Category Health
Buns Of Steel And Abs Of Steel Video Review
Please check out my review of Steel Fit Nutrition’s Buns Of Steel and Abs Of Steel, two awesome topical products designed to tighten up the skin, reduce fat and excess water, and improve the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.
Lose Sleep, Lose Muscle
Originally published in March 2014 on RxMuscle.com:
http://www.rxmuscle.com/blogs/the-news-the-newest-in-mp/10329-sleep-deficit-and-muscle-loss.html?hitcount=0
Those of you who insist on burning the midnight oil and carving into time during which you should be sleeping are doing yourselves a disservice. When you build up a sleep deficit, not only do you adversely affect your attention and overall energy, you also diminish the potential muscle gains you would obtain if you consistently got a good night’s rest.
A good portion of the slump in muscle repair and growth which occurs from inadequate sleep is due to inadequate secretion of growth hormone (GH). GH is only secreted during deep sleep, so people who don’t sleep for more than a few hours will spend less time in deep sleep and cause GH secretion to drop. In addition, there is some evidence that testosterone secretion also drops, creating a double whammy which cripples the body’s ability to utilize fat and build muscle.
Cravings can also become a significant issue with sleep deficits as a result of hormonal effects. Leptin, a hormone which signals that you are full from a meal, is inhibited during sleep deprivation, resulting in increased food cravings (especially for carbohydrates). Conversely, ghrelin, a hormone which signals hunger, increases by as much as 30 percent after only a two night sleep deficit.
The body also produces more cortisol during the late afternoon, which is exactly when the body’s production should be tapering down to prepare the body for sleep. Higher cortisol levels promote deposition of more fat and utilization of muscle for energy during a sleep-deprived state.
When you cheat yourself out of a full night’s sleep, you also deplete neurotransmitters in the brain which are in charge of regulating mood. The result is irritability and, over the long term, depression, both of which can impact the intensity of your workouts and hinder your efforts to pack on muscle.
Sleep deficits also result in a decrease in alertness and concentration which often translates into submaximal workouts. And Sleep deficit affects strength. A study in Ergonomics examined the effects of sleep deprivation on weightlifting, with compelling results. As expected, there was a significant decrease in maximal lift for bench press, leg press, and dead lift after a three-day sleep deficit was established.
If you are in the habit of cutting into your sleep time, or you practice erratic sleeping patterns which are creating a sleep deficit, try to get into a rhythm in which you get enough sleep every night, especially if you are hitting a plateau with your training. Once you start getting adequate sleep, you will notice a big difference in your strength and muscle gains.
“I’m Bloated!” – Cures For Premenstrual Bloating (REPOST)
Many women suffer from premenstrual bloating, but most don’t know that there are specific foods and supplements which can treat it. Since many women experience bloating right before that special time of the month, I am listing the supplements and foods which I recommend to ease the water retention which can occur right before your period.
SUPPLEMENENTS:
1. Dandelion root – Try 3 capsules, three times daily for 3 to 4 days before your period to create a diuretic effect in your body.
2. Magnesium 400 mg – Take this one to two times daily. If you get diarrhea, back down to one 400 mg dose towards bedtime.
3. Gamma linoleic acid 400 mg – one tablet daily.
4. Vitamin C 1,000 mg – Take one capsule two times per day.
5. Vitamin B6 150 mg – Take one capsule daily.
FOODS:
1. bananas
2. cranberry juice or extract
3. raisins
4. asparagus
If your schedule is regular and you frequently suffer from water retention before your period, you can incorporate the supplements and foods listed above a few days before you expect your period.
There’s Always Time To Breathe
As I was speaking with one of my patients earlier today, I was struck by the fact that she said she had no time to do anything, and that her work schedule was so stacked that she felt like she was unraveling. I suggested that she take a moment at some point in her day to just sit still and BREATHE, without any task or agenda. Her reply? “Oh, I don’t even have time for that!”
It seemed unreasonable to me that this woman wouldn’t even take a few SECONDS for herself just to breathe, take momentary break from the maddening rush of her life, and just be in the moment. It’s not that people can’t stop and breathe, they WON’T, because they have been led to believe that remaining on the hamster wheel of life all the time is a necessary sacrifice for all the success they hope to achieve. The sad truth is that those brief moments of stillness enable the spirit to reset and restore balance to mind and body as well.
If you are like my patient, you are doing yourself a major disservice by constantly moving and not allowing yourself to rest, even for a few seconds. Even the most creative and driven people in the world find time to enjoy their surroundings, pause in the midst of chaos, and realign with themselves. All you will do if you insist on going full guns all the time, without a moment to rest, is burn out your adrenal glands, damage your immune system, and set the tone for depression and anxiety.
For only a few seconds a day, you can enjoy the gift of being in the moment. What’s even better is that you can indulge in such moments throughout the day, between projects, meetings and chores. You can even do it upon waking, right before you start the ignition in your car, while standing in line at the grocery store, or just about anywhere.
Nuzest
I was recently introduced to a company called Nuzest, which is committed to developing nutritional products which optimize people’s diets and put them on the right track to feeling their best.
The Clean Lean Protein is pea protein-based, allergen free, and a complete protein. It mixes beautifully, tastes great, and is highly digestible and absorbable, which sets it apart from the majority of proteins out there. Another outstanding feature of the Clean Lean Protein is the fact that it is one of the few alkaline proteins on the market, with a pH of 7.8. It’s paleo friendly too.
If you are looking for a top-notch plant-based protein, look no further than Clean Lean Protein!
Nuzest also has a greens product called Good Green Stuff which features over 75 ingredients for comprehensive nutritional support.
Go to nuzest.com to order these great products, and be on the lookout for my video review of Clean Lean Protein on YouTube later this month!
PlateJoy
Check out this great site which offers customized meal plans that you make at home. Recipes are scaled to fit individual nutrition needs and also accommodate dietary restrictions such as non-GMO, gluten free, vegan, etc.
Personalized meal plan access
Custom recipes tailored to you
On-demand grocery lists
As many courses as you’d like (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack)
Change dietary preferences any time
On-demand advice from our nutrition-focused personal chefs
Full nutritional information for every meal
Connect PlateJoy with your JawBone or FitBit
HOW IT WORKS:
1. Personalize – Take their lifestyle quiz so they can get to know your tastes, health goals, and time constraints.
2. Discover – Receive custom-designed meal plans that will simplify your life and delight your taste buds.
3. Enjoy – Cook healthy meals effortlessly, with custom recipes and shopping lists sent straight to your phone.
Healthy Skoop Products Video Review August 2016
How To Shop For Healthy Foods
From Sports Nutrition Supplement Guide Article I wrote which was posted on their site.
Grocery stores in the U.S. can be nutritional traps for uneducated shoppers, because processed foods are placed prominently in the center aisles, while nutrient-dense whole foods are pushed to the periphery. It’s a smart marketing ploy, since many shoppers are easily lured by the colorful and appealing packaging which processed foods feature. There’s even a whole science devoted to the psychology behind food labeling! Because of this, I always advise patients and clients to do the majority of their shopping around the perimeter of a grocery store, even in places like Whole Foods, in order to maximize chances of making the healthiest food choices.
Think about it. If a food item can be stored in a box, bag or can at room temperature, it means that it probably has preservatives which keep it from spoiling. Start reading ingredient labels and you might be shocked at what you find. If ingredient labels are excessively long or have long names which you can’t pronounce, you probably should steer clear. Remember that the least processed foods will be assimilated by your body the most readily.
Supermarkets and grocery stores are designed to lure you in like a rat in a maze, but instead of getting a reward at the end of the maze, you might be signing up for health issues if you are distracted by all the colorful advertising found on the most popular food items. Keep in mind that these stores are designed to tempt shoppers to make impulse purchases. Such impulse buys can be especially tempting if you are ravenous with hunger when you shop.
Here are some guidelines which will help you to make healthy food choices when perusing a grocery store.
1. Shop around the perimeter of the store – Most processed foods are found in the aisles of a grocery store, while whole foods like fresh produce and meats are found around the perimeter.
2. Read food labels – Be aware of hidden sugar, sodium, artificial flavors and colors, and preservatives.
3. Keep purchases of packaged foods to a minimum – Beware of foods which are packaged in boxes, bags, or cans, as these foods tend to be filled with preservatives.
4. Prepare a shopping list and stick to it – Making a list will ensure that you do not forget any necessary items and will also help prevent impulse purchases if you adhere strictly to the items which are on your list.
5. Eat a meal before you shop – If you shop for groceries when you are satiated, you will be less likely to make impulsive purchases or buy more than what you need.
6. Fill your cart with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish, poultry, nuts and beans.
7. Try a new fruit or vegetable each week – This will add variety to your meal plan.
8. Spend the most time during your shopping trip in the produce section.
9. When choosing whole grain cereals, aim for at least 4 grams of fiber per serving– Make sure the sugar content is minimal.
10. Choose lean cuts of meat – Good beef cuts are round, top sirloin and tenderloin. When buying poultry, purchase the skinless variety.
11. If you can’t purchase fresh fruit, choose frozen fruits and vegetables over the canned variety.
12. Avoid food items that contain more than five ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can’t pronounce.
13. Be careful when choosing bread – Many refined breads are dark from added molasses, caramel or other coloring. Look for breads which contain 100% whole wheat or other grain as their first ingredient. Try to avoid enriched wheat flour as it is actually made with processed white flour. Make sure the bread you select has at least 2 grams of fiber per slice.
14. Select fish which is high in omega-3 fatty acids – Best selections are salmon, rainbow trout, lake trout, and tuna. (Below is a list of seafood lowest in Mercury)
15. Choose strong-flavor chesses – Sharp cheddar, feta and Parmesan have strong flavors which means you will need to use less to flavor your foods.
16. Purchase Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier than other varieties, and the protein content is much higher. My favorite is Fage Total 0-Percent Greek Yogurt.
17. If you must buy frozen entrees, make sure they contain less than 400 calories, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 600 milligrams of sodium, with at least 14 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrate.
18. Add vegetables and/or cooked brown rice or quinoa to your frozen entrée to increase the size and nutrition level of the meal.
19. Add fresh or frozen fruit to cooked oatmeal to provide sweetness without added sugar.
20. Eat oatmeal – Make sure to buy regular oatmeal, not the instant variety.
Here’s to happy and healthy shopping!
Hit Peak Fitness Fab Abs
Please check out Heidi Jo Medina’s article on fab abs in the August 12, 2016 edition of the Pensacola News Journal which includes me as one of the featured experts in her engaging article. I absolutely love Heidi Jo’s fantastic tips for getting amazing abs!
For convenience, I have copied and pasted the article here, but please also click on the link below to read the article from the source.
Many thanks to Heidi Jo Medina and the Pensacola News Journal for this feature!
http://www.pnj.com/story/life/2016/08/11/medina-hit-peak-fitness-fab-abs/88493918/
Medina: Hit the peak of fitness with fab abs
Heidi Jo Medina, News Journal correspondent 4:51 p.m. CDT August 12, 2016
Getting that six pack is the highest mountain to climb on most people’s fitness journey. To help you make it to the peak, several bikini pros tell us how they maintain their hard bellies.
Christina Heine, a graduate student in health promotion and assistant for the exercise science and health department at the University of West Florida, loves to work her abdominal muscles with planks, hanging leg lifts and reverse crunches. Her cardio routine incorporates high intensity interval training on the stair stepper or stadiums. The 31-year-old National Physique Committee (NPC) competitor switches between two minutes of high intensity and one minute of low intensity until she has reached 30 minutes.
She recommends incorporating white fish, egg whites, plain non-fat Greek yogurt into your diet. (This is ab-friendly for some people because it has natural probiotics which supports healthy digestion, but for some dairy-sensitive people it can cause bloating.)
Jessica Vetter, 36, of South Dakota, works her abdominals with ball crunches, decline crunches and double crunches. Her resume includes International Federation of Body Building (IFBB) figure pro and American Muscle & Fitness personal trainer.
“Being consistent is very important in getting and maintaining abs. Hold yourself accountable to what is put into your mouth,” she says.
For cardio, Vetter uses the stair stepper or elliptical. She says stair steppers are her favorite, as they use every muscle in the lower body, and are perfect for building lean muscle while burning fat. It is a low-impact exercise that can burn more calories than high impact, as you have to lift your entire body weight with every step you take.
Vetter only trains abs twice a week.
“If you are eager to have abs, your best strategy is to pay closer attention to your diet,” she says. “There are multiple factors that can contribute to storing fat around your belly. Focusing on eating healthy will make it easier for your body to reveal abs.”
Vetter’s diet incorporates ab-friendly foods such as fish, chicken, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, greens, coconut oil and egg whites.
“Watching labels is key,” she cautions. “Look at the grams of sugar, saturated and trans fat, and carbohydrates. The list of ingredients is also very important, and understanding what you are reading.”
Stacey Naito, 50, of California, has eliminated processed foods and refined sugar from her diet in order to sustain a lean midsection.
The IFBB pro, board-certified physician and nutrition coach suggests you stick to whole foods like lean meats, eggs (including the yolk), vegetables, almonds, and grains like quinoa and brown rice.
Naito only trains abs once a week for five to 10 minutes. She likes to incorporate planks, flutter kicks on a bench, and decline bench crunches.
When asked what kind of cardio she integrates into her workout regimen, her reply was, “Cardio? What’s that?”
Naito says she hasn’t done cardio in months and her body is actually leaner as a result.
“The body can become very efficient with cardio, meaning that it becomes resistant to the supposed fat-burning effects of cardiovascular activity,” Naito says. “The solution? Dial it down! Too much cardio can destroy a body.”
She suggests that you don’t over do it and just keep it simple. In fact, Naito says the best way to get chiseled abs is to drink plenty of water, take nutritional supplements like magnesium if you think you may be deficient, and eat clean at least 90 percent of the time.
Genetics will always play a role in your body shape and fitness achievements, but if you are only eating healthy 60 percent of the time, just like in math, that is a failing grade. Abs are made in the kitchen. The best ab exercise out there is to stop eating so much junk.
Amazing ab tips
1.Utilize a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Along with eating four to six small meals a day, try to consume your carbs first thing in the morning to give you sufficient energy through the day.
2.A consistent combination of cardio and weight training will enable you to burn fat and stay lean. Weight training burns calories after the workout and throughout the day while cardio burns calories during the workout.
3.Staying properly hydrated will help you burn the most amount of fat and will speed up your metabolism. Try to drink six to eight glasses a day.
4.Adjust your ab routine often. This will help to maximize results as diversity and confusion to the muscle show more development than a stagnant routine.
5.Breakfast kicks off your metabolism so don’t skip it. Include lean protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates in your first meal. Steer clear of unhealthy fats and foods high in unhealthy carbohydrates.
6.Don’t skip cardio. Losing fat will make your abs more prominent. Cardiovascular exercise is much more effective in the morning as well since the body is refreshed.
7.Getting eight to nine hours of sleep will help boost metabolism. Lack of sleep will cause the body to release the stress hormone cortisol which promotes fat storage and will derail your ab efforts.
8.Cardio in the morning is much more effective since the body is refreshed.
9.Engage your abdominals during compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and rows which demand a lot of core stability. These big moves will rev your metabolism and burn calories.
10.Don’t forget to breathe. Muscles need oxygenated blood to work properly and holding your breathe will hinder you from generating strength. Inhale deeply before performing a movement and exhale as you perform the crunch or lifting movement. Exhaling will force your abs to contract and engage your inner oblique muscles.
11.Cheat! Once or twice a week throw in a cheat meal to keep you sane and to throw your body a curve ball. This will keep your body from adjusting to healthy eating and slowing down your metabolism.
