Texas Spring/Summer Training: Staying Safe!

Looked at the thermometer lately?  It's HOT, not just in Texas but all over the U.S.  We are breaking records on our smoothie sales at PureBody Nutrition, which tells me it's record breaking temperatures outside.  So here are some supplements that can help keep you from falling into the danger zone of heat exhaustion of worse.


Water
We do not mess around about the truthfulness of supplements and frankly if you aren't getting enough water, all the supplements in the world will not save you from dehydration.  Yes the other stuff is important but this is number one.  If you do any training outside this is number one and you should drink at least a gallon a day.


AfterGlow
Typically we recommend this for post-workout, but lately we have had a large amount of long distance runners, golfers, triathlon runners, tennis competitors, and every other outdoor sport enthusiast  flocking to the store for this to take before or during training and it is a GREAT choice.  
Here is why:

During any given training session, our bodies pull on stored glycogen as fuel for muscle contraction, strength and endurance. Amino acids, vitamin and nutrient levels are all significantly depleted in a typical 45 minute session. Creatine and ATP serum counts are now at their lowest points. And to make things worse, cortisol levels (muscle eating hormone) are at their highest. Your body is about to use muscle as an energy source!  Your favorite protein drink, or your mom, can’t save you now…

AfterGlow™  is the cure all for the post workout catabolic blues. Contrary to popular belief, high levels of protein directly after a training session will not properly replenish vital nutrients and save depleted and torn muscle fibers. In fact, several non-biased research studies prove excessive protein intake after a workout provides no physiological advantage whatsoever! 
Related research suggests skipping this meal is a one way ticket to catabolism. This means if you plan on skipping your post workout meal, do yourself a favor and just skip the workout.

KreAlkalyn

This product is in AfterGlow, but it does deserve its own description.  Krealkalyn specifically helps to keep water in the muscle tissue to prevent cramping and dehydration.  Now if you are not drinking enough water Krealkalyn can actually cause dehydration, but if you are hydrated, it can actually help your body hold water in the muscle tissue and prevent it.  

"Kre Alkalyn appears to have overcome these problems [of dehydration] by adjusting the PH levels to around about PH9. "1

1.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6169304

Spring Showers Keeping You Indoors? Try This Effective Indoor Workout!

In Texas there is no doubt that even in the driest of springs, like we are having now, there is still a strong chance of the spring thunderstorm.  Do not let these thunderclouds lead to a break in the regular exercise routine.  It takes a consistent twenty one days to build a good habit, but only a few days to break it, so do not allow a thunder cloud have you crying "Oh bother" and looking like Winnie the Pooh.  

Here is a quick and simple workout you can do while in your house or at your office.  This will not only boost your metabolism, but will no doubt burn off the extra peeps you ate during Easter.  Do these consectively without any rest inbetween each exercise or at the most take thirty seconds of rest.  When you reach number eight, take two minutes to rest and drink water. If you cannot reach the number given, do the most you can and always push yourself.

1. Twenty-five jumping jacks
2. Twenty walking or in place lunges
3. Fifteen pushups (knees on floor are acceptable if you are not used to push ups)
4. Twenty-five bicycle kicks
5. Twenty prisoner Squats (hands behind head and perform a basic squat)
6. Fifteen to twenty crunches.
7. Twenty side-step lunges. (10 on each side)
8. Twenty-five scissor jumping jacks (go forward and back, like scissors with your legs instead of out and in)

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Repeat this 3 to 5 times.  

As with any workout consume a quality protein shake of your choice.  What you do after the workout is just as important as what you do during the workout.  These protein shakes not only help boost metabolism, they properly feed the muscles quickly preventing you from raiding the fridge later on.  I highly recommend the Whey Active shakes made by Core Active Nutrition.  They taste great!  They use a mostly isolate protein which means you get more of the important amino acids absorbed and also contain extra L-glutamine and branched chain amino acids (BCAA).  The L-Glutamine has shown to remove lactic acid and ammonia from the muscle tissue, meaning you are less sore, especially with this intense indoor body workout.  BCAA's are what physically make up muscle tissue, as well as hair, skin, and nails.  

As always be responsible in working out and be sure you are healthy enough for such a strenious exercise.  Also, pay attention to the weather, a thuderstorm can turn deadly quickly even if you are working out indoors.  

Whey Active is available at finer retailers such as PureBody Nutrition. http://www.purebodynutrition.net 

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Spring Showers Keeping You Indoors? Try This Effective Indoor Workout! - Dallas weight loss | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/weight-loss-in-dallas/spring-showers-keeping-you-indoors-try-this-effective-indoor-workout#ixzz1KaLQNBxj

Protein: Not Just for Bodybuilders

One of the number myths when it comes to dieting is that protein will make you fat.  This myth does have a logical following too it.  It is easy to conjure up images of a former football player or bodybuilder who still eats a lot of protein and is in fact obese.  The problem is that this former athlete more than likely increased the carbohydrates and fats along with his protein.

Alicia uses protein to achieve her weight loss.

In fact, protein is one of the main macro-nutrients a person can use to aid in weight loss.  It is safe to say that protein at the very least keeps individuals from gaining fat.  Protein helps to balance insulin (the main fat storage hormone that the body releases), feeds the muscle tissue (the number one fat burner a person has), and aids in complete tissue recovery (such as hair, skin, nails, and muscle).  

Healthy protein sources include chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, lean meats and even some protein shakes.  The most common form of protein shakes are derived from whey protein concentrate.  A human can only absorb about sixty to sixty five percent of the amino acids from a concentrate, which leads to a higher calorie intake with less of the important amino acids being absorbed.   Unfortunately these are cheaper for large manufacturing companies that have even larger advertising budgets.  Most protein shakes that are advertised and carried in discount retailers are a lower quality protein concentrate.

The typical shake a dieting individual should take to get the best results would be an isolate blend or 100% isolate protein, such as the one found in Core’s Whey Active or Isopure.  With these products you get a purer protein yielding ninety-nine percent amino acid absorption and a lower calorie product.  Typically, twenty calories lower than the equal serving of concentrate.  

What A FULL Body Cleanse Can Do For YOU!

Here is what you will experience from the cleanse:

1.  More energy -junk is out of your body and you are absorbing nutrients better

2.  5-15lbs of weight loss.  Realize this can come back by eating junk that makes you toxic.

3.  A flatter belly.

4.  More regular bowel movements.

5.  Healthier liver and kidneys.

This is always a fun topic to bring up in person.  Most people remember something they took at one point that either had them camping in the bathroom all day, made them cramp, or just flat out made them sick.

The majority of cleansers that people take are simply colon cleansers.  I've even seen where something labeled as a "Full Body Cleanser" was a colon cleanse with a sprinkling of other items that if they did any cleansing to other organs you would not be able to see a measurable difference.

On top that most cleansers contain a very strong herbal product called Senna Powder and another called Psyllium Seed Husks or Psyllium Powder.  These two products can make a cleanse extremely painful, embarrassing, and flat out difficult to function.  They could really be classified as natural herbal laxatives.  I'd say that 98% of the negativity associated with cleansers comes down to these two products.  They are cheap and easy for a company to market.

More concerning is that these products can actually have addictive qualities.  Not that you would be breaking into PureBody Nutrition to get your fix of Senna, but more along the lines they can hinder colon muscle function.  The goal of these cleansers is to bring water into the colon and flush out what is in there.  This causes the colon muscles to not have to do any work.  Long term use can lead to a weakened colon and the dependence on these products to have a bowel movement.

I have come to trust and recommend two products depending on how long or short you want to cleanse.  The Natural Cleanse is a 10 day formula that cleanses the colon, liver and kidneys.  You simply take a packet of pills at breakfast and a packet at dinner.  If you do not like taking a bunch of pills then you should take the Detox and Cleanse.  You simply take 2 pills at bed time for 45 days.  It takes longer to cleanse but still has the same effect.

These two products are safe and they are effective.  They are a bit different from general cleansers.  Remember earlier I mentioned that the Senna/Psyllium products fill the colon with water, the two I recommend add just a little bit of water to the colon, but the ingredients actually scrub the colon folds and remove what causes the colon to get backed up in the first place.  The difference is like cleaning your dirty truck with a water hose and cleaning it with a scrub brush combined with a pressure washer.

Drop in the store or order online www.purebodynutrition.net.  Call us at 903-939-9232, mention this and we'll get you a special discount.  If you need it shipped we'll cover the shipping.

5 Tricks to Fighting the Holiday Pudge

As you chew on your favorite Halloween candy while reading here are a few of our favorite tips to avoid overeating and gaining weight during the Holidays:

SMALLER PLATE

When at parties or at the relatives house for meals, ask for a smaller plate, such as a dinner salad plate.  These will hold about the perfect portion of food and will only allow you to put about 3 things on your plate as opposed to 5.

DRINK PROTEIN SHAKES

The National Health Institute recently published a study showing that taking two 30 gram protein shakes a day helped with weight loss regardless of calories consumed.  The reason being that protein helps you feel full, helps prevent fat storage hormones from going out of control, and helps feed lean body mass.  We have a great recipe using the Whey Active shakes to make a hot chocolate that tastes like REAL hot chocolate and is a great substitute for the sugary stuff in the packets and get this.....it is about the same price!

 

DRINK WATER

In between each bite drink 2-4 oz of water (that's about 1-2 mouthfuls).  This will not only make you chew your food slower, but you'll also fill up faster and maybe avoid seconds or thirds.  Water also keeps the body cleansed of any impurities that might be in the food you are eating.  It's also essential to flush out any excess sodium from all the eats that the season.

FUN FUN FUN

Fun is the word. With all the new active video games it's not hard, but also find creative ways to stay healthy and incorporate physical activity this season. Build a snowman (if we happen to get enough), go ice/roller skating, play a game like charades, hokey pokey or "rock" around the Christmas tree with some upbeat Christmas music (the kids love to see the grandparents dancing)!

WALK

The holidays can be stressful and one of the best ways to combat that stress is to get out and get active.  A good walk will not only allow you to get some stress relieving Vitamin D, it will also reduce the stress hormones.  Oh yeah and the calorie burn is great too. 

www.purebodynutrition.net

Don't Let Your Kids Get Fat!! Obese Kids Arteries Look Like Adults Arteries with Heart Disease!

The hazards of being an obese child go beyond schoolyard teasing or being picked last in gym. The arteries of obese children exhibit a stiffness normally found in adults with heart disease, according to a new study from BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver.



Here is a previous blog on supplements that can help.  Two Supplements to Help Prevent Childhood Obesity


Canadian researchers looked at 63 obese children and 55 children of normal weight, both groups with an average age of 13. The obese children had abnormal results on an ultrasound test of the heart and blood vessels, which measures how quickly blood flows through the body. Of particular concern was the aorta, the body's largest artery, which carries blood to the rest of the body's arteries.
"The normal aorta has elastic qualities that buffer the flow of blood. When that elasticity is lost, aortic stiffness results -- a sign of developing cardiovascular disease," said study author Dr. Kevin Harris, from BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, in a news release. "Aortic stiffness is associated with cardiovascular events and early death."

Harris says that it's as if the obese children are experiencing the aging process at an accelerated pace, and it's unclear whether weight loss through diet and exercise could reverse the hardening of the arteries.
Dr. Carolyn Landis, who heads the Healthy Kids, Healthy Weight program at Cleveland's Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, says that parents need to take action and not wait to see if being overweight is something their child will "grow out of."

"There are many studies coming out about how obese children are physically different, and it starts as young as preschool," she told AOL Health. "With preschoolers, it's not about putting them on a diet, but you can slow the rate of weight gain over time. Institute healthy changes like more fruits and vegetables, less screen time and an increase in activity," she suggests.

Landis also emphasizes the importance of making changes for the whole family. "As a family, get rid of calorically dense foods. Parents should be eating and drinking in a healthy way, too. Go for hikes together as a family or take up a new sport. Even normal-weight kids in the family should join in."

In her practice, Landis sees many kids who want to eat what their friends are eating, even if it's unhealthy. Kids don't want to be singled out. But she is hopeful that studies like this one will serve as a call to action.

"Hopefully pediatricians who see this study will help parents and notice when children are gaining weight too rapidly," says Landis. "The key is to do something before they become obese, before they turn into teens who weigh 300 to 400 pounds. It's about early intervention."

By Ronnie Koenig and Will Burgin

Two Supplements To Help Prevent Childhood Obesity

As I look around it is clearly FALL!  This time of year saddens me because I see a lot of parents who allow their children to gorge on candy pre and post Halloween or Fall Festival time, overfill on Thanksgiving food the day of and week that follows, and then of course all the goodness and bad nutrition that is Christmas.

It breaks my heart further when I see kids at the start of obesity indulging in such activities with parents on the sideline blaming genetics or "big bones" or an assortment of other excuses.  When in reality the parents need to turn off the video games, turn off the TV, take away the hand held devices and everyone go to the park.

There are a few supplements that are actually safe for children and can actually help with the prevention of fat gain and GET THIS kids enjoy taking them!

#1 Protein Smoothie

I am a huge fan of increasing the amount of protein children eat, in particular low fat protein.  Now most of their protein should come from chicken, fish, eggs and lean meats, but instead of giving the child a fast unhealthy alternative in the morning or any other time you might be in a rush, give them a protein shake.  In our store I recommend the Whey Active or the Protein Ultimate brands.  They taste GREAT and you can even have the kids sample the different ones at our smoothie bar.

Benefits of Protein include:
*Important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.
*The body does not store protein as fat.
*Better Insulin response leading to less fat storage.
*Overall improved energy.
*Satiation of appetite.
*Better auto-immune response leading to less sickness and faster recovery.

#2 FISH OIL/Omega 3
OK, I know the immediate response on this one...."but it tastes so awful".  Let me introduce you to the folks at Nordic Naturals.  GREAT tasting stuff in gummy form or in chewable "bubbles".  Don't believe me!  Come in for a sample!  They taste so good, it is what we give out to the kids at Halloween at the store and it never fails that the parents end up coming back and buying the Omega gummies because they taste so good.


Benefits of Fish Oil/Omega 3 include:
*It is an essential fat meaning the body does not produce it.
*May help prevent or improve ADHD and hyperactivity
*May help prevent or improve Depression
* Heart Disease
*Immunity