WARNING WED: Nutritional Lies of the 21st Century

I had the greatest opportunity today to attend a short but extremely informative seminar hosted by INFOFIT Educators (Andre Noel Potvin) and The Cory Holly Institute (Dr. Cory & Tracy Holly), also known as CHI.

Andre, as always, displayed his super enthusiasm in regards to body fat and how each individual will develop, hold, and lose this body fat according to their specific genetic make up. For once, he was merely the appetizer for a seminar-the main course to devour was what Dr. Cory Holly had in stored for us.

This was my first time meeting Cory and Tracy. And what a team they are! It is an honour to be put into a room with individuals such as they (and Andre) and to have the chance to listen to the passion that comes with the knowledge they want to share. Truly inspirational and motivating for anyone, fitness related or not.

So- what is the deal with these nutritional lies? That is a pretty big claim to make on the food market today, which we have grown up with and trusted for many many years. But is it really? Look around you, you do not need to be a scientist or doctor for that matter to realize there is something wrong here.
The world is at the highest percentage for cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, allergies, brain disorders, and any other nasty disease out there-ever. Everyday new technology is made to ‘find a cure’ or a pill is prescribed to ‘make you better’. But are we getting any better? Again, I ask you to take a look around you. NO, we are not!

Dr.Cory Holly has spent years researching the science behind food and revealed only a few disgusting and scary truths behind what lies the market has been brainwashing us with. In 2 weeks time, I will be beginning my 12 week course on “Nutritional First-aid” with CHI and anticipate more truths unveiled. So make sure you check back every Warning Wednesday to keep yourself updated and in the know!

I will leave you with just a few things to ponder right now.

#1 LIE: MILK
Unless you are drinking raw, untouched milk freshly squeezed from a cow that has the luxury of grazing on an open field of grass, don’t touch that crap. Did you know that it is ILLEGAL to go to a farm to get milk like that? Weird, considering that was how us humans used to drink milk for hundreds of years! Not so weird if you knew that MILK has spent gazillions of dollars promoting itself and that you should run to your local grocery store to buy if you want strong and healthy bones.
If I asked you what is a great source of calcium-you would probably answer with “Milk!” and maybe “Yoghurt!” as a close second. But that is what they have brainwashed you to think! You may think they have you in their best interest-but they don’t. Everything we eat/drink are for profit, NOT health. They want us to keep spending the money on items that they KNOW are detrimental to our health. Its true-look at some facts about milk:
-Pasteurized milk changes the ‘health benefits’ they claim to have so we get NONE of it
-Alcohol is added to milk during this process
-Increases diabetes
-Causes damage to the brain
-Many cases of anemia in children
…and sooo much more!

#2 LIE: FORMULA
I cannot understand why more and more women today choose to give their newborn babies formula over the best and most nutritious thing available to them: breast milk. Its free, its easily mobile, it doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge, and it has EVERYTHING your baby needs during the most important growing years of their lives. I am ashamed of the female race, how some decide that the way they look superficially will determine the option they choose to nourish their children.
Here are some eye opening facts about formula:
-Is so genetically altered that it is almost like a poisonous drug that you are pushing on your baby, and they will get addicted…
-Omega 3’s are distorted and cannot be consumed (that is to help brain development-yes, very important!)
-Considered dead food, sterile, all nutrients that are found in breast milk are GONE.

I know some of this will be hard to swallow because it is the complete opposite of what you have been told or what you think you know.
But just think, we have been derived from Nature- don’t you think our Mother would supply us with whatever nutrients we require? And it’s all there, in whole and organic foods. When we start messing with that, it’ll only piss her off and cause our own health to go down.

I will continue with this specific and extremely amazing topic on Warning Wednesday until the course is completely over and I really hope that it will change the relationship you have with food and your own body.
I am very excited about this new road we are taking on together Team! If you can tell one friend, your sister, brother, mother, father, anyone close to you, make sure you do it! Everyone deserves to know the truth.

Until next time Team, you must love and nourish your own body before you can do the same with someone else’s.

Health respect & happiness,
Beki

Mommy Monday: Whats a Kegel?

This day and age, if you are a woman, you more than likely have heard of the kegel. Is it an exercise? A stretch? Something you do when your pregnant?

Having trained a client through her entire pregnancy (she is due in less than a week!!), I couldn’t stress enough how important it was to do these exercises DAILY and as often as possible!
Women need to understand that this particular exercise can and should be done BEFORE you ever get pregnant and long after you give birth.



So, what is a kegel exercise?
It is the contraction and release of the pelvic floor muscles.

The pelvic floor muscles stretch from the sacrum and coccyx (tailbone) to the pubic bone. They act as a support net for the vagina and rectum. These muscles also form the sphincters (circular pelvic floor muscles) around the vagina and anus. These muscles are stretched during labor but if it’s stretched too tightly, an episiotomy, or incision of the muscles, may be done to prevent tearing. To lessen the chances of this, kegels should be performed throughout pregnancy.

Need more reasons? It can also:
-reduce labor pain
-reduce the incidence of hemorrhoids
-minimize or even prevent urinary incontinence
-increase your sexual enjoyment
-decrease the incidence of other pelvic conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse

The last item on the list (Pelvic Organ Prolapse) is the scariest thing I have learnt about having weak and flabby pelvic floor muscles. It is a condition where the pelvic organs literally FALL OUT through the vagina. After reading THAT, I’m sure you won’t need any other incentives to do it.

Until next time Momma’s (and all future to-be mommas!), you can start kegels almost immediately after delivery-so no excuses please!

Health respect & happiness,
Beki

Therapeutic Thursday: Natural Healing-Its in You.

I am a firm believer of the body’s innate healing process. It is like we have our very own team of “doctors” imbedded into our nerves that act when they feel we’re getting sick or have hurt ourselves. But it seems that we are dis-servicing ourselves by muting this ability through countless prescriptive drugs, poor nutrition and little to no physical exercise.
Now, just because I believe this, doesn’t mean you should. It is normal to have doubt, to question, to even think its some kind of gimmick! But think on this, Team: Humans did not just happen yesterday. There are a few thousand years behind us that have used nothing but natural medicines and procedures to detox and cure ailments. I’m not talking about sacrificing anything to the gods to give you super human powers-but honestly, can you really argue with a few thousand years of experience and tried and true methods that have worked? Our ancestors found relief through plants that have been provided by our great mother, Nature – you don’t think she also put some of that healing power within us? Our bodies have almost everything it needs to survive, stay strong and be healthy…as long as we feed it, nurture it, exercise it and let it rest.

Some of you non-believers need straight facts in order to even consider all this hocus pocus. And that is what I am going to share with you now, my own experiences.

Having worked in a chiropractic clinic for a few years, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work closely with the doctors and learn from their methods. Our nervous system is amazing, it is THE body’s road map to self healing. These nerves are interconnected with our skeletal system which is interconnected with our muscular system (do you see a pattern?)…Lets say you notice a pain on your side (or pick any body part that you can relate to)..most people pop an advil and away they go. Will this pain come back? Yep. So you just keep popping those pills until eventually-the pain is too much and you go see your medical doctor who will more than likely prescribe something more potent to dull the pain. This is a prime example of us fooling ourselves into thinking that we are ‘healing’ ourselves…sounds more like ‘masking the pain’-for now. (and don’t even get me started on the unnecessary crap in the pills that harm the liver or kidneys as they are the organs that need to filter the pills and get the foreign matter out of your system!)
This is the vicious cycle that I have seen with my own eyes while working in this clinic. By educating our patients on how the body heals itself, we explain to them that we (as in the doctors) look for any blockage through the skeletal system (mainly spinal) that could be causing the ‘messages’ to not get through the nervous system to tell the proper ‘doctors’ within us to start healing. By correcting any spinal misalignments, I have seen people change in as little as 2 or 3 treatments. I, myself, have seen and felt changes that no doctor has been able to help me with for YEARS.



Here are some examples of the ‘changes’ I’m talking about:
-absolutely ZERO back pain or other joint pain (coming from patients who have suffered for years and have taken everything from advil to T3’s or worse!)
-allergies have cleared up (literally..gone)
-headaches disappear, better sleep (insomniacs, migraine sufferers)
-from not being able to do ANY exercises to full on martial arts, snowboarding, yoga..you name it!
-better digestion and bowel movement (who would’ve thought?!)
-regulated menstrual cycles
-people prone to sickness notice they are not getting sick as often or anymore
-improved posture and alignment throughout (I have seen people walk in hunched over wincing from pain to walk out standing upright smiling and practically singing out the door! I do not even exaggerate!)
-a patient born with scoliosis (crooked spine) has lived her life seeing doctors and now is living virtually pain free and comes in for checkups maybe once a month!
-overall increased energy during the day, more focus, happier feelings….etc

Needless to say, the chiropractor that I worked with is a miracle worker. He is too humble to take this sort of compliment but I tell everyone these exact words when describing him. If you are interested in setting up an appointment, you can contact Dr. John Sheu @ 604.738.1168. Click here to visit his website: www. members.shaw.ca/drsheu. Go ahead and tell him I sent you, but there is no referral required to see him. Please note, he uses the Activator Method.

This is but only ONE area of how you can choose alternate, holistic methods to enjoy overall well-being. You can really do yourself a favor by kick starting this innate healing ability within you….everyone has it!

Be aware, I am not condemning using prescriptive drugs or medical doctors at all. I have one who is fantastic and very caring-who I rarely see since I never (yes..its been 5 years I think?) get sick except for our bi-annual checkup. There will always be a time and place to see your General Physician for check ups and such, but wouldn’t it be great if you could say the exact same thing I just said? That you haven’t gotten sick in so long that you can’t quite even remember when it was? Educate yourself on all the options you have. Make the best decision based on what you feel is right for you, not for your family, your friend, or neighbour. That isn’t being selfish- it is being responsible, for yourself.

I will talk about another great alternative to medical care next week: Naturopathic Healing. Wait til you hear bout my Naturopathic Doctor, she is amazing.

Until next time Team, start treating your body as a whole and reap the benefits of overall well-being for preventative health for EVER instead of for NOW.

Health respect & happiness
Beki

Introducing: THERAPEUTIC THURSDAY!

With my 12 week Body Transformation a somewhat failure (on my part..), I am now starting up a new topic for Thursdays. It’ll be the day that I get to talk about things that may not always be about exercise but will still improve your sense of well being and health. It makes perfect sense that to be completely healthy and fit, you have to exercise the body as well as the mind and soul. As you all know, my method to train is very holistic (the body as a whole).

AND FOR THE RECORD…
I will pick up on the 12 week Body Transformation challenge again. I have realized that this was not the right time for me mentally and physically. When that time comes, I will know and you will too. =)

For my first topic, I’m sharing with you my experience with Bikram Yoga.




For those who have been living in a rock, Bikram Yoga is basically a 90 min class in a hot room where you do 26 specific poses and 2 breathing exercises one after another.

If you think that sounds simple and easy, you need to get back under your rock…it is far from it! For the ones who have done the class, you may remember how difficult it was to get through the first class…why don’t I remind you?

Like a good student, I took their advice and had my last meal 2 ½ hours before class started and drank A LOT of water throughout the day. By the time I got to class, I was starving and grumpy. But I was determined to finally give this a go and see what the hype was about. The room is pretty tolerable when you first enter, but I was already sweating by the time the class started!



Everything was going pretty well, the fact that I teach a yoga/pilates class probably helped me out a lot. I made through a good hour before I started feeling sick so I laid down and right away, I noticed the rumbling in my tummy and I felt even more sick. Normally when I don’t eat for long periods I get nauseous, grumpy and light headed already, so this situation was not helping at all! Needless to say, each time I got up to attempt the rest of the class, my head would spin and I had to lay down.

Verdict for class #1: Extremely hard, felt gross, was getting grumpy the hungrier I got BUT felt great the minute I walked out of the room, felt great the day after, and the sweating felt pretty good too. I would say my experience was a 50/50.

My 2nd class was just last night and WOW!! I had a completely different experience. All 26 poses were done with ease. Never once did I feel sick or gross plus, I never once noticed how hungry I was until we were done. Absolutely LOVED it!! I was surprised at how quickly my body adapted to it and am happy to say that I will gladly enjoy my next classes to come!



The second I stepped out of that hot room, an immense feeling of tranquility settled into my body and I felt so relaxed. Because the entire 90 mins is so intense and you are concentrating and focusing on the poses, there is literally no room for anything else to think about or consider. Your mind, for ONCE, is completely free of your daily normal stresses. For ONCE, your brain can’t think about how to impress your latest crush or what you will make for dinner for the family that night. It is all about YOU and it is a feeling that is indescribably wonderful. This feeling follows you home and nestles you to bed and is still there to greet you in the morning. Yes, I am still on this natural holistic high!

I confess, I was sceptical at the safety of the class (being in such a hot room and doing some poses that look like it would hurt the body rather than help it, not being allowed to leave, being on an empty stomach…etc) and wondered if I would enjoy it at all. As a fitness professional, I feel it is my duty to make sure I at least attempt different styles of fitness out there to ensure I am always up to date with the cutting edge information and techniques as well as give honest and personal opinions and suggestions if a client is to ever inquire about it, so I banished the ego and gave it a go. I am happy to eat my words and am even happier to be able to let the other sceptics or anyone who may just be afraid to try out a Bikram class, know that YES-there are magnificent benefits and your mind, body and soul will feel it immediately.

Personally, I would continue to do Bikram Yoga for this holistic benefit, to feel good and be happy rather than to lose weight. But I assure you, weight loss is a definite benefit should you take the class for that reason. And lastly, make sure you find an instructor that works well for you. It is so important when taking a class (or hiring a trainer!) to have a good feeling from the instructor-this is YOUR happy and relaxing time (or crazy workout time in the case of a personal trainer) and if the instructor doesn’t make you feel good, most likely the class won’t feel good. You wouldn’t want to carry THAT feeling home with you or wake up the next morning with that feeling either!

Until next time Team, namaste.

Health respect & happiness,
Beki

TIP TUESDAY:: Pre & Post Workout Nutrition Tips

If you thought this is an easy end all be all type of answer, then you are wrong. Variables that can dramatically change what you eat depend on when you have your workout and when you have the time to fuel up. Also, your body type, personal fitness goal and type of workout you are doing can again change your food options.

We’re going to take a little in-depth look into each macronutrient first to understand their purposes so that you can make better decisions for yourself.

Carbohydrates: Fuel of Choice
If you have educated yourself at all about the misunderstood carb, you will know that it is quite literally the high-octane fuel for exercise and this should take up the highest portion of nutrients out of your daily food intake. How much? How about at least 55% of your total calories? For my more technical subscribers, you should consume approx. 3.0 – 4.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. If your sport is low key-not a lot of non-stop running around-stick to the lower range. If your part of the higher endurance category, you’d choose the higher range. Obviously these are the 2 extremes; most athletes (yes, we are all athletes!) would fall in the middle ranges. In fact, play around with the ranges and see where your body feels most vigorous.

Lets take a short trip back to basic math class. I’ll even make it easy for you, go grab a calculator! You are going to multiply your weight in pounds by 3.0 grams (for moderate sports) and 4.5 grams (strenuous endurance sports). Because 1 gram of carbs = 4 calories, you will need to multiply the first two answers you have by 4 to find your ranges.
Here’s an example for a 150 lb elite runner training for several hours each day:
150 lbs x 4.5 grams = 675 grams of carbs
675 grams of carbs x 4 calories = 2700 carb calories
Now for a typical 150 lb health club member working out moderately for 45 mins, 4-5x/week:
150 lbs x 3.0 grams = 450 grams of carbs
450 grams of carbs x 4 calories = 1800 carb calories

Carb-rich foods are the food of choice for athletes. Carbs provide the muscles ongoing energy in the form of glucose and help maintain prolonged endurance and optimal performance.

Common High-Carb Foods:
Medium bagel (45 grms) 2 slices whole wheat bread (23 grms) 1 cup of oatmeal (25 grms) 1 cup cereal-ready to eat (16 grms) 10 crackers (21 grms) 1 cup pasta-cooked (40 grms) 1 cup rice (35 grms) granola bar (16 grms) 1 oz. Pretzels (21 grms) 2 fig bars (23 grms) power bars (42 grms) banana (27 grms) 8 oz O.J. (26 grms) med. baked potato (51 grms) ½ cup peas (11 grms) ½ cup corn (17 grms) 1 cup skim milk (12 grms) 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt (18 grms) 1 cup low-fat yogurt (43 grms) 1 cup beans (41 grms)

And Introducing: Muscle Glycogen
Muscle glycogen is the stored carbs in your muscles. Imagine this: After you eat and have digested, the amount of carbs you need immediately will be used up as fuel, but the rest (up to a point) will hangout in your muscles as “energy stores” for future fuel during prolonged exercises (athletes in ultra-endurance sports such as soccer, basketball, hockey and marathon runners rely on high-octane muscle fuel for energy).

So what happens if you don’t replenish your muscle glycogen stores? Simple: You run out of glycogen, you run out of energy. Always tired or run down? A vigorous training program alone can obviously cause you to feel that way but you may also want to look into your carb consumption. Keeping a food log and do the math; you may find an easy solution to your problem.

CAUTION* Active people might continuously burn loads of carb calories, but your muscles can only store a certain amount of carbs. If you’re not using what is already there, you’ll just end up putting on weight!

Heard Of Carbo-Loading?
It is exactly what it sounds like-loading your body with ginormous amounts of carbs before an event. Marathoners and triathletes can actually manipulate their exercise and eating schedule to help heighten their amount of stored muscle glycogen. Picture your car running on the last drop of gas…putt putt…putt…psssssshhh..dead. That’s basically what happens to your muscle glycogen stores during intense prolonged aerobic activity. By super saturating muscles with carbs beforehand, an athlete can ensure that their stores are maximally loaded.

Start this program 6 days before your event:
Exercise Schedule Time
Day 1 90 minutes => 50% of carbs in daily diet
Day 2 40 minutes => 50% of carbs in daily diet
Day 3 40 minutes => 50% of carbs in daily diet
Day 4 20 minutes => 70% of carbs in daily diet
Day 5 20 minutes => 70% of carbs in daily diet
Day 6 REST => 70% of carbs in daily diet
Day 7 GET OUT THERE AND MASTER YOUR RACE! =)

Personal Protein Requirements
Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle tissue as well as repairing the muscle damage from the workout it has endured. You must remember, eating protein enriched foods does not automatically build bigger muscles…YOU build bigger muscles through your training workouts. The dietary protein simply allows all your hard work to pay off. So go ahead and take the credit! It had nothing to do with all the protein powder you shovelled in each day.

Athletes have a much higher recommendation than for the general population. Just keep in mind that your total proportion should still be high in carbs, moderate in protein and low in fat.
Find your exercise category in the list below, and then multiply your weight (pounds) by the number of recommended daily protein (grams per pound) to the right. That would be your personal daily requirement.

Exercise Category
Sedentary folks => 0.36 grms
Moderate exercisers => 0.36 – 0.5 grms
Endurance athletes => 0.5 – 0.8 grms
Strength athletes => 0.6 – 0.8 grms
Growing teenage athletes => 0.6 – 0.9 grms

Pre-Exercise Meals
-Large meals (approx 600-800 cals) should be consumed at least 3-4 hours prior
-Stick with carb-rich foods and moderate amounts of lean protein. The carbs are both loaded with energy and easy to digest. Avoid eating a lot of high-fat stuff; it takes longer to leave your stomach, and you don’t want food bouncing along for the ride.
-Avoid super high-fiber foods that can cause annoying stomach gurgles, or send you running to the bathroom right before kickoff!
-Limit gaseous foods such as beans, Brussels sprouts, grapes, broccoli, and anything else you think might give you a gassy tummy.
-Liquid meals are also fine. Some prefer liquid supplements because they don’t leave you feeling as full as a large meal of equal calories does. In fact, they leave your tummy quicker than solid food.
-Lay off salt. Some people tend to retain a lot of fluid, which can lead to puffiness and discomfort.
-Reduce the size of your food intake as you approach the time of your workout. For example: 3-4 hours before, have a large meal (approx. 600-800 cals); 2-3 hours before, have a smaller meal (approx. 400-500 cals); less than 2 hours before, grab some lighter snacks (cereal bars, fruit, flavoured rice cakes, fruit juice, yogurts, and so on).

What time is your training session? Check out the sample menus and get an idea of the foods you should choose.
Ready-Made Menu:
Breakfast (for late morning or early afternoon workout)
Bowl of cereal with skim milk
Sliced bananas
Bagel with jam
Glass of orange juice

Lunch (for late afternoon or evening workout)
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread
Salad with light dressing
Frozen yogurt with sliced strawberries
Glass of low-fat milk or juice

Dinner (for an early next morning workout or “anytime the next day” workout)
Grilled chicken
Pasta with marinara sauce
Broccoli and carrots
Fruit salad
2 fig bars
glass of skim milk

Recovery Foods
Finally, we made it here! It is very important to know that carb and fluid repletion should begin immediately, within an hour after exercise, to promote a quick recovery. (Just grab a quick fruit juice or sports drink if you don’t have any snacks on hand) When you can focus on a real meal, enjoy whatever you fancy; just make sure to include the following essentials:
-Plenty of fluids: water, real fruit juice, sports drinks, soups, and watery fruits and veggies (watermelon, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers).
-A lot of carb-rich foods: whole wheat pasta, potatoes, brown rice, whole grain breads, fruits, yogurts, and so on.
-Moderate amounts of lean protein (turkey, chicken breast, wild salmon, tofu..so on)
-Potassium-rich foods such as potatoes, bananas, oranges, orange juice, and raisins.
-Do not attempt to replenish lost sodium by smothering your food in salt or by popping dangerous salt tablets. A typical meal, moderately salted, supplies more than enough sodium to replace the amount lost through sweat.

As you can see, food can make all the different between a good workout to a great workout. You’d want to reach your full potential, so pay attention to what you put into your body!

Until next time Team, focusing on the right mix of carbs, proteins and fats will leave you feeling great, and you’ll have more energy and strength for a winning performance!

Health respect & happiness,
Beki