Ongoing health Solutions!! Happy 2016 and God bless to all!!!! I want to make my first blog of the New Year short, sweet and to the point (even though im sure you have had enough sweets…lol). As you can see, I’m not a big fan of the “New Year resolutions” because I find it’s an excuse for people to be content with quitting or giving up. They start over and over again because the end goal is too big and it seems so far away. This “New Year resolution” cycle makes any goal much harder to achieve whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Instead I like to think of every year as a chance to continually improve your situation by adding good habits to your day and taking away negative ones. Remember to think small, just one step at a time. Think as if you had to climb a thousand stairs, that would be extremely overwhelming and you would already contemplate quitting or not even starting, before you even started. But if all you had to do was take three steps a day, before you know it that staircase would be done!! Here are 10 simple steps you can use to continue your success on your fitness journey.
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Body Types and Hormones
(A missing key to your success) Happy holidays everyone!!! My gift to you this month, is going to be some knowledge and keys to help you trim down and stay healthy. This is probably that last thing most of us are thinking about during this holiday season but I know it is VERY important. Most of my blogs have been about living a healthy lifestyle and get fit, but this is a little more specific. You all have been working hard in the gym and trying your best to eat right and some unfortunately have been struggling with little to no success. Sometimes it’s not what you’re doing that is the issue, but more the fact that your body is not working with you. Your hormones play a big part in your body transition and the best thing is to have information and use that information to the best of your ability. Knowledge alone isn’t power, applied knowledge is power! There are 4 specific body types that I am going to talk about and you can also watch a great seminar on youtube by Dr. Eric Berg, that will give more details. I have a great thirst for knowledge and it has helped me in my personal life and also my professional life and I hope this will help you as well. The four body types are adrenal, thyroid, estrogen, and liver. ADRENAL (STRESS) I personally think this shape is the most common and unfortunately most hazardous to your health because the fat sits on your vital organs right around your midsection. Your adrenal glands sit on the kidneys and deal with stress. Stress is important for your survival when facing danger because it triggers your fight-or-flight response by triggering the hormone cortisol. The problem with this is many overstress themselves, increasing the levels of cortisol which it turn builds up fat around your midsection along with other problems. Signs and symptoms- These types tend to be edgy and irritable and oftentimes others get on their nerves. Poor sleep patterns, constant worry, excessive thinking, brain fog, poor memory, and weight gain are all common with these types. What to eat
THYRIOD (METOBOLIC) Your thyroid resides in the front of your lower neck and is about 2.5 inches wide. It makes hormones that control the metabolism in all your cells, which is why thyroid types tend to get big all over. Many thyroid body types are triggered by the hormone estrogen. As estrogen becomes dominant, your thyroid slows down and over time, can become sluggish. Signs and symptoms- Along with weight struggles, those with a thyroid body type also often suffer hair loss, saggy skin under the arms, ridged nails, and loss of the outer eyebrows. Thyroid types also tend to reach for simple carbs, such as bread, for quick energy to rev their sluggish metabolism. What to eat
ESTROGEN (OVARY) - This is due to overactive ovaries and usually happens for young women once they start to menstruate or women who have children. Like the thyroid shape, too much estrogen triggers the ovary body type. Many ovary body types turn into thyroid types after pregnancy due to the spike in estrogen, especially if the woman develops a thyroid problem during or shortly after having the baby. Signs and symptoms- Ovary types can also suffer heavy periods and develop facial hair and acne, especially during that time of the month. Anything that is cyclic, such as headaches, PMS, bloating, and depression, can occur frequently with the ovary type, oftentimes during ovulation or about one week before a menstruation. They also tend to crave dairy because of the hormones. What to eat
LIVER (BLOATED) - Your liver is a 3-pound organ under your right rib cage that filters toxins and helps digest your food. Liver types typically have thin legs and a protruding belly and are more common in males. These types have a condition called ascites, which is essentially the liver leaking a plasma-like fluid into the sac that sits just above our intestines. Since the liver type has this belly pooch, people often equate them to having a fat stomach, but in reality, they actually have low body fat. Even if the person is 300 pounds, if most that weight in their tummy, a lot of it could be fluid. Signs and symptoms- Liver types inevitably wake up with low blood sugar and are irritable because of it. They also have digestive problems such as gas, bloating and heartburn after they eat because of their sluggish digestive juices. This means food is not broken down thoroughly, and if bile isn’t released, the person will feel unsatisfied and crave quick carb energy. What to eat
There is a large possibility that you can be a mix of more than one type. I would recommend seeing your doctor or taking some tests to see if you are suffering from any of these symptoms. My blogs are for information purpose to increase you knowledge and understanding on health related issues. I hope this has shed some light onto some new ways you can tackle your weight loss challenges. Thank you all again for all your support and especially the love you have given to my wonderful wife Tiffany. She is a super woman and I tell her everyday but its better when she hears it from all of you! Please like us on facebook (ashmeadefitness) and follow us on instagram daniel_ashmeade. We have a holiday promotion 5 sessions for $200 with a savings of $100! This is great way to say “I care about you” as a gift to a family, a friend or loved one. Check pricing for more details. God Bless Daniel Ashmeade Hello all! Today I want to talk about food because I think this is one of the few things we ALL can say we love. As part of my services I offer meal plans and for an extra cost, I also cook and package meals for clients. I do this because along with cost, time is a huge factor for most people to be able to achieve and maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle. I find family, work and other responsibilities get in the way and many people end up putting themselves last. They eat too little or too much too late; they skip meals, and find the cheapest, easiest and quickest foods to eat. The problem is they are not providing themselves with proper essential nutrients the body needs. They are always tired and hungry so they eat more and take caffeine or energy drinks just to make it through the day.
In previous blogs I have given examples of what are the best foods to eat. Theses foods are packed with the most nutrients and vitamins that our body needs on a daily basis. ow I will give you some guidelines on how much you should be eating based on your body type and activity levels. First I will talk about the three different body types; Endomorph, Mesomorph and Ectomorph. Ectomorph- An ectomorph is a typical slender male or female. Ectomorphs have a light build with small joints and lean muscle. Usually ectomorph’s have long thin limbs with stringy muscles. Shoulders tend to be thin with little width. Mesomorph- A mesomorph has a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. Mesomorphs are the best body type for bodybuilding. They find it quite easy to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong which helps to be the perfect platform for building muscle. Endomorph- The endomorph body type is solid and generally soft. Endomorphs gain fat very easily and are usually of a shorter build with thick arms and legs. Muscles are strong, especially the upper legs. Endomorphs find they are naturally strong in leg exercises like the squat. You should find out what body type you are in order to figure out what type of workout and nutrition plan will work best for you. You can do tests online from sites like “bodybuilder.com” or for a more accurate answer, ask your doctor. Once you have figured out you’re your body type, the second thing that you have to consider is your activity level. Based on these two factors you can figure out your daily micronutrient intake and daily calorie expenditure to lose body fat or gain muscle mass. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. You should have a variety of sources to ensure that you get everything your body needs. That being said I do like to keep things simple and easy and remember that food is fuel. Stick to the basics and the essentials but be flexible and don’t stress because don’t forget that protein is protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork, eggs, lentils etc), carbs are carbs (rice, potatoes, yams, pasta, cuscus etc) and you can never have too many vegetables so mix it up if you like but remember to mostly eat for your body and health and not for taste buds, enjoyment, and comfort. Yes love what you eat everyday but mostly love the fact that you are fuelling your body and you are eating the right stuff f or the right reasons. Here are some simple calculations that you can use as a guideline to figure out our calorie intake. Activity level Multiply bodyweight in pounds Sedentary (minimal exercise) 14-16 calories Moderately active (3-4 x per week) 15-17 calories Very active (5-7 x per week) 18-20 calories So for example if a 150lb male that is very active, is a ectomorph and his goal is to gain muscle and weight, he would start by consuming 3000 calories (150lbs x 20 cal= 3000 cal) Note: The endomorph should be consuming the lowest number in each category; the mesomorph should consume the middle number and can even consume the higher or lower number based on goals. Lastly the ectomorph should consume the higher number at the very least. This is a general rule and is not definite. Please see you doctor and always do research because the more you know about yourself the more in charge you are of your health and fitness goals. Remember you are eating to fuel your body, to make your body run each day and have productive days. Keep your food basic, eat what God created, and ensure you have your essential such as proteins, healthy fats, carbs, starches, fruits and vegetables and of course plenty of water. This of your body as a high performing machine, you always want to put the best fuel in to it for it to work at peak performance levels. God Bless Tiffany and I got married on September 26/2015, she is now officially Tiffany Ashmeade.
Here are some wedding photos from our very special day. Thank you everyone for your constant love and support Daniel Ashmeade Enjoy! One of the biggest barriers that people have in achieving as well as maintaining their fitness goals is time. I started out going to my high school gym in grade 8 with one of my best buddies Jason Nera (now a power lifter sponsored by Animal) and we would wake up before class in high school to workout. When other 13 year olds are sleeping in or watching morning cartoons, Jason and I would wake up extra early, bike to school, and train for at least one hour every day. It became our ritual, something we loved to do even on days when it was freezing and still dark outside.
This was our life at the time and we loved every minute of it. We both played other sports growing up; track and field (me), wresting (me), basketball (Nera) and even bobsledding (Nera) but we both stayed committed to the gym. I continued this lifestyle every since and can even remember arguing with my mom because it was her wedding day and I wanted to go to the gym. I know it sounds crazy and selfish and maybe it was, well actually I know it was but when you love something so much it takes priority over everything else. This was my mindset when I decided to become a trainer and was surprised to see that most of the world didn’t share my passion of fitness. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that people don’t want to get fit and be healthy but they don’t make it a priority. This was hard for me to understand and grasp, I just didn’t get it. Since I had grown up a gym rat it who just who I was. When I woke every morning, the first thing on my mind was “when I was going to the gym and what I was going to train” and it was the last thing on my mind at night. It became my first love and was more important than anything else. Even when I travelled the world to live and work, I still found a gym. In Taiwan I joined a public gym and was a spectacle, being the only black guy at an ALL Asian gym. In the Bahamas, the fitness centers were too expensive but I still found this old man (an ex bodybuilder) who had a make shift gym in his barn and he only charged me 5$ a week to use it. This place was so old that you couldn’t take the weight off one side of the bench because it literally had to stay on to keep everything in balance! My point is, I always made the time. I would organize my life around the gym, not the other way around. Now I understand that this is not so easy for everyone because life gets in the way. People have jobs, families, hobbies, and a lot of other things going on in their lives but everyone can make time for the gym. It does not have to be a long time but if you start with a consistent commitment, then fitness will also become part of your life. Sometimes you need to make sacrifices because we only have so much time in a day and we must choose to make it a priority. At first I thought that maybe it was just because I had more free time than most people and that’s why I was able to train so much but I was mistaken. I have lots of friends at the gym that have crazy and busy lives and still make the time. They wake up earlier, cut out TV or other leisure activities, go during their lunch break or even have to extend their day by going after work. I know this can seem hard at times and you may feel that you can’t find the time or that other things are more important. But let me ask you this…what is more important than your health? If you get sick or are injured then nothing else will matter. You must first take care of yourself in order to truly take care of anyone else in your life. Once you have implemented regular exercise into your daily routine, you will have energy to do more and find yourself to be more productive. Ultimately you will find the time to make sure you make it into the gym. By you MAKING the time and it becomes important to you just like eating, sleeping, working and playing. It should be just as important because it is a key factor to living an optimal life and a life with minimal injuries and illness. We need to make the time because it’s not given to us. It starts with small steps even just 10min a day. When my wife (boy it feels cool to say that) was ready to start her journey, she thought she had NO time at all. She was a single mom and was self-employed. Trying to juggle work, family, cleaning the house, groceries and extra-curricular activities how could she ever find time to train. She started with 10min a night running her stairs in her house after her daughter was asleep. With the feeling she got and the sense of accomplishment she felt, she was able to jump-start her fitness journey. She now is a regular gym rat and is pushing and working harder than a lot of guys I see at the gym. They stare in awe as she bench presses 135LBS and squats 205LBS. I know this must be an amazing feeling for her from where she started to where she is now and most of all where she will be. I am her biggest fan! So I challenge you to start with 10min each day. Go for a walk, a run, workout at home with your body weight, a video, anything. You will get results and feel amazing, it will motivate you to do more and before you know it, fitness is part of your life. Like I have mentioned in previous blogs, we are active people by creation, it’s our busy lifestyle and technology that has caused us to become lethargic and lazy, and it’s in our control to fix this. You can do it! Find a support system to encourage you, motivate you and keep you accountable. It might be difficult in the beginning but the long term payoff is worth it, trust me…better yet trust my wife. God Bless Daniel This is going to be my last blog as a “single guy” even though I have been in a relationship for the past 10 months. I am getting married this Saturday and about to begin a new journey with my new family. Seeing that Tiffany has been Journal blogging about our relationship and how we came to be, I figured that I would give my version or at least fill in the blanks on my side of the spectrum. In May on 2014 I was single again and had no intention in being in a relationship. I was in my second year in school and my summer as a personal trainer and wanted to live the single free life for a bit but it seemed that God had a different plan.
First I would like to tell you that I wasn’t the biggest fan of online dating. I tried a couple of sites and met a few girls but with no luck. I personally felt that those sites were just for people to ``meet up`` and nothing long term or substantial would come out of them…boy was I wrong! Tiffany found me on a site and she was not like any other person that I a spoken to online. She was sweet and uplifting and she often spoke about her daughter and family. We began to speak on the regular and the conversations were always so clean and pure which I found refreshing. Our friendship began because at that time we were both seeing other people and eventually things faded…for a time being. At the end of the summer I had ended things with the person I was involved with and I was on the market again. I was going through my phone and saw one of the prettiest faces that I have seen in a long time. “Who is this girl!?” Then I was like “wait thats Miss Tiff!” and something happened then, I’m not sure that’s when I fell in love with her but I knew that I was very attracted to her. I wanted to see her in person so we planned our first date to breakfast but just as friends. Breakfast was amazing, we spoke about family, our past, our aspirations and insecurities. We both were able to see each other’s silver lining in each other. After that date I realized that I had fallen for this girl. We didn’t start officially dating at that time and I kept my feelings to myself because we lived so far away and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to get into a serious relationship. Tiff came from a great family and had a beautiful daughter, it’s what I needed and I didn’t want to mess it up so until I was 100% ready, I kept quiet but not for long. She went on vacation with her best friend and was messaging me the whole time. I was in class and this girl was telling me all about what she was doing in Jamaica and we were not even dating even though it felt like it. Once she was home from vacation, I realized how much I really liked talking to her and needed to see her again. I decided to tell her how I felt and the rest is history, well actually, it is just the beginning. We are married now and she is my business partner, my best friend and my soul mate. I’m happier then I have ever been and have started my new life and career through the guidance of the Lord and the love and support of my wife. I just came back from an amazing Honeymoon in Costa Rica which is why this blog has taken so long. It actually started as a “single man’s” blog and ended with a married man writing. Amazing what can happen in just two weeks. Please keep supporting my wife on her fitness journey and add any comments and suggestions for future blogs. We continue our journey together and this week I will be starting my boot camps in Mount Albert, another extension to my business. Thank you again for reading and God Bless. Daniel Ashmeade Hello famillia! I would like to first say that I am very happy and proud to announce that my fiancée Tiffany is going to start her OWN blog posts! This is super cool that she can share her story with everyone and like I thought she is getting more love than me. She already has more visits on MY website! No I’m not bitter…lol I’m just kidding. I know how powerful her story is and continues to be so of course she needs to share it. Please read her stories and tell your friends because she is a symbol of hard work, commitment and success! I love you my soon to be Mrs. Tiff Ashmeade. Now for today’s subject, it’s actually a request from a follower. My good friend Sam would like to know some stretches and rehab for shoulders. He was training with an injured shoulder for a few months and we met on the gym floor (as per usual) and we started talking and I gave him some help and tips on how to help his injury. Over time his pain has reduced and his strength and range of motion has improved because of his continued strengthening and aid of health professionals. Sam suggested I should have a blog on stretches and rehab for the shoulder, so I am writing this for everyone’s benefit. I am currently studying this subject right now and have had a great book that I feel is the Holy Grail for movement, stretches, and rehab for the whole body. It’s called “Becoming a Supple Leopard” by Dr. Kelly Starrett and Glen Cordoza. It’s an amazing read and also a great reference for teaching proper body alignment and movement along with how to stretch and most of all injury prevention and rehab. I am going to highlight the correct shoulder archetypes and ways to stretch and repair the shoulder. Archetypes are the original model or type of movement that all others are based from. The overhead archetype is an expression of full flexion and external rotation of the shoulders, which encompasses any position or movement that requires you to stabilize your arms over your head. Common examples are pressing or reaching overhead, hanging, and overhead throwing movements (Cordoza). A good way to check for this is by keeping your spine neutral, raise your arms overhead. Your ears should be visible from the side, your elbows straight, and your shoulders externally rotated. To cue shoulder external rotation, point your thumbs back and get your armpits forward. A crucial element of shoulder joint stability is flexibility. You should perform light stretching before and moderate stretching after upper body workouts. Never stretch a cold muscle - warm-up your entire body by performing 5 - 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise before stretching. Perform the following stretches for 10 - 20 seconds each, and then repeat for 20-40 seconds when the workout is complete. Here are a couple simple stretches that will help in a huge way! First is the Shoulder Blade Squeezes -Begin sitting or standing tall with your back straight. Squeeze your shoulder blades together until you feel a mild to moderate stretch hold for 5 seconds and repeat provided the exercise is pain free. Pendular Circles- Begin leaning forwards with your forearm supported on a table or bench. Keeping your back straight and your shoulder relaxed, gently swing your arm in circles clockwise until you feel a mild to moderate stretch. Repeat the exercise swinging your arm counter clockwise. Repeat 10 times in each direction provided the exercise is pain free. You can also swing your arms from front to back and side to side. Wall Crawl -Begin standing tall facing a wall. Place your hand on the wall and use your fingers to slowly finger-walk up the wall until you feel a mild to moderate stretch. Provided the exercise is pain free. For a more advanced stretch, have you back against the wall with the backs of your hands, your shoulder blades and your hips touching the wall. Shoulder Flexion -Begin standing tall with your back and neck straight. Gently raise your arm forwards and up until you feel a mild to moderate stretch pain free. Shoulder Abduction -Begin standing tall, with your neck and back straight. Gently raise your arm to the side, leading with your thumb until you feel a mild to moderate stretch pain free and Repeat. Shoulder External Rotation-Begin standing tall, with your neck and back straight, your shoulders should be back slightly. Keeping your elbow tucked into your side and bent to 90 degrees, gently take your hand away from your body until you feel a mild to moderate stretch pain free. Rehab and range of motion (ROM)- The first variable we will adapt is the ROM. When an injury occurs the body splints the area with muscle spasm to prevent further injury. This spasm restricts the range of motion. You must regain as much joint mobility as possible after an injury to prevent the onset of arthritis and/or athropy.
Osteoarthritis (Os-tea-O-arth-ri-tis) is the most common form of arthritis. It is merely the body forming calcium growths to stabilize an unstable area. Arthritic changes can begin as early as one week after an injury. Unnecessary immobilization of the shoulder can cause arthritic changes in as little as two days. Most physical therapists recognize five phases of rehabilitation. Range of motion is closely coordinated with the progression of exercise; forming complete passive range of motion, initiating movement, muscular contraction, initiating movement with full active range of motion, strengthening with full range of motion and functional rehabilitation. SUPPLEMENTS Supplementation is helpful with reducing inflammation and speeding up the process of healing. Most effective from the literature and my personal experience are products with Glucosamine Sulphate, Chondroitin Sulphate and MSM (Organic Sulphur). Now please note you shouldn't take herbs with medications unless you check with your pharmacists. Also note that taking NSAID's (Advil, Motrin, and Ibuprophin-containing drugs) will lower your sulphur content and cause more scar tissue to form and also lower the effectiveness of the aforementioned chemicals. These are just a few techniques and practices that you can use to prevent injury, improve your range of motion and put you on the path to fixing injuries. I recommend see a health professional like a physiotherapist to properly asses your injury and set out the best plan for recovery. Remember take care of your body and it will take care of you!! Until next time.. God Bless Daniel Ashmeade Works Cited Cordoza, Dr. Kelly Starrett and Glen. Becoming a Supple Leopard. Las Vegas: Victory Belt Publishing, 2015. Please leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for a blog. I would love to hear from you!
Everyone keeps telling me that I’m weird because I don’t eat dairy. The truth is I did as a child and I’m happy that I don’t anymore. For all you cheese lovers out there, you might not like this blog but remember everything in moderation. I know there are times where I eat something that isn’t the best for me; we are all human, so if you have a little cheese from time to time it’s your choice and not the end of the world. What I’m presenting are some facts on the problems with dairy and then show you some healthy alternatives so you can get the same if not more of the same nutrients found in dairy products. I like keeping things short and sweet because like you I’m sure you don’t have time to read though a massive list of information. I have narrowed it down to the top 3 reasons why milk is a big no no!
1. Dairy is not the best for your bones. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to the Nurses’ Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent. Countries with the lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. This is because calcium isn’t as bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk. Vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures (Mark Hyman). 2. Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves. Thanks to our creative ingenuity and perhaps related to our ancient survival needs, we adopted the dubious habit of drinking another species’ milk. Nobody can dispute that cow’s milk is an excellent food source for calves. Weighing around 100 pounds at birth, a calf typically gains approximately eight times its weight by the time it is weaned. But unlike humans, once calves are weaned, they never drink milk again. And the same applies to every mammalian species on this planet. Also, each mammalian species has its own “designer” milk, and cow’s milk is no exception. For example, cow’s milk contains on average three times the amount of protein than human milk which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences. It’s important to bear in mind that mother’s milk is excellent nourishment for human babies, but its composition is very different from cow’s milk (Vivian Goldschmidt). 3. Allergies, intolerances and sensitivity. Over 70% of the population has trouble processing dairy due to various reasons. Lactose intolerance is a condition in which a person lacks the enzyme to break down the sugar found in milk for proper digestion. Those with lactose intolerance may experience bloating, flatulence or diarrhea when consuming milk and milk products. Those with an actual milk allergy must strictly avoid milk and dairy in any form. Symptoms of a milk allergy can include asthma, eczema, gastrointestinal distress, as well as bleeding, pneumonia, and even anaphylaxis (shock). Different from both allergies and lactose intolerance, some people have sensitivity to the casein (a type of protein) in milk. This sensitivity can trigger inflammation throughout the body, which may produce symptoms such as sinus congestion, acne flares, skin rash and migraines (Medical News Today). Calcium, potassium, Vitamin D and protein are the top nutrients found in milk and the good news is that you can find these in many other foods. High calcium foods include dark leafy greens, cheese, low fat milk and yogurt, bok choy, fortified tofu, okra, broccoli, green beans, almonds, and fish canned with their bones. Food that are packed with potassium include; Winter squash, sweet potato, white beans, halibut, ,100% orange juice, broccoli, cantaloupe, banana, pork tenderloin, lentils, salmon, pistachios, raisins ,chicken breast, and tuna. Vitamin D is the easiest, JUST GO OUTSIDE IN THE SUN! Vitamin D is naturally made by your body when you expose your skin to the sun, and that’s why it is called the sun-shine vitamin. Some natural foods high in vitamin D include fish oils, fatty fish, mushrooms, beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Finally protein (the most important to me!) can come from a variety of meat and plant based foods. High protein foods include meat, fish, cheese, tofu, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds and protein isolates. So as you can see there are many foods that you can eat that are pack with all the essential vitamins and minerals. I am suggesting you keep dairy to a minimum or eliminate it completely! Trust me your body will thank you. Until next time! God Bless Daniel Ashmeade Works Cited Mark Hyman, MD. Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at all Costs. 24 June 2010. 10 September 2015 <http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/06/24/dairy-6-reasons-you-should-avoid-it-at-all-costs-2/>. Medical News Today. MTD. 15 July 2015. 10 September 2015 <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296564.php>. Vivian Goldschmidt, MA. saveourbones. n.d. 10 September 2015 <http://saveourbones.com/osteoporosis-milk-myth/>.
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Hey everyone, today I’m going to talk about some general rules for good eating habits and also Ashmeade’s top 6 power foods. The reason that I say general is because when it comes to nutrition we as human beings can almost eat whatever we want. We just need to be conscious of portion size, frequency and nutritional balance. Here are some easy rules to stick to and the best part is there are only three. #1 Eat live, fresh, REAL foods. I don’t mean you have to eat “organic,” what I mean is simply eat foods that were once alive. If it swam in the oceans, lakes or rivers walked on the earth, climbed trees, grew from the soil or flew in the sky…EAT IT. Stay away from foods that are in boxes, cans and bags! Also try to eat cooked foods as little as possible. Most of the nutrients and vitamins are lost during the cooking process. 50% or more of your foods should be fresh and not cooked in every meal. #2 Stay Away from Dairy. There are many studies and tests that prove dairy products are not good for us but I will leave that for another blog. I want to give you some reasons that I see and from first-hand experience that you should not eat dairy. First of all we are the only animals that drink milk after infancy, our bodies are not made to process milk and over 70% of humans are lactose intolerance. When I used to consume dairy products, I had many stomach and digestion problems. This is something shared by many of my clients, friends and family. If you’re worried about your bones, you can get all the calcium, and other vitamins and minerals from other foods such as sardines and leafy greens like, spinach and kale. Lastly milk these days is packed with sugar, making it even worse for you. I would suggest staying away from dairy as much as possible. #3 No to Sugar and Yes to Fats. This one is simple…STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR!!! I’m talking about refined sugar. I don’t need to get specific, basically any food that MAN has made. (Refer to rule #1) Secondly, increase your healthy “Good” fats intake. “Good” fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats because they lower disease risk. Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish. Here are the Top 5 foods that you should add to your diet. These foods are packed with the most essential vitamins and minerals for the body and are some of the best examples of foods in macro nutrient intake. #1 Spirulina- is a plant based Protein that is even better than hemp seeds. Dried spirulina contains about 51–71% protein. It is a fresh water micro plant that is a complete protein containing all essential amino acids. Being a plant based protein; you don’t have to cook it which reduces the amount of protein in the process. Spirulina is one of the only plant based complete protein. You can find it in the health food store and even Bulk Barn in pill or powder form. #2 Spinach- Spinach is a super food loaded with tons of nutrients in a low calorie package. Dark leafy greens like spinach are important for skin and hair, bone health, and provide protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. Spinach has 15 out of 21 of the most essential vitamins needed for human function and optimal health. You can add them to your omelettes, make it the base of salads and blend them into your morning shake. #3 Sunflower seeds- Sunflower seeds provide a rich source of vitamins E and B-1, as well as copper. Adding nuts and seeds to your diet benefits your health. They are easy and convenient, plus can be added to any salad or meal. These are the perfect emergency food when you are on the run or working in a situation where you can’t sit down and eat. Have a shake with a handful of nuts or seeds and that will hold you over until the next meal. #4 Coconut Oil- Coconut oil is loaded with saturated fats, which actually do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously thought. Saturated fats raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and change the LDL cholesterol to a benign subtype. Coconut oil is the highest source out of all the oils and tastes amazing on salads and in smoothies. It is a little more expensive due to the high quality but you don’t need to use as much because of its concentration. #5 Goji Berries- Their history as a medicinal plant has roots in ancient China, where goji berries still are used to treat eye, liver, and kidney ailments. A host of additional nutritional and medical claims have made the fruit very popular. Goji berries are high in vitamin C and fibre, and low in calories. They are also a good source of iron and vitamin A. One serving of about four ounces of goji berries even provides nearly 10 percent of the suggested amount of dietary protein, a surprising amount for a fruit. They make a perfect addition to cereals, oatmeal, fruit salad or regular salads, also great in trail mix. #5 Cocoa- I saved the best for last! Cocoa is such an amazing food that it at times is considered a medicinal. According to Elson Hass in his book “Staying Healthy with Nutrition,” cocoa may provide antidepressant benefits. Cocoa may also have the ability to boost endorphins, which act as natural “happy” opiates. Finally, cocoa may boost serotonin, which is the neurotransmitter that antidepressants target in order to boost overall happiness levels. On top of this Cocoa also contains approximately 43.6 mg of flavonoids per gram. Flavonoids are part of a powerful group of antioxidants known as polyphenols, and according to Medical News Today, cocoa is one of the highest polyphenol-containing foods. In addition to the above possible health benefits of cocoa powder, cocoa may lower LDL cholesterol, reduce the risk of blood clots, increase blood flow to the arteries, lower high blood pressure, boost cognitive performance and provide essential minerals such as calcium and potassium…. And it’s chocolate!! I’m not telling you to start eating all kinds of chocolate, remember everything in moderation. I also want you to have cocoa in power form without the sugar, not the mars bar…lol The main thing I want to mention is to focus on adding things to your diet instead of subtract. If you keep adding good stuff to your diet, eventually you will have less room for the bad stuff and you won’t want it any more. It’s all about small changes to improve your overall nutrition habits and lifestyle. Food was created for us to eat and treat, but like all things it can be abused so stay in control and enjoy using food as fuel to charge your body, mind and soul. Until next time God Bless Daniel Please subscribe to my blogs and leave a comment below as I would love to hear from you This one is dedicated to the ladies. You wonderful women who work hard, sweat, and limit calories to reach this magical number. This number controls your thoughts and actions and is sometimes the only thing you care about. In some extreme cases you determined divas will starve yourself, do excessive cardio and weight training and not realizing that these things are damaging your bodies. The good news is that now the mindset of you wonderful women is on being fit by focusing on body composition, functionality, and overall health and not aesthetics and that all mighty NUMBER.
This has been a challenge for Tiff and now that she is going to be my wife, I hope now I can talk about her fitness journey. In the beginning she was stuck on a certain number that she thought was her ideal body weight. First thing is, we didn’t go see her physician to find out what her ideal weight really should be. In the beginning she picked a “number” and that number has changed more than once in the first six months of her journey. The funny thing is, we have no idea what her ideal weight will be until she gets there. In her younger years she was active and athletic and over time she gained some extra weight due to external and internal factors that she has been continually overcoming on a daily basis. My fiancé has been through some very difficult lows and challenging situations in the past couple of years. Sometimes I don’t know if she really knows how amazing she is and what she has accomplished and continues to accomplish. Now in her fitness challenges, she has put the same amount of determination into changing her lifestyle for the better, not only for herself but also for her daughter. She has completely changed her lifestyle. Increasing her fruit, vegetable and water intake along with training 4-6 times per week. These changes have not only reduced that number but it also has given her more energy, increased her mood and she is doing things and seeing changes that she never thought possible. Tiffany is a beautiful woman that I saw from that first day I laid eyes on her. She was living in the wrong body and I don’t just mean physically. Her self-esteem was low and she was hurt bad. She limited herself due to negative influence from external parties and years of being told certain lies that she eventually started to believe. The worst part, like most of us was that she was her hardest critique. She has now gotten herself out of that environment and has truly started a new life and she has told me that she feels like she is getting back to her young, ambitious and confident self. She has been one of my best clients and is now a gym rat like me and loves all the changes that have happened; how she can bench 135lbs, and squat 205lbs, she can do 6-10 full body weight dips and run 10k. Now she can where sleeveless shirts, buy lulu and bench clothing which has lead us to have a new shopping problem on our hands….lol jk. Her best friend showed her an old picture of herself seven years ago and she was 15lbs lighter then but looks WAY better now, proving that a number is just that… a NUMBER. Everybody that sees her is amazed by the changes she has made and has even inspired people to start to live a healthy life including me. It’s easy to maintain a healthy life if that’s all you know, but to change the way you’ve lived your whole life and maintain that is true success. The best part is nobody cares about the number, they will never say you look any different once you tell them. So why should you care about it? Once you reach your ideal weight that is determined by your doctor or other health professionals, it will fluctuate up and down 5-10lbs, which is normal. Instead of focusing on the number only, I challenge you to focus on everything else that living a healthy and optimal life has to offer you. Trust me, you are better off and will love seeing and noticing all the other amazing changes and positives that will happen in life. Until next time God Bless Photo: Tiffany in 2007 at 170lbs and Tiffany in 2015 at 185lbs |
AuthorDan has been a personal trainer since 2008. Archives
July 2017
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