!

Living on Principle

2011-07-25T15:06:00.005-04:00

Living on principle

“As a human being you have no choice about the fact that you need a philosophy. Your only choice is whether you define your philosophy by a conscious, rational, disciplined process of thought and scrupulously logical deliberation – or let your subconscious accumulate a junk heap of unwarranted conclusions, false generalizations, undefined contradictions, undigested slogans, unidentified wishes, doubts and fears, thrown together by chance, but integrated by your subconscious into a kind of mongrel philosophy and fused into a single, solid weight: self-doubt, like a ball and chain in the place where your mind’s wings should have grown.” ~ Ayn Rand

I would wager that most people would find that quote very powerful and true. I would also wager that in the same breath they would think to themselves: "What (if anything) does philosophy have to do with health and life?"

Make no mistake: the world health crisis is a philosophical one, particularly derived from the main branch of philosophy -- Metaphysics.

Most people link the idea of philosophy to a Sunday afternoon activity usually involving coffee or tea with a friend. We get together and “philosophize” and then return to “the real world” on Monday with no significant impact on our lives. Even this idea itself is based on a philosophy (the philosophy of Immanuel Kant).

Here are some others:
"What a terrible thing for that person to do, but he couldn't help it. He is only human." (Augustine)
"It might be true in theory, but not in practice." (Hegel)
"Don't be so sure; you can't be sure of anything." (Kant)

The point is: philosophy is vital in the world and you have accepted bits and pieces of various philosophies.

Health and wellness are no different! When most people think of losing weight they think that they have to do more “cardio”. People think that eating whole grains is different and better than eating refined grains, that health can be found in a pill bottle, and that getting older is synonymous with aches, pains, and arthritis. All these ideas are based on incorrect philosophies on health.

Life By Design is a also a philosophy. It is based on the exact opposite principles and ideas than the current “sick” care model. It is in this gap where success lies. By following correct principles, results (more health, vitality, energy, less medication, less illness and less disease) are a natural extension. If the “sick” care philosophies were correct, wouldn’t we see similar results? Instead we are sicker and more diseased than ever before.

The problem is not a shortage of doctors, not enough hospitals, or too many bacteria. The problem is simply philosophical. The next series of newsletters will discuss where the errors in current medical philosophy are, and how they are contributing to symptoms, sickness, and disease. I will also share with you how the Life By Design philosophy perceives the same circumstance and how it has led to success after success worldwide.

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOUR PAIN!

2011-07-14T08:18:00.005-04:00

I wish I could say that this was the last time I was going to say this, but I know I'll be saying it for the rest of my chiropractic career. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOUR PAIN! Our purpose as chiropractors is NOT to help you feel/experience less pain. If that is all you want, then may I suggest an aspirin?

The purpose of chiropractic is to help you to experience your FULL health potential. To help you experience more LIFE. To allow you and your family the opportunity to tap into the limitless energy, wisdom, and intelligence that you already possess. Did you know that the intelligence that created and formed you from two cells and directed your development from nothing more than a blob of 64 cells to who you are today still resides in you? That power didn't leave you the minute you were born. It's still there, waiting to be unleashed again to perform feats and miracles in your life. Did you ever sit back and watch a newborn baby learn to roll over? How did it know what to do? Did somebody teach it to roll over? Did somebody give it a supplement, pill or therapy to get it to roll over? NO! That baby's inner (innate, inborn) intelligence already knew how to do it. When the time was right and all the proper muscles were developed, the baby rolled over. Not before, and not after that baby was ready. The principle applies to learning to walk, or talk, or any of the other developmental milestones.

So, why babies and children acquire new skills and learn to do things almost automatically and we, as grown ups, are stuck with pain, headaches, backaches, poor digestion, you name it? Well, the simple answer is that that baby or child is living more By Design than most grown ups. Their little life is less cluttered, they have less toxic build up in their bodies, they have been exposed to fewer mental, emotional, chemical and physical stresses. In short, they are connected to their innate intelligence at a more basic level and they have fewer interferences getting in the way of that connection. It is easier for a child/baby to express their full health potential.

However, as we age and live our lives, we encounter multiple chemical, physical, and mental stresses every single day that cause us to partially lose our connection with our innate intelligence. We have more and more opportunities to create interferences in our lives that prevent us from reaching our full potential. Thus, we experience aches, pain, distracted thought, asthma, indigestion,...and on and on....

The purpose of the chiropractic adjustment is to remove some of the interferences that we have created in our bodies that are blocking the full expression of life. The purpose of Life By Design is to remove some of the interferences that we have created in our behavior that are blocking the full expression of life. So, whether you continue to feel pain or not is not our concern. We are more concerned with helping you to change your behaviors (Eat By Design, Move By Design and Think By Design) while we remove the interferences in your nerve system (Brain-Body Connection) so that you can experience the fullest amount of LIFE.

Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-07-11T11:25:00.003-04:00

Okay. You've heard me mention pumpkin pancakes and now here is the recipe. I originally found this recipe and have modified it a bit. These are a HUGE favorite in our house.

5 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1-2 Tbsp almond butter
1+ tsp. pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or allspice for flavor

With a mixer, mix everything together and cook in a frying pan over medium heat. These taste great on their own, or you can top them with butter or fruit spread. I've even used left over pumpkin pancakes to make a "peanut butter and jelly" sandwich for the kids' lunch. However I used almond butter and fruit spread. So GOOD!!!

The Contrast Principle

2011-05-16T15:10:00.006-04:00

Okay, I admit it. I'm not perfect. No one is. I try, but I always fall short - and probably always will. And so will you. But it's okay. I strive to be By Design at least 90% to 95% of the time (or more), realizing that if I only achieve 85% I'll still experience 95% of the benefits. But, there are times when it's hard for me to Eat by Design. Or, more honestly, when I just flat out choose not to.

This weekend was one of those times for me. If I'm going to go off-track (an off-track meal is one that is NOT By Design), chances are it will be with sugar. I can forgo the breads, pastas, rices, potatoes, chips, etc. with really no effort at all. However, sugary snacks like candy, cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, candy bars, chocolate, etc. require a lot more restraint on my part. Well, this weekend was one of those weekends where I just didn't restrain myself too well at all. I can blame the time of the month, I can blame stress, there are a lot of excuses that I can give for why I went so off-track this weekend, but none of them really matter - and they aren't really the point of this post, either. The short story is, I went off-track several times this weekend. I even ate a few dinner rolls and I haven't even been tempted by bread for about 6 weeks now.

I wasn't totally off-track. All of my meals this weekend were By Design. It was the snacks in between the meals that weren't. I still trained. In fact, I put up my heaviest weights to date this weekend. For example, in the seated incline leg press, I lifted 435 lbs! I deadlifted 110 lbs., and benched 105 lbs.

Anyway, back to my point. After a weekend full of sugar like I had, I have to tell you, I feel like crap today. I'm slow, sluggish, my brain is kinda foggy, I feel hungover. I have a sugar hangover. I can only imagine what is happening to my insulin levels. YIKES! I have a mild, dull headache and I'm hungry. I actually woke up hungry this morning and I haven't done that since I began eating By Design. I mean, I usually don't eat my first meal of the day until about 12 or 1 pm. So for me to wake up hungry and to be hungry all day definitely clues me into the fact that my body chemistry has changed.

While I'm not proud of the decisions I made regarding the foods I ate this weekend, I am grateful for 2 reasons. First, it is the perfect way to illustrate The Contrast Principle. What's The Contrast Principle, you might ask. Well, I'll tell you. For so much of my life (particularly the last 7, almost 8, years of my life since I first got pregnant) I had grown accustomed to eating, moving, thinking and doing the same way. As a result, I got accustomed to feeling a certain way that was totally 100% congruent with the choices that I was making for my health. While I didn't feel 'bad', I wasn't 'sick,' I wasn't in pain, and I didn't have a specific complaint or concern, I just didn't feel great. But, I became so used to feeling that way, that I didn't even notice it. Sick was my normal and I didn't even know it! However, after following the Life By Design principles for the past couple of months, I began to set a new normal for myself. I got healthier and began to reset my body chemistry. 'Healthy' was becoming my new normal. So, when I went off-track like I did this weekend, I was re-exposed to how I had been feeling before without even realizing it. Am I making sense? It took me going back to my old way of living and feeling to realize how much I appreciated my new way of living.

The second reason for my gratitude is this: I never believed I had a problem with a high carbohydrate diet. I have never had any indication of difficulty with insulin resistance, in 3 pregnancies I never once had to worry about getational diabetes, my blood pressure has always been low to normal, etc., etc. Generally speaking, I thought that I could eat whatever I wanted and it wouldn't affect me. However, after being on a high protein, moderate fat, low carbohydrate diet for so long, I can say with absolute certainty that high carbohydrate intake affects me! I am feeling it today. I needed this. I needed to see just how much of an impact sugar and breads make on my general feeling of health and wellness. I needed to make this point to myself. I am not immune to carbohydrates affects. Not in the least.

Think of it this way: If you add a drop of red food dye into water that is already pink, it's not going to make much of a difference. However, adding a drop of red food dye to clear water is going to have a huge impact, isn't it? Going overboard on sugar one weekend when I was living an off-track life didn't make much of a difference. However, going overboard on sugar after I've done some hard work to "clean up and purify" my water, is making a HUGE difference. The drop is still the drop; no more, no less. What's different is the liquid that the drop is being added to.

The same holds true for chiropractic and we see it all the time in our office. Because the benefits of maintaining a clear brain-body connection are sometimes gradual, people tend not to see/notice/experience them. However, if they go away from care for any length of time, they will often return saying things like, "Wow! I didn't know how good I was feeling until I started to feel bad."

So, what did I learn from my lesson this weekend? Well, I learned that even though the benefits of living by Design have been gradual, they are present and they are profound. This was made abundantly clear through the Contrast Principle. Now, does this mean that I'll never go off-track again? No, not at all. I'm sure I'll go off-track many, many times. But when I do, I won't stray so far, or for so long (one snack, once in a while, definitely not many snacks in such a short time period). And when I do go off-track, you can be sure that I won't be beating myself up, but I will be working twice as hard to get back on-track.

Yours in health,
Jodi

One Month Later

2011-05-16T14:51:00.006-04:00

Wow! I can't believe a month has passed already since my last post to the blog. So much progress has been made. I can very proudly say that the kids are now Eating By Design. We've gotten past the cereal upset and have settled on eggs, bacon, paleo pumpkin pancakes and paleo pancakes, and fruit salad as favorite breakfast items. We started with fresh fruit salad as a replacment to the cereal because my kids LOVE fruit and will eat it all day, every day if I allow them. While all that fruit isn't totally By Design, I decided that it was far better than sugary cereal and milk. FAR BETTER. However, in my quest to transition our family to By Design, I stumbled across some great recipes for pancakes that are completely By Design and totally yummy! I've topped them with some pure maple syrup or a few slices of strawberry and they LOVE them! I love them too, because I can make an extra large batch when I have time and freeze them for later. Or, I pack them in Little H's lunch-topped with some almond butter and she has the makings of a great lunch!

As for my fish oil. I'm done with super saturation. I started out by taking GNC's Triple Strength Fish Oil but I needed so much of it (11 tbsp) that I just couldn't stand it. So, I switched to Carlson Labs Very Finest Fish Oil and it is SO much better. It's is much more potent, so I only needed 4 tbsp/day vs. 11 tbsp. I started giving it to the kids, too. Just 1 tsp/day for them and they really enjoy it. Little H actually asks for it, while Little J gulps it right down in some water. I've heard of using fish oil as a dressing on a salad. Hmmm...I might have to give this a try.

The combination of the fish oil and Eating by Design has really made some improvements in how I feel. As Jamie says, "sick had become my new normal" and I didn't even know it. I used to wake up every single morning with stiff and sore feet. Some mornings they would be so bad that I would stumble and hobble around like Frankenstein until the loosened up. However, since I've begun implementing the By Design principles, I can honestly say that my feet no longer hurt in the morning. Not at all! The inflammation in my body is definitely receeding, while my energy levels are sky rocketing!

Transitioning Kids to Eat by Design

2011-04-20T17:19:00.001-04:00

Transitioning the kids to Eat by Design has been a bit challenging. I'm ashamed to say it (only because I know better) but our kids have become cereal-aholics and bread-aholics. Luckily, they love fruits and veggies. So, we have not had a problem at all with adding those things into their diets. They were already there, but now they're just there in higher amounts.

I have been struggling with how to get them off of cereal in the morning and sandwiches at lunch. We always have farm-fresh organic eggs in the house and I offer them to the kids every single morning. Most mornings, they decline my offer. I have started offering cottage cheese with Polaner All Fruit as an alternative. I understand that cottage cheese, and dairy in general, is not necessarily By Design, but it is better than cereal, toast or oatmeal. Sometimes they accept, but again, most times they decline. I've been giving in and allowing them to eat the cereal, but I'm coming to the point where I would rather them have no meal at all instead of a toxic meal.

As for lunches, Little H packs her lunch. She loves to take tuna fish sandwiches. One day I replaced the bread on her sandwich with leaf lettuce and she loved it! Ate it right up! SCORE! I guess all of her sandwiches will be lettuce wraps from now on.

Now, if I can just get Little N to break his peanut butter and jelly addiction, we'll be on our way ;)

What I ate today:
coffee with heavy cream and agave nectar
chicken salad with a little mayo
3 slices of bacon
grilled chicken
salad
11 tbsp fish oil

How I moved:
walked for 1.5 hours in noon-day sun - it felt so good to be in the sun and to move. My sore achy quads felt great during the walk.

Fish Oil

2011-04-20T16:36:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I started taking my fish oil yesterday. Fish oil is one of the supplements that is recommended by Life by Design. Other supplements include Vitamin D and probiotics. The purpose of the fish oil is to help reestablish and maintain an optimal Omega-3 : Omega-6 ratio. Ideally, the ration should be 1:1 or 1:2. However, considering what I've been eating my whole life, I would hazard a guess that my ratio is more like 1:20 (I don't know...never had it tested, but I can guess it's pretty skewed). So, as was recommended by mentor, Dr. Jamie Richards, I began with fish oil supplements to help restore the balance and to help my body get out of a chronic inflammatory state. Nothing good comes from a chronically inflamed body and nothing but good comes when you break that cycle.

So, as per Dr. Jamie's recommendations, I am megadosing fish oil for the next 3 weeks. The theory behind the megadosing is to force the omega-6's from my tissues so that balance can be restored. Megadosing in conjunction with Eating by Design willl really help me get on the right track.

To figure out how much fish oil I should be taking I used the Robb Wolf Fish Oil Calculator on Whole 9 Life. It's really simple. You just plug in your weight, the EPA and DHA values from your fish oil bottle and your factor. Most of us that are new to Life by Design are a factor somewhere between 0.75 and 1.0. I used 0.75 as my factor. So, when you enter all this information it will tell you how many teaspoons of fish oil you need per day. Mine came to 34 teaspoons (about 11 tablespoons)/day for the brand that I bought. That's ALOT! They don't call this megadosing for nothing! Wow! But, it's only for 3 weeks and then I can back down to a maintenance dosage.

I wanted to ease myself into taking fish oil. Dr. Jamie mentioned that I may experience some digestive upset if I start out take the full amount. So, yesterday I took 5 tablespoons at dinner time. That's half of my daily amount. And, you know, it wasn't all that bad. I'm taking the liquid form because it higher EPA and DHA values than any pill. It was citrus flavored and the taste was actually pretty decent. What I did have a problem with, however, was the oily-ness. I tried the first tablespoon by itself and didn't like it, so I thought that I would try the rest in a glass of hot water. My thought process was that it would be something like tea. Well, I was wrong. The oily-ness coated my lips and I just didn't like it. However, I managed to get it all down. Surprsingly, I didn't have any fish burps or digestive upset for the rest of the night. Maybe tomorrow I'll try mixing it in to my shake or using it as a dressing on my salad.

What I ate today:

coffee with heavy cream and agave nectar

whey protein shake

salad with left over chicken breast from last night's dinner, olive oil and salt for dressing

Ground beef, carrots, onions, garlic, green peppers with salt, pepper, cumin, and some tumeric

How I moved:

foam roller for mobility training

ramped-up full squats-added weight until I had 110 lbs on the bar and did 5 reps

ramped-up dead lifts - added weight until I had 100 lbs on the bar and did 5 reps

ramped-up bench press - added weight until I had 50 lbs on the bar (my arms are much weaker than my legs. Increasing upperbody strength is something I am focusing on for my body.

Step One - Brain-Body Connection

2011-04-15T10:32:00.001-04:00

As chiropractors, we were already doing Step #1 (Brain-body connection). We, Greg & I, already adjust each other at least once a week and we check our 3 children every week, as well. All 3 of the kids have been adjusted since birth and will continue to be checked and adjusted for the rest of their lives. For us, it is an essential component to health. It is because of their regular checks (and adjustments when needed) that they have never had an ear infection, have never taken any medication, don't get the flu shot, and only go to the doctor for the annual physicals as required by school. When they start to experience symptoms of their immune system being challenged, the first thing they do is ask for an adjustment. The next thing they do is ask for some water and some fresh veggies. You see, in our house and in our chiropractic practice we talk about the good guys and the bad guys in the body. The good guys make up the immune system and we ALWAYS want them to be strong to they can win every fight. The bad guys are the viruses and bacteria that we encounter on a regular basis. When the good guys are nice and strong they can fight the bad guys with no problem. Most of the time, the fighting is going on and we don't even know about it. However, there are times when the bad guys are extra strong or the good guys are a little weak. It is during these times that the good guys have to fight harder. As a result, we may experience a fever, a stuffy or runny nose, coughing, sneezing, vomitting, headache, body soreness, fatigue, etc. While none of those symptoms are comfortable and no one enjoys having a fever, they are simply signs that the body is fighting. At this point, we can make one of 2 choices. We can either take a medication that is going to kill the bad guys (antibiotics) and also kill the good guys in the process, or at least make them weaker, OR we can help the good guys to get stronger. In our house (and in our practice), we choose to help the good guys get stronger. Because strong good guys can ALWAYS beat the bad guys.

The kids and I had a discussion not too long ago about what we could do to help our good guys get stronger and this is what they came up with:

get adjusted

drink lots of water

no milk

no sugar

eat lots of veggies

get lots of sleep - go to bed early when experiencing symptoms

play outside - the sunshine and exercise help the good guys

pray - as Little N says, "Jesus can take it away."

So, my challenge for you is this: Are you going to continue to focus on killing or getting rid of the bad guys (and in turn weaken the good guys), or are you going to help your good guys get stronger?

What is Life by Design?

2011-04-15T09:59:00.002-04:00

Life by Design is the brainchild of Drs. Jamie and Joel Richards, chiropractors and owners of Cafe of Life Chiropractic Studio in London, Ontario. It is simply understanding how to eat, move and think congruently with your body's design, so that you can tap into the unlimited potential for health that lies within you. There are 5 components to living a Life by Design.

#1. Maintain a clear brain-body connection. This can only be achieved through chiropractic care. A good nerve supply is essential to health and life. At the core of all cellular function, from glands producing hormones and stress chemicals, to muscles contracting for optimal performance, to the immune system defending against foreign invaders, to tissues and organs undergoing healing and repair, is the nervous system. Wellness Chiropractic focuses on correcting interference to this delicate and important system, establishing a base of quality communication upon which integration of the other Life By Design steps can be maximized.

#2. Eat by Design. Knowing and understanding the body's innate nutritional requirements is tantamount to living a full, healthy, rich life. When we give our body the nutrients that it needs and remove the foods that are toxic to the body, we experience greater and greater levels of health and healing. Eating by Design can be a difficult transition. Most of what we have been taught by traditional medicine, Western society, the FDA and the food pyramid runs extremely counter to Life by Design. However, recent research along with the Paleo and Primal movements in the nutrition world are picking up steam and are starting to open the eyes of the American public to what our bodies needs really are. The foundation of Eat by Design is roughly Paleo or Primal in nature. It is based on an understanding of our genetic requirements for specific nutrients and eating more closely to how our ancestors ate. At the core of Eat by Design are the following principles. Completely eliminate grains (wheat, corn, rice, flour, barley, oats, multigrain anything, breads, pastas, tortillas...you get the picture). There are a multitude of reasons why grains are toxic to your body and we'll get into them in a different post.

Completely eliminate grains (wheat, flour, corn, oats, barley, rice, breads, multigrain anything, pastas, tortillas, . . . you get the picture). We'll get into the reasons why these foods are toxic for you in a later post.

Completely eliminate processed sugars (sucrose) and limit fruit sugars (fructose). Again, we'll explore the reasons why later.

Eliminate legumes (including peanuts and peanut butter).

Eliminate dairy.

Add in LOTS of good quality lean proteins (lean meats, bacon, fish, poultry, eggs, etc.)

Add in LOTS of vegetables. Fresh and raw veggies would be the ideal source. However, cooked or steamed are okay, too.

Use nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, etc.) as condiments. While a great source of protein, some nuts contain too much Omega-6 and can have a toxic effect on your body.

#3. Move by Design. Again, Move by Design is based on your body's requirements for movement. It requires an understanding of how your body was created and it built for movement. The principles of Move by Design are:

Get Mobile. This can be achieved through foam roller exercises. We'll be blogging on that later on.

Lift Heavy Stuff.

Move frequently at a slow pace.

Sprint once in a while.

#4. Life by Design Essentials. Recognizing the body's innate requirements allows us to recognize the areas where we are deficient (even when eating by design). So supplementation of Vitamin D, fish oil, and probiotics is recommended.

#5. Rest, play, love.

#6. Have a purpose.