Exercising for Longevity

At some point in our lives, maybe in our 30's, a shift happens. Most People start thinking about exercise from the perspective of seeking the type and volume of exercise that provides the most long term benefits rather than instant gratification.  Simply put, most of us age 30+ exercise because we want to increase both the quality and quantity of our later years. The focus is less about weight loss (unless truly warranted) and more about keeping our joints, muscles and brain as young as possible.

The truth is, when you see someone who's in their 80's, 90's or even 100's looking spry and you think to yourself, "I hope I look, move, and feel that good when I'm their age." That person was likely not setting power lifting records in the gym in their younger years or playing professional contact sports. Why? Because those sports beat your body up and the curve of where exercise benefits your body begins it's downward slump before that intensity and consistency of physical activity is reached.

This begs the question, "how much, what type and what intensity is most likely to increase both the quality and quantity years ahead of you?" The answer is, "it depends." It depends on an individuals current training status, body composition and a myriad of lifestyle factors. That said, there are a couple things we know for sure (when I say we, I mean academics and my anecdotal experience being an athlete and working with clients over the last 10 years).

1. Walk more, sit and drive less. Blue Zones has complied an impressive amount of research regarding longevity and lifestyle factors. This article highlights and supports the concept of urban planning and how living in a walk-able community can increase your longevity and reduce your risk for heart disease.

2. Commit to move your body everyday. Even if it's just 10 minutes of walking or stretching the increase in blood flow (vasodilation). Just setting your attention on your body begins to cements the habit into your life. You're not someone trying to exercise, you are someone who exercises. You have to own the identity you're striving for. Founder of Brightline Eating, Susan Pierce Thompson Phd, does an excellent job in explaining the importance of how you talk about yourself and the impact it has on your ability to adhere to any plans you may have for your life.

3. Variety is key. Mix up your exercise routine. Include many different movements, in multiple planes of motion. Avoid doing repetitive actions (ie: running, swimming cycles) unless complemented by a variety of other movement. Those who only swim, only run or only do repetitive movement are prone for overuse injuries and muscular imbalances. Additionally, learning new movements under varying loads increases neural pathways and some studies show it can decrease the age of your brain and increase brain plasticity.

4. Do something you enjoy. Exerciser have the highest rate of adherence when they're preforming an exercise modality they enjoy or the company they're exercising with.  The buddy system works great here, but know enough about yourself to identity if you're seeking solitude during your workout.

5. Moderation is key. To experience the most benefits from exercise don't under or over do it. Do intense (if ok by your doctor) sometimes, do moderate exercise frequently and do low intensity exercise a lot. You might find yourself on either end of the  curve above,but hopefully it's temporary and then you can get right back to middle and your goal of increasing the quality and quantity of the years ahead of you.

Live long, feel well and be deliberate about your exercise and nutrition. Your future self will thank you.

In Health,

Brittany

The Many Misconceptions About Personal Training...

As a self-employed personal trainer I hear many misconceptions about the industry I work in.  People ask what I actually do and how I make a living doing it so here it is.

I do not sell any products; I do not work for a large corporation that requires me to meet a sales quota. I did not get into this line of work to work less. I started personal training because I love learning about the human body, exercise, nutrition, and disease prevention. And I really want to improve the way people feel in their own skin. There is an enormous amount of marketing out there for “health” products and quite frankly crap that gets a lot of hype because people make money selling it. But does this stuff actually help?

As a personal trainer, my job is to reduce pain, increase strength, flexibility and improve my client’s quality of life, not to sell products. Call me a purist, but my job is to educate and therefore I study a lot. I went to grad school to study exercise science and health promotion, I went through Integrative Nutrition to learn about dietary therapies and specialized diets. I've obtained various certifications, I read and listen to lectures about Yoga, strength training, nutrition, massage therapy, postural differences, diabetes prevention and care, Alzheimer’s prevention and care, stroke rehabilitation, drug interactions, pre and post natal exercise, and the list goes on because every client is different and presents more learning opportunities. I’m not here to tell people what is wrong or right, but I am here to provide information and resources. I am not a Doctor, Physical Therapist, Psychologist or Dietician. Each of them serve their own very important role and those defined roles must be respected. But in this career like the ones mentioned above I work with people from all walks of life, except I see my clients at least once a week if not more and I get to help via a listening ear and education as preventative medicine. I believe in what I do I think well informed Personal Trainers can play a huge role improving their client’s physical and psychological health. Personal trainers are not just cheerleaders and rep counters they should be far more than that.

To all Personal Trainers out there keep learning and take everything you learn with a grain of salt. To all consumers of Personal Training, coaching etc take everything you hear with a grain of salt and be your own advocate;  find a trainer that fits your needs, because even if you think “you’re  good” in a group class I guarantee that time with a well-informed one on one trainer/coach will bring a new awareness to your body and/or your health. Even if you hate to exercise there is a trainer for you. ;-)

In Health,

Brittany

Step it Up and Move Challenge...

Ladies and Gents!

This short and sweet challenge involves $15, the opportunity to move a lot more and even win some money!!! Here’s how it works…

Read About Walking Technique Here

Dates: June 1^st - June 15^th

Cost: $15 (per person)

Requirements:

1.       You must have a Fitbit, Garmin, i-Watch, an App on your phone, a pedometer or something like. 

2.       You must move (walk, run, bike swim)! (You must also be honest!)

The Details: This challenge involves you and a partner (if you don’t have a partner I can match you up, but please feel free to invite a friend, spouse, co-worker etc). Your team of 2 will try to obtain as many steps as possible between 

June 1^st and June 15^th. Each night or the following morning you will each submit your daily step count to me via email. I’ll keep a running total of your steps, but you should too just for good measure. The sum of you and your partner steps may earn you some spending money because the winning team takes $8 of every $15 entry.  For example if 40 people enter, the winning team splits $320 and all you have to do is move! I’m sending this invite to over a 150 people so the prize money should be worthy of your efforts. Please feel free to share it with family and friends, the more the merrier!!!

P.S. This challenge works for bikers and swimmers too see the conversion chart below:

Conversion Chart for this Challenge:

Biking	1 mile = 500 steps
Swimming	400 Meters = 600 steps (400 meters is about 8 laps or 16 lengths in a 25 meter pool)

Fine Print:

You can submit your numbers nightly or each morning and you can do so by sending me a screen shot from your device, app etc. All step final step counts are due by 1am on June 15^th. I’ll be keeping a running total as we go and I’ll keep everyone updated on current stats, but I’d suggest that you log your cumulative totals as well just for good measure (some apps do it for you). This is purely for fun, but serves as a great reminder to move more! A recent study revealed that walking less that 4,000 steps increases risk for weight related illness and another study showed improvements in metabolic profiles of women who stood or walked for 5 minutes every 30 minutes rather than bouts prolonged sitting. The point is it doesn’t take much to improve your health! Join us for 15 days of stepping it up!

Contact me with questions and to sign up.

Do You Wear Your Busyness as a Badge of Honor?

I'm reading "The Yamas and Niyamas" by Deborah Adele. This book provides a perspective on the ethical practices of Yoga. The Yamas and Niyamas can be thought of as guidelines or words of wisdom to live by; the Yamas are the first five ethical practices which include nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess, and nonpossessiveness.

Nonstealing struck me for a couple of reasons. First of all it's not a word (and that bugged me) and I'm not a thief. Also, on the surface it seemed far too simple to be words of wisdom. Upon deeper reading I found that nonstealing is something I really need to work on.

For example, we could be stealing from ourselves. Being too preoccupied to actively participate in our own life is an example of stealing from ourselves. Rather than living in the moment we're mentally somewhere else and stealing those moments away from making new memories. I'm making an effort to slow down and smell the roses so to speak. Rather than wearing my busyness as a badge of honor I'm starting to see it as something entirely different. Using a mind-body practice is one way to incorporate the wisdom of nonstealing in our lives.

In mind-body classes like Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Barrecore, etc participants are encouraged to use their mind to make movements, to contract certain muscles and to relax others. The focus and the intention that these classes require offers the perfect opportunity to "live in the moment." These classes encourage our mind to draw awareness to our body and our breath. They encourage us to focus on our motor skills, things like balancing on one leg in Bow or lifting the chest and legs simultaneously in Locust. These movements draw out the distractions and let us be truly present. Our minds may still wonder, but simply by attending mind-body classes we are creating a space to focus and live in moment.

Here's a great article about the authors personal experience with busyness.

In Health,

Brittany

Thoughts on Meal Plans...

Some of my clients are beginning the Fitness Challenge at the West Sac Rec tonight and others are not. I thought I'd share this because even if you're not doing the Fitness Challenge YOU CAN do this with me (you don't have to be client either). This morning I started eating a meal plan that I made just for me and my current lifestyle. I have some hesitation in doing this because I LOVE FOOD. I always have and always will, but I also know that for me personally meal plans work well in the short term. When I eat nearly the same thing, at nearly same time, everyday my body likes it and responds well. Getting myself on a eating schedule and meal plan is how I arrived at the leanest I have ever been (circa 2012). This time it isn't about being the leanest, it just about feeling better in my clothes and making some Yoga poses more comfortable. As one of my former clients so eloquently stated, "It's all about being a size "M."

That said, sometimes wearing a smaller size or getting leaner isn't a big priority because life delivers us bigger "fish-to-fry" (pun intended).  As I'm sure we've all experienced, I haven't had the desire to be really strict, partially because of my schedule, but also because sometimes worrying about how many calories, or grams of protein I've eaten in a day seems far less than important than everything else in my life for the last 4 years. BUT paying attention each day to how much I'm eating is doable right now. This strategy focuses on my daily actions rather than trying to see the big picture. Long term goals are far less tangible and though they may be important in some cases they do not get us through our day-to-day choices. Instead, focusing on one day at a time is how I have experienced and seen the best outcomes. My current objective is not aligned with any specific weight or body fat; it's just focusing each day on the parts of my lifestyle that I can improve upon.

Here's how you can join me:

1. Find a picture of yourself at the weight/body fat/etc. you desire to be. Let this be the picture you glance at when your motivation finds a slump.

2. Set a goal for how much water you will drink each day and perhaps design a meal plan to fit your needs (if you need help here let me know). Aim for high quality and nutrient dense whole foods.

3. Each day do not think, "Oh, when I was____I only weighed ____." Instead focus on the positive and present moment rather than the past. Try this... "I'm eating this food and I'm drinking this water to move the needle a tiny bit closer to where I want to be physically."

4. Eat your meals and plan your exercise with intention and awareness.

5. Grab your calendar and put a little heart of the days that pass to show yourself a little love :-) and to recognize your accomplishment.

My Personal Strategies:

• When I eat on a meal plan I prep my food in advance and put my days worth of food my lunch bag (sometimes even my dinner), if it's not in the bag then it doesn't go in my tummy.
• I do not log on myfitnesspal once I've settled into my meal plan because I already know exactly what I'm eating.
• I start each day with a big glass of water and always drink water before I eat.
• I drink lots of tea (hot and iced).
• I carry gum and mints for munchy moments. (I'm always hungry ;-)
• Lastly, I will not eat when I'm watching TV or on the computer because this is when mindless eating occurs for me.

Side Notes & Disclaimers:

• Eating on a meal plan does not teach you how to eat healthfully and if your meal plan is not appropriate for YOUR needs when you stop eating the meal plan and go back to your previous dietary patterns it's likely that you will gain weight (probably more than you lost).
• Meal plans can be tremendously helpful when they're used appropriately for short periods of time and customized to the individual's needs (they are not necessary, but very helpful for busy people). 
• Weight lost while using a meal plan can be sustained, but education must be provided to the person on the meal plan because eating less calories than needed will slow their metabolism thus decreasing the amount of food an individual can tolerate without weight gain.
• Final Tip...honor your body, be smart, use logic, do your homework & ask questions!!!

Healthy-ish Carrot Cake Muffins....

Today is Easter and I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that March is nearly over. Normally our family has big holiday celebrations, but this year Easter just snuck up on  us so rather than doing a big family dinner some of the family came to our house for brunch. I made these healthy-ish carrot cake muffins and pineapple cream cheese frosting. I looked at a couple different recipes and ended up using this one with a couple modifications. I was worried they wouldn't have the right texture because there's no flour and a lot of wet ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised by both the taste and texture. Check it out!

Ingredients:

2 cups Almond Meal
1 cup ground rolled oats
1 tsp sea salt1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
⅓ cup Sugar free maple syrup (pure maple or honey if desired)
¼ cup avocado oil
3 cups carrots, finely shredded (use food processor or cheese grater)
½ cup raisins
3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl (Flours, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg) and set aside
3. Beat eggs, olive oil and maple syrup together with a whisk.
4. Add in carrots, raisins and pineapple
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until fully 6. incorporated.
7. Place into lined muffin cups- makes about 15 muffins when cups are filled
8. Bake for 25 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients: 
8 oz softened cream cheese
2/3 stick of softened butter 
1/3 cup crushed pineapple + 3 Tbsp Juice
3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Beat softened butter and cream cheese until thoroughly mixed.
2. Add 3 Tbsp of pineapple juice and mix thoroughly.

3.  Slowly add powered sugar until you reached your desired consistency.
4. Fold in crushed pineapple.


Let muffins completely cool prior to frosting. I recommend refrigerating the frosting prior to use to make it easier to spread. Enjoy!!!

Every Movement Serves a Purpose...

Every element of a personal training session serves a purpose...

Most sessions begin with some form of myofascial release and a light cardiovascular warm up to get the body warm, to increase circulation and prepare the mind and body for more intensity. This portion of the workout may also include some Yoga and dynamic movement. During this time I'm watching my client's movement to see if I notice any physical changes since our previous session and I'm getting verbal information from them about what has been going on in their life in the last couple days. The session proceeds with strength and/or agility using major muscle groups and exercises that require the most coordination and focus. Smaller movements are reserved for later in the session as well as more mobility and balance work. Each client has different objectives and each session includes different exercises, but for the most part the structure of a session is similar. The exercise selection of each session is determined by the client's personal objectives, injuries, strengths and weaknesses. The reps, sets and load are also determined by the client's individual needs (this is something I'd like to write a lot about, but will save my rambling for later). Everything is planned and thought out in advance with an understanding that "game-time" decisions will be also be made based on the client's needs in that moment.

I'm a big believer in quality workouts that are designed in a way that's sustainable for my clients; each workout should challenge, but not crush my client (just because a workout is hard doesn't make it smart). There are many small elements in each session that make the session what it is (hopefully fun, challenging, educational and just what the body needed on that particular day). Without attention to detail and focus on my clients mind and body it becomes more like group exercise and as much as I love group exercise it does not provide one on one attention or the same specialized environment that personal training does. That said, if you're thinking about starting to exercise, have reoccurring injuries, or if you're looking for some guidance I'd highly recommend finding a PT in your area and seeing if it's right for you. Feel free to contact me questions about to vet a PT.

In Health,
Brittany

New Years Resolutions and Exercise as Punishment...

While working on a discussion question for school, a classmate and I started chatting about self awareness and really thinking about what your body needs. It made me think about this study I saw not too long ago which I don't have a citation for at this time. To sum it up, it concluded that if personal trainers can re-frame the way their client views exercise (specifically making it enjoyable) the client would be less likely to consume excess calories post workout. An example could be running around playing Frisbee verses running on the treadmill. If the client burned the same amount of calories in both activities they were less likely to consume extra calories after playing Frisbee verse running on the treadmill. Sounds crazy, right?! But it makes perfect sense to me because I've seen and experienced it. 

Many people exercise because they don’t like the way their body looks. They see exercise as punishment (not a healthy perspective because they're so many great reasons to exercise). Then, they’ll eat badly as a reward for surviving the so called punishment or vice-a versa (think New Years Resolutions, eat bad through the holidays and then beat yourself for it). In some cases this becomes a vicious cycle; eating poorly, and exercising too much to make up for it....repeat, repeat, repeat. In the end, the person becomes over trained, exhausted and frustrated. Be cautious because if you're thinking this sounds like a eating disorder, you're right. 

If you've been in this trap maybe next time take a rest day, sleep in, and relax. What if we could view exercise as a means of rewarding ourselves for taking care and listening to our body? If we can change the way we think about and exercise, we can change the way we view our health and wellness disposition. I like to remind my clients to exercise and eat well because you love your body and take care of it because you only get one.

If you find yourself in this vicious cycle don't be afraid to ask for help, but feel free to try some of these tips too:

1. Drink lots of water and throw some sliced lemon and cucumber in there too for their cleansing properties. 

2. Focus on green vegetables in your diet (especially at holiday meals). Load up on filling fibrous veggies, like broccoli and brussel sprouts.

3. Limit exercise in duration or intensity or take time completely off if that's what your body needs. Get outside for a walk or play in the park with friends or kids. Just be active without thinking about intentional exercise. 

4. Spend quality time with family and friends (it's amazing how powerful this in almost every situation).

5. Finally.... Don't look in the mirror naked and set short term goals this New Years. Instead, look in the mirror fully clothed and set long term, meaningful goals. Get my drift? Short term vanity based goals don't last, dig deep and think big picture so you don't fall in the "New Years Resolution"  or " Exercise as Punishment" trap.

Happy Holidays! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2015!

-B

Scapulohumeral Rhythm

Hi All!

More educational ramblings to share... 

In teaching group exercise, and more frequently in Crossfit, I've experienced and seen many shoulder injuries. What may cause these injuries is weakness in the middle trapezius and serratus anterior. Most group classes and Crossfit include tons pushing and pressing movements without tons of pulling to counter balance all the anterior work. Even pull ups cannot address the lack pulling alone, but including seated rows, band rows from high and low angles, as well as scapular stabilization exercises can greatly reduce the risk of injury for group class and Crossfit participants. To further understand the shoulder joint, below is a description of the relationships between various parts of the shoulder and the muscles involved in upward rotation of the scapula, as well as the description of one shoulder condition that inhibits healthy movement patterns. 

Scapulohumeral rhythm describes the coupling of shoulder girdle movement with arm movement, Muscolino also states that the motion of the clavicle is also required; therefore perhaps a better name would be “scapuloclaviculohumeral rhythm” (2011). Two separate joint actions that must occur simultaneously are called coupled actions. In the case of the shoulder, only a small degree of movement can occur solely at the glenohurmeral (GH) joint, so when the shoulder moves, movement occurs between the clavicle of the shoulder girdle and the sternum at the sternoclavicular (SC) joint and between the scapula of the shoulder girdle and the rib cage at the Scapulocostal (ScC) joint. A scapular force couple is produced by the trapezius and serratus anterior muscles in upward rotation of the scapula (Donatelli, Ruivo, Thurner & Ibrahim, 2014). Upward rotation of the scapula occurs in arm elevation, for this movement to happen with a full range of motion the shoulder must be healthy.

Having the condition known as “frozen shoulder,” or adhesive capsulitis, may result in the failure of the scapular force couple because of pain and stiffness that can inhibit normal movement at the shoulder joint. Although the cause of frozen shoulder is unclear, it is characterized by the process of thickening and contracture of the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint (Soviero, Gucciardi, & Geraci, 2008). When a client is experiencing frozen shoulder their mobility will be greatly reduced, particularly in external rotation and overhead movements. The three muscles that are traditionally attributed as upward rotators are the upper trapezius, lower trapezius and serratus anterior. Due to the complexity of the shoulder joint, there are many conditions that may cause force couple failure, but frozen shoulder can be treated with low load stretching, end range tensile stress, and progressive loading (Donatelli, Ruivo, Thurner & Ibrahim, 2014). Most often frozen shoulder will be improved through treatment and then scapular motion can be reassessed to see if there are other factors inhibiting force coupling such as forward head posture, rounded shoulders or hyperkyhposis.

1) Muscolino, Joseph E. (2011). Kinesiology: The Skeletal System and Muscle Function.  St. Louis, MO. Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier Inc.

2) Soviero, F., Gucciardi, S., & Geraci, A. (2008). THE FROZEN SHOULDER: UNKNOWN AND KNOWN KNOWNS. (English). Capsula Eburnea, 31-14.

3) Donatelli R, Ruivo R, Thurner M, Ibrahim M. Masterclass: New concepts in restoring shoulder elevation in a stiff and painful shoulder patient. Physical Therapy In Sport [serial online]. February 1, 2014;15:3-14. Available from: ScienceDirect, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 23, 2014.

My Flight Attendant Voice

This post is for Mike M and all the folks who come to my classes and think, "Geeze it's like she's reading a script," or "Hey, she'd make a great flight attendant, she talks just like one!"

This voice or style of delivery I've apparently developed was unintentional, but hilarious to me because I can't help it. Anyway, I haven't been blogging much because I'm in a Exercise Science Graduate program that requires a lot of reading and writing (as I type I should be doing homework, but I needed a little time away)! All of this studying is making the flight attendant voice more unavoidable when I teach classes. In fact, I was proof reading one of my discussion posts aloud and caught myself using the voice. Since the post was flight attendant voice worthy I thought I'd share.

As a Yoga Instructor I talk about posture and breathing with class participants to try to improve their Yoga experience. Individuals who are new to Yoga often find it difficult to maintain steady breathing in poses because they are unfamiliar with having their body twisted or compressed in ways that makes breathing feel constricted. For example, in Cobra Pose (prone with spinal extension, with knees and ankles contacting ground, but hips, chest and shoulders lifted)  it can be difficult to maintain full breaths because of the constriction that may be felt in the abdomen and chest if the head is fully lifted and cocked back.

The constriction new practitioners feel is real as inspiratory ventilation requires an increase in thoracic cavity volume (Clark, Corn, & Lucett, 2008, p. 47). When lying prone and creating a back bend or spinal extension as experienced in Cobra Pose the thoracic cavity is put in a compromised position relative to the anatomical position. In addition, often in Cobra pose the head is cocked back therefore potentially compromising some of the respiratory passageway such as the Pharnyx and Larnyx.

This is one example of how body positioning (posture) can affect breathing. I encourage all of my clients to practice Yoga because it helps them understand anatomy in a practical way. When they understand how the cardiorespiratory system functions with the kinetic chain we can began implementing more advance concepts like lifting with the Valsalva maneuver thereby increasing rigidity of the entire torso to support heavier loads (Baechle & Earle, 2008, p. 85). Incorporating more advanced concepts and teaching clients about the human body helps to keep them safe and consistently progressing in their training.

Clark, M.A., Corn, R. J., & Lucett, S.C. (Eds.). (2008) 3rd Ed. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Baechle, T.R. & Earle, R.W. (Eds.). (2008) 3^rd Ed. NSCA Essentials of Strength and Conditioning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 

If you want more exercise science/school stuff I'll keep sharing or if you just want to read stuff in your best flight attendant voice I'll share for that reason too! 

One a side note, in what Yoga pose do you find it hardest to breathe?

Will You Gain 10lbs This Year?

Ever get that sleepy feeling around 3pm? You’re not alone, that’s your body’s circadian rhythm talking.

Most adults circadian rhythm dips and rises at two different times, so adults' strongest sleep drive generally occurs between 2:00-4:00 am and in the afternoon between 1:00-3:00 pm. There is some variation depending on the lifestyle choices of the individual, including sleeping and waking hours as well as eating habits. The sleepiness experienced during these dips may be more or less intense depending on whether they’ve had adequate sleep in previous days.

The circadian biological clock is controlled by a part of the brain called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), a group of cells in the hypothalamus that respond to light and dark signals. From the optic nerve of the eye, light travels to the SCN, signaling the internal clock that it is time to be awake. The SCN signals to other parts of the brain that control hormones, body temperature and other functions that play a role in making us feel sleepy or awake.

In the mornings, with exposure to light, the SCN sends signals to raise body temperature and produce hormones like cortisol. The SCN also responds to light by delaying the release of other hormones like melatonin, which is associated with sleep onset and is produced when the eyes signal to the SCN that it is dark. Melatonin levels rise in the evening and stay elevated throughout the night, promoting sleep.[1]

In a perfect world we would sleep when it’s dark and wake when it’s light, providing our bodies with 8-10 hours of quality sleep per night. Unfortunately, for many people this is quite a challenge because of work, kids, school, etc. Adequate sleep is essential to overall health and that can not be emphasized enough. The impact of not getting enough sleep is no laughing matter.

Based on this study having a disrupted biological clock can promote weight gain of 10 pounds per year due to a decreased metabolic rate and slowed secretion of insulin. Thereby increasing health risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity. So the question is how do we avoid the side effects of a sleep deficiency or disrupted sleep cycle?

1. Aim for quality sleep by creating a ritual for yourself. Limit light exposure before bed (no TV, or computer screens) before bed, make sure your room is temperate (somewhere between 65-70 degrees) for optimal sleep.

2. Make sure your room is DARK and/or invest in a sleep mask. This will also be helpful in taking naps when your body really needs one. The best time to nap is between 1-3pm because of our circadian rhythm.

3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evenings, when the effect of either wear off  your body will wake you. “Alcohol consumption, in excess or too close to bedtime, diminishes the quality of sleep, often leads to more waking throughout the night, and lessens time spent in REM sleep and slow wave sleep in the later part of the night, the deepest and most restorative phase of sleep.”[2]

4. Exercise during the day to fatigue your body,  most people find that on days they exercise they sleep better!

Life can make it challenging to get enough quality sleep, and if you can’t sleep “normal” hours because of work it can be very difficult to stay motivated to achieve your health and fitness goals. Implementing some of the above strategies can help you to prioritize getting more quality sleep and doing so should help you reach your goals with gusto! If you need more help talking through your sleep strategies let’s talk!

---

[1] http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/sleep-drive-and-your-body-clock

[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/alcohol-sleep_b_2616487.html

Giving Blood

When's the last time you donated blood?

Maybe you've never donated before, but if you're open to it now may be the time to start. I hadn't donated in 4 years, but I donated this week and it was a great reminder of how important blood donation is!

Giving blood is good for you and recipient and depending on your blood type your blood may be in high demand to save lives. If you're interested in donating it's easy to call and make an appointment at Blood Source location near you, it will only take 30-45 minutes and you'll be on your way. Let me know how it goes!

Lean Body Diet & Workout

It's January and everyone is looking to clean up their act; by act I mean diet and exercise regime.
I get asked all the time how to get leaner (lose body fat). My first response is to clean up your diet (1), my second piece of advice is to encourage moving more and in a variety of ways (2).

1.) Eat real food. DO NOT start a juice cleanse or "diet." Both of those may "work" in the short term, but if you're really ready to see your body change you have to think long term. Start by making small sustainable changes, adding more vegetables to your diet to crowd out the bad, then start cutting added sugars, maybe then look at your protein consumption and quality of the sources. There are so many thing you can do to improve you diet that it can be over whelming. Give yourself a week to feel comfortable and confident in each change you make. You'll also be able to use this time to key in to the way your body feels....some changes have drastic affects on the way we look and feel, so listen to your body!

What is real food? Avoid processed foods, even ones advertised as good for you. (diet soda, cold cereal, bars, etc) Focus on veggies, protein, high quality fats, fruit and water.

2.) Moving could be taking your dog for a walk, cleaning the house, or actually setting aside time for a workout.

If you're already doing all those things and still struggling to lose body fat you may need to examine the type of exercise your doing and what it does to your hormones. Hormones play a key role in body composition and we want our bodies to have a healthy ratio of muscle to fat. To burn more fat we need to build/maintain muscle mass through exercise and diet so let's look at a couple things that we can do help us burn more fat.

- Strength Training (Think core lifts, dead lifts, squats, pressing etc) (encourages growth hormone & testosterone for healthy muscle growth... the more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn, even at rest.)

- Interval Training (aka HIIT) (elicits increase in caloric burn and EPOC)

- More Sleep (essential in hormone regulation)

- Consuming balanced, high quality meals at the appropriate time. (Long periods of time without food can lead to overeating. Eat your meals throughout the day to maintain energy and satiety.)

- Prioritizing WATER, FIBER, HEALTHY FAT and adequate PROTEIN consumption for your body weight and activity level.

If you're doing all of these and still struggling let's talk!

Take on 2014 with Perfect Posture

As a trainer I spend my days teaching people how to move better. Something I can't stress enough is how important our posture is. When we're not in the gym we're defining our posture by the way we carry ourselves. Our muscles are developing based on the way we stand and move in our everyday life, our posture is our foundation for all other movement. If you're posture is bad you probably move pretty poorly, if you're posture is good you probably move pretty well. There's a lot of grey area in both good and bad posture, and even when you're posture is good there's always things you can do to make your posture better!

One of my goals and something all my clients will be working on in 2014 is improving general posture and our ability to squat deeply with a neutral stance (feet under hips, toes pointing forward) while keeping chest up. This sounds "doable" right? The best part about this goal is that it's measurable and by achieving a better bottom position on your squat we'll have lots of auxiliary benefits like increased range of motion (ROM) of hip, knee, and ankle joints. Improvement in ROM can make you better at yoga, strength training, etc. Best of all it's likely to decrease risk for over use injuries and acute joint pain. To achieve better posture and ROM you need to increase you're body awareness, pay attention to the way you stand, sit, sleep, and move. Here are a couple things to think about:

1. Standing: When you stand think about pulling your shoulder blades down and back, align your shoulders and head over hips and hips over heels. Gently squeeze your glutes (bum) and pull up through the arches of your feet.

2. Feet: Try to decrease the angle between and heel and toe (stop wearing heels and high support shoes) do this gently by strengthening your feet walking barefoot when at home, think about creating an arch with your feet with your body weight distributed about the foot. Our feet have lots of muscles in them and require conditioning too!

3. Walking: Try to walk with your toes pointing forward (not turned out like a duck or in like a pigeon). Contract your abdominals and keep your torso erect. Ensure your head stays over the shoulders and doesn't jut forward.

4. Siting: Sit only when you have to. When you're siting, think about lengthening the spine by pushing the tail bone back. Sit up straight and squeeze between the shoulder blades, lengthen the neck and keep the torso erect. If you have to sit for extends period of time, try to move around and change positions frequently. You can even do some seated stretches!

Starting with these four things will give you a good foundation for better body awareness and posture. In our next post we'll start talking about how to increase ROM and how we can measure our improvement. Another plus to having good posture is that it makes you look leaner, healthier, stronger, and more confident! Happy New Year!

Training For Life

"What are you training for now?"

"What are your goals?"

Sometimes we have clearly identified goals, like competing in an event or achieving a new PR. During these times we do anything to get to our goal,  we make sacrifices and perhaps neglect other parts of our life. That's great in the short term, but what about the the long term? What do you train for between athletic endeavors? And how do you stay motivated and healthy? I like to think of it as "training for life." I call it "preservationist training," and I program workouts with the priorities below:

1. What movements give me the most bang for my buck with the least amount joint degradation?

2. High repetition exercises can be appropriate at times, but variety is key in preserving joints.

3. Form over pace. I'm sick of seeing sloppy work for the sake of the clock, slow down and work smarter, not harder.

4. Active rest days are key. Get out of the gym or your normal training environment and do something different (go for a walk, play in the park etc).

5. Don't be so hard on yourself, relax, enjoy your life, your workout, food and family. Life is short so make sure you find a healthy balance of gym and time for everything else.

To be honest in the past I have beaten my body up with ridiculous amounts of exercise and extreme eating habits. My long term goal is and always has been to be able to continue exercising with a healthy body for the rest of my life, but my actions were diametrically opposed to achieving my goal. Let's keep this from happening to you, be sure to keep a clear view of your long term goals!

In Summary:

Check in with your goals (both long and short term).
More is not always better and take time to explore how less can be more.

3 Tips to Help You Avoid Weight Gain this Holiday Season

Eating well during the Holiday's is all about perspective. Our intentions are always good, but somehow we get derailed by the savory and sweet temptations of the season. This year let's start with a healthy perspective and set some realistic expectation for ourselves. Below you'll find 3 Holiday Weight Gain Traps and tips on how to avoid them!

1. "I'm saving room for dessert." This kind of thinking can lead to eating too little nourishing real food (think turkey, green beans, potatoes, salad etc), then when dessert time comes we eat way more sweets than we had planned on. Instead Try: "This year I'm going to eat real food until I feel satisfied; if I want dessert after I'll have some, but if I'm full from my meal that's ok."

2. "I'm going to go run 5 miles so I can EAT tonight!" Exercising to eat almost always leads to weight gain. When we exercise to eat we set ourselves up to have the thought process of, "I deserve this...you fill in the blank, because I burned so many calories." The truth is most people who only exercise to eat actually end up eating far more calories than they burned which in the long run leads to weight gain. The Fix: Let's be clear, I'm not discouraging exercise, but I am encouraging exercising normally during the holidays. Heck, even do your 10k on Thanksgiving if that's your family tradition, just be aware of your post run munchies and don't let them ruin your good intentions.

3. "I don't have time to sleep during the holidays." Sleep is essential to a healthy weight and body composition. Without sleep your body is like a car that has run out of gas on the side of the road. You're not going anywhere and your body will not treat you well until it gets what it needs! Try these tricks: No TV during the holiday season, buy a sleep mask to block out the light of the harvest moon, go to bed when it's dark, avoid sugar before bed, and/or takes cat naps. Do whatever it takes to get some shut eye!

Most of all I hope you enjoy this holiday season with your loved ones and don't feel guilty for having something special eat every now and then. Just keep your long term goals in mind and practice having good portion control on those sweet treats! Maybe even give this Green Bean Casserole dish a try, it's a new favorite!

Pumpkin Sweet Potato Soup Adapted from Wellness Mama

This Halloween I bought two massive pumpkin thinking that we would carve them as we have in years past. Well, Halloween came and went and we never carved them, I HATE to waste anything that we've purchased so I was determined to make something with these giant pumpkins.

Seth doesn't love the flavor of pumpkin so I was struggling to put something together that I wouldn't be eating alone. I came across this recipe for Loaded Sweet Potato Soup on Wellness Mama's site (btw, she has some great stuff going on over there). Of course a loaded sweet potato soup could potentially have bacon, cheese, scallions and sour cream...all things Seth willing eats so that's where the inspiration for this new fall favorite came from. I like my soup to have lots of texture, not runny like a broth or traditional cream soup. This recipe gives you the flexibility to decide what consistency you'd like.

This soup is very flexible, you can use as much pumpkin or sweet potato as you'd like, I've made this 3 times now and each time I play with the ratios of pumpkin to sweet potato. Most recently I used 4 cups of pumpkin and 1 Camote Yam. The texture was slightly changed but the flavor remained close to the same, so have fun with this one and get creative with your toppings.

Ingredients:
2-3 cups Pumpkin Puree (canned or homemade)
2-3 Large Sweet potatoes or Yams ( I use Camote or Garnet)
1.5 cup Cooked and diced Bacon, Canadian Bacon or Pancetta (nitrate free)
1 Large diced Yellow Onion
3 cloves minced  Garlic (about 2-3 heaping Tbsp)
1 Quart Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Full Fat Coconut Milk or Dairy Cream
1 Tbsp Coconut Butter or Dairy Butter
2 Tsp to 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger
1 Tbsp Dried Tarragon
Fresh Ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Optional Toppings:
Plain Greek Yogurt
Shredded Cheese (Seth likes Sharp Cheddar & Jack)
Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms
Scallions
Diced Apples and Honey
Fried Onions
More Bacon or meat of choice

Directions:

1. Peel, diced and boil sweet potatoes in a large stock pot. I prefer to leave the skin on because I like the texture and added nutrient value.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, brown diced onion, garlic, and meat of choice (if using bacon or pancetta wait until onions become nearly translucent to add meat). After browned removed from heat and set aside for later.

3. When the potatoes are soft enough to mash with a fork, turn off the burner and drain water. Return the stock pot to stove (no heat yet) add chicken broth and mash potatoes by hand or with a Braun Mixer.

4. Add pumpkin and coconut milk and turn stove on low. Mix together until coloring is even.

5. Add browned onions, garlic and meat. Season with Tarragon, Ginger, Salt and Pepper. Keep heat on low for 20-30 minutes and stir regularly until heated thoroughly.

6. Top, serve and enjoy!

Notes: This soup taste even better the next day. I've made it with Coconut products and Dairy, I prefer to use butter and cream. but also enjoyed the coconut version (using coconut products doesn't make it taste like coconut). Of all the meat options I liked the Canadian Bacon the best, it browns well with the onion and adds a great texture to the soup.

Bison "Tutto"

"Tutto" means everything in Italian. That was Seth's creative name for this meal...it has a little bit of everything! His came with a BIG grilled cheese, but the main dish is a healthy dose of veggies and Bison. This Bison Tutto makes for a quick weekday dinner and LOTS of leftovers when you're feeding two. Plus, it's a very affordable and filling dish!

Bison Tutto Served with Baked Mozzarella "grilled cheese."

Ingredients:
1 lb ground Bison (ground beef or pork if you prefer)
1 large diced yellow onion
2 Garlic Cloves
1 cups sliced mushrooms (baby bellas or white button)
1 head of cabbage thinly sliced (thinly sliced zucchini)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can Arrabiata or Marinara (no canola oil or added sugar is preferred)
Salt, pepper and oregano (to liking)

Optional:
Parmesan or Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Partially brown meat in pan, add diced onion and garlic. Add mushroom and cook down. (if not using bison drain grease after browning, grass fed bison is very lean so there's little to no fat to drain)

2. Add thinly sliced cabbage or zucchini, cover, stir frequently under medium heat until tender. Drain excess liquid if needed.

3. Add fire roasted tomatoes and marinara sauce, mix and heat thoroughly.

4. Remove from heat and serve. Top with cheese if you'd like and enjoy! Maybe even have it with a glass of Malbec!

Serves 6
*Made with grass fed Bison, Cabbage and Arrabiata sauce
Cals: 265
Fat: 7
Carb: 27
Pro: 24
Fiber: 8
Sugar: 9

Porky Balls!

I hope you have a sense of humor and can get past the title because this recipe is amazing.

Do you struggle to get your loved ones to eat veggies?

Are you looking for a healthy high protein snack?

Are you sick of eating the same thing all the time?

If you answered yes to any of those questions you must keep reading!

This recipe was inspired by my lovely cousin Melanie. She recently made one of her childhood favorites, Porcupine Meatballs and posted about how good they were on Facebook. When I saw that recipe I knew Seth would love them, they're simple and have all of his favorite things (meat, rice and marinara sauce).  But, I also wanted something I could eat on the go in between appointments and something with veggies! I played with the recipe, made some tweaks and came up with a little ball of hearty goodness that Seth willing eats not knowing how healthy it is! Thanks for the inspiration Mel, I'll have to bring some over to have you taste test!

Ingredients:

Balls:
1.25 lbs 95% Lean Ground Pork (You could use beef or poultry)
1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup Uncooked Brown Rice
2 Tbsp crushed Garlic (2 large cloves)
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups Shredded Carrots
2 cups raw spinach

Ready to be browned  in skillet

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to liking

Sauce:
1 16 oz Jar Tomato or Marinara Sauce (look for one with very few ingredients, avoiding canola oil and added sugars)
1 cup water

Directions:

1. Mix all ball ingredients by hand in a large bowl, you will need to mix and squeeze to bruise the spinach well enough to stick to meat mixture.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Scoop and roll 14-16 meatballs to the size of your liking and place in skillet (med-high heat) to brown. Roll or flip the balls around to brown all sides. This should take 12-15 minutes.

Browned and ready for sauce.

4. Use a slotted spoon (to drain any grease) and and place balls in a large baking dish (glass 8x12 is my preference).

5. Mix Water and Sauce together and then pour evenly over the balls.

6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes, remove from oven and take foil off. Put in the oven uncovered and bake another 10-15 minutes (watch to make sure all the sauce doesn't evaporate).

7. Let cool and serve!

Ready to be put back in the oven for 15 minutes uncovered,

Serving Size 2 Balls:
Cals: 198
Fat: 6
Carb: 12
Sugar: 2
Fiber: 2
Protein: 24

Four Tips for Continued Wellness...

I think a lot about how to best serve people in what I do. Part of the reason I haven't posted in some time is that there is so much I want to say. This post is not for mirror muscle folks, but for the ones who are truly in search of something more.

Many people come to me to me with the goal of  weight-loss (weight-loss is important in many cases), but generally after getting to know them, together we discover that they're actually in search of WELLNESS: I define wellness as a state of being that eases your mind and body, you feel strong, healthy and nurtured; you have little to no anxiety about lifestyle and nutrition choices, and you feel confident that you're treating your body with the respect it deserves. Nutrition and exercise are just part of the larger goal of wellness, which includes mind, body and spirit.

For as long as I can remember I've been obsessed with exercise, nutrition and what the combination of the two can do to our bodies. I'll be the first to admit that at times my obsession has manifested in healthy patterns and at other times my obsession has reared it's head in ugly and unhealthy ways. Although not healthy or ideal it was always during more challenging times that I was reminded that exercise and nutrition are not enough to be well. I've identified a couple tips that I've found helpful and helpful to others in achieving a long term wellness. I offer these because often even when nutrition and exercise have fallen in to place and weight loss or fitness goals are being met for many people feelings accomplishment or overall wellness are short lived. It's so important to address your goals from a psychological and long term perspective.

1.  Take the time every couple of months to sit down and write out what you want accomplish in your wellness journey. The disconnect between what we want and our strategy for getting "there" often comes from a lack of consciousness. Our lives move at such a fast pace that people (often myself included) don't take the time to ask, "How does my behavior serve me and/or my long term goals?"


2. Understand that your parents were right when they told you were special. Every single person is different, you CAN NOT compare yourself to others. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." If you ever plan on being happy, you have to embrace who you are, be happy for others and make the most of your strengths!

3. Be well rounded and diversify your passions. Imagine what your life would be like if something you're passionate about vanished? How would you cope or manage to move forward? For me I try to imagine what my life would be like if I could no longer teach my classes and be active doing the activities I'm most passionate about. I ask myself, have I spent enough time diversifying my interest so that I could find enjoyment from doing something else? Have a invested enough time in my relationships with loved ones? Try to create balance in your life and don't let your short term goals consume you. Remember that if your ultimate goal is wellness that too much of anything will throw you off course.

4. Communicate with others. Think of the people in your life as your team, if you've played sports you may remember your coach telling you the #1 key to success is communication. Your friends and family can not read your mind so if you want/need support you have to ask. If you fear confrontation then seek help from someone you trust and can talk to.

Step back from your life and check in with your progress. Wellness is a lifelong journey, but it should also be a fulfilling one.

In Health,
-B