Wishing You A Happy Holidays and A Fantastic New Year !!!!

Tracy Cromwell and Innovations In Anti-Aging

Workshop - Mindful for the Holidays!

Do you feel as if you go from day to day, week to week, year to year in a daze, simply performing activities and responsibilities? Do you want to feel more settled in your daily life? Would you like to lower your stress levels and feel that you are moving forward on purpose?

If so, this is the workshop for you! 

One last question, are you mindful? If you are wondering what we mean, it’s ok. Many people in these busy times of multiple media outlets, phones, emails, TV shows, work, don’t understand what it means to be mindful. Join Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Tracy Cromwell and Licensed Massage Therapist, Chastity Kribble for  this 1 hour workshop!

You will learn what mindfulness is and how to apply this concept to your life. We will also be conducting a mindful eating exercise that will help you make it through the remainder of the holiday season without overeating when you apply it! (Now that's exciting!)  

We would like to thank Cougar Crest Winery for hosting our event. Cougar Crest Winery offers primarily red blends utilizing a variety of Washington grapes. A $10 tasting fee is not require, but encouraged. Tasting fee can be waved if you decide to purchase a bottle of wine. Cheese wheels and crackers are available for purchase. We will also provide a fruit and vegetable tray for light snacking, as well as an assortment of herbal teas. Please feel free to bring any additional food you may desire for lunch if needed.

We look forward to seeing you!

For more information, go to meetup.com

One Crazy Broccoli has gone "LOCO!"

One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter than My Disease is now available in Spanish!

Being a co-author of this book is such a blessing. I have learned a great deal from my co-authors and I am learning a great deal from the readers as they post their reviews and contact me personally to tell me how the book has changed their lives. 

"Engaging, refreshing, and honest examples on the inextricable link between diet and personal health/well-being! October 28, 2015

Engaging, refreshing, and honest examples on the inextricable link between diet and personal health/well-being. Unlike other reads in this genre, One Crazy Broccoli bridges the hard science with palatable, easy to read and understand information that can really transform the self. This book provides long term and healthy solutions to often-misunderstood and grim ailments and diagnoses. Highly recommend!" - Amazon Reader

  Get your copy today!

Wishing you good health and vitality this season!

Wishing you a beautiful holiday season!

Tracy Cromwell Wishes You A Happy Thanksgiving !!

My Tea is Speaking to Me Again

"Appreciate yourself and honor your soul."

These words come at a perfect time for me today. Even as a coach, I can have moments when I forget to do just this.
We all forget. We silence our soul and we don't appreciate our gifts.

My birthday was this past week. Birthdays can make you think about your life and the journey of it. Each year is filled with soooo many lessons. This little cup of tea made me realize that one of the biggest lesson I have learned is to appreciate my gifts. To utilize my gifts is an absolute must. To stifle them is to dishonor my own being and soul.

Will you join me today? It's ok. "Appreciate yourself and honor your soul."

Tracy

One Crazy Broccoli! Qatar Book Launch!

Several of my wonderful co-authors had a very successful book launch for One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter than My Disease, in Qatar last week! Congratulations!

Check out the video here!

Get your copy of One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter than My Disease on Amazon, today!

CHANGING MY STARS! One Crazy Broccoli! Arrived at My Door

Today is a special day. My bulk order of books arrived, One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter than My Disease. I am excited and at the same time feeling vulnerable that I have placed something so personal, something that I had felt shame towards for so long, on paper and now into a published book. Through this vulnerability, I am finding strength and peace. Do you have a story that you are hiding? Do you have a story that you can share to help and inspire others? I am learning that it is empowering to step out of the shadows and to embrace who I am and to embrace my life's story. A life story that continues to be a most amazing journey of challenge with my own self, heartache, empowerment and triumph!

I encourage you to step out, be brave, tell your story and live your life with passion and purpose!

Today, I am in awe........

Sometimes thing happen in life that knock you down, make you question yourself, make you wonder what your purpose is. These things happen and rock your world so significantly that it can be difficult to even want to greet the next minute, let alone the next hour, day, month, year. As we go along through life, we will have low moments and then we will have amazing moments of triumph that rock our world in such a way, we are speechless and in absolute awe!

Today I am in awe. I woke up as the co-author of a book that is an International Best Seller, "One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Stronger than My Disease." Within the pages of this book are real stories. Inspirational stories of triumph over adversity, triumph over illness. When I think back to my darkest days, I am so thankful for that little voice inside of me, the voice that although faint continued to speak and cry out for attention. "Keep moving forward and you will find your path and purpose. Just keep going forward and asking the questions. The answers will come. Trust, Tracy. It's safe to trust yourself."

When the answers came, I had to be brave and move forward with them in faith. I had to press through my fear, my doubt, my apprehensions. The moment I did that, listened to my own voice and gave it for the first time, the acknowledgement and respect it deserved - the universe heard it too! I have stepped forward into the person that I truly am. The one that has been waiting for me for almost 50 years. Not the person I thought everyone wanted me to be. I appreciate her for all that she is and was for me and all that she has tried to do for me, but she is gone. I am finally me!

When you read "One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Stronger than My Disease" you will be reading words from real people who are willing to be vulnerable and tell you their stories. This is no small feet. Our mission as contributors is to help as many people as possible move forward into a healthy body, mind and spirit as we have.

Again, I am in awe that Christine Marmoy found me and asked me to be a part of such a significant project. (Thank you Christine!) Another sign that yes, when you press through the darkest moments, move forward with your purpose and allow your true self to shine, the universe listens and even calls a few folks to tell them about you!

Many blessings to all!

Tracy

ps. Be sure to get your copy of the book by clicking on the following link. (You may even want to get some additional copies to give as gifts to those you love.)

http://amzn.to/1N115Bi

One Crazy Broccoli! My Body is Smarter than My Disease launches on Amazon today!

It is an honor to be a co-author of this powerful book!

A book to inspire and to give hope! "Today, more and more people end up suffering from chronic conditions without always understanding why. We are all witnessing a scary rise in diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune disease or even allergies. What will happen to our children when they reach our age? People are getting tired of the seemingly powerless solutions often offered by Western medicine, so they embark upon a quest, a search for an alternative in order to recover their health. This book is a collection of true stories, all sharing what people went through, how they managed to recover from fibromyalgia, diabetes, depression, serious allergies or even multiple sclerosis, just to name a few. What did they do differently? Did they heal? How long did it take them? All these questions and much more are addressed within these pages. Hope is not gone. You can change your faith today, right now, where you are, by implementing a few changes in the food you eat, the lifestyle you live, the way you move your body and by discovering and trying sometimes old but true healing methods that have been used for thousands of years. This is the promise of this book. This is your body; this is your life...... regain control and heal."  Order yours today on Amazon.

Learn More About Tracy and Her New Book By Clicking On Image Below

Things Are Not Always As They Seem

"Enjoy Natural Life."  "Start your day with Fremo Aloe Drink."

I was introduced to this Fremo Aloe drink a few days ago. Beautifully packaged. A wonderful juice with Aloe and Kiwi - obviously very good for you! Aloe is rich in vitamins, including B, C and E as well as folic acid, which fortify the body's immune system. Kiwi is a nutrient dense fruit, with vitamin C, A, Iron, Potassium and folate. I think I will drink this right now!


However, being inquisitive and an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach - I read the label first. I was completely baffled and frustrated to find yet another product that is being marketed as "healthy" yet it is completely the opposite. 

The ingredients list is as follows: Aloe Vera Gel, Sugar, Honey, Citric Acid, L-Abscorbic Acid, Gellan Gumfood Grade, Calcium Lactate, Trisodium Citrate, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Red No. 40, Artificial Kiwi Flavor, Purified Water

My first issue with this beverage is that the second ingredient is SUGAR and the third ingredient is HONEY. This tells me that this product is high in sugar overall. Before I address that however, I will list the ingredients.

1. Aloe Vera - At least Aloe Vera is the majority ingredient
2. Sugar - Sweetener
3. Honey - Sweetener
4. Citric Acid - As a Preservative, a controversial ingredient in this form
5. L-Ascorbic Acid - A controversial ingredient in this form - Synthetic Vitamin C
6. Gellan Gum Food Grade - Thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer
7. Calcium Lactate - Acidity Regulator, Emulsifying Salt, Firming Agent, Thickener
8. Trisodium Citrate - Preservative, Flavoring
9. FD&C Blue No. 1 - Controversial Food Coloring
10. FD&C Yellow No. 5 - Controversial Food Coloring
11. FD&C Red No 40 - Food coloring
12. Artificial Kiwi Flavor - I can't provide a link as I don't know 
13. Purified Water - Water

I will leave you to do more research on the ingredients, however feel free to click on the links I have added for ease. In regards to the added food coloring, when I poured this product into a glass, it had a clear look to it...... I ask myself, "Why are food colors added to begin with?"

Now on to the nutritional facts of this product. 

Serving Size = 1 cup
Servings per container = 3
Calories per serving = 80 (Drink the whole bottle, 240 calories. "Empty" calories that have no true value to your body.)
Total Carbohydrates = 20g (Drink the whole bottle, 60g of "refined" carbs, these are the bad carbs.)
Sugars = 20g (drink the whole thing, that is 60g of sugar headed right into your bloodstream.)

I am going to step up onto my SUGAR SOAP BOX now.
20 grams of sugar- What exactly does 20 grams of sugar look like? 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. Therefore, a 1 cup serving of this beverage contains 5 teaspoons of added sugar. If you drink all 3 servings of this beverage, which would be very easy to do as 3 cups is not very much, you are consuming 15 teaspoons of added sugar!

Why is this so terrible? Consuming this much sugar as it is provided in this beverage will throw your body into an urgent state of sugar/glucose management. Your body has to quickly figure out what to do with the massive influx of sugar flooding your bloodstream. In response, your body must quickly produce high amounts of the hormone insulin to counter the spike in blood sugar. You feel the wonderful "sugar high" after drinking this beverage and then as the insulin urgently processes the sugar, you end up with what is called athe dreaded "sugar crash." Your body now has too much insulin flowing through it's veins and not enough glucose/sugar. You feel tired and fatigued at this point and now want sugar again to counter the crash. This is a vicious cycle which I need to write a separate blog for.

I am stepping down from my SUGAR SOAP BOX now. 

The lesson here: 
One very important thing you can do to improve your health and to stay healthy is to learn how to read labels. When I work with my clients this is one aspect we focus on. Be a wise shopper and look past the fancy, "healthy looking" labels. Investigate the fine print and spare your body the toxic assault of hidden and added sugars.

In Health,

Tracy

Women's Health Advice: Discover Anti-Aging Vitamins

Photo from www.canstockphoto.com

Women age as their body cells die and when new healthy cell generation is hindered simultaneously. This happens because our bodies need certain amounts of vitamins to produce healthy cells and repair damaged cells.

Free Radicals: Enemies to Your Anti Aging Efforts

When your diet lacks the vitamins needed for healthy cell rejuvenation, it will produce high amounts of free radicals, or highly reactive oxygen molecules. Free radicals will attack your healthy cells, thus, accelerating the aging process. Foods high in un-healthy fat content, pesticides or ultraviolet radiation exposure can contribute to free radical production and hinder your anti aging efforts.

Vitamins for Anti-Aging

Vitamins have been recommended as a source for women's health for years, but new discoveries through the cutting edge science of genomics reveal that specific amounts of certain vitamins are needed to promote healthy cell rejuvenation and anti-aging. Let's look at some of the anti-aging vitamins & nutrients below.

Antioxidants

Some of the vitamins found in many berries such as strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries and cherries are natural antioxidants that help rid your body of harmful toxins that can hinder your anti-aging efforts. Green tea is also a good source of natural antioxidants. Toxins are introduced to the body every day in the foods you eat and pollutants in the air. You generally do not feel anything as these toxins are well at work destroying good, healthy cells and speeding up your aging process!

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3, or niacin, helps the body to convert calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates into energy. This vitamin can be found in peanuts, yeast, eggs, fish, meat and poultry.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, aids in brain function and the conversion of protein into energy. It can be found in pork, fish, poultry, eggs, soybeans, whole grains, bananas, nuts and seeds, and oats.

Vitamin Blends

There are also anti-aging products with vitamin blends that combine a number of cell-promoting vitamins into one ingredient. These vitamins are carefully measured to give you just the right amount for proper cell rejuvenation. Thanks to cutting edge science in genomics, companies are now able to include just the right balance of vitamins for each cycle of life.

Reduce Dairy Product Intake

Dairy products such as milk and cheese contain Casein, which is a common food allergen that depletes immune cells. Replace some of your dairy products with other calcium-rich foods such as organic sprouted soy, juice, rice, salmon, sardines, broccoli, and collard greens.

Other vitamins that promote anti aging and healthy cells include Vitamin E, Selenium, Vitamin K and Vitamin C.

Vitamins are essential for skin beauty, strong bones and joints, and healthy cell generation.

When your diet lacks the vitamins needed for healthy cell rejuvenation, it will produce high amounts of free radicals, or highly reactive oxygen molecules.

Vitamins found in many berries such as strawberries, blueberries, grapes, cherries and raspberries are natural antioxidants that help rid your body of harmful toxins that can hinder your anti-aging efforts. There are also anti-aging products with vitamin blends that combine a number of cell-promoting vitamins into one ingredient. These vitamins are carefully measured to give you just the right amount for proper cell rejuvenation. When selecting a supplement, be sure to select a high quality, well respected brand.

Http://www.InnovationszinAntiAging.com 

My New Brochures Arrived!

Very excited to see my new brochures!

Top hospital finally boots fast food joint

Excellent news from Advisory.com. The Cleveland Clinic has removed McDonalds from the campus.

https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2015/08/20/how-cleveland-clinic-won-its-13-year-fight-with-mcdonalds#.VdXyEuji1Ek.linkedin

 

KEEPING IT COOL AND SAFE ON THE JOB SITE

This summer has been hot!  Due to our regions’ normally temped climate, adjusting to the heat can be difficult for many. The heat can literally be exhausting for those who are out working on the jobsite.

Here are some tips for keeping cool and therefore safe.

HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE

·       Drinking a minimum of 6 to 8, 8oz glasses of water per day is generally the requirement for staying hydrated under normal conditions. When facing a consistent heat wave, our bodies need much more fluid. I like to think of it as if I was an athlete in an 8 hour endurance race. My body is under consistent stress and is sweating thus I need to consistently hydrate.

·       Drink BEFORE you are thirsty. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

·       Stay clear of iced coffee, tea and sodas with caffeine and high sugar content. Caffeine is a natural diuretic and will cause the body to lose water.  Sugar beverages cause your blood sugar to spike, making you jittery and then tired and sluggish.

·       Keep water nearby and accessible.

APPROPRIATE CLOTHING

·       Light weight – cotton is best for breathing

·       Light color – helps reflect heat away from body

·       Cooling vests and cooling hard hat pads with neck shades

REST BREAKS

·       Take rest breaks more frequently. Find some shade or seek refuge in an air conditioned space if available.

PROPER FUELING FOR THE BODY

·       Keep meals small and frequent.

·       When the body sweats it not only loses water, potassium levels are also depleted. Here are some examples of potassium rich and water packed whole foods that will fit nicely in the lunch box. Some foods even have the benefits of both!

            Potasium                     Hydrating

            Tomatoes                      Celery

Banana                          Cucumber

            Avocado                        Citrus fruits such as Oranges & Grapefruit

            Carrots                          Iceberg Lettuce & green leafy vegetables

Oranges                                   Radishes

            Edamame                      Tomatoes

            Papaya                          Bell Peppers

            Raisins                          Cauliflower

            Mango                           Broccoli

            Cantaloupe                    Melons such as Watermelon, Honeydew & Canteloupe

            Strawberries                  Baby Carrots

            Pears                                                                          

                                               

Be sure to keep an eye on your colleagues on the jobsite. Make sure everyone is remembering to drink water and take breaks to cool down. Be sure to know the signs and symptoms of dehydration and heatstroke.

Signs of dehydration

·       Dry mouth

·       Headache

·       Increased stress and agitation

·       Infrequent urination

·       Dark colored urine (you want clear to very lightly colored urine!)

·       Difficulty concentrating

·       Increased blood pressure

·       Body swelling

Signs of heatstroke – Courtesy of The Mayo Clinic

·       High body temperature - 104 F or higher is the main sign

·       Altered mental state or behavior - Confusion, agitation, slurred speech, irritability, delirium, seizures and coma

·       Alteration in sweating – Heatstroke brought on by hot weather, skin will feel hot and dry to the touch. Heatstroke brought on by strenuous exercise, skin may feel moist.

·       Nausea and vomiting

·       Flushed skin – skin may turn red as body temperature increases

·       Rapid, shallow breathing

·       Racing heart rate – Pulse increases significantly because heat places a tremendous burden on the heart to help cool the body.

·       Headache – throbbing

What to do if you or a colleague has signs of heatstroke – Courtesy of The Mayo Clinic

·       Call 911

·       Get the person into shade or indoors

·       Remove excess clothing

·       Cool person with whatever means available. Spray with gardenhose, sponge with cool water, fan while misting with cool water, place icepacks or cold, wet towels on the person’s head, neck, armpits and groin.

By planning ahead for hot working conditions, jobsite crews can stay safe during the heat of summer. 

Tracy Cromwell is a Master Builders Association member, Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Public Speaker and the owner of Innovations In Anti-Aging, LLC. To find out more about her company or how she can help you live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle, contact her at 425-999-6304 or tracycromwell@innovationsinantiaging.com You can also visit her website at www.innovationsinantiaging.com

Temporary website outage. New Website Coming!

My new website will be live this weekend! Within the next 48 hours it should be up and running. If you try to access the site now you won't to be able to. Please be sure to check back however. I think you're going to like it! I certainly do!

Do You Have Wonderful Helpers Too?

I don’t know what I would do without my two helpers. They are very quick to assist me in many areas of my personal and professional life. Right now, they are keeping me company through a knee injury. I just know I will be healing much faster because of their unwavering love and affection! Thank you Annabelle and Rampage!

 

Having a pet is very healing to the human spirit. It does not matter what kind of pet necessarily. Science has shown that holding a pet, even if it is not your own, lowers stress levels in humans.  I have visited several assisted living centers where bunny rabbits have been brought in for seniors to hold. This pet therapy helped to raise the residents spirits and lower their stress levels.

 

Let’s all be sure to hold a pet today!

Diet and Brain Health

More and more effort is being given to studies linking diet to brain health. Check out this Huffington Post blog by Carolyn Gregiore's. It's short and worth the read. Is your diet "Brain Healthy?" Let me help you find out. Contact me today. info@innovationsinantiaging.com

We know that food affects the body -- but could it just as powerfully impact the mind?

While the role of diet and nutrition in our physical health is undeniable, the influence of dietary factors on mental health has been less considered. That may be starting to change.

For the first time, a report by a task force advising on new dietary guidelines, commissioned by the departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, included a point considering the possible role of diet in mental health outcomes. The USDA and HHS report notes, for example, that the American Psychiatric Association classifies omega-3 fatty acids (which are most commonly found in oily fish) as a complementary treatment for depression. However, the advisory panel concluded, for now, that the research was too limited to make policy suggestions.

Some psychiatrists, too, have recently launched a rallying cry for a more integrative approach to mental health care -- one that takes diet and other lifestyle factors into account in diagnosing, treating and preventing mental illness. In a paper recently published in The Lancet Psychiatry, an international group of scientists (all members of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research) argue that diet is "as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology and gastroenterology."

With over 450 million people globally suffering from some form of mental disorder and a pharmacological approach having achieved only limited success in treating debilitating mental health conditions, the field of psychiatry may be reaching a sort of tipping point.

"We're now facing this huge epidemic of mental health disorders," one of the paper's authors Dr. Drew Ramsey, an integrative psychiatrist at Columbia University and author of Fifty Shades of Kale, told The Huffington Post. "Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world and soon it will be the leading cause of disability in America. So, as somebody who treats depression, it's of great interest when we see a data signal that suggests that we can treat depression by focusing on nutrition and what we eat."

Ramsey and colleagues' paper cites a number of studies attesting to the vital role of certain nutrients in brain health, including omega-3s, Vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc, iron and magnesium. The modern diet, while dense in calories, tends to be lacking in these important nutrients, which may be contributing to the rise in mental health conditions. Many studies have linked depression with low levels of key B vitamins, for instance, while low maternal Vitamin D levels have been found to play a role in the child's risk of developing schizophrenia.

The research has been mounting in recent years, and has expanded from a focus on individual nutrients to dietary patterns more broadly. In 2011, a large study found the modern Western diet (which is high in processed, high-calorie and low-nutrient foods) to be linked with increased depression and anxiety, as compared to a traditional Norweigan diet. 2014 review of studies, too, linked unhealthy dietary patterns with poor mental health and children and adolescents.

"For a long time in psychiatry, we've known that individual vitamins can have a big impact on mental health -- vitamin B12, iron, magnesium -- but really in the past 10 years, studies have begun to look more at dietary patterns, and that's been quite revealing," said Ramsey.

Growing evidence of the brain-gut connection also lends support the hypothesis that when it comes to mental health, food matters. The idea that there might be a significant link between gut health and brain health -- and that gut bacteria imbalances in a number of neurological conditions, including anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD and schizophrenia -- has gained steam in the scientific community. A 2014 neuroscience symposium even called the investigation of gut microbes a"paradigm shift" in brain science.

"The idea that brain health depends on gut health... that's certainly the next wave of this," Ramsey noted.

However, up to this point, the traditional line of treatment for mental heath problems has been pharmaceutical interventions or treatments like talk therapy, or some combination of the two. Diet and exercise are rarely taken into consideration, except by "alternative" practitioners. Bringing diet into the equation would represent a major shift in the field of mental health care, opening up new modes of treatment and low-cost, low side-effect interventions for individuals suffering from a range of mental health concerns.

"Food should be the first line of defense because it's a foundational treatment," said Ramsey. "We really need to move away from thinking of things like diet and exercise as 'complementary' or 'alternative.' That's really bad thinking that's gotten psychiatry into trouble."

Of course, it's important to remember that the causes of mental health problems are complex, and can span psychological, biological, emotional, environmental and dietary factors. But improving one's diet with brain-healthy nutrients can only support mental and neurological health.

"A well-nourished brain is going to be more resilient," says Ramsey. "Being a modern human is stressful. There are a lot of demands for our attention and we're exposed to a lot more trauma ... Through diet, over time you make the brain more resilient."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated that the new dietary task force was commissioned by the Food and Drug Administration, when in fact it was commissioned by the HHS and USDA. Language has also been adjusted to clarify that non-pharmaceutical interventions for mental health issues are not always behavioral in nature.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/24/diet-mental-health_n_6566376.html