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Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle

Jul 06 2015

How Gut Health Equals A Happy Gut Mind

To Have A Happy Gut You Have To Understand The Gut Brain Connection

By Maya Cordova

Have you ever felt “butterflies” in your stomach? Do you recall ever having a “gut wrenching” experience or a “gut feeling”? These terms are often used to describe sensations that are paired with emotional responses. They are created by the interaction between the gut and the brain! In the following I will define the gut, describe the gut brain connection, and finally, explore the influences of food, how to manage cravings, and how to make healthy nutritional choices.

The gastrointestinal tract, also known as the gut, begins at the mouth, draws down into the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and ends at the colon. Within the intestinal sheaths of our digestive tract we each have over 100 million neurons that are in constant communication with our brain. This means there are more neurons in our belly than in our in our spinal chord and our peripheral nervous system! These digestive neurons make up the Enteric Nervous System, and are directly affected by the emotions we experience moment by moment. Some common emotions that influence the gut are Exhilaration, Happiness, Sadness, Anger, and Anxiety. The particular experience of Stress and Anxiety impacts the function of the GI tract by causing an inflammatory response and increased acidity. This causes poor nutrient absorption and higher risk for disease. According to a study done by Harvard Medical School, “a person’s stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.” This is why it is extremely important to become aware of certain stressors in our lives, and learn how to manage them in healthy ways.

Great strategies for relieving stress are: Exercise, Listening to Music, Engaging in Creative Expression (Art, Writing, Dancing, Music etc.), Going for a Walk in Nature, Meditation, Deep Breathing, Yoga, and Counseling.

 Nutrition For Gut Health!

Peer-reviewed science is also making clear to us that the foods we choose to put into our body actually cause specific emotional responses. What we eat determines our mood and plays a huge role in determining the health of our brain. According to Dr. David Perlmutter (a leading global speaker and author on nutritional health), eating a high carbohydrate and low fat diet is actually one of the leading causes of brain disease! In order to prevent diseases such as Parkinson’s, Dementia, Alzheimer’s, M.S., Autism, Schizophrenia, ADHD, Coronary Artery Disease, and Diabetes, it is important to eat a diet that is low in carbohydrates (gluten, processed sugar, and alcohol), and high in organic healthy fats and proteins, vegetables, and fermented foods. More than half of our brain is made of fat! Therefore, it is essential to consume healthy fats that will continue to nourish the brain.

Just like the emotional experience of Stress and Anxiety, having a high-carb diet causes increased acidity and inflammation in the body…not to mention making it incredibly challenging to lose weight. The physiological response of inflammation actually changes the bacteria that line the walls of the GI tract. This gut flora, also known as our good “helper” bacteria, aids in the digestion of our food and helps boost the immune system. It is possible to balance the acidity in the gut by eating fermented foods, and incorporating live pro-biotic supplements into your daily dietary routine. This not only allows the body to become more alkaline, making it challenging for microorganisms causing illness and disease to survive, but also soothes the inflammatory response, and replenishes the gut flora that is essential for our overall health.

Foods to avoid: Sugar, artificial sweeteners, gluten, alcohol

Foods to savor: Nutrient dense and organic fiber rich veggies and fermented foods with probiotics such as Kimchi, Tempe, Adzuki Bean Miso, Sauerkraut, Kefir, and Kombucha. Live probiotic supplements, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, free range eggs, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado.

Mind Set For Gut Health.

Retrain Your Brain!! You Can Do It!!

Now that you know what is good for your body, it is time to change those unhealthy eating habits and make your brain and body happy and healthy. This means connecting to your true emotional and nutritional needs, making healthier choices, and managing your cravings. When you begin to feel a strong craving towards food, important questions to ask yourself are:

  •  Am I stressed out right now?

During a stressful situation, your brain releases a hormone called Cortisol. According to Dina Aronson (a registered dietitian and nutritional author), excess levels of Cortisol can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, high blood glucose levels & suppressed insulin (aka. Diabetes!), inflammation and acidic blood, insomnia, poor memory, constipation, osteoporosis, diminished sex drive, muscle weakness, depression, anxiety, and irritability. High levels of Cortisol can also cause pre-mature aging and suppresses DHEA, aka “youth” hormone. Cortisol prepares the body for the fight-or-flight response, making it very challenging to make rational decisions.

Since glucose becomes high in the blood after the release of Cortisol, but is not absorbed into the cells, the body thinks that the cells need more glucose…more sugar…more carbs!! The body thinks that it is hungry, and the appetite is stimulated.

Comfort foods that are high in sugar actually blunt the release of cortisol. This provides temporary relief in symptoms of stress. Meanwhile, the brain is becoming conditioned into believing that it needs sugar to feel good and that carbs are the solution to unpleasant emotions and experiences!   When you reach for that cupcake, your leftover pasta, that bag of chips, or those brownie bites, ask yourself “Am I stressed out?” Then stimulate your own happiness by putting on your favorite CD, exercising, taking a deep breath or meditating, calling a supportive friend, or going for a walk outside. You can even distract your brain by writing someone an email or engage in reading an interesting book. Retrain yourself to partake in activities that make you feel good, but don’t cause the gut and brain to suffer. Then you can begin to address the causes of the present stressors, make necessary changes, and empower yourself to keep living the healthy life you want to live.

  •  Am I getting enough sleep?

Diminished sleep actually causes an increase in the hormone Ghrelin, an appetite stimulator, and decreases the hormone called Leptin which tells the brain when you are full! Allow at least 7-10 hours of sleep per night. A great strategy to overcoming your cravings is to take a quick 10-minute nap.

  • Am I drinking enough water?

Remember it is important to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day! If you do not consume enough water then the body may confuse the thirst response with the hunger response. When a food craving occurs, it is beneficial to drink at least one full glass of room temperature water before consuming any food. This may diminish the craving completely.

Another technique that will assist with overcoming food cravings is the practice of affirmation and visualization. In the moment of a food craving immediately tell yourself “Stop!” Then visualize yourself healthy, fit, and happy. Feel the sensations of that vision with all of your senses. Repeat a supportive affirmation such as “I am healthy…I eat healthy and I am fit…I love veggies” etc. Eventually, you will be able to manifest your vision and will no longer crave the foods that do not serve your highest good!

All human beings are capable of breaking patterns and cravings, and you can do it too!! May your gut and brain be forever happy and healthy! Happy gut health!
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Written by SolCoreFitness · Categorized: Blog, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle, Semi Private Personal Training

Jun 22 2015

The Weight Loss Killer

Stopping this one thing will drastically help your weight loss

Is this stopping your weight loss?

“Just one can’t really hurt too much, can it?”

In his book Eat More Weigh Less, Dr Dean Ornish cites a study that found drinking three ounces of alcohol reduced the body’s ability to burn fat by one third. (Other studies have shown that alcohol can hinder fat burning up to 73%.)

So if you’re looking to get rid of that beer belly or unwanted fat around your midriff, you’ll have the best results if you totally eliminate alcohol from your diet.

If that’s not incentive enough, here’s something else…

A recent study found that men consume an additional 433 calories on the days they drink a moderate amount of alcohol (61% of that comes from the alcohol itself.)

The study also showed that on the days when alcohol was consumed, more meat and other foods containing high levels of saturated fat were also eaten (and less fruit and milk were consumed.)

Quote:

“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” – Frank Sinatra

It seems pretty clear that if you have a weight loss goals the first this you must stop/severely moderate is your alcohol consumption.
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Written by SolCoreFitness · Categorized: Blog, Exercise Program, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle · Tagged: Weight loss

Jun 12 2015

Holistic Personal Training- Say No To GMO’s

SolCore Fitness Santa Fe practices Holistic Personal Training.

What does that mean “Holistic Personal Training.” It means that the program that you are on should take into consideration diet and lifestyle factors as well as a complete exercise program. So if you are one of those people who is on the newest diet craze or fitness craze, I implore you to take a little more consideration in what you are doing to yourself.

Below is an article that we believe in. To us practicing holistic personal training means that we need to be aware of how much “bad” stress we are putting on our body. It is not just about one thing that causes people to get sick, it is about the totality of what we are doing or not doing to ourselves. Eating to much non organic food means that we are ingesting to many chemicals and compounds that our body doesn’t know how to deal with.

“By 2025 One in Two Children will be Autistic.”

The above quote — and shocking prediction — was said recently by Dr. Stephanie Seneff a senior researcher at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Her “one in two” prophecy is based upon the following pattern…

In 1975, 1 in every 5000 would develop autism. In 1985, it was 1 in every 2,500. In 1995, it was 1 in every 500, in 2005 in was 1 in every 166 and today it is approximately 1 in every 68 children.

In her June 5th 2014 report called Is Roundup the Toxic Chemical That’s Making Us All Sick? she presents a chart that shows the correlation between the use of Monsanto’s Roundup (which contains the active ingredient glyphosate) on crops and the rising rates of autism.

If that were her only proof it would be easy for critics to dismiss as one could overlap a chart of anything that has gone up over the years on the autism chart and make a similar case, but her case against Roundup (specifically the glyphosate found in Roundup) is well founded.

She notes that the well-known bio-markers of autism –low serum sulfate, disrupted gut bacteria, inflammatory bowel, serotonin and melatonin deficiency, mitochondrial disorder, zinc and iron deficiency (and more) “can all be explained as potential effects of glyphosate on biological systems.”

From 1995 to 2005 the use of glyphosate in pesticides rose 1,500 percent. Every year a 100 million pounds of glyphosate is used on more than a billion acres in the United States alone according to an article published in Science in Society in 2010.

In the summary of her Is Roundup the Toxic Chemical That’s Making Us All Sick? report she says that we should be very worried about glyphosate contamination of our food supply and recommends that it be banned from agriculture. She also suggests that, in addition to autism, its use can be linked to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, celiac disease and other intestinal disorders.

So how do you protect yourself against the effects of glyphosate? Avoid consuming GMOs (At 13 parts per million, GMO corn contains more than 18 times the safe level of glyphosate set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and support GMO labeling efforts.

Quote:

“It is commonly believed that Roundup is among the safest pesticides… Despite its reputation, Roundup was by far the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested. This inconsistency between scientific fact and industrial claim may be attributed to huge economic interests, which have been found

Very interesting and thought provoking info. I realize some objections may come saying “I’m to busy to cook all these meals.” Well don’t stress because as long as you are 80 to 90% good at home you don’t have to worry if you go out to eat at your favorite restaurant and they don’t use organic ingredients.

Another objection: “Organic food is to expensive!” With the rise in popularity in people wanting Organic food grocers now have to compete for business and this means discounts. Also going to the farmers market cuts out the middle man and now you get a better price and the farmer keeps more of the money. And if you are really money conscious know that cancer treatments are not cheep.

Don’t just perform random acts of movement for your workouts and don’t throw up your hands because eating organic is “hard.” Take control of your health with a Holistic Personal Training Program.
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Written by SolCoreFitness · Categorized: Blog, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle, Semi Private Personal Training · Tagged: Weight loss

May 15 2015

Mindfulness Is The Key To Being Happy In Whatever You Do.

Mindfulness in your exercise program and in your life.

By Maya Cordova

Now that you have begun to move forward full speed ahead into your exercise practice and are advancing in your ELDOAS and Myo-fascial stretching techniques, I want to introduce to you a new technique…one that will help you enjoy your life even that much more. This technique is called Mindfulness! Now…what in the world is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a joyful and easy technique that all human beings are capable of practicing. It is simply the practice of awareness, observation, and acceptance. You have already begun to find awareness in your body by practicing healthy exercises that change your posture, allowing you to move more efficiently in your life. You can tell when your ears are over your shoulders or when your chin is sticking up to the sky…but now, lets take one step further. By using the breath as your guide it is possible to become aware of the sensations in your body, the thoughts that flow in and out of your mind, and the emotions that come along with them…while simultaneously being at peace with them! By experiencing this awareness you can become awake to your life, and empower yourself to make choices to create the healthy life you want to live.

 Benefits of Mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness will leave you feeling more productive and energetic in your daily activities and will help you to sleep better at night. You will gain better awareness of your body and how certain foods, emotions, and even thoughts affect your body. Mindfulness allows you to become harmonious with your experiences and helps your stress and anxiety levels to decrease. You will learn to become present, find more gratitude in your heart, feel more joy and peace, and essentially find a greater sense of fulfillment.

 The 4 Steps of Mindfulness in Action! How can we be more mindful in our lives?

Step 1: Awareness of the breath!! The breath is the magical key!

It is very common to live our lives thinking about the future. Humans are constantly planning, looking at the clock, rushing from one place to the next, feeling overwhelmed, or feeling anxious when experiencing conflict or other stressful situations. If you find yourself doing these things, remember that you can slow down (even if it’s just for one minute!!) and focus on your breathing. What does the texture of your breath feel like? What does the breath sound like? By focusing on the spaciousness between each inhalation and exhalation you will reconnect to the NOW moment. This will help you find a sense of presence, peace, and acceptance and you become more efficient at the task at hand. You can practice breath awareness during meal times, walking, driving, working, communicating, and exercising. Once you connect to the breath you can SLOW DOWN enough to become aware of your surroundings, thoughts, and feelings.

Step 2: Awareness of thoughts!!

When you connect to the breath, you are able to slow down and actually accept the experience that you are having. This acceptance helps you to realize that IT WILL PASS. While focusing on the breath, you may begin to notice your thoughts floating in and out of your mind.   Often times it is easy to get lost in the loops, and sometimes you will be able to come back to the Now moment within the breath. Eventually, you will realize that these thoughts are not actually you but are only a rising and passing part of your present experience…Thank goodness! By being aware you can actually create empowering and positive thoughts that will help you enjoy your day and motivate you through challenging situations (Like your ELDOAS!!).

Step 3: Awareness of emotions!! “What am I actually feeling right now? Whatever it is, it’s OK!!! I am human!”

Humans experience a wide range of emotions! Let them be felt! Once you become aware of what you actually feel, you can practice observing the breath and accepting the feeling that you are having. The breath is present, and the emotion, like everything else, is rising and passing. Know that your emotions, like your thoughts, are not who you are, but they are part of your present human experience. Being aware of your feelings will help you clarify your needs and you can consciously proceed forward.

Step 4: Awareness of Sensations!!

Our thoughts create emotions, and emotions create sensations in the body. At the same time sensations in the body create emotions, and emotions create thoughts! They are all connected! And each one influences how we move in the world: who we think we are, how we respond or react, how we communicate, and how we contribute to the environment around us. Being mindful of sensation in your body will help you understand where you hold tension, stress, and emotion. Experience the rising of sensation and watch as it passes away through each mindful breath.

When you practice mindfulness you may begin to notice things you hadn’t before…the sound of birds singing, the sensation in your belly during a conversation with a new friend, the taste of the incredible spices in your food, and even the beautiful hummingbird as you walk from one place to the next. Awareness empowers you and awakens you to each experience in your life. Enjoy!
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Written by SolCoreFitness · Categorized: Blog, Exercise Program, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle, Semi Private Personal Training

Apr 24 2015

Breathing Problems?

Do you suffer from Breathing Problems?

So by now you are properly motivated, sleeping enough, and drinking enough water so what’s the next step to health and happiness…..breathing. It seems like this should be the easiest thing in the world, but most people do not breath properly.

When air comes in it pairs with water to produce energy. It also is alkaline and is essential to maintaining the proper Ph in our body. When you breath properly it promotes elimination of the waste carbon monoxide, and consequently when you shallow breath you retain carbon monoxide within your body and increase the waste,and stress, in the body.

Most people shallow breath as opposed to diaphragmatic breathing. Shallow breathing, or chest breathing, is not as efficient as diaphragmatic, or belly breathing. Shallow breathing uses all of your accessory breathing muscles and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system(fright or flight) and diaphragmatic breathing uses the proper muscles (diaphragm and the different intercostal muscles) and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.

So if I am walking around breathing with my chest I am causing all sorts of unnecessary tension in my neck, upper back, upper chest area, and I am keeping my body in a constant state of fear. This leads to possible headaches, neck pain, loss of concentration etc.

On the other hand if I am able to properly breath (diaphragmatically) then I am calm and balanced.

How to start correcting your breathing problems.

So you can see not breathing properly can really detract from your quality of life. So what to do? Fist thing is to find out if your are being efficient within your breathing. I want you to stand up and put one hand on your belly button and one hand of your chest. Go ahead and take three big breaths. Now lay on the ground and do the same thing. When you breath properly the first two thirds of it should go to the belly while the last third should go into the chest with no discernible tension in the neck, upper back, or upper chest area. This should of happened WHILE YOU WERE STANDING. Everybody breaths properly while lying on there back. If you had issues with this I highly recommend you practice while lying on the floor to at least gain the awareness of what it should feel like. On top of that you need to address in you training: strengthening the diaphragm and abs and stretch all the muscles that are attached to you thorax which are over working.

Thank and relax and breath easy:-)
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Written by SolCoreFitness · Categorized: Blog, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle, Personal Trainer, Semi Private Personal Training

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