First, some quick general housekeeping points here at Holistic Blends: 

Danielle is back from the first leg of her allotted vacation time for the year; therefore, orders placed in her time off (06/19-06/30) have begun to ship! She’s pretty quick with getting caught up, so if you are waiting on an order from that time- it will be en route soon if not already.

Friday is the 4th of July! We will, of course, be closed. We wish you all a beautiful holiday!

Finally, from July 14th through 18th, the office will be closed. Much like Danielle’s time off, orders placed will be held for processing until July 21st at which time shipping will commence, and messages will be addressed in the order in which they’re received. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be the last closure for the year aside from the regular holidays.

I’d like to talk to you today about a trend that I am seeing in the health field that is rather disturbing and affects increasing numbers of people...

Despite our advances in new treatments and medications, and the fact that we spend more per capita on health care than any other nation, we are anything BUT healthy…and we continue to get worse!

Currently, 8 out of 10 people take at least one medication each day, 7 out of 10 have a chronic sickness or disease, and shockingly, even half of our children also suffer from one or more chronic conditions.

In fact, we are at a point in our existence where health issues are viewed as normal and are even expected.

Here’s what I mean—these are what I call…

The top 3 health atrocities that people see as normal

1- Gaining weight as we age is “normal”

While metabolism does slow as we age and hormonal changes kick in, that is no excuse for packing on the pounds.

If your weight is creeping up, this is the time to look at your diet and exercise level and make necessary changes.

In addition, hormones may be playing a part in your weight gain, especially thyroid hormones and/or cortisol, so getting tested and addressing any hormonal issues can also help get you on the road to a healthier bodyweight.

2- Being medicated is “normal”

Since the vast majority of us take at least one prescription drug every day, it’s easy to see why being medicated can seem normal. 

Although there are some instances where medication is necessary, it should not be normal for the average person to live their life relying on chemicals to create false health! 

There are always underlying causes and issues behind something that’s wrong in your body, and many problems stem from nutritional deficiencies or poor digestion.

But unfortunately, instead of the medical community helping us explore why we are in pain, have heartburn, are depressed or can’t sleep for instance, we are instead bombarded with drug ads EVERYWHERE telling us if we have this problem, we should ask our doctor if XYZ drug is right for us. 

The US is one of only two countries in the world that allows direct to consumer marketing of medications (New Zealand is the other), and it’s clearly working based on our numbers.

3- Having a disease is “normal”

This is the worst one.

Many of us spend our days eating nutrient-poor ultra-processed foods, drinking soda, smoking, exercising too little, drinking too much, being stressed out, sleeping poorly and relying on medications to make us feel better.

And this rolls out the red carpet for disease to come knocking.

At the same time, the drug industry has pressured the medical community to change the parameters under which people are diagnosed with a disease for which medication can be prescribed.

For instance, hypertension used to mean blood pressure that exceeded 140/90.

Now? 

The American Heart Association blood pressure guidelines define Stage 1 hypertension as 130/80—a full 10 points lower on both the systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) numbers!

That change resulted in a huge influx of people that required medication, while at the same time our heart disease rates continue to rise!

Even a blood pressure reading of 120-129/80 is considered “elevated” and medication may be considered at some point.

Here’s another example: It used to be that people who made poor food choices, ate too quickly and/ or overate would pay the price and get heartburn…and hopefully learn to improve their diets.

Now?

They are diagnosed with acid reflux disease for which daily acid reducers are the go-to.

But these medications cause far more harm than good. They are designed to reduce your stomach acid, but acid is needed to break down proteins.

So right out of the gate, your digestion is compromised.

Plus, long-term effects of acid reducers can include raising your risk of dementia, fractures, kidney disease, heart attack, B12 deficiency and even death!

Now let’s look at the flip side:

What SHOULD be normal—great health!

Your body’s natural state is one of HEALTH—not sickness and disease!

The wonderful thing is you can do so much to help your body revert to its well-deserved state of health. It’s never too late to feel better!

Start with these three simple steps that can have a significant impact:

1- Work more real foods into your diet

If your diet is not-so-great (or downright abysmal), gradually work in more wholesome real foods.

• Have a tossed salad with your dinner every day. Even a lettuce wedge drizzled with dressing counts!

• Instead of chips or crackers, snack on carrot and celery sticks, a cube of cheese, a cup of yogurt, a hard-boiled egg or a handful of nuts.

• Choose oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast over donuts, bagels, pastries or cereals.

• Try soups or salads for lunch instead of burgers or pizza. Add grilled meat, chicken or fish to your salad to make it more filling if you’d like.

• Swap out one soda or coffee a day for water.

• Seek out healthier convenience options. For example, instead of ordering pizza for dinner, sauté up a chicken breast or salmon filet and serve with steamed frozen green beans and a bagged salad—it doesn’t get any easier than that. 

2- Cover all your nutritional bases

Most diseases have their roots in one or more nutrient deficiencies, so it’s crucial to ensure your body has what it needs to keep you disease-free. 

And one of the best ways to ensure all your nutrient bases are covered is with an outstanding quality multi-vitamin formula like Super Core multi-vitamin and mineral formula!

Super Core contains health-supporting doses of essential vitamins and minerals, plus an impressive array of disease-fighting natural anti-inflammatories and antioxidants too!

Inflammation is another leading factor behind several serious diseases, and of course free radicals spiraling out of control can undermine your health. That’s why I designed Super Core to go far beyond other multi-vitamin formulas and provide protective anti-inflammatories and antioxidants too!

Note that even if you do have health challenges already, you can still make a difference in how you feel! Giving your body the crucial nutrients it needs can go a LONG way in helping it fight disease and restore a more optimal state of health.

3- Engage in regular exercise

When it comes to attaining better health, exercise is not optional, my friend.

Note that you don’t have to get fancy or join a gym! Even brisk walking is great, and you can work that in any time of the day.

Here are some tips for your success: 

• Choose an activity you like or will at least tolerate.

• Commit to exercising for at least 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week.

• Create doable goals. For example, if you are new to running, don’t say you’re going to run 5 miles a day right out of the gate. Start with some light jogging in between brisk walking and increase your distance and speed gradually. Make your goals achievable and realistic. 

• Celebrate your little victories along the way. Always look back to see how far you’ve come.

• Get a buddy! It’s hard to skip a workout when you have someone counting on you to show up. My MMA training partner Mariana and I have been there for each other, side by side, through 3 ½ years of training and 14 tests, including our recent 8-hour black belt test. 

Just be sure to get your doctor’s OK prior to beginning an exercise program, especially if you haven’t worked out in a while (or ever).

See how great you can feel when you say no to accepting health atrocities as normal and start supporting real health in YOU!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia