Many people are convinced that genes control destiny when it comes to their family’s health. Although there are certain illnesses and diseases that have a strong genetic component, there is new hope for parents and children suffering from lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

You may have heard these sentiments before: “My father and mother were both obese, so naturally my kids and I will be too. It’s genetic,” or “Heart disease and diabetes run in the family.” While some people still hold fast to these beliefs, an entirely new filed of study called Epigenetics says you and your family can actually reprogram those bad genes for better health.

Researchers and healthcare professionals alike are scrambling to find ways to turn genes on and off. While drug manufactures have had minimal success creating a product that consistently does just that, some in healthcare are now looking at lifestyle changes as a better way to reprogram these bad genes.

Consider the example of the fat mouse. There is a certain type of lab mouse bred for its genetic predisposition to obesity and diabetes. It has the gene for both diseases. However, when scientists fed these same pregnant mice a diet rich in B vitamins (folic acid and vitamin B12) they produced healthy pups with normal weight and no diabetes. They were able to change the baby mices’ genes before they were born!

While genes for heart disease, diabetes and obesity may run in the family, so do eating habits, attitudes towards exercise and lifestyles. Often, shared family habits can be far greater predictors of future disease and illness.

It’s clear that simple lifestyle changes can reduce your risk from some of the most common illness. While exercising 30 min a day and eating a diet of healthy meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar, may be a good start, one study also showed regular, long-term chiropractic care can actually repair DNA and reduce the effects of oxidative stress caused by poor lifestyle.

While it may be popular to blame genetics for poor health, Epigenetics suggests you have way more control over your destiny than you might think. Simply making the right decisions for your family’s health today, can have lasting effects tomorrow.

References:

1. http://www.newsweek.com/id/238162?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+headlines%2Fhealth+%28Updated+-+Headline+Feed+-+Health%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
2. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1951968,00.html
3. https://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=243

Imagine feeling more energetic, more fit, more alive than ever before! Imagine that this kind of vitality is easier to attain than you ever dreamed! Now stop imagining and start today to achieve exactly what you want with The 5 Essentials of Maximized Living.

The 5 Essentials of Maximized Living will revitalize your mind, re-energize your body, and revolutionize your life!

• THE 5 ESSENTIALS FOR HEALTHY LONGEVITY
Become THE 1 in 1000 person who is healthy, pain-free, and living the life they were meant to live after 60!
•DETOX
Discover the 2 mostly deadly toxins and learn how to get them out of your body to get well, lose weight, and feel happy and energetic
• NUTRITION
Learn cutting-edge nutritional secrets to personalize your diet based on your specific hormones and cellular function. Beat aging and get 10X MORE ENERGY!
• STRESS MANAGEMENT
End stress, worry, and fear in your life once and for all!
•TIME MANAGEMENT
Get 160 hours out of a 40 hour week
•EXERCISE
Become one of those people who eat what they want and stay ripped…in only 12 minutes a week!
• SUCCESS
Explore the 4 rules of Olympic Success…and how ANYBODY (yes, YOU) can create the life of your dreams

WHEN: Saturday, June 5th
WHERE: 2nd Floor Winnipeg Convention Centre
TIME: 10am-1pm (doors open 9:30)
COST: $20

Very Limited Seating! This event will sell out!
Call 477-5433 to reserve your spot today!

Are you getting enough Omega 3′s? Here’s a great link to determine how much you need and if your brand is providing enough DHA and EPA: http://whole9life.com/fish-oil/

By now, most people have heard of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Those essential fats that are both good for us and in short supply. Composed of EPA and DHA fats, Omega 3 fatty acids are critical for proper health and function. Unfortunately, they are, for the most part, missing from our diets.

The World Health Organization recommends eating a diet high in Omega 3’s and many of the healthiest and longest-lived people in the world do just that. Omega 3 fatty acids are found mainly in fish and other sea animals, but can also be found in organic, grass-fed meats and some plant sources such as flax and hemp seed.

While the benefits of Omega 3 supplements are well documented for adult conditions like heart disease, high cholesterol, inflammation and certain rheumatoid conditions, the benefits in children are mainly in the areas of brain development and IQ.

Studies have shown that maternal supplementation with Omega 3’s during pregnancy and lactation has also been demonstrated to increase children’s IQ. Benefits after year one include: focused attention, stimulates neuron growth in the brain as well as improved memory and learning.

Unfortunately, the standard Canadian diet is woefully deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids. Canadians will typically consume a diet high in processed foods, rancid vegetable oils from frying, trans fatty acids from packaged foods and grain-fed meats. These foods have very little Omega 3 content.

It is very difficult to obtain adequate Omega 3 quantities from our diets alone. Of course, living 3000 km inland from the sea doesn’t help either. Therefore, proper supplementation with a good quality fish oil is key for families wishing to optimize their Omega 3 levels.

Look for purified brands from small marine animals like anchovies, sardines and krill. Also, check the labels for EPA and DHA concentrations: the higher the better. Avoid Omega 3-6-9 combinations and buy liquid brands instead of capsules when possible.

Although the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Omega 3’s has not yet been established, a good rule to follow is 500mg for every ten pounds of body weight. For example a 50lbs child will need 2500mg or approximately 2.5 teaspoons per day.

Correction: In the March 11th edition of Kids First entitled: “Omega 3 Fatty Acids Big Part Of A Healthy Diet, WHO Says,” the recommended daily dose of Omega 3′s should read “500mg for every ten pounds of body weight,” instead of “500mg for every pound of body weight.” Always consult with you primary health care provider before beginning any nutritional supplementation.

References:

1 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2621042/

2 – Maternal supplementation with very-long-chain n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation augments children’s IQ at 4 years of age.

Here’s a list of  where to shop.

Your shopping list MLNP Grocery List

Hormones • Toxicity • Anti-Aging • 21st Century Weight Loss
… and how to avoid the top killers in Canada through Nutrition, Exercise, Stress & Time Management

You will learn…

• The 3 things you must change to maximize your family’s health.
• The 3 rules to apply when choosing the foods you eat.
• The 5 diet myths that will transform your thinking.
• The shocking truth about fat and cholesterol that doctors may not tell you.

Plus…

• The 5 essential factors for determining which diet is best for you.
• The true cause of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, and how to avoid it.
• Learn what 2 hormones cause premature aging and how to reverse it.
• Discover what hormones make weight loss impossible, regardless of how much you diet or exercise.
• Revolutionary Surge Training – get in the shape of your life in just 12 minutes.  More is not better!

REGISTRATION DETAILS
Registration Includes…

• Seminar Registration
• Local foods directory and grocery shopping guide, consistent with the Maximized Living Nutrition Plan
• Access to Recipes and meal plans for your entire family
• FREE access to all ML workshops over the next 30 days

Pre-registration Fee: $30 ($40 at door)

Date:    Saturday, February 6, 2010
Time:    10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Registration opens at 9:30 am – Please arrive early!

At-the-door registration: Cash, cheque or credit card accepted.  Pre-Registrations are not available after 12:00 pm on February 5 or on the day of the seminar.

Location: The Burton Cummings Theatre, 364 Smith Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada  R3B 2H2
View Larger Map

Registration, Information, and Questions:
Call (204) 233-3060

www.maximizedlivingwinnipeg.com

Shelley and Maximized Living from Jared Buffie on Vimeo.

(Guest post: Dr. BJ Hardick, D.C.)

Week in and week out, patients come to me in frustration, “Doctor, I’m doing everything right … why can’t I lose weight?”  The answer to this question has more to do with individual body chemistry than what particular diet works best.  In fact, there isn’t one diet perfect for every person.  Our individual heritage and genetic makeup predispose us to what foods are best for our body’s needs.

In the Maximized Living Core Nutrition Plan, we advise 3 things that need to be changed in everyone’s diet regardless of your heritage or genetic composition. These three essential changes are: (1) the type of fats you are eating (as well as ingesting more of them), (2) switching from commerically-raised to naturally-raised animal products, and, (3) eliminating processed carbohydrates.  The details of these changes are covered extensively in the Maximized Living Makeover.

As these three changes transcend all cultures, the exact amount of fat, protein and carbohydrates someone can process largely depends on where your ancestors are from.  For example, northern descents seem to favour diets high in protein and good fats, whereas individuals from warmer equatorial regions seem to thrive on higher amounts of unprocessed carbohydrates, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

This explains why some people lose weight on a vegetarian diet, some on the Atkins Diet, some on the South Beach Diet, others with Weight Watchers, etc., and why others are left wondering why the diet they chose didn’t work for them.  Chances are that diet wasn’t metabolically correct for their body chemistry.

However, it is HORMONES (not calories, grams of fat, or even your genetics), that are the MOST essential parameters that dictate what diet is best for you. While we have been taught for years to count calories and grams of fat, hormones are most often overlooked.  The one most note-worthy for weight loss is leptin.  Leptin is a hormone in your body that tells your brain when to stop eating, when to burn fat.  Leptin also regulates the function of other hormones, including sex and stress hormones.  If leptin is out of balance, despite your best efforts, you will not lose weight. Your brain will not get the message to burn fat for energy.  Instead, you will continue to be a sugar burner – and never a fat burner.  As a result, you will not use your fat stores for energy (nor lose fat), and you will have constant and uncontrollable cravings for sugar.  You will break down muscle tissue which your body converts to sugar for energy, causing a decrease in muscle mass, metabolism, and a constant downward spiral.

Remember: fat doesn’t make you fat.  It is the inability to burn fat that makes you fat! In the Maximized Living Makeover, we utilize a client questionnaire, and direct participants to the proper blood tests for leptin to determine what diet is best.  This is now truly “Customized Weight Loss,” which answers the questions left unanswered for so many years.

-Dr. BJ

On Wednesday, January 13 @ 6pm we will be teachingThe Maximized Living Nutrition Program for Weight Loss:

* Learn how to lose weight safely, without restrictive fad diets,
* Eat healthy, nutritious foods that are simple to prepare.
* Learn how to control insulin and leptin levels naturally without pills.
* Lose weight permanently by changing your body type

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 @ 6pm
1431 Corydon Ave.
Reserve your seat today! Call 477-5433.

The difference between success and failure this year, is the same as the difference between motivation and inspiration: Motivation gets you started. Inspiration is what keeps you going.

Get INSPIRED to start living the life you deserve to live! The Advanced Nutrition Workshop on Jan 13 will give you the tools you need to radically transform your health and your life!

On Wednesday, January 13 @ 6pm we will be teaching The Maximized Living Nutrition Program for Weight Loss:

* Learn how to lose weight safely, without restrictive fad diets,
* Eat healthy, nutritious foods that are simple to prepare.
* Learn how to control insulin and leptin levels naturally without pills.
* Lose weight permanently by changing your body type

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 @ 6pm
1431 Corydon Ave.
Reserve your seat today! Call 477-5433.

Did you know most New Years resolutions are broken by day 4 of the new year? It’s true!Especially when it comes to fad diets…

Most fad diets have no “staying power” because they are very restrictive and generally have you eating unhealthy, refined foods and taking thousands of dollars of pills.

This is not good eats…

The reason why these approaches never work in the long term is because weight loss is dependent on hormones like insulin and leptin. If your weight loss program is not teaching you how to get these two hormones under control you will never achieve the results you want.

On Wednesday, January 13 @ 6pm we will be teaching The Maximized Living Nutrition Program for Weight Loss:

* Learn how to lose weight safely, without restrictive fad diets,
* Eat healthy, nutritious foods that are simple to prepare.
* Learn how to control insulin and leptin levels naturally without pills.
* Lose weight permanently by changing your body type

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 @ 6pm
1431 Corydon Ave.
Reserve your seat today! Call 477-5433.

As we slide into the month of December, many people have already begun a “mental vacation” and tend to get irresponsible and careless with their health. Instead of using the time to relax, reconnect with family and be thankful for the previous year, some will take the exact opposite approach.

They will say: What’s the harm in a couple months of over-eating, sugar, egg-nog, not exercising, missing adjustments and sleep loss? I’ll just make up for it in January with my New Year’s Resolution, after all: it’s the holiday season!

Of course, they forget the average resolution lasts only 4.5 days…

Big deal or no big deal? Well, by living this way every holiday season for 20 years until age 40, you will have spent 40 months (3.3 years) doing serious, possibly irreparable damage to your body!

Unfortunately, what most people don’t realize is that this may be the single most important time of the year to be focused on your health!

So what do you do? The best defense is a good offense: Instead of depriving yourself of all the fun, you must do MORE for your health, NOT LESS! For example:

* If you typically exercise four days per week, exercise five days per week!

* If you get adjusted twice per month, visit your chiropractor three or four times during the month of December!

* If you typically “pig out” once a week, hold off and do it every two weeks!

* If you usually function on 6-8 hours of nightly sleep, give yourself 8-10 hours instead.

While you may not be able to pull this off 100%, you will find that at least you won’t fall off the wagon from your existing plan!

Happy holidays!

- Dr. Chris Chatzoglou, D.C.

PS. Here are some extra health-saving tips from Dr. BJ Hardick in London, ON, author of Maximized Living Nutrition Plans:

Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise, weight training, and yoga can reduce the level of stress hormones in your body, allowing you to cope more easily. It is also a great way to make a little time for you.

Avoid sugar
Sugar increases symptoms of irritability and anxiety in many people and weakens the immune system. It has also been found to diminish infection fighting white blood cell count for up to six hours after consumption. The holidays are the time for sweet treats, but try not to overdo it.

Drink enough water
Dehydration is one of the most common causes of headache, fatigue, joint pain and stiffness. Alcoholic beverages are dehydrating, so increase your intake of fresh, plain water.

Make a list and check it twice
A hectic schedule means that being organized and planning ahead is more important than ever. If you are laying in bed at night worrying about all the things you have to do, get up and make a “to do” list. It will help to clear your mind and get you back to sleep.

Get enough sleep
Being well rested will allow you to have the energy to cope with the day’s stresses. Be sure to get at least 7 to 8 hours a night. You’ll find you have more energy and are able to get even more done in a shorter amount of time.

Chiropractic Adjustments
The worst cause of subluxation this time of year may not be physical stress, but psycho-emotional stress which can take an even greater toll on your alignment, and therefore your nerve system. Weekly adjustments this time of year will keep you going and maintain your brain-body connection at 100%.

Laughter is the best therapy
It may be a cliche, but it’s a cliche that is actually true. People who laugh on a daily basis rate the stress in their life as lower and enjoy better health. Rent a movie if you have to … do what it takes!