Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle

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Mar 28 2016

What not to have for more energy In Santa Fe!

Do energy drinks work and are they good for you?

They come in shots, cans and powdered form and they are big business.

In 2012, the sales of energy drinks in the United States was $12.5 billion dollars. By 2017 that figure will rise to $21 billion according to consumer marketing research company, Packaged Facts.

They are popular, but do they work? And more importantly, are they good for you? First, the good news. Energy drinks do increase alertness and can decrease sleepiness.

But the bad news is the price you pay may not be worth it. Because Energy Drinks are considered herbal supplements and, unlike soda, they are generally not regulated, which means the manufacturer can add whatever they want to them in whatever quantity they desire.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the three main ingredient groups in energy drinks:

1) Caffeine – An article on The Mayo Clinic website recommends that your daily caffeine intake be between 100 and 200 mg maximum per day. Energy drinks contain between 80 mg and 500 mg per can. Why do they contain caffeine? Caffeine makes you more alert, gives you more energy and helps with your concentration.

However too much caffeine can make you jittery, irritable, give you a tremor and accelerate your heart rate. One energy drink could raise your heart rate by 14 points. So if you suffer from high blood pressure you should definitely abstain. Many energy drink companies add Taurine (an amino acid) to increase the “effectiveness” of the caffeine.

2) B Vitamins – There are massive amounts of B Vitamins in Energy Drinks. Usually eight B Vitamins in total. According to Dr. Keri Peterson, they don’t boost your energy unless you are deficient in them and most people get enough of the various B Vitamins in their regular diet. She adds that getting too much is not a problem except in the case of B3 (Niacin) and B6. Excess B3 could give you blurry vision, liver abnormalities, stomach upset and flushing of the face. Many energy drinks give you 150% of the recommended daily intake of B3. Too much B6 could cause damage to your hands and feet which could cause numbness and tingling, says Dr. Peterson.

3) Natural stimulants – Most Energy drinks contain Guarana which does tend to boost energy. One Guarana seed has twice as much caffeine as a coffee bean. They also contain Ginseng which, some studies show boost your brain power, but only in amounts over 200 mg (most energy drinks contain less than 200 mg.) Ginseng has been known to interact with blood thinners so if you’re on a blood thinner you should avoid Energy Drinks. And, of course, energy drinks also contain sugar. Up to 14 teaspoons per Soda has around 11 teaspoons per serving. The recommended daily intake of sugar as advised by the American Heart Association is 6 teaspoons for women, 9 teaspoons for men. So if you drink just one energy drink you’ll already be over your recommended daily sugar intake which could lead to weight gain.

If you type “energy drink-related deaths” into Google, you’ll find that there are numerous reports of people whose deaths have been attributed to consuming energy drinks. Energy drinks have also been linked to insomnia, headaches, agitation and seizures.

In the United States, the number of people who went to the hospital emergency room after consuming energy drinks more than doubled from just over 10,000 in 2007 to nearly 21,000 in 2011 (according to a U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report.)

The age group attributed to the highest number of ER visits was people aged 18 to 25 followed by people from 26 to 39 years old. More than half of all ER visits involved energy drinks alone. 42 per cent involved energy drinks taken in combination with “other drugs” the report says.

The bottom line is that “yes” energy drinks give you a temporary rush of energy, but after that you generally come crashing down and the other side effects make it extremely questionable as to whether they are worth the risk.

If you need to have a little help with you energy, first make sure you going to bed by 9-10:30 pm, are sleeping 7-8 hours, drinking half your weight in OZ of water and eating for your metabolic type. AFTER THAT a good organic espresso or tea would definitely do the trick. Energy drinks are not worth it. Plus they are not recommended for children and never, never, never mix them with alcohol. They should also not be consumer before, during or after exercise.
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Feb 24 2016

Personal Training Success Story

Personal Training Success – Leslie Weinstein

This member of the month’s success story is great for a number of reasons.

First, this is the whole reason we exist. Our mission is to have #500balancedhealthystrongpeople that can live their lives to the fullest and be of the most service. Leslie is one of those people. Having a personal training success story like Leslie’s makes our mission worthwhile and fun!

The second reason is due to the power of referring someone to a program and support system that will help them achieve a better life through health and fitness. Leslie’s friend and fellow member, Barbara R, referred her to our personal training program. Barbara heard that her friend was in need of help and, based on her trust in us, told Leslie that we would be a great option for her.

It was important that Leslie find the right fit in a personal training program, because she has very specific health concerns that need to be taken into consideration. Chief among her health issues is a blood clotting disorder that she has to control with medication. This medication thins her blood and if she were to fall and cut herself, it would be quite serious.

Due to Barbara’s outreach and recommendation, Leslie has now achieved amazing results and is on the right track.

Leslie and her husband, Sheldon, came from St. Louis and have been in Santa Fe for over a year now. She had been a successful Social Worker and businesswoman in St. Louis, but when the time came to retire she packed up Sheldon, Alice (her beautiful dog), and a host of other pets and hoofed it to Santa Fe.

For the first year, she was getting her bearings and setting up her life. She found friends, great places to visit and eat, and she even found a way to give back by visiting a local nursing home with Alice on a weekly basis. But the one thing lacking was her health.

Leslie was ready, but due to her health, she was unable to enjoy her retirement. She wanted to be stronger and healthier. Now through her amazing mindset and hard work, she has obliterated her goals and has moved on to bigger ones.

This is why Leslie is our February personal training success story.

1) What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program?

I was overweight and a pre-diabetic and knew that if I didn’t do something immediately it would be too late. I wanted to get stronger and healthier and to be the best that I could be. Just because I am in my 60’s and retired, doesn’t mean that I need to give up. Just the opposite, I want to live my retirement with the best life possible.

2) What did you do before?

I go to my doctors to manage my blood disorder. I went to PT for my knee and back and after my shoulder surgery. I took water aerobics twice a week and it was enjoyable, but I knew it wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

3) What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of?

My stamina, strength, posture and balance are so much better. I used to be terrified of falling because of the fact that getting a cut could be very dangerous for me and now I feel more “upright” and physically confident in my body. I have lost 15lbs and 10% body fat. My shoulder which always kind of hurt and felt funny after the surgery feels as if I never had it.

4) Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them?

I like all the exercises that we do because I see the results it gives me. Well, except the cardio part and that is because it is hard, but I know that it is good for me also.

5) What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?

I want to continue to lose weight and continue to gain confidence in my balance. A nice benefit to this program is that it is helping my knees and I would like to continue to get them strong. I also want my back to continue to get strong.

6) What do you like best about our program/ having a trainer?

It doesn’t feel like you are going to the gym. You guys pay a lot of attention beyond what the routine is. The program is flexible and intelligent and goes beyond just the muscles and bones.

7) What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?

Keep the positive movement forward. Don’t dwell on what you can’t do. You will do as well as you can. It’s not about comparing yourself, it’s about how you feel.

8) What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?

Figure out what you can do, because this works. If you have the resources, it is well worth it. After the first 2-3 months you will be able to see and feel what it is all about. Go on “autopilot” and have faith and trust. This is what I did! It was very challenging at the start, but I just kept coming and doing what I could of the homework. And after that first 3 months, you will love it! The “homework” they give you is very important and priceless. It helps solve the problems that you have and gives you the ability to “treat yourself.” Invest in yourself. It will come back to you and more.

Do you want to achieve what Leslie was able to achieve? If you are looking for a little more support and education on how to do it right to reach your health and fitness goals them contact us about a free consult and trial. Go to https://www.solcorefitness.com/consultation-landing-page/ to request one.

The free trial wont be around long so claim it while you can. Go to FREE CONSULT AND TRIAL.

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Oct 21 2015

Exercise Helps Keep Your Body’s Rhythms In Check

The Power Of Consistent Exercise

There’s no doubt that getting your heart pumping and blood moving through exercise has a long list of health benefits. It controls weight, combats health conditions and diseases, improves mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, and more. But many people don’t realize that lack of exercise can disrupt the body’s rhythms. Each of our bodies has circadian rhythms – physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness. It’s why we naturally fall asleep during the night and rise during the daylight. But our heartbeats, hormones, hunger, alertness, digestion, fatigue and other bodily functions are also influenced by our circadian rhythms.

According to a 2009 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, exercise may affect how and when we move, even when we aren’t exercising. The findings suggest exercise may help our bodies recognize the optimal times to move and be still. Dr. Frank Scheer, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and the Women’s Hospital in Boston, oversaw the study along with colleagues. They had a range of people from young adults to older people wear activity monitors for a week and tracked their movements as the volunteers stuck to their normal daily activities. As noted in a New York Times article, “The young people’s bodies seemed to be somehow remembering and responding to what that body had just been doing, whether sitting or moving, and then calculating a new, appropriate response – moving or sitting.

In doing so, the researchers felt, the body created a healthy, dynamic circadian pattern.” But the results weren’t the same for the older people in the study. Their memory patterns were reduced drastically with age and their movements were more random with less movement during the day and more movement at night. However, the researchers wanted to determine if these changes were caused solely by aging. Dr. Scheer and his colleagues, Kun Hu of Harvard University and Johanna Meijer of Leiden University, performed a new study this year. They monitored the movement patterns of mice ranging from six months to two years in age, which is equivalent to human young adults and aging seniors. For one month, they left a running wheel in the mice’s cage and found that the young mice often ran and developed patterns of peaks and valleys in their activity levels. The older mice had similar peaks and valleys, but they were more random. However, when the researchers removed the running wheel, all of the mice started showing more random patterns of movement, and the young mice had activity levels similar to the older mice. Once the researchers put the wheel back into the cage, all of the mice began exercising again and returned to healthy patterns of movements. According to Dr. Scheer, the finding suggests that exercise affects daily movement patterns more than age does.

Although the researchers don’t know how exercise might affect the body’s internal clocks, the study does suggest that exercise improves rhythms. Experts also note that there’s an ideal time of day to exercise based on our circadian rhythms, but many disagree on exactly when that is. Dr. Phyllis Zee of Northwestern University believes that the best time to work out is in the late afternoon because the body temperature is between one and two degrees warmer than in the morning, making muscles in the body more supple and lowering the risk of injury. Working out when the body temperature is at its peak, which is usually about 4pm or 5pm, can help people have optimal endurance, maximum flexibility and heightened injury resistance. However, some health experts argue that working out in the morning will jump start burning calories for the day and help you sustain a higher metabolic rate later in the day. Research has also shown that morning exercisers have a greater degree of consistency since afternoon and evening workouts are more likely to conflict with other responsibilities as the day progresses. But everyone’s circadian rhythm is different, and although there may be an ideal time to prevent injury and achieve peak performance, the most important thing is to exercise consistently.

Whether you need that 6am morning workout to clear your head and get ready for your day, or you prefer to wait until the afternoon because you feel most awake, just make sure you get your workout in. If you do prefer to exercise in the morning, make sure to warm up muscles that might be cool and tight from sleep to reduce the risk of injury. Try exercising at different times of day and use your body clock as a guide to determine what works best for you.
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Sep 09 2015

Brain Exercise

How Exercise Is Also Brain Exercise

How to enlarge the size of your brain.

The deepest canyon in the world is in Peru.

It’s called the Cotahuasi Canyon and it’s near the city of Arequipa.

The canyon was formed by the mighty Cotahuasi River.

It was during a river-rafting trip down this river that a woman in her late thirties had a revelation.

You see there was a variety of people on the trip. The youngest was 16 years old. The oldest was over 60.

What she realized was that of all the people on her rafting adventure, even though she considered herself healthy, she was the weakest person physically.

She admits that she had been living an unbalanced life. And it had taken its toll.

Classic story of “Too much work, not enough play.”

Her reliance on junk food had found her 25 lbs overweight.

The rafting trip was her attempt to broaden her horizons.

The first thing she did when she got home was to hire a personal trainer. She says it was “the best decision in my life.”

As time went by and her body started to get stronger, she started to notice something about herself.

Not only did she feel better physically, her mood improved. Plus she noticed her memory was sharper and her attention span was longer.

It made her curious about how exactly exercise affects the brain.

Fortunately for Wendy Suzuki, as a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University (NYU)’s Center for Neural Science, she was uniquely qualified to answer that question.

One of the studies she looked at was done in the late 1950’s by a woman by the name of Marian Diamond. Diamond is a professor of anatomy at the University of California, Berkeley. (Diamond, 88, is the subject of a multipart web series called My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond.)

The study involved rats.

Why do so many scientific experiments involve rats? The genetic, biological and behavior characteristics of rats closely resemble those of humans. Therefore many symptoms of human conditions can be replicated in mice and rats.

Diamond’s rat experiment involved placing rats in two distinctly different environments. One was the “Disneyland of rat cages.” It was an “enriched environment” that had lots of open space and lots of toys (and other rats) for the rats to play with.

The second environment was an impoverished environment: no toys, limited space and only a couple of rats in the cage.

She then compared the brains of the rats from each environment.

The rats from the enriched environment had a thicker outer covering (cortex of their brain). Plus their brain experienced greater angiogenesis (the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels.) Or in other words, their brains got bigger.

At the time Diamond didn’t come to any definitive conclusion as to why the enriched environment rats experienced an expansion in the brain size. It was only years later in the 1990’s when scientists examining her work concluded that the brains were enlarged because the rats in the enriched environment were able to get more exercise.

Suzuki uncovered more research and became so fascinated with it that she shifted the entire focus of her research from the study of memory in the hippocampus to the effects of exercise on brain functions in people. In March of this year her book Healthy Brain, Happy Life was published.

Another thing she noticed about herself beside the improvements in her mood, attention and memory was that she seemed to have a newfound spark of creativity.

She says she found it easier to come up with new “out of the box” neuroscience courses to teach. She started exploring new hobbies like writing and singing. She even started seeking out collaborations with artists, musicians and dancers.

Because of the burst of creativity that she was experiencing, she wanted to see if there was any research available that linked exercise with enhanced creativity. It turns out there is a definite connection.

A 2013 study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience showed that people who exercised on a regular basis did better on tests of creativity than their more sedentary peers.

Regular exercisers were found to have improved divergent and convergent thinking, two key components of creative thinking.

“Exercising on a regular basis may thus act as a cognitive enhancer promoting creativity in inexpensive and healthy ways,” says study researcher Lorenza Colzato, a cognitive psychologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Dr. John Ratey notes in his influential book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008), that exercise isn’t just about physical health and appearance. Ratey writes that it also has a profound effect on your brain chemistry, physiology, and neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to literally rewire itself). Meaning that your ability to think, create and solve are all enhanced by exercise.

For artists, writers, musicians or anyone in a field that requires a high level of imagination, regular exercise might just be the edge they need to take things to the next level of their career creatively.

And while exercise, of course, makes sense for everyone it’s nice to be reminded that you’re not just improving your physical body you’re enhancing the most important organ in your body, your brain.

Suzuki sums it up nicely when she says…

“Exercise can keep your brain healthy longer.”
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