Ssshhhh....

I'm just tip-toeing in quietly to wish you all a happy new year. I hope your head isn't pounding too hard from all the partying. May this be your year. xx

Click on the image to Watch the Get Slim Challenge 90-day Winner Video!

How to Achieve your New Year's Resolution for 2010!

Five, four, three, two, one... Happy New Year!

January 1^st is just around the corner and it’s time for you to make New Year’s resolutions. Some like to think that this is an opportunity for a fresh start. About 45 percent of American adults make one or more resolutions each year. Among the top new year’s resolutions are: weight loss, exercise, managing finances, debt reduction, etc. Research shows that less than half of New Year’s resolutions are achieved as the year goes on. Here are a few tips to achieve your 2010 New Year’s resolutions!

1- Be realistic when setting the goals.

2- Set specific goals.

3- Write down your goals on a paper/diary so they become more real to you.

4- Set up a plan to reach your goals throughout the New Year.

5- Identify your level of commitment.

6- Have a positive attitude.

7- Remind yourself of your goal as often as needed for you not to lose track of your ultimate objective.

8- If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight, then join the Get Slim Challenge. The challenge helps you to become accountable and you have to report your weight loss progress every 30 days.

Meret's Blog #6:

Not really conducive to outdoor workouts


Unfortunately, I was not able to stay through the end of the slim & strong bootcamp. I'm kinda upset about that because I was feeling stronger and am pretty certain I built up a nice amount of muscle over the past few weeks (I'm definitely noticing my hammies!!!). I'd been planning on finishing up, doing measurements, and then going on vacation to Maine, but because of the blizzard that had been announced, my parents left earlier than planned and I had to leave with them to avoid having to pay for a bus up (if I could even get out of the city). Anyways, so right now I'm planning to just maintain whatever progress I've made in the best way possible and then do my measurements when I get back to NYC in early January. Also, I'll have 3 extra classes that I can schedule to get back into the hard-core workouts as soon as I'm back.

I've set a personal goal for myself to work out every day that I'm in Maine. This should be pretty challenging since it's too cold to work out outside (uhm...it's FREEEEEEZING!!! Did you take a look at that pic?!), but I also don't really have the money to spend on a temporary gym membership...or, rather a membership to the wellness pavilion, as it's called here. Anyways, it's about a 40 minute drive away, and with the snow projected here, I can't even be sure I could make it there regularly. So, I went to the basement to find out what kind of fitness equipment we have here. Turns out, because my brother used to be a pretty small guy (back in middle school HAHA) there were actually some dumbbells that I could use. I'd also brought my jump rope and the resistance bands from boot camp. So, this is what I came up with for my first workout:

Circuit 1 -- 3 times:
2 min jump rope
15 squat with shoulder press (12 lbs dumbbells)
15 push-ups
20 tricep dips
leg lifts with the resistance band (20 forward, 20 backward, 20 sideways....on each leg, so 120 reps each circuit)
25 sit-ups with (12 lbs dumbbells)
30 russian twists with dumb bell (12 lbs dumbbell)

Circuit 2 -- 3 times:
10 push-ups
50 mountain climbers
10 push-ups
50 jumping jacks

All in all it took 45 minutes.

Then, yesterday I did the full Slim & Strong Circuit that Ariane had emailed to us. It took about 50 minutes to get through it twice. I felt really accomplished! If I can keep this us, I think I can at the very least maintain my progress, perhaps even move forward a bit more. Unfortunately, my diet's left something to be desired, though it's not been a complete disaster. I'll do my best!


Both of the above workouts were really productive and got me working pretty hard. It's great to just know that I can work myself out without the gym and without the energy of the people there. In fact, it's really empowering. It's one of those things that I was never able to do before and that will make a big difference on days where I don't have the time to do my regular work outs. Yay!

Become a Fan of the Bios Life Slim Official Page Today!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Slim Tip for this Holiday Season!

Get Slim Challenge Finalist Libby Sarles couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments in 2009—losing 43 pounds in only 90 days with the help of Slim was the highlight of this year. She shares her tip on how to avoid overeating during this holiday season.

“Take Slim with you to get-togethers where there is a potential for food pushers to overwhelm you or where you feel tempted to overeat. In fact, take two or three packets with you so, if necessary, you can fight the urge to succumb to social pressure to over-fill the plate—two before and one right before you're pushed to go up for seconds.”

--Libby Sarles, Canada

Now Announcing the 90-day Get Slim Challenge!

Meret's Blog # 5:

#$*)%## PAIN #&%$*$%&

She looks so nice & innocent, but do you see that evil glimmer in her eye?
OMG. Ariane is out of control. She's been possessed! My ass will never be the same (hmmm...perhaps that's not entirely bad? Though I hear I have a good one ;-) ). I couldn't walk down the stairs to the subway after bootcamp this morning - my legs were that wobbly. The water bottle was almost too heavy to bring to my lips.

We did 200 donkey-kick-type exercises on each side IN ONE GO (for reference...after 50 you kinda wanna knock yourself over the head with a dumbbell). Afterwards, all 15 of us bootcampers collapsed in a whimpering heap. Instead of going into child's pose, which is what we typically do to stretch out, it was more like we fell into the fetal position wondering how our lives had come to this. And, meanwhile, Ariane is happily doing these exercises alongside us...and GIGGLING. WTF.

Donkey-kicks, countless squats and squat jumps, even more lunges, tons of rows, chest presses, pec flies, ab exercises galore, and just to really finish us off 200 push-ups. I'm so scared of next time.

Recipe of the Week! Enjoy this Holiday Treat!

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup egg substitute
1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two 8x4 inch loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
2.Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and ground cloves in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
3.Mix the egg substitute, cranberry sauce, pureed pumpkin, vegetable oil and grated orange zest together. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Sprinkle the top of each loaf with the chopped nuts.
4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let loaves cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans. Can be made even lower in fat by substituting 1/3 cup applesauce for the 1/3 cup vegetable oil.

Nutrional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 209 Total Fat: 4.9g

Source: Allrecipes.com

Slim Tip Video!

Meret's Blog #4: A Kick in the Rear

I can accept the 250 push-ups, about 300 mountain climbers, over 100 crunches and sit-ups (not counting any of the other ab stuff), but when you do so much glute-work that your ass feels like someone hooked you directly up to a lactic acid IV, that's no fun anymore. I thought I was just about ready to walk out of class (you know, in the form of a "bathroom break," perhaps?). Yes, you read correctly, I, a Social-Workout-certified bad-ass was ready to walk out. Well, I didn't. But, Ariane: what was that?!

Also, I should mention that I think it's really funny that those innocent-looking resistance bands can kick my ass quite effectively.

Meret's Blog #3 - Working Out. Seriously

WORKING OUT. Seriously.

This morning we had our first full-hour workout session. It was pretty great, actually! I was working hard, my muscles were burning and my heart pounding. Pretty much all the exercises use your own body weight, which makes the circuit easily replicable at home -- especially if you have resistance bands (which conveniently come in the goody bag you get!). I really like that, since that means I now have a new way of doing a workout at home when I can't make it to the gym or simply don't feel like trekking to Manhattan from Queens on the weekends. We did tons of push-ups, all different ab and back work, tons of variations of squats and lunges and a low weight, high-rep upper body circuit. We kept moving for the full hour. Great way to start the morning!

Also, I should mention that in addition to the bootcamp workouts, I've been keeping active on my own! Here are the highlights:

Monday: bootcamp + 10-min run (AM); 30-min cardio intervals (PM)
Tuesday: 45-min spin class
Wednesday: my first ever, self-created circuit! I did the following circuit 5 times:

2 minutes jump roping
30 step-ups onto the bench
20 tricep dips off the bench
20 thrust-ups
15 push-ups
rest 90 seconds
Each full circuit took 10 minutes, so I worked for 50 minutes. Then, I did a mini ab routine (which I did with a 16 lbs medicine ball):

25 crunches with toe touches
30 russian twists (legs off the ground)
20 leg raises (straight leg)
Thursday: 15-min run, then 60-min session with my personal trainer
Friday: bootcamp (AM), 60-min pole dancing (PM) -- please don't be fooled: pole dancing is an intense workout! You're lifting your whole body weight!
Saturday: I'll be at the 9am Central Park Bootcamp class with a friend of mine!

Meret's Blog # 2: Nutrition workshop conflict, aka diet burn-out

When walking to the copying machine the other day, I saw one of our students (who's very slim and appears pretty healthy, btw) eating a Big Mac and having a soda (I'm sure there were fries too...somewhere). And, my reaction was interesting: it was not "OMG what are you eating?!" or "Who eats that crap?!" It was more along the lines of my mind going completely blank, in the kind of "I'm stupefied"-way. I just simply didn't seem to grasp the concept that people eat that stuff. Then, I realized, I ate that stuff not terribly long ago. Then, I realized I haven't eaten any type of fast food (save the occasional late-night, post-delinquency slice of pizza) since FEBRUARY.

It just kinda hit me how much I've changed my eating over the past months. Instead of eating 2 giant carb-heavy meals a day and crappy-food-snacking (think cookies or chips), I eat 5-6 meals a day, make sure I have plenty of protein, veggies, fruit, healthy fats and have cut out pretty much all simple carbs, sweets and other junk food. Yes, sometimes I "stray," but it's never for long and the damage is never bad. But, lately, I'm just tired. It's like I have mental burn out: I don't want to count protein. I don't want to count calories. I don't want to be the food police, judging everything I eat as "good" or "bad." I simply don't want to have to THINK about food.

I'm very analytical and I like data (uhm...my daddy is a math researchers...like father, like daughter, huh?). I like to have a plan. It's probably a control thing...if I do this, this, and that and eat this much of that and compensate for eating that by doing this, then I can achieve this...blah, blah, blah. Can you see how that gets exhausting?! When I started with my personal trainer, Mike, I didn't change anything about my diet for about a month. And, guess what, in that first month I felt probably the best, mentally, about my new life-style. I was excited, I felt good physically and mentally, I wasn't doing measurements. The focus was entirely on how I felt. And, I felt fantastic. Then, my competitive streak kicked in and we began measurements. Soon thereafter, I began trying to "progress" further and I began modifying my diet - in very positive ways, for sure. But, at some point it became slightly obsessive. Now, I'm mentally completely drained.

This is actually the reason why I recently picked up "Intuitive Eating." I'm just no longer in the frame of mind where I want to think about food and nutrition - clearly, it's only a matter of time before this obsessive mindset makes me burn out and becomes no longer maintainable. Why should my brain be analyzing what to eat, when eating is a natural process? It should be second nature. I want to listen to my body and feed it what it needs to maintain my active life-style. I want to truly enjoy food and not feel guilty about it. Why don't I trust myself to intuitively KNOW what I need? Should I really be following some prescribed ideal? Do I really need an "expert" to tell me what to eat, when he or she is not the one who's in my body? Why don't I trust myself? Why is this so difficult?! Ugh. I'm annoyed.

I'm a healthy eater. I've reinforced healthy eating habits for the past year and I feel better than ever, but at some point I need to draw a line and acknowledge that I can and should trust my food decisions and give myself permission to eat according to them, without the associated guilty feelings. So far, "Intuitive Eating" has been very insightful and a lot of the negative eating behaviors and thoughts that seem to be prominent in our culture, definitely apply to me. I'm excited to implement some of the suggestions that the book outlines to help you "honor your hunger" and "make peace with food." However, now in light of the nutritional workshop, I'm having a bit of a conflict. I'm having a hard time reconciling the fact that I want to eat in this more "intuitive" way, with the fact that I'm supposed to be following the nutritional guidelines Ariane highlighted the other day during the nutritional workshop. The funny thing is, I think I eat that way anyways, naturally, so maybe I just need to stop overthinking it. What do you think, Ariane? Oh, I should mention that I really liked Ariane's straight-forward approach to the subject of nutrition. She's clearly very knowledgeable and I particularly liked that she emphasized that "these are only guidelines and averages" and that we should be "listening to our body."

Make Smart Choices during this Holiday Season!

As we approach the end of each year, we are encountered with festivities such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Not only we enjoy giving thanks for our lives, Christmas gifts, and the goals we set for the year to come but we also enjoy the delicious meals, candies and cookies— and that is when you begin to enter the danger zone.

We’ve just been through with Thanksgiving and if you ate a little bit more than you should have, don’t be discouraged and don’t let yourself indulge in excessive eating for the remaining of the year. Don’t give yourself the excuse that it is ok to keep eating that Thanksgiving leftover until the next holiday is here. Or don't keep telling yourself that your New Year’s resolution is to start a diet and lose weight.

During this holiday season, make sure to commit yourself to eating right today, not tomorrow or next year. If you feel that you fell off the wagon, don’t give up. Re-commit yourself and keep making better food choices. Also, don’t forget to drink Slim before your main meals.

Meret wins a month of Slim & Strong!

Meret recently won a month of Slim & Strong after completing SocialWorkout.com's Eat Sweat Blog Challenge. She must have done a heck of a job keeping up with her workout challenges and diet feats to get this. So, now she has to endure another month of torture and hopefully great changes.

Meret will be blogging about her experience, but first let me introduce her by posting her "before" picture for the world to see :-)

(subtitle to picture) except "me" is ariane and "you" is me

A couple of weeks ago, as part of the October Challenge through www.socialworkout.com (if you haven't yet, check it out and sign up! It's amazing and tons of fun!) I won boot camp for a month! OMG, I was almost salivating when they were talking about the prize and when I actually got it...it was awesome! Of course HOW I was given the prize was almost as awesome as the fact that I got it...basically, they "had to give it to someone who they know would be able to handle it..."

So, I should mention that while I'm super-excited about the bootcamp, I'm entering it as a bit of a skeptic. I have no doubt that the workouts will be challenging, but I'm not coming into this without having had a regular workout schedule for a while or with eating habits that will make Ariane wanna cry. Instead, I've been working out 5-6 days a week for the past 10 months, 2 times a week with an amazing personal trainer, and I've already hugely overhauled my diet. Yes, I'll stray from the "one true path" that I know to be a healthy life-style occasionally, but overall I'm healthier, stronger, happier and in better shape than I've ever been. I've completed races, taken up tons of new activities from boxing to pole dancing, and have recently become enamored of the twice-a-day workouts. So, yes, I hereby challenge Ariane to give me all she's got, to kick my ass, and to help me tweak my lifestyle in a way that will push me (and my progress) forward.

Today was the day, the beginning of the 6:30am Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp Slim & Strong Program. I live in far-away Queens, which means I got up at 4:15am (ew), had a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit and was out of my house by 5:15am (need I say it again: ew). First, measurements were taken, which resulted in a minor shock to my system as I had to acknowledge the full extent of my falling off the wagon since late summer. I'm back up to 27% body fat (another ew) from my low of 22%. Sigh...well, what can you do. It was the reality check I needed. Ariane wants me to get back down to 24% by the end of the month-long bootcamp. I think I can get there...who knows, if I really buckle down with my eating (which is precisely where I've been messing up), I might even surpass that goal. But...let me not get ahead of myself.


Before starting the workout, we did an initial physical fitness test, which I think I did pretty well on. I did 36 marine-style sit-ups in a minute and 41 knee push-ups in a minute. Finally, we began the actual class. It was definitely a different experience from my usual workouts with Trainer Mike. With him, my heart right stays high throughout the session even when we work the weights. He also chooses weights that are heavy and that I can do only about 12-15 reps with. During this class, my HR didn't really get too high, and we used much lighter weights while doing tons more reps. So, while according to my heart rate monitor, my calorie burn wasn't high (about 350 in 50 minutes, since we started late because of measurements) my muscles were, indeed, BURNING. We didn't break between resistance exercises, so it was like super-set upon super-set of weights. The focus was on core, arms and back with some squats thrown in for good measure. I really liked Ariane's sense of humor, the fact that she remembered everyone's names and made sure to give each person some 1-on-1 time, and the constant reminders that she wants to "kick our ass."

After the bootcamp, I did a quick 10-minute run and then headed to work. I felt good, and refreshed from my active start into the day. Though I definitely have the feeling that the soreness will sneak up on me later. A few hours later, I headed to the gym for a quick 30 minutes of extra cardio.

The Amazing December Winner: Ania

Ania started taking outdoor boot camp classes several days before starting Slim and Strong and had already changed her eating habits to get ready for her wedding in Spring. Once she started Slim and Strong she continued working out EVERY DAY!

Here are the amazing changes she achieved in 30 days:

Weight lost: 13 lbs

Fat lost: 9.4 lbs

Body fat % lost: 2.2

Percentage of original weight lost: 5.6%

Inches lost: 16.9

Congratulations to an incredible month Ania!

The December Winners are in

Ryane won 2nd place in the December Slim & Strong Contest for the AM session!

At first glance at the weight loss it looked like Ryane didn't make much progress in the last 30 days, but when I looked at the drop in body fat it became clear why.

She lost only .5 lbs but she completely changed her body composition. She dropped 5.5% of her body fat percentage, dropped 8 lbs of pure fat and put on 8.4 lbs of muscle. This is a clear indicator that she made the proper nutrition changes to drop fat and build muscle at the same time. She also lost 7.5 inches.

Congrats to a great month Ryane!

The December Winners are in!

Here is December's Biggest Loser of the Evening Session: Erin

Erin nailed it! She lost 6.5 lbs (3.7% of her original weight) and almost 5.5 lbs of that are pure fat. So, she minimed her muscle loss and lost mostly fat. She also lost 8 inches and close to 2% of her body fat.

Congrats to Erin for making the last 30 days worth it!

How To Avoid Overeating at Thanksgiving!

Mashed Potatoes with gravy, stuffing, turkey and pumpkin pie—it’s that time of the year again and here are few tips for you not to wreck your diet at Thanksgiving.

1- Portioning- Once you tell yourself to absolutely restrain from a certain food that you love, the risk of self-denial can lead to overeating. It is better to have a small piece of your favorite treat than to completely deny your desire. By completely depriving yourself of food, that can lead to binge eating. For example, instead of having a plate with huge mountains of mashed potatoes you should stick to one serving by using the size of your fist to measure the portion to satisfy your craving and nourish your body.

2- Self- Control- You have the power and the ability to control your feelings, motions and thoughts. Also, you have the capacity to control what you eat, the amount you eat and the pace you eat. By controlling what you eat, you will be able to select food that has a better nutritional value. You are in charge of what goes into your body. In addition, you can choose the amount of food you eat. By choosing the amount you eat, you will be able to cut down on the calories and food intake, and your body will adjust to eating smaller portions. When it comes to choosing the pace you eat, that will also help you to feel satisfy without overeating. Some of us swallow our food without even thinking the amount we already had to eat. By eating slowly, our brain will be able to acknowledge that we are already satisfied and we don’t need to eat that extra slice of pie.

3- Exercise- As we prepare for the holidays, all we have in our minds is to enjoy a good meal. Something really important such as exercising is probably on the bottom of our priority list. By exercising, you will feel good about yourself and you won’t have the urge to overeat. When you exercise, you are overcoming being lazy and by doing the sacrifice of working out, you will think twice before going for seconds. Exercising makes people happy and energetic. The common reason of overeating can be linked with depression. Exercising prevents you feeling down on yourself and you will have less chances of overeating during the holidays.

Light Recipe for Thanksgiving!

Light Sweet Potato Casserole

Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings



Ingredients

6 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 (14-ounce) can low-fat sweetened condensed milk
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preparation

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover in Dutch oven 30 to 40 minutes or until tender, and drain. Cool slightly, and peel.

2. Combine potatoes, sugar, next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; mash with a potato masher and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Spoon into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

3. Stir brown sugar, pecans, flour and margarine; sprinkle over sweet potato mixture.

4. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated, shielding top with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning.

It's time to relax!

There are several ways in which stress can contribute to weight gain. Whether we're stressed because of constant, crazy demands at work or we're really in danger, our bodies respond like we're about to be harmed and need to fight for our lives. Stress and weight gain can be connected through several of facts. Such as emotional eating and you end up eating more than you normally do.

Also, when you’re stressed, you feel like you don’t have time to cook a healthy meal and you end up eating fast food. In addition, with all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list. If so, you’re not alone. Americans live a more sedentary lifestyle than we have in past generations, yet our minds seem to be racing from everything we have to do.
Here are a few tips for you to relax:

1-Take a warm bath; this is especially relaxing if you add aromatherapy bath salts to your bath water.
2- Listen to soothing music.
3- Exercise; it’s great to release stress. Yoga is a great option.
4- Get a Massage.
5- Stretch out!
6- Laugh more.
7-Breathe Deeply

Source:
About.com - To read full article, please click here.

Recipe of the Week!

Apple Turnover Breakfast Sundae

½ cup fat-free, sugar-free apple turnover-flavored or other apple-flavored yogurt

2 tablespoons crunchy, high fiber, low-sugar cereal (such as grape nuts)

1/3 cup chopped apple (about ½ small apple)

Pinch of ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons raisins (optional)

Spoon the yogurt into a small, deep bowl. Sprinkle the cereal over the yogurt, followed by the apple. Top with the cinnamon and then the raisins, if using, and serve.

Nutrition Facts:

Per Serving: 147 calories, 6 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, trace fat (trace saturated), 3 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 154 mg sodium

5 Tips on How to Dine Out on a Diet!

Are you afraid of falling off the wagon by eating out? Just follow these five simple steps to enjoy a nice evening out without wrecking your diet!

1- Skip the bread basket.

2-Instead of ordering a high-calorie appetizer, order a salad with dressing on the side.

3- Skip the soda and the wine. Order ice water with a lemon wedge.

4- Choose a lean protein with a side of steamed veggies for your entree. Grilled chicken and baked salmon fillets are great choices.

5- Have a mint for dessert. When your breath feels fresh, the cravings usually go away. If you're a big time sweet tooth, then order one scoop of sorbet.

Enjoy!

Obesity is a leading cause of 100,000 US cancer cases.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, obesity causes more than 100,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year.

"Having too much body fat causes nearly half the cases of endometrial cancer and a third of esophageal cancer cases," researchers said.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the US after heart disease. More than 26 percent of Americans are obese and nearly a third of Americans are overweight.

In July, federal and other researchers estimated that obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the US or an estimated $147 billion a year.

Bios Life Slim is a revolutionary fat-loss product that can help with your weight loss.

Source:

ABC News- Click here to read full article.

New Study Suggests that Maintaining Healthy Cholesterol Levels May Help Prevent Cancer!

According to two recent studies, maitaining healthy cholesterol levels can help reduce the risk not only of heart disease but also of cancer.

Dr. Demetrius Albanes, a senior investigator at the US National Cancer Institute explained that higher levels of HDL cholesterol, the "good" kind that protects coronary arteries were associated with a 14 percent lower risk of all cancers over the length of the study.

In addition, statistics on more than 5,500 men enrolled in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial showed that those with total cholesterol levels lower than 200 mg/dL, which is the ideal total cholesterol levels according to the American Heart Association guidelines, had a 59 percent lower risk of developing the most dangerous form of that cancer.

Bios Life and Bios Life Slim are natural supplements clinical proven to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and to increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

Source:
U.S. News
To read full article. Please click here.

The October Slim & Strong Winners are in!

The biggest loser was not easy to determine this month because it's a close race between 3 participants. So, I have decided to give each one a $100 gift certificate to Paragon Sports, Sports Authority, or Nike.

Here are the winners: ERIN

Erin lost 5 lbs or 2.4 % of her original weight, 11 inches (wow!), and 4.1lbs of pure fat. Erin also added 7 sit ups in the 'after' fitness test.

October Slim & Strong Winner #2

Here is Olga. She made progress in most areas of all participants! Check out here before and after pictures:

Olga lost 4.5 lbs or 2.9% of her original weight. All the weight came from FAT, so she did a great job of eating enough protein to prevent muscle loss! She also lost 2.3% of body fat, which is amazing progress!

She also lost 8.5 inches and had the second best improvement in her push ups (32 more) and sit ups (12 more).

October Winner #3

Here is the third winner from the October Slim & Strong session:

Claudia

Claudia lost 6.12 lbs of pure fat and gained 3.9lbs of muscle!

How to Avoid Halloween Candy Binge!

Here are a few tips to help you avoid the Halloween candy binge:

1- Purchase Halloween candy as closest as you can of October 31st.

2- Don't hang on to the trick-or-treat candy. Toss the leftovers!

3-Drink Bios Life Slim if you have sugar cravings and wait for 15 minutes before grabbing Snickers or Milky Way bars. ( This is a tip from Scott Wiggins, former Get Slim Challenge winner)

4-"There will always be another Halloween, but prolonging you weight loss will only put you further and further behind," said Candice Chamberlain, Get Slim Challenge finalist.

Diabetes can be Delayed with Diet and Exercise!

If you're borderline diabetic, there is still hope for you to avoid the disease. According to a 10-year study released yesterday, making changes in your lifestyle such as dieting and exercising can help you prevent diabetes.

"Millions of people could delay diabetes for years and possibly prevent the disease altogether if they lost a modest amount of weight through diet and increased physical activity," said Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

Within the US is estimated that 11 percent of adults (24 million people) have diabetes. Most have type 2, the kind linked with poor diet and lack of exercise.

Bios Life Slim is a natural supplement that can help you control your blood sugar levels.

Source: Reuters

To read the full article, click here.

Recipe of the Week!

This seasonal recipe was submitted by one of our marketing specialists, Katharine Peterson.

She says,"It's delicious and rediculously healthy."

Enjoy!




Butternut Squash Soup
(adapted from Food Network)

1 Sweet onion, chopped

1 Butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed. About 5-6 cups.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

dash nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

3 tablespoons cream or half and half, optional

Instructions:

Place onion and olive oil in a large stockpot cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add squash, brown sugar and seasonings. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Add broth and cook until squash is soft. using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients in the stockpot until smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste and cream, if desired. Garnish and serve. Approx. 6 servings.

Katharine's Tips:

1- If you are a curry lover, 1 teaspoon of curry powder would be a great addition.

2- The easiest way I have found to peel a Butternut squash is with a vegetable peeler. take long slow strokes.

3- If you don't have an immersion blender, take the soup from the pot in about 3 batches and process (carefully) in a blender until smooth.

Slim for Life!

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