Body Composition Basics This week, let’s dig a little deeper into the weight loss topic and learn about the importance of understanding body composition and losing visceral fat! When I talk about losing weight and getting healthy, it comes down to burning off toxic body fat and increasing muscle mass.  Before you start any new weight loss program or diet plan, I suggest having a body composition analysis to track your body fat percentage, muscle mass, BMI, bone mass and other metrics. That way, once you’ve completed your program, you can reassess and quantify your results beyond just the number on the scale. At Cornerstone Wellness Center, we use a professional Tanita Scale to analyze body composition. If you’re located nearby, come on in for a free body composition analysis and consultation! During all of our weight loss programs, we use the Tanita to scan weekly to make sure each client is headed in the right direction. Understanding The Dangers of Visceral Fat According to Harvard Health, approximately 10% of body fat is visceral fat. While that may not sound like a lot, visceral fat is one of the most dangerous types of fat. Visceral fat resides in your abdomen

Despite the advances in modern medicine, many people continue to struggle with their weight, evidenced by the epidemic of diabetes and obesity that faces this country. With so many advertisements for weight loss and belly fat reduction in the media today, it’s hard to know which sources are credible. Here at Cornerstone Wellness Center, we believe in fixing things at the root cause level. To better understand how we treat weight loss and how probiotics can help, let’s have a little science lesson! We’re going to talk about what’s going on at the cellular level when you can’t lose weight. It’s kind of important to know this so that you can fix it! Everything starts with your cells. When you look at the structure of healthy cells, you’ll see they are all coated in cholesterol and saturated fats.  On the outside of all your cells are your hormone and nutrient receptors.  In a healthy cell, your hormones and nutrients hit their receptor site, go inside the cell, make energy called ATP, and then waste products are ushered out. Unhealthy Cells But, if you are having a hard time losing weight, if your hormones are out of balance, or if you

When you think of addiction, you might think about gambling, substances and alcohol, but there are many other addictions as well. One of them is sugar, which can actually be something you struggle with and not even realize it. Here are some things to know about sugar addiction. I will also share with you how effective a 5 day detox can be for you and your health. Why Sugar Addiction is a Bad Thing Migraines When you eat a large amount of sugar your brain reacts to that sugar. This can cause a number of reactions, including energy bursts. When this happens, your regulators are dulled over time. This means that you are not feeling the full effects of the sugar and what it is doing to your system. It also means that more and more sugar is needed overtime to get you the energy you need or the reaction you once had to the original amounts of sugar. When you do not have the amounts of sugar your body has now become used to, you end up with a migraine headache. If you already get headaches, you may notice a severe increase in these headaches and the headaches getting worse. Hypertension Hypertension is a severe danger with a sugar

If you are overweight and have tried to lose it, but have consistently struggled even though you are doing everything “right,” you are experiencing what I call weight loss resistance. In our last blog, we addressed one root cause of weight loss resistance: cellular inflammation. This article will give you an overview of another root cause—the emotional root cause of weight loss resistance. A Brief Introduction to Emotional Root Causes The Autonomic Brain is in charge of your survival and is always looking for a biological way to keep you alive when you experience a trauma or conflict.  This biological response appears in our bodies as illness. When we look closely at the type of disease which is being expressed, then we can understand the underlying trauma that is associated with that disease. Some of these traumas may be more conscious than others. Looking for emotional patterns throughout your life can guide you to the original trauma.  Since these nuances are very individual, it is suggested to seek the support of a Recall Healing Specialist to help resolve the underlying conflict or trauma. The Project Purpose When things don’t quite make sense, we must look to the Project Purpose or

A key reason we see so much yo-yo dieting, dieting fails, frustration and giving up around trying to lose fat is that most are trying to solve the wrong problem. It isn’t necessarily a lack of exercise or consuming too many calories. You could be doing everything “right” and still not see any changes. We may not think of our cells when we think of weight loss, but that is exactly where we should start. That is because proper cell function is a prerequisite to the body being able to shed excess fat. This means that nutrients must be able to dock with cell membrane receptors, enter the cell, and be usable toward cellular metabolic processes so that the cellular proteins can guide the cell’s activities and epigenetic expressions of healthy activity and avoid expression of disease activities. Inflammation Many still think of skin deep wounds or joint pain when they hear “inflammation,” but this literally only scratches the surface. Inflammation can go cell-deep, and when your cells are inflamed, you likely won’t experience acute pain alerting you to the damage that is happening. (Source) Obesity has been linked to high CRP (C-reactive protein) levels—a marker for inflammation. (Source) When

Fat loss is about way more than just how you look. If you’re storing excess fat, shedding it can restore your health, encourage you to exercise and move your body, and can reduce weight-related conditions like diabetes and heart disease. If you want to lose weight, it might be manageable enough most of the year, but when the holidays arrive, you are tempted by all the sweets and treats! You don’t have to put your fat loss journey on hold just because the holidays are here. This blog post is going to show you how you can be healthy and stay on track, while still enjoying the holiday season with your friends and family. Be Careful with Alcohol and Caffeine Intake Many people like to enjoy their coffee in the morning during the winter, but the problem is that caffeine has been connected to sugar cravings! When you have caffeine in your system, it then starts to crave more of that same boost in energy, which often leads you to wanting sugary treats.  If you struggle a lot with cravings and know you’re about to be surrounded by easy access to treats, now is a good time to give up or reduce