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9 May
Couple tips for Mother’s Day
I’m assuming a lot of people are going out with their moms today to breakfast, brunch or dinner or having a fancier meal than usual at home. Whether you are the mom, child or husband for the festivities today here are a couple tips so you can indulge but in moderation. Happy Mother’s Day.
Sugar (especially the refined variety) is an appetite stimulant. So if you go to brunch, instead of going right for the pancakes or waffles with fruit and syrup, eat some fresh fruit and vegetables first to start filling you up on healthier foods, leaving less room for the bad stuff. Stay away from the sodas. All sodas including the diet ones too. They are all very acidic to your body and leech important minerals from your bones and organs to process them. Drink water or tea instead.
Dairy, if you know me by now, is at the top of my list to avoid. If you are telling yourself today “screw the rules, I’m indulging” maybe try indulging without dairy products. They slow down digestion, promote inflammation and just clog up your insides with cholesterol. So if your goal is to throw caution to the wind, make 1 concession and stay away from the cheese on your omlet, whipped cream on your waffles and milk in your coffee.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
7 May
The Health War: Soy dangers
Depending how many of you read The Body Blog on a consistent basis, you may remember a previous Health War segment called “Soy Benefits.” Well, the post on Fish Oil vs Flax Oil was so popular that I wanted to run another edition of The Health War right away but this time flip the coin on soy with some new research. Keep in mind while reading this that the study was done with genetically modified soy. It is undoubtedly different with organically farmed soy. Genetic modification has unknown consequences in humans because our life spans are so long studies won’t be coming out on humans for awhile. Especially with soy, if you find this interesting reading, I would next point you in the direction of the movie “The Future of Food” which you can link to watch for free on Hulu.
April 16, 2010
Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality
“This study was just routine,” said Russian biologist Alexey V. Surov, in
what could end up as the understatement of this century. Surov and his
colleagues set out to discover if Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) soy,
grown on 91% of US soybean fields, leads to problems in growth or
reproduction. What he discovered may uproot a multi-billion dollar industry.
After feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on the GM
diet, and especially the group on the maximum GM soy diet, showed
devastating results. By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost
the ability to have babies. They also suffered slower growth, and a high
mortality rate among the pups.
And if this isn’t shocking enough, some in the third generation even had
hair growing inside their mouths-a phenomenon rarely seen, but apparently
more prevalent among hamsters eating GM soy.
The study, jointly conducted by Surov’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution
of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Association for Gene
Security, is expected to be published in three months (July 2010)-so the
technical details will have to wait. But Surov sketched out the basic set up
for me in an email.
He used Campbell hamsters, with a fast reproduction rate, divided into 4
groups. All were fed a normal diet, but one was without any soy, another had
non-GM soy, a third used GM soy, and a fourth contained higher amounts of GM
soy. They used 5 pairs of hamsters per group, each of which produced 7-8
litters, totally 140 animals.
Surov told <http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/04/16/6524765.html> The Voice of
Russia,
“Originally, everything went smoothly. However, we noticed quite a serious
effect when we selected new pairs from their cubs and continued to feed them
as before. These pairs’ growth rate was slower and reached their sexual
maturity slowly.”
He selected new pairs from each group, which generated another 39 litters.
There were 52 pups born to the control group and 78 to the non-GM soy group.
In the GM soy group, however, only 40 pups were born. And of these, 25%
died. This was a fivefold higher death rate than the 5% seen among the
controls. Of the hamsters that ate high GM soy content, only a single female
hamster gave birth. She had 16 pups; about 20% died.
Surov said “The low numbers in F2 [third generation] showed that many
animals were sterile.”
The published paper will also include measurements of organ size for the
third generation animals, including testes, spleen, uterus, etc. And if the
team can raise sufficient funds, they will also analyze hormone levels in
collected blood samples.
Hair Growing in the Mouth
Earlier this year, Surov co-authored a paper in Doklady Biological Sciences
showing that in rare instances, hair grows inside recessed pouches in the
mouths of hamsters.
“Some of these pouches contained single hairs; others, thick bundles of
colorless or pigmented hairs reaching as high as the chewing surface of the
teeth. Sometimes, the tooth row was surrounded with a regular brush of hair
bundles on both sides. The hairs grew vertically and had sharp ends, often
covered with lumps of a mucous.”
“(a) The external appearance of the oral cavity. Gingival pouches (GP) with
thick bundles of hair growing from their mucous lining are clearly seen. (b)
Perforated bone tissue of the teeth of an adult Ph. campbelli. Numerous
hollows are seen. A, hair.”
From A. S. Baranov, O. F. Chernova, N. Yu. Feoktistova, and A. V. Surov, “A
New Example of Ectopia: Oral Hair in Some Rodent Species,” Doklady
Biological Sciences, 2010, Vol. 431, pp. 117-120, Original Russian Text (c)
A.S. Baranov, O.F. Chernova, N.Yu. Feoktistova, A.V. Surov, 2010, published
in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2010, Vol. 431, No. 4, pp. 559-562.
At the conclusion of the study, the authors surmise that such an astounding
defect may be due to the diet of hamsters raised in the laboratory. They
write, “This pathology may be exacerbated by elements of the food that are
absent in natural food, such as genetically modified (GM) ingredients (GM
soybean or maize meal) or contaminants (pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy
metals, etc.).” Indeed, the number of hairy mouthed hamsters was much higher
among the third generation of GM soy fed animals than anywhere Surov had
seen before.
Preliminary, But Ominous
Surov warns against jumping to early conclusions. He said, “It is quite
possible that the GMO does not cause these effects by itself.” Surov wants
to make the analysis of the feed components a priority, to discover just
what is causing the effect and how.
In addition to the GMOs, it could be contaminants, he said, or higher
herbicide residues, such as Roundup. There is in fact much higher levels of
Roundup on these beans; they’re called “Roundup Ready.” Bacterial genes are
forced into their DNA so that the plants can tolerate Monsanto’s Roundup
herbicide. Therefore, GM soy always carries the double threat of higher
herbicide content, couple with any side effects of genetic engineering.
Years of Reproductive Disorders from GMO-Feed
Surov’s hamsters are just the latest animals to suffer from reproductive
disorders after consuming GMOs. In 2005, Irina Ermakova, also with the
Russian National Academy of Sciences, reported that more than half the
<http://www.responsibletechnology.org/utility/showArticle/?objectID=299>
babies from mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks. This was also
five times higher than the 10% death rate of the non-GMO soy group. The
babies in the GM group were also smaller (see photo) and could not
reproduce.
In a telling coincidence, after Ermakova’s feeding trials, her laboratory
started feeding all the rats in the facility a commercial rat chow using GM
soy. Within two months, the infant mortality facility-wide reached 55%.
When Ermakova fed male rats GM soy, their testicles changed from the normal
pink to dark blue!
Italian scientists similarly found
<http://www.somloquesembrem.org/img_editor/file/Vecchioetal2004.pdf> changes
in mice testes (PDF), including damaged young sperm cells. Furthermore, the
DNA of embryos from parent mice fed GM soy functioned differently.
An Austrian government study published in November 2008 showed that the more
GM corn was fed to mice,
<http://www.biosicherheit.de/pdf/aktuell/zentek_studie_2008.pdf> the fewer
the babies they had (PDF), and the smaller the babies were.
Central Iowa Farmer Jerry Rosman also had trouble with pigs and cows
becoming sterile. Some of his pigs even had false pregnancies or gave birth
to bags of water. After months of investigations and testing, he finally
traced the problem to GM corn feed. Every time a newspaper, magazine, or TV
show reported Jerry’s problems, he would receive calls from more farmers
complaining of livestock sterility on their farm, linked to GM corn.
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine accidentally discovered that rats
raised on corncob bedding “
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240732/> neither breed nor
exhibit reproductive behavior.” Tests on the corn material revealed two
compounds that stopped the sexual cycle in females “at concentrations
approximately two-hundredfold lower than classical phytoestrogens.” One
compound also curtailed male sexual behavior and both substances contributed
to the growth of breast and prostate cancer cell cultures. Researchers found
that the <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1314908/> amount of
the substances varied with GM corn varieties. The crushed corncob used at
Baylor was likely shipped from central Iowa, near the farm of Jerry Rosman
and others complaining of sterile livestock.
In Haryana, India, a team of investigating veterinarians report that buffalo
consuming GM cottonseed suffer from infertility, as well as frequent
abortions, premature deliveries, and prolapsed uteruses. Many adult and
young buffalo have also died mysteriously.
Denial, Attack and Canceled Follow-up
Scientists who discover adverse findings from GMOs are regularly attacked,
ridiculed, denied funding, and even fired. When Ermakova reported the high
infant mortality among GM soy fed offspring, for example, she appealed to
the scientific community to repeat and verify her preliminary results. She
also sought additional funds to analyze preserved organs. Instead, she was
attacked and vilified. Samples were stolen from her lab, papers were burnt
on her desk, and she said that her boss, under pressure from his boss, told
her to stop doing any more GMO research. No one has yet repeated Ermakova’s
simple, inexpensive studies.
In an attempt to offer her sympathy, one of her colleagues suggested that
maybe the GM soy will solve the over population problem!
Surov reports that so far, he has not been under any pressure.
Opting Out of the Massive GMO Feeding Experiment
Without detailed tests, no one can pinpoint exactly what is causing the
reproductive travesties in Russian hamsters and rats, Italian and Austrian
mice, and livestock in India and America. And we can only speculate about
the relationship between the introduction of genetically modified foods in
1996, and the corresponding upsurge in low birth weight babies, infertility,
and other problems among the US population. But many scientists, physicians,
and concerned citizens don’t think that the public should remain the lab
animals for the biotech industry’s massive uncontrolled experiment.
Alexey Surov says, “We have no right to use GMOs until we understand the
possible adverse effects, not only to ourselves but to future generations as
well. We definitely need fully detailed studies to clarify this. Any type of
contamination has to be tested before we consume it, and GMO is just one of
them.”
It’s an interesting world out there. We can choose to turn a blind eye or take responsibility for our health. Buying organic may cost a little bit more in the short term but it we may be paying a much larger cost for years to come if we don’t. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon!
5 May
The Health War: Omega 3s and their differences
A question I often get is: “Why do I need to take fish oil when I can get Omega 3s from flax oil or other vegetarian oils?” Well in light of our recent “Get Healthy” series, I think it’s important to follow it up with some relevant information for you, the reader to use in making your decisions. I profess to be “mostly vegan” which simply means that I eat a vegan diet 95% of the time, supplementing with fish oil and maybe having a little fish once a month. Without further adieu…
Fish Oil vs. Flax Oil
There is a large and growing body of research suggesting that increasing omega-3 consumption is beneficial for health from birth through old age, and many health care practitioners and patients alike recognize its potential for clinical use. However, most studies showing the benefits of omega-3s have used fish oil-based supplements, and flaxseed oil is not generally considered to be an effective alternative by the medical community. The reason is that the specific omega-3 fatty acids provided by flaxseed oil are different from those provided by fish oils, and these different fatty acids do not have the same effects upon health.
Fish oil is an excellent source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, most notably eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Flaxseed oil, by contrast, is rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the parent omega-3 essential fatty acid. Although it is an omega-3 essential fatty acid, ALA has not been shown to possess the same benefits as with EPA and DHA. Research has shown that increasing the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in the diet with ALA may not enhance neuronal DHA levels in infants (Bowen, et al. 1999), and some epidemiological studies even indicate an increased risk of prostate cancer associated with flaxseed oil consumption1.
Most studies indicate that the human conversion of ALA to EPA is inefficient, with only about 15% of ALA converting to EPA, and that the conversion of ALA to DHA is even less efficient, with only about 5% of ALA converting to DHA, if any at all2,3. The conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is described in Sprecher’s Pathway (back).
The first study examined the capacity for conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA in young men4. Emulsified ALA tagged with the radioactive isotope carbon 13 was given in addition to a habitual diet. Approximately 33% of administered radio labeled ALA was recovered as CO2 on breath over the first 24 hours. The time scale of conversion of ALA to EPA indicated that the liver was the main site of desaturation and elongation, which has been shown previously in animals. However, there was no enrichment of DHA in total plasma to be recorded at any time point up to 21 days. The distribution of total plasma omega-3 fatty acids over this time period was 84% ALA, 7.9% EPA and 0% DHA.
The authors concluded that even if some ALA seems to be converted into EPA, the extent of DHA synthesis is likely to be of negligible biological significance. A conversion of ALA to DHA in tissues where the fatty acid was not released into plasma could, however, not be excluded. The nutritional
demands for DHA in healthy adults are likely to be modest, and the need for DHA may be satisfied by existing pools of DHA within the body or preferably by eating fatty fish. Since, however, elderly people with cognition defects have low levels of DHA in red blood cell membranes, it seems that these pools will have to be continuously replenished in order to counteract a negative balance.
The second study was performed in women of reproductive age with the same methodological setup as in the previous study. The results were slightly different compared to what was found in men since the extent of ALA conversion to DHA was greater in the women5. A direct comparison is difficult due to methodological reasons, but in this study the fractional excursions of labeled fatty acids in total plasma lipids was 21% for EPA and 9.2% for DHA. These data suggest greater synthesis of both EPA and DHA in women compared with men. It has been shown previously that estrogens used for anticonception increase the conversion of ALA to DHA6. The capacity to regulate ALA conversion by the action of sex hormones may contribute to the higher DHA concentration in women. This may be important during pregnancy and lactation in order to provide the fetus with sufficient DHA for brain development and maturation.
However, a third study could not find any increase of DHA in lactating women given flaxseed oil, which is rich in ALA7. Seven lactating women were given this oil, providing a daily intake of 10.7 g ALA. Breast milk and plasma ALA and EPA increased significantly, but no increase was observed for DHA. The authors concluded that flaxseed oil supplementation would not be an adequate method of increasing the availability of DHA for the developing infant.
A 2002 consensus report issued by the UK Food Standard Agency confirms these findings. After reviewing current research to investigate whether ALA was as beneficial to cardiovascular health as the omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources, the report concluded that ALA supplementation either as flaxseed oil or as fortified food such as margarine could increase the levels of ALA and EPA, but hardly any DHA, if at all8. The studies presented suggested little, if any, benefit of ALA on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The effects previously observed with supplementation of marine omega-3 fatty acids were not replicated by ALA supplementation. The report had reservations about the evidence suggesting beneficial effect of ALA on the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, and felt it still needed to be established.
The promotion of the use of ALA as a source for the marine omega-3 fatty acids has been based on data from studies on EPA and DHA. It now seems that this argument is not valid, based on recent studies in humans. The claimed benefits of providing ALA on primary prevention and secondary prevention seems to be non-existing, and further large clinical studies will have to be presented before health claims of flaxseed and linseed oils can be warranted.
The biological effects of very long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are much stronger than those of ALA on parameters related to specific health concerns such as cardiovascular health (Harris W. 1997), and preformed dietary DHA is 7-fold more effective than dietary ALA at increasing DHA levels in the brain (Su, et al. 1999; Abedin, et al. 1999).
Fish oil is a reliable, direct source of EPA and DHA, providing the optimal means of enhancing EPA and DHA in the body and targeting specific health concerns related to omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies.
If you made it to the end of the scientific jargon, congratulations! Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon. Please subscribe so that you can have a new blog delivered to your email whenever I post.
References
1 Myers CE. Alpha-linolenic acid. Prostate Forum 2000 Aug;V5:2,7–8. 2 Brenna JT. Efficiency of conversion of alpha-linolenic acid to long chain n-3 fatty acids in
man. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2002 Mar;5(2):127–32.
3 Gerster H. Can adults adequately convert alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) to eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3)? Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1998;68(3):159–73.
4 Burdge GC, Jones AE, Wooton SA. Eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids are the principal products of alfa-linolenic acid metabolism in young men. Br J of Nutr 2002;88:355–363.
5 Burdge GC, Wooton SA. Conversion of alfa-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in young women. Br J of Nutr 2002;88:411–420.
6 Silfverstolpe G, Johnson P, Samsice G, et al. Effects induced by two different estrogens on serum individual phospholipid and serum lecitin fatty acid composition. Hormone and Metabol Res 1981;13:141–145.
7 Francois CA, Connor SL, Bolewicz LC, et al. Supplementing lactating women with flaxseed oil does not increase docosahexaenoic acid in their milk. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:226–233.
8 Sanderson P, Finnegan YE, Williams CM, et al. UK Food Standards Agency alfa-linolenic acid workshop report. Br J of Nutr 2002;88:573–579.
Silfverstolpe G, Johnson P, Samsice G, et al. Effects induced by two different estrogens on serum individual phospholipid and serum lecitin fatty acid composition. Hormone and Metabol Res 1981;13:141–145.
Sprecher’s pathway
The rate-limiting step is the delta-6 desaturation activity. This step can also be further inhibited by several factors, including:
n A diet high in linoleic acid (common in the U.S.), which can inhibit conversion by as much as 40% (Emken, 1995).
n Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, and drugs inhibit delta-6-desaturase activity (Horrobin, 1981).
n A deficiency of any of the vitamin and mineral cofactors (vitamins B3, B6, C, zinc, and magnesium) required by elongase and delta-6-desaturase may inhibit conversion (Mahfous, et al. 1989).
n A loss of delta-6-desaturase activity occurs during normal aging (Hrelia, 1989). n A high maternal intake of linoleic acid (omega-6 from corn, safflower oil, etc.) inhibits conversion to EPA and DHA
and reduces omega-3 availability to the developing fetus (Al, 1996).
n Saturated and trans fatty acids inhibit ALA desaturation and elongation (Packman & Cunnane, 1992; Houwelingen & Hornstra, 1994).
n Ethanol inhibits conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA (Salem, et al. 1996). n Certain populations, such as North American natives, Inuits, Orientals, Norwegians, and Welsh-Irish, may not
effectively convert ALA to EPA.
This research confirms that the de facto conversion from ALA to EPA and DHA is likely very low for most Americans. There have also been three more recently published studies addressing this issue in humans.
3 May
Part two of Step 5: Exercise better
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I was out of town so I apologize for the delay in this second entry for our workout session. So if you remember from last week, a good warm up is one of the most important parts about getting a good workout. You need your muscles to be warm to prevent injuries and have more energy for exercise.
Unless you are really trying to build a bunch of muscle, in which case you probably aren’t reading this blog for that, there is no real need to use heavy weights. Weight resistence workouts burn a lot more energy than just cardio alone. We have two general types of muscles: fast twitch and slow twitch. From the research that I have read, we are born with a certain amount of each and even with rigorous training we can’t change the composition or distribution significantly. That olympic sprinter will never be an olympic marathoner for example.
Slow twitch muscle fibers are better at using oxygen than the fast twitch and so can last longer without fatiguing, but fast twitch are better for short bursts of speed or strength. They burn roughly the same amount of energy for each contraction, but since the fast twitch muscles contract more frequently for greater speed they can ultimately burn more energy for you in a workout depending on how you stress them. To put it in perspective you burn the same amount of energy going from point A to point B whether you walk or run, but running will get you there quicker and give you time to do other exercises to burn more calories and get stronger.
You want to have more muscle on your body and less fat. Each pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day compared to muscle burning 6 calories. Let’s talk shop. Warm-up is done, now what do you do? Well your goal should be to work out as many muscle groups as you can. You have legs, hips/butt, (core)abs/lower back, chest, back, shoulders and arms. Some exercises use a combination of muscle groups and some isolate. If you want to lose weight or maximize the health benefits, focus most of your time on the exercises that use multiple muscle groups. I see so many people at the gym get on the sit-up machine, or sit on the leg machine that works out one muscle group. You’re not maximizing your time. If it is easy to sit there and do a bunch of reps you’re not maximizing your time!
There are a lot of good exercise demos at the crossfit.com site. Here is the LINK to the basic exercise videos. You should do each different exercise until muscle fatigue. Group 3 or 4 exercises into a set with less than 20 seconds rest between each exercise. Do 3 rounds of each set and 3 sets in each workout. So basically you will have about 12 exercises that you do 3 times each. Drink plenty of water between each set, but try and make it through a set without drinking water or at least don’t take more than 20 seconds to get a sip.
Make sure you get plenty of leg exercises in your workouts because your leg muscle groups are the largest in your body, therefore working your legs a lot will burn more calories. Also your core muscle groups are very important. Typically an exercise should take you 20-30 reps to feel fatigue. If it doesn’t add weight resistance to it until it does. For example, doing 30 squats may be easy. SO put a 10 pound dumb bell in each hand and try it again. You want to break down your muscle just enough to need repair, but not over-do it and injure yourself.
Like I mentioned before, you’ll burn calories and fat during your exercise, but then also hours after your metabolism stays higher and your body will use extra energy to repair itself over the next couple days. I will let you all know when I get some videos of how I exercise on my website for you to see. Subscribe to the blog so that you don’t miss those!
If you have the time after an intense 45 minute workout, I highly recommend a nice 10 minute stretch and an extra 10-15 minutes in the steam room or sauna. The forced sweating will help eliminate some of the built up toxins from the fat in your body. Fat stores necessary vitamins and nutrients, but also toxins. Make sure you drink lots of water to replace all that you sweat out. When you start eating better and exercising better the fat will start burning away and as it does, release all of those stored toxins into your blood. Don’t get discouraged if the first couple weeks of your change in diet and exercise leaves you feeling sick and/or fatigued. This is the result of your body eliminating years of built up toxins. A lot of people tell me that they don’t want to eat like I advocate because they have tried it and don’t feel good. Well if you want to get healthy, you’ve got to eliminate the bad stuff from your body eventually. Now that you know about it, be ready for it and excited when it comes! Each day of feeling tired or shitty is one day closer to feeling amazing and invulnerable!
Eating and exercising the way this 5 step program advocates can literally melt the pounds off your body. I am not talking about a couple pounds a month, I mean a couple pounds each week. You could literally lose 20 lbs in 1 month if you are diligent with this. Best of all it’s not a fad diet. This is a lifestyle change that can set you up for health and vitality the rest of your life. Diets are designed for short term success by shocking your body. The minute you stop “dieting” your body will return to its old weight or more. With this program you literally can eat as much as you want because high nutrient foods are naturally low in calories and high in fiber. These two in combination are the keys to success when it comes to looking healthy and feeling healthy. Bonus step 6 next time on The Body Blog!
1 May
Out of town
Hi folks. Sorry, I have the second half of Step 5 ready, but am out of town with really bad and slow internet access. Will have to give it to you on Monday I think. So in the meantime, check out this article as it has some interesting information. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is just where you live and what you eat.
26 Apr
Step 5 Working out!
Steps 1,2 and 3 are information that you may not know or hasn’t sunk in, but drinking water (Step 4) and exercising (Step 5) are things that have been beaten into our heads forever.
You know that exercise leads to good health. I know a lot of people that exercise but aren’t in good health. That’s because there is no magic bullet or one thing that works. Health is a lifestyle and so is disease. I am not perfect and you will never be either, but if you work hard to change your habits and start making better decisions for your health I can promise one thing: You won’t regret it!
OK, so the basics with exercise are that it burns calories, increases circulation, releases health inducing hormones from the brain and contributes to healthy cell function etc… Blah, blah you can do a simple google search and find all this out. You don’t need The Body Blog for that. Finding information about the benefits of exercise is like dunking a basketball on a 3 ft rim, even a 5 year old can do it. What we are here for is to finally understand why to make changes and how to make changes.
While I am not a (certified) personal trainer I have been trained by some of the best. Having played college sports and now professional beach volleyball, I have had access to some of the top trainers working me out and helping me rehab from injuries. Playing sports all my life, I have been skinny, but not always healthy. My sick free years have only come in the last decade when I learned how to make better food choices. I have always been in “better than average” shape. I say all that to build some credibility that I can give you the building blocks to eat better and exercise more efficiently. Depending on your motivation level, you may need to hire a personal trainer to see the results you’re looking for. I advise this: don’t ever work with anyone who isn’t working as hard for you as they are asking you to work. If your personal trainer isn’t breaking a sweat while working you out, my opinion is that you need a new one.
Most people from what I have seen don’t work out hard enough (even if they are dieting to lose weight) to see fast results. Your body will literally shed pounds in days if you feed it right and work out efficiently. It’s all about getting a total body workout. You burn fat and lose weight two ways when you work out. 1. Moving, stretching, lifting all require lots of energy and lots of calories while you are working out. 2. When you break down your muscle, your body repairs it in a few days which requires more calories as well.
SO, to get the most out of your workouts, you need to get your heart pumping fast enough to get your body to burn the fat, AND you need to workout your muscles hard enough to break them down and force them to repair. In other words, you need to work out multiple different ways. Walking, jogging, or running on the treadmill while better than nothing don’t really do the trick unless we are talking about really long distances which most people don’t have the time, endurance or patience for.
On the next blog I will finish up step 5 and let you know some strategies to working out that have helped me and some of the people I work with to lose weight quickly and get healthy faster. To finish today, i will give you some tips for warming up and getting into workout mode.
There is an artificial market of “healthy” energy drinks out there. I say artificial because the way I see energy drinks is they all create acid in your body. People drink them for the caffeine, that’s it. No they aren’t healthy, but they can aid you in achieving health if you use them wisely and correctly. The only time I have energy drinks is before my workouts. I stay away from the ones with artificial sweeteners, but other than that they are pretty much the same. The caffeine helps to get your blood pumping by increasing your heart rate. This will get you in fat burning mode quicker and give you energy to work hard. For real health benefits you really only need to work out for 30-45 minutes if you are pushing hard enough and working out a variety of muscles. So if you have an energy drink, make it your goal to have the sugar calories burned off by the end of your warm up.
For my warm up I like to use the hand bike for 1 min going forward and 1 minute going backwards. I work hard for these 2 minutes. I then jump right onto the stair master or one of the elliptical machines that let you work out your arms as well. I then push myself on there for between 5-8 minutes. You should be in a full sweat by the time you are done with your warm up. After I get the blood flowing, I do some light stretches for about 3 minutes while I catch my breath. By starting with the arm bike and switching to the stair-master/elliptical I have gotten blood to my upper body and throughout my legs. Add in the stretching and after about 10-12 minutes you should have burned 100-200 calories already.
For those of you working out on your own or at home, I recommend getting some workout videos to keep you motivated. It is a lot easier to be lazy during your workouts if you’re just by yourself. If you aren’t sweating and panting for air after your warm up, you aren’t working hard enough. I will also be posting warm-up and workout videos on my website in the upcoming months to give you ideas on what you can do on your own. More on working out next time. Feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!
21 Apr
Step 4 of 5 Drinking Water
When I first started The Body Blog I was determined to give real health and nutrition advice. I didn’t want it to turn into one of those over-simplified publications that insult readers with a “health tip of the day” such as: drink more water! eat a piece of fruit! exercise more!
That’s insulting even to unhealthy people. We don’t all know what to do for optimal health, but the basics of eat healthy, drink more water and exercise are no-brainers. The key to it all is the education as to why. Nobody is ever motivated into action by simply knowing what to do. It’s they WHY to do it that makes all the difference. That is the simple reason that I repeat myself all the time, all the time, all the time. If I can help you get an emotional connection to why you should change then there is a better chance you will try and stick with healthier practices.
So for step 4 of this getting healthy plan, DRINK MORE WATER! Now allow me to tell you why it matters. Remember in this 5 step process doing one of the steps is beneficial to you, but the true health and longevity benefits come from combining all the steps together. Plenty of very hydrated people get sick, disease and cancer.
Here are some points with articles about this water controversy. Take some time to read them. If you don’t have time today, come back tomorrow and read some more. A little bit everyday is easier than all at once. Make part of your health routine to come to The Body Blog and read a new post everyday for 3 minutes. Subscribe to get all the recent postings.
Bottled water as great as they lead us to believe?
Necessity to drink water or maybe its not so important
Faster metabolism from drinking water
Here are my conclusions (as a non-scientist) based on what I’ve read with this water issue. While it may not be necessary to drink 1 oz of water for every two ounces of body weight, it does help to flush toxins out of your body. Bottled water may not be as great as they say, but tap water certainly poses its risks like destroying essential fatty acids and contributing to heart disease? If you’re trying to lose weight water can keep you from over eating and help raise your metabolism.
Too much information on each side of the aisle? Advice: drink more water from purified sources if possible on your budget. If not, don’t worry about it too much because eating more fruits and veggies will help to safeguard you. Write your local water department to see how your tap water is treated. Filtered water is cheapest at those machines outside the grocery store (like 25 cents for 5 gallons), or a water store (I’ve seen them around the low-rent store fronts around grocery store centers). Bottled water is pretty expensive and also a big pollutant World Water Day video. I’ll see if I can get a water purification company to give our Health and Wellness Education group a discount or coupons. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you soon.
18 Apr
List of Supplements to take and some brands I recommend
Fish oil, in my opinion, is THE most important nutrient that the average person can start supplementing with to better their health. A good website that you can check out for published studies on the effects of fish oil all over the body is: http://www.omega-research.com. I have read enough studies to be convinced that in order to get maximum benefits and safety, a purified fish oil is best. Not all fish oils are created equal. Also if cost is a factor, consider buying the liquid. It’s cheaper. My fish oil of choice considering all the above is Nordic Naturals. Because I love them so much we negotiated a 15% discount for Health and Wellness Education members on the discussion board.
Fiber. There is a fine line between needing to supplement with fiber and not needing to. I would say that if your diet does not contain 80% fruits and vegetables then you should be supplementing with fiber. Fiber will reduce your risk of many cancers. The basic philosophy is that the food you eat does not get properly digested for a number of reasons. It moves through your system slowly rotting and producing harmful by-products which are poisonos to your system and absorbed through your intestines. Fiber helps to move matter through quickly and efficiently. There are a lot of fibers out there that are low quality or contain chemical laxatives so buyer beware. This is one of the least expensive supplements you can add to your regime at about $.25 per day. A good place to start is here on the USDA site. I currently use Yerba Prima orange flavored daily fiber, but there are a lot of good quality fibers out there.
High quality vitamins. You should get most of your vitamins and minerals from food. BUT taking a vitamin supplement every day can be very beneficial to give your body the building blocks to get healthy. Remember once you (truly) commit, its a year process for cell turnover inside. I prefer effervescent vitamins because they absorb easily for everyone. Already broken down, your stomach isn’t susceptible to a pill giving it discomfort. Most vitamin pills don’t even break down in your system so you are literally flushing money down the toilet. Invest around $1 a day in a good quality vitamin supplement. I use Oxylent because it has a nice variety of high quality ingredients and is $1 per day. You can get a discount on it with free shipping if you’re a part of our Health and Wellness Education group. A good website for vitamin info is: http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins-guide/index.html
Super greens. This is a relatively new phenominan in health. I’m not talking about the wheat grass shot you get at the juice bar. Those are great for you by the way. Super greens are formulations of freeze-dried plants (veggies, flowers, roots, herbs) that you could never go out and buy on your own at the store. Freeze drying protects vital enzymes and nutrients from being destroyed. Super greens are definitely a key to health and longevity. A common complaint is the taste. I like to mix my super greens with my Oxylent vitamins and it gives a nice smooth juice flavor and texture. It’s hard to screw up super greens so any one you buy will be beneficial. However, there are a lot of different companies out there producing them with many formulations. I want to put as many of these health promoting substances in my body as I can. I buy an 8-10 week supply tub of Vibrant Health’s “Green Vibrance” at my local Vitamin Shoppe for $65-$70 (sometimes it goes on sale). That works out to $1 per day. I am trying to get them to offer our Health and Wellness Education group a discount so we shall see how that goes… A good website for super greens info is: http://www.supergreensupplements.com
Super foods. I have been writing a lot about super foods lately. These are nutrient dense foods that give you concentrated nutrition with fewer calories promoting weight loss, increased energy and helping to prevent cell oxidation (the breakdown of cells too early). I’m not talking about conventional fruits and vegetables that you can buy at the store or farmer’s market. Keep doing that. I am talking about special foods found all around the world that are amazingly nutritional. The best company I have found that offers a broad range of products for a good price and does it in an environmentally conscious way is Navitas Naturals. They have also agreed to work with us and offer a 15% discount to our Health and Wellness Education members. Another form of super food nutrition that I use is Yerba Mate tea. It is amazing for all the health promoting nutrients it has in it including amino acids, minerals etc. I use Guayaki’s Yerba Mate because of how comitted they are to sourcing it organically, free trade and helping to rebuild the rain forests in South America. This stuff is way better than green tea (health wise) just so you know. Check them out!
Digestive enzymes. Yes our body produces them, but not in large enough quantities to make up for all the enzyme-less foods we eat. When you heat raw food above 114-118 degrees the enzymes are killed. Traditionally (hunter-gatherer days) our diet was almost all raw fruits, veggies and nuts/seeds. Now we cook and process almost all our food as a society. Ever wonder why you get food coma after a big meal? Your body is literally shutting down because it doesn’t have the resources readily available to process what you put into it. By supplementing with digestive enzymes we can help make digestion more efficient and productive. I am currently experimenting with different enzyme brands so I don’t have any recommendations. Here is a site that provides an interesting perspective: http://tuberose.com/Food_Combining.html
Remember that $100 you save by cutting down on meat and cutting out the dairy? Well, $1 on vitamins, $1 on greens, $.50-$1 on fish oil, and then about $1 on super foods and you are spending a little more than $100 per month on being healthy. Not getting sick and having to go to the doctor as much, take days off work, or take medicines will save you a lot more through out the year. Can you see the value yet? Factor in the savings you can get from being a part of our Health and Wellness Education group and its an even better deal to be healthy! Thanks for reading, and onto step 4 next time.
15 Apr
Step 3 of 5 Supplementation
I give you multiple steps for very specific reasons. First and foremost is that health is a journey and a privilege. Idealists say that “health is a right for all.” When talking about health care, personally I agree. I have been publicly boycotting health insurance during this reform period until something was done. I don’t want to get political on you. Let’s get back to the ideals.
Health is not a right but a privilege for this reason: you have to earn it. You have to educate yourself about how to be healthy. The government agencies are in bed with big industry and you won’t get sound nutritional advice from them for a long time (at the earliest). If you watch any of the movies I regularly suggest (such as Food Inc.) you can see that there is a “revolving door” between food industry lobbyists, board members, managers and governmental organizations such as the FDA and USDA. I for one don’t feel like a former attorney for a big food company has my best interests at heart when transferring to a government job to set public policy, do you?
There are so many things that you can change about your life to assure health and longevity. The list is a mile long though and the average person wouldn’t know where to start. That is why I have taken on the challenge to simplify these changes you can make so that they are within everyone’s reach. You don’t have to make a lot of money and buy the best supplements or go to a celebrity personal trainer to get results. You, average Joe/Jane, can get real results by following a few simple steps. Pretty cool huh? Best of all you don’t owe me a dollar for this information. It’s free for you to read on The Body Blog. All I have ever asked is that if you get something good from coming to this site, please pass it on. At some point soon there will be an even better, fully operational health education site for you to come and learn and network and even get some free stuff!
The last blog talked about how eating lots of fruits and vegetables will give you the best chance at health. The harmony, the dance that raw fruits and vegetables engage in to make you healthier and keep you healthy is still relatively unknown. Science is finding out everyday about new substances, isolating them in labs and realizing the amazing health benefits they have. When I studied Economics in school this was referred to as micro-Economics; studying how small intricate parts of the economy affect the whole. Well I was always more interested in macro-Economics. The study of how the overall economy affects the day to day life of individuals. The same is true with health. I am really interested in how our overall health, how long we can live is affected by the small things we do on a daily basis.
Without a doubt I am convinced with all that I have read in books, journals, studies etc… that eating a plant-based, high fiber, low animal product diet is the key to living a long and disease free life. Will supplementation have any effect? YES, without a doubt there are certain supplements that are best consumed outside of their natural state in foods. Why? Top soils have been depleted, there are so many chemicals in our air, ground water and soil from years of pollution and fertilization that science can provide us with safe and effective nutrients. These pills and powders are not THE answer, just part of it.
Fish oil. Omega 3 deficiency is possibly the most dangerous aspect of human health today. Fiber. Even eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables may leave you fiber deficient. The RDA for fiber are minimums and the disease preventing levels of fiber may be much higher. High quality vitamins. Once again, depleted soil, chemical fertilizers and early picking/artificial ripening deliver nutrient-less food to the store. Super greens and super foods. Nutrient dense, low calorie plant foods could be the key to everyday health in addition to significant longevity. Digestive enzymes. May help you achieve proper digestion if you are eating cooked different foods than your body is used to digesting. New science is suggesting that enzyme supplementation can be a contributing factor to your cells living longer.
The list isn’t a mile long but you’ll need to put some serious thought into the new foods and special supplements to take for the rest of your life. Everyone has different budgets, so I’ll try and put some perspective and value on it for you. In the spirit of writing shorter blogs, tune in to the next blog to get more information about all of these supplements and super foods. No philosophy, examples or extra information. I’ll get down to business and brass tacks.
