Why is Women's Health, Fitness and Wellness my vocation?

Hi again,
I left off my last post with a comment about how women's health, fitness and wellness is now my vocation. I thought I'd explain some of the reasons why.

First and foremost, I want to make health, fitness and wellness a major priority for myself and my children. Since doing so, my spouse has gotten on the bandwagon as well, which is great. I am also now dedicating my working life to helping other women and their families live healthy and fit lives too.

It really hit me 11 years ago, when my mother at 49 years of age was diagnosed with an advanced stage of colon cancer. Although she had been very active and healthy as a child, teenager and young mother, she had been living a very sedentary lifestyle and consuming a diet high in saturated fats for a long time. Her colon cancer was not the type that was genetic, it was highly correlated with the life she had been living. Thus, with proper diet and exercise, it's perfectly likely that the big "C" would never have hit her in the first place.

A huge operation later and 1 year of chemotherapy and she was cancer free. It was awful watching her get her treatments and become ill from all of the chemicals she was ingesting each week. When her treatments had ended, we thought she would be okay, but we were wrong. What those treatments did was bring on severe rheumatoid arthritis likely 20-30 years earlier than would have occurred under normal circumstances. Not only that, but she developed Parkinson's Disease as well. Now, I'm no doctor, but her rheumatologist and her neurologist are both of the mind that the chemotherapy played a role in the diseases that followed.

Anyway, Mom celebrated her 60th birthday this year when I celebrated my 40th. She is fully disabled and barely can get from the couch to the washroom in her home. Her hands and feet (particularly her left side) are contorted and she walks while dragging herself across the floor. Her head hangs low, her neck and shoulders are curving as well. In a nutshell, she is as disabled as a very elderly woman, yet she is only middle-aged. A sad way to live, especially when she would like to do so much with her young grandchildren, yet she can not.

And, this story is the story that other close friends of mine have lived as well. Their Moms getting sick in their early middle-age, some dying, some barely recovering, others turning over a new leaf. The latter group are some of the people I want to speak to, the ones who are now determined to live their lives to the fullest, healthfully and happily. That being said, I would like my goals of "Healthy. Fit. Living Fully." to be the goals of all women. I would like women to bring their messages forth to those they love, especially their children, to instill lifelong habits of health, fitness and wellness.

I love my Mom dearly, but I don't want to find myself in her situation 20 years from now. I want to see my kids grow up, have grandchildren and be able to play with them without any restrictions. And I want that for all women. For that to happen, there is no time like the present to make health, fitness and wellness my vocation. How about you?

On a lighter note, I just got back from a 30-minute power walk and I am planning a 30-minute Turbo Jam session! Should be fun. Take care of yourselves. Have a great remainder of the day!

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

My Secret to Losing Weight and Keeping it off

I thought I'd talk about how I lost 65 pounds after the birth of my second child 2 years ago.

Well, it sounds like a lot of weight, but the first 30 pounds came off easily (a 9-lb baby for one) within the first 6-8 weeks. Women who have had babies know that a lot of water retention occurs to support the pregnancy. However, the 35 pounds that was remaining was a whole different challenge.

One thing that helped was breastfeeding because it burns a lot of calories, anywhere from 300-500 calories per day when the baby is feeding exclusively from its mother. Now, 500 calories less per day X 7 days = 3,500 calories less per week (or 1 lb of weight loss). Keep doing this for the recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and you've lost about 26 pounds.

Sounds easy, right? Well, it isn't really, at least not for many women. A lot of times, breastfeeding makes you hungry so you may eat more than you burn off in a day. Also, you've got a lot of fat deposited in areas you may not have before, like around your middle. Many women can't breastfeed, others have to go back to work soon after the birth of their child. Your only choice is to make your health, fitness and wellness a priority. After all, a woman needs to be healthy and fit just to handle the sleepless nights and the challenges of being a great parent.

What I did was something I had never done before. I started a calorie journal where I wrote down everything I ate in a day and counted the calories with a pocket calorie resource. The one I used was from "Prevention Magazine" and it was excellent. Once I got a handle on what I was eating, I determined how many calories a person of my weight needed in order to maintain my current weight. Then I subtracted 500 calories per day and made that my caloric intake target for the day so that I could lose on average 1 pound per week. Of course, I readjusted my caloric intake target as my weight decreased.

I also began a whole new health and fitness regime starting with the book: "The ABS Diet Get Fit Stay Fit Plan". It was a tremendous resource for me since I had never been serious about strength-training as a means of building lean muscle, helping with weight loss, and creating a lean and toned physique. The book also outlined 12 categories of foods that you need to incorporate as the bulk of your diet on a daily basis.

One of the recommendations in "The ABS Diet" was eating Whey Protein to help build and repair muscle tissue following a strength-training workout. Some flavors like vanilla are very versatile and can be incorporated with fresh berries and a cup of milk in a blender. The end result is a delicious and filling milkshake that doubles in volume (a full 2 cups).

Later, when I had spend about 3-4 months on "The ABS Diet Get Fit Stay Fit Plan", I discovered Chalene Johnson's "Turbo Jam" CD series at www.Beachbody.com and I was hooked! I started doing Turbo Jam workouts 5 days per week (30 - 60 minutes long). After 6 months of eating well and working out, I had lost 35 pounds and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight. By the way, a 30-minute workout flies by. It just takes commitment to get started and to build the health and fitness habit, that's all.

Now, 2 years later, I have kept it off. Remember that "diet" is not something you do short-term until you lose the weight you want, "diet" is defined as the food you eat on a daily basis long-term to maintain a healthy, fit and active lifestyle. Today, women's health, fitness and wellness is my vocation. After many years of inactivity and creeping weight-gain, I'd finally had enough.

So, join me and make "Healthy. Fit. Living Fully." your goals too. Until next time, be good to yourself and be the best role-model you can be for your kids and family members. Ciao for now!

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

The Health and Fitness Habit Revisited

Well, I did it! I did a 30 minute strength-training workout yesterday after 9pm as promised. Today, I went for a 45 minute walk and it seems as though I am on my way to rebuilding my Health and Fitness Habit. Things are good - at least for the first week of 2008.

If you haven't been doing any research on the subject, I advise you to look into the range of products that exist in the health, fitness and wellness industries, particularly the supplements. I mentioned in my last post that acidophilus is a product used for detoxification. This is certainly a great product to explore further in your research. Another product, milk thistle is used to support proper liver functioning. Active ingredients in milk thistle act as powerful antioxidants in the liver.

I recommend the above two products because they are well known in health and wellness circles and supplementation is always a good idea.

Until next time. Eat well, exercise and be good to yourself. You know you deserve it. I'm off to have a nutritious meal with my kids (who are heading back to school in 2 days "Hooray!" - Of course you know I adore them...)

Healthy. Fit. Living Fully. Have a great remainder of the weekend.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

The Health and Fitness "Habit"

Well, as you may have guessed... I didn't work out yesterday. Why not I asked myself? After 2 years of regular fitness workouts and great nutrition with only a few months (albeit the last few months of 2007) of sporadic workouts, what is happening? Two days in a row without a regular fitness routine incorporated into my life...

All other excuses aside, the only answer is that I have fallen off "the Health and Fitness Habit" wagon. Now it is day 3 with my workout clothes on - and no matter what, I am committed to getting back on that "Health and Fitness Habit" wagon. When I was on it previously, I always put my workout clothes on first thing in the morning to ensure that I would do my workout after waking up. I am still doing this and I find that it really helps.

The kids have been home for Xmas holidays and they are constant distractions. When they are back at school and daycare on Monday, I will have no excuse other than not getting back into "The Health and Fitness Habit". No one to blame, no circumstances to blame, it will just be me who has not lived up to my health and fitness goals and commitments to myself. I will have to take charge and develop the constant habit that I lost in the last few months of 2007.

So, with New Year's only 4 days ago, I may need a little encouragement to start up the 2008 Health and Fitness momentum. So help me out. Send me your health, fitness and wellness goals and also your best advice on how to stay on the right track.

Until tomorrow ... the clothes are on and I am ready to go!

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

Today is a New Day

Well, I had those workout clothes on yesterday, but I didn't work out...

Why? Does it really matter? We all have excuses as to why we don't do things, not enough time being the #1 excuse (at least for me). Anyway, I don't beat myself up over it. I've got the workout clothes on again and I know that I will get in my fitness workout in today (sometime). So what's the harm if I skip a day?

Anyway, I wanted to talk about a little weekend trip my spouse and I took in December. We went to a health and wellness spa in a place called Bancroft in Ontario, Canada. It is called Grail Springs. It was a fantastic weekend. We learned a lot about how toxic the food we eat really is and how toxic our environment is to our overall health. Removing toxins can be done through detoxification techniques (e.g., an ionic cleanse) or through "juicing" (basically having organic fruit and veggies in juice format for 1-several days) or taking various supplements (e.g., Acidophilus) in combination. Before doing it, I suggest you get a book that guides you. I'll make some recommendations in a later post.

While at Grail Springs, we were fed a very nutritious diet of organic "alkaline" foods, minimizing "acidic" foods (the ideal split is a diet 75% alkaline to 25% acidic). The basic premise of an alkaline diet is that organic alkaline foods prevent a number of bacteria and other substances from proliferating in our bodies, particularly in our colon. Colonic cleanses eliminate all of the "guck" that has been stuck to the walls of our colon for eons. This digested food matter can cause a whole host of health problems, colon cancer for one.

I'm not suggesting that you eat an alkaline diet, but I do suggest that you investigate it further. It is fascinating really. The owner of Grail Springs was a wheelchair-bound extremely ill woman until she changed her diet to an alkaline one of strictly organic foods. Now she is a vibrant 50-something energetic and vital woman. There are many other stories out there of people with cancer that have chosen a holistic way of curing themselves. And, many, many successes to boot.

Have a great healthy, fit and fantastic day. Until next time, try a daily drink of hot water with lemon to help convert your body to an alkaline pH. Heck, it's worth a try.

Healthy. Fit. Living Fully. Ciao for now.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

Healthy. Fit. Living Fully.

"Healthy. Fit. Living Fully." is our company's tagline because these are my own personal health, fitness and wellness goals. However, these are also goals shared by many of the empowered, sophisticated, technologically-savvy, 78 million strong "baby boomer" generation. Why? Well, because “50 is the new 30” for one thing. We are living longer and we want life to be the best it can be.

We may be single, widowed, have young children, grandchildren, parents who need home care, etc. One thing is for sure, with experience under our belts, we want to live the remainder of our more "enlightened" existence healthfully and happily. To do that, we need to be healthy, fit and live life to the fullest. Travel, shop, serve others, radiate our beauty from within, exercise our political will - in a nutshell, do what we want with our lives because we now realize that we are the creators of our world. We want to take charge of the journey and direct it towards the achievement of our goals.

That's why, after a number of university degrees under my belt, many years in senior-level marketing positions in the corporate world, I had had enough. It was time to start that business I had dreamed of for many years. “But what kind of business I asked myself?” It had to be something I was passionate about; something that would help me to contribute to the betterment of the lives of others. "Women's health, fitness and wellness" came to mind instantly. I'll talk more about this tomorrow and in subsequent posts.

So, for 2008 and beyond, join me and make "Healthy. Fit. Living Fully." your goals too. Share with me your hopes, your dreams and your goals for your life and the lives of those you care about most. Health and fitness, health and wellness, natural health, whatever you want to talk about, I’m hear to listen.

Until tomorrow, be good to yourself... As for me, I ate well today and I am dressed in my workout clothes, ready for a 30 minute strength-training session ... wish me luck :=)

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International

Happy New Year's 2008!

Well, just got back from Niagara Falls...

We had a good time, but the buffet at the casino was not so great - a bit of a disappointment in fact, but the desserts were pretty good and the midnight fireworks over the falls were gorgeous!
As for me, I started the year off right this morning with a 30 minute fitness workout on the treadmill followed by some flexibility exercises. I also ate a great breakfast. I feel a little sore, but overall pretty good about the prospects for my health and fitness in 2008.

My boys and company keep me pretty busy, so I'm going to have to be really committed this year in particular. I'm determined and that's a great start.

I've been pretty good with health and fitness as one of my primary goals for almost 2 years now. You see, I gained 65 pounds during my last pregnancy following my 2nd c-section. I also turned 40 this past year and I knew that to keep up with my children and my busy new business, I had to make my health, fitness and wellness a priority. I also needed to be a great role model too.

It wasn't easy to get it off but I'll share how I did it over the coming days, so that many of you can see that it can be done. Not to mention, many of you can offer even better advice and a lot of motivational tips too, I'm sure.

Why should you care about your health, fitness and wellness? After reading over 200 health and fitness magazines about 1 year ago and staying current with subscriptions to e-newsletters about health and wellness everyday, I can comfortably say "because you have to."

With growing obesity rates, especially with children, we can't sit by and watch our kids grow up with Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other related disorders because of the foods they eat and their growing levels of inactivity. Not only that (and we'll discuss this further in later posts), but our food chain is riddled with toxic substances that are literally "making us sick."

On a more positive and uplifting note: "Happy New Year to you and to all of your loved ones!" I wish for you all to have a 2008 that exceeds your wildest expectations. Let's do it together and keep each other motivated.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International