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Combating Stress & Depression

My life has been a journey full of Joy, Sadness, Triumphs, Depression and Victories. At times, my mind has been the most powerful resource I had, and at other times, my worst enemy. I would like to share a personal story with you from 10 years ago. What I learned taught me the strength, courage, vulnerability and most important, the secrets to Combat my Stress & Anxiety and Find Internal Peace.

Ever since I can remember, my mind never seemed to stop. It was always thinking, and I always stayed focused. Then 10 years ago, the same constantly vigilant mind which I always thought of as a strength became my worst enemy. You see my mind was at full capacity, I was anxiety ridden, and subsequently, I was stressed beyond belief. My wife Abbi had just suffered an Injury, we were Opening our first Nutrition Center and we were buying our First House at the same time. These were three life altering events, which together pushed me past full capacity. I couldn't find a way to let my mind rest, and I fell into a deep Depression.

Through this process and with the support of my wife, I immediately went on a journey of self-improvement. I focused on developing the following 5 Skills to Combat My Stress and Pull myself out of the Depression. Through the Past 10 Years these skills have helped thousands of Venice Nutrition clients and members, and I would like to share them with you:

Skill 1: Develop a Health Structure

This is your foundation. Your Sleep, Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements & Water are the 5 pieces that allow your body to efficiently and effectively work for you. Your Sleep maintains your Energy, Your Nutrition Stabilizes Your Blood Sugar, Your Exercise Releases Negative Stress while generating Endorphins, Your Supplementation fills in the Gaps and Your Water keeps your Body Hydrated. This foundation provides the Internal Environment and Overall Balance to focus on the 4 remaining Skills.

Skill 2: Start a Stress Journal

One way to get the overwhelming flood of worry out of your mind is to write down your thoughts, it allows you to Become Present. Too many times we lose touch with the exact reasons we're stressed (our stress triggers), and they get blown way out of proportion. For this reason, I suggest keeping a Stress Journal - writing down when and why you get stressed. This will provide the necessary awareness to succeed with Skill 3.

Skill 3: Create Solutions

By becoming aware of the triggers of the stress you can now create solutions. I always like to use the “Worst Case Scenario” to start with. By immediately revealing to yourself what the worst thing that could happen would be, you'll be much more aware of the size of the challenge and come to terms with the source of your stress. 99% of the time, you'll find that the “Worst Case” is manageable. Understanding this will alleviate the stress. Then you'll find it much easier to create a solution that will prevent a repeat of that stressor.

Skill 4: Implement Positive Escapes

Many stressors lead to a desire to escape for a moment. This is a natural thing, because when a Stressor is present your body's adrenaline levels will increase. In response, your body releases the hormone cortisol to bring about relaxation. This hormonal swing typically triggers the need for a temporary escape - many escapes are negative. My escape for example, used to be food. An adjustment I made was to change my escape... When stressed, Instead of eating Pizza, a negative escape, I now watch a movie, go for a walk , or play ball with my son, all Positive Escapes. I am still getting the escape I desire and because it's positive, it's benefitting me.

Skill 5: Keep Learning

Keep working on yourself, keep finding new Positive ways to handle Stress, Keep Reading and Enjoy the process. I have personally gone through 4 phases of my own personal development, each time learning how to handle Stress even better.

I can proudly say that by following these principles I achieve more and more peace of mind each year. Even though Life seems only to get more hectic, now how I address the Stressors is completely different. I have learned how to implement these 5 skills faster and faster, and for the first time in my life I can finally say I have found the internal peace that I never thought was possible.

The purpose of this message is to show you that achieving internal peace and relief from stress is possible. We live in a world where Stress seems to become more and more prevelent each day, and I think many minds are at full capacity as mine once was. My invitation to you is to start the process and implement these 5 skills. Do well with these five steps and you'll eventually achieve a peace that's priceless.

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Culinary Corner

by head chef Valerie Cogswell

A New Twist on a Classic Favorite

Looking for a delicious and fresh idea for an easy lunch? Try the newest recipe to make our collection- the Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Wrap. This creamy chicken salad is studded with crunchy pecans, tangy dried cranberry and sweet tarragon. Add some greens and a whole grain wrap, and you have a high fiber, healthy meal. It's a unique take on a classic favorite that takes only minutes to make! For the complete recipe, log in to your account and take a look at the recipe tab. And as always, enjoy!

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Breaking Through Plateaus written by Mark Macdonald, Creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition

The biggest challenge when starting any Nutrition & Fitness program is learning how to Break Through Plateaus. Plateaus are a natural part of the process, so you will experience them, the key is to understand & implement the necessary tools to overcome them when you do. Through my years of coaching I have heard 4 main Questions and Statements from Clients:

• “When do you think I will Plateau?”
• “ I can always get an initial result, then my body stops progressing.”
• “ I cannot seem to lose these last 10 Pounds.”
• “ I cannot seem to put on any muscle.”

Most people will come upon a Plateau like those just described. I would like to share the 5 tools that will enhance your education and provide you with the necessary strategies to Break Through these Plateaus. The 5 tools consist of:

Tool 1: Accept Plateaus

Plateaus happen in all aspects of life, nothing can progress at the same pace forever. Sometimes, they must slow down. For example, take a look at the growth of a child, the process of building a business, or the deepening of a relationship… They all possess moments of progression followed by moments of maintenance. Accepting that plateaus will happen is part of the process. I will explain below how to break through them.

Tool 2: Understand Your "Set Point"

Your body has an Internal Mechanism called a “Set Point” - similar to the temperature on a Thermostat. Your Genetics, Gender and the Choices you make determine what that set point is. When anyone starting a nutrition program initially gets a result, the most common reason is that their body is above their “Set Point”. Imagine setting your home's thermostat to 80 Degrees. If the temperature is at 85, the air conditioning will switch on. However, once the room reaches 80, the cooling will stop. Your body works in a similar fashion. Once you reach your Set Point (like the temperature on a thermostat), your body will also stop progressing, unless you have the proper foundation. The key to Breaking through your Plateaus is to Reprogram your “Set Point” (adjust your Thermostat).

For More Information on the “Set Point”, Please Read Section II of the Venice Nutrition Member Handbook located in the 'help/support' section of your account.

Tool 3: Create a Foundation

Your foundation is the key to your success. The only way your body will reprogram its set point is if it achieves Homeostasis (internal Balance). When people “Diet”, they cut & restrict food intake, leading to an initial result, unfortunately dieting does not create Homeostasis in your body, so the result is followed immediately by an unbreakable Plateau. This leads to the “YO-YO” dieting syndrome. The same issue is also relevant to individuals who're looking to put on Muscle. “Hard Gainers”, most times will attempt to gain muscle mass by overeating, but they come up short as well - they haven't achieved Homeostasis.

The key for Weight & Body Fat loss as well as Increasing Muscle Mass is to Stabilize your blood sugar levels. This is the only way to Create Homeostasis and provide the body with the proper environment in which to reprogram its set point. When the body is in balance (has Stable Blood Sugar) it has all the proper nutrients and an ideal environment to achieve any goal.

Once your blood sugar is stable, what else is needed for a solid foundation? The answer is a Health Structure. There are six main components which when looked after, will provide optimal balance for the body: Sleep, Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Water, and the separate component which combines aspects from all of the others - Stress Management. please review July 2008 Newsletter >>

By implementing a Health Structure you now have a foundation to build from and a reference point to work from. This foundation will provide your body with a Stable Platform to overcome any plateaus you might face.

Your Venice Nutrition Program provides you with a Complete Health Structure

Tool 4: Increase Efficiency

With a foundation in place, you have now created the ability to Break Through all Plateaus. Please remember, you WILL face Plateaus, so now you've got to focus on staying ahead of the curve. I suggest enhancing your foundation (Health Structure) by improving the quality of each component of your Health Structure - becoming more efficient. Breaking through plateaus is not necessarily about doing more, it's about doing better, becoming more efficient and diversifying what you do.

For More Information, Please Read Phase 2 of Stage 2 located in the “Guide to Your Program” section. If you would like to set up a customized account, click here.

Tool 5: Stay Consistent

Consistency is the X factor that will provide you with the ability to accomplish all of your Health and Fitness goals. As long as Tools 1-4 are being implemented, you will continue to make progress. The closer you come to your goals, the more resistant and slower the process will be. This is a natural defense mechanism of the body. However, as long as you stay the course, and implement these strategies, you will Break Through all of your Plateaus.

For More Information, Please Read Phase 3 of Stage 2 located inside your account in the “Guide to Your Program” section

In Conclusion...

I think we all can agree that Plateaus are extremely frustrating, and what's even more frustrating is not having the tools to Break Through them. You now have the tools, formula, education and vehicle to achieve all of your Health and Fitness goals as well as Permanently Breakthrough your Plateaus. My invitation to everyone is to begin implementing the Plateau Solution!

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You Asked | We Answered

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Q:What are trans fats?

A:Trans fats, made from a process of adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, can raise your LDL or bad cholesterol and lower your HDL or good cholesterol levels. Trans fats are found in many pre-packaged goods like crackers and cookies and common fried foods like french fries. This type of fat is used extensively in many fast food meals and restaurant chain meals as well. We recommend that you limit your intake of trans fats and aim for heart healthy fats instead such as nuts, natural nut butters, olive oil, flax oil, avocado and fish oils like salmon. (information from American Heart Association)

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