5 Concerns About CBD

CBD. It's the hot new trend in health and wellness. A thriving industry has grown up around the sale of all sorts of CBD infused products. CBD has been reported to help decrease pain and anxiety. It may help you sleep. It has been proven to help in the treatment of epilepsy. And it does all this without making you "high." CBD products cannot contain more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in marijuana responsible for making you “high.”


For now, it seems like CBD is a safe and legal addition to your health and wellness program. There are, however, still concerns associated with the chemical and products derived from it. CBD only became legal in the United States in 2018 when hemp became legal again, so we’ve not had much time to research its effects fully. For five concerns about CBD, read on.

Side Effects

CBD’s side effects tend to come only at high doses. Make sure to start with a low dose and work your way up. If you tend to experience one or more of these side effects at any dosage level, CBD may not be for you. CBD’s side effects include appetite changes, fatigue, weight loss, dizziness, and diarrhea. You may also experience a funny “uplifted” feeling, but don’t worry. You’re not high, you’ve just had too much CBD.

The Unknown

According to FDA.gov, there are some things about CBD we just don’t know. We have only been taking and researching CBD for a couple years and solid scientific research takes much longer than that.

Some unknown questions, according to FDA.gov, are “What happens if you take CBD daily for sustained periods of time? What level of intake triggers the known risks associated with CBD? How do different methods of consumption affect intake (e.g., oral consumption, topical, smoking or vaping)?

What is the effect of CBD on the developing brain (such as on children who take CBD)?” These are valid questions you should be aware have no solid answer. Experiment at your own risk, AND always use caution. It is also a great idea to consult a medical professional before using CBD to treat a mental or physical illness.

Another cause for concern is the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in products. A recent study of 84 CBD products bought online showed that more than a quarter of the products contained less CBD than labeled. In addition, THC was found in 18 products.

Concerns for Pregnant Mothers Taking CBD

We do not know how CBD effects a developing child or fetus. Pregnant mothers should use caution before putting anything into their body because it will be shared with their developing child. It’s not that CBD is assured to hurt a growing fetus, it’s that we just don’t know. We don’t have enough research.

How Does CBD React With Other Prescription Drugs?

If you are on prescription drugs or even over-the-counter drugs, you need to stay in touch with your doctor before adding or taking away any chemicals. CBD’s reactions with other drugs is another unknown because we have not had enough time to study it. There are not reported cases reporting of detrimental effects from combining CBD with other drugs, but there is not solid science to say it doesn’t happen, either.

Other Potential Side-Effects

WebMD also reports that CBD has caused male reproductive toxicity in some animals (damage to fertility in males or male offspring of women who have been exposed), but we don’t know if it will do the same to humans. CBD can also cause liver injury, drowsiness and sedation when used in combination with alcohol or other downers, gastrointestinal distress (diarrhea and/or decreased appetite), and changes in mood (usually irritability and agitation).

As with all things, moderation and keeping your doctor informed are a great help. Don’t take high CBD doses unless you know it will be alright. Use caution because the hard science on a lot of questions involving CBD is out. That all being said, though, most people report CBD to be a mild relaxer, free of negative side effects. The ultimate judge is you.

Aqua Aerobics Can Help Dieters Lose Weight with Less Pain

One of the worst parts about getting into a workout routine is having to deal with the soreness you suffer from afterwards. If you were lifting weights one day, the next day you’ll feel a deep soreness all over the areas you were working out.


At some point, it hurts to even lift your arms or carry things. This goes double for leg workouts like squats and running, which can leave you with some pain in every step you take.

No wonder it's hard to get an exercise program going.

But don't despair! There may be a solution!

Some people have found a program that lets you get fit without nearly as much soreness: aqua aerobics.

The concepts surrounding aqua aerobics are pretty simple: when you’re working out submerged in water, you’re not acting against gravity nearly as much.

The water surrounding your body is much harder to move than the air around you normally would be, so it helps alleviate some of the pressure from your joints and muscles.

That same resistance is also what helps you still get a toned body. Water molecules are much more densely packed than air molecules are, so it takes more effort for you to move through them.

This is what causes your arms and legs to move slower through the water than they do in the air. When you’re doing cardiovascular exercises underwater, your muscles aren’t just fighting to move themselves, but also against the resistance of the water all around you.

Aquatic exercises can help you burn a lot more calories in a shorter period of time than regular workouts can. In a long run on land, you’ll likely only burn about 100-200 calories, which can be cancelled out completely by a soda or a snack.

Aquatic exercises, on the other hand, can burn upwards of 500 calories in a session, which accounts for a little more than an entire meal’s worth of calories. Calorie balance is extremely important in dieting, so burning off what you eat is important.


For people who already suffer from existing joint pains and problems, aqua aerobics can be a major game changer. While it can be difficult for people with bad shoulders or knees to get into the gym or go on a run, being underwater helps take the stress off of your joints and makes the energy come from your muscles instead.

This means that there’s a reliable option for those that would rather give up due to the intense pain they get from traditional workouts.

Why not give it a try? Many pools and fitness centers offer aqua aerobics programs. If exercise is causing you pain, this just might be the answer.

Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Are Fine

I admit it. I used to think that fresh fruits and vegetables were nutritionally superior to anything frozen. I NEVER bought frozen fruits or vegetables unless I absolutely had no choice.

But when I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong. And I was wrong. Frozen fruits and vegetables are fine. In fact they are more than fine.

Frozen produce is picked at the peak of ripeness and frozen. Studies show they retain the same vitamin and mineral content as fresh. In fact, they are probably nutritionally superior to the pint of strawberries getting moldy in the back of your refrigerator or the bag of lettuce you've had for a week.

By the time it leaves the farm and finally gets to the supermarket shelves produce is exposed to air, light, and handling, all of which can damage and degrade its nutritional content. After that, unless you are shopping for fresh produce every other day or so, it sits in your refrigerator or on your counter for several more days until it is finally eaten...if it hasn't spoiled before you get to it. To be honest, that's one of the big reasons I took a second look at frozen produce. I got tired of throwing away food.

But what about canned vegetables. Aren't they okay? Let me ask...have you looked at all the salt and preservatives in canned vegetables? The added sugar or other sweeteners in canned fruit? My advice is go for fresh if it's in season and therefore less expensive AND you will use it quickly. Otherwise, opt for frozen. No added nasty stuff!

Once I started using frozen produce, I actually discovered my fruit and veggie intake actually increased. It is so much easier to toss some frozen mango chunks and pineapple tidbits in the blender for a smoothie than it is to actually have to peel and prep them. Adding vegetables to soups and stir-fries is just a easy. I just grab the bag and pour! No more prepping, lots less clean -up, and more time for me. If you're trying to add more plant-based options to your diet, including frozen fruits and vegetables is a no-brainer!

In addition to smoothies and stir-fries, you can use frozen fruits and veggies in a wide variety of other dishes. I thaw berries in the microwave and use them to top french toast and oatmeal. I add vegetables to rice while it's cooking or sauté them in a little olive oil and toss them with quinoa, pasta, or couscous. And sometimes when I get down to the last little bits of each vegetable, I throw them all in a pot with some vegetable broth and make vegetable soup.

As with all things, some fruits and vegetables do better frozen than others. Here are my favorites:

1. Berries: Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries
2. Carrots: Toss into soups and stir-fries
3. Mango: So much easier than peeling and slicing fresh mango
4. Peas: Use in soups, stir-fries, rice dishes, or make your own green pea soup
5. Butternut squash: When is the last time you bought a fresh one? Get the frozen squash and add this delicious and nutritious food to your diet
6. Corn: It's the only way to make my mother-in-laws Thanksgiving Fried Corn!
7. Edamame: I'm the only one in my house that eats it so frozen is the only way to keep it from spoiling until I finish it all.

2021 Ushers in the Most Obese Population Ever

Obesity is a medical condition that happens when someone has an excessive amount of body fat. Having too much body fat can increase the risk of getting additional health problems, and it can cause health problems of its own.

Every year, more and more people are being classified as obese. In previous years, it’s dipped up and down, but in 2021, the obese population will include a higher percentage of people than it ever has before. One out of every three U.S. adults is obese. (Harvard, 2020), with the rate being higher for women than men.

This is due a variety of factors, from cheaper unhealthy foods to economic growth. One huge factor in 2020 was COVID-19, which resulted in lockdowns around the world. People weren't able to be as active as they were pre-COVID. Stress caused unhealthy eating habits and increased use of alcohol. Store closures left more people reliant on processed, less healthy foods. Many people gained what came to be known as the "COVID 15".

Rates of childhood obesity are also increasing with the latest data showing that 19.3 percent of U.S. young people, ages 2 to 19, are obese. This puts them at higher risk for being obese with its related health risks as an adult. Furthermore, children are exhibiting earlier onset of what used to be considered adult conditions, including hypertension and high cholesterol..

Of course, this has caused a surge of growth in the weight-loss industry. There are all kinds of different diets, workout plans, supplements and online resources. New diets, new books, and new programs are constantly appearing. And they all promise what we all want...a quick fix to our problem. All we have to do is eat (or not eat) a certain type of food or group of foods. Low-carb, no-carb, high-protein, low-fat...they may be marketed under different names, but they are basically all the same. And they all assure their users that they can lose weight, quickly, with very little effort. And in our desperation to lose the weight, we climb aboard whatever the latest fad is. Some of us even see some success in the beginning. But none of these diets are sustainable for long periods of time. Some of them are actually unhealthy. And once you come off them, the weight usually comes right back...with a few extra pounds just for good measure!

I should know...I have tried them all...

Yes, it is true that it is hard to lose excess body fat. The risk of regaining lost weight is high. But there is one very successful way to lose the weight and keep it off.

It's not cool and trendy. It's not some special food or magic pill or ancient secret someone is suddenly willing to share (for a fee, of course). It's actual quite simple and totally free of charge.

Eat less. Move more. And yes...calories count.

After trying diet after diet after diet, this is what I found that works for me and is backed up by research.

A balanced healthy diet that includes all the nutrients. Yes, that means I eat carbs and fat and I'm still losing weight! I just get my carbs from whole grains and beans not donuts. My fat comes from things like avocados and olive oil, not chips and dip.

Exercise. You have to burn more calories than you take in. This doesn't mean you have to do CrossFit five days a week. A simple 30-minute walk every day is enough to get you back on the road to being fit.

Patience. You didn't gain this weight overnight. You aren't going to lose it overnight either. Which is why you need a lifestyle change you can live with forever instead of a quick-fix "diet."

I know it's hard. You see all kinds of videos and Instagram posts of these super in-shape people and get discouraged. You probably also see lots of articles telling you which of the multitude of diets is the best, and all of that gets really confusing.

What you need to know is that the best workout plan and the best diet varies from person to person. The diet that works for that Instagram model who’s already in shape is not the same diet that you should immediately go for.

You need to find something that’s better and healthier than your current diet, but also something reasonable. I started out trying to go completely Vegan. But I really missed my seafood. I love seafood! And my husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Eating my plate of veggies while watching him wolf down his steak was hard! (Not to mention cooking two separate meals every night...) Fortunately, seafood is a healthy source of protein. So I modified my diet to include plenty of fish. So when he's enjoying his hamburger, I'm having a tuna burger. Much easier to live with!

When people go to extreme lengths to try to get in shape, it’s really difficult for them to keep it up long-term.

This is the main crux of the matter. The ultimate failure that will bring your weight loss program down isn’t having an easy diet or having light workouts, it’s not being able to commit to your program.

No matter what kind of program you do, it’s useless for weight loss unless you can stick with it for an extended period of time. Don’t push yourself to go for the most extreme diet and the most intense workout program, especially if you’re just starting off. When the HIIT workout I started with caused my injured knee to hurt, I could have quit. I wanted to quit! Instead I discovered that walking was just as effective for me...and a lot less stressful on my joints.

You don’t have to work that hard to start losing weight. If you push yourself beyond your limits, you’re just going to stop when you don’t see the quick results you want to see. Keep your weight loss program within reason, and you’ll be a lot more successful.

Women's Healthy Weight

Can we please stop worrying about those numbers on the scale? I mean, yes, they do tell us something. If we're tipping the scale at 300 pounds, that is obviously not healthy. But I'm talking to you ladies, who, like I used to, obsess over an extra pound or two gain.

First, know that your weight does fluctuate from day to day. It will easily vary by as much as three pounds over the course of a few days. 

Second, there's more to being healthy than hitting your "ideal" weight. Yes, I am still several pounds overweight. But because I have taken charge of my own "wellness" and living a cleaner, healthier lifestyle, I am still in good physical condition for my age. I have seen ladies half my size and half my age who are always sick with something. They equate health with slenderness and so they haven't yet realized that they may be "skinny" but their lifestyle is contributing to a host of medical problems.

Instead of focusing on that scale, you should focus on your over body mass index (BMI). This takes into account all those other factors like height, and muscle, and yes, fat composition. There are several tools online to help you calculate your BMI. But one of the easiest and most popular is a simple mathematical formula.

Weight/Height (in inches, squared) x 703

For example: 110 lbs / 65 in (squared) x 703

110 lbs / 4225 in x 703 = 18.3 

Once you know your BMI, you can get determine where you are on the spectrum:

• Underweight: anything under 18.5
• Healthy: anything between 18.5 and 24.9
• Overweight: anything between 25.0 and 29.9
• Obese: anything above 30.0

So our young lady in the example is actually underweight.

This doesn't give you the whole picture though. There are other factors to consider. Frame size. Muscle composition. Age.

Athletes sometimes may weigh more due to being more muscular. As we age, older adults tend to store more fat than when we were younger.

Although the BMI is more accurate than some arbitrary number on a scale, the truth is that we should focus more on staying within a healthy range. And now that you know how to calculate that, AND you know where that range is, you have one more tool to add to your wellness arsenal.

Let's Rid the World of Fad Diets

Let's be clear on some things. There are no foods or combination of foods that miraculously burn fat. There are no products that will magically melt away fat while you sleep.  But there are lots of fad diets that claim to do just that.

"Eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Melt away pounds and inches with no exercise and without dieting." You've seen the claims. Heck, you might have even fallen for a couple of them. I know I did. I understand. Who wants to give up their favorite foods and be forced to a lifetime of eating like a rabbit? And exercise? Who has time for that? So I totally get it. For a "small" amount of money, they promise to show you how eating the "right" foods or taking the "right" supplements can solve your weight loss problems. And then you can get on with your life...your new slimmer, trimmer life. 

There's just one problem with that. It doesn't work.

While there are diets that will help you lose weight quickly, most of that weight is water. And severely restricting calories means you may not be getting all the nutrients your body needs. If it can't get it from your food, it will get what it can elsewhere. This is why many on very low calorie diets experience muscle- and even bone-loss. Unless you are under an experienced doctor's supervision, very low calorie diets are dangerous. 

There are several variations of this. Have you ever tried the grapefruit diet? Or the cabbage soup diet? Or the low-carb diet? I have. Let me tell you how boring it is to eat the same food every day. Or how deprived you feel when you can't have a piece of your granddaughter's birthday cake because, you know...CARBS! Any diet that promotes eating "all you want" of a specific food (just how much cabbage soup can you eat in one day? EWWW) or restricts entire food groups is not only boring, it's not healthy. Diets like these tend to be lacking in critical nutrients. And I don't care if you are taking a multivitamin everyday. You are still not going to get everything your body needs.

So okay...but what about combinations of foods. Doesn't that work? Aren't there foods that turn your body into a fat-burning machine if eaten together? No. There is simply no credible evidence for this claim. Or its opposite...eating certain foods in the "wrong" combination will produce toxins in your digestive system. What it does do is once again cause you to focus on eating or eliminating certain foods. See the above paragraph for why that is not a good idea. 

Not all diets are fad diets and unhealthy. Diets like the Mediterranean Diet are excellent ways to lose weight and improve your health. How do you tell the difference? Look for the warning signs:

• Severe calorie restriction
• Focus on eating quantities of a specific food or combinations of food
• Eliminating entire food groups from your diet
• Very rigid menus

If the diet you are considering has any of these, walk away. And if you still aren't sure, ask yourself this question: "Can I eat like this for the rest of my life?" Because if you can't, all your efforts might be useless. One problem with all of these diets is that once you stop them, you usually gain all the weight back...plus a few extra pounds just in case you decide to do something this crazy again.

How CAN you lose weight healthfully and for good? Eat a well-balanced diet of nutrient-dense, healthy food. Allow yourself the occasional treat when you want it (prevents binging!). Drink lots of pure, clean water. Try intermittent fasting. Exercise. It doesn't have to be strenuous. A brisk walk everyday is enough. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Reduce stress. 

Pretty simple, right? So let's rid the world of these crazy fad diets once and for all and focus on a healthy lifestyle. Once you do that, the weight will take care of itself.  

If you want to see how I eat now, check out the book The Blue Zones Solution. It's my healthy lifestyle bible! 

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