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DIY Body Wraps

DIY Body Wraps

You may have heard people talking about body wraps or even had a body wrap yourself at a spa or by purchasing a body wrap kit. There’s a lot of reasons for a body wrap. There are four major types of body wraps, detox, cellulite elimination, hydrating and weight loss ones. Exfoliation of the body is the first step or a dry body brushing to get rid of loose flaky skin and make the process more effective by allowing penetration of the skin. Wraps at spas and even some you purchase are expensive, so to save money and get all the benefits, using DIY body wraps is a logical solution.

Lose weight with a body wrap.

As with every body wrap, you need to start by exfoliating. You can make a good exfoliating cream using 2 parts coconut oil and 4 parts sugar. Add essential oils if you want more fragrance. Put the mixture on and scrub it off with a loofah. Once you’re done, it’s time to proceed with the wrap. Apply a mixture of 2 cups green tea with one cup bentonite clay powder and two drops of diuretic essential oils such as cedar or patchouli. Put a light coating on one area, such as one leg, cover it with plastic wrap and then an elastic bandage to keep it held tighter. Move on to the next section, then sweat it out and allow the wrap to work, approximately an hour, take a room temperature shower and apply moisturizer.

Get rid of cellulite with a wrap.

You’ll need olive oil or almond oil, seaweed powder, warm coffee and rosemary, juniper or fennel essential oil. Mix a cup of seaweed powder, 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 cups of coffee and 2 drops of your favorite oil. Apply, wrap, wait and rinse then apply moisturizer. Bentonite clays can be used in place of seaweed. This mixture can help tighten skin.

Detox with a body wrap.

Get rid of all the toxins and feel refreshed when you use this body wrap. You’ll be mixing chamomile tea, Epsom salt, coconut or olive oil and rosemary essential oils for this one. Combine a cup of Epsom salt, four cups of steeped chamomile tea that cooled, 3 tablespoons of oil and 2-3 drops of the rosemary essential oil. Apply to the skin, wrap and sweat out your toxins.

  • Be careful not to wrap the elastic bandage too tight. You want it tight enough to fit snuggly but not so tight as to cut off circulation.
  • Rejuvenate your skin and hydrate it with a mixture of seven drops of grapefruit essential oils, two to three drops of fennel and two cups of olive oil. Spray it on your body and wrap.
  • If you want to get rid of muscle aches and pain, consider a spicy wrap solution. Mix 20 tablespoons of warm water with ten tablespoons of white clay and 2 tablespoons of cayenne powder. Add a crushed aspirin to the water for even more relief.
  • While the weight loss wrap may temporarily take off some weight, for more permanent results, eating a healthy diet is best. At I Am Breakthrough Wellness, we can help you with a personalized plan.

For more information, contact us today at I Am Breakthrough Wellness


How To Get Rid Of Loose Skin After Weight Loss

How To Get Rid Of Loose Skin After Weight Loss

Losing weight comes with a whole new set of problems, which can include buying new clothing and loose skin after weight loss. While it’s best not to lose a large amount at a time, to allow your body to adjust, sometimes that not possible. Pregnancy is a perfect example and so is surgery to help you lose weight. Whether loose skin comes from weight loss or simply aging, the most common places to see loose skin is on the buttocks, stomach, neck, arms, legs and face. For severe problems, cosmetic surgery is often sought out, but for most people, there are less radical ways to handle it than a surgical procedure.

Start with a program of exercise.

There are a lot of good reasons to workout when you’re losing weight. One of those is that it helps boost your weight loss, but another is that it can also help reduce the risk of having loose skin. Even if you’ve lost weight without exercise, you can start to help make that loose skin disappear by increasing muscle mass, which take the place of some of the lost fat tissue. There are facial exercises, too. Unfortunately, there are few studies to show whether they help improve the appearance of the face.

Oils and firming creams may be of aid.

There’s a lot of commercial creams on the market that profess to help improve skin’s condition and make it look tighter. Some do help, especially if the problem comes from dehydration, such as crepey skin, where moisturizing diminishes lines and wrinkles. Look for creams that contain collagen and retinoids. Collagen helps boost elasticity and retinoids helps the collagen work. Grapeseed oil, a natural tightening oil, can also help improve elasticity.

Make sure you’re eating healthy and if necessary, take supplements.

Pills aren’t normally the answer to fitness problems, but in this case, pills that are supplements may help. Make sure you have adequate vitamin C in your diet and protein. Vitamin C is important in making collagen that tightens the skin and protein is absolutely essential for its production. You can supplement it if you aren’t sure whether your diet contains enough. Collagen supplements may help, just as taking gelatin is. Gelatin is a source for glycine that’s used to create collagen.

  • Stimulate circulation with a body massage. When you do the massage, use skin cream that promotes collagen production or one that’s anti-aging. Using an oscillating massage machine can boost the effects of the cream.
  • Spa services, whether done at home or in a spa, which include a sugar or salt scrub, can boost the circulation that increases blood flow and helps tighten the skin.
  • There are a number of cosmetic procedures that range from chemical peels and ultrasound tightening to Botox are options, too.
  • The best way to handle loose skin is to workout while you’re losing weight and keep active as you age. A healthy diet, combined with program of exercise, will help you loose weight, while reducing the potential for saggy, loose skin.

For more information, contact us today at I am Breakthrough Wellness


The Power Of Nutrition

The Power Of Nutrition

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions, not only in the US, but also worldwide, as other countries have adopted the Western style diet we have in the US. While obesity is rampant, so are other risks for those who are not obese, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some types of cancer. Smart food choices and the power of nutrition can help prevent many of these serious conditions and reduce the health care costs nationwide. Even small changes can make a big difference.

Start by cutting out sugar.

That’s a huge goal. Added sugar seems to be in everything on the grocery shelf. Read the labels and you’ll see ingredients like dextrose, fructose, glucose, molasses, sucrose and other names for sugar. Consider honey and maple syrup as part of the sugar family, too. Some manufacturers use several types of sugar, so each one is far lower on the list, leading you to believe there’s not much sugar in the product. Cutting out sugar is also hard because sugar is addictive. It causes natural opioids and dopamine to be released and that gives you a high.

Since sugar is in so many things, how do you give it up?

Go to natural whole foods. The less food is processed, the less likely you’ll have added sugar or other additives in it. While you might find giving up added sugar tough, you can substitute with healthier natural sugar found in many fruits and vegetables. Switch out a candy bar as a snack for some sweet grapes or an apple with peanut butter. While you can overdo fruit, it’s still better than food with added sugar.

Make your own meals.

If you’ve been reading labels, you know that most premade food has lots of additives. It has to have them to give them a longer shelf life. Now you can make your own healthy foods and increase the power of nutrition in your life by creating meals ahead and freezing them for those nights you want something easier.

  • It doesn’t have to be difficult to eat healthier, but you’ll find packaging can make it that way. You’ll often see words like natural or gluten free on packaging to entice you to buy the product. Potato chips are gluten free—-but they certainly aren’t healthy!
  • Not everyone has the same nutritional requirements, tastes or ability to digest specific types of food easily. That’s why finding help to create a healthy, nutritious diet can be difficult.
  • What you drink is just as important to your nutrition as what you eat. Kick fruit drinks, soft drinks and sugary kids drinks to the side and drink water instead. It’s a magic elixir that will quench your thirst immediately.
  • If you’re having problems creating healthy meals or find it a real hassle, at I Am Breakthrough Wellness, we have the perfect solution. We create menus, provide recipes and make eating healthier and creating nutritious meals plans easier.

For more information, contact us today at I Am Breakthrough Wellness


Real Food - Real Results

Real Food – Real Results

There’s no doubt about it, America has become the fast food haven of the world and even worse, it’s not just America’s problem. Obesity has become a global pandemic. Obesity is the leading cause of preventable disease, surpassing even smoking. What’s even worse, many people that are overweight or obese are actually malnourished, too. The answer is to switch to real food and you’ll see real results.

What is real rood?

It’s food like fresh fruit and vegetables that you can eat raw or cooked. Whole food doesn’t have a lot of artificial substances or additives that read like they came from a chemistry lab. You can easily read the labels of whole foods, because there aren’t very many ingredients and they’re all things you can identify. What is real food?

Real food, often referred to as whole food, is food that’s closest to its natural state. It’s food like fresh fruit and vegetables that you can eat raw or cooked. Whole food doesn’t have a lot of artificial substances or additives that read like they came from a chemistry lab. You can easily read the labels of whole foods, because there aren’t very many ingredients and they’re all things you can identify. What is real food?

Added sugar shouldn’t be part of real food.

When you add sugar, you’re not only boosting the calorie count, you’re also harming your body. Sugar has so many negative effects on your body and is extremely addictive. There are a lot of different names for sugar, so don’t be fooled by dextrose, fructose, beet sugar, lactose or sucrose. What’s even worse for the body than sugar is high fructose corn syrup and it’s in products that normally wouldn’t have added sugar. If you can’t find fresh peaches that are affordable, don’t buy a can with added sugar. You’ll be doing your body a favor and keeping off those extra calories, too.

You’ll be amazed at how enjoyable a meal of whole foods is.

A diet composed of real food is far more delicious than food you’d get at a fast food place or frozen dinner. It offers a protein source, such as salmon, two or three types of vegetables and a starchy food like a baked potato or brown rice. A pot of stew made from fresh vegetables and beef could contain all the nutrients you need for a meal. Pair it with a salad and whole wheat bread and you’ll have a meal fit for a king.

  • You’ll actually be able to eat more food when you eat real foods. Without all the extra additive and extra sugar, you’ll also notice that you’ll feel better, too.
  • You won’t feel deprived with a diet of real food, It’s all about making smarter decisions and choosing healthier food that’s lower in calories. For instance, instead of white rice, consider brown or wild rice. There’s fewer calories and more nutrients.
  • Don’t worry, you won’t have to spend a fortune to eat healthy either. Choosing food that’s in season and making extra meals you can freeze can make it not only less expensive but can get the food on the table quickly.
  • We provide complete plans that help guide you while you’re learning to make smarter decisions when it comes to food. We have a plan that was created just for you and your needs and lots of other help at I Am Breakthrough Wellness.

For more information, contact us today at
I Am Breakthrough Wellness


Track Your Progress

Track Your Progress

It’s important to track your progress whether you’re working on a program of healthy eating for weight loss or just improved health. Not only does tracking what you eat help you understand where you could make some changes, it’s super motivation, too. It can be a guide to any changes you may need to make and give you an opportunity to identify whether your caloric intake is too high or too low.

It isn’t all about how much you weight, sometimes it’s about inches or how you feel.

Tracking it can include weighing yourself on a specific schedule, but that’s not the only way to track your progress. If you’re exercising along with your healthy eating program, you might want to turn to your clothing size or inches. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, so one pound of muscle tissue will require a smaller container than a pound of fat tissue. It’s like comparing the container size for a pound of feathers to that of one for a pound of steel. The feathers will have a much larger container. Sometimes, you may not see a satisfactory weight loss if you’re working out, but your clothing size will change dramatically as inches drop from your body. How you feel is an important barometer, too.

You don’t have to track all the food you consume by carrying a notebook.

Even though the modern way of life has added to the problem of weight gain, it’s done something else, too. It’s given us ways to easily track the food we eat on a daily basis. There are apps for your smartphone, so you can have your tracker at your finger tips. You’ll be surprised the first time you use one, how easy it is compared to that little notebook people used to use for tracking.

Tracking your food intake can also give you more insight.

You’ll start to notice patterns, like very few vegetables and too much dairy that can help you correct old eating habits that either affected your well being or played a role in your weight control. Too often people eat without thinking. They walk past the candy bowl at the office and grab a few bites. You’ll be more aware of doing that when you track.

  • There’s an old saying that winners keep score, so whether you’re tracking your weight or the food you eat, every little bit of information can help you be more successful.
  • For those that simply want to turn around their diet and make it healthier, consider tracking your energy level. It’s not hard to do and can take a few minutes at the end of the day to write your thoughts whether you came home from work energized or not. If you’ve had the day from Hades, not that too.
  • It’s fun to watch your numbers go down, whether it’s blood pressure or weight. It’s the reward you get for sticking to a program and can provide motivation.
  • We provide a state of the art app at I Am Breakthrough Wellness. You’ll enjoy using it and find it helps you stick with your goals even better.

For more information, contact us today at
I Am Breakthrough Wellness


The Importance Of Protein

The Importance Of Protein

A lot of questions are sent to my office in Riviera Beach, Florida, asking for that magic food that will take years off and boost good health. There’s no magic food, but a magic combination of macronutrients. Protein is one of three macronutrients, with fat and carbohydrates being the other two. Just having those three doesn’t ensure you have a healthy diet, but it’s a start. Knowing why protein is important to help you understand the basic fundamentals.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.

Not only are amino acids the building blocks of protein, protein breaks down in your stomach to amino acids, which then move through your body to repair or build new cells and for growth, trigger certain biological reactions as enzymes, are part of the hormonal system, build connective tissue, provide energy, maintain the body pH, become part of the immune system, balance fluids and transporting and storing nutrients throughout the body. You can see that protein is necessary for almost all bodily functions and without it, you’d die. The body can manufacture some of its own amino acids, but there are nine essential amino acids, which they can’t. These come from the food you eat.

Lack of each of the nine types of essential amino acid has different effects on the body.

Too little histidine can cause anemia or low blood levels are more prevalent with kidney disease and arthritis. Lysine helps build muscle and maintains bone strength, also regulating hormones, enzymes and anti bodies. Methionine keep your hair and nails strong. Lack of isoleucine can cause shaking muscle wasting. Lack of leucine can cause hair loss, fatigue and skin rashes. Phenylalanine converts to a hormone required for certain brain functions. Lack of tryptophan can cause pellagra. Valine plays many roles and deficiency can even lower your mental functioning. Threonine is necessary for healthy teeth and skin.

Foods you should eat to get all nine essential amino acids.

If you eat meat, poultry and fish you’ll serve your body some histidine, isoleucine, lysine and tryptophan. Nuts and seeds will provide histidine, lysine, methionine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Dairy offers threonine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Other sources of essential amino acids are eggs, legumes, soy, mushrooms, wheat germ, whole grains and beans. As you can see the choices are varied and can easily be part of everyone’s diet.

  • You’ll feel fuller for longer when you eat protein. Not only does it reduce your hunger, it can also increase your metabolism.
  • When you eat food that’s a protein with a sugary treat, it can help regulate your blood sugar. It slows the body’s absorption of sugar and keeps you from cravings that occur when it drops low that you might have otherwise.
  • One way to get more variety of protein and help keep your calories in check is to carry snacks of nuts and seeds available. Put a serving size in baggies and keep them at your desk to avoid looking for a sweet treat and bump your protein intake.
  • Don’t worry if it all looked too complicated. We make getting all the essential types of protein you need easy with our customized meal plan and specialized diets at I Am Breakthrough Wellness. Try our free demo.

For more information, contact us today at
I Am Breakthrough Wellness


Oven-Baked Salmon

Oven-Baked Salmon

Print Recipe
Oven-Baked Salmon
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Baked Salmon
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 30 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Baked Salmon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on a non-stick baking sheet or in a non-stick pan with an oven-proof handle. Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with the Toasted Almond Parsley Salad and squash, if desired.
Toasted Almond Parsley Salad
  1. Mince the shallot and add to a small bowl. Pour the vinegar over the shallots and add a pinch of salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. Roughly chop the capers, parsley and almonds and add to the shallots. Add the olive oil, tasting as you go. Mix again and adjust the seasonings.

Meet Your Wellness Goals

Meet Your Wellness Goals

It’s important to have check-ups with your health care professional to help identify serious conditions before they get out of control. However, when you have wellness goals, you can often prevent them from ever happening. Wellness goals can help you feel your best, besides adding to your prevention measures for conditions that can occur down the road. So what are some of these important changes that you can add to your list to help you live a healthier life and keep health conditions at bay? It all starts with lifestyle changes.

Start your list with a top priority, healthy eating.

There’s a lot more information and interest today on how dietary habits can not only affect health, but also bring about healing. Dr. William Li the Director of the angiogenesis Foundation is doing research into how changing diet might actually be a cure or prevention for serious conditions, such as cancer and heart disease. It’s all about the nutrition that’s found in food and how it affects the body. You don’t have to be a world renown scientist to understand that eating junk food filled with empty calories will add pounds as it destroys your health.

It’s more than just about weight loss, although obesity is now the leading cause of preventable deaths.

Humans were meant to move, but humans were also meant to choose foods from plants and animals that grew naturally, not food grown or supplemented in the lab. Every color of fruit or vegetable has different phytonutrients that provide healing properties or benefits to support good health. You simply can’t bottle that. Anthocyanin—the flavonoids that give purple, blue, orange and red fruits and vegetables their color—are important for treating many serious diseases, including cancer and heart disease. Rather than separating out the anthocyanins, eating the whole fruit or vegetable is best, since the other nutrients in those same foods, boost the action of the anthocyanins and worked in synergy to make it more potent. Eat healthier and prevent problems.

Exercise should be an important part of your wellness program.

Move it or lose it isn’t just a saying to get people to move out of your way, it’s a fact. If you don’t get exercise, you lose muscle tissue, which also causes the loss of calcium from the bones—osteoporosis. Building your strength, endurance and flexibility not only helps you burn calories and boosts your metabolism, it also keeps you stronger and fit longer, so your senior years really are golden and enjoyed. You’ll boost your energy the more you exercise.

  • Drink plenty of water. One of your goals should be to stay hydrated and NOT with sugary drinks like colas. Drink at least 8-eight ounce glasses of water each day. The older you get, the easier you become dehydrated and dehydration can cause serious consequences for your health.
  • Get adequate sleep. Studies show that getting adequate sleep is heart healthy. It also helps keep your satiety and hunger hormone in balance. Too little sleep will increase the production of ghrelin—the hunger hormone and stifle the production of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full.
  • Get social and smile. Studies show that the better your social life and the more you smile, the healthier you’ll be and the longer you’ll live.
  • Create a few wellness goals and as they become a lifestyle change habit, add to your list. At I Am Breakthrough Wellness, we make eating healthier easy.

For more information, contact us today at I Am Breakthrough Wellness


What’s The Best Meal Plan For You

Are you tired of searching for the best meal plan and searching hundreds of sites? Here at I Am Breakthrough Wellness in Riviera Beach, Florida, we’ve done all the work for you. Our registered dietitians, nutrition specialists, and contributing doctors have created a program that creates meals with the nutrition that provides the benefits you want. If you’re a health care professional, it’s a no-nonsense guide for you to help those who come to you for professional advice.

Food as medicine is coming into its own.

Many of the health issues faced by people today all start with poor diet. We are living in a world where the empty calories from fast foods are robbing our bodies of nutrition, while adding to the epidemic of obesity. Change has to occur to turn around the plague of preventable illnesses and premature deaths. It all starts by making lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, too often we find foods presenting themselves as healthy options are nothing more than more marketing mayhem.

The task we undertook was to create a simple to use system to guide each person to their goal.

Whether you want to simply feel better and rid your body of all the additives and chemicals contained in packaged foods, lose weight or have a medical issue that requires special consideration, we have a plan for you. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is. Everything you need from a shopping list to meals plans with recipes are right there on your phone and computer. We even help you track your goals and add custom foods with a bar code scanner.

Are you a medical professional?

As a health care professional, you know there’s a lot more you can do to help your patients live a healthier life. The problem is that no two people are alike and each one has different goals, needs and even food preferences. We’ve made it easier for you to provide the healthy eating information you want them to have with a program created especially for health care professionals. Now you can affordably offer your clients a personalized program of healthy eating for a low cost.

Most people know they need to eat healthier, but aren’t sure where to start. We provide the information that helps you improve your diet with a step-by-step guide.

Are you having issues that seem a mystery to the medical community? Maybe they start with what you eat. If you haven’t considered changing your dietary habits, discuss this option with your health care professional.

With our healthy plans, you’ll find you probably will save money and time. Double the recipes and pack away meals for later. Cook on the weekend and you’ll have already prepared meals you can reheat in minutes.

Try our program at I Am Breakthrough Wellness and you’ll find that feeling good can be just a menu away.