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Can exercise improve your ability to learn?

Can exercise improve your ability to learn?

Can exercise improve your ability to learn?  Yes!  The link below will take you to an article found in the New York Times, “How exercise benefits the brain”.  In short, research has shown that after strenuous activity a high level of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, was found.  BDNF proteins act to promote neurogenesis which is the creation of new neurons.  

Harvard psychiatrist, John J. Ratey, M.D., is the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, calls the BDNF molecule “Miracle-Gro for the brain.”  He says it fuels most of the activities that lead to higher thought. With regular exercise, the body builds up levels of BDNF, which results in the branching out of brain neurons and the creation of new interconnections among them. Consequently, neurons communicate with one another in new ways.

Cardio activity and strength training are extremely beneficial.  But, if you really want to help your brain out take part in a sport like, tennis, basketball or soccer once a week.  If you don’t want to play a sport no problem, go for a brisk 45min walk and when you are finished play a couple games of twister!   Seriously!  If you have someone important in your life who is elderly, put a twister board on the wall and play that way.  They will have to think about what limb they have to move to what color (very beneficial for attention and memory) and get a good stretch as well!  Please email me with any questions 🙂

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/how-exercise-benefits-the-brain/

Strawberries!!!!

Strawberries!!!!

Strawberries…aside from being delicious there are some amazing health benefits you may not be aware of.  Check it out, the below info came from www.whyguides.com:

 

Minerals and Vitamins:
– Strawberries are an excellent source of minerals and vitamins that are important to boost the immune system. Some of the vitamins that people can get from this fruit are vitamin C, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B6 and vitamin K. Aside from these, strawberry is also rich in manganese, dietary fiber as well as iodine. If you need potassium and folate, you can get these from eating strawberries.

Anti-Aging Properties and Antioxidants:
– If you want to eliminate the harmful toxins in your blood, one of the best things to do is to eat strawberries because these have antioxidants that are important to combat free radicals. Eliminating free radicals is important to prevent the development of cancer cells. Aside from having anti-aging properties, people can also benefit from strawberries since these have properties that can improve brain health and slow down aging.

Treating Diseases:
– Including strawberries in your daily diet is important to enhance your health because it has minerals and vitamins that can help combat and treat some diseases like constipation, flu and high blood pressure. Physicians also recommend the regular intake of the fruit to patients who have gout, rheumatism and catarrh. Another health benefit from eating this fruit is that it can enhance gum health and eliminate tartar. Owing to its low glycemic index, strawberries are a good option to consider if one needs to maintain low blood sugar levels.

30 Day Challenge Starts February 13th, 2012!

30 Day Challenge Starts February 13th, 2012!

Ready for another challenge?!?!  I know many of you are so here it is!  This time around we will be doing 2 separate challenges for 30 days instead of 90.  One of the challenges will be a weight loss challenge and the other will be a Push-up challenge for those who don’t necessarily need to lose weight.  The first person to lose 8lbs will win the weight loss challenge.  To win the push-up challenge you have to be able to increase your maximum amount of push-ups (completed at one time…with out rest) by 150%.  For example, if your max was 10 your goal would be 25.  The winners will both receive a $20.00 gift card to their choice of grocery store 🙂  Both challenges will begin on February 13th, 2012 and end on March 13th, 2012.

To enter the weight loss challenge you need to email me your name, weight and a recent picture of yourself.  All information will be kept confidential.  To enter the push-up challenge you will need to email me your name and a video of yourself completing your max amount of push-ups.  If you are not able record video you will need to find two of your awesome co-workers to witness you completing your push-ups.  After they have witnessed you complete your max amount of PERFECT push-ups, they will need to send me an email confirming the amount of push-ups completed.

This is what I expect for a perfect push-up:
1. Your chest must touch the ground EVERY time
2. Your hips should not be up in the air or sagging down to touch the ground with every rep.  Your body should be kept in a perfectly straight line.
3. Hold your head up, do not let it drop down so your chin can almost touch your chest
4. Make sure your arms are fully extended at the top of every rep

Click the link below to view an example (his chest doesn’t quite touch the ground every time…yours needs to!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg01YuO984I&feature=relmfu

All entries must be sent to me by this Sunday, February 12th.  If you have any questions about either of the challenges or would like some help with specific goal setting please feel free to call or email me.  Once I receive your entry, I will send you an email confirming your entry.

I encourage you to get as many people involved in the challenges so you will have some accountability.  You could pick a day of the week to have a weekly weigh in. I understand this can be uncomfortable BUT… it will keep you honest with yourself and will let you know if what you are currently doing is working.  Whatever your goal is, make it visible.  Write down the number of lbs you want to lose or the number of push-ups you want to complete on several small pieces of paper.  Put one in your wallet, on your steering wheel, on your computer screen, in the fridge, on your bathroom mirror…  Get serious about it and make it happen!!! 🙂  Have an amazing day and get excited about what you will accomplish!!!


What’s the deal with Artificial Sweeteners?

What’s the deal with Artificial Sweeteners?

Well, I have found many different articles expressing the dangers of artificial sweeteners and to stay away from them completely. I have also found just as many expressing the benefits and how harmless they are in small amounts.  If you are interested, below is a small article I’d like you to read from Men’s Fitness.  Before you do, I want to give you my opinion.  I personally use Stevia in my tea and when I make my own protein bars.  Other than that I try to stay away from artificial sweeteners.  If you’re trying to lose weight simply substituting what type of sugar you use isn’t going to cut it.  If you need something sweet try resorting to fruit before you try making something not so healthy, healthy only because you are adding something artificial.

OK, give this article a read and let me know if you have any questions 🙂

The Lowdown on Sweeteners

From artificial to natural, MF‘s handy guide will keep you in the know

by Nicole Gull

Sweet tooth or not, we all need a little treat from time to time. The most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest no more than 8 tablespoons of added sugar in a 2000-calorie diet. Lately, those 8 tablespoons are getting complicated as simple table sugar becomes the exception to the rule when doctoring your morning coffee. From the Little Pink Packet to Splenda and now stevia — the options are endless and really, none of them are health foods. But, says Manhattan-based nutritionist Mary Ellen Bingham, used sparingly, sweeteners are fine. Her advice: “Research is still so inconclusive. Pick your poison and limit it.” Here’s the lowdown on what we currently know about the most popular sweeteners on the market:

Sweet n’ Low

Also known as saccharin, this stuff comes in the famous pink packet. About 300 times sweeter than table sugar and calorie-free, it’s the most common form of artificial sweetener. That said, in early 2008 the journal Behavioral Neuroscience published a study by researchers at Purdue University and the National Institutes of Health suggesting that saccharin can actually cause weight gain. The scientists found that rats consuming saccharin eventually lost the connection between the brain and the body that normally results from tasting sweet foods: an increase in body temperature and a digestive response preparing the body to burn additional calories. Because the sweet taste with saccharin wasn’t followed by calories to burn, the rats became conditioned to have a weaker digestive response after eating the zero-calorie sweetener and gained weight.

Bottom line: Not every study (especially studies involving rats) should be taken as gospel, says Keri Gans, New York registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “I wouldn’t draw a conclusion based on one study done on rats. People who eat artificial sweets may crave more of the real thing. I think a lot of what you hear is anecdotal because I haven’t found many more studies to support it. Until there are human studies that conclude this product causes weight gain, it’s fine to have Sweet n’ Low in moderation — just like any other sweetener.”

 

Equal

This is aspartame. There have been endless claims that this particular sweetener can cause cancer and even neurological damage in the human body. A September 2007 panel of medical experts, doctors and academics convened at the University of Maryland to sort out the final word, and the verdict came back that there is no real risk to using aspartame in moderation. That said, any Google search on the stuff will bring up hundreds of pages warning of tumors, autism and cancer and a 2007 study at the Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in Italy questions the long-purported belief that cancer isn’t a likely side-effect.

Bottom line: Gans’ take: “It’s safe in moderation until hard science proves otherwise. I try overall to have my patients to get their sweetness from the real thing — fruits and whole foods. But there is a place for artificial sweeteners in your diet as well if you’re trying to reduce your calories.”

 

Truvia

The latest sweetener to hit your grocery store shelves, Truvia is made from rebiana, the sweetest part of the stevia plant — a relative to the chrysanthemum plant. It’s been used in Japan since 1977, and the likes of Coca Cola, Cargill and Pepsi have jumped on board the all-natural sweetener train to market products using the stevia leaf in lieu of sugar. Just like it’s counterparts, Truvia is several hundred times (about 300) sweeter than sugar, calorie free and . . . (wait for it, wait for it) all-natural. Of course, though, the all-natural billing is debatable given that the FDA has no real definition for the “natural” label.

Bottom line: Rebecca Scritchfield, a Washington D.C.-based dietitian says it really comes down to personal preference with this one. If you like the taste of the stevia extract, go for it. Just don’t over-do it or think Truvia has a health-halo because of its all-natural label.

 

Splenda

Made from sugar, Splenda is another option that allows you to pack your sweet tooth into fewer calories. That said, Splenda is not natural, despite it’s sugar roots, says food chemist Kantha Shelke. Splenda is also called sucralose — a man-made molecule that may have started with sugar but was manipulated with various molecular extensions. It isn’t absorbed in the same way sugar is — the sugar compounds in Splenda (and in all artificial sweeteners) pass through the body and are not stored or used for energy. Since it’s not metabolized in the same way sugar is, says Bingham, you’re not likely to feel satisfied after eating it and may still crave sweet. And of course, the jury is still out on long-term health effects of using Splenda.

Bottom line: A Duke University study released in September 2008 suggests that Splenda may be linked to obesity, just as in the saccharin study at Purdue mentioned above. Still, says Gans, there has been no conclusive evidence to suggest a half a packet in your daily latte is going to cause major weight gain.

 

Sugar

We all know this one. Table sugar is an added sugar and it has the highest caloric count of all options. That said, it’s perfectly fine to use sugar if you prefer the taste to the artificial options.

Bottom line: So long as you’re not using sugar to replace whole foods and nutrients, you are totally entitled to it in moderation.

 

Honey

You may think this is a healthy alternative to sugar. That’s a myth. Yes, honey truly is a natural option, but the same approach you might take to any sweetener should be taken here as well — not to mention, Bingham points out, honey has more calories per serving than straight sugar (64 cal per tbsp of honey vs. 48 cal per tbsp of sugar).

Bottom line: If you like the taste of honey and prefer it over your other options, go for it but don’t be fooled that because honey is natural, it’s good for you. It’s basically sugar in a different form, says Gans—and sugar is empty calories.
Pedometer’s…A great way to keep track of your steps!

Pedometer’s…A great way to keep track of your steps!

I have had a few people ask “How many steps should I be taking daily to stay in shape?”  The number of steps is going to be different for everyone.  Figure out the amount of steps you log just doing your normal everyday activities.   On top of that you should be doing an extra 30-45min of cardio so you can add on 2500-3500 steps to reach a healthy goal.  In general an active adult will take 10,000 steps daily.  An extremely active adult will take closer to 13,000 steps.  Try setting a weekly goal for yourself and add a certain amount of steps daily in order to work up to that goal.  Good Luck!

~Meredith