September is coming to an end...

Dear Friends,

September is a very special month (and busy month) for many people. For myself, both of my parents have their birthdays in September (in fact, my Dad's birthday was yesterday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!), along with 7 of my friends. I also met the love of my life in September 3 years ago. September marks the start of the school season for students and the end of summer for just about everybody. Stress levels are at all time highs as people struggle to adjust to work mode from vacation mode and reality kicks in for the people who threw their diet plans out the window for the summer time. Many common lines that I hear in the month of September are: "Wow I think I added a few inches to my waist!", "Is it just me or did I gain some weight?", "We HAVE to get back to the gym!", etc....
Gym membership cards get dusted off, and diet plans are put into full force. Sound familiar?

Not that it's bad to get back into your diets, but remember to do it in a healthy manner. NEVER expect overnight results, because it just won't happen. Those advertisements that sell the miracle weight loss pills are all bogus, don't fall prey to those! Taking baby steps to achieving your diet goals is the best way to go about it!

Some tips for a good, healthy, diet:
-ALWAYS get enough sleep, preferably 8 hours or more.
-Eat more frequently, but less per meal.
-Eat SLOWER, chew your food more thoroughly.
-Exercise, exercise, EXERCISE!
-Keep your system clean (Refrain from smoking, excessive alcohol consumption)!
-Sipping a cup of our All-Natural Herbal Tea would be very beneficial!

Everyone can achieve their diet goals, if they know how to do it properly!

Until next time..

To good health and successful diets,
Dickens

Fall is just around the corner.....

Dear Friends,

The recent change in weather is hinting that Fall is just around the corner (According to astronomy, September 22 is one of the days when the sun is right over one of the two opposite points of the equator, and we call this phenomenon the autumnal equinox). This event marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, and the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. For more information, read up on this astronomical phenomenon on Wikipedia.

So aside from the science, let's get to the health part (which in my opinion is part art, part science). In my many years of observation of people trying to achieve a desirable body shape, or just trying to lose those extra pounds and inches, people try many neat (and silly things, mind you) in an effort to achieve quick results; things like starving themselves, drinking lemon juice (I shudder at the thought of that), sleeping late (or not sleeping at all), and the list goes on...

First of all, all of those things are EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY and can cause POTENTIAL LONG-TERM HARM to your body, which I think is enough reason to NOT go down that road.

Second of all, when you eventually return to your normal diet, what will happen is that your shape will bounce back to what it was like originally (or possibly even worse), as your body goes back to equilibrium. An analogy would be like a spring, where you try so hard to compress it, only to have it recoil in the end.

Let's get down to the important part. In order to achieve long-term results, you have to "shift the equilibrium", a level or state that your body is comfortable with, or has a tendency to return to under normal conditions. This means slowly changing your diet and gradually adding exercise to your weekly routine. Keeping your body free of excess fat and toxic deposits will aid in your efforts greatly, which our All-natural Herbal Diet Tea does wonderfully.

Since there are infinitely many ways to exercise, I won't go into that (that is totally a matter of personal preference). However, I will provide some useful diet tips so that you can "shift your equilibrium" for the better, and reducing fat in your diet is exactly the best way to start.

To reduce the amount of fat in your diet, do the following things:

- Reduce, but not entirely eliminate, the serving size of red meat.
- Or better yet, substitute poultry or fish for red meat
- Use Non-fat/Low-fat dairy products.
- Try to stay away from pastries
- As hard as this may be, minimize your enjoyment of potato chips and crackers.
- Yes, Mayonnaise tastes good, but it's the body or the mayo! Can't have both!
- Butter tastes good, but you'll have to cut back on that too.
- NO fried foods unless someone gave you a million bucks for eating it.

The tips stated above may already be familiar, or even obvious to you, but I think that I'm probably doing you all a favour by stating the obvious, so that it's reinforced in your head. If you can stick to all of these (or even half of these) changes in your diet, you deserve a pat on the back.

Until next time, stay healthy, relax, and sip a nice cup of tea!

To your health,
Dickens

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, we honor those who lost their lives on that tragic day

Dear friends,

On this tragic day, the fifth anniversary of 9/11, we mourn the loss of those who lost their lives five years ago, especially of those who lost their lives in an effort to save others in danger. The world will forever remember this day, and how it has changed our world forever. Lessons will be learned from this, and for myself, it is that we should cherish our loved ones and live life to the utmost, and be glad that we are still around for each other.

Do not take your health for granted and be grateful for all that you have.

To your good health,

Dickens