Anne Parr PRO TRAINER

This is a pet peeve of mine. I remember going to the diabetic clinic with myhusband when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and the dietitian told himhe could 1 drink diet pop a day.  I made the comment “he might as wellhave a Persian once a week.  Well the fight was on.  And of course myhusband didn't get it either.  I didn't realize he was drinking 1 to 2liters of coke every day much more on the weekend with rum.

Many people ask me why they can’t loose weight when they watch what they eat,lots of healthy choices, read labels etc. yet they think nothing about drinkingcoke or Pepsi regularly & diet thinking they are helping themselves by nothaving the regular. 

 Posted on January 31, 2012 by Stone Hearth News

Individuals who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increasedrisk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vasculardeath. This is according to a new study by Hannah Gardener and her colleaguesfrom the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at Columbia University Medical Center.However, in contrast, they found that regular soft drink consumption and a moremoderate intake of diet soft drinks do not appear to be linked to a higher riskof vascular events. The research¹ appears online in the Journal of GeneralInternal Medicine², published by Springer.

In the current climate of escalating obesity rates, artificially sweetenedsoft drinks are marketed as healthier alternatives to sugar-sweetenedbeverages, due to their lack of calories. However, the long-term healthconsequences of drinking diet soft drinks remain unclear.

Gardener and team examined the relationship between both diet and regular soft drink consumption and risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (or heart attack), and vascular death. Data were analyzed from 2,564 participants in the NIH-funded Northern Manhattan Study, which was designed to determine stroke incidence, risk factors and prognosis in a multi-ethnic urban population. The researchers looked at how often individuals drank soft drinks – diet and regular – and the number of vascular events that occurred over a ten-year period.

They found that those who drank diet soft drinks daily were 43 percent more likely to have suffered a vascular event than those who drank none, after taking into account pre-existing vascular conditions such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and high blood pressure. Light diet soft drink users, i.e. those who drank between one a month and six a week, and those who chose regular soft drinks were not more likely to suffer vascular events.

Gardener concludes: “Our results suggest a potential association between daily diet soft drink consumption and vascular outcomes. However, the mechanisms by which soft drinks may affect vascular events are unclear. There is a need for further research before any conclusions can be drawn regarding the potential health consequences of diet soft drink consumption.

”###Reference

1. Gardener H et al (2012). Diet soft drink consumption is associated with an increased risk of vascular events in the Northern Manhattan Study. Journal of General Internal Medicine. DOI 10.1007/s11606-011-1968-2

2. The Journal of General Internal Medicine is the official journal of the Society of General Internal Medicine.

News that matters read more

It will be 2 year this coming March that my husband had  triple bypass surgery.  He still drinks his diet pop?????

Just a wife who hopes the diabetic clinics will refocus their teaching of soft drinks with caution and limit amounts or 0 since as all  wives know husbands like kids don't always listen to advice we give.

Have a great eveing.

Anne

Quick Tip #56

“Getting adequate sleep has been shown to speed up a person'smetabolism.” -

Dr. Travis McDonough

Find this and more Tips to stay Fit and in control of your life.

Getting enough sleep can be a problem from the time we are born to theend of our lives.  Let's look at how some of this may apply to us gettingenough sleep.

Let's start at birth we wake when we are hungry, wet oruncomfortable.  Where you told by your parents you were a goodsleeper?  This doesn't last long for mostof us although there are babies who take a very long time regulating a good 6 -8 hours or more.  There are also those who will have or feel they needlittle sleep all their lives.  We are all so different thus the norm doesnot work for us all.  Even if you don't sleep or feel you don't sleep allnight ensuring you take the time to lay the body down at a certain time everyday will help.  Being physically active during the day will also tire thebody so it demands sleep.  I know if I have a good exercise with a propercool down my sleep is much better.  Eating the right foods (and amounts) throughoutthe day and evening before bed will make a difference and may need to change aswe grow through the many changes that arise.  Being aware that food couldbe a cause of the restless or sleepless nights will help you make a positive adjustmentthroughout your live.   

Yoga and meditation are great ways to ensure the body prepares forsleep & or rests in alert mind awareness as the body relaxes.

If you tend to be hyperactive yoga & or meditation most certainlywould be a perfect match for you and a challenge to begin.  Moms who takethe initiative to see an infant that is in need of less sleep or put us a fussto sleep ( Mom will be so over tired from this baby constantly wanting to beawake she will need to nap every time the baby goes down even if it is for ashort time) can begin with a gentle massage, light stretching of the joints,soft music, a story time just before bed, dimming the lights will give the babysome tools they will instinctively use for the rest of their lives.

Most teens spend a great deal of time sleeping as their bodies growand change. School and work can make sleeping difficult when faced withdeadlines & challenges.

Pregnancy can also bring on some sleepless nights and that feeling ofexhaustion long before the baby arrives.  First time parents get littlesleep again depends on the child and their nature, environment etc. 

Change in weather winter/ spring/ summer/ fall all these seasons havetheir days where sleep is disrupted.

How we cope with the stresses in our lives also is a majorfactor.   What is your work schedule like, do you work shift work,long hours, very physical or sedimentary job?  All will have a fact in oursleep patterns.  Our lifestyles, theenvironment we live in and so much more.  Take time and enjoy the moment in time, everyspecial minute of the day as often as you can take a deep breath and pause…….

Want to share your thoughts, ideas and suggestions please do so. 

Have a wonderful day..   Anne

I teach functional fitness in all my classes with one class specifically designed for that reason.  For seniors it is important to be able to live on their own as long as possible with a healthy capable body that functions well.  no one says it better than Paul Chek .  Posture and alignment are a key as are the following:

What is Functional ExercisePaul ChekHere at the C.H.E.K Institute, an exercise can only be considered functional if it fulfills the following criteria:

1. Comparable reflex profile (Righting and Equilibrium reflexes)

When moving across any object, stable (earth) or unstable (surf board), the body uses reflexes to maintain your upright posture. People with brain and spinal cord injuries often have to perform certain exercises to restore these reflex actions. Athletes needing particular reflex responses can use specific exercises to target the reflex profile they need to improve.

2. Maintenance of your center of gravity over your own base of support

Whether standing at the sink brushing your teeth (Static postural component), or performing a walking lunge, squat or power clean (Dynamic postural component), failure to maintain your center of gravity over your base of support results in falling and possibly injury.

3. Generalized motor program compatibility

The most functional exercises use movements that have a high carryover to work and sport. The best functional exercises have a relative timing profile similar to many other activities. For example, the squat exercise has a very similar relative timing profile to jumping, yet the leg press, knee extension and hamstring curl machine are very different, which is why they do very little if anything to improve vertical jump performance!

4. Open/closed chain compatibility

If you push against an object and you can not move it, such as performing a chin-up, the chain (muscles/joints) is closed. When performing a lat pull down you are overcoming the resistance and thus, the chain is open. Because the recruitment of muscles and movements of joints is task specific, your exercise selection must be equally specific to achieve an functional outcome.

5. Improves relevant biomotor abilities

Each exercise is composed of “biomotor”, or “life-movement,” abilities. According to Bompa (8), biomotor abilities are strength, power, endurance, flexibility, coordination, balance, agility and speed. An exercise is most functional when the biomotor profile most closely approximates the ability lacking in the athlete’s body or when it most closely resembles the task being trained for.

6. Isolation to integration

Bodybuilding has plagued athletic training and rehabilitation with the urge to “isolate” muscles and make them BIGGER! It should never be forgotten when trying to improve functional performance, the brain only knows movements, not muscles. To achieve optimal results with any isolation exercise, adequate time must be spent training the muscle to contribute to a functional movement pattern.

https://www.chekconnect.com/Page/Article?article=174" target="_blank">https://www.chekconnect.com/Page/Article?article=174

http://chekinstitute.com/Core/

Take a step each day to move forward.

Anne

It's important to eat right  most imporant meal of the day is your Breakfast.  I love my raisin toast.

Here's a Quick Tip #290

“According to the author and researcher Laurie Deutch Mozian, Cinnamon contains phytochemicals, Eugenol

and Geranoil, which can both help to combat against candida (overgrowth of yeast) due to their antimicrobial

properties.”

- Dr. Travis McDonough

One of my new favourate beverages Almond milk is a great source of calcium excellant for those who have  lactose intolerance this is the dairy alternative people have been searching for.  

[It is a good source of unsaturated fats; the fats found in almond milk derive primarily from the natural almond oil. Almond milk is high in protein and omega fatty acids, contains no cholesterol or saturated fat, and has high levels of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc, as well as the antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E.   Posted on January 19, 2012 by Stone Hearth News ] 

This beverage comes in many flavours great for smoothies, shakes and much more.

Enjoy your day.

Anne

Start your year off right by working in your target Heart Rate so you cansee results of your cardio vascular workouts.

Why is this important?  Cardiovascular fitness is one of the mostimportant components of fitness.  Through continuous activity the wholebody is involved, the heart and lungs & circulatory systems are trainedmaking daily life easier.  Increase in oxygen delivered to heart &cells increases energy, and active living.  The saying goes the more youdo the more you can do.  An active body is a happy body.

There are many benefits such as prevent cardiovascular disease, moreefficient heart,  lowers blood pressure, keep, increase stamina, improvesmetabolism for better weight management by decreasing body fat,  increasesHDL good cholesterol an decreases LDL bad cholesterol, lowers risk of diabetes,improves self image and self esteem so you feel better, reduces anxiety helpsmanage daily stress.

If you always work at the same heart rate for your fitness trainingyou will plateau, miss the gains from changes your body will gain.  Bychanging up your heart rate with your workouts up you will begin to see many newgains just as you did when you first started your fitness training but now itcan continue for a life time without the worry of job, life getting in the wayof your routine because you can adapt to changes easily.

Here’s a formula many athletes use.  All of us are different and may not fit the numbers we see of charts in the gyms.

Calculating your target heart rate

Before you get up out of bed in the morning take a 10 sec.pulse.  Multiply your pulse rate by 6 –the result is your resting heart rate (HR) for 1 minute.

Take                                                                  220

 Minus your age                                            - ________

= your maximum HR                                   = ________

Minus your resting HR                                 - ________

= Heart Rate reserve                                     = ________

X .7 to determine70% of your max HR      X ________

Plus your resting HR                                    + ________

= your training heart rate                              = ________

Your training HR may be different from posted charts. We allare different and some of us have higher or lower HR from standard norm(determine  .65. .7  .75 .8 etc.)

Recommending HR

Your maximum heart rate is how many beats per minute yourheart can beat. This formula is based on your resting heart rate.  The HR is a guide line as to how hard youshould train during your workouts. 

Some examples

                      220– Age 60 = 160 (= max heart rate)

Resting HR in 10 sec. 8 x 6 =   48 subtract from max HR

= 112 Beats per minute HR reserve

Multiply your % lets use 65% HR = 72.8 BPM

Add Resting HR 48 + 72.8 = 120.8 Your Training HR for 65%  to determine where you are as a:

-beginner or first year of exercising 50 – 60% HR

-intermediate regularly exercising 2 – 3 x week 60-70%

-experienced exercisers, athletes & supervised 70 – 85%

Prepared by Anne Parr PRO Trainer  www.anneparrprotrainer.com

Start NEW Start FRESH!

So how are we doing with the NEW YEARS Resolutions?

Goal setting should always be looked at in 3 ways:

Short term - 2 - 4 weeks be able to accomplish

Mid term - 5 weeks to 6 months - how are you doing?  Do you need some support? Motivation, Direction?

Long term six months to 1 year Are you stiking to your goal?  What have you accomplished?  Do you need to make some adjustments?

Sharing this for all interested.

Happy New Year to you!

I am reminding you that if your New Year's resolution contains any interest in pursuing the Feldenkrais Method of learning -- I am teaching an Awareness Through Movement class at the 55 Plus Centre, on Tuesdays from 6:30-7:30. If you participated in the Drop-in classes last year, you will find some of the lessons familiar and some of them brand new.

For those of you who are not sufficiently mature to join the 55+ classes, I am exploring a different venue for another class.

The first class is on Tuesday, January 10 -- that is assuming there is sufficient registration.

I wish us all good health,

Oliver

Keep on the road to Succedd with every failure come new open doors.

Anne

Happy New Year to All !

This year I want to share my best wishes to all! & completion of all your Resolutions

Have you made your New Years Resolution yet? Or do you?

Let’s look at a little at the meaning of Wishes and Resolution and out comeof both.

Wish

·       Wish is something we want, don’t have yet.

Resolution

·       An action we will take so our wish will becomereality.

Wish

·       Hope for not real

Resolution

·       Goal to accomplish realistic set target time.

Wish

A vision of  what will comeResolution

Complete see, feel  touch!

You can and you Will make your life Better start today!

Anne

Best way to reduce Stress during the holidays is to stickwith your regular routine as much as you possibly can and don’t beat yourselfup if you miss one or two.  Mostimportant is sleep don’t let yourself get over tired.  This can be a challenge when you have manymore commitments with social gatherings.

Plan ahead enjoy the parties with more chatting with people,go for the fun aspect without over doing the alcohol and be choosey what youeat.  It’s OK to splurge a little once in a while.  This way you will not only enjoy you’re self more you’ll even remember how much fun you really had witheveryone. 

Live, Laugh and Love! Have a Happy Holiday Anne Parr  PRO Trainer FIS

It seems like every year we are bombarded with messages about some new unknown supplement, fitness trend, or other health-related product that’s supposed to be the next big panacea for producing mind-boggling weight loss and the body you’ve always wanted. Don’t you know if somebody actually came up with that ever-elusive “magic pill” gimmick for improving weight and health that they’d make Bill Gates look like a welfare recipient with all the money that would start pouring in hand over fist? But, alas, it’s never gonna happen. Even still, the diet industry is big business because clever marketing and strategic products are being aggressively targeted to a captive audience of desperate people who are tired of being overweight, unhealthy, and out of shape. That’s why tactics like these have helped crazy diet schemes strike it rich seemingly out of nowhere overnight preying on the innocent. The latest of these is the “Body By Vi” program from Visalus Sciences. I first heard about this company from a friend of mine at church (I’ll call him John) who has worked in various sales jobs as his primary source of income for most of his life. Knowing that I have a substantial following online from people who are interested in the subject of weight and health, John invited me over to his house to make me a healthy milkshake that he said he could taste like any flavor I wanted. Wow, sounds impressive. Actually, not really. I’m a natural skeptic and was hesitant about spending any of my valuable time listening to what he had to say. But because I respect John’s faith and sales success over the years, I decided to hear what he had to share. What I discovered in those two hours was a much bigger lesson in why low-carb dieters should be wary of these Visalus products.

What’s funny about Visalus is it is a typical MLM (multi-level marketing) company requiring you to buy into the company and to find other enrollees to sponsor as part of your personal pyramid network. I’ve never understood why I’m always approached by people to join their favorite MLM (from Amway, Avon, Pampered Chef, MovaVie, Cutco, Shaklee, Pre-Paid Legal and every other one you’ve ever heard of), but I guess I have that certain special something they are looking for. Maybe it’s because I enjoy talking to people and feel comfortable holding conversations that they think would make me a great salesman. I dunno, but I’ve been bombarded with people trying to get me to join their MLM since I was a teenager and it’s still happening to this day. John just knew with what I already do for a living promoting healthy nutritional concepts on my popular blog and podcasts that Visalus would be the perfect fit for me.

I suppose he knew what he was getting himself into asking me to try a protein shake product from Visalus…but maybe not. As he and one of his fellow Visalus promoters were trying to paint a picture of how I could attain financial freedom through being involved in this company (this is the major thing I ABHOR about MLM schemes–”join our team and all of your money woes will disappear”–UGH!), I was reading through the paperwork they had in a big 3-ring binder describing the Visalus plan featuring the aforementioned protein shake mixes. Anyone who knows me will tell you I read labels very carefully before putting something inside my body. If there is an ingredient in a food I am going to consume that I don’t want to have in me, then I want to know beforehand. Scouring the ingredients list of this Visalus protein shake mix, I noticed the very first ingredient in the shake was the primary source of protein–SOY!

I engaged John in a conversation about this expressing my concerns about the protein source being soy instead of whey, for example. He said, “Oh, I’ve only heard good things about consuming soy. I thought it was supposed to be healthy.” I explained to John about my podcast interview with Dr. Kaayla Daniel who wrote the book The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food and that I personally prefer to steer clear of this darling ingredient of the low-fat diet advocates. Speaking of dietary fat, there was only 1g of it in this Visalus protein shake mix along with 7g carbohydrate (5g of which is dietary fiber) and 12g protein in this 90-calorie meal replacement shake. When I told John the fat-protein ratio was way off base from what I would typically consume (my ideal food intake is high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb), again he repeated that he thought consuming less fat was healthier. It was a teachable moment that I didn’t mind sharing with him because I respect him and wanted to make sure he fully understood the concerns I had with this MLM company he had associated himself with.

Reluctantly, I agreed to have him make me one of the Visalus shakes as he promised to me when we spoke on the phone. He said, “I’ll make whatever milkshake you want and it will taste just like the real thing!” My favorite flavor is cookies & cream, so that’s what I requested. When I inquired about how many flavors Visalus made, he said he likes to take the vanilla shake mix and blend it with ingredients to make whatever flavor I wanted. I was confused somewhat by this answer. When I inquired further about my cookies & cream milkshake, he assured me it would taste amazing and be healthy because he used skim milk and Oreo cookies! O-M-G! Are you freakin’ kidding me?! Here I thought it was a cookies & cream flavor and he’s putting sugary, wheat-based carbage in this “healthy” shake. I was flabbergasted to say the least and explained that the supposed benefits of consuming the nutrition contained in this shake don’t override the huge insulin-spiking carb bomb he just added to it. Since he took the time to make the shake, I appeased him by having one small sip. YUCK! It was so gross I told him I wouldn’t be able to finish it. I was sorely disappointed. John said he’d share my concerns about the soy, fat content, etc. with the Visalus company and see what they say in response. More on how they responded in a moment.

I’d been meaning to blog about this for a while, but it came to a head again recently after I received the following e-mail from a new blog reader who was excited about this new company she’s involved with–Visalus:

More information: http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/low-carb-dieter-beware-soy-based-body-by-vi-visalus-protein-shake-mixes-not-a-panacea/12336

More important is Healthy balanced eating than short term quick fix products that don't allow a journey to wellness to occur.   Mantaining proper exercise and nutrition is the key to a better life.  If you are struggling see the professionals who will help you make a change for life. 

Share your comments and your concerns.

Wishing you a fun safe Christmas! 

Anne Fitness & Health for life!