BQuick Speed Camp to be held on June 27th

BQuick Athletic Development is proud to announce a 1 day Speed Camp

Where: The camp will be held at the Madisonville Rec Field on Pine St. (2 blocks south of Badeaux's in Madisonville, on the right hand side)

When: June 27, 2009, From 9am-12pm.

Ages: 6 and up

Description: This camp will focus on the basics of speed and performance enhancement, movement training and proper form and technique as it relates to sprinting and changing direction.
The camp will begin with dynamic flexibility (flexibility in motion) and speed drills, which are the foundation of the remaining training techniques that will also be taught at the camp. These training techniques include, plyometrics, neuromuscular training to assist in kinesthetic awareness and proprioception (knowing where their growing bodies are in space), speed drills and fitness games to improve efficiency of movement in any and all directions. We will finish with static flexibility, core work, and will also speak to the kids about proper nutrition and fueling their bodies properly.

Things to Bring: water/sports drink, snack, cleats/tennis shoes, change of clothes, and a positive attitude!

Cost: $25 by June 13, $35 after June 13, walk up registration welcome.

Registration Form for BQuick Speed Camp

Health in its many forms and TOTAL HEALTH....

In order to understand total health, we need to understand all of its components. There are several types of health that make up the overall healthy person as a whole. They include: metal health, emotional health, spiritual health, and physical health. All of these factors affect and can affect the other. Think about the physiological effects on the body from a single thought! Our heart rate can go up, breathing rate can increase and change, or if it's a relaxing thought, our heart rates and blood pressure may drop. It is important to keep all of these things in perspective when analyzing where your total health is at this point. Just step back and say: where am I emotionally right now? mentally? spiritually? physically? What you do or don't do in each one of these will effect the other.

BQuick

Fiji Water and Electrolytes

Fiji water actually has a nice amount of two very important electrolytes: calcium and magnesium. Remember, calcium controls musculature contraction (among many other vital functions of the body), and magnesium controls muscular release (among many other vital functions of the body). Fiji also has several other vitamins and minerals in it. We hear a lot about women needing calcium and magnesium, but men need just as much! So, beside Fiji's great, crisp, clean taste, it provides some essential electrolytes, vitamins and minerals! Enjoy a great Fiji water today!

BQuick

More Nutrition Facts from John Faciane

Coach John has sent us some great new nutrition facts, that's right, COACH JOHN!!!! John is now coaching and training with us and has been doing a great job because of how passionate he is and his love for people and helping them in their quest for health, wellness, fitness and performance!!!! THANKS COACH JOHN!!!!

Here are those facts:
Scientists aren't exactly saying that wine, chocolate and tea make you smarter-but those flavonoid-rich foods were associated with better performance on a battery of cognitive tests in a new Norwegian study. Researchers tested 2,031 older adults, ages 70 to 74, and compared scores to subjects' self-reported food consumption. Those who consumed all three-wine, chocolate and tea-had significantly better average cognitive-test scores and the lowest likelihood of poor test performance. The association with better cognitive performance was strongest for wine and modestly weaker for chocolate.-Journal of Nutrition

Even if you don't have diabetes, lowering your blood-glucose levels may be good for your brain. Columbia University scientists report that higher levels of blood glucose are associated with dysfunction in an area of the brain's hippocampus; dysfunction in this part of the brain with normal aging is known to contribute to cognitive decline. The MRI-scan study of 240 dementia-free adults age 65 and older included both diabetics and non-diabetics. Negative effects on the brain could be seen even when blood sugar was only moderately elevated. "We have a behavioral recommendation-physical exercise," said researchers, noting that exercise improves glucose regulation.-Annals of Neurology

Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Holidays!!!! Continue on your path to health and wellness during the holiday season! Stay disciplined to eat right, stay active, and live right! Be an example and role model for others at parties and family get-togethers, and do the right things and don't let others negatively influence you! Don't let yourself slide now, and, if you were planning on starting the 1st of the year, why not get a jump start on everyone and for yourself, your health, longevity, vitality, mortality, and quality of life! Call, message, or email us for help with any questions in the health, wellness, fitness, and performance fields! Happy Holidays!!!

Gym is Closed.....20 minute Holiday no-gym needed workout

Super-set Exercises Grouped Together

*Warm-up 5-10 minutes by jogging, riding a bike, jumping rope, etc--something to get the heart moving and the blood pumping, followed by....

*Squats or Jump-squats x 20
*Toe Touches (standing, keep eyes up back straight) x 20*Push Ups (wide Close or shoulder stance) x 20
*Push Ups (wide Close or shoulder stance) x 20
*Pull ups or Down Dog Push Ups x 20

*Toe Up/Calf Raise
*Bag Bicep Curl x 20 (put clothes or any other objects in duffel bag)

*Bag Overhead Tricep Extension x 20
*Bag Upright Row

Core--all exercises 15-30 reps
*Crunches
*leg lifts
*Russian twist
*Superman's

You're done! For the experienced athlete or fitness aficionado, this may only take you 10-15 minutes. Try not to rest too much between sets and stay continuous for as long as possible to get a cardio workout as well!

BQuick

Holiday Parties

Everyone makes so many excuses this time of year about going to parties, and they can't stick to their diets and nutrition plans because there is "nothing good to eat" at parties. Most of the time this is a false statement. There is always something healthy you can eat. Smoked Salmon, Vegetables, some cheeses, fruit, salad, finger sandwiches on wheat (turkey, chicken salad), etc. Some parties actually have good gourmet food. Either way, there are always healthy choices when at a party or eating out, but the people going to them don't always make the healthiest choices! Eat well, be merry!

Cline Jenkins
This is one of my hardest working clients and we should all look up to him! Cline works so much harder than you always ask him to, doing extra reps, sets, sprints, etc.! He has had a couple setbacks: having surgery on both shoulders, one about 3.5-4 months ago now. None of that has stopped Cline. As soon as he was given the release from the Doc for PT he started back with us, and did his PT as well as he continued to work towards his fitness goals, never letting his injury slow him down! Most people today would have used that injury as a crutch to NOT exercise, whereas he used it as fuel for his fitness fire! Ever since I have known him he has been passionate and driven towards achieving every goal he has and will not stop until he achieves them! He is the definition of drive, commitment, passion, heart, desire, and hard work and we should all learn some positive lessons from him and his positive attitude and outlook not only on life, but also achieving our goals! Cline's shoulder is a lot better because of his hard work, both in strength and Range of Motion (flexibility), and it's because of his commitment, hard work, time and effort! Cline reminds us all that success is always preceded by hard work! He is the definition of this and I know he will continue to work towards his goals each and every day! Take a lesson from Cline and his commitment: don't be lazy! There are a lot of people in the world a lot less fortunate than you are! God has blessed a lot of you with the gift of health, and Cline teaches us that even if you do have an injury, there are still things you can do and there is still work to be done! Continue working hard, and if you are not sure if you should undertake an exercise program, give us a call and consult with professionals about how to go about doing things the right way!

Burn It Off!!!!

This is the time of year that people say, "oh...I feel horrible because I at or drank too much during the holidays, but, I swear I'm going to start training the 1st of the year!" Tons of people say this, but more than 80% of people who have new year's resolutions never even make it into their tennis shoes to start, or start and drop out quickly. Instead of waiting, get started now, and here are a few tips to keep you on track:

1.) Do something that you actually like doing, instead of doing something you dread or hate. If you used to play soccer and enjoy it, enroll in a soccer league. If you like to play hacky sack (footbag), then start by doing that. Exercising does not require that you be miserable while doing it. Believe it or not, doing something you love by going out and playing basketball or ping pong etc., is still exercise because you are moving! Movement is the key to a great quality of life! If you do not move, it will tear down your body on a cellular lever!

2.) Keep a journal for your diet and you exercise. Putting everything down in written form will help you to actually see what you are eating and what you are doing. This will allow you to see if you need to pick it up physically, and also what you are eating when and how much water you take in per day.

3.) Write down at least 3 goals and place them on your bathroom mirror so you at least see them when you wake up and before you go to bed everyday. How do we know what we are striving for without goals? Also, don't write down broad goals, ie, I want to lose weight. Be more specific, ie, I would like to lose 6 pounds in 3 weeks. Be realistic with your Goals so you are not let down!
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to train or for us to set up a customized, individually specific program for you!
Happy Holidays!
BQuick

More Benefits of Red Wine

Yet another great fact(s) about red wine from John Faciane:

"Everyone has enzymes that repair DNA as it gets damaged due to oxidative stress and other factors, but as we get older these enzymes slow down and stop working. When the enzymes stop functioning properly, we get cancer, age, and/or die. Compounds in red wine have been found to keep these enzymes working perfectly for much, much longer than they otherwise would, which results in increased lifespan! The researchers actually said that this compound has been proven to increase lifespan in animal test subjects. Yet another reason for you to enjoy a glass of red wine!"

The antioxidant capacity of 5-7oz of wine per day is what helps to protect and preserve DNA in the same way that fruits and vegetables work to protect our DNA and anti-oxidize free radicals (realize it says 5-7oz per day, not 50-70oz, that means one glass!). As you start to drink 9oz and over, the antioxidant capacity drops significantly and it can actually become a detriment to your body and mind. My next blog will be about antioxidants and how they work to combat free radicals because we hear the term antioxidant all of the time, but very rarely is it ever explained so you can understand it. If you are over 21, drink a glass of red wine per day!

Fruits and Veggies for Cancer Prevention and Childhood Cancer Prevention

As I have always stated, fruits and vegetables should be staples in your daily diet regime.  They are great to include in meals, or compound them with other food sources for a meal (ex: fruit mixed in with yogurt and granola for breakfast, banana in your whole grain cereal, a banana with almond, peanut, sunflower or cashew butter, raisins and wheat germ, or an apple prepared the same way, etc.).  Fruits and veggies are always great snacks as well and are easy to pick up and go with when leaving your house in the morning, or if you're like me, flying out of the door!  Bottom line:  eating fruits and vegetables will allow you to get tons of antioxidants into your body to help ward off cancer, and as the research has shown in some cases, will also allow some childhood cancer cells to be alleviated and destroyed.  The text in quotation comes from a former athlete I've trained named John Fasciane.  John is a great man, and is in his Junior year at LSU right now in Kinesiology and Nutrition.  He is going to be a great coach, mentor, and nutritionist!  John also sent over the information on white, green and black tea, and its effectiveness in buffering the mercury from fish out of your body when eating fish and drinking tea together.  Hopefully you will see John's name more and more on our blogs, and one day, on staff with us!

 

"Researchers have found a new reason for why people who eat the most fruits and veggies are less likely to get cancer.  They found that a fragment released by pectin, in all fruits and vegetables, binds to a specific protein that plays a significant role in all the stages of cancer progression.  The pectin suppresses the protein's ability to progress the cancer.

 

Strawberries, blueberries, and grapes contain some compounds that not only prevent cancer but also compounds that have been observed killing cells of childhood cancer!  The phytochemicals in the fruits caused the mitochondria of the cancer cells to stop producing energy, and without energy the cancer cells died. One of the pytochemicals mentioned was reservatrol so wine might help too if this is the case for all cancers."

 

Since kids cannot obviously drink wine, there are some reservatrol supplements out there now that you can buy over the counter.  In addition to purchasing a reservatrol supplement, make sure to incorporate at least 1-3 servings of both fruits and veggies every day!

Training Tips:

Here are a few tips if you are implementing an exercise program into your life or if you have already been at it for a while:

 

1.)  Ease into things:  If you have not trained in a while, make sure to ease your way into it, especially the older you get (because as we age our growth hormone levels lower, which impairs our ability to recover as fast).  A great example is my father.  He will lay off of exercise and running for a year or two, then go out to the track thinking he is in world class condition like Usain Bolt!  He will go out and try to run 2 400's, 2 300's, 2 200's, and 2 100's on the first day.  This is why he came back the last time with a torn hamstring which was black and blue from his knee to his glute up the back of his leg.  Ease into it for better results later in your program.  Build a great, solid base and you will thank yourself later.

 

2.)  Make sure that your program is well balanced with all of these things:  Diet, Cardiovascular Training, Strength Training, Flexibility Training, and Education.

 

3.)  Diet:  this is the most important aspect of your regime.  you get out of your body what you put into it.  I know people who cycle 150 miles per week, weight train, run and swim several miles per week and are still obese.  They wonder why, and the first thing I always ask people is, "what is your diet like?".  Then they smirk, roll their eyes and before they say anything I know they eat whatever they want whenever they want it.  This will simply not work.  Diet alone can change someone's body composition tremendously even without exercise.  Don't take that the wrong way, i firmly believe in exercise but am trying to explain how important diet is!  Eat right--lean and clean always!  No excuses, such as, "I am always eating out".  There are always alternatives and things you can eat that are great for you while at restaurants:  fish, vegetables, lean meats, etc.  Eat well always and reap the benefits, both in body and mind.  Nourish your, body, your brain, and all functions of the body by ingesting the RIGHT things!  Yesterday, i saw a young girl I know who has hypothyroidism, standing by a cotton candy station at an all sports fair.  She ate some until it was gone, then put more on her stick and slammed it.  Her mom said nothing to her!  OOOOOOhhhhhhh, that heats me up, but, i threw in my two cents and told her how bad it was for her.  The cotton candy man didn't think that was a good comment to throw out amongst all the other kids too, so I had to explain myself to him.

 

4.)  Cardiovascular Training:  the heart is the most important and underlying muscle in the body that supplies the rest of the body's musculature, organs, etc., with blood, fuel, and much, much more.  We need a healthy blend of working both energy systems and its corresponding musculature.  This can be achieved by incorporating 1-2 days per week of continuous, aerobic training, holding a nice consistent pace on cardio of your choice (60-80% of heart rate max).  Second, we need a good 1-2 days of tempo work, where you hold that nice consistent pace, but increase your intensity every so often to increase your heart rate, then return to the consistent pace, then repeat.  The last 1-2 days should be spent at a higher heart rate for a certain duration of time (80-90% of heart rate max), or you can sprint several times until you achieve and reach your heart rate max.  Doing all of these things will ensure you are burning a healthy blend of protein, fats, and carbohydrates for fuel.

 

5.)  Strength Training:  will help to increase your metabolism not only during training, but throughout the day as well.  Strength training helps us to get stronger and sculpt our bodies.  It also has several other benefits:  injury prevention, bone density, strengthening the tendons, joints, ligaments and overall musculature of the body, etc.  Core work/Core Training is also included in this and is also one of the most important aspects of your strength training.  Every movement in your body is initiated from your spine and its surrounding musculature (CORE), which is why it's so very important to train the CORE in its entirety.

 

6.)  Flexibility Training:  for health, vitality, and longevity.  This will help you to recover from the others demands that you place upon your body.  It will limit the chance for injury, and, the longer your muscles are, the more force they can generate.  I call this the rubber band principle:  the more you stretch out a rubber band, the more force it will generate, which is the same as your musculature.  There is also a core element to the flexibility training when doing yoga and pilates.  Dynamic Flexibility (flexibility in motion) can be done before exercise or moving, or simply as another form of flexibility work for variation.

 

7.)  Education:  educate yourself on all of the previous things so that you too can make informed decisions at they relate to your health, wellness, and fitness goals.  Education is empowerment.

 

8.)  Variation:  vary what you do within each of these components.  From changing what you eat, to changing strength training routines, this will help ensure that you do not hit plateaus (sticking points in your progress), and will also help to cut down on boredom since you will always be changing it up and doing something new and exciting.

 

9.)  It's not a bad idea to hire someone to help you with this:  hire someone to give you a little help with all of these components.  Let a health and fitness professional guide you in you journey, lending a helpful ear and a helpful hand in what you are doing, making sure you are doing things safe and the right way.  We can provide internet coaching, 1 on 1 training, group training, program design and implementation (where we design a program specifically for you and implement this program with you, making sure you understand each and every aspect of it.  Even if you hire someone for 1 hour per week or month, it will help you in all of your health and fitness endeavors. 

 

Give me a call, shoot me a message here, or email me for help with any and all of the above.

 

Brandt Quick

504 451 5391
bquick@bquickfitness.com

Two Healthy Sunday Snacks

This is easy. Ingredients you will need (although not limited to just these, be creative): strawberries, blueberries, apple, orange, raspberries, plums, pears, and bananas. Chop each of these up into bite size pieces and mix together. You can also top this with cottage cheese or fresh yogurt (which has lactobacillus acidophilus that promotes great intestinal flora and aids in digestion and overall internal health).


Another healthy Sunday snack, ingredients you will need: Avocados, Tomatoes, Cucumbers. Chop all of these up into bite sized pieces, mix with olive oil and red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and enjoy for a heart healthy snack! Avocados and olive oil both have great fats! All of the roughage has a great fiber content and vitamins and minerals! you will feel like a million bucks after eating this one!

Enjoy and have a beautiful Sunday!

BQuick

TRICK OR TREAT

This Halloween, we are not giving out the traditional candy for trick or treaters or our athletes and clients (not that we ever did). However, this year, we are making a special treat for athletes, clients and trick or treaters that will actually give them some great fuel for their minds and bodies at such a pivotal time in their growth and development.

What we are giving them will include per one cup: 8g good fats (mono- and poly- unsaturated fats), 3g saturated fat (which will come from the milk chocolate in the m&m's), 2mg cholesterol (from milk chocolate), 28g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 17g sugar (mainly from milk chocolate and the fruit), 4g protein.

Obviously, as you can see, if you pick out the m&m's, it will be a lot healthier! This power-packed treat has all of the essentials of growth, development, and fuel for the mind and body! Nuts are one of the best and healthiest snacks that you can put in your body. They encompass good fats, carbs, protein and fiber. Dry fruit will give us fiber, good sugars, and vitamins and minerals that are essential to our life. Cheerios give us great carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. This well rounded snack also has 4g of protein to help rebuild and repair our tissues that we break down through activity! All of this is making me hungry! I wish everyone was serving treats like this door to door, I would actually go trick or treating! TRICK OR TREAT, I'm opting for the TREAT!

Another Awesome Fact About Tea:

Tea, when drunk with fish (especially sushi) that may have some mercury contamination, blocks up to 92% of the mercury from being absorbed into the blood! The reason is that the catechins in the tea react with mercury to form a substance that cannot be absorbed by the body. White, Green and Black tea were shown to have the same results. That being said, always drink tea when eating fish!

Artichokes for Lowering Cholesterol and Digestive Health

The globe artichoke is one of the oldest known cultivated vegetables, originating from Ethiopia, with Italy currently being the world’s largest producer.

It was valued in ancient Greece and Rome as a digestive aid, available only to the wealthy due to its scarcity.

It was the French and Spanish explorers who fist brought artichokes to the shores of the United States, and today virtually all of the globe artichokes grown in the US are produced in Castroville, California.

Health Benefits of Artichokes

Nutrients
Globe artichokes are an excellent source of dietary fiber, magnesium, and the trace mineral chromium. They are a very good source of vitamin C, folic acid, biotin, and the trace mineral manganese. They are a good source of niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin A, and potassium.

Cholesterol
There have been numerous studies on artichoke extract ever since European scientists first discovered cynarin's ability to lower cholesterol in the 1970's. Caffeoylquinic acids, such as cynarin are the active ingredients in artichokes that lower cholesterol, with higher concentrations in the leaves. A 6 week double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of 143 patients has demonstrated without a doubt to the effectiveness of artichoke leaf extract for lowering cholesterol. The decrease of total cholesterol in the group that received the extract was 18.5% compared to 8.6% in for the placebo group. LDL-cholesterol decrease in the AE group was 22.9% and 6.3% for placebo. LDL/HDL ratio showed a decrease of 20.2% in the AE group and 7.2% in the placebo group.. A compound found in artichoke called luteolinis is also believed to assist with reducing cholesterol.
Artichoke extract is available here..

Irritable bowel syndrome
In a trial involving 208 adults, results provide support for the notion that artichoke leaf extract has potential value in relieving IBS symptoms.

Indigestion
In a double-blind trial, 247 patients with dyspepsia (digestive problems) were treated with artichoke leaf extract, and the results demonstrated an improvement in their dyspeptic symptoms. Dyspepsia is often attributed to insufficient flow of bile from the gallbladder, and there is evidence that artichoke leaf has the ability to stimulate this flow.

Diabetes
The carbohydrate in artichokes is in the form of inulin, which has been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels in diabetics. The artichokes must be fresh, as the inulin will eventually convert to other sugars as the artichoke ages.

Hangovers
Contrary to what some would like to believe, a study demonstrated the ineffectiveness of artichoke extract in the cure of alcohol-induced hangovers.

http://www.elements4health.com

Great Breakfast Tips

Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day, along with your snacks throughout the day and other meals. The reason breakfast is so important is this: when we wake up in the morning (depending on how much sleep we had, and the last time we ate before going to bed) our glycogen stores deplete after 8 hours (this may happen a little later or sooner for others, depending on your individual metabolism). This means that all of the carbohydrates that we have stored in our liver and our musculature is depleted. Our brain needs sugar (carbohydrates) to function and keep the rest of our autonomic (parasympathetic) nervous system functioning properly and efficiently. Once our glycogen stores are depleted, our body will first go to muscle tissue to break down for sugar for the brain. We work very hard to build this tissue and maintain it, so why would you want your body to eat it away? This is why it is essential to eat as close to opening you eyes in the morning as possible. This will ensure that your brain and body have fuel to function. Make sure that you eat well-balanced, and this will ensure that your brain and body are functioning optimally!
Secondly, what do you think will happen within your body if you omit breakfast from your life and if you are one of those people who do not eat until mid-morning or lunch? As soon as you do eat, your body will store a lot of it as fat. Why? Because you tricked your body into not knowing when the next time it is that you are going to feed it because you have gone so long without eating, therefore, your body must store some of this fuel as fat, to be used as a reserve of energy if you do not eat for another long, extended period of time. EAT BREAKFAST! If you do not eat breakfast now, however start to, you may even end up seeing yourself lose a few pounds! Remember, eat often throughout the day, the volume of how much you eat depends on your goals: getting leaner, losing weight, or gaining weight.

The following article is something I've found, and has a few good tips in it for you:

Make Time for Breakfast
Start the day with a healthy meal

(HealthDay News) -- Your mother probably urged you to eat a healthy breakfast, noting it was the day's most important meal.

She was right, says the Nemours Foundation, which offers these suggestions on how to refuel your kids to begin their day:

* Keep your kitchen full of healthy, quick and easy breakfast choices.
* If morning time is at a premium, try to prepare for breakfast the night before. Set out dishes, prepare and cut up food, etc.
* Wake your family 10 minutes earlier than usual to allow time for breakfast.
* Encourage your child to help decide what to have for breakfast. The child can even help prepare it.
* Have on-the-go breakfast options ready for mornings when you're running late, including fresh fruit, yogurt, trail mix, and individual boxes of cereal.
* Pack a nutritious snack for your child if he or she isn't hungry first thing in the morning.


-- Diana Kohnle

Over Training: A couple questions to ask yourself.....

Here is a question that I had received from a friend and colleague about a problem she was having and my response to her. If you are having any issues like this, take a step back and answer a couple of these questions:

"Maybe you can offer some advice, through all my Ironman training, all of a sudden I am getting a cramp or muscle spasm in my left hamstring. Any idea's? Overuse?? It is not all of the time, it can cramp even when I am just sitting here."


When is the last time you took a week completely off? A couple days? A day? If you cannot remember when, you are definitely over training. Do you take vitamin E? Vitamin E directly correlates to the hamstrings. If you are taking too much or not enough that could be a problem. What about electrolytes, sodium/potassium, and calcium/magnesium? These all need to be kept in balance and if they are off, that could be contributing to the problem. What do you refuel with? Have you had a massage lately? When is your race? If you can answer a few of these questions I can give you some more specific recommendations. I hope it feels better!

Why Training is Great for Our Immune System!

When we train, our bodies rip our tissues (musculature, tendons, ligaments, etc.) apart (in a good way) because of the specific demand that we place upon them through training (resistance/weight training, cardiovascular training, speed agility conditioning work, flexibility and core training). When these tissues are broken down, it is the job of our immune systems to go back in there and rebuild and repair those tissues to adapt to the specific demands that we place upon them: ie., to be stronger, faster, more flexible, jump higher, etc.

We strengthen and refine our immune systems just as we strengthen and refine the rest of our bodies and minds! However, we need to listen to our bodies. Sometimes when you may feel like you are getting sick (which hopefully never happens, but if it does....), do not train or do not train hard. If you do, you are asking a lot of your immune system and it will not be able to completely fight off what it may be trying to if you are placing excess demand upon it because of training hard at the same time. Be smart, listen to your body, and continue to train when you are 100% healthy for a stronger, more durable immune system!

REST

Rest is one of the most overlooked, most important parts of a training program. Our bodies adapt to the demands placed upon them when we rest. There are a couple forms of rest: complete rest and active rest and recovery. Complete rest is when we just do that, REST. Lying around, hardly moving, and allowing our bodies to adapt to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual demands placed upon them. Last week was exam week for most students, and as you know this can take a toll on you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually if you are praying very hard for the ability to study longer and asking to be guided through the process of studying and taking the tests! This mental, emotional, and spiritual stress and tension can lead to physical exhaustion when it's all said and done. Complete rest days are to be taken advantage of with: Epsom salt baths, whirlpool therapy, contrast (hot/cold) therapies, dry saunas, steam rooms, ice/heat, floating around in a pool, massage, laughter, light stretching and deep breathing with an emphatic emphasis on deep breathing.

Active rest and recovery is when we do light, gentle yoga, light blood flow workouts to flush out the metabolic waste from our tissues, light swimming, eating the right foods for recovery (pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain, which is a natural anti-inflammatory) and any activity or sport that we deem fun and enjoyable.
Please do not ignore this very important component of your training program as it is one of the most important. Schedule your rest days accordingly, just like you plan your weekly workouts! Please let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns and have a great day! SMILE! It's contagious

Do men seem to lose weight faster than women do?

This was a recently asked question by a lot of women who are frustrated by their husbands or any other male in their lives losing weight a lot faster than themselves. Men have more of a particular hormone called testosterone, which promotes lean mass and tissue, decreases body fat, and has many other health benefits and detriments as well. Women obviously have more estrogen as the main hormone in their bodies, which promotes adipose (fat) tissue, leads to diseases, sicknesses and cancers (in excess amounts), and also obviously has a lot of good things associated with it including helping the female to maintain homeostasis (balance) in order to reproduce and have children. Men also have estrogen but not a lot of it, while women also have low amounts of testosterone. These two hormones keep a certain balance within both male and females and change as the other hormone changes. One way to decrease the amount of estrogen present in the cells, is to drink soy milk or ingest some sort of soy products, due to the fact that soy isoflavones are the only other thing beside estrogen itself that can bind to an estrogen receptor site, thus allowing the excess estrogen in the body to be eliminated via excretion through the excretory systems of the body (sweat, urine, feces).

Do not always look at the scale as this is one of the most common mistakes. Look at the way your clothes fit and the way you feel. When starting an exercise program, especially with resistance training, you will actually see the scale go up because you will be gaining muscle and losing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are gaining muscle and losing weight at the same rate, you are going to see the scale go up. This frustrates a lot of people, but you want to gain lean tissue because it is going to increase your metabolism and you will eventually see the turnover (which is different for different people) where you will start losing pounds, although you may gain a few good pounds first. Although you won't burn a ton of calories while you are doing the resistance training, your body's metabolic furnace will continue to burn those calories for you later and throughout the day. Men can jump start and lose weight a little faster, but stay consistent and true to your routine, and you will see over time that you too can change you body and feel and look a lot better than before! Always be your hardest critic, but keeping these things in mind so you don't get frustrated, and most importantly, stay focused and consistent on your goals! Make sure you set goals, because without them what are you working towards!

Meal Recommendations for Younger Athletes

My sister-in-law Mindy asked me what her son Wyatt (age 4) should eat before an early morning soccer game.

Parents should keep in mind that many kids practice in the evening, but end up playing morning games on weekends, and their bodies and metabolisms may not be used to trying to digest food and move around at the same time. A lot of times, this leaves younger athletes "dizzy", or "feeling weak and lightheaded". Try to remember at all times, it is very important to keep everything in balance. That being said, we always need a great mixture of proteins, fats and carbohydrates to properly fuel our bodies and the appropriate energy systems that correspond with certain musculature of the body that is used at different times throughout both practice and games, depending on intensity levels. Here are some examples of pre and during competition meals for morning games (but is not limited to):

1.) Banana topped with almond butter (or peanut, cashew, sunflower butter) and wheat germ.

2.) Celery topped with nut butter and raisins (call it ants on a log and they'll love it)!

3.) Boiled Egg, 2 or 3, with 1 or 2 pieces of wheat toast with honey.

4.) Oatmeal or grits (not too much), smoothie.

5.) Granola (dry) or with soymilk because it does not have lactose and has a broad range of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbs, and electrolytes.

6.) During a game, athletes can eat a piece or half of a piece of fruit during the half or while taking a break on the bench.

7.) Hammer HEED is a great product to use to prevent cramping and get extra electrolytes, let me know if you need this. NEVER LET YOUR CHILD DRINK GATORADE or POWERAID. THE SIMPLE SUGARS WILL ACTUALLY BE A DETRIMENT AND WILL DEHYDRATE THEM MORE.

Stay away from milk due to the sugars in it. Milk tends to sit in the gut a little longer and is released over time rather than being used immediately by the body for fuel. It is one of the most common substances that you see for the second time out of an athlete on the field (meaning they puked)! However, chocolate milk is a great post game recovery shake!

Please feel free to send me any questions you may have regarding these meal recommendations. Good luck, fuel them right and they'll get the most out of their performance!