March Newsletter | Red Mountain Weight Loss - Texas

THERE IS NO MOUNTAIN YOU CANNOT CLIMB ISSUE #3 | MARCH 2021

IN THIS

ISSUE

Cortisol levels, stress & weight gain Foods that fight inflammation Mindfulness + weight loss How John turned tragic loss into motivation

New Formulation! Our most powerful antioxidant now extra-strength!

Our Resveratrol supplement now has additional ingredients that have been known to increase energy and combat the effects of aging!

CORTISOL LEVELS, STRESS & WEIGHT GAIN: How it’s all related

By Dr. Suzanne Bentz, D.O., Founder & Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Shelly Kocher, M.D. FACOG, Medical Director

When undergoing a stressful situation, your brain triggers the secretion of two hormones — adrenaline and cortisol.

The adrenaline causes our heart rate & blood pressure to rise while cortisol releases glucose to be used for energy production as your body prepares you for a stressful event and helps your brain think more clearly while shutting down non-essential functions of the body (such as your GI tract).

Think of it as an “all hands-on deck” emergency situation where the urgent task at hand (stressful, inciting event) needs everything in the body to work towards that one goal of resolving the stressor. This is a great system for an acute response to an actual threat.

What is so common in our society today is CHRONIC STRESS. When the adrenals continue to be overstimulated, the cortisol, insulin & glucose levels remain high in the blood.

Over time, the body becomes less sensitive to insulin and cells stop responding or become resistant to insulin and fail to utilize glucose. The body thinks we are starving and hangs onto stored fat for energy thus, causing an increase in appetite and cravings. This creates the perfect storm when someone is actually consuming an overabundance of calories but the body doesn’t use those calories for energy and instead stores them as fat. The body also won’t be using its stored fat for energy so instead it goes after lean body mass such as muscle to be utilized for energy. Our system becomes sluggish, then overeating and decreased activity ensues, creating weight gain and difficulty to losing weight.

A healthy lifestyle and normal weight is the best way to keep insulin and glucose in check to avoid weight gain.

6 tips to reduce stress levels & weight gain: 1 Avoid/stop unhealthy habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, overconsumption of junk foods and fast foods

2 Exercise improves the body's ability to fight infection

3 Reduce sugar sugar is a big instigator of inflammation.

Inflammation has been associated with weight gain and poorer immune function

4 Increase antioxidants berries, fiber, green leaf vegetables are high in antioxidants and will lower inflammation which in turn improves immune function

5 Sleep important for metabolism, maintaining a healthy weight, relationships, mood, immune function

6 DHEA add to your supplement routine to help lower cortisol levels (available at Red Mountain)

Mindfulness, Meditation, and Weight Loss

by Dr. Kim Feinstein, Psy, D. Clinical Psychologist & Behavioral Weight Loss Specialist

When it comes to weight loss, we have to acknowledge the importance of the mind-body connection.

Our stressful, hectic lives may literally be weighing us down. Research suggests mindfulness and breathing exercises can play a key role in reducing stress, managing cravings, and fostering a healthy relationship with food.

So, why is it possible that meditation and breathing exercises help with weight loss, exactly? There are physical and psychological factors at play. A 2017 study found that meditation reduced cortisol and C-reactive protein levels. According to this study, when our cortisol levels are consistently high, this is connected with the persistence of obesity over time.

From a psychological perspective, research shows that meditation may help reduce overeating. A 2014 literature review found that using mindful meditation was the #1intervention to decrease binge and emotional eating.

Meditation is often tossed out and disregarded because people question how sitting and not burning calories can help them lose weight. However, it is through meditation and mindfulness, that you are keeping the weight off as well as finding peace with food and your body. Best of all, you’ll find yourself becoming more confident, compassionate and loving towards the most important person in your life…you!

FLIP for 4 top breathing exercises

4 Breathing Exercises for Mindfulness & Meditation 1. Nose breathing

Breathe through your nose so you optimize your oxygen levels and avoid over-breathing, which can lead to increased food cravings. As if that is not enough, here are some key reasons why you should be nose breathing at all times: • It imposes approximately 50% more resistance to the airstream than mouth breathing. This results in 10%–20% more oxygen uptake.

• Nasal breathing removes more germs and bacteria from the air you breathe.

• The nose is a reservoir for nitric oxide, an essential gas for the maintenance of good health. (Nitric oxide plays a central role in dilating the smooth muscle layer embedded in the airways to allow the greater transfer of oxygen to and from the lungs during exercise.)

• It will improve your sleep and energy levels.

• It will make it easier to breathe during exercise, thus allowing you to work out longer.

• It will improve the oxygenation of working muscles and organs to allow you to perform better.

2. Belly breathing

Breathe with your lower belly (engage your diaphragm) to relax the body, lessen cravings, improve digestion, and reduce emotional eating.

To practice belly breathing, you can either lay flat on the ground or sit or stand up tall with your spine neutral. Placing your hands just under the rib cage, inhale deeply through your nose, feel the air expand your belly and the rib cage as much as possible. While inhaling, be sure to keep your shoulders and chest down and relaxed. On the exhale, let the air out slowly through your nose while you actively draw your belly up and in towards your spine by activating the abdominal muscles. Practice this breath for at least 10 minutes and enjoy the benefits of increased energy levels, a faster metabolism, and easier weight loss!

3. Rest & Digest Breathing

Activate your body’s rest-and-digest response by trying this belly breathing exercise at least 15 minutes before and after meals: Step 1: Sit comfortably and relax your bod Step 2: Inhale by extending your lower belly outwardly for 5 counts Step 3: Hold your breath for 4 count Step 4: Exhale by drawing the lower belly inwardly for 8 counts Step 5: Hold your breath for 4 counts Repeat Steps 2-5 for at least 3 minutes each time.

4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Progressive muscle relaxation is an exercise that relaxes your mind and body by progressively tensing and relaxing muscle groups throughout your entire body. You will tense each muscle group vigorously, but without straining, and then suddenly release the tension and feel the muscle relax.

You will tense each muscle for about 5 seconds. If you have any pain or discomfort at any of the targeted muscle groups, feel free to omit that step. Throughout this exercise you may visualize the muscles tensing and a wave of relaxation flowing over them as you release that tension.

It is important that you keep breathing throughout the exercise.

For the full PMR Script, visit redmountainweightloss.com/blog

& RM LIFESTYLE®

APPROVED

FOOD S T HAT

FIGHT INFLAMMATION

It can be very therapeutic to get outside and create your own garden of healthy vegetables, fruits and herbs. You can use them in your healthy cooking to provide a more nourishing meal, help lower inflammation and improve your immune system. Add a lean protein and some spices, and you have the perfect RM3® and RM Lifestyle® approved meal!

Fruits

Vegetables

• Strawberries • Blueberries • Oranges

• Tomatoes • Green leafy veggies (Spinach, Kale & Cabbage)

Protein

Herbs + Spices

• Fish (Salmon, Tuna) • Turkey • Pork

• Thyme • Turmeric • Cinnamon • Ginger

T RY S O ME IN A RE C I P E F OR ST. PAT R I C K ’ S DAY !

Corned Beef & Cabbage the #REDMOUNTAINWAY!

Mini fresh berry “cobblers”

I N GREDIENTS : • Beef brisket weighed in 3.5 oz increments • Cabbage, chopped • ½ cup apple cider vinegar • ½ onion, chopped • 1 tsp powdered mustard • ¼ tsp fresh thyme • 1 bay leaf • Pinch of allspice • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns • Salt and pepper, to taste

D I R E CTIONS : Salt and pepper the beef and lightly dust with mustard.

Put meat, onion, and spices into a crock-pot or large pot and cover with water. Add vinegar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Skim the fat from the water as it rises. Add the cabbage to the pot and cook for an additional 1-2 hours or until the meat and cabbage are tender. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.

For the filling • ¼ cup berries of choice (strawberries, blueberries or blackberries) • 2 tsp Swerve sugar substitute • ½ tsp cinnamon

I NG R E D I E NT S : For the crust • 1 Serving RM Thick & Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake • ¼ tsp cinnamon • ½ tsp Swerve sugar substitute • ½ tsp baking powder • 1 egg white • 1 tsp vanilla extract • Water as needed

D I R E CT I O NS : Preheat oven to 350˚F. Mix all dry ingredients for “crust” together (minus the water, this will be added as necessary). Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry to create a “dough-like” ball, if needed add water in, using about 1 Tbsp at a time. Spray the cup of a ramekin dish with zero calorie non-stick cooking spray. Roll out your dough to line ramekin (bottom and sides) dish. Set aside.

Heat berry filling ingredients together on low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Fill crust in ramekin with the filling mixture and fold edges of dough over slightly to hold in. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

*Serving size dependent on individual calorie allotment as determined by a RM medical provider.

HOW JOHN TURNED A TRAGIC LOSS INTO

healthy motivation “For three years, I was working in a position that took a major toll on my health. During that time, I had gained 50 pounds and was really just not healthy.

After I turned 40, I started to seriously think about where my health was headed. My chronic knee issues were getting worse and I needed knee replacement surgery due to the stress that my weight was putting on my body.

My dad had died at the age of 52 from a heart attack, and I didn’t want to suffer that same fate and leave my children without their own father.

I’ve never been thin, I’m 6’1 but I was pushing 300 pounds and that was one of those marks of a significant milestone, kind of like turning 40, I had been crossing over to the 300 numbers and it was really frightening to me. I just knew that if I didn't do something I was going to continue to see the weight go up so I came in and started my goal at losing 50 pounds. I ended up losing 60 on the program and then continued to lose because of a very dramatic change in my lifestyle and some health understanding that I gained by going through the program. I was able to continue that weight loss afterwards and sustain it.

After losing 60 lbs., I felt like an entirely new person. In fact, following the RM3 program actually helped me discover some food sensitivity issues that I never knew existed!

I have been struggling my entire adult life with sinus and allergy issues, I've had four sinus surgeries, arthritis, and inflammation which I primarily figured was part of knee issues I was also dealing with. I later realized these issues were all side effects of a constant consumption of gluten. When I went in on my first week for my weigh-in, I felt like an entirely new person! The allergies, sinus issues, inflammation, and arthritis were all gone! It is amazing, not just sustainable but amazing and such a motivator that this works. If you do this you lose the weight, you feel great. As I went on my Transition month and started to reintroduce food back into my lifestyle slowly, I quickly isolated what products I was allergic to which has also helped with my ongoing maintenance of my weight moving forward.”

-John H.

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