"diet villain" ALERT: AL and & his twin COLE (alcohol)!

DIET VILLAINS EXPOSED 

Al & his twin sister, Cole:
Drinking too much alcohol

Alcohol
The behavioral problems that can result from alcohol use and abuse are well documented. However, alcohol consumption also has a direct impact on your health as well as your body-fat level.

* Notes

• Alcohol has short-term effects on health and body fat.
  
• Alcohol is easily converted to fat, has empty calories, can cause dehydration, and creates electrolyte imbalances.
• While your liver is busy metabolizing alcohol, it is unable to metabolize fat.
  
• Alcohol has more severe long-term effects on health and body fat.
  
• Excessive alcohol use can result in dependency, nutrition deficiency (mainly B-complex and iron), liver dysfunction, brain cell damage, increased cancer risk, increased heart disease risk, digestive system dysfunction, reproductive problems, and mental health effects (like depression).

Does Alcohol make you fat?  Check out these articles! 

WeightLossforAll.com

RealWomen'sFitness.com

AmericanChronicle.com

How to Attack and Defeat these two "diet villains"!  

* Alcohol Rules

• If you are serious about losing fat and upgrading your health, alcohol has to be off limits during the Diva Reduction Phase of MY DIVA DIET. When you are in the Diva Maintenance Phase, you can have alcohol in moderation, but you will need to monitor it so that the fat does not come back and your health won’t suffer. (If you do-drink responsibly!)  

* FYI’s

The following chart shows you the average caloric content of some common alcoholic drinks.
Drink -- Calories
Wine (4 oz.) -- 90
One beer (12 oz.) -- 150 to 200 (depending on brand)
Bloody Mary --  115 calories
Whiskey sour -- 122
Gin and tonic -- 171
Piña colada -- 262
Vodka / other alcohol (4 oz.) -- 250 (depending on choice)

Calories from wine, beer, alcohol, alcoholic mixed drinks (the mix adds an additional 100+ calories) add up quickly—a few drinks can total up to one half of your daily calories or more.

=================

How do AL & COLE fit into the "Five Factors Affecting Body Fat and Health"?
They are part of Factor #1!
Factor #1: Liquid Consumption
Too many poor liquid choices add unnecessary and empty calories to the American diet, and an inadequate water intake leaves women dehydrated, unhealthy, bloated, and overweight.

Factor #2: Quantity and Distribution of Calories

* Daily caloric intake (uncontrolled calories—too many or not enough)
* Daily nutrient ratio: protein/carbohydrates/fat (unbalanced calories)
* Number of meals in each day (too many or not enough)* Meal size (uncontrolled portions)
* Meal timing (unmonitored timing)

Factor #3: Quality and Purity of Calories

* Fat calories
* Unhealthy calories
* Dirty calories
* Impure calories
* Old and dead calories
* Non-kosher calories

Factor #4: Restrictive and Unbalanced DietingBecause most women look for quick-fix solutions to our obesity and poor-health epidemic, we buy into gimmicks and false promises. We subscribe to dangerous pills and special packaged foods. We suffer needlessly. Sometimes we lose weight only to “rebound”—gaining more weight than when we started and usually at the expense of our health. We end up confused and more desperate. So instead of seeking the proper way to lose weight, we start the cycle all over again.

Factor #5: Exercise
Lack of exercise is a major factor in our health and often explains why we may be fat in the first place. We are a “remote-control” country: we lack physical activity and are frequently too lazy to exercise.

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Take the "Diva 32-Question Quiz"  and expose all of your "diet villains"!  

Stay tuned for more diet villains, diva reduction recipes, and diva news! 

See our blog MY DIVA DIET "Tools for Success", giving you practical tools and valuable information so that you CAN win the battle for health and fitness-attain a lean, healthy, fit and more functional body–for life!  

Thanks from SUPER DIVA and PAW! 

Weight-Loss Recipe: Diva Vegan & Vegetarian Meal–Diva Garlic Pepper Veggie Saute'!

Diva Garlic Pepper Veggie Sauté 

To all my Vegetarian & Vegan Divas!

1/2 cup garlic, minced (about 1 whole head)

1 tsp. olive oil
7 mushrooms, quartered
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 white onion, sliced
3 cups bean sprouts (mung bean) 
1 tsp. black pepper

Preparation: In a skillet, sauté garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add all the veggies and black pepper. Cook until al dente, about 2 minutes.

Makes 2 Servings — Recommended Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Nutritional value Per Serving: 164 calories; 9.2 g protein; 28.2 g carbs; 

3.1 g fat;6.1 g fiber; 37.5 mg sodium

Notes: This recipe is for the garlic lover; if you prefer, use less garlic.

Recipe from "Fit Meals In Minutes" section of  MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book 

Bodybuidling.com 

Barnes & Noble just ordered more! 

FYI on the ingredients!  

Garlic:

The ancient Egyptians believed that garlic was sacred and could enhance endurance and strength. For centuries, garlic has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.  It not only adds flavor to a dish, but promotes antioxidant activity and functions as a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent!  

Mushrooms:

Ever since ancient times, people have thought of mushrooms as being endowed with special powers.  The ancient Romans described them as "foods for the gods" and beleived they were created by lightenening bolts.  Mushrooms (crimini) contain healthy-promoting polysaccharide phytonutrients, are an excellent source of riboflavin, pantothenic acid and niacin, as well as a good source of thiamine, B6, and folic acid.  

Bell Peppers:

Bell Peppers not only add color (green, red, yellow, and orange) to your favorite dish, but have many  health benefits.  Bell Peppers are a rich source of the best health-promoting nutrients available, including antioxidants.  They are an excellent source of vitamin C, E, K, energy producing B vitamins like B1 and B2, and minerals such as manganese and copper. 

Two other nutrients can be found in Red Bell Peppers–carotenoids lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin (which help with cellular health)!  

Onions:

Onions were used as currency to pay the workers who built the pyramids and because of their spiritual significance were placed on the tombs of the Pharaohs.  The smell and irritating effect that onions have on our eyes, are actually due to their sulfur-containing phytonutrients. Onions have been associated with many health benefits like; reducing risk of heart disease, lowering cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure!  

Mung Bean Bean Sprouts:

The Chines have been growing mung bean sprouts for over 3,000 years.  And in Chinese medicine they are considered to be a "cooling food".  Bean sprouts are extremely low in calories and are cholesterol free.  For one cup of mung bean sprouts 30 cals, 3 g of protein, 6 g carb, and .2 g fat.  They are a great source of plant protein and contain vitamins A, B and E, minerals (calcium, iron and potassium), and enzymes.  

Black Pepper

The pepper plant is a smooth woody vine that can grow up to thirty-three feet in hot and humid climates. After three to four years of growth, peppercorn berries are produced, and this is the part of the plant that gives us pepper. Freshly ground black pepper improves digestion, promotes sweating and urination, and helps stimulate the breakdown of fat cells.

Olive Oil (see full article by HealingDaily.com)

The greatest exponent of monounsaturated fat is olive oil, and it is a prime component of the Mediterranean Diet. Olive oil is a natural juice which preserves the taste, aroma, vitamins and properties of the olive fruit. Olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed as it is - freshly pressed from the fruit.

Resources (other than Mung Bean Sprouts, Black Pepper, and Olive Oil) from one of my favorite books the World's Healthiest Foods!  

Diva Gratitude!

When I first started to join NING sites, I was not quite sure what I was getting myself into, but to my surprise and 50 sites later, I have met some fantastic people; in no particular order:

• Carol at "How to Write a Book" 
  
• Hombre at "American C2C"
  
• Lisa at "WHAM Addicts Advertising" 
  
• Chandra at "True DIVAS"
• Sheri at "Concerned Christians"
• Tiffany at "Christian Twitters
• GI at "GI Television" 
• Sam, Wendy, NLUrich, and Alexander at "Start up Space" 
• Malcomist, Fit Chick 4 Life, CoachRuRu, Kenjah,  and many others at "Iseecolor" 
• MDS, Jayson, and Eydie at "World Physique" 
  
• Frans at "Ladybargaining" 
  
• Donna and Cynde at "Our Biz Your Biz"
  
• Tye and Inez at "The Network Inc."
• Jeff  at "FFB, Fitness & Figure Admirers" 
  
• James and Mani at "Fitness Star Network" 
  
• Ronald, Kevin at "Body Proud"
• Mani at "Hot Juice Net" 
• Mari and Mike at "Solution Sports & Fitness" 
• Maureen at  "Fit and 40 Something" and "Mbodyment's Action Against Obesity Foundation"  
• Tracy at  "Thick Sistahs" 
  
• Leah at "Bookie Book" 
  
• Sarah at "WEGO Health" 
• Nicki at "Twit 2 Fit"  

This story is about two special DIVAS -- Kristin and Morgan!  

What is a Diva anyway?  According to the dictionary "diva" means "glamorous and successful female performer or personality." Both of these women are power-packed with energy, enthusiasm, and enlightenment–they meet the criteria of DIVA!  Kristin is the creator of The Diva Within "Small Business Vendors" and was one of the first NING

 sites I joined.  

World Wide Business Connections "Business Unlimited, No Walls, No Boundaries" is the creation of Morgan!  These sites are great for business and have helped the MY DIVA DIET mission. These sites have many benefits to membership and are great social networks.  So whether you are a business Diva, a fitness Diva, or you just want to explore your "Diva Within"  World Wide, make sure you check them out! 

Just a note of recognition and appreciation to my new "Diva Friends", Kirstin and Morgan!  

xo from Super Diva!  

New Zealand, Health Bolt, and My Diva Diet

MY DIVA DIET:  A Woman's Last Diet Book was completed in August of 2008 and in September 2008 we began our mission of E.C.L. Empowering women of all ages to get fit, challenging them to be better women, and leaving a legacy of good health to our children.  

We have yet to launch a marketing campaign (long story)–so we've had to rely on the old-fashioned way of getting exposure, "word of mouth"!  It's truly been amazing that a group of small town locals (and my two daughters) in California (read the full story -- Small Town Locals Write Big Diet Book) helped realize the MY DIVA DIET dream and now we are slowly getting know in many countries outside the USA–with a total of 58 countries to date, including Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Austria, and more! 

As with all honorable missions, you never do it alone.  Along the way you find people who have the same vision, passion, interest, or curiosity and somehow make you feel like your work is not done in vain!  In today's world you don't have to leave your home to meet people

from around the world. I've had the privilege of meeting some terrific people from many countries and now I can add to my list–New Zealand. New Zealand is known for its spectacular landscapes!  This is a place with so much natural beauty–it rocks!  Check out this website to learn its history and so much more -- World Atlas.com.

With meeting new people, I also get introduced to some great websites where I can  learn and grow as a person and within my industry!  

Blisstree is owned and operated by b5media Inc.

"Since the fall of 2005, b5media has been providing quality blog content across a variety of topics ranging from entertainment and lifestyles to sports and technology. One of the largest blog networks in the world, b5media reaches nearly 10 million unique visitors and receives 30 million page views per month. b5media has received several accolades over the years and most recently was featured among IDC’s Canadian New Media Companies to Watch." 

Within the array of great information there is a section under "Featured Blogs" called Health Bolt, where you will find some great blogs about health issues, fitness, medicine, and more.  It supplies interesting, intriguing, entertaining, and bizarre news about the world of health and fitness.  Who is the face of Healthbolt? Liz Lewis! 

"Liz Lewis is living the good life in New Zealand, working as a health professional by day and blogging about health, wellness, travel, and green issues by night. She finds all the unique, bizarre, intriguing, and informational health and wellness news fit to blog for Healthbolt".  Check out her great articles: BlissTree.com/Healthbolt Author/Liz Lewis.

Healthbolg Book Review:  My Diva Diet 

There’s no getting around it - diet really is a four letter word. It’s a word that frequently conjours up feelings of frustration, impatience, disappointment, sadness, and even failure.

Which is probably why Christine Lakatos describes her book My Diva Diet as ‘A Woman’s Last Diet Book’. It’s a turn of phrase that’s guaranteed to attract those who are looking for an answer to all their dieting woes.

And it’s very likely it might just do just that. A 413 page workbook, resource, and motivational guide, My Diva Diet got my attention from the get go with it’s innovative characters. There’s Ms Diva who highlights all useful tips and her sidekick Paws, who summarizes the how-to information. Superheroes and Diet Villains also make an appearance to emphasize who the true diet allies and enemies are. If you‘re starting to think this is all sounding juvenile and too TV cartoon-ish, trust me it‘s not. There is so much information packed into this book, that it could easily become the only diet book I’ll ever need.

The basic premise of the book rests on what Christine Lakatos calls the ‘five factors affecting body fat and health’ - liquid consumption, quality and distribution of calories, quality and purity of calories, restrictive and unbalanced dieting, and exercise. Christine first explains in detail how each of these factors, individual and combined, can sabotage weight loss efforts. She then offers specific changes that can be made to help stop the sabotage.

But Christine doesn’t just focus on food and eating habits. It’s also about making positive lifestyle changes to ensure not short term success but lifelong success and improved health overall.

User-friendly and interactive, My Diva Diet offers quizzes, checklists, recipes, advice, and tips in a quirky way that will not only motivate but also entertain readers as they work on achieving their desired goals.

----------------------------------

I'm really glad that Liz addressed the cartoon aspect of MY DIVA DIET. The reason I used "fitness superheroes" and "diet villains" was two-fold. First, it takes "what can be a serious topic" (being fat and unhealthy) and makes it light, fun and easier to digest. Secondly,

it can be used to teach children about health and fitness. Besides, most of us love a superhero, and isn't it time we had a "female" heroin?  My dream is to use the MY DIVA DIET superhero theme and turn it into an animated TV series and video game to entertain, educate and motivate children toward better  health and fitness!  

Thanks Liz and I hope to travel to New Zealand some day!

Here I am in my travels LOL!  

Diva Reduction Recipe: DIVA Frittata

Hello to all of you who are looking for great recipes to help you lose weight and gain health.

Diva Reduction Recipes -- “Fit Meals in Minutes”
“Combining quick and convenient with sound nutrition!”

MY DIVA DIET knows how busy women are these days. We try to balance families and friends, church, pets, household, cleaning, and grocery shopping. Then we have our careers, creative ideas, our looks, etc. The younger generation of women and teenagers try to do it all, too—juggling parents, stepparents, grandparents, siblings, pets, school, friends, sports, hobbies, and parties. As women we are often so busy that we put our health & fitness last, including our abilities to cook and eat healthy meals. This, however, is something we need to change—we need to re-prioritize.

Because we truly want you to succeed with MY DIVA DIET, we have designed quick Diva Recipes that meet the criteria for fat reduction as well as sound nutritional guidelines. You don’t have to give up taste when you eat correctly. In fact, you will learn that wholesome and fit foods taste better than junk food.



Diva Frittata

(contains dairy and eggs)

2 whole eggs + 5 egg whites
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup raw spinach
non-stick cooking spray
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation: Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Whip together eggs and egg whites in a bowl. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and cook veggies on medium heat until al dente. Spray a square baking pan with non-stick spray and pour in eggs and cooked veggies. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Place in pre-heated oven. Cook until firm, about 15 minutes or until desired texture.

Photos of recipes are real and have not been touched up!

Makes 2 Servings —

Recommended Serving Size: 1/2 of the frittata
Nutritional Value per serving: 172 calories; 20 g protein; 6 g carbs; 7.2 g fat; 2.2 g fiber; 346 mg sodium

Try your frittata with a sprouted corn tortilla or healthy sprouted bread for a great meal any time!

wwwFoodForLife.com

"Food for Life’s breads are healthier because of the live grain difference! Using freshly sprouted, certified organically grown live grains, our exclusive sprouting process significantly increases valuable nutrients."

Food For Life offers:

• Sprouted Grain / Ezekiel 4:9 / Genesis 1:29®
  
• Low Glycemic / Diabetic Friendly
  
• High Fiber
  

And for Special Dietary Needs!
Specialty products to meet all individual dietary needs:

• Gluten Free / Wheat Free Breads
  
• Yeast Free Breads
  
• Allergy sensitive
  

Here is another way you can turn your Frittata into a complete meal idea–a side of:

+ 1/4 cup white, brown or wild rice, cooked, plain

+ 1 cup blackberries (raspberries and blueberries are great, too)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Total meal:

301.5 calories
22.3 g protein
35.9 g carbs
8.2 g fat
9.4 g fiber

www.MyDivaDiet.com

Diet Books–Only the Best!

Writing a diet book is quite an ordeal, but the more difficult task is standing out amongst the thousands of diet books on the market today. Just go onto Amazon.com and they list 19,901 results for diet books.

What is the problem–why so many? Americans are fat and unhealthy!
The statistics are staggering:

• The 2008 estimated value of the U.S. weight loss market is $58.6 billion.
  
• The number of U.S. dieters is estimated at 72 million.
• 66% of the American population is overweight or obese (both combined - total 151 million adults). The share that's obese (BMI 30+) is 31% (71 million).
  
• It’s estimated that at least 29% of all Americans (and 50% of U.S. women) are on a diet.
  
• Of the millions of Americans who attempt a diet program, only 5 to 10% succeed and 95% of dieters will regain their lost weight in one to five years.
  
• Millions still succumb to "quick-fix" claims, seeking a (non-existent) effortless weight-loss method.
  
• 91% of college women have attempted to control their weight by dieting often or continuously.
  
• It is estimated that 5 to 10% of American teenage girls and women (i.e., 5 to 10 million) are struggling with eating disorders.
  
• Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 25 years–now about 30% of U.S. children are now overweight.   
  
• During one person's lifetime, 50,000 people will die as a direct result of eating disorders. 
  

With these kind of statistics everyone wants to capitalize on this $58 billion market–wouldn’t you? But where’s the regulation and oversight? I realize that we are a “free-market society”, but how can anyone in good conscience produce a diet book or product that will actually harm people? What the heck!  Is it ignorance or greed–I say both! You see most diet books (and programs) offer quick-fix solutions and false promises to a problem that requires a lifestyle change that incorporates a proper diet and a comprehensive exercise program. Let’s not blame the producers of such products and programs, as consumers we need to take some responsibility.

Some common formulas for weight loss in a diet book include:

• Liquid Diets
  
• Low-Calorie Diets
  
• High-protein, Low-carbohydrate, High-fat Diets
  
• Low-Protein, High-Carbohydrate, No-Fat Diets
  
• One Type of Food Diet
  
• Processed, Packaged, and Man-Made Food Diet
• One Part of the Equation Diet

Still others want you take diet pills and an overdose of supplements. These types of diet programs will cause poor health, bad moods, dehydration, reduction in LBM (lean body mass), slower metabolism, decrease in energy, and an increase in body fat! For more details read my blog, “Why Restrictive and Unbalanced Diets Don’t Work”.

No sensible diet will ever compromise your physical or mental health for the sake of looking good. In fact, my first goal in writing MY DIVA DIET: A Woman’s Last Diet Book, was to SAVE WOMEN from the prevalent “dieting madness” and help them understand that you don’t have to starve, deprive yourself, settle for fake food, lose your sanity and health, or take pills to lose weight and get into great shape!  

I can tell you how difficult it is to write and market a diet book, but it is more taxing for those looking to lose weight TO FIND a diet book that works, is safe and long-term. Diet books that actually improve health, energy and longevity! Even with the rise in decent diet books (based on sound nutrition), it can still remain confusing. Well I found a place to help take the confusion and frustration out of the “diet book search”–Bestdietforme.com!

The story starts back in the summer of 2007 when I began researching diet books. Not to lose weight but to scope out my future competition. I came across a great website, Bestdieforme.com, that has a “diet book review” section: most recent, bestsellers, classics, and more. As I read some of the reviews (from a fitness expert's perspective), I could tell that this organization knows what they are talking about–their evaluations were right on! Also, they tell it like it is–whether the diet book deserves praise, caution, or criticism (sometime a combination of all three)!

I decided to track them down to see if they would be the first to review my book so I could get an objective and professional opinion. It is great when your friends and family tell you how much they love your book, but I needed a real assessment. I sent my book to John La Rosa, President of Bestdietforme.com, in September (2008) and got my review in January (2009) -- Bestdietforme.com-MY DIVA DIET Review. Even though I was confident about my expertise and my diet system, I must say that during the waiting process I was a little nervous about what they would write–“what if they didn’t like it”. As a first time author and brand new diet book, this could have been my death–a little drama here!  Getting a positive review from such a reputable organization is absolutely amazing–I made it on the BEST!

BestDietForMe has been America’s trusted weight loss authority for 19 years. They are a 6-year-old website, operated by a 30-year old market research firm (Marketdata Enterprises, Inc.). (They even provided some the statistics listed above). Bestdietforme.com was named a USA Today “Hot Site” a few years ago. They also have HON code certification. "The Health On the Net Foundation (HON) promotes and guides the deployment of useful and reliable online health information, and its appropriate and efficient use".

President, John LaRosa

The diet market is his specialty, and Mr. LaRosa is the nation’s leading business consultant in this field. La Rosa is a 20 year analyst of the diet market, and knows and interviews most of the heads of the major weight-loss companies.

“Bestdietforme.com is not afraid to be critic of the diet companies, when they engage in deceptive sales/advertising. We are an “equal opportunity critic”. Our mission is to protect consumers/dieters, armed with information, so they don’t waste their money on the wrong diet program.”

"We provide a FREE Top 60 diet quiz that finds the best plan for people, based on their budget, food and counseling preferences. That's one of the most unique aspects of our website. It's one of the most detailed and sophisticated tools on the Web today to find the best diet plan for you."

Since Bestdietforme.com does NOT sell or operate any weight-loss programs or products, they are most definitely unbiased and objective!  They offer much more than diet book reviews.  To learn more about Bestdietforme.com and their expertise, check out:   “Our Experts”  --   “Who Are We?”

The next time you want impartial, informative, professional, honest, and experienced advice about ANY diet book, make sure you consult with Bestdietforme.com. They are the BEST and they will help you find the Best Diet For You! Who knows, maybe MY DIVA DIET: A Woman’s Last Diet will be the diet book you choose!

Don’t’ wait until you are fat and unhealthy to get a reputable diet book–prevention is best

Until next time E.C.L.:  Empower–Challenge–Legacy

see all of MY DIVA DIET Expert Reviews

BOOK REVIEW: “Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty”

“Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty”

by: Alie James
Review by: Christine Lakatos 2-28-09

When I began to read “Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty”, I thought I was getting the usual beauty information and tips, but what I got was a refreshing study. It captured more than my mind, at moments, it captured my soul!

When the preface started with all the ‘self’s’ I thought it was one of those ME books, until I realized the author actually teaches that selfishness (which is unattractive and unhealthy) is a key to "Heathy Aging & Ageless Beauty". Alie James presents a very important and highly neglected "virtue" as the final goal–selflessness, which I was hoping came in a cream or body lotion!

It was in the preface where I was enticed to read with my full attention:

Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty isn’t about loosing or giving up more of yourself than you already have; instead, it’s about finding, and getting to know yourself – your true self – so that you can “truly” become selfless.

Getting to know yourself and becoming selfless has many Health & Beauty benefits, but in addition to Health & Beauty, one of the most important benefits is that it becomes easier for you to be in control, and stay in control of your life.

Also, you’ll find that your needs and wants naturally decrease – in other words, you’ll need and want less for yourself and more for others. Acquiring this virtue will make aging a very positive experience for you, as well as for your loved ones. Selflessness is your key to Healthy Aging and Ageless Beauty.

Later in Chapter 2 “Favorite Days”, I found great depth. I have to admit that reading one of her childhood stories took me back to some of my great childhood moments and DID (both then and as I reflect now) give me sense of inner peace and joy! In fact, I remember as a child my grandmother saying, “Christina, you are happy-go-lucky”. But as life has unfolded with many unpleasant occurrences (in my life and the world), my happy-go-lucky nature seems to be few and far between–thus aging me! My question is, "how do we go back to our childhood nature and still be responsible adults"? Maybe the lesson here is to reflect more often on our GOOD childhood memories to help us experience what the author refers to as “complete Mind & Body Harmony”–thus we can be more at peace and live a life of freedom (which will manifest less stress, better health, contentment, and allow us to age gracefully)! Or better yet, maybe we should recapture our youth in more profound ways!  

I may have to interject my opinion here: I think what gives us “spiritual freedom” as a child is our purity! When our mind, body and soul are pure we can then have true inner peace! This I have experienced as an adult those few times I have lived a pure life in both body and soul, when I have done what is right no matter what, in the simple things life has to offer, and when I have had the privilege to laugh and love. I frequent that place when I am a witness to the purity and innocence of my children, the wholesomeness and motives of animals, the beauty and sounds of nature, and the magic of music. Whenever I am privy to the humility and forgiveness of others, the rare occasions of honesty and integrity, the compassion and complexity of charity work, the nobility and courage of heroes, the wisdom and patience of our elderly, and the mystery and mercy of God! I think that is why scripture (when it speaks of a "peace that surpasses all understanding") teaches us to mediate on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praise worthy! 

Later in the book, the author addressed the heath and beauty industry and its endless attempt to promote the latest product or program. And just like the health and fitness industry (an area of my expertise) it is a billion dollar industry that will sell you anything, including quick-fix schemes and false promises. And most concentrate on the outer–not inner health and beauty. What a shame! 

The three areas that she discusses to help with beauty are quite interesting:

1. Foundational Health
   
2. The Microdose
   
3. Mind & Body Balance
   

But in the end I love this quote from the author,

“the radiance of Spirit, together with a balanced Mind, Body and Soul, is what makes one naturally beautiful”.

As a woman in the fitness industry, I agreed with her idea of what women want:

“Women of all ages, from the moment they are old enough to look in a mirror, until the day they no longer look, want to look good, feel good, have lots of energy, do the things they want to do, and not have major stress in their lives.”

And I wholeheartedly approve of her summary of what is actually happening:

“Americans are actually “sick, tired and fat”!

How can that possibly be? In this modern age, we Americans are known for our ability to solve the most difficult of problems. In my opinion, I think it’s because of the prosperity of our nation, and because we usually get most of our needs and wants met very easily – too easily perhaps. Our country has adopted a motto, “more is better”. This mental message permeates everything we think, feel and do, and marketers capitalize on our insatiable demands by giving us Biggy Sizes of food, Extreme Sports, Bigger and Better products, Multimedia experiences that make our heads spin, the Mega-Dose supplement philosophy, Super pharmacies, and Do-It-All pills. As you would expect, these words and expressions are now part of the American vocabulary, and sadly the American mindset.

As I enjoyed the premise and the theories in this book, I kept awaiting the practical application–what can I implement into my life to attain this “Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty”? What I found at the end is a 7-Step Program (with their related summaries)!
• STEP 1 Self – EVALUATION
• STEP 2 Self – IMPROVEMENT
• STEP 3 Self – PERCEPTION
• STEP 4 Self – INDULGENCE
• STEP 5 Self – EMPOWERMENT
• STEP 6 Self – CONFIDENCE
• STEP 7 Self – LESS-NESS

I am eager to start my 7 Steps so I can learn how to age gracefully–especially as I approach 50!

Christine

To find out more about Alie James, this book, and more go to her website www.AlieJames.com.
For more about the Alie–Christine "alliance" and how MY DIVA DIET: A Woman's Last Diet Book got on page #1 of google AND the #3 spot out of 24,000,000 (for diet books)- Read these Blogs: 

My New Google Ally–Alie!

Oprah–You're Going to Love Us!

Until then E.C.L. 

Empower–Challenge–Legacy

xo

My New Google Ally–Alie!

As I go down the path of marketing the MY DIVA DIET mission and our first book, I have spent endless hours on the computer:  You Tube, My Space, Facebook, Ning, Twitter, Ezine, E-Bay, Blogs (including Widget Box, Bodybuilding.com (body space), My Body Site, Fitness Book Channel, One True Media, Photobucket, Jib Jab, Linked In, Hi 5, This Next, Free Press, and much more.  

Prior to the launch of our website (www.MyDivaDiet.com) in August (2008), my young niece taught me about My Space and Facebook as well as some of the other hip social networks.  A friend told me to write articles–thus the Ezine experience, Twitter was an amazing surprise, my first Ning came from the advice of John Kremer (1001 Ways to Market Your Books), and the rest just kind of happened. I even found places I could just chat about my self-publishing adventure at "The Self Publishing Experience"!  And to be totally honest, I didn't even know what a blog was until this past month (I thought it was a bad four letter word–LOL)!   But now I am a blogger!

While doing this much work, I wondered, is this really worth it?  Each week, I would google "MY DIVA DIET", and see what was going on with our name and as noted in previous posts, people are talking!   Now if you google "MY DIVA DIET"–we rock!  

That is all good, but we want everyone that is looking for a diet book on the internet to see ours! But considering the thousands of diet books on the market today, we knew this would be tough, especially since we are self-published (at least for now) and haven't yet implemented a marketing strategy.  So, I would periodically google "diet book" and other ways that people would look for a book about dieting, to see if all this "social networking" was making a difference. Well, if you google "diet book for women", "women's diet book", and "fat-loss diet book for women" we do great.  Today we had a major breakthrough and if you google "diet book (s)" we are on page #1 and #2, (placed #3 of 24,000,000) and according to my partner and website designer–that is a big deal (in less than 7 months).  I guess the next challenge is: "how do we stay on page #1 and #2 of google"? And better yet, how do we get our website on page one with those popular key words "diet books"?  

How did this happen?

My new "google friend", Alie James,  a writer for Blog Critics!  The story starts with one of my google searches–"diet book reviews".  I found a book review "The Younger (Thinner) You Diet" by Alie James on Blogcritics.org. 

I loved the writer's honesty and style.  So I contacted Alie James, and she agreed to do a review of MY DIVA DIET:  A Woman's Last Diet Book. Unbeknownst to me, Alie is an author too and  

I was given the honor of reviewing one of her books, but we will get to that later.  Alie's review was posted on Blogcritics.org and that is how MY DIVA DIET got on page #1 and page #2 of google when you type in "diet book (s)" and have hit the #2 spot!   

EXCERPT of Alie's Review:    

"There is a place for "thinking outside the box", especially when writing a diet book and trying to stand out from the thousands of competitive diet books available to the hungry market of "tired-of-dieting dieters". Christine Lakatos wrote My Diva Diet, and is such a thinker.

To see the full review go to Blog Critics --Book Review:  MY DIVA DIET - Blog Critics (posted on the MY DIVA DIET Expert Review section of our website www.MyDivaDiet.com)

Google is good for finding stuff and new Allys (Alies)! 

Meet Alie

I will post my review of Alie's book "Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty", in my next post–in the meantime check out her website at aliejames.com, and her books and get your FREE duck directory !

My thanks to Alie, Blog Critics and Google!  We have only just begun!  

Until then E.C.L. - Empower–Challenge–Legacy