Time for new beginnings… get back on track with this Total Body Workout with Nina Schwartz from Body Fit San Diego.
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Heartburn is something that plagues most adults today and most people don’t know how they can prevent that uncomfortable feeling. Even simple lifestyle changes can help you manage your heartburn. The first step to handling your heart burn is to try some generic over-the-counter medications along with these suggested lifestyle changes:
• Avoid lying down for 3 hours after eating
• Avoid foods and drinks that trigger the heartburn, such as, fried and fatty foods, chocolate, coffee, sodas, citrus fruits, tomato products, and alcohol
• Portion control at mealtimes
• Wear loose fitting clothing
• Maintaining a healthy body weight
• Avoid smoking
If those lifestyle changes paired with over-the-counter drugs don’t help cure your heartburn, then go seek professional help from a medical professional. There are several prescription medications that can be taken to counteract your heartburn. The prescriptions are generally in 2 classes:
• H2 Receptor Antagonists that decrease the flow of stomach acid
• Proton Pump Inhibitors that decrease the flow of stomach acid to a greater degree
In general, most cases of heartburn are not severe enough that lifestyle changes can’t help the symptoms. Realize that everyone is different, therefore what helps their symptoms of heartburn are likely to be different. Note what foods and drink cause your heartburn and try to avoid those. If need be, keep a log of you daily food intake and how you feel after every meal in order to pinpoint what is the main cause of your heartburn.
To Your Health!
The Optimal Nutrition Team
http://onistore.com/wordpress/
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Sources:
“Managing Heartburn”. DrDonnica.com. Web. 30 August 2010. http://www.drdonnica.com/display.asp?article=2549.
As myth has it, a drink a day to keep the doctor away! That saying only stands true for drinking in moderation, yet is not promoted by doctors. There are some health benefits that can come from moderate drinking, but once it is taken past that point it can cause serious health consequences.
To make sure you are only benefiting from drinking alcohol and not causing your body harm is to focus on moderation and low-risk drinking. Although drinking does have its health benefits, it is not a necessity for living a healthy life. If you live an alcohol free life, that is the safest option. However, if you do drink alcohol, only drink lightly or in moderation to get the full benefits of the light drinking.
The following is a list of the health benefits linked to moderate alcohol consumption:
• Reduce your risk of developing heart disease
• Reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack
• Possibly reduce your risk of strokes, particularly ischemic strokes
• Lower your risk of gallstones
• Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes
It is important to keep in mind that every person is different and not everyone will benefit from alcohol. Moderate drinking may be most beneficial to those older adults or those that have existing risk factors for heart disease. It has also been proven that middle-aged or young adults may experience more harm than benefit from alcohol. Because alcohol use is not promoted, understand that there are many other steps you can take to benefit your heart health, such as a healthy diet and a structured exercise regimen.
To define moderate drinking under the U.S. health guidelines:
• Healthy men 66 and older – a max of 3 drinks per occasion or 7 drinks per week
• Healthy men 65 and younger – a max of 4 drinks per occasion or 14 drinks per week
• Healthy women – a max of 3 drinks per occasion or 7 drinks per week
The definition of one drink is:
• Beer – 12 ounces
• Wine – 5 ounces
• 80 proof distilled spirits – 1.5 ounces
To Your Health!
The Optimal Nutrition Team
http://onistore.com/wordpress/
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Sources:
“Alcohol use: If you drink, keep it moderate”. MayoClinic.com. Web. 22 August 2010. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024.
Optimal Nutriton Inc. was a proud sponsor of an event called Uproar At the Warehouse featuring Monique Marvez & Kyle Fitzgerald, two of San Diego’s top notch comedians!
This night benefited two great charities: The Live Well Project & Photo Charity. Just in case you missed out on the event check out this great highlight video!
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Join Jenna Phillips from Mission Possible as she puts Michelle Weinstein from Optimal Nutrition Inc. through an arm circuit workout.
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Written By: Dr. Chris Mohr
At just 14 months old, our daughter Ella isn’t always the best at sleeping … almost always sleeping through the night, these days, but occasionally (read: LAST NIGHT) she decided she should wake up at 3 AM and not want to sleep for the next hour before we had to get up for Mohr Results Boot Camp
Sometimes leaving me and Kara woozy … tired doesn’t even scratch the surface.
But we of course need to still function during the day — at 5:30 AM during adventure boot camp and throughout the day.
As I sat drinking a few cups of green tea this morning, Kara drinking her coffee, I thought about one of the most common questions we get — “is it OK to drink coffee?” For some it’s a savior — what I call a “liquid nap.” But is this drug (yes, caffeine is a drug) a true necessity? It surely can help keep you alert (particularly with a non sleeping baby at home).
I have to be honest, I would never in a million years get between a person and their coffee. Of course not everyone is a coffee drinker, but for some it’s a staple.
So if you’re trying to lose weight and you’re paying attention to your calories and all of your food where does coffee fit in? I have to be honest, I’m fine with you drinking coffee … it’s not coffee itself that’s the “issue” it’s everything most put in it.
Sugar, cream, half and half, or that horrendous artificial, imitation, fat free creamer junk.
Those things all add up — 100 calories here, 100 calories there — and you’re left wondering why you can’t reach your fat loss goals.
A regular cup of black coffee — no calories — no worries. In fact, there are some very unique health benefits to drinking coffee — in fact, one study recently came out suggesting a couple cups per day can help post menopausal women keep their memory sharp as a tac! It’s also a powerful source of antioxidants.
However, on the downside, a coffee shop latte can pack a wholloping 400-500 calories!
Talk about sabotaging your fat loss efforts! Particularly when coupled with a scone, muffin, or whatever else you may pick up on the way to the office.
The bottom line is you need to know how many calories you’re truly taking in and how they all fit in your daily routine. Drink an extra 100 calories each day (which would be just a bit of whole milk and 1 tsp of sugar in a coffee) and you’ll pack on 10 extra lbs at the end of the year. Couple this with other added calories and that weight can come on pretty quickly.
And if you were to rationalize that you’re going to exercise to “balance” out those added calories, remember that walking or running 1 mile burns just 100 calories.
Therefore, drink a latte and run 5 miles — you’ve essentially stayed the same.
Not that I’m saying walking or running is the best way to burn fat, but you get the point.
Moral of the story? You need to account for the calories you put in your body … all the calories you put in your body.
3 Things will help you do this:
1. Eat attentively — don’t eat or drink when distracted. That means NOT in front of the TV, while reading, or in front of your computer. Doing any of those means you’ll eat more calories, without even “knowing” it.
2. Avoid the extra BLT’s – bites, licks, and tastes — tasting while cooking, finishing off your kids’ drinks or foods, or eating before putting food away (you know, when there’s leftover dinner and you take a few bites before you put it away)
3. Write down what you eat and drink — this increases your awareness and will help you lose fat.
Oh yeah, and coffee is OK — just watch those added calories.
For more information on: Dr. Chris Mohr visit: http://www.mohrresults.com/
Hydration is often the piece of the health and fitness puzzle that people are missing. Hydration is one of the easiest things to “get right”, but most individuals overlook its overall importance.
Optimizing hydration does not take a lot of time, thought or effort. Maybe if individuals understood it’s beneficial effects on the body they may decide to grab an extra bottle or two throughout the day.
Increasing the consumption of water can enhance the metabolism of fat. The kidneys have an important role in filtering out toxins, if dehydrated they can’t work as efficiently and they then have to pass over some of their work to the liver. The liver has an important role in the metabolism of fat so if they are also working on filtering toxins from the kidney they can’t metabolize fat as well. Hydration also helps in terms of improving digestion and reducing the retention of water.
So how much is enough? It is recommended that ladies drink around 2.7 L and guys about 3.7L per day. An easy way to think about your needs is to base your fluid intake on your weight. Try to drink ½ to 1 ounce of fluid per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 140, drink 70 to 140oz of water per day.
It is important to stay hydrated when you workout or do any type of activity. Losing just 2% of your body weight can decrease performance by 25%. Once you start to lose more than 2% of your weight you will start to enter the downward spiral of dehydration, increased performance decline and then eventually issues with regulating your temperature, putting you at risk for heat illness. It is important to monitor your hydration status. This is easily done by weighing yourself before your activity and then again after your activity. You want to weigh about the same.
So as we head into summer time, maintain your health and performance simply by being a little more mindful of how you hydrate. Drink up!
© 2009 Athletes’ Performance, Inc. By: Amanda Carlson, MS, RD, CSSD Director of Performance Nutrition and Research Athletes’ Performance and Core Performance
Athletes’ Performance (www.athletesperformance.com ) is a training center for elite athletes. Athletes’ Performance integrates mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery into their programs to decrease injury potential, enhance performance, and create sustainable systems of success.
Core Performance (www.coreperformance.com) / www.coreperformancecenter.com) uses the systems and specialist used to train the top performers in sport at Athletes’ Performance to train top performers life. Rooted in four pillars (Mindset, Nutrition, Movement, and Recovery), Core Performance is dedicated to helping the top performers in the game of life prepare, fuel, train, and rest for success in their daily lives.
Yes, being in the sun does feel good and it can rejuvenate you and give you exactly what you need, but there are things that you can do to make it a safer experience. Some sun expose provides us with essential vitamins, but too much exposure can cause wrinkles and age spots on your skin. Also, extreme sun exposure is the leading cause of skin cancer. The sun speeds up the skin’s aging process as well. The ultraviolet light damages the elastin fibers in the skin, which causes skin sagging, stretching, and its ability to go back into place after stretching. Also, due to excess and unsafe sun exposure, the skin bruises and tears more easily, which can take longer to heal.
Most young people want that nice bronze tan during the summer months, but do not understand the lasting effects the sun has on the skin that will definitely show later in life.
Here are some tips that you can follow to only get the necessary vitamins from the sun and avoid the getting overexposed:
•Frequently apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater, especially 30 min before sun exposure
•Apply sunscreen to all areas of the body that will be exposed to the sun, don’t forget the nose, ears, neck, scalp, and lips
•Apply sunscreen more frequently if you are swimming or sweating a lot, the SPF value decreases when in contact with water or sweat and therefore does not work as well
•Use an SPF lip balm or cream of 30 or higher to protect your sensitive lips
•Use a higher SPF when in higher elevations or in tropical climates
•Wear sunglasses or contacts with total UV protection
•Avoid sun exposure during the prime UV radiation hours, 10:00am to 3:00pm
•Don’t be tricked, you can still get sunburned on cloudy or hazy days
•Keep an eye on any moles on the body and consult your doctor if you notice any changes at all after sun exposure
•Avoid tanning beds because the artificial lights can cause skin damage and can increase the risks of skin cancer
The best way to protect yourself and your family is as simple as the ABC’s :
A=AWAY. Stay away from the sun during the prime UV hours stated above.
B=BLOCK. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.
C=Cover up. Wear clothing to cover skin, hats with wide brims to protect the face, and sunglasses to protect the eyes.
S=Speak out. Teach others how they can protect their skin from sun damage.
Next time you plan on a day at the beach with your family, make sure you remember the ABC’s. It is worth it to protect your skin now, rather than pay the price in the future.
To Your Health!
The Optimal Nutrition Team
http://onistore.com/wordpress/
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Sources:
“The Energy Buzz: Sun Safety”. Strategic Energy Coaching, Inc.. Web. 12 August 2010. www.energy-for-me.com.
Everyone knows that they need vitamins every day, but sometimes overlook the need for vitamin D. As research has recently shown, low levels of vitamin D are becoming more common in adults. Vitamin D is good for bone health, but has recently been found to improve colon cancer, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, seasonal disorders, and depression. The most common way to get vitamin D is through sun exposure and multivitamins since it is not present in our usual diet.
There are many foods that you can eat to increase your daily intake of vitamin D such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and fish liver oils. Other foods that contain trace amounts of vitamin D are beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Of course the foods that contain the nutrient are not that appealing to most people, but good news is you don’t necessarily have to eat it. Vitamin D is naturally produced in your body when the UV rays from sunlight hit your skin. The UV rays trigger the synthesis of vitamin D, which then gets converted in your liver into its active form.
Although everyone is different, The Institute of Medicine has set some guidelines for the adequate daily intake of vitamin D:
• 200 international units/day for children and adults under 50
• 400 international units/day for ages 51-70
• 600 international units/day for ages 70 or over
Being in the sun for long periods of time can be harmful, but spending 10-15 minutes a day outside in the sun can be one of the best ways to get the daily need of vitamin D. However, wearing sunscreen prevents you from getting the vitamin D from the sun, so remember to apply sunscreen if you plan to stay in the sun longer than 10-15 minutes.
Vitamin D deficiencies are more common in those who:
• Are over 50 years old
• Get very little sun exposure
• Have kidney disease or diseases that affect the absorption of minerals
• Have darker skin
• Are lactose intolerant
• Are vegan
• Are infants who are fed only breast milk
• Are obese
Signs and symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include bone loss, such as osteopenia or osteoporosis, that often result bone fractures, loss of muscle mass, as well as gait and mobility disorders. Also other symptoms include flu like symptoms, achy, or excess fatigue. If you feel like you have a vitamin D deficiency, it is a good idea to get tested. Supplements are also recommended and the most recommended form of vitamin D is vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol.
To Your Health!
The Optimal Nutrition Team
http://onistore.com/wordpress/
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Sources:
“In the news: Vitamin D”. Strategic Energy Coaching, Inc.. Web. 5 August 2010. www.energy-for-me.com.
Don’t have much time to fit in a workout every day? Wake up 20 minutes early every morning or set aside 20 minutes every night to do these intense yet effective workouts. Workouts do not need to be long and grueling; they just need to be effective. All we are doing is looking for results and if all it takes is 20 minutes, why not take advantage of that?
This workout is recommended by Fitness Magazine:
• March in place for 2 minutes
• Body weight squats or with dumbbells for 20 reps
• 25 push-ups, alternating lunges w/ or w/o dumbbells for 20 reps on each side,
• Jog in place for a minute
• Deadlift with dumbbells (knees slightly bent and back straight. Bend forward from hips, then stand back up) for 20 reps
• Dumbbell shoulder press for 15 reps
• Jumping jacks for 2 minutes
• Bent-over row w/ or w/o dumbbells for 20 reps.
• Basic abdominal crunches for 25 reps, bicep curls for 20 reps
• One-arm triceps
• Extension for 25 reps on each side
• Push-ups for 15 reps
Cross-fit workouts to whip you into shape:
• “Cindy” – 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats for as many rounds in 20 minutes
• 200meter run, 30 squats, 20 sit-ups, 10 pull-ups for 20 min
• “Helen” – 400meter run, 21 kettle bell swings, 12 pull-ups
• 10 push presses, 40 sit-ups, 40 mountain climbers for 20 min
• “Fran” – 21-15-9 reps of Thrusters and pull-ups
To Your Health!
The Optimal Nutrition Team
http://onistore.com/wordpress/
Follow us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/optimalnutritioninc?ref=ts
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Sources:
“CrossFit”. Forging Elite Fitness. Web. 26 July 2010. http://www.crossfit.com/.
“The Perfect 20 min workout plan”. Fitness Magazine. Web. 26 July 2010. http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/express/20-minute/perfect-20-minute-workout-plan/.
