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'Inspirations!' is sent only to subscribers. For unsubscribe information, see the bottom of this newsletter.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

• 1) Cindy's and Bruce's ramblings.
• 2) Weight loss series introduction.
• 4) Have a cuppa' tea!
• 5) Book review - The Ultimate Fat Burning Diet Primer
• 6) Just for laughs! :-)

Happy New Year and Welcome to the inaugural issue of 'Inspirations!' Womens Wellness Newsletter!

We delayed this issue a little as we wrestled with format questions and deciding just which secrets and other good stuff would be suitable to reveal in our very first issue. We wanted to be sure to include only useful and useable information... (just the good stuff) you may not have already learned elsewhere.

You only have to surf around a little to see that there is a lot of information and misinformation out there.. Here we'll try to cut through the clutter and nonsense.

We also want to establish this newsletter as an open discussion forum, so we invite you...we implore you, to send us your comments, concerns and suggestions, questions and ideas (even criticisms) for future content. There is certainly plenty we can write about without your input, but we'd rather focus on content you want to hear about.

Weight loss programs?...Diet supplements?...Exercise programs?... Women's health issues?...Motivational concerns?...

Let us know!

So... fire off your most burning issues, suggestions, questions, etc to... Cindy@BusyWomen'sFitness.com

We will take time to answer your questions personally even if we don't publish them here. If there is a recurring theme, we will certainly bring it up in 'Inspirations!', which, incidentally, is the name of Cindy's Personal Training business.

And if you enjoy this newsletter, forward a copy to your friends.

If you received this copy from a friend and would like to subscribe, go to... Inspirations! sign-up page

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RAMBLINGS...

From the home page of BusyWomensFitness.com at... BusyWomensFitness.com you will know that Cindy is a certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Nutrition Consultant.

She is also a 41 year old mother of 3 children ranging in age from 8 to 16 years. Aside from the never ending pile of work at home (cooking, cleaning, laundry etc.) she runs her own personal training business and works part time at a new women's fitness club in town.

Yes, she's a busy woman!

But she is also a fitness fanatic who feels that a day without some form of exercise is like a day without sunshine.

We're working on a photo of her for the home page.

Cindy claims she is 10 - 15 pounds over where she would like to be (though she looks amazing to me!). But guess what...psssst!...I can't say it out loud but I think there are a few hormonal changes happening!

Perimenopause and menopause have become hot topics for reading and research around our house.

You will be hearing more about this subject and a book I recommend to everyone called.."The Wisdom of Menopause" by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Cindy is enthralled by this book and, as she isn't finished with it yet, I borrow it when I can and have a read. As a man, I'm mystified by some of the changes taking place.

Heck, as a man I'm mystified by many things female!

Dr. Northrup not only explains these changes but offers credible help on a whole range of women's health issues. You can find The Wisdom of Menopause at Amazon.com

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WEIGHT LOSS SERIES

A recurring and popular topic for discussion in 'Inspirations! will be weight loss.

The advice and suggestions discussed here and in future issues will be in the form of a series of small, incremental, do-able changes you can make in your life that when added slowly over time, can make a huge difference in your health, weight and state of mind.

I remember a man I knew when I was a kid who, every New Years, would resolve to quit smoking, quit drinking, eat better and lose 50 lbs. (he was a big guy). Every year, around the 10th of January, he would be back smoking, drinking and eating lots of junk.

The reason, of course is that change, especially large change, is hard to do and he had simply bitten off more than he could chew.

He'd have been better off tackling one problem at a time, letting himself get used to small changes first.

Making wholesale changes all at once, such as going on a strict diet, though it can work in the short term if you can summon up the will power to stick to it for a few weeks, will never work in the long term.

Why?

...Because deprivation is not natural! To keep the weight off would mean staying on the diet forever. Who's going to do that when you have cut off the foods you like the most? And some diets are downright dangerous to your health!

...Because strict diet plans were designed for weight loss in someone other than you. You have your own, unique metabolism and biochemical construction. What works for one won't necessarily work for all. That's why there are so many 'new' diet plans on the market each month.

...Because people simply don't like being told what to do. Even given the knowledge that something is good for you, human nature, being what it is, inevitably leads to rebellion and eventual loss of enthusiasm. The diet plan simply falls apart.

...Because many diet plans fail to take into account the emotional, spiritual and psycological triggers of the dieter. Success depends on the involvement of your entire being. You must not just do, you must believe in and understand what you are doing and why.

You don't have to become a fanatic to lose weight and become healthier.

Each month we'll provide advice and another piece of the puzzle that will allow you to create and own your own plan for weight loss and better health.

All you will have to do is keep an open mind, keep reading and keep doing.

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We'll also be talking about safe and effective supplements, fitness tips, women's health issues such as osteoporosis, breast cancer, heart disease and ways to stay motivated as well as topics suggested by our readers.

Stay tuned and for now...

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BOOK REVIEW: 'The Ultimate Fat Burning Diet Primer'

Paul Crane wrote the original version of this ebook over a year ago and recently published an updated version (which was free to owners of the original).

I had fully intended to have the new UFBDP finished and reviewed for this issue of 'Inspirations!' but my schedule as a renovation contractor left little time for reading.

Cindy and I are appoximately 1/2 through this easy reading book and are impressed at the improvement. Additional information and reviews of popular diet plans make it a very complete and comprehensive guide for the would-be dieter.

He takes you to the beginning to ensure you understand the reasons that so many in North America are overweight.

Paul is a natural body builder and presents a great deal of personal knowledge of fat loss science. He examines Dr. Atkins work and also Barry Sears' of 'The Zone' fame as well as the reasons that many of the popular diets of the past simply didn't work.

Although he is a man, his advice is equally applicable to women.

I'm not finished yet, but I read the original version and was very impressed with the format and readability. Pauls research, ideas and conclusions concerning lower carbohydrate and increased protein intake coincide with our own and his explanations of why this works for weight loss and health are right on the money. The new version expands on this and is well worth the low price.

It comes with a full refund guarantee...making it hard to go wrong!

We will conclude the review next month...In the meantime, you can find the book here...

'Ultimate Fat Burning Diet Primer'

HAVE A CUPPA' TEA!

According to Chinese legend, Emperor Shen Nung produced the first cup of tea in 2737 BC. It's popularly believed that Emperor Shen was boiling a pot of water when a few leaves from a black tea shrub blew into the pot. Rather than toss out the water, Emperor Shen decided to taste it. His discovery that the brew was pleasant-tasting and refreshing led to centuries of enthusiasm for tea drinking, and eventually, to the discovery that tea also is good for your health.

Western medical science has confirmed the health benefits that the Chinese have long known.

University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center suggests that drinking tea may lower one's risk of colon, rectal, esophagus and pancreatic cancers.

Dutch researchers at Erasmus University Medical School in Rotterdam found that regular tea drinkers have a reduced risk (as much as 46 percent) of developing coronary artery disease.

USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md., indicate that tea consumption may decrease LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 10 percent, when combined with a low-fat diet.

What makes tea so good?

Primarily, it's the high levels of polyphenols, or flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants (those free-radical scavengers that help prevent cellular damage).

Flavonoids are most prevalent in green and black teas- just one cup of tea supplies around 200 mg of flavonoids, an antioxidant potency 20 to 30 times stronger than vitamins C and E.

Tea also is a source of important vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A; vitamins B1, B2 and B6; folic acid; and potassium.

Still not convinced?

The American Heart Association reports that green tea, especially, has been found to help control blood pressure, maintain the body's fluid balance, suppress the appetite, improve the immune system and help fight bacteria.

Drinking black tea promotes healthy arteries, increases blood flow to the heart, and may lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.

According to the American Dietary Association, you need to drink between four and six cups of green or black tea each day to potentially reduce your risk of disease.

If you're not quite that fond of drinking tea, you still can reap the benefits by taking a nutritional supplement.

Some multivitamins or other supplements include green or black tea as an ingredient because of the powerhouse antioxidant activity.

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JUST FOR LAUGHS...

Things you really want to know....

• If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. (Hardly seems worth it.)

• The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps to squirt blood 30 feet from the body. (O.M.G.!)

• A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes. (In my next life, I want to be a pig.)

• A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.) (I'm still not over the pig.)

• Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. (Do not try this at home….maybe at work.)

• The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off. ("Honey, I'm home. What the....?!")

• The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field. (30 minutes... lucky pig... can you imagine??)

• The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds. (What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)

• Some lions mate over 50 times a day. (I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity)

• Butterflies taste with their feet. (Something I always wanted to know.)

• The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. (Hmmmmmm........)

• Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people. (If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

• Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump. (OK, so that would be a good thing....)

• A cat's urine glows under a black light. (I wonder who was paid to figure that out?)

• An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know some people like that.)

• Starfish have no brains. (I know some people like that too.)

• Polar bears are left-handed. (If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)

• Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure. (What about that pig??)

• Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...

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Yours in Health till next month,

Cindy Brotherston & Bruce Hanley, Beaverton, Ontario Canada 705-426-5809
Busy Women's Fitness.com