All posts by : Mike

Flaxseeds are small little seeds packed with alot of nutritional  benefits, but three of them stand out more than the others.  They are, Omega-3 fatty acids, Lignans, and Fiber.  This is a healthy superfood that has been around for centuries and has never shown anything less than great health benefits for anyone that consumes them.

One serving of flaxseeds is one tablespoon  (7 grams) with 2 of those grams being full of Omega-3 fatty acids.  This is a great benefit because the Omega -3 fatty acids are important for managing and preventing heart disease, lowering blood pressure and helping in the reduction of triglycerides.  They also reduce inflammation which is important because if you have inflammation anywhere or everywhere it can cause damage to your blood vessels which can lead to strokes and heart disease.  Heart attacks are also caused by high levels of plaque and triglycerides building up in the inside of the coronary arteries which will cause the arteries to harden and narrow preventing the blood to flow and carry necessary nutrients and oxygen to the heart and the rest of the body.  Omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce the plaque and triglyceride build up thus allowing the coronary arteries to still be able to properly function.

Flaxseeds have the highest amount of lignans than any other source.  Lignans are mainly known for reduction of excess amount of estrogen and for their antioxidant effects, but they are also a great source to strengthening the immune system, strengthen ovarian and prostate and colon health, improve and strengthen digestion, reduction of diabetes, and reducing cardiovascular disease.  They have the highest antioxidant value and any other fruit or veggie as well.  That alone should make it a reason to be a staple of your diet.  Lignans are also great for lowering the LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

Within one serving (1 tablespoon {7 grams}) of flaxseeds there are 3 grams of fiber.  This is great also because it consists of both soluble and insoluble fiber.  Soluble fiber is important because it dissolves in water and as it passes through the digestive track it turns into a gel and picks up any left over build up within and allows it to get flushed out of the body.  This will reduce bloating, improve digestion, keep your intestines clean and healthy and strengthen your immune system. It also improves your body’s blood glucose control which will help with diabetes. Insoluble fiber helps bring water into your stool (poop) making it easier to pass out of your system and not allowing constipation which will also reduce the amount of stress within your bowels.  The benefits of these fibers alone will allow you to control your body weight, reduce blood pressure, regulate your blood sugar levels,  and reduce risk of colan cancer and diabetes.

Quite a bit of healthy benefits from one little seed.  These are reasons enough to add them to your diet regimen.  You can snack on them as seeds itself or you can mix them into your meals.  They come as seeds or ground up alread as a flax meal.  There are two types, golden or brown.  Virtually no difference between the two kinds so just grab whicher one you choose. You can also get it as a supplement as well such as a gel capsule from your local vitamin store.

This is a very common question that I get alot from new and potential clients.  They tell me about their elaborate workouts and how often they are going and how dedicated they are.  Some will go in the mornings before work and some will go after work.  Some even go in twice a day before and after work.  Yet they still have this infamous question.  “Why cant I lose any weight?”  Then I start hearing the responses like,  “Maybe its just not in my cards and I am destined to never be in shape.”  “I dont have the right genes to lose weight.”  “I have tried everything and its just not possible.” “Ever since I had my kids its just impossible to lose the weight.  It cant be done.”  Not true on any of these.

Now yes, some people do have a legit reason that makes it more challenging for the average person to lose weight.  Such as they may have a thyroid issue and will need to see a Dr. to get it tested and maybe be prescribed a thyroid medicine.  Some people with have an injury that is either recent or old and it may limit some mobility.  Some people may have very hectic schedules and find it difficult to find time in the day or even make a routine to fit it into the day for even 3 days a week.   Yes these are legit arguments to make but none are an actual reason for why you cant lose the weight.

Here is a piece of info that most people dont realize.  70% of weight loss come from your DIET.  NOT from exercise and working out.  If you are doing an hour of cardio and working out for an hour but then either eat only 1-2 meals a day because you are afraid to take in too many calories, or if you are eating 1-4 meals a day but they are the wrong foods.  Foods that are high in saturated fats, sodium, calories, carbs, etc then everything that you just did in the gym, isnt for nothing, but it isnt for weight loss.

Most people dont realize just how important a proper balanced diet is for ones health and for weight loss.  Its not just about working out but its about feeding your body with the proper nutrition it needs so that all your organs can keep working without any hiccups or stress.  Now each persons diet may need to be different.  Based on your fitness goals will help determine what kind of diet you will need to be on.  Then what can change that even more is if you are allergic to certain kinds of foods or if you dont even like certain kinds of foods.  Timing your meals out and how many meals a day will also make an impact.

Dont eat to get full, rather eat to fuel your body.  Your body can only digest and utilize so much nutrients and calories before the excess needs to leave the body in either your urine or your poop.  If you consume too much more than that then the body will convert and store the excess into your fat cells.  I will do another blog post on how the fat cells work within the body and what their purpose is.  But for the sake of this article, just know that it is a storage facility for excess nutrients within the body.

So with a well balanced diet where you are balancing out all of your calories, protein, carbs, fats, etc, then your body can utilize the right amount of nutrients for everything to function without consuming excess amounts.  Timing out your meals is a must as well as this will get the metabolism on track to speed up.  If you can consume ideally 5 small meals a day but at a minimum of 4 small meals then the metabolism will speed up and break the foods down and circulate the nutrients within the body so that they get to the organs and cells for utilization.  By the time the foods are broken down, digested, utilized then the body can relax and get ready for the next meal that will be coming shortly.

Alot of people think that eating too many meals a day will cause you to gain weight.  Yes this is true if the portion sizes are too big or are made up of the wrong kinds of foods.  But with smaller portion sizes and the right foods then the body will work more efficiently and productively.  An individuals goal will determine exactly what their diet will consist of, how many calories they will need to consume, when they will need to either increase certain foods or taper off certain foods.   Thats why its important to speak to an experienced professional about setting up the right diet based on your goal.  Template diets dont work for everyone and should only be used as a guidance if you are curious about what some clean meals you can eat.  The most efficient diets are the ones that are taylor made for your specific fitness goal.

Now with the right diet in place you will start to see some weight loss changes.  Now if you want to speed up those results then it comes down to the timing of your workouts and cardio.  There are two ideal times that you want to do your cardio.  The first time would be first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.  The second time would be right after you finish your workout with the weights, machines, HIIT, etc.  Why at these times.  When you do your cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach your body will need to get an energy source from somewhere since you havent eaten anything to provide that.  Well the fat cells will now become that energy source.  It will take the excess nutrients stored up and start using them to fire you through your cardio thus causing the fat cell to shrink down in size.

The second best time to do your cardio would be immediatley after you finish your rigorous workout and have depleted all the food energy that you have consumed to power you through that workout.  With the food energy depleted and now you have to do cardio, the energy source to power you through that will come from the fat cells.  These are your two ideal times to do your cardo for optimal weight loss.

So now with a better understanding of the importance of nutrition and the timing of when to do cardio for optimal weight loss, these will help get you past those plateaus.  Try this way out and fully commit it to it and by week 3 you should see some improvements and results.

Many people think that strawberries are just a delicious fruit that they can eat for breakfast, throw it in their smoothie or even dump it in the blender and use it for margaritas.  Well thats all fine but there are many nutritional and health benefits to adding strawberries to your daily diet. Here are some reasons why.

Strawberries are only 49 calories per 1 cup serving (144 grams). Did you know that strawberries are a great source of vitamin C?  One cup of strawberries (144 grams) will give you 90 mg of vitamin C.  Compared to 1 large orange (184 grams), an orange has 98 mg of vitamin C.  So per capita you get slightly more vitamin C in strawberries than you would a large orange.

It also is only 7 grams of suger per 1 cup.  This is very important to know as we want to keep our sugars in single digits.  So one serving of strawberries represents 1 cup and at only 7 grams that keeps us right where we want out sugar level to be at.

Strawberries  will also provide you with 237 mg of potassium.  Just something to compare it to, one large banana (136 grams) will give you 487mg of potassium and 17 grams of sugars and 121 calories.  So 1 large banana (which is 8 grams smaller of a serving size, will have about twice as much potassium, about 2 and a half times as much sugars, and 2 and a half times the amount of calories.

Strawberries are also loaded with polyphenols which is a type of antioxidant and which also helps improve digestion and weight management issues and reverse inflammation.  It also reduces the risk of heart disease, gout, and arthritis.  Its also sodium free, fat free and cholesterol free.

Now strawberries are a great source of soluble fiber (3 grams per 1 cup serving). Why is this important?  Because this helps aid in weight loss.  Soluble fiber dissolves in water and then as it travels through your intestines (GI tract) it absorbs and picks up the undigested waste building up within and then helps it push it out of your system, thus preventing bloating and constipation.  Its like having a natural colan cleanse.

So basically strawberries should be a staple of your everyday diet.  Right there with blueberries.  Eat them with yoru oatmeal, yogurt, smoothie, or just by themselves.  They tase great and they have numerous health benefits.  Just get them in daily!!!

Stretching is very important. It helps keep the muscles loose, flexible, helps you to be more mobile, and helps prevent sarcopenia from occurring. But when is the best time to stretch?  When is it not only the most beneficial but also the safest time to stretch?  Most think it’s right before your workout. Some say during the workout. Some say after the workout. Well, the correct answer is after the workout is complete. This may come across as shocking to a lot of people as most people like to stretch before leg day, before a run, before a bike ride or even before going hiking. Well here is an analogy to help you understand why.

If you were to get a rubber band and put it in the freezer and then after a few hours pull it out and then stretch it, what would happen to it? It would snap. Now if you took a rubber band and put it into, say a microwave, and heated it up for a little bit and then took it out and stretched it, what would happen to it then? It would not snap and it would actually stretch further. So think of your body as a bunch of rubber bands. You need to fully warm it up before you do any stretching. Otherwise, you can snap the tendons. Then you will have a serious problem. Rehab for sure, and on severe cases, surgery. So it is best to always do your stretching after you have done your workout as this will allow you to get the muscles moving, warm them up, get them loose, bring in the blood to the affected area which will bring nutrients and oxygen to the muscles.

One of the concerns people have about not stretching before a workout is being too stiff or tight to do any of the lifts for their workout.

Well, this is why you do warm-up sets with lighter weight and higher reps. This allows the muscles to get loos and not be so tight. Depending on how tight and stiff you are you can do anywhere from 1-3 sets before you do your first working set.

Now, what about if you are going to do a run, ride a bike, or go for a hike. What can you do then to warm up? Simple, walk for a few minutes. Nothing too stressful. Not yet at least. You will need a few minutes of moving around to get those muscles warm, loose and get some blood flow going. If you are riding a bike, ride it lightly and easily for about 5 -10 minutes. Going for a hike, walk for a few minutes on a flat surface before you start the inclines.

Here is another analogy.

Think of your body as an engine of a car. When you start your car after it has been sitting overnight you let it run and warm up, yes? I mean, you really should. This allows the oil in the car to move around within the engine to lubricate it and let all the cylinders, valves, pistons and other moving components to work efficiently. When you warm up it allows the synovial fluid to start moving around and lubricating your joints thus allowing you to perform the movements more freely and easily and not causing so much friction within the body.

What about if you are going to be doing yoga? Simple. You can either take a nice long soothing hot/warm shower or a bath for at least 10-15 minutes. The warm water will allow the muscles to relax and loosen up making it easier for you to perform more flexible movements. However, this does not get they synovial fluid moving around the joints. Just loosens up the muscles making it easier to perform movements and poses.

So there you go. Stretching is done ideally at the end of a workout when the body is warmed, muscles are loose, and synovial fluid is flowing. Hope this article helps you out. If you have any questions regarding this or any form of training feel free to contact me.

Why is it so important for you to drink water daily? Well, it has many purposes. It regulates your body temperature, keeps all of your body’s cells functioning properly, removes toxins from the body via sweat or through the kidneys, relieves fatigue, hangovers, and headaches, speeds up your metabolism, and promotes healthy skin. How do you know if you are dehydrated and need more water? The easiest way to determine is by the color of your urine. If it is a dark yellow then you are dehydrated. The clearer it is the better you are. Your optimal color is a clear lemon yellow color. Also, by the time you are thirsty the body is already dehydrated. So it’s important to drink water consistently throughout the day.

Did you know that drinking 12-16 ounces of cool water right when you wake up, on an empty stomach can jump-start your metabolism and boost fat loss? No? Well, now you do. So by drinking water first thing when you wake up on an empty stomach, it will flush out the toxins within the colon and help it stay clean. By having a clean colon you can better absorb the nutrients from the foods you are about to consume and also help improve your digestive system.  Also, the body needs to regulate the temperature of the water within the body so by drinking it cold the body will have to warm it up.  It takes calories to get that process going, thus causing you to burn calories right from the start of your day when you drink a glass of cold water.

Also, if you are prone to having heartburn, acid reflux, or indigestion, then drink some water. The acidity from all of these is heading up your esophagus from your stomach. This acid can be dangerous to your esophagus and even lead to ulcers. By drinking water, it pushes it down through the stomach, through the digestive tract and out of your system.

How much water should you drink a day? The average male should drink 3 liters a day and the average woman should drink 2 liters a day. Now the more athletic you are the more you will need to consume. Men who work out and exercise vigorously will drink 1 to 1.5 gallons of water a day. Women who train just as hard will drink about a gallon a day.

If water just absolutely bores you as it does for a lot of people then you can add a slice of lemon, orange, a couple cucumbers, or even some mint leaves to make it nice and refreshing.  Always makes it easier to go down with just a little natural flavor added to it.

So put those sodas and juices down and drink water instead. So many more benefits to drinking water than anything else.

Why should avocados be a part of our daily diet?

Because they have many benefits for our bodies. How about this? Did you know that avocados have more potassium than bananas? Avocados have 708mg vs bananas which have 422mg, and with only 1 gram of sugar vs a banana which has 14 grams, it’s a better food choice to grab. Avocados are also loaded with fiber. 7 grams actually. This is a good benefit to our bodies as it aids in intestinal function (helps you poop the waste out).

They are also high in oleic monounsaturated fat (omega 9 fatty acids)  which lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise your HDL (good cholesterol) which will help prevent heart disease. Oleic acid is also very resistant to high heat-induced oxidation which means it is a great oil to use when cooking so that you can get all of the benefits of the oil.

With 29 grams of healthy fat in one avocado, this can help aid in weight loss by taking a little bit longer to digest and giving you the feeling of satiety so that you don’t feel the need to eat again too soon. And did you know that vitamins A, D, E, and K are “fat-soluble” vitamins which means that they need a fat source to help break them down so the body can utilize them completely? With this higher level of healthy fat, there should be no reason to not get proper breakdown and absorption.

Avocados also do not have any sodium. This can help reduce high blood pressure. For individuals on a restrictive diet to control high blood pressure this should absolutely be a part of the diet.

Avocados are also loaded with over 20 vitamins and minerals which makes it a great food to eat to help get all of the nutrients the body needs to properly function. Avocados also can help increase the antioxidant absorption and increase the nutrient values from plant food sources. Just like in eggs, avocados are high in Lutein and Zeaxanthin. These are antioxidants that help strengthen your eyes and prevent cataracts prevent macular degeneration.

So basically avocados are full of health benefits. Slice them up and put them in your salads, sandwiches, burgers, eat them on the side of a salmon or steak dish.  Or just eat them alone. Enjoy.

Is shrimp considered clean and healthy to eat and have as part of my diet? Is it good to eat for weight loss? But most shrimp is farm-raised, isn’t that bad to consume? I can’t tell if the fish I got is good or not. How can I know if I got good or bad shrimp? These are the most common questions I hear about shrimp. So I thought that we should put these answers out there for everyone to know.

Yes, shrimp is considered very clean and healthy to have as part of your diet. Here is why, for 100 grams of shrimp (about 11 large shrimp) it has only 99 calories, 24 grams of protein, .02 grams of carbs, .03 grams of fat, and 111 milligrams of sodium. This being so lean makes it great to have if you are trying to shed some unwanted weight.

Shrimp is also high in iodine which makes thyroid hormones that help control the metabolism in your body.

It is also important for brain health as well. There are about 20 different vitamins and minerals in shrimp actually that are important for you. Some of them are phosphorus, B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and choline. Shrimp is also a great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids (which are important for heart health, increasing the good HDL cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and reducing arterial plaque).

Shrimp is actually high in antioxidants called astaxanthin. This is important because it can reduce blood pressure and decrease the risk of brain damage if someone has a stroke. It also helps in the prevention of diabetes and cancer. It also has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties which helps keep your skin healthy. Also, it prevents wrinkles from the damage of free radicals that are roaming within your body.

Yes most shrimp we consume is actually farmed raised. Only about 10% of it is caught in the wild. Most shrimp is imported to the US and in some countries they add antibiotics to the shrimp. Well in the USA that is not permitted and they screen and test the shrimp that gets imported to us.

When choosing your shrimp to purchase make sure they are firm and translucent (kinda see-through). When wondering why there are different colors just make sure they are either of these, grayish-green, pinkish-tan, or light pink in color. There are several kinds of shrimp. They come from different parts of the world thus giving them a different coloration. But they should have a mild salty smell like and ocean. If it has too much of “fishy” smell or has a smell of ammonia to it then it is spoiled and should not be eaten.

Now one caution. Shrimp is considered a shellfish and if you have allergies to any shellfish then shrimp should be avoided as you can have some adverse negative reactions to consuming it. But if you are not allergic then make shrimp a part of your diet for the many positive reasons listed here. Grill it, boil it, steam it, add it to salads and enjoy it. My personal favorite way to have it is on a cobob and put it on a grill with some veggies and season it.

Blueberries are some of the highest nutrient-dense foods containing antioxidants. These protect the body from harmful molecules called free radicals which can damage cells within the body. Here are some major benefits of consuming blueberries: They are loaded with antioxidants such as anthocyanin, chlorogenic acid, myricetin and arbutin which are all neuroprotectors which will protect the brain and prevent or at least stave off degeneration which will also help prevent and slow the development of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

They reduce the risk of heart disease. In fact, eating one cup of blueberries a day (150g) can reduce the chance of cardiovascular disease by 15%. This actually caused sustained improvement in vascular function and arterial stiffness.

Because blueberries are high in the antioxidant anthocyanin, it helps the skin by protecting it from harmful free radicals (an unpaired electron seeks out another electron and damages the pairing to become a pair which then causes damage to cells, proteins, and DNA) which would attack and damage the skin’s collagen which keeps it firm. Blueberries are also high in vitamin C which is highly important for collagen production.

As we age, and post-menopause women, inflammatory processes within the body become more active which causes osteoclasts to break down bone and which then releases the calcium from within it into the blood. Because blueberries have phenolic compounds, they inhibit a transcription factor called NFkB, which can prevent bone formation by suppressing osteoblasts (which formulate new bone). By inhibiting and suppressing the NFkB it will allow osteoblasts to continue to form new bone and retain calcium while reducing the osteoclast activity thus resulting in strong healthy bones within your body.

Blueberries are considered low on the glycemic index. A score of 53 (the glycemic index goes from 0-100 and 55 or less is considered low) which means it doesn’t raise your glucose levels. It’s also low on the Glycemic Load (GL) with a score of 9.6 for a 5 oz (150g) serving. 10 or less on the GL is considered low, 11-19 is considered medium. In comparison, a single potato has a score of 12. This means that blueberries are slow to have glucose enter the bloodstream which is great for diabetics.

Blueberries also have flavonoids which are another antioxidant that reduces damaged cells and can boost and improve your immune system. They are a great source of vitamin C which is also necessary for a strong immune system.

Here are some nutritional values of blueberries on a 1 cup (150g) serving:

calories = 84

protein = 1.1g

fat = .49g

carbohydrates = 21.45g

fiber = 3.6g

total sugars = 14.74g

vitamin C = 24%

vitamin A = 1%

iron = 2%

vitamin B-6 = 5%

magnesium = 2%

So as you can see, there are many great reasons to eat blueberries.  Eat them in the morning by themselves, mix them in your oatmeal or cereal, put them in a shake, or have them with a mixed bowl of fruit.  But definitely make them a staple of your everyday diet

Quinoa, pronounced KEEN-wah, is one of the best “superfoods” you can consume because it is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and all nine essential amino acids. It helps lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), reduces inflammation, is gluten-free, reduces heart disease, and high in fiber. Now, what does all this mean? Well, let’s break it down and explain a little about it.

Quinoa has all nine essential amino acids. What is an essential amino acid? It’s an amino acid that the body can’t produce on its own. A complete protein is a protein that is complete in all amino acids including the nine essential amino acids. It is particularly high in lysine (one of the nine essentials) which helps the body retain calcium in the blood, the formation of collagen, and prevents cold sores.

It is also high in antioxidants called flavonoids. These flavonoids are quercetin and kaempferol which have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer effects. These anti-inflammatories help fight off free radicals roaming around within the body causing damage to other cells within the body. They also help the good bacteria within your gut to reduce inflammation which helps prevent obesity.

People are very concerned about having high cholesterol within their bodies. Well, the cholesterol to worry about is the LDL (the bad cholesterol) and quinoa is high in fiber which is essential in aiding digestion. Digestion requires bile acid to break down the food. Since fiber is essential in digestion it causes the liver to pull the cholesterol from the blood to produce more bile acid to break the foods down, thus causing lower levels of LDL.

Most foods when you cook them will oxidize and cause the foods to lose some of their nutritional value.

Quinoa can tolerate boiling, simmering, and steaming thus causing them to retain their nutrient values.

This being said quinoa also has omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acids, and oleic acids which allow lower triglyceride concentrations which lead to a healthy heart.

Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, which is perfect for people who have celiac disease in which case the digestion of gluten causes inflammation within their small intestine damaging the villi which are needed for nutrient absorption. People who are gluten-free need to avoid barley, wheat, and rye. Quinoa can be used in making bread, pasta, and is used as a rice supplement.

Quinoa is considered a complex carbohydrate and with the high amount of fiber, it will slow the digestion down which assists with the blood-sugar control. With a glycemic index rating of 53, it is considered to be low on the GI chart which makes it great for diabetics to consume.

You can use quinoa for salads, a replacement for rice, make breakfast porridge, make burger patties and taco meat, add to stews and soups, add it to stuffed veggies, and can be used to make quinoa flour to bake desserts. So you see there are many different ways to add quinoa to your diet. Truly one of the cleanest and healthiest foods you can have.  Within the USA we have the white, red, and black quinoa available. The white is probably the more flavorful one but the red one has more nutrients.

Here is the nutritional info regarding quinoa based on one cup (185g) serving size:

Calories = 222

Protein = 8 grams

Fiber = 5 grams

Fat = 4 grams

Carbohydrates = 39 grams

Sugars = 2 grams

Sodium = 13 milligrams

Iron = 2.8 milligrams

It is also a good source for magnesium, vitamin E, potassium, copper, thiamin, vitamin B6, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, folate, and zinc.