Kalev Personal Training Fitness Tip - Cardio Confusion

One question that I am frequently asked is what’s the best way to do cardio. The answer to this is not as straight forward as it might seem, the answer depends on what your goals are. High intensity cardio which is generally defined as over 70% of your maximum heart rate is great for burning lots of calories and increasing your bodies capacity for exercise. If you’re looking to improve overall health, athletics or just loose weight this is probably the right choice for you. On the other hand high intensity cardio is very difficult for beginners and can lead to repetitive strain injuries if performed too frequently.

Another type of cardio to consider is interval training, an example of this could be running hard for 2 - 5 minutes and then decrease your intensity for 1 - 2 minutes or run for 45 sec and walk for 90sec. This type of training allows you to push yourself harder then would be possible with a constant intensity but also provides an opportunity to take breaks which is ideal for new exercisers. This is also great simulation for altheletes who perform in anaerobic state sports. The downside to interval training is that it won’t maintain your heart rate at a consitant rate so you may not get as much benefit to your cardio vascular system.

Finally there is a low/moderate intensity cardio which is usually defined as less then 70% of your maximus heart rate. Lower intensity cardio is good if you are already fatigued or wish to have a relaxed cardio session. Staying at a lower heart range also forces your body to burn a higher portions of fat to carbs then at a higher intestity. Unfortunatly, low intensity cardio does not burn as man calories, nor does it provide substansial cardiovascular benefit.

So for most people there is the best option is to do a mix of two or even all three types of cardio. The decision should be based on what would complement the rest of your fitness routine and what type best emphasises your goals.

by Kalev Personal Training Trainer - Eric walker
Vancouver Personal Trainer - Kalev Training in Yaletown

w: http://www.kalevtraining.com/

Recipe - Spinach Poppers

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, so here's one from a fellow intern. It's a delicious and veggie-filled hors d'oeuvre that tastes like it should be guilt-inducing, but is actually quite light on Calories. Perfect for parties, they are little quiche-like veggie deliciousness... Enjoy!

Spinach Poppers

15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup red onion, minced
½ tsp fresh oregano, minced
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Spray mini-muffin tins with non-stick spray, and fill with mixture.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Number of servings: 6

Serving size: 2-3 poppers

Nutrition information (amount per serving)

Calories 121 kcal

Total Fat 5.2 g

Saturated Fat 3 g

Cholesterol 86 mg

Sodium 272 mg

Total CHO 8 g

Dietary fibre 2 g

Sugars 3 g

Protein 10 g

Personal Trainer Tip - Motivation

Finding long term motivation - Personal Trainers advise

There is a about 10% of the population who will exercise consistently throughout there lives without any external motivation. For the rest of us, we have to find an external source of motivation that drives us to achieve our goals and push ourselves to the limits. The majority of people start exercises because they feel the need to loose body fat or gain muscle. These are excellent motivational goals but after a few weeks to a few months most people will start to loose there initial surge of motivation. Once this happens you have to find a new source that will keep you going on a long term basis. Here are a few examples of new motivational sources:

- Make small monthly goals which are reasonably obtained within the given time span. Whether it is increasing your leg press by 30 pounds or loosing 2% body fat it has to be something measurable.

- Start a new sport based activity like running a 10k or joining a basketball team. Sports provide ongoing motivation to improve and be your best. These also help create the habit of exercising into your routine which makes going to the gym easier.

- Starting to exercise with a personal trainer or a friend gives you someone to be responsible to show up too. This will eliminate the last minute excuses of being tired or lazy and staying on the couch instead of making it into the gym.

Try one or more of these out and you will see the results you are looking for. Don’t let yourself settle into the same old routine, get bored or give up. Always be open to new fitness modalities, train hard and your body will thank you for it.

By Kalev Personal Trainer - Eric Walker http://www.kalevtraining.com/eric-walker/

M&M's going "Green"?

Two huge chocolate bar and candy manufacturers, Mars and Cadbury, have announced that they will buy cocoa from suppliers meeting higher environmental and labour standards! Read more about Fair Trade here.

It certainly doesn't make the candy any healthier, but the move will lessen the impact on the environment and improve labour conditions for workers in the future.

Read the article on Environmental Leader here.

Lose weight and increase health without trying

Ha! That headline sounds like a gimmic. But no, there are no "magic pills" here... just 4 small and easy things to do that can really add up over time…

1) Eat a salad for one meal a day. Swap out one of your regular lunches or dinners for a salad, and no, NOT a Chicken Caesar or any other fat-laden choice. Choose dark, leafy greens, and top with a variety of fresh veggies. Add a sprinkling of cheese, beans, chicken or fish for protein to keep you feeling fuller, and use light dressings, or healthy olive or flax- oil based dressings.

2) Keep water or tea on hand at all times. Often times our hunger mechanism gets confused and signals us to eat when we’re really just thirsty. Drinking lots of water throughout the day helps keep you hydrated consistently, and less likely to munch if you don’t need it. Keep a bottle on you at all times so you don’t have to go out of your way to sip. Adding a green tea bag (iced or hot) may add extra calorie-burning benefits, but this isn’t 100% clear. What is clear, are the antioxidants and other good stuff to boost health and prevent illness.

3) Trick your brain - use smaller plates. Studies show, it's all about perception. Put your dinner on a smaller plate at home, and you'll feel like you're eating much more and probably wind up eating quite a bit less. Every little bit adds up!

4) Stay parked. Not you, your car! Workouts are essential to optimal health, but what are you doing the other 164 hours of your week?? If you have a sedentary job, chances are – not much. The spring weather is here and it’s the perfect time to save money, gas, emissions, and burn some calories by walking as much as you can. Maybe it won’t replace a good workout 3-4 times a week, but burning even an extra 100 Calories a day adds up to 700 Calories a week, 3500 Calories (one pound!) in 5 weeks without doing much more than walking to pick up lunch rather than driving, or taking the stairs at work.

Try these 3 simple tips…your ticker and your skinny jeans will thank you!

Food of the Week: Broccoli!

Welcome to "Food of the Week" - week one! Each week I'm going to feature one of nature's fabulous edible creations (or the odd man-made one), and attempt to convince you why should eat it, or maybe why not. First up: broccoli!!

Broccoli gets a bad rap sometimes, and I'm here to stick up for my favourite mini shrubs. Broccoli contains a compound called "glucosinolates" that can give it a slight bitter taste, and may cause some people to stray. In fact, some individuals may have a more sensitive taste sensitivity to glucosinolates, causing them to avoid it an other foods such as brussel sprouts, mustard and cabbage. Maybe, just maybe, some kids do really hate the taste of broccoli. If that's the case, offering them a choice of veggies may be easier than fighting with them to eat it, or smoothering it in cheese to disguise it.

Some quick broccoli tid-bits:

• The name "broccoli" comes from the latin word "brachium, meaning "branch" or "arm"
  


• It belongs to the cauliflower family
  


• It comes in green, yellow-green, and purple

Reasons to love the green stuff:

• It's' cheap!
  


• It's packed with nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin K, selenium, calcium, soluble fiber, and cancer-fighting compounds.
  


• A recent study found thatbaby broccoli sprouts (3 days old) are higher in phytochemicals than mature plants, and inhibit a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which may cause stomach ulcers and some stomach cancers.
  


• It's a cool weather crop, planted in May to be picked in the winter, which means those of us living in colder winter climates don't have to compromise our "green-savyness" for our love of broccoli by importing it from a tropical country.
  


• If you must cook your broccoli, try to keep boiling time to a minimum. More nutrients leach into the water with increased cooking time. Steaming, microwaving and stir-frying are better options, and less likely to affect the nutrient content.

Thank you!

Hey everyone! I have been getting some really great emails, comments and feedback from readers around the world, which is very cool! So, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you! It really means a lot.

Also, if you have any questions regarding anything about nutrition and health, or green eating, please don't hesitate to send me an email (Janine@ThriveNutritionandHealth.com) and I would be happy to answer your questions.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sugar and Childhood Obesity

After 4 months of research, my review of the literature on childhood obesity and overweight is DONE and I can finally share my results! Some of what I found was surprising even to me. We are all quick these days to blame sugary foods for our kids' increasing waist lines, but there's more to the story.

I screened over 1200 papers and selected just 41 for my review. Dietary sugar from all sources were included, including sugar-sweetened beverages, milk, 100% fruit juice, sweets and candy. Here's the low-down on my findings:

My review concluded that the impact of sugar on childhood and adolescent obesity and overweight is negligible; however, some aspects of a high sugar diet may contribute to lower nutrient intake and poor diet quality. Studies looking at high sugar beverages as the source of sugar were the most likely to report a relationship to BMI, weight or waist circumference, but not all sugar-containing beverages had the same impact. Flavoured or plain milk, and 100% fruit juice, were shown to positively affect nutrient intakes, without adeversely affecting BMI. Therefore, focus on the elimination of all sugar-containing beverages does not appear to be an appropriate measure for addressing this issue. Some sugar-containing beverages may play a beneficial role in the growth and development of children and adolescence.

Although sugar alone may not impact BMI directly, unhealthy dietary patterns in which sugar is a significant component were shown to impact the weight status of children. The results of the dietary pattern studies suggest that sugar is only one component of a multi-dimensional dietary issue contributing to obesity. The complex nature of this issue, and failure to properly control or treat obesity as of yet, indicates a need for the expansion of research into multiple different causes, not just fat, sugar, or exercise alone.

Some studies found that high sugar foods were negatively associated with BMI, which may be representative of the inverse relationship between sugar and fat intake, and suggests that obesity may be completely unrelated to sugar intake in certain situations.

Added sugar intakes have been implicated in this issue for a number of reasons. Firstly, added sugars have been linked to various negative health outcomes and poor quality of diet. In addition, foods containing high amounts of added sugars are often lower in nutritional value and more energy dense. In the form of SSBs, added sugars may also be less satiating than in solid form, thereby resulting in increased energy intake and weight gain. This dietary change has been seen around the world, and can contribute to a malnourished, yet overweight population .

The evidence presented in this review suggests that the impact of total sugar intake on childhood obesity and overweight is negligible, and disputes the hypothesis that sugar intake is associated with increased BMI and obesity in children and adolescents. However, some aspects of a high sugar diet may contribute to lower nutrient intake and poor diet quality. Conclusive evidence was not found to indicate that total added sugars contribute significantly to increased BMI or obesity, however, specific added sugars, such as fructose, and high sugar dietary patterns, may still play a role. In addition, high fat, energy dense dietary patterns involving high sugar intakes were linked to increase weight and BMI in children and adolescence.

Soda anyone?

Green Lifestyle - Eating Green

I received a question asking about the “green” lifestyle.

What is my idea green lifestyle?

Being green is more than recycling, or using organic products. To me, living a truly green lifestyle means being aware of everything you do that has an impact on our environment, and doing everything you can to minimize that. Beyond that, being green means making a deliberate effort to help stop and repair some of the damage we’ve done, by planting a tree or making some lifestyle changes. There are many aspects of living a green lifestyle and green eating is big part of a green lifestyle.

Ways to be a greener eater:

• Use aluminum water bottles. The world doesn’t need any more plastic chemicals, and neither does your body! Plastic water bottles also take up to 1000 years to degrade if thrown in the garbage. Even recycled plastics bottles aren’t entirely recycled, and much of it goes to waste. www.mySigg.com even donates 1% of profits to the planet, so you’re doing good just by buying the bottle!
  



• Shop local. Buying as much locally as you can not only supports your local economy, but also decreases the impact on the environment. And remember, organic doesn’t always mean local. That pint of organic strawberries you bought yesterday may be pesticide-free, but it was still driven here on a gas-guzzling, emission-spilling truck all the way from South America.
  



• Buy organic. If you can’t get local organic, buying organic alone is your next best bet. Organic produce is pesticide-free, meaning less harmful chemicals are going into your body and the earth. Organic dairy and meats are from hormone-free animals.
  



• Go veggie. Ok, so you don’t have to give up steak entirely, but seriously consider cutting back. It takes 6 kilograms of feed and 430,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of meat from a cow. That’s not a great return. The amount of water, feed and other resources it takes to produce livestock make it extremely taxing on the environment. Going meatless more often also benefits your health. (Check out that post here: http://www.factorfictionnutritionblog.com/2009/03/nutrition-and-health-red-meat.html).
  



• Ditch the packaging. Keep an eye out for excess packaging when buying packaged products. Unnecessary packaging = unnecessary waste that ends up in our landfills.
  Take your own bags to the grocer. 12.4 billion plastic bags were handed out last year in the U.S. alone, each one used for an average of only 20 minutes before being chucked. Like plastic bottles, plastic bags take about 1000 years to degrade in our landfills. Nuff said.
  

Read more of my green eating posts here:
http://www.factorfictionnutritionblog.com/search/label/Green%20Eating

Presidential Organic Garden

Great news for organics! The first lady, Michelle Obama, has planted a vegetable garden on the White House grounds, and it will be 100% organic! The garden is planned to be used for meals at the White House, small and large, and "to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern".

The entire Obama family is going to get dirty, pulling weeds and helping to maintain the garden. I am happy to see such a prominent family helping to spread the word about the importance of healthy, local, organic food. Hopefully, this will influence others to choose more healthful and environmentally friendly methods of obtaining produce.

The garden will contain 55 varieties of vegetables in raised beds, fertilized with White House compost, crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, lime and green sand. Instead of harmful pesticides, ladybugs and praying mantises will help control bugs.

For those who live in urban areas with limited green space, community gardens are one option, and are popping up all over.

Don't have time for a garden? You can still make some healthy changes with a few easy steps:

• Chuck the processed foods
• Start an herb garden in your kitchen window
• Try to make at least one home cooked meal per week (or one more than you already do)
• Make time to sit down and enjoy meals with family or friends

Grapefruit may cause blood clots?

A woman in Washington recently had a close call with having leg amputated due to high intakes of... grapefruit??

An article in The Lancet this week details the events that lead a 42 year old woman to a near amputation due to a blood clot, after following the grapefruit diet. Although most science indicates that grapefruit is safe to eat with most medications, there are some drugs it's known to interact with. Compounds in grapefruit called "bioflavinoids" typically increase the effectiveness of drugs, which can have detrimental effects. According to doctors, the estrogen in the birth control pill the woman was on, which already increases the risk of clots in women over 35, caused a severe clot in the woman's leg, due to her recent adoption of the grapefruit diet. Grapefruit, that innocent little citrus fruit, can block an enzyme that normally breaks down estrogen. In fact, 250 ml of grapefruit juice can be enough to increase drug levels in the blood, and the effects can last for 3 days or longer.

I think the public has a misconception that all herbal products are naturally safer, and they forget that food and nutrients that are normally good for you, can have negative health effects if taken in excess. If a natural remedy works, it's because it contains a compound with a degree of strength to affect your body's chemistry, just like drugs. And, just like drugs, natural foods and herbal supplements can interact with each other, or with drugs, and cause potentially dangerous side effects.

Most of us are interested in nutrition because we believe food has the power to affect health, and it does! But too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect we want it to. This is one of the many reasons we dietitians push variety. ;)

To be safe:

• Always talk to your doctor (or pharmacist) about possible food, herbal, and drug interactions.
  


• If you are recommended to avoid a particular food while taking medication, always read labels to make sure said food is not an ingredient or used as flavouring.
  


• Read the labels on foods and natural health products, and check with your doctor before taking even herbal remedies.