Improving your health and wellness.

Just wishing everyone a safe, and Happy New Year!

Think proper nutrition is complicated? It doesn’t have to be.
Follow these simple principles and you’ll never go wrong.

I would bet that without even thinking, you could name 4 or 5 diets or eating plans that are in the popular media…Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Atkins, South Beach, etc. Every time you turn around, there’s a fantastic “new” approach to eating. It’s enough to make your head spin!

But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. I’ve got some easy-to-follow nutritional principles that will help keep you on the right track. Beginner or advanced, these will work for you!

1. Focus your eating on natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible.

While I know it’s not always possible to get fresh fruit and veggies and other unprocessed foods everywhere you go, your body will always respond best when you feed it foods that are not altered through processing. Your body has evolved over thousands and thousands of years to process foods in their natural state - it’s only relatively recently that processed foods have appeared on the scene.

Your body has the digestive mechanisms for efficiently processing foods in their natural state. When you add in the fats, salt, sugar, additives, etc., your body starts having a hard time digesting and coping. Think of it like trying to put regular gas into a vehicle that runs on diesel. It may run, but it’s not going to be very efficient with the fuel and it could cause problems down the road (no pun intended!)

Bottom Line: Eating foods that are not processed allows your body to function more efficiently. You’ll lose fat without even trying.

2. Get plenty of good quality, lean protein sources in your diet

When you’re training, your body has a much greater need for protein. During weight training and endurance training especially, your body is constantly breaking down muscle tissue. Protein is required to rebuild it. By regularly feeding your body good protein sources, you’ll be able to hold onto and build muscle mass easier.

Good sources of lean protein include meats (look for leaner cuts like sirloin), poultry, eggs (while not lean, eggs will not shoot up your cholesterol as many worry), fish, low-fat dairy, soybeans, and various legumes (beans).

As far as how much protein your body needs, this will vary according to how much you weigh and your activity level. A level of around 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight is a good guideline (we don’t count total bodyweight because fat is not metabolically active and doesn’t require protein to sustain it).

3. Don’t be afraid of “good” fats

Fats can be extremely beneficial, even when you’re trying to lose weight! Fats are important in a tremendous variety of bodily processes including hormone production, immunity, joint and organ protection, and even burning bodyfat. Without the “good” fats, your body will not function as well as it could.

“Good” fats include sources such as fish, nuts, flax oil, borage oil, and olive oil (there are many other good sources as well). Increasing your intake of these good fats can help keep you feeling good and burning your own bodyfat more efficiently.

Your total fat intake should be around 30% of your daily calories. A good way to go about getting this is to try and keep your focus primarily on low-fat foods while purposefully adding the “good” fats into your diet (like eating a few almonds every day or taking fish oil or flax oil capsules).

4. Carbs are fine

Despite all the talk about carbs being the enemy, it’s important to note that carbs and foods that contain carbs can actually be quite good for you! It’s generally the refined sugar added to foods that is the problem, not the carbohydrate as a nutrient on its own.

5. Non-nutritious foods should be minimized

This is an easy one. More than likely, you already know that you shouldn’t be eating Cheesy-Poofs or chocolate bars 3 meals a day. The calories you get from these foods don’t come with any actual nutrients. When your body is missing nutrients, it craves more food (not to mention the insulin response to the sugar in many of these foods) and you tend to eat more of the poor food that doesn’t have nutrients in it.

It’s ironic to think that many overweight people are actually malnourished! When you eat nutrient-dense foods, your body gets the nutrients it needs and functions much better.

5. Salads, fruits and vegetables will give you lots of fiber, roughage and nutrition

Eat plenty of salds, fruits and veggies every day. This is usually one that everybody already knows yet doesn’t normally focus on. The fiber in the foods helps keep you from getting too hungry and helps keep your digestive system clean.

6. Just do the best you can

It’s not always easy or convenient to follow good eating principles. There are plenty of tasty temptations to be found every time you turn around.

The REAL key to proper nutrition is to focus on trying to do well MOST of the time, not all of the time. It’s what you do most of the time that will give you the long-term results you’re looking for. Determining that you MUST be perfect all of the time is a sure way to set yourself up for disappointment when the time comes that you don’t eat a perfectly healthy food choice.

Sometimes, you just have to eat those Cheesy Poofs and not worry about it.

There is SO much information about health and fitness floating around these days,
how do you know what’s good and what’s a load of garbage? And it’s especially
confusing when two sources say two different things! Learn how to figure out for
yourself who to believe and who to kick to the curb.

So here’s the bottom line question…when it comes to fitness, who do you believe?

Well, believe me (no pun intended!) when I say this…you CAN make good, educated decisions when it comes to what works and what doesn’t in fitness, even if you don’t have “insider” knowledge about every single product, author or training technique you come across.

My main goal here is to give you some solid decision-making ideas to help you steer yourself in the right direction.

My OTHER goal here is to help you avoid the “paralysis by analysis” that often plagues those who aren’t sure where to start or who to believe…they end up doing nothing at all, which is NOT the best way to accomplish something!

1. The TRUST Factor…

The first method of determining what’s good and what’s bad is finding a person/coach/trainer you trust…somebody who walks the walk, who has spent time “in the trenches” and who really cares about what they’re doing. Somebody whose recommendations you know are based on knowledge and experience.

Here’s the thing…some of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to training don’t have any “real” qualifications at all! Their knowledge is based on their own reading and their own gym hours. Yet this can also be a very dangerous thing.

Those “real” qualifications do serve a purpose. Ideally, you want to find somebody who’s got a good base of knowledge in the theoretical and plenty of practical experience in the gym…somebody who is not afraid to acknowledge the validity of other people’s theories and practices. For me, this is a HUGE determination of who to trust…any coach who thinks that only THEIR way is effective is an idiot. Just like there are many good ways to get from point A to point B in a city, there are plenty of ways to accomplish fat loss and muscle growth.

Some ways are better than others, naturally, but many ideas have merit.

2. Consider the Source And What They Have To Gain Or Lose

When you read a muscle magazine and come across a 4-page “informational” report, it’s pretty easy to figure out what the company has to gain by putting forward this information. You know it’s going to be slanted in favor of their product because they want you to buy it. As good as the information they present might LOOK, you have to take it with a grain of salt because they have a lot to gain by your accepting the information.

Here’s the problem…even very good studies quoted in these ad reports can be very loosely interpreted to “prove” the product works. They know that chances are good you’re not going to be looking up and actually reading these studies.

3. What Do You Do When 2 People You Trust Say 2 Different Things?

That makes things a bit trickier and that’s when you need to educate yourself, think things through and sometimes even take BOTH people’s advice and test it for yourself. I’ll explain…

For example, if one person says “long-duration cardio is the best way to lose fat” and the other person says “interval training is the best way to lose fat”, and you trust both people, what you’ll need to do is see what works best for YOU.

Neither method of cardio training is necessarily wrong - both methods have their pros and cons and both can be more appropriate in certain situations. If both people put forward good arguments, you need to test it on yourself if you want to really find out what works best for you. Do 3 weeks of long-duration cardio then gauge your results then do 3 weeks of intervals and gauge your results.

Honestly, this isn’t perfect either but it’ll give you a good idea of what works for you and what doesn’t.

And if you don’t want to test both opinions, then read MORE opinions to see if somebody else puts forward a better explanation.

Let me put it this way…I know for a FACT that not everybody reading this article will agree 100% with every bit of training information I put forward. That’s totally fine with me! In fact, I prefer it that way because it means I’m pushing the envelope.

It then comes down to how you feel about the reasoning behind the techniques and your willingness to give the techniques a fair try. It’s the same thing when you have 2 trainers who disagree - heck, they may BOTH be wrong!

4. The Gut Check

Ever heard the phrase “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?” If some diet program makes insane claims, they’d better have proof to back it up. Lose 10 lbs in your first week? It’s possible…if that 10 lbs is mostly water.

At the same time, don’t be fooled by people who claim that fast results AREN’T possible. Because I can tell you from experience, you CAN see quick results IF you’ve got the right training and nutritional program. Many people want you to believe you have settle for less because THEY have settled for less and don’t know how to get more.

There’s a happy medium in that respect…don’t be afraid to try for big results but temper your expectations because there’s a reason those ads all have to have small print that says “results aren’t typical.”

5. Doing SOMETHING is Always Better Than Doing NOTHING

If you’re sitting on the couch, eating potato chips and watching 8 hours of TV a day because two different coaches said two different things about training and you don’t know who to believe, I can promise you that the answer won’t come to you on reruns of the Cosby Show.

Likewise, the person who has all the theoretical training knowledge in the world but who doesn’t put any of it into practice is NOT better off than the person who knows hardly anything about training but who goes for a walk every day and tries to eat more fruits and vegetables.

So even if you’re getting conflicting advice, use your best judgement and DO something. If it’s not working after a few weeks, you can change. There’s no contract to sign.

6. How Do You Tell When Information is BAD?

There will be times when information is just plain bad. That’s when you go to your resources…ask people you trust (I’m happy to help you with questions you have about training info), post a note on a forum that has good people on it, do some research online.

If something doesn’t smell right about the information, definitely do a little research before trying it out.

CONCLUSION:

The bottom line with all these tips is that contradictions in training information are a fact of life…they’ll always be very knowledgeable, well-educated people who disagree completely about different aspects of fitness.

But don’t let contradictions stop you from moving forward and forming a plan of action…chances are, these contradictions won’t matter a hill of beans in terms of your overall results.

Long-duration cardio or intervals? I prefer intervals but it’s not wrong to do long-duration cardio if it works better for YOU (just ask my wife!).

Everyone always strives to lose weight, get in shape for whatever reason, but mostly all forget one muscle that is just as critical…..your brain. To fucntion just as well as the rest of your body your brain needs the right nutrients and exercises (crossword puzzles, sudoku, reading, Meditation) So get out there and read a book that you have been putting off, do the training you need to do for whatever business or schooling you are doing, and strengthen the brain!!

BRAIN FOOD
“One cannot think well, love well or sleep well if one has not dined well.”
Virginia Woolfe

The foods you eat directly affects the performance of your brain. It has been proven that by eating the right food, you can boost your IQ, improve your mood, be more emotionally stable, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young.

If you give your brain the right nutrients, you will be able to think quicker, have a better memory, be better coordinated and balanced and have improved concentration.

The three key brain foods to boost your brainpower and keep your brain healthy and your mental processes operating effectively are nutritious food, water and oxygen:

Brain Foods

Thinking is a biochemical process. For brain cells to communicate effectively with each other to create neural pathways, they require chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the ‘messengers’ carrying messages from neuron to neuron.

Neurotransmitters are made from amino acids found in protein foods e.g., meat, fish and cheese.

Vitamins and minerals are needed to convert ordinary amino acids into these powerful neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are found in the food we eat, hence why some foods are called ‘brain foods’.

The three key neurotransmitters are:

1. Acetylcholine (ACh). This neurotransmitter excites other neurons and may be responsible for memory.

It is involved with voluntary movement of muscles, behavioural inhibition, drinking and memory.

People with Alzheimer’s memory loss may have less ACh or ACh that is blocked.

Acetylcholine rich foods include: egg yolks, peanuts, wheat germ, liver, meat, fish, milk, cheese and vegetables (especially broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower)

2. Dopamine generally excites and is involved in movement, attention and learning but is also inhibitory.

It is involved with voluntary movement, emotional arousal.

Schizophrenia is associated with excess dopamine.

People with Parkinson’s disease may have less or damaged dopamine causing tremors, loss of balance etc. The drug “L-Dopa” may be given to increase the level of dopamine.

Dopamine rich foods include all proteins (meat, milk products, fish, beans, nuts, soy products). 3-4ounces of protein will help you to feel energized, more alert and more assertive.

3. Serotonin (or 5-HT) usually inhibits and is involved in arousal and sleep, mood, appetite and sensitivity. However, it is also excitatory and is part of the brain’s reward system producing feelings of pleasure.

People who suffer from clinical depression may have too little serotonin active in synapses so they may benefit from taking a Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitor(SSRI) e.g., Prozac to extend the serotonin activity.

Serotonin rich foods are carbohydrate based e.g., pasta, starchy vegetables, potatoes, cereals, breads.

Brain Foods ~ Protein

Protein is found in meat, fish, milk and cheese. Protein provides the building blocks for most of the body’s tissues, nerves, internal organs (including brain and heart). Proteins are used to make neurotransmitters and are essential to improve mental performance.

Brain Foods ~ Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates enhance the absorption of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin in the brain. Within about thirty minutes of eating a carbohydrate meal,, you will feel more calm and relaxed. The effects will last several hours.

Grains, fruits and vegetables are key sources of carbohydrates.

Digestion causes the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose (sugar) which is the brains primary source of energy. If your glucose levels fluctuate too much, you may experience mental confusion, dizziness and if severe, convulsions and loss of consciousness.

Brain Foods ~ Fat

The brain is more than 60% fat. This is because the brain cells are covered by the myelin sheath which is composed of approximately 75% fat. Fats also play a crucial role as messengers. They regulate key aspects of the immune system, blood circulation, inflammation, memory and mood.

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential to the optimum performance of your brain. Lack of omega-3 fats in your diet can lead to depression, poor memory, low IQ, learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADD and many more mental disorders.

To ensure that your diet is rich in omega-3 fats, ensure that you eat plenty of oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, herring, mackerel and anchovies.

Brain Foods ~ Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential for the growth and functioning of the brain.

The ‘B’ complex vitamins are particularly important for the brain and play a vital role in producing energy. Vitamins A, C and E are powerful antioxidants and promote and preserve memory in the elderly.

Minerals are also critical to mental functioning and performance. Magnesium and manganese are needed for brain energy. Sodium, potassium and calcium are important in the thinking process and they facilitate the transmission of messages.

The holidays, no matter where you are. no matter your faith and despite the mad shopping trip to the malls to get your Christmas shopping done, people really do feel festive when it comes to the Holidays. No other holiday, in my eyes pulls people together to help one another, those less fortunate.

The reason for my blog……well for those less fortunate, okay maybe not less fortunate,but being away from their families and friends, their way of life during the holidays. It is early, but you can smell it. It’s in the air, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, is hovering about, and everyone is abuzz with the holiday spirit. I know what it is like to be away from family. For tow years I was in Iraq with the army, away from my wife and kids. The hardest thing I have ever done.

But the one thing, other than receiving mail from my wife, friends and family was receiving mail from complete strangers. Wishing me a safe return home, wishing me a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. So if you know of anyone who is serving in the military, be it whatever country you hail from, send them a card, go to the Red Cross and see if you can send mail to the troops, even if you do not know anyone. That is the the best gift for a soldier, trust me I know.

And for those less fortunate, give a helping hand, or if someone has to be away from their families for wahtever the reason, contact that person, wish them a happy holidays. THAT is the greatest gift you can give anyone during this time of year. No one should be alone, and no one should be forgotten at this time.

Thank you for listening.

Christopher M. Shaddock

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Drink Well – Live Long

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Natural Energy

Black Grape will give you that extra boost when you need it. A blend of B Vitamins, Taurine, Green Tea Extract, Guarana Seed Extract and Natural Caffeine gives you that pick me up when you need it — without the crash. Black Grape has as much natural caffeine as a cup of the leading premium coffee.

Power of Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant produced by plants to attack pathogens, foreign bacteria and environmental stresses. Some of the richest sources of Resveratrol are the skins of red or dark grapes and Japanese Knotweed. Independent researchers have found that Resveratrol protects cells from free radicals and acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-mutagen. Recent studies suggest Resveratrol improves performance of the brain and heart, and promotes cellular longevity. Many nutritionists and health professionals encourage those with poor immune systems or those recovering from illness to consume foods with Resveratrol. As an entirely natural plant compound, it is a perfectly safe addition to any healthy diet.

Turn on your Body… Turn off your Tongue

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Want to lose weight as you chow down? Your wish is granted! (I promise, this is no fairy tale.) Your supermarket is filled with foods that studies show have lipid-melting powers to help melt fat and keep you slim. Stock up on these fat-fighting super bites, and you’ll be trimmer even as you indulge. Read on to discover the eight foods that deserve a permanent spot in your fridge—and in your diet!

Almonds These yummy nuts are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can accelerate your metabolism of fats. In fact, dieters who ate 3 ounces of almonds daily slashed their weight and body-mass index by 18 percent, while those who skipped the nuts reduced both numbers less— just 11 percent—a study in the International Journal of Obesity revealed. Chomp almonds à la carte (limit yourself to 12 per serving to keep calories in check). I get a pack at Starbucks and nibble throughout my day. Or sprinkle them into a recipe such as Black Bean-Almond Pesto Chicken. Go nuts!

Berries I tell my daughter, “These are nature’s candy!” Turns out they’re also your body’s best friends. Strawberries, raspberries and other vitamin C-spiked fruit can supercharge your workout, helping you burn up to 30 percent more fat, research from Arizona State University at Mesa has found. If they’re not in season, buy the little gems frozen in a bulk-sized bag so you’ll always have them on hand to whip up a Berry Bliss Smoothie or Strawberry-Sunflower Pops, regardless of whether berries are in season.

Cinnamon Adding 1/4 teaspoon to your plate may prevent an insulin spike—an uptick that tells your body to store fat. Sprinkle it on your morning cereal or coffee or on your yogurt in the A.M., or savor it in Apple-Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal. Mustard It’s heaven on a soft pretzel, but mustard may also be a weight loss wonder.

Turmeric, the spice that gives mustard its color, may slow the growth of fat tissues, a study in the journal Endocrinology finds. Use it on sandwiches instead of mayo, or sprinkle turmeric on cauliflower pre-roasting to give it a kick. Try it on tuna salad—I promise it adds zest. Oranges This citrus fruit, which contains fat-blasting compounds known as flavones, deserves to be your main squeeze. Women who ate the most flavones had a much lower increase in body fat over a 14-year period, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition notes. Eat oranges sliced or swig fresh OJ (including pulp!) to get the best benefit from the fruit. Soybeans Reason to toss a half cup on your salad?

Soybeans are rich in choline, a compound that blocks the absorption of fat and breaks down fatty deposits. Oh, and they’re addictively delish! But if breast cancer runs in your family, experts suggest you should talk to your doc before adding soy to your diet.

Sweet potatoes The colorful spuds’ high-fiber content means they keep your insulin steadier than their white sisters, which means less fat packed on your hips, research finds. Top a small baked tater with lowfat cottage cheese for a tempting side dish, or whip up Miso Soup With Sweet Potato Dumplings.

Swiss cheese Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown, and Swiss has more calcium than many of its cheesy peers. Choose the reduced-fat variety, such as Sargento. Slip it into your sandwich, put it on top of high-fiber crackers or use it for a healthier grilled cheese. Yum!

Mother Nature’s Powerful Anti-Aging food!

NingXia Red™; is a super-nutritive and delicious premium fruit blend carefully prepared with legendary NingXia wolfberries. Only NingXia Red™ delivers the highest natural levels of vital, bioactive nutirents that are scarce in our modern diets. These nutrients come together to improve health in virtually every organ system. Consumers, who drink NingXia Red™, report a wide variety of significant and sometimes phenomenal health effects.

NingXia Red™ is made with “NingXia” wolfberry and five other disease-fighting fruits:

NingXia Wolfberry; whole fruit puree
Apricot juices have been favored by the long-living Hunza people
Raspberry and blueberry juices, known as especially rich sources of the powerful antioxidants polyphenol and anthocyanidins
Pomegranate juice with three times the antioxidant activity of green tea
Dark red Grapes seed, stem, and skin contain some of the best nutrients

Simply stated, “NingXia” is an Anti-aging fruit drink.

Scientist and physicians are realizing as never before that what we need is a massive nutrient infusion. The lack of nutrients is robbing millions of the health and energy necessary to enjoy life. But now, for thousands of users, NingXia Red means lasting energy, extra immunity and more youth. Drink it every day and give your body what it needs to move your health and your life to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

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Today, speaking as a veteran, take the time to support a veteran, stop and say hello, give prayers to the peolpe who have lost their loved ones, and give prayers for the service members who are deployed, or will be deployed.

This takes only a few seconds to do, and by doing this, giving thanks, support, etc, it will last a lifetime. Trust me I know.

So to all my military bretheren, be it a veteran, active duty, national guard, reserve I wish you well, I pray for your safe return, and I remember those who have fallen.

SGT Christopher M Shaddock