It was the Take Shape for Life National Convention last week, and it was unbelievable!  The convetion was very, very successful.  We had close to 800 people come.  I challenged all of the participants to become “trilologists.”  Trilology is where people develop and master 3 aspects of optimal health.  I first showed them how to add fun more fun to their everyday lives and instill more meaning and purpose.  Then we discussed how they can better take control of their financial future.  This teaching experience was so enjoyable, because there were physicians and other specialists from all over the country.

One of the top cardiologists in the country said:

“I love what Dr. Andersen is doing here.  I’m going to do Take Shape for Life full-time now because this is where the action is and where the future of medicine is heading.”

Overall it was an outstanding conference!

I am definitely a fan of Diets in Review, and I am excited for the opportunity to guest blog on their site.  My first guest post takes a look at what optimal health really is and how it fits into my upcoming book “Habits of Health.”  Aside from guest posting for a few weeks, I will also be interviewed by Brandi at the end of the month.

Stay tuned!  This should be fun!

Over the next several weeks, I will be blogging on several different sites, talking about stress, exercise and eating well.

I will be blogging on three different blogs over the course of the next week.

OurWickedWeighs.com - Run by Erin and Queenie, it is a website targeted to those people looking to be healthy:

Our Wicked Weighs is not just any old diet blog. We have a multitude of people that are trying many different things in an effort to lose weight and get healthy. Some are losing, some are struggling.

My first post appears here today on Surviving in an Unhealthy Environment - how to eat and move on the go. I will also be talking about Movement v. Exercise and creating a diversified eating plan to make eating a pleasure.

Hesfit.com - part of The Final Sprint (TFS) Network.

TFS Media Network is a web-based publishing group dedicated to providing the highest quality content and interactive technology to support and promote participant-based sports and healthy, active lifestyles.

I will be talking about NEAT v. EAT, motion and exercise, cholesterol, water and improving sleep habits.

DietsinReview.com -

The Diet Column is about all things health and diet related. We bring you the latest diet news, reviews and helpful tips daily.

I will be talking about incorporating portion-controlled meals into your life, achieving optimal health, reaching a healthy weight, using an eating journal and using health coaches.

I encourage everyone to check back as I link to my guest posts - these sites have some great information, and I am excited to be invited to participate with such great sites.

A huge tip to help you lose weight and stay healthy is to stay away from high glycemic foods. The glycemic index of food is a ranking of foods based on their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. A low glycemic index food releases glucose more slowly and steadily. A high glycemic index food ingestion should be limited as it can cause stimulate an inflammatory state and has many healthy robbing effects on our bodies.

I label it as a Habit of Disease because it causes a faster rise in blood glucose levels, stimulating insulin, and turning on fat storage. Carbohydrate foods, including many starches, breakdown quickly during digestion and have the highest glycemic indexes. Their blood sugar response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.

A study out of University of Massachusetts found that those who ate foods high on the glycemic scale weighed significantly more than those who did not. It is a great idea to know the glycemic index of some of your favorite foods. Below you will find a list of popular high medium and low indexed food.

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“I’m eating the same, working out the same, but I keep gaining weight every year. Am I just getting old or is there something I can do to lose weight and stop the gain?”

Every day our lives get more and more “efficient” and “stream lined.” We no longer have to get up and walk across the office to sharpen our pencil by hand. Now we barely lift a wrist and stick the pencil in the electric pencil sharpener on our desk. Or sometimes we just click our thumbs and the mechanical pencil refills itself. And we have lost the chance to expend more energy and burn a few more calories.

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