BodyMedia.

From their website:

Have you ever wondered how many calories you burn while playing with your kids? Or how active you really are over the course of a week? Now you’ll know – with BodyMedia^® FIT, the clinically proven system that turns your body’s everyday information into a tool to help you manage a healthy lifestyle.

Simply wear the BodyMedia Armband during the course of your day, then log onto your personalized BodyMedia FIT Activity Manager. You’ll get accurate, easy-to-digest information about the calories you’ve burned, plus a calorie consumption calculator and tips for how to best reach your fitness and lifestyle goals.

The BodyMedia FIT System also measures sleep duration and efficiency – so that you can begin to understand the influence your bedtime has on your overall health.

The trick to my tasty and healthy wings is I boil them first. That knocks off a lot of the fat and makes them nice and tender. Then you can throw them on the grill and get ‘em nice and crispy.

So here is how to make them:

INGREDIENTS
1 4-pound bag of frozen or fresh chicken wings (try to get a combo of both wings and drumettes)
1/2 FRANK’S REDHOT cayenne pepper sauce

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. Boil the wings in a large pot for 10 minutes. Drain water and excess fat from wings when done.
2. Grill wings on barbecue until crispy. 

3. Prepare sauce as below. 

TAVERN STYLE SAUCE: Add 1/2 cup barbecue sauce to the 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce and mix well. Then mix the wings in the Tavern sauce and serve.  Serves 4

Designed for real people living in the real world, THE REALITY DIET allows people to enjoy the foods they love (carbs!), including pasta, waffles, rice, potatoes, bananas—even chocolate and wine. According to Dr. Schnur, “The Reality Diet’s one key fat-fighting ingredient, FIBER, is the single best predictor of success when it comes to weight loss. Fiber curbs hunger and significantly reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes.” The Reality Diet outlines Dr. Schnur’s 2:90 rule, which states that for every 90 calories of food there should be at least two grams of fiber.

He will discuss why is fiber so important in weight loss and health and why low carb diets do not work. He will discuss why any quick fix solutions do not work and why even though there are thousands of diets our obesity rates continue to increase.

He will also address the role of exercise in weight loss and the role of diet pills in weight loss and which ways we can help our children avoid becoming overweight.

“Since our book was released last year, thousands of people got a dose of reality,” said Dr. Schnur. “Following our menu plans, they lost weight by eating healthy, tasty food that filled them up, but more importantly, cut down their chances of a heart attack or stroke.” Schnur went on to say, “If dieting were easy, we would be a nation of supermodels, but in reality, we’re a nation that’s 60 percent obese.”

About the Author:
Steven A. Schnur, M.D. is a board-certified internist and cardiologist and the founder of South Florida Cardiology Associates (www.heartprevention.com), the largest cardiology practice in South Florida, with 12 locations and 18 physicians. He received a fellowship in cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where he was chief medical resident. Dr. Schnur is President of HPS Consulting and counsels medical practices about patient management. His research has appeared in such publications as The American Heart Journal and he is a frequent speaker at professional conferences. He lives in Miami with his wife and two children.

Steps that she suggests are:

1. Learn to establish your vision and set clear goals for yourself – it is easier to reach your goals if you have a clear picture of what it is you want to accomplish.
2. Choose a meal plan or diet that works for you. Everyone’s needs and tastes are different and you need to be realistic about what will work for you.
3. Be active – physical activity is just as important as healthy eating; just get moving!!
4. Keep track of your habits – what you eat, when you eat, what you are feeling/thinking, exercise habits, etc. Keeping a diary of your habits for awhile can really open your eyes.
5. Remember your journey and don’t just focus on the destination. Don’t worry if you feel that you slid back – just focus on your longterm goals.
6. Get support. This can be anyone from your doctor to a friend.

Why Dietwatch:

Track: Calories, Carbs, Fat, Exercise, Weight and Much More DietWatch’s Planner is simply the best tracker for any diet. Follow our healthy meal plans or follow your own diet, whether you choose Weight Watcher’s, Jenny Craig, Atkins or any other brand.

What does a dietwatch plan provide:

DIET
Personalized Meal Planner
Customized Shopping Lists
Nutrition Tracker
Automatic Reminders and Alerts
FITNESS
Personal Exercise Program
Exercise Tracker
FEELING GOOD
Body Image Help
Managing Emotions
Goal Setting
Positive Thinking
SUPPORT
Chat Rooms, Blogs and
Message Boards
Find-A-Friend
Expert Advice
Daily Tips

About Jennifer:

Jennifer May, M.S., R.D., M.S.
Registered Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist

Jennifer May, M.S., R.D., M.S. is the Manager of Nutrition Services for DietWatch.com. Jennifer holds two master’s degrees from Indiana University, one in nutrition science and one in exercise physiology. Jennifer has taught nutrition and biology at the university level, and has provided nutrition and fitness counseling and coaching for individuals, medical facilities, health organizations, and schools. She has produced educational materials and has appeared frequently on radio and television.

She suggests making healthy “xchanges” to create positive life benefits. Technology has provided us with online tools that help you record your caloric and food intake (just to keep you honest) and as well as online support groups that can help you through the tough times. There are fancy digital pedometers and heart rate monitors that enable you to track your steps and your level of cardiac fitness.

What is the down side to technology — the internet’s massive amount information much of which is erronous and leads to poor health/diet decision making.

Ashley’s website:

Welcome to the healthXchange

From Personalized Nutrition Plans to Grocery Store Tours, we provide the services you need to stay healthy… for both children and adults!

We have the background and experience to make us the best choice for your nutritional needs.

Ashley’s Bio:

Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian in private practice and on staff at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. The daughter of a surgeon, Koff saw early on the pros and cons of today’s medical world. Her interest in preventive healthcare grew from learning to develop and personalize her own health regime as well as with her involvement in the media. Koff worked in advertising for a global food company for whom the research led her to travel and meet with consumers all over the country and abroad. Koff learned what people needed and wanted nutritionally and how food products available in the U.S., at that time, were not meeting those needs. She realized her efforts would be best utilized helping people to understand and make food choices that would optimize their health as well as satisfy their personal preferences.
She was educated at Duke and New York Universities and trained at LA+USC and Columbus Children’s hospitals. Passionate about the beneficial role of nutrients, herbs, and healing therapies utilized around the world, Koff supplemented her traditional dietetic education with training in these areas. Always one to be on top of current trends in medicine, health and wellness, Koff has completed integrative medicine coursework for certification as a certified clinical nutritionist (CCN). Her continuing education also includes on-line courses such as the Program in Integrative Medicine (Univ. of Arizona) and the Institute for Functional Medicine.

It is Koff’s unique blending of nutrition and integrative medicine as well as her in-depth knowledge of supplements, herbs, and health modalities such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Macrobiotics, and Ayurveda, that make her sought after as a consultant and speaker. In fact, so impressive is her expertise that integrative medicine gurus like Dr. Andrew Weil’s Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona (PIM), Dr. Soram Singh Khalsa, and the doctors at the world renown Tao of Wellness in Santa Monica, all utilize her services with their patients. As the dietician consultant for PIM (Dr. Andrew Weil’s Program), Koff sees referrals, and teaches their medical fellows “All you need to know about nutrition but didn’t learn in medical school.” She’s also written an online education module for healthcare practitioners as part of their Nutrition Approaches to Optimal Health series.

In 2002, Koff founded the healthXchange (www.thehealthxchange.com), nutrition counseling and consulting company. She is the author of Recipes for IBS (Fair Winds Press), a cookbook and treatment plan for digestive wellness was released in February 2007. Recipes for IBS was purchased by several pharmaceutical companies to provide to their gastroenterologists additional instruction to improve the effectiveness of drug therapy.

In addition, Koff has shared her nutritional expertise on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, The Tyra Banks Show, MY13, FitTV’s The Ultimate Goal, and in magazines such as Allure, Cooking Light, Healing Lifestyles & Spas, In Style, In Touch Weekly, Shape, Teen Vogue, Yogi Times, and Weight Watchers. She is a regular contributor to modernmom.com and thecradle.com and was ranked by City Search (www.citysearch.com) as the Best of LA’s nutritionists/dietitians two years in a row (2005, 2006).

Koff loves to travel and connect with people in different places. She is fervent about health being attainable and sustainable for all demographics. Her clients love her for her joy of life, her sense of humor, and her deep caring for their well-being. It is no surprise that this charismatic woman has an A-List Hollywood clientele and is currently in development discussion for her own television show.

Eve Michaels of Eve Michaels.com joins Craig to discuss how everyone can have their “WOW” no matter what their age and when you get your body, mind and spirit in sync, you’ll find your WOW! again.

As more and more people are searching for their own “Extreme Makeover”, they are realizing they need a guide. Eve Michaels is a makeover professional who addresses every aspect of a person’s makeover – from fashion, to ettiquette, to surgery if needed. She guides people through the process of not just an “extreme makeover” but a life makeover helping her clients to be their very best.

Makeovers are about more than just new clothes, they are about bringing out the best and feeling comfortable with the “new” you as you incorporate the makeover into your life and lifestyle.

Whether it is helping them pick the best plastic surgeon, brushing up on etiquette and table manners or finding the best fashions for their new look, Eve is there to show them the way.

Today women want to look younger, fresher and sexier, but need someone to teach them how. From injectable fillers for the face, workouts for the body and the newest fashions for their closets.

With over 30 years experience in the fashion, beauty and image industries, Eve has developed the unique ability to help women get in touch with their true essence and to express it through their visual appearance. Eve truly has a gift, a talent, for helping women find their inner spirit and then match it with their outer appearance.

What’s appropriate for any age and what’s not

Eve Shares her 7 tips with us:

LIVE LIFE WITH THE ENTHUSIASM OF A CHILD

• What happened to your excitement and sense of wonder? When did life become so dreary?
• Did growing up have to mean growing old in attitude?
• How did this sneak up on us without our even noticing? As we became more sophisticated so did our toys. But even the toys stopped delighting us.
• What good is a new dress with an old attitude? If you want to look young you have got to feel young. Young at heart. Find the child inside of you. You will be delighted with the adventure of life.

CHANGE HOW YOU THINK ABOUT AGING

• The most important thing you can do to start getting your “WOW” back is to change the way you think about aging. Healthy and positive aging is possible.
• Most women were raised to believe that certain depressing things would happen to our bodies as we age, especially after having children. Even worse, we were taught that our personal worth would diminish with each year we live.
• Nowadays, 50 is the new 30. I know. I am 53 years old and loving it.
• At least twice a day affirm from the heart saying “I am growing younger, better, happier, healthier, wealthier and more full of life.”
• Say it with feeling and total faith. Say it out loud during your daily prayers.
• Think it as you drive, do chores, whenever. Remember that what you think about is what you’ll become. Please don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! You’ll be a happier woman believing that you are getting better all of the time.

FIND YOUR INNER SELF AND INDULGE DAILY WITH JOY

• Whatever it is that really regenerates you, do it. Balance is the key.
• It is vital to take some time for yourself so you remain a whole and balanced person. When you live only for others it’s not possible to have WOW!

FIND YOUR INNER SELF AND INDULGE DAILY WITH JOY

• Whatever it is that really regenerates you, do it. Balance is the key.
• It is vital to take some time for yourself so you remain a whole and balanced person. When you live only for others it’s not possible to have WOW!
• Someone who has WOW! has a fountain of personal energy and vitality. They’re interesting. They have an endless source of love to tap into.
• Everything can’t be about the kids. If it’s all about others you lose your self. And your children don’t need the guilt of being the entire universe to you. They respect your having your own needs and filling them.
• You have to be a complete person in order to have a great relationship with someone else and that includes your kids.
• You started off by being yourself and then attracting another. Then you had children and may have lost who you are and forgot about your marriage.
• If this happens to you, what kind of life will you be offering your children?
• Your spouse and your children will appreciate a mom who nurtures all sides of herself and teaches them to do the same.
• Mom is a person first and foremost, then a mate and a mom. All three sides must be tended to.
• Indulge yourself each day � even if it’s only for a few minutes. Nurture your spirit and individuality. Enhance your mind. This is an important source of your WOW!

REVEL IN YOUR SENSUALITY

• When you are young, you have a strong sex drive which motivates much of your behavior. It also is responsible for attracting your significant other. In fact, chances are that you would not be a mom at all if you were not a sexual person.
• We are all sensual beings. We can’t deny that part of ourselves. Sexual energy is the driving force behind all of creation. In Eastern philosophies, it is a well-accepted fact that the creative chakra (center) of our bodies is also the sex chakra.
• As moms, we can’t go through life doing one task after another without any time to nurture our own physical needs. Your significant other wants the person they fell in love with. When you were dating, didn’t you make him a priority? Make him feel important? Loved being intimate with him? Well, just because you had children doesn’t mean that all that must stop.
• The parents’ love for one another is the foundation of the home.

FOSTER AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

• It is only from a sense of gratitude and joy that we create more good things in our life. That is because positive attracts positive. So if you want more goodness, focus on goodness.
• Nothing fades anger and sadness quicker than shifting our attitude to thoughts of gratitude.
• When you are feeling good, remember to tell your face. It shows what you think.
• No amount of makeup or surgery will make your face look joyous and stress free. Only you can do that.
• Renowned facialist Vera Brown always said, “By 30 you have the face you’ve earned and by 50 you have the face you deserve”
• Change your attitude and do an about face! All puns intended.

UPDATE YOUR LOOK WITH AN IMAGE MAKEOVER

• If your computer software is more current than your hairdo, you might be in a rut. You’re ready for an image makeover.
• REJUVENATE YOUR BODY – LOOKING YOUNGER
• The physical is an affirmation of the mental and spiritual. You live in a physical world. So take good care of the vehicle that carries you around this planet.
• We do not need to grow old, weak, flabby, and ill. Wellness, strength, stamina, good energy is our natural state. Do what it takes daily to nurture your body. Be good to it and it will be good to you.
• Don’t get caught in your own time warp. You wouldn’t expect a 10 year-old computer program to serve your needs, so why expect that an outdated style will.
• You need to learn what flatters your best features and accentuate them. Make the trends work for your body, shape and coloring.
• Part of being modern is accurately communicating who you are. You don’t have to try to look twenty. But you must keep up with the trends. Your children will love it.
• Your makeup should be updated every spring and fall. Your hairstyle needs to change at least every 2 years. Update your clothing on a seasonal basis.
• On a budget? Just add a couple of key pieces, change the way you wear what you have, and keep your hair and makeup current.
• We have a responsibility to stay in the fashion groove. If we look like a dinosaur, people will treat us like one.
• People are not born “out of style”. They get that way when they stop putting effort into their appearance.
• It’s often fear that stops us from changing. Fear of looking silly. Fear of not wearing the new trend correctly.

Eve Michaels – Biography

As a working Mom with kids, husband and the whole nine yards, Eve really understands the challenges of being a Mom. Eve’s life was not always as perfect as it seems today. She experienced makeover magic herself.

At 53 years old she looks a glamorous 35. She lives a life many would envy – with a home in Beverly Hills, a wonderful relationship with her husband, great kids and a successful career she loves.

But it has taken her many years of deep introspection and study to find the unique blend of body, mind and spirit makeover magic insights she applies to her life everyday. She has gone through a divorce and many ups and down in her life.

Now Eve knows it is possible to have it all – and that we deserve to have it all. She turned her own life around and now has the life she always dreamed of.

Eve’s philosophy is that when you get your body, mind and spirit in sync, you’ll get your WOW! back. “How to grow young is the passion of my life,” says Eve, who has worked as a celebrity image designer with the rich and famous.

Eve is dedicating her life to helping people from all walks of life look and feel vibrant, beautiful and modern.

“I’ve built up my expertise over the last 30 years by working in all aspects of the fashion and makeover industry,” says Michaels.

“I had an intense interest in natural healing, spirituality, and metaphysics. That’s how I’ve been able to develop a holistic approach.”

Eve brings her unique journey and her holistic approach to people everywhere through her makeover magic programs.

Unlike other makeovers, Eve’s program goes way beyond hair, make up and dress – it offers you a real opportunity to walk the path she has prepared and to experience personal enhancement – in body, mind and spirit.

If you think you might be a great guest, post a comment or send us a note.

Dr. Mullin the Director of GI Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) at Johns Hopkins Hospital joins Craig to discuss the transforming impact of nutrition on your life. His Complementary and Alternative Medicine expertise is in gastroenterology (GI) issues.

There is an increasing trend in the utilization and incorporation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) strategies in the promotion of health and management of disease.

The Food As Medicine Program is a program designed to integrate nutrition into Clinical practice, Medical education, and Community health at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and is a separate entity.

Over the past 20 years, an explosion of scientific studies has established that our emotions and outlook — our state of mind — can exert a strong influence on the state of our health. In Mind-Body Unity: A New Vision for Mind-Body Science and Medicine.

The newest technology in Capsule Endoscopy such as the Pill Cam, a vitamin-sized video camera a patient swallows which sends images to a data recorder as it travels through the small intestine. It is used after a colonoscopy or gastroscopy has been performed without revealing a diagnosis. This site has great visuals and information.

What is PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy?

PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy enables your doctor to examine the three portions (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) of your small intestine. Your doctor will use a vitamin-pill sized video capsule as an endoscope, which has its own lens and light source. While the video capsule travels through your body, images are sent to a datarecorder you will wear on a waistbelt. Afterwards your doctor will view the images on a video monitor.

Why is PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy Performed?

PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy helps your doctor determine the cause for recurrent or persistent symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bleeding or anemia after a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy has been performed without revealing a diagnosis. In certain chronic gastrointestinal diseases the method can also help to evaluate the extent to which your small intestine is involved or monitor the effect of therapeutics. Your doctor might use PillCam™ Capsule Endoscopy to obtain motility data such as gastric or small bowel passage time.

The PillCam™ ESO video capsule is specifically designed to view the inner lining of the Esophagus. The capsule is equipped with miniature cameras on both ends and is about the size of a multi-vitamin, which can be swallowed easily.

Three sensor arrays are strategically placed on the patient’s chest and connected to a data recorder, worn on a belt around the waist.

The patient swallows the capsule lying down, and is then raised in a series of inclinations over a total of 5 minutes. The PillCam™ ESO travels through the esophagus by normal peristaltic waves, flashing 14 times per second, each time capturing images of the inner lining of the esophagus.

As it continues down the esophagus, the images captured may identify potential abnormalities, such as Esophagitis – which is inflammation of the lining of the esophagus often caused by Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. Severity of symptoms is measured by a Grading system, and in severe cases, esophageal ulcers can appear.

Images captured by the PillCam™ ESO may also identify symptoms of Barrett’s Esophagus, which occurs as a result of abnormal cell growth in the lower esophagus. Columnar cells, typically found in the lining of the stomach, replace the squamous cells in the lining of the esophagus, which can lead to a cancerous condition.

During this five-minute procedure, the PillCam™ ESO captures images, which are transmitted to the sensor arrays. These images then travel from the sensors, along the wires to the DataRecorder™. At this point, the patient is permitted to get up and walk or remain seated for an additional 15 minutes to ensure the capsule has traveled the entire length of the esophagus. After dropping into the stomach, the pill is later excreted naturally.

Once all equipment is removed from the patient, the portable DataRecorder™ downloads the video images to a designated workstation, from which the physician views and assesses the results in order to recommend next steps in the patient’s treatment.

With the increase in mind-body diseases such as, IBS, IBD and Crohn’s Diseases affecting 10-15% of Americans, the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is at the forefront of gastroenterological health care issues.

Medical experts are talking about a new health epidemic — one that most thought was eliminated decades ago. It’s a lack of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble substance (it dissolves in and can be stored by fat deposits in the body). Called the sunshine vitamin because people make their own when sunlight hits the skin, vitamin D is also found in fortified milk, one of the few food sources for this nutrient. With people spending more time indoors, especially as cold weather approaches, and the frequent swapping of milk for soda Americans aren’t getting the vitamin D they need.

Vitamin D (in its active form, which is created after several modifications by the body) functions as a hormone which means it binds to receptors in various tissues to influence the expression of genes, thereby affecting a range of processes, especially the regulation of calcium.Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness, increasing the risk of falling and fractures. Vitamin D deficiency also has other serious consequences on overall health and well-being. There is mounting scientific evidence that implicates vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular heart disease, and new epidemiologic evidence suggests that vitamin D may be protective against some common cancers. These include colon, breast, and prostate cancer.

The common assumption has been that with the fortification of milk, instituted in the United States in the 1930s, and casual exposure to sunshine, most people get all the vitamin D they need. It has become clear that vitamin D deficiency (usually defined as blood levels of less than 15 ng/mL [or nanograms/milliliter]) and insufficiency (less than 20 or according to most experts probably less than 30 ng/mL) are far more widespread than researchers had expected.

About Dr. Mullin

Dr. Gerard Mullin is an authority on the transformative impact of nutrition on health as well as a leading expert on cutting edge Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He has been recognized as one of “America’s Top Physicians” by The Consumers’ research Council since 2004 and his articles have appeared in numerous medical journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, Gastroenterology and The Journal of Clinical Immunology.

Dr. Mullin is Director of GI Complementary and Alternative Medicine as well as Director of Capsule Endoscopy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease.

In addition to his work at Johns Hopkins, he is also on the faculty of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine’s groundbreaking program, Food As Medicine, the nation’s leading nutrition training program for physicians, medical school faculty and other health professionals.

About the Johns Hopkins Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

U.S. News & World Report has ranked The Johns Hopkins Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division as one of the top three GI programs in the United States for the ninth consecutive year. The faculty and staff are nationally and internationally recognized for their achievements in patient care as well as in research.