Sunday, January 31, 2010

Proper Breakfast

So many people ask me what I eat for breakfast, and what I feed my kids for breakfast. If you know me, or even know just a little bit about me, you know that cereal is beyond rare at my kitchen table.

Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. It feeds your body all that it is missing due to what was used during your sleep (your body's natural repair time), and it gives you energy for the rest of the day.

Kids like and enjoy variety. For that reason it changes up, but a few items are almost a daily regular. Yogurt and fruit (mainly berries and cantelope) are a staple. Hard boiled or scrambled organic eggs are eaten often. Multi grain toasts or organic muesli are given often. This gives the kids colour, carbohydrates, pre and probiotics and protein... basically a well rounded start for the day.

As for me, my usual breakfast is 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup organic oatmeal and fresh fruit. On some ocassion I will go with 1 egg white and a yogurt, and twice a week I go with 1 egg white and 1 whole egg. The yolk is a great source of choline which is brain food. If I do not have my oatmeal, I often have muesli mixed with yogurt and berries or I enjoy flax or spelt toast.

If you are having a hard time getting a good breakfast, and need some pointers, please feel free to contact me via my websites www.ozzieocean.com or www.mytraineroz.com

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

More unhealthy health foods

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about some foods that people think are healthy, but truly they are not. I have received a few messages about that article, and many questions, so I feel I need to add another list of products that are not necessarily as healthy as they seem.

1 - Turkey and/or chicken HotDogs. These items do have less saturated fat than the regular hot dog, but they have very little protein, its is not a complete protein source and they are extremely high in sodium.

2 - Protein bars. If you are not a bodybuilder or train like an athlete, these bars (with some exeptions) are high in saturated fat, sugars and artificial sweeteners and flavours.

3 - Breaded chicken burgers - Again, a better choice perhaps than a regular all beef burger, but these breaded burgers are usually made with processed chicken, are fried for the breading to stick, and are high in sodium and cholesterol.

4 - Yellow or Orange Cheese - basically the same as Kraft singles, these are all processed and full of aditives. If you want cheese, buy the real stuff. You can now even find a wide variety or cheese that comes from an organic source.

I want to emphasize, if you have recently gone from eating horrible foods and take out all the time,to eating the above, it is a step in the right direction, but another step must be taken. What we eat is essential for how we feel and how we age.

If you have any questions whatsoever about your current diet, or are unsure about something you are eating, please feel free to contact me at mytraineroz@gmail.com.

Best wishes!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Body Fat % and inches

I can't tell you how often I see people worry about their weight and not have a clue what body fat percentage is. If you really want to be healthy, you have to know your body's makeup and composition. Knowing how much of your body is fat is crucial.

I have seen people that were 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, and has 9% body fat. According to the BMI (body mass index) they are overweight. Guess what, they had no extra inches to lose on their waiste line, and thier percentage of body fat qualified them as athletic. To me that means healthier insides.

You can also take the reverse, for example a woman who recently lost 35 pounds, which is a great step, but was at 34% bodyfat. That is unhealthy to have that much percentage of fat. She visibly had inches of fat around her waiste, upper thighs and arms.

If you want to assess how healthy you are, or how well you are progressing on a weight loss program, yes, using the scale is very helpful, but your true keys to success are knowing your body fat percentage and tracking how many inches you lose.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A step in the right direction

I am very proud to have earned all the certifications that I have. I spent many hours studying, and many hours training. I have taken in advise from others, tried new ideas, and read books to compliment my studies. I think that I can say that I am quite knowledgeable in the field of health, nutrition, and fitness.

I am not however, too smart to still learn more. For that reason I decided to take a course that is very similar to F.I.T which is the course offered by the YMCA. This course os offered by the YM-YWHA, which essentially is the Jewish version of the YMCA.

I wanted to get one more certification, and I wanted it to have international recognition. I am not planing on moving, but one never knows where life bings you.

I have figured out that I would like to try motivational speaking. I think if I can enlighten people to start believing in themselves, and seeing how living a healthy lifestyle can bring other positive changes, then I am doing god's work. I believe we are all here for a purpose, and after much trial and tribulation, my purpose is to help others see a new way.

I am not special in any specific way. Yes, i did survive serious open heart surgery at the age of 7. Yes,I did overcome serious addiction in my 20s, but that does not make me special. Anybody could have done the very same. The only difference is I found a reason within to fight to make my life what it deserved to be.

Now, I want to learn how to help others do that as well. I have no clue what training you need to be a motivational speaker, if any, so I am very open to ideas, suggestions, links, other blogs etc...

As for this new course, I look forward to the challenge that it will bring.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Your Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

I am hoping that everybody knows that the heart is a muscle. If you didn't know that, you do now. Like all skeletal muscles, your heart responds to physical activity. One of the benefits of being active and living a healthy active lifestyle is a low resting heart rate.

What is your RHR? Your RHR is how many beats per minute that your heart pumps when you are not doing anything physcial. So basically, it is how many beats per minute when you are in "rest" mode.

If you want to test your RHR, the best time to do so is upon waking in the morning. I also recommend you test for minimum 3 days, and do an average to get an accurate RHR. The lower your RHR the healthier your heart is.

I am 31 years old, my ideal RHR should be 55 to 61 beats per minute. That defines me as in excellent cardio shape. To be considered athletic my RHR should be 49 to 54 beats per minute. If you want to see where you should be you can google resting heart rate and a few hundred accurate charts will appear.

So now that you know what your RHR is, and you know where you "should" be on that RHR chart, how do we lower our RHR. Easy, activity. The more physical activity you involve yourself in, the lower your RHR will be. Here is a note of caution though, over training can lead to an increased heart rate, so don't forget your relaxation time, and try to aim for 8 hours of sleep, which is optimal for your health in general.

Here are a few ways to guarantee a lower RHR, and these will also help prevent coronary disease and will make you feel better, and look better too.
Not on the list but most important is walk as often as possible!!!

1) Eat a diet low in saturated fat, but get your daily doses of poly and mono unsaturated fats. Foods like salmon, olive oil, peanuts and avacado are essential in your diet.

2) Remember to relax and enjoy leisurly activities such as movies, or reading.

3) Try and swim at least once a week for about 30 minutes. If you cannot swim skating, tennis, aerobics, spinning, dancing are all great ideas.

4) Get involved in training or a specific sport and go at it like you are a pro. Give 110% all the time, and great results will follow.

5) As mentioned, sleep. Try and get about 8 hours of sleep if possible. If not, try and get a short nap during the day. The benfits of proper sleep are endless.

6) Sex. It is a great stress reliever, and it is good for the heart and the brain. It also leads to better focus in individuals who have sex 3 times a week or more.

Having a low RHR can lead to feeling better, having more energy, and not having to worry about heart disease. If you need ideas on how to lower your RHR, or want more information about this topic,please feel free to contact me.

http://www.mytraineroz.com/ or http://www.ozzieocean.com/



Saturday, January 2, 2010

Keep your immune system strong

I want all of my followers to know a few things;
-I do not believe in vaccinations, especially the flu shot
-This blog is aimed at EVERYBODY
-If we do not have our health, what really do we have?

So, now for the blog...

It's winter in the northern hemisphere, and in most of North America it is snowing, windy, cold, and perhaps even full of freezing rain. The good news is that spring is about 3 months away, the bad news, welcome to cold and flu season, especially if you have kids.

Building a balanced immune system is essential in keeping your health and preventing major illness. Those of us that are extremely active need to focus more on this, as when we put strain on our systems, our immune system is the first thing to "take a day off."

Through proper lifestyle and proper diet, your immune system can remain at prime level, and you can prevent certain illness. I will even go so far as to say this can HELP prevent or slow the progress of certain diseases.

Here is what I do to keep my immune system functioning.

First off, I do take an all natural gelcap multi vitamin each day with breakfast just to make sure my body gets all that it needs. (Please see my previous blog for more on that). I consume L-Glutamine twice a day. 10grams in my protein shake after my workout and 5grams prior to bed at night. This is not only for active people or athletes, L-Glutamine has benefits for everybody.

I make sure to eat as many colourful fruits and vegetables each day, allowing me to get my daily intake of vitamins and minerals. During the winter months (Nov 19th to April 5th - my wife's b-day to my son's b-day) I take 1 000 IU of Vitamin D, 400 IU of Vitamin E and 1000mg of Vitamin C. I also make sure to consume large amounts of anti-oxidants.

If you feel yourself getting sick,buying yogurt with prebiotics and probiotics can boost your immune system, and will likely prevent gastro-intestinal issues. This is extremely relevant for children who are in constant contact with other ill children.

I must say this though, if you or your child has an ear or throat infection, reduce dairy to a minimum or delete it from their diets for a few days. This way the bacteria has nothing to feed on.

Wash your hands often, but don't get to OCD about it, we need certain bacteria to build immunity. Sneeze and cough into your sleeve, and most important, wash your toothbrush in boiling water once a week to kill bacteria that stays on them.

Boiling water with lemon and honey is great to prevent and cure throat soreness, and if you buy organic honey, it has certain natural anti-biotic properties.

If you want more info on this,please feel free to contact me. www.mytraineroz.com

Friday, January 1, 2010

A few words on Multi-Vitamins

If you have watched TV in the last year I can guarantee that you have seen a commercial for Centrum or 1-a-Day multi-vitamins. They are on over and over again. The topic of multi-vitamins is one that creates alot of discussion and even disagreement, but rarely are the facts brought out.

As a personal trainer and a naturopath I fully understand the need to get your daily intake of vitamins and minerals.

Since I studied naturopathic nutrition it would be nice to help people get all of their requirements from food, but that is often impossible. My "trainer side" knows that when you are doing physical activity, it puts added strain on your system, and your requirments are often higher.

Why do we take a multi-vitamin? Most doctors, chiropractors, naturopaths and trainers recommend them just to make sure you are getting everything you need. Personally, I agree with that. No matter how great and clean or colourful your diet, you may be missing something, so taking a multi-vitamin is that added insurance.

Here is what many people do not understand. Most multi-vitamins out there are made 100% from a chemical source. Your body has a harder time recognizing these, so the rate of absorbtion in diminished. Also, products, specifically Centrum, claim to add everything in there, and that is true. However, for best absorbtion, you need balane between certain minerals. For example, for the best calcium absorbtion, you need X amount of vitamin D and X amount of magnesium. Most pharmacy brands do not offer this balance.

So how do you choose a multi-vitamin? That is a difficult question because there are so many factors to consider. First is budget, you have to stay within your financial means. You want an age appropriate vitamin, and you want it gender specific.

Personally, I prefer gelcaps to capsules since they digest better, and lead to quicker absorbtion. I also prefer a natural multi-vitamin. Personally I use Progressive Multi Vitamin or Active Men. The recommended dosage is 3 per day (1 per meal), but I only consume 1 with breakfast. I know my diet is clean and colourful, and I take the vitamin to make sure I am getting what is needed. Too many people figure since they are working out alot that they can double or triple the recommended dosage, that is very hazardous and can be fatal.

Be cautious about certain vitamins and how they are sold. GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe both have their own brands of multi-vitamins. I know here in Canada the GNC vitamins are the exact same (even manufactured by) as Jamieson, which are half the price in a pharmacy. Employees at these stores, and other chains such as Vitamin World have a quota on multi-vitamins,so they will try and push whatever they can on you. This is not to say they are bad, or the wrong vitamin for you, but buyer beware... do your homework on these products.

If you want to look into more products by Progressive please let me know, as I use their products regularly due to how balanced, natural, and affordable they are.

Happy and Healthy 2010!!!