Buns Of Steel

Seriously I hope the 80's and the original "Buns of Steel" workouts make a come back!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holidays (depending on what you celebrate) and a Happy New Year. Below are a few of the pictures from the Christmas Sweater Party I host every year. The sweaters get better every year and this year we even had a celebrity show up "Buddy the Elf". Enjoy!

Killer At Large

I posted a few months ago about a new documentary called "Killer At Large" that is finally showing in selected cities. The movie really zeroes in on the reasons behind our nation's obesity problem and attempts to get to the root of the problem. I think it will be very informative and hopefully educate the the American public as to why we are facing the problems that we are in regards to our nation's weight and health issues.

I have been working with one of the producers to bring the film to St. Louis and we have almost finalized the details. Hopefully by the weeks end I will be able to report that it is official, but until then check out the longer trailer here.
http://tinyurl.com/8x2lo9

Heart Health By The Numbers

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women worldwide, but you can significantly reduce that risk by knowing what risk factors you have and what you can do to reduce them. There are modifiable risk factors or factors you can control and non-modifiable risk factors that you cannot. A non-modifiable risk factor would be family history. If an immediate male family member has a history of heart problems before the age of 55, or 65 for female family members, you are automatically at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Otherwise here are the things you can control.

Heart Health Risk By The Numbers.

Blood Pressure- If consistently over 140/90 seek the advice of your primary care physician for an evaluation. Ideally less than 120/80.

Steps to Reduce Blood Pressure-Regular Exercise, Reduce Salt Intake, and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Cholesterol- LDL(Bad)-Less than 100 HDL(Good)- Greater than 40 Total- Less than 200 Triglycerides- Less than 150

Steps to Reduce Cholesterol-Regular Exercise, Reduce Dietary Cholesterol, and Maintain a Healthy Weight. "Rule Of 40" a 40 point reduction can cut your risk of a cardiac event in half!

Diabetes-Fasting Blood Sugar below 100.

Steps to Reduce Blood Sugar-Regular Exercise, Eat a Balanced Diet, and Maintain a Healthy Weight.

Obesity-Body Mass Index(BMI) of 20-24.9. 25 or higher means increased risk of cardiovascular disease. To figure your BMI divide weight in kilograms(1 kg = 2.2 lbs) by height in meters(1 meter = 39.37 inches) squared.

Steps To Reduce Obesity-Regular Exercise, Eat a Balanced Diet.

Two more risk factors that are modifiable but don't have any numbers associated with them are smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. Obviously the steps to reduce these risks would be to quit smoking and increase your physical activity. I'm sure by now you've noticed a pattern that eating a healthy diet, exercsing regularly, and maintaining a healthy body weight are the answer to many of our nations leading diseases. If you follow "The Biggest Loser" you noticed how Jerry basically reclaimed his life by taking control of the risk factors that are modifiable. So use his story or any story you need to find the inspiration to add 24 years to your life like Jerry.

Coronary Heart Disease and Exercise

Coronary heart disease(CHD) is one the leading causes of death responsible for 500,000 deaths every year and approximately 16 million people have been diagnosed with CHD. But by following a couple of specific guidelines someone who has CHD or has suffered a cardiac event can exercise safely and independently.

Always check with your primary care physician before begining to exercise on your own

Always be sure to do an appropriate warm-up and cool-down consisting of slow walking for approximately 5 minutes.

Don't push yourself so hard that you experience chest pain, but in the event be sure and call 911.

Have a cell phone handy or have a training partner present for emergency situations.

Always carry your nitroglycerin if it's been prescribed for you.

If nausea, dizziness, or shortness of breath occur be sure to cease exercising and contact a physician immediately.

Do not exercise in excessively hot, cold, or humid environments as they can increase the likelihood of previously mentioned conditions.

Regular physical activity has a positive influence on every modifiable risk factor for CHD. By starting a regular program of physical activity you can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as decreasing the desire to smoke and aid in losing excess body fat. So even if you've faced a heart attack or just want to lose a few pounds get started now.

Oprah Fell off The Wagon!

If you happen to watch any type of celebrity news shows or your local news station you've probably heard that Oprah has fallen off the wagon when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. In 2006 Oprah weighed in at 160 pounds and has since found the weight creeping back towards the 200 pound mark. After some pretty remarkable weight loss and lifestyle changes she some how got out of touch with a healthy lifestyle and has since suffered the consequences.

The first lesson to learn from her is that someone who has access to all the resources in the world like Oprah can falter when it comes to fitness and health, but it is never too late to make a change. Maybe you can relate to her problem or have a similar problem of your own, but the most important thing you can do is to take action and commit to a goal. Figure out what your goal is and don't make excuses just do what you have to in order to reach it.

I'll bet in just a few short months Oprah will have made some pretty great strides to get back to her formerly healthy self. And I'll bet before the ink can dry on the newspaper and magazine articles she'll be back in the gym working toward her new goal whatever that may be.

Adjust Your Portions to Adjust Your Waistline.

It's no secret that the American portion size has grown way out of control. It is also safe to say that most people probably don't know what a portion of meat is supposed to look like. First off what exactly constitutes a portion of meat?

3 ounces, 5 ounces, or 7 ounces?

The correct answer is 3 ounces. Now without a food scale or an idea of what 3 oz of let's say salmon would look like how are you supposed to know whether or not you're eating the correct portion. Well most people can't just eyeball a piece of salmon and figure out how much it weighs nor do they want to purchase a food scale to weigh everything they cook. So the easiest way is to relate it to something that you are familiar with. So for future reference a 3 ounce serving of meat is going to be equivalent in size to a deck of playing cards. Click HERE for more information on portion sizes and how they affect your waistline.

Is Happiness Contagious?

Have you ever been in a supermarket check out line and the cashier asks "How's it going?" I know we all have, but really think about it the next time and then respond with "I'm great thank you and how are you?" I'll bet you'll get a little smile out of them and you'll probably feel pretty good too knowing you brightened that cashiers day a little.

I think we've all heard the old adage that misery loves company but that goes for happiness too and recent evidence in the British Medical Journal supports it. The study has reported that people who are surrounded by happy people in their family and friends were more likely to remain happy. I'm not so sure we needed a study to provide that data but it sure does reinforce what a positive mental attitude can do for you and those around you.

So I challenge you either today or in the coming holidays to try and make someone you come in contact with happy!

To read the full article click here.

www.essentialfitnessSTL.com

Are Your Kids Angry?

New research shows that exercise can helps kids deal with their anger. Children who participated in an after school exercise program had found a significant impact on anger expression. That sounds like all the more reason to continue to offer more physical education programs in schools instead less. Helping kids battle an epidemic of obesity while helping them channel there anger in other ways sounds like a win win! Check out the whole article here.

The Older you Get the More Imporant Exercise is.

We all know how important exercise is, but from time to time it's always good to have proof. In a recent study performed at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill brain scans have shown that older adults who exercise an average of 3 hours a week have increased blood flow to the brain. It has been no secret that the brain functions better when you exercise regularly, and the increased vasculature and blood flow to the brain could be one of the reasons the study says. So keep your brain healthy and hit the gym!

Click Here to read the full article.

Email me at info@essentialfitnessSTL.com for your Free 2-Page Report that contains the 3 keys to successful sustainable weight loss.

Exercise Bands Can Be Dangerous.

Thanksgiving was delicious, but now it's time to get back to business and keep up the workouts and get back to eating healthy. Check out this funny video of a guy trying to film his own exercise video. This is the reason I have yet to record my own. Hope this makes you laugh and be sure to enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!


Tube Snaps Exercise Guru in the Face - Watch more Free Videos

A $218,000,000,000 Bailout?!?!

Nope that 218 billion dollars isn't a government bailout plan. It is the amount of money diabetes is costing our country just last year! That amounts to about 10% of all healthcare spending by the government and the public. Diabetes is linked to obesity and sedentary lifestyles and seeing as how obesity numbers continue to rise dramatically that number will rise right along with it.

What can we do to help? Educate and inspire people to exercise, eat right, and take care of themselves! Tell people why you exercise and what it has done for you. Personal stories are very powerful so share yours with others in hopes of inspiring them to take action. Let's get back to basics and take care of those around us.

Our healthcare system is very reactive and we need to be proactive. Companies and coalitions have been formed to give diabetes patients medication with no co-pay or will pay doctors extra for caring for patients with diabetes. Wouldn't it make more sense to give them a treadmill, gym membership, or to prescribe an exercise program.

Whatever your view might be on the subject I think it definitely warrants some thought. How can we afford to spend 218 billion dollars on a disease that can be controlled? I guess it falls in line with the reasoning behind why people continue to smoke? To read the article in its entirety click here.

Elf Yourself!

I know it may be a little early to start wishing people a "Merry Christmas", but I just couldn't help myself! So Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas all at the same time. I put together a little dance routine that I recorded over the weekend to honor the occasion I hope you enjoy:)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wheelchair Bodybuilding.

If you've never heard of wheelchair bodybuilding you are missing out on some incredible individuals. The men and women that compete in this sport are truly some of the most inspiring people around. After being faced with a situation that might upset or depress most individuals, these competitors use those emotions to fuel their desire to obtain a perfect physique. They are the perfect example of what a little hard work and discipline can do for the human body. Check out Jon's story below.



After watching that take a look at your fitness routine and ask yourself if your reaching your fitness goals and are you doing absolutely everything you can do to be your best?

Vitamin C! A Wonder Supplement?

Vitamin C over the years has been tagged with many different health benefits. A recent study has found that vitamin C supplementation could possibly help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by lowering C-Reactive protein(CRP) a biomarker usually accompanied with such disease. A daily dose of vitamin C can help those who have elevated levels of CRP, while those who did not saw no significant change. The study also found that vitamin C supplementation was found to be comparable to statin drugs in reducing the levels of CRP. To read the full article click the link below.

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/129322.php

Thanksgiving Coming Early!

While doing some cardio today I happened to catch Rachel Ray cooking a rather tasty meal. It was Turkey meatloaf with cider gravy and sour cream and onion mashed potatoes. I plan on cooking it this weekend, but will substitute a few things to keep in on the healthier side.

Instead of using actual sour cream I will substitute with fat free greek style yogurt, which has the same texture as sour cream and I honestly can't tell the difference. Obviously for the ground turkey I would choose ground turkey breast as it is naturally very low in fat. Lastly I would substitute a whole wheat stuffing mix because of the effect processed white flours have on blood sugar. The only other thing I'm not thrilled about is the sugar content in the cider again because of the spike in blood sugar it causes, but hey you can't win 'em all!

Making a few small changes in the way we cook and the ingredients we use can have significant impacts in managing body weight. A quick comparison between the use of sour cream and fat-free greek style yogurt shows just how much of a difference it can make. The recipe below calls for 1 1/2 cups of sour cream for the potatoes, which yields nearly 700 calories and almost 70 grams of fat. Compare this to the greek style yogurt which the same portion provides only 180 calories almost a fourth of the sour cream. Keep in mind small changes can yield big results!

I've attached the recipe below for anyone who loves Thanksgiving as much as I do and needs a good turkey fix before Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups apple cider
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 3 pounds (about 6) potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
• 2 McIntosh or Gala apples, peeled and cut into small dice
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 pounds ground all-white turkey (or a mix of dark and white meat)
• 3 to 4 ribs of celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups stuffing mix
• 1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

Gravy-In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in the cider and stock. Let thicken, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serve turkey and stuffing meatloaf with sour cream and onion potatoes, cider gravy and some roasted broccoli or green beans.

Potatoes-In a pot of cold water, add the potatoes and bring up to a bubble over high heat.

Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot they were cooked in to dry out. Mash them up then mix in the sour cream, scallions, salt and ground black pepper.

Turkey Meatloaf-Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a large bowl, add apples and lemon juice, and toss together. Add turkey, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, egg, salt and ground black pepper.

In a medium-size bowl, add the stock and the stuffing. Toss around, letting the stuffing soak up the liquid, then add it to the bowl with the turkey. Mix everything together well, then turn it out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and shape it into a loaf. Coat with EVOO, transfer to the oven and roast until brown and cooked through, about an hour.

Put Life into Perspective!

Nick is truly someone who we all can learn from. If your ever having a bad day keep in mind the struggles he is faced with everyday and realize all you have to do is change your outlook.

Killer At Large Pt 2

Here is the trailer of "Killer At Large". Check it out.

Killer At Large

If you remember the documentary "Supersize Me" where Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonalds for 30 straight days. A new one called Killer At Large could be even better and put more perspective on our nation's obesity problem. Check out the trailer on the website and stay posted for more about a filming in St. Louis!

www.killeratlarge.com

Bottled Water VS Tap Water

If you've ever wondered whether or not bottled water really is better than tap water the verdict is out. After a two year study the Environmental Working Group found that bottled water contains many of the same impurities that regular tap water does. Not to say bottled water isn't safe to drink, but many companies lead you to believe that their product is the purest of pure when it might as well have come from your kitchen sink. On average a bottle of water contains about 8 different pollutants that range anywhere from trace amounts of medication to chemicals used in the plastics industry. So next time you grab a bottle of water at the gas station think twice and save yourself a buck and a half, it may pay off at a time when the nation's economy is in crisis.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125610.php

Feel free to email any of your fitness/nutrition questions you'd like me to cover in future blogs.
info@essentialfitnessstl.com

Also if you have a fitness/nutrition question that I can't answer I will give you a one week pass to my gym and 2 Free 30 Minute Personal Training sessions.

Holiday Fitness Tips

As Halloween and the holiday seasons loom closer the temptation to indulge in all the tasty holiday fare increases with each passing day. I'll offer a few quick tips to combat that holiday weight gain that everyone tries in vain to take off in January.

#1 Instead of waiting until after you've gained weight through the holidays and starting to exercise in January, find an exercise program you enjoy and start today. By being proactive and starting your exercise program today you can certainly not feel as guilty about a little holiday indulgence.

#2 If you end up with 3 Holiday parties in one week pick only one in which you will indulge in sweets or that extra glass of wine and stick to your convictions.

#3 If you are lucky enough to plan the office holiday party maybe plan it somewhere that people can socialize and be active at the same time like an ice skating rink.

Feel free to email any of your fitness/nutrition questions you'd like me to cover in future blogs.
info@essentialfitnessstl.com

Also if you have a fitness/nutrition question that I can't answer I will give you a one week pass to my gym and 2 Free 30 Minute Personal Training sessions.