3 tablespoons salt-free seasoned dried breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
4 boneless skinless chicken, sliced and pounded into thin cutlets
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, liquid reserved
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons sliced and pitted Kalamata olives
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in shallow dish or pie plate. Dredge the chicken pieces in crumb mixture to coat on both sides.
2. Heat 1 ½ teaspoons oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add half of chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, 2-3 minutes each side. Transfer to plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat.
3. Add drained tomatoes, garlic, olives, vinegar, red pepper and 1/3 cup of tomato liquid. Cook 2 minutes stirring occasionally until slightly thicken.
4. Remove from heat and discard garlic. Stir in basil. Spoon sauce over cutlets and serve.

Serves 4

Per serving: 280 calories; 16 g carbohydrates (2 g fiber); 28 g protein; 630 mg sodium; 70 mg cholesterol

Meet Kathy, a busy working mom who found herself overweight and tired all the time. Kathy would go to work, come home and be too tired for anything so she would go to bed. When Kathy came to us at SNW she wanted to no longer be tired, to lose weight and become more active. She had torn the meniscus of her knee about four years ago and didn’t know how to be active with it. It hurt whenever she tried to do things. Her co-worker Colleen had been coming to us for some time and told her she should give it a try. Kathy had tried other programs in the past, but the success was short lived; she lost the weight only to regain it again.

When Kathy came to us she started out with the Healthy3 Weight Management Solution. I hadn’t personally spent much time with Kathy as she did personal training with Derek and class with Chris. So it was really fun getting to know this dynamic and amazing woman. Here is a snapshot of our conversation:

Why did you start with SNW?
I was tired of feeling tired and in pain all the time. Colleen talked about SNW and so I decided, on New Years Eve, that I needed to change things. I had finally hit bottom and needed to do something.

I had tried Weight Watchers and L.A. Weight Loss; they had worked but the weight didn’t stay off. I wanted to get more active; I was tired of feeling 80 years old.

What were your goals?
To become more active, be able to do more things, to lose some weight (esp. to help with my knee pain), to have more energy. I always felt run down and exhausted after work. I would work, eat and sleep; that was getting old.

Did you reach your goals?
I’m not quite there yet. I’m about half way. I have lost 26.4 pounds. I have increased my activity. I am no longer tired all the time. I can walk our 20 acres of property with the dogs (which I couldn’t do before without my knee pain). My new goal is to get down to a size 10; I started at sizes 20-22.

How did you do it?
I joined Healthy3. I was a sugar addict; I had tried to get off it before without success by doing a three-day detox. It made me shaky so I gave up. This time was different, maybe because I was ready for it or maybe because it was a little different. But this time I didn’t have any problems with the detox. As a matter of fact I felt better right away. My energy increased almost immediately.

Was personal training what you expected?
It was everything and more. I am a “Biggest Loser” addict. I told Derek I wanted him to get in my face, to tell me what to do. And he did that. He was a great encourager for me; he was always finding ways to make me realize I could do things I never thought I could. He would tell me “all I want you to do is one”. I would do one, then, so proud of myself I would do three or four more!

What was your favorite part of your journey?
The nutritional part was my favorite. I needed the direction on nutrition. You think you know what you need to do and how to eat but the reality is you don’t. The nutritional education changed how I looked at food. Before Helathy3 I ate maybe two vegetables a week. Now I eat 4-5 servings per day! The detox helped me taste food differently. I could start tasting the sweetness in vegetables. It gave me “new” taste buds for eating the good stuff. The bad stuff doesn’t taste so good anymore. I am noticing how salty food really is now. I am looking forward to doing it (detoxing) again; I never expected that

Were there any unexpected pleasantries that come through the process?
Being able to do the abdominal exercises with a medicine ball was so great. There is no way I could have done that before. Being able to do exercises my 22-year old daughter can’t is amazing! I love watching my strength build up.

How do you plan on continuing that success?
I will continue with the classes at SNW and add personal training back in for 3 months or so. I plan to keep plugging away at the nutrition stuff. It is a little harder now without the weekly weigh-ins, but I’m going to keep doing what I have been doing.

If you could pick out one thing that you learned that you would like to share with the world what would it be?
I realized injury or not there are ways to adapt exercises that make it work for you. If you get into a structured program you can overcome old injuries, weaknesses and excuses for not working out.

What piece of advice would you like to pass on to others who are just beginning their weight loss journey? What words of encouragement would you give someone who is thinking about beginning but feels overwhelmed?
Everybody has got to start at a certain point. You have to do what you can do. Try not to be discouraged by what others can do and you can’t; you will get there some day. Just do what you can do at the level you can do it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
People look at Derek and think he is so young, there is no way he has any idea about what an overweight 40-year old woman is going through. But they are wrong; he is awesome! He did great with understanding. He talks you through things and makes you think you can do what ever he throws at you; he’s a great inspirational trainer. Derek had me doing things I never thought I could do!

Thanks Kathy for allowing me to share your story with others. You are an inspiration to many out there. Thanks for working hard and congratulations on you success. Cheers to many more years of enjoying movement and living a healthier lifestyle!

Last year was such a hit that we are already getting phone calls and emails asking when the next one is. Your wait is almost over; we begin the Boot Camps in just over one month from now!

Why was it such a hit? Why not, you have fresh air, refreshing water, beautiful landscapes, non-traditional exercise, team camaraderie, fun, and oh yeah weight loss, muscle toning and strengthening, cardiovascular improvements, and so much more. Additionally, this is a complete program. You not only get the exercise element but you also get the option to be weighed in before and after (setting some goals), you get some basic nutrition help and you even get a t-shirt!

When: Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm

Session 1 runs June 12th-July 19th

Session 2 runs July 24-August 30th

 Where: We meet at the Block House and then use both the trails and Lake Michigan’s beach (and sometimes water). One of the great things about this location is this beach has very few people ever on it so it is semi-private.

Who: If you can walk one mile and enjoy the great outdoors, this is the class for you. All exercises are modifiable from the beginner “out of shape” person to the expert “crazy” person.

Cost: Only $99 for all of it! BONUS: Join with a friend and each of you only pays $89; that’s a $20 savings! This is a great class for friends and couples.

So grab your friends, co-workers and significant others and register today. If you are registering alone, you can click here to register. If you are registering with someone you must call and come in to register. Our hours vary so please call before stopping by (231) 750-2525.

Before

After

I had the pleasure of meeting Samantha at a Bridal Expo in February of 2011. She was there for her friends wedding planning. Preceding our meeting at the expo, Samantha had received some bad news from her physician; she learned that she was pre-diabetic and had elevated cholesterol. With a strong family history of heart disease she was very scared. She had begun to try and make the changes on her own with some diet changes and walking, but didn’t have good news when she followed back up with her doctor. She said, “Okay God, I need help. I can’t do this on my own.” That leads into when we met.

Samantha is a web designer and works from home. She is married and they haven’t decided to start expanding their family yet. This was a great opportunity for her to begin a healthier journey for herself, her husband and her future children. Our journey began with a session every two weeks with homework in between and nutritional guidance. Once she really began to grasp what she had to do, we switched to once a month plans. Follow below with our dialog about Samantha’s journey:

 H: When we started in February of 2011, what did you hope to get out of our time together?

 S: I wanted to beat diabetes and decrease my chance of a heart attack. I was like, God I need help; I don’t know how to do this on my own.

H: When we met at the Bridal Expo, what triggered you to follow through with the appointment?

S: The bad news from my doctor that I was pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. I had tired it on my own but wasn’t progressing very quickly.

H: You had begun to do it on your own. What had you been doing?

S: I was walking, which I now know was not enough. And trying to follow the Mediterranean Diet as my doctor recommended. The trouble was that Taco Bell had become a staple in my diet that I couldn’t give up. 

 H: How is Taco Bell for you now? 

 S: It actually makes me sick now! I don’t go there anymore.

H: With me not being with you multiple times a week to keep you on track, how did you stay motivated to exercise and eat right every day?

 S: I liked the way it felt after I exercised. Plus the fear of heart disease and diabetes was enough to keep me going. I watched the devastation of diabetes with my father. It doesn’t only hurt the one who is suffering from the disease but also all those around them. It also helped when my hubby came on board; he would motivate me when I didn’t feel like it.

 H: Were there any pleasant surprises along the way? Things that you didn’t expect, but were blessed with anyway?

S: Getting toned was really nice. I was so focused on losing weight I hadn’t really thought about getting nice muscles. I also like food a lot more now. I really appreciate natural, whole foods; I actually crave them. My cravings for sweets has gone down. I don’t like things as sweet as I used to.

 H: How do you see this effecting the rest of your life?

S: I will know how to feed my future children healthy foods and continue to feed my husband healthy foods. I also like how it inspires others around me to make better choices.

 H: If you could pass anything on to help others just starting their journey or those who are at a frustrated point, what would that be?

 S: Set yourself up to succeed. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Leverage the things around yourself like your chores. Do more than you have to do. Leverage your smart phone. There are some great apps out there.

 H: Is there anything else you would like to share?

 S: It’s okay to lose slowly; it’s about instilling good habits and breaking bad ones that will keep you going in the future.

So now, just over a year later, Samantha is down  23 pounds, 10% in body fat and an amazing 31 inches!  She is no longer pre-diabetic and her cholesterol is within normal limits. Samantha loves to exercise and even looks forward to how it makes her feel. She enjoys eating well and loves that her husband is on board with their new lifestyle.

Thanks Samantha for sharing with me and all the readers. It has been so much fun for me to get to know you over the last year and I look forward to our continued journey together.

Walking/Biking Trails

http://www.traillink.com/ - This website will help you find all the rails to trails available all over the US. There are so many of them in Michigan you will be shocked. It requires you register with them. It is free and worth the email you occasionally get. There is so very much good info loaded on this site.

http://mmba.org/trail-guide – This site will help you find the trails you mountain bikers would love. FYI: These are not for road bikes.

Hiking

http://www.michigan.org/things-to-do/outdoors/hiking/default.aspx – This site is part of the Pure Michigan campaign. It is an excellent resource to find great hiking trails that are all over the state.

 http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/RecreationCamping/muskegon_hiking.pdf – This is a great trail map for the Muskegon State Park Trails.

http://gr8lakescamper.blogspot.com/2012/03/pj-hoffmaster-state-park-offers.html – Hoffmaster state park offers fun hiking activities on Saturdays. Check out this site for more info.

Beaches

 http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-Do/Outdoors/Beaches/Default.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_term=michigan+beaches&utm_content=3136022471&utm_campaign=google&gclid=COe27Jfxm68CFWkQNAodZBNKbw – Another Pure Michigan Campaign site with great info on our many beaches.

Kayaking/Canoeing/Tubing

http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-Do/Paddle-Sports/Default.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_term=michigan+kayaking&utm_content=3136023770&utm_campaign=google&gclid=COmUv8vxm68CFUQRNAodGzdxcg – Here is a site that will help you find places to paddle whether you have your own kayak or canoe or not.

http://www.meetup.com/West-Michigan-Kayaking-and-Canoeing-Meetup-Group/ – Here you will find other paddle sport adventures from the area. They meet up for paddling throughout the season.

http://www.michigancanoe.com/directory/?region=SW&search=yes – Need to rent a canoe, kayak or tube? Here are some local places to do so.

Hunting

 http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10371_14724—,00.html – If you are a hunter or want to become one, this site will help you understand how to go about it.

This is a delicious meat alternative to making snacks and wraps. I spread it thickly in a pita pocket and then jam the pocket full of fresh veggies for a yummy and nutritious lunch.

2 red bell peppers

2 garlic cloves

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (or 15 oz can drained and rinsed)

¼ cup tahini (sesame paste)*

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

salt and black pepper to taste

1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in the grill.
2. Roast the peppers, turning occasionally, until completely charred, about 10 minutes. Place in a plastic or paper bag to steam for 10 minutes to loosen the skins.
3. Place the garlic and parsley in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until finely chopped. Add the chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice and process until mostly smooth. Cut slits in the peppers then drain briefly into the food processor bowl to catch any juices. Peel and seed the peppers, then chop and add to the chickpea mixture. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 8-¼ cup servings.

Per Serving: 104 calories; 5 g fat (0.6 g saturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 12.5 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate (3.5 g fiber); 4 g protein

*tahini can be found in the Mediterranean section of the super market

She won the 1st quarter Referral Rewards prize of $50 gift card to Wesco and a $50 gift basket to Phyllis’ Coffee Plus. Thanks to all who referred their loved ones in. Our next quarter prize is a night at a local bed and breakfast. Details to come.

Keep giving your friends and family the gift of health, and we will keep giving you rewards along the way!

For more details on how the program works click here.

Are you struggling with weight control? Let us help! Healthy3 is a weight loss solution that helps real people, in a real world learn how to obtain and maintain a healthy weight. It takes a three step approach:

Step 1: Detoxification

The liver is a giant filter. It also functions in fat metabolism. For this reason it must be cleaned out every so often. When beginning the program, we always start with a detox.

Step 2: Nutrition

If you have good eating habits, you will lose weight and keep it off. For this reason a large focus of the program is to educate you on eating properly and give you tools for success (i.e. menu plans and recipes).

Step 3: Exercise

Exercise burns calories while you are doing it and after. The more muscle you have the more you can eat and still lose weight. For this reason you are paired up with a personal trainer who meets with you weekly to exercise, you do a  weekly group workout and you are educated on how to do enjoyable cardio exercise on your own.

The Healthy3 journey has helped many achieve not only their weight loss goals but regain their health. Many have been able to get off cholesterol medication and stop the progress of diabetes.

Dawn Dick, or “Awesome Client of the Month”, is an example of what you can achieve through this great Healthy3 journey. See her story here.

What others are saying about their Healthy3 journey:

“The information you provide is relevant and presented in a way that is not overwhelming…I loved the variety of the group exercise and the fact that I can do push ups on my toes! I never thought that would happen!”

“This has been a life changing experience, all for the better. Learning how to stay healthy, not just lose weight, has made the difference for me. I am so much healthier. I feel good, look good and am so much happier. Thank you!”

“As a grandmother, my goal was simply to become stronger so I can play with my beautiful grandchildren. Your program has certainly done that and so much more! I look at food in a whole new way (and I’ve tried all the “diets”). God gave me this one body and I want to do my best to be healthy-thanks so much Heather!”

“This program was outstanding! It exceeded all of my expectations by far. Thank you!”

Here is what you get in the Healthy3 journey:

• 12 Weekly Group Exercise Classes
• 12 Personal Training Appointments
• 1 full week menu plan
• 13 daily menu plans
• 2 hour nutrition seminar
• 2 week detox kit and support materials
• weekly nutritional reminders
• 12+ dinner recipes and multiple snack, breakfast and lunch recipes
•  An at home workout plan
• unlimited e-mail and phone consultations

Take advantage of this awesome package and begin your journey in the next group. The group begins on Saturday, April 14th with a two hour nutrition seminar and runs 12 weeks. The group class meets every Monday at 6 pm beginning on April 16th. Your personal training appointment is every week at your convenience.

The class maxes out at 12 individuals; call us to reserve your spot today.

(231)750-2525

The human liver is an important organ of auto-detoxification. It acts like the self-cleaning oven. It cleans while you sleep, work, rest, etc. The liver works to keep you moving by:

Detoxification of your Blood

• Protein Synthesis
• Glycogen Storage
• Decomposition of Red Blood Cells
• Plasma Protein Synthesis
• Hormone Production
• Fat Metabolism
• Maintenance of glucose levels in the blood
• Production of Cholesterol (this is a good thing)
• Storage of Vitamins and minerals

We live in a toxic world full of synthetic and organic compounds that our body is not meant to metabolize. As a result, the liver is working overtime to detoxify our blood/body. Therefore, it becomes congested and can no longer do many of its other jobs very well.

Those that oppose assisted liver detoxification (detox programs) believe the liver does not need our help. But think of it this way. Let’s say you are an executive at your own start up company. You only have one client. Your entire day is filled with taking care of that client. The work is enjoyable and not overwhelming. As hoped your company grows and you now have multiple clients, multiple responsibilities and can no longer keep up with the demand. So you either do a really poor job at each of your responsibilities and your company suffers or you hire some help so your company can thrive. Our body is the same. Our environment has changed dramatically from its original design. We now eat things that appear to be food, however it is much debated what they are (i.e. boxed mac and cheese, what exactly is that?). We use chemical cleaners, petroleum is in everything, our water and air need to be purified to remove all the junk industry has put into them, and our liver has to try and get rid of it all. Our poor livers are like the new business owner who is overwhelmed; without extra help, things get all messed up.

What does this mean for you? Dr. Sandra Cabot in her book, “The Liver Cleansing Diet”(1) says it quite well:

“Many people struggle with excessive weight and sluggish metabolism all their lives finding that, as they age, they gradually gain more weight and become resigned to a large protruding abdomen and stubborn fat deposits. After years of dieting they believe that nothing can possibly lead to lasting relief. Something is obviously wrong; something is missing.

It took me more than 20 years of medical practice before the solution dawned on me! The liver, the supreme organ of metabolism, had to be the missing key. It seemed so simple yet so incredible; why hadn’t someone in medicine thought of this before?

Modern medicine has become side-tracked into treating the symptoms of disease and not the causes. Excessive weight is a symptom of liver dysfunction and not solely due to the number of calories you eat.”

Dr. Cabot goes on to define some of the consequences of a “dirty” liver:

• “Poor digestion, abdominal bloating, nausea especially after fatty foods, weight gain around the abdomen and constipation. Irritable bowel syndrome, associated with abdominal swelling and flatulence, is often due to a sluggish liver. If you wake up in the morning with bad breath and/or a coated tongue, your liver definitely needs help.
• Unpleasant mood changes, depression, `foggy brain’ and impaired concentration and memory. If the liver is sluggish, excessive amounts of toxic metabolites find their way into the blood stream and can affect the function of the brain.
• Allergic conditions such as hay fever, hives, skin rashes and asthma.
• Headaches. Unfortunately, pain killers can cause further stress on the liver as the liver is the organ that breaks down all drugs.
• High blood pressure and/or fluid retention. These may be difficult to control with drug therapy. I have seen the Liver- Cleansing Diet bring down very high blood pressure to completely normal levels without any drugs being required.
• Hypoglycemia or unstable blood sugar levels. An unhappy liver can cause wild fluctuations of blood sugar level with very low glucose levels causing fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness and cravings for sugar.
• Inability to tolerate fatty foods, gallbladder disease and gallstones. If you feed your liver too much saturated or damaged (rancid) fat, it will try to pump it out of your body through the bile, which flows into the gallbladder and then the small intestine. This will raise the cholesterol content of your bile and can result in gallstones (made of hard cholesterol) and gallbladder inflammation. If your liver is not working efficiently, it will not manufacture enough bile salts to keep biliary cholesterol in solution and so gallbladder stones may result.
• Fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome. When tired people cannot find a cause for their ill-health, in 99% of such cases I find that they are eating too much saturated and damaged fats and not enough raw vegetables and fruits.
• Excessive body heat, which may be associated with sweating or body odor.
• Lowered tolerance to alcohol and various drugs such as antibiotics.”

At Shoreline Natural Wellness we encourage a Liver Detox in which you eat a healthy diet as devoid of processed foods as possible and filled with all natural foods like fruits, vegetables and organic proteins. Plus the addition of a couple liver and blood supporting herbals to help the liver recover and begin working optimally. We do not encourage severe fasting, as this can be overwhelming to an already weakened system.

Join us on our journey this April, “Spring Clean Your Life” for a group liver and lifestyle detox. I promise you will not regret it! See the article titled “Spring Clean Your Life” for more details. Then call to reserve your spot in this great new program!

(1) Exert from Dr. Sandra Cabots book “The Liver Cleansing Diet”. Her book is published by SCB International, Inc.

Before

Now

In this new section of our newsletter, we will highlight one awesome client a month. Each of our clients is amazing, but the person in each of these highlights has reached exceptional destinations and is still enjoying their continued journey. Enjoy reading about their journey and allow it to encourage you to keep on keeping on!

March’s Exceptional Client:  

Meet Dawn. Dawn is an amazing woman who balances a husband, children and a career.  Over the years she, like many women like her, put herself on the back burner. Balancing all of her responsibilities and feeling guilty taking time for herself; Dawn found herself overweight and lacking in confidence. She became aware of Shoreline Natural Wellness’ (SNW) Healthy3 and made the decision that she would either be spending money on new, bigger, clothes or on the program. She chose wisely and began her journey with us through Healthy3. Below is a snapshot of the conversation I had the pleasure of having with Dawn:

H: What was your original goal?

D: I was a late in life mother. I didn’t want to look like my daughters grandmother. My original weight loss goal was to be a size 10.

H: Did you reach that goal?

D: Yes. (see her amazing before and after pictures)

H: As you progressed, did your goals change or evolve at all?

D: Yes. I realized I not only needed to lose weight, but I had to tone up. I began to drink more water, eat healthier and wanted to keep doing it for the rest of my life.

H: What was a surprising benefit of your new lifestyle?

D: I think I’ve noticed a big difference in my personality. My confidence is a lot better than it was before. Sometimes, I think, that when you don’t like the way you look it’s hard to feel confident around other people. I also have fallen in love with exercise, love the energy I now have and my cholesterol dropped. Also, my blood got stronger; I used to be anemic. Now I am not anemic and I even get to give blood!

H: How did you achieve your goal?

D: I began Healthy3. (In that) I began to pay better attention to my eating. I began to eat less and make better choices. I began to eat more fruits and vegetables, cut back on my dairy consumption and drank more water. I also became more consistent with exercise.

H: What was the most difficult part of this journey thus far?

D: In the beginning, it was difficult to eat right.

H: How do you plan on staying healthy in the future? What do you think your biggest obstacle will be?

D: I plan to keep eating well, exercising daily, and drink lots of water. It’s hard to think of an obstacle because I love exercise now and I really enjoy my new way of eating; it is so much more enjoyable.

H: If you could share a piece of encouragement for those out there still struggling to reach their goals, what would it be?

D: Don’t give up. Be proud of your efforts. And, always pay attention to what you are doing!

Thanks Dawn for a great interview. I look forward to continuing along side you on this awesome journey!