Tagged with 'exercise'

A nutrition protocol for concussions and all other traumatic brain injuries everyone must know about.

If you need motivation and energy before your workout, these 6 tips are practical and easy.

Nutrition information (and mis-information) is all around us. How do we know what to believe and if what we're getting is credible?

Get your gut in shape --- it loves exercise! Bacterial diversity in your gut paves the way for resiliency.

For a strong workout and killer stamina, these four B-vitamins are critical. The more active you are, the more B-vitamins you need because they're extremely important for energy metabolism.

The importance of eating quercetin-containing foods.

There's one simple thing you can do to look and feel younger: RUN! It’s as close to a miracle drug as we’ve got. Not only will running extend the length of our life, but it adds more life to those years.

Your body doesn’t distinguish one type of aerobic activity from another – your heart, for example, doesn’t know the difference between a bike ride that gets your pulse up to 150 and a run that does the same. Still, there are reasons why running is the top form of exercise to keep the muscles and mind young. And they’re best illustrated in this massive 2017 international study:

Researchers examined more than 55,000 men and women between the ages of 18 and 100.

They determined that regardless of how old you are, whether you’re male or female, how much booze you drink, or whether you’ve ever exercised before…

• If you start running just one to two hours per week, you can slash your risk of cardiovascular-related death by 45 to 70 percent.
• Running slashes your chances of dying from cancer by 30 to 50 percent.
• The clincher: researchers discovered runners lived far longer than those who exercised regularly but didn’t run. Take that, cyclists.

Running and Your Heart

That thumping in your chest is the biggest age-defying benefit your regular running routine is giving you. As we age, our arteries stiffen, and when this happens, major cardiac events aren’t far behind. A decline in artery function significantly effects cognitive decline, and poor vascular health and function also increases your tendency to become more prone to diabetes. Even kidney disease is closely linked to the health of your arteries.

By running regularly, you safeguard yourself from all of this because it maintains and restores artery dilation and elasticity, and restores youth and vigor to the vessels.

Running and Your Mind

Running is actually a pretty cognitively demanding sport. People who run have a higher concentration and greater volume of gray matter, which means better memory, quicker recall, and generally feeling sharper and a lot of freaking smarter. Run through complex environments – a busy city or a rocky trail – and you also strengthen the brain in ways that positively affect planning, multitasking, self-awareness, and motor control.

Running and Your Immune System

If you haven’t noticed, runners get colds and flu less often than nonrunner friends. It’s not a coincidence. Regular running is linked to a stronger immune system, and it may even prevent age-related deterioration.

Running and VO₂ Max

As you age, your VO₂ max, or the maximum amount of oxygen you can use during exercise, naturally drops; this drastically increases your risk of chronic illnesses. One of the best ways to keep VO₂ max high is periodically pushing your heart and lungs with running intervals.

Running and Your Muscles

As you heft your body weight with each step, you’re preserving muscle and bone strength – a huge component of staying young.

The Optimal Running Dose

Is there a right amount to run? The million-dollar question! You might be please to know, it’s not that much. Experts found that running just two and a half total hours per week is enough to reap all its youth-promoting benefits.

Compared to not running, any running is good. And the good news for those logging three-plus hours a week is that, while you don’t get exponentially more benefits the more you run, you also won’t be hurting your health, as some experts had warned in the past.

Running allows your muscles to behave like more youthful muscles. It’s a crazy trickle-down effect, and therein lies the magic. While running itself can product immediate and lasting changes that make the body “younger,” it’s this ripple effect researchers point to as the sport’s most important quality. Having the strength, vigor, and energy to do anything you want – that’s what gives running its value.

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Reference: Runner’s World

Getting the edge on fitness is not just about the body any more. There is another area that has not gotten nearly enough attention: the brain. It can benefit from the right nutrition just like any other part of the body. Athletes dedicate hours upon hours exercising, all the while consuming nutritional supplements to improve physical performance. Investing in cognitive function is just as important as fueling your muscles.

Are You Overtraining?

Overtraining is now being recognized as a major stress and natural hazard of athletic training, and can result in decreased performance, injury, compromised immune function and psychological depression. Muscles become sore, resting heart rate and cortisol levels increase, and testosterone levels fall. The body has difficulty adjusting, but can recover with a few days of rest. Chronic overtraining can create a disturbance in the ratio between the anabolic hormone, testosterone, and the catabolic hormone cortisol. (1)

Performance-Enhancing Ingredients

Reduce exercise-induced stress, improve reaction time, support neuroprotective properties and promote motivation, concentration and focus.

PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE for Muscle Soreness, Recovery and Overall Well-Being

Clinical trials have shown Phosphatidylserine (PS) supplementation effective for combating exercise-induced stress and preventing the physiological deterioration that comes with overtraining. PS is a type of fat found in cell membranes in the body, and is highly prevalent in neural tissue. In fact, PS is most concentrated in the brain where it comprises 15% of the total phospholipid pool. Studies examining athletes involved in cycling, weight training, and endurance running demonstrated PS might help prevent muscle soreness, speed recovery, and improve well-being. (2)

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design, Monteleone et al showed PS supplementation suppressed cortisol and ACTH responses to staged cycling exercise. Compared to placebo, cortisol levels were 30% lower, demonstrating PS supplementation can lessen the severity of stress responses to exercise. (3)

 A study conducted at California State University investigated the effect of PS on hormone levels, muscle soreness and feelings of well-being when administered to experienced weight-trained athletes. During the two-week training period in which these athletes were deliberately overtrained, they reported less muscle soreness when they were taking PS compared to the placebo. In addition, subjects had an improved perception of well-being when taking PS, which was particularly evident after the first week of training.

ACETYL L-CARNITINE for Mental Performance

Acetyl-L Carnitine (ALCAR) is a compound found naturally in your muscles, heart, liver, kidneys and plasma. It's essential for energy production and fat metabolism, and the average human body contains 20-25g of L-Carnitine, with 95% of it located in skeletal muscles.

Want an extra edge during your workout? Focus on improving your mental agility and alertness. Acetyl L-carnitine has been primarily used by athletes to increase maximal aerobic power and helping burn stored fat, but currently it's being recognized for its ability to improve mental as well as physical performance. (5)

Cognitive brain function benefits associated with ALCAR include an increase in memory and learning capacity along with an improved speed of memory recall and thought processing. Other studies showed subjects’ ability to think more clearly with a lengthened attention span, as well as improved overall concentration and focus. In a double-blind study in two randomized homogeneous groups of both sexes of 15 subjects each, one group underwent supplementation with ALCAR, while the other group was given a placebo. The people who took ALCAR showed statistically significant improvement in their behavioral performances, memory tests, attention tests and Verbal Fluency tests. (6)

Some studies have also indicated ALCAR may help improve sensory perception, especially in the areas of sight and sound. Users also reported their reflexes are faster and reaction times are shorter. (7)

VINPOCETINE for Reaction Time

Vinpocetine, derived from the Periwinkle plant, may potentially increase blood flow to the brain and improve reaction time. One study demonstrated an improvement in reaction speed and performance on a memory test, however other studies assessing reaction speed or attention combined it with other nutrients. Increased reaction speed, as well as increased processing speed, have been seen in a rehabilitative setting with NFL football players (combined with Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Fish Oil, Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Huperzine-A)and elsewhere with Vinpocetine (10mg) paired with Ginkgo biloba(40mg) and micronutrients. (8, 9) 

Another potential use for Vinpocetine may be in the support of traumatic brain injuries or concussions in that it appears to have a role in neuroprotection and reducing neural inflammation. A study using brain SPECT images and a standard neuropsychological test measured blood flow in the areas of the brain related to cognitive function and proficiency related to mood, memory, language, attention, information speed and accuracy. The athletes followed a protocol that included nutritional supplements, including Vinpocetine, Phosphatidylserine, and ALCAR, among others. Within six months, the players were measured again. The results showed significant increases in cognitive scores, blood flow, and self-reported symptoms of mood, memory, and motivation. Many athletes had greater than 50% increases in percentile scores.

HUPERZINE-A as a Cognitive Enhancer

Huperzine-A is an alkaloid isolated from the Chinese herb Huperzia serrata. Studies indicate it's a cognitive enhancer that blocks the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which damages the learning neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, causing a relative increase in acetylcholine to occur. 

In addition to acetylcholinesterase inhibition, other neuroprotective properties have been identified — reduce oxidative stress, regulate the expression of apoptotic proteins, protect mitochondria, and upregulate nerve growth factor. (11, 12)

Nutrition has always been an essential focus in athletics, but the focus on the effects of cognitive nutrition has been rather narrow, focusing instead on the physical benefits. The Central Fatigue Hypothesis states fatigue is governed by the central nervous system, and not the muscles themselves, suggesting fatigue is actually coming from the brain. (13) 

Cognitive function is influenced by nutrition and the positive effect cognitive sports nutrients have on athletic performance in the form of reducing exercise-induced stress, promoting motivation, concentration and focus, improving reaction time, and providing neuroprotective properties. (14)

Jack Grogan, Chief Science Officer for Healthy Goods

1. Fahey TD. Biological markers of overtraining. Biol Sport. 1997;14:1–19.

2. Ralf Jäger et al, Phospholipids and sports performance. Published online 2007 Jul 25.

3. Monteleone P, Maj M, Beinat L, Natale M, Kemali D. Blunting by chronic phosphatidylserine administration of the stress-induced activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy men. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1992;42:385–388.

4. Fahey TD, Pearl MS. The Hormonal and Perceptive Effects of Phosphatidylserine Administration During Two Weeks of Weight Training-Induced Over-Training. Biol Sport. 1998;15:135–144.

5. Broquist, H.P. and Borum, P.R. 1982, Carnitine Biosynthesis. Nutritional Implications. Advances in Nutr. Res., 4: 181-204.4

6. Sinforiani E, Iannuccelli M, Mauri M, Costa A, Merlo P, Bono G, Nappi G. Neuropsychological changes in demented patients treated with acetyl-L-carnitine. Int J Clin Pharmacol Res. 1990.

7. Passeri M, Iannuccelli M, Ciotti G, Bonati PA, Nolfe G, Cucinotta D. Mental impairment in aging: selection of patients, methods of evaluation and therapeutic possibilities of acetyl-L-carnitine. Int J Clin Pharmacol Res. 1988.

8. Amen DG, et al. Reversing brain damage in former NFL players: implications for traumatic brain injury and substance abuse rehabilitation. J Psychoactive Drugs. (2011)

9. Polich J, Gloria R. Cognitive effects of a Ginkgo biloba/vinpocetine compound in normal adults: systematic assessment of perception, attention and memory.Hum Psychopharmacol. (2001)

10. Amen DG, et al. Reversing brain damage in former NFL players: implications for traumatic brain injury and substance abuse rehabilitation. J Psychoactive Drugs. (2013)  Effects

11. Effects of huperzine A on acetylcholinesterase isoforms in vitro: comparison with tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine and physostigmine. Published online 2007.

12. Progress in studies of huperzine A, a natural cholinesterase inhibitor fro Chinese herbal medicine.  Published online 2006.

13. Acworth I, Nicholass J, Morgan B, Newsholme EA. Effect of sustained exercise on concentrations of plasma aromatic and branched-chain amino acids and brain amines.  Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 1986;137(1):149-53.

14. Lemyre P-N, Treasure DC, Roberts GC. Sport Psychology. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 2006;28:32-48.

We’ve already heard diet and exercise are the way to keep weight in check, but to be specific, your WORKOUT may be the real game changer when it comes to shredding extra fat.

A hormone called Irisin has been dubbed the “exercise hormone” because it’s released during moderate aerobic endurance activity – when your cardiorespiratory system is engaged and you’re exerting your muscles.

How Does Irisin Burn Fat?

Research published in the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism showed irisin activates certain genes and a protein that transforms calorie-storing white fat into active, more desirable brown fat. Second, irisin appears to prevent fatty tissue from forming in the first place.

When the researchers tested fat tissue samples, they found irisin had the ability to decrease the number of mature fat cells by 20 to 60% when compared to a control group.

Researchers compared fat cells collected from female study participants both before and after exposure to irisin and found that five times as many of the irisin-exposed cells contained a protein known for its ability to torch fat.

Increase Your Irisin Levels

The results from this research further illustrate the importance of exercise for managing obesity. Simple lifestyle changes, such as adding a brisk daily walk or biking instead of driving to do errands, could be the key to staying trim while improving heart health. A more intense exercise regimen (regular spin classes, for example) could be your ticket to taking fat metabolism to a new level.

And with that, I'm off to kickboxing class to create some irisin :)

Cheers!

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

Yang et al. Irisin exerts dual effects on browning and adipogensis of human white adipocytes. Amer J of Phys - Endocrinology and Metabolism. Published 19 August 2016 Vol. 311 no. 2, E530-E541.

Have you ever wondered which is better -- strength training or cardio exercise? We have your answers here.

Yoga is taking a new place in your fitness routine: at the end of the toughest workouts. Give yourself 10 minutes and you will reap a riot of benefits. Easy enough, right?

Think of yoga as the dessert at the end of your workout. It gradually returns your body to its natural resting state, which is a wonderful way to prevent cardiovascular and muscular mishaps.

This post workout “dessert” will allow you to regain control of your breath, open up your body, and quiet your mind. That really is the cherry on top of a boxing, indoor cycling or boot camp workout.

Yoga Benefits After A Tough Workout

Research shows a single bout of yoga can reduce post-workout muscle soreness, thanks to improved flexibility. Its restorative ways will leave you feeling very content and satiated — physically, mentally and emotionally.

Yoga gives your muscles a chance to relax and lengthen after they’ve been contracting throughout your workout, which should help you maintain range of motion even after intense exercise.

Yoga also helps lower your heart rate, so you can enter recovery mode faster. In other words, you’ll be in better shape to max out your next workout, whatever it may be.

The mental benefits deserve a shout-out too. When you go-go-go during your session, then depart before cooling down, you don’t get the full de-stressing perks of your hard work. Exercise excites the nervous system, while a subdued yoga flow calms it. That’s crucial to finishing your workout feeling optimistic, peaceful, and inspired – and hopefully, a little more appreciative of what your body just did for you.

Yoga In 10

Give yourself just 10 minutes! Directly after your workout, focus on slowing your breath bit by bit. Inhale for three seconds, hold for three, then exhale for three; continue until you’re inhaling, holding, and exhaling for six breaths. This gradually gets you from panting heavily to calm and focused.

Perform this flow of yoga poses in order, starting with your Vinyasa and returning to it between every sequence. Repeat the sequence on the other side, vinyasa included, until you've made it to your final sequence.

Optional: end with a minute or two in savasana (lying on your back).

VINYASA

Start in a pushup position, hands under your shoulders. Keep your core engaged and elbows close to your sides, bend your elbows to slowly lower your body in one straight line until your arms form a 90-degree angle to the floor.

Plank: hands under your shoulders and feet hip distance apart.

Four-Limbed Staff Pose: exhale as you lower your body toward the floor, hovering about four inches above your mat. Keep your elbows tucked in toward your sides. 

Upward Facing Dog Pose: Inhale as you draw your chest forward and straighten your arms. Draw your shoulders back and lift your heart to the sky. Press through the tops of your feet, lifting your thighs off the floor and fully engaging your leg muscles. Keep your elbows tucked in toward your sides.

Downward Facing Dog Pose: Exhale as you lift your hips and roll over your toes, placing the soles of your feet on the floor. Ground down through your hands and the soles of your feet as you lengthen your spine. Lift your belly and sit bones to the sky.

SEQUENCE ONE

Warrior 2 Pose: From downward dog, place your right foot between your hands. Ground your heels and lift up to stand. Bend your right knee and angle your left foot to face the top left corner of your mat. Extend your arms horizontally in opposite direction. 

Add an arm stretch: lift your right arm and bend your elbow to rest your palm on your upper back. Place your left palm on your right elbow. Push your hips slightly forward to feel a stretch in your right side. 

Re-extend your arms to move into Triangle Pose.

Triangle Pose: Push your right food into the mat as you straighten your right leg. Shift both hips back as you tilt your upper body forward and reach for the front of the room with your right hand. Rest your right hand on your shin or ankle and reach your left arm toward the ceiling. 

Repeat your Vinyasa and move into Sequence Two.

SEQUENCE TWO

Pyramid Pose: From downward dog, left your right leg up and step your right food behind your right hand. Step your left foot in about a foot, feet staggered. Lift up to standing, keeping your his facing forward. Keeping your feet in place, turn your entire torso to face the same direction as your front foot. Exhaling, fold at the hips and extend your torso over your front leg.

Revolved Triangle Pose: Place your left hand to the left of your right foot, then raise your right arm directly up as you twist your torso toward the ceiling, pushing your hips back.

Repeat your Vinyasa and Repeat Sequence One.

Complete your Vinyasa, Sequence One, Vinyasa, Sequence Two and repeat as many times as you would like. It will be an excellent stretch, feel refreshing and drastically reduce injury risk. Have fun!

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods        

Maximize your HIIT workouts!

Machine Sprintervals + Dumbbell Sculptors = Total Body Burn

Approach your High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as a cardio-machine workout AND a speedy weight circuit. This will truly kick your metabolism into high gear!

Two excellent cardio machines to use are a treadmill and rowing machine with dumbbells.

Your body never knows what’s coming and you avoid overworking specific muscles. You’ll work multiple muscle groups and will be able to go harder during each interval, whether it’s sprinting or doing reps.

Check out this effective 30 minute express workout

INTENSITY

Hard (Rate of Perceived Exertion: an 8 or 9 out of 10)

TOTAL TIME

30 minutes

YOU’LL NEED

A treadmill or a rower and a set of 8- to 15-pound dumbbells

HOW IT WORKS

1^st: Complete the warm-up

30 seconds each of jumping jacks, high knees, and butt kicks. Repeat. Then hold a forearm plank for 1 minute

2^nd: Start with the cardio interval (on either a treadmill or a rower)

Cardio option 1: 500-meter row 

Row until you reach 500 meters. Aim to reach 500 meters within 2:30 to 3 minutes.

Cardio option 2: Progressive treadmill run.

Start by doing an easy jog (4 to 6 mph) for 1 minute. Increase your speed by 1 to 1.5 mpg for 1 minute. Sprint (7mph or faster) for the final minute.

3^rd: Do 5 strength moves for 1 minute each, performing as many reps as possible per set. That’s 1 round.

Strength #1: Moving Pike (targets shoulders, chest, abs)

Start on floor facing away from treadmill or rower in plank position with palms on floor about foot in front of machine and feet on treadmill belt or the rower seat. Keeping legs straight, pull feet in toward hands, lifting hips high, so your body forms an upside-down V. Keep heels lifted as you push feet back to start. Do 1 push-up. Repeat for 1 minute.

Strength #2: Lateral Lunge Tap (targets arms, butt, quads, outer & inner thighs)

Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a weight in each hand with arms by sides to start. Shift hips back, bending right knee 90 degrees as you extend left leg straight out to side. Hold lateral lunge as you tap left foot on floor at a controlled tempo for 30 seconds. Return to start. Switch sides; repeat.

Strength #3: T rotation (targets shoulders, abs)

Start on floor in plank, arms extended with a weight in each hand. Shift weight to left side, and rotate into a left-side plank, extending right arm up, so body forms a T. Hold for 3 counts. Return to start position. Switch sides; repeat. Continue alternating sides for 1 minute.

Strength #4: Tempo squat (targets biceps, butt, quads)

Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width and hold a weight in each hand with elbows bent by sides and palms facing each other in front of chest. Take 2 counts to lower into a squat (hip crease should be below parallel at bottom). Take 2 counts to return to start. That’s 1 rep. Do 5 reps. Then take 1 count to lower and 1 to raise. Do 5 reps. Finally, lower in 5 counts, and come to stand in 1 count. Repeat for 1 minute.

Strength #5: Curl and press (targets shoulders, biceps)

Stand with feet together, knees soft, holding a weight in each hand with arms by sides. Bend elbows to curl weights to chest with palms facing up, then rotate palms forward as you press weights overhead. Reverse movement to return to start. Repeat for 1 minutes.

4^th: Rest for 1 minute, then repeat. Do 3 rounds.

Stick to the routine and the body-changing results will happen fast.

Article courtesy of Shape.com