Flax Seed adds Years to Your Life

Flax is an erect annual plant with slender stems. The plant grows approximately four feet tall and has slender leaves with pale blue flowers. It is commonly known as common flax or linseed. Flax is native to the region that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to India. Flax was commonly harvested in ancient Egypt. The fruit the flax plant produces is a small round dry capsule containing several glossy brown seeds. The seed of the Flax plant is the portion of the plant commonly ingested by humans for its health benefits, aromatic essence and nutty flavor.

The flax seed is considered a super food due to its high content of fiber, Alpha Linolenic Acids (ALA) and Lignans. ALA is a type of plant-derived omega 3 fatty acid. ALA is similar to the omega 3 fatty acid found in fish. Studies have shown the ALA found in flax seed is beneficial for lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (Bad cholesterol). Other benefits show flax seed can help lower blood tryglycerides and blood pressure. It may also keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.

Aside from ALA, flax seed is rich in lignan. Lignan is a plant-derived antioxidant. Researchers revealed lignan in flax seed shows a lot of promise in fighting diseases. Lignan has been shown to increase the prevention of breast cancer and coronary heart disease.

Ground flaxseed can be incorporated in your diet by sprinkling it on your oatmeal, cottage cheese, cereal or salad. Milled flaxseed can be substituted for eggs while baking or making pancakes. One tablespoon of milled flaxseed along with three tablespoons of water would be the equivalent to one egg. The final baked good would have less volume and taste gummier. Flaxseed could be incorporated into any recipe when a nutty flavor is desired. Beaware, excessive consumption of flax seeds with inadequate water can cause bowel obstruction.

Top 10 Reason's to Eat Blueberries

Blueberries pack a hefty punch! Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit. These antioxidants perform a number of amazing functions.

1. Boosts your immune system and prevents infections.
2. Neutralizes free radicals in the body that cause glaucoma, cataracts, ulcers, varicose veins, and cancer. Blueberries protect against cancer by inhibiting inflammation, cancerous cell changes and tumor growth.
3. Including blueberries in your diet contributes to less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, and lower cholesterol. When combined with a low fat diet, blueberries have also been shown to reduce liver mass (an enlarged liver is linked to obesity and insulin resistance, a hallmark of diabetes).
4. Contributes to better urinary tract health. They contain a compound that prevents the growth of the bacteria that causes infections.
5. Proven to preserve vision and delay age-related ocular problems such as macular degeneration (biggest reason for vision loss in adults over 55) and myopia.
6. Reduces premature aging and enhances memory. The antioxidants in blueberries can prevent and heal neurotic disorders by preventing the death of neurons and brain cells. Many studies have found that blueberries significantly improve your learning capacity and motor skills as you age.
7. Contain ellagic acid, an antioxidant compound that blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer.
8. Reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and improves overall heart function.
9. Only 81 calories per cup and high in fiber! That means they are more filling!
10. Sweet, tangy, delicious…goes well with oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and smoothies…it’s an easy, hassle-free snack that is in season May to October! Also available frozen and still full of all those antioxidants.

Health Benefits of Spices from India

Common Indian Spices

Spices are great because they let you add a lot of flavor without adding calories. When looking at India, no country in the world produces as many kinds of spices as India. The varying climates (tropical to sub-tropical), enables the growth of almost all spices. Spices can be a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetable.

Health benefits include a supply of calcium, iron, vitamin B, vitamin C, carotene, and a ton of other antioxidants. They have very little caloric content so you can experiment with different mixtures to your hearts content.

Cardamom – Part of the Ginger family. Very aromatic and helps promote digestion. Use in veggies and curries.

Chili – use with caution if you can’t handle the heat! Can be almost any color (blue, green, orange, red, yellow, white, black).

Cumin – Part of the carrot family. It’s a great natural source of iron. You can get this crushed and in seed format. In seeds it’s a great addition to sweet potato.

Ginger – Contains heaps of antioxidants. It can help prevent the onset of sickness, calm nausea from pregnancy (and hangovers).

Nutmeg – Slightly sweet spice used commonly in Indian desserts. Good addition to soups and veggies.

Pepper – The “King of Spices” It is grown in the forests as well as along the Malabar Coast in South India.

Turmeric – known as “Indian saffron” has a distinctive yellowish color.

In San Diego you can find these spices at your local Trader Joes, Vons, Ralph’s, etc. One of the cheapest areas you can get them is in “Little India.” There are several small Indian grocery stores on Blackmountain Road (intersection of Miramar Rd.)

Ker Little India - http://www.kerlittleindia.com/ - 9520 Blackmountain Rd

Hidden Pitfalls in Your Fat Burning Plan: Potassium

Many fitness conscious people today focus their dietary plan on a higher intake of proteins from lean sources, such as chicken, and low carbohydrates. Combing this with a daily hard workout in the gym, they expect to see results – fat burning and lean muscle building. However, sometimes no matter how hard they try, they just don’t see results. Even though they are working out hard, doing cardio and eating as they think they should, they are not gaining muscle, do not notice a significant fat loss and see reoccurring health problems and injury!


Something must be missing. It is important to look at all the important elements of you diet to ensure that you are meeting your body’s daily needs.
Potassium is a good example. Though many sources say that most people do not experience a lack of potassium in their diets because it is found in such a wide variety of food sources, it is also one that can be overlooked by the most fitness-conscious people. If you are consuming a diet which gets your lean protein from poultry and is low in carbohydrates, dairy and fruits, you may not be getting enough potassium.


Potassium is an important element in our diet because:


* A diet low in potassium and high in sodium may be one of the factors that lead to high blood pressure.
* Athletes involved in hard exercise may require larger quantities of potassium-rich foods.
* Potassium is found in meats, milk, fruits and vegetables.


Potassium, along with calcium, is an electrolyte utilized in the nervous system, muscle function, fluid balance and heart, kidney and adrenal functions. A deficiency in potassium can result in weakness, fatigue and heart problems.

These are all huge road blocks in our fat burning and muscle building plans.

Some recommendable potassium-rich foods are:
Fish, such as tuna and flounder
Avocado
Cantaloupe
Dried Fruits (be careful of the sugar so use only as a supplement!)
Kiwi
Lima beans
Nuts
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Wheat Bran
Yogurt and Milk products


If you are noticing your energy levels are declining, check to see if you are getting enough potassium in your diet. It is important to periodically check our dietary plans to make sure we are on track in all areas!


For more information on fitness and nutrition, pay a visit to Chris Keith anytime!

Health Benefits of Walnuts

Walnuts are an excellent way to add extra flavor and nutrition to most meals. Walnuts are packed full of omega-3 essential fatty acids which provide health benefits such as cardiovascular protection, promotion of better cognitive function and anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, arthritis, eczema and psoriasis (www.whfoods.com). Research has proven that by adding Omega 3’s from nuts, including walnuts, to a diet has just as much impact on blood pressure as Omega-3’s in fish. In a season where the flu scare is heightened, walnuts provide an antioxidant compound referred to as ellagic acid which supports the immune system! For every 3 ounces (100 grams) of walnuts there are more than 20 mmol of antioxidants (Blomhoff, Carlsen, Anderson, & Jacobs, 2006)!

Along with the cold’s and flu in winter time also come all of the high fat holiday meals. A study completed on two groups of individuals with high cholesterol compared the impact of adding either olive oil or walnuts to high fat meals and the effect on the individual’s blood flow. The group who added walnuts to their high fat diets actually increased blood flow by 24%, while the olive oil group’s blood flow actually decreased. (Cortez, Nunez, Cofan, Gilabert, Perez-Heras, Casals, Deulofeu, & Ros 2006). This doesn’t mean of course that we can all eat high fat meals all season long and expect to pop a handful of walnuts and counteract the negative effects on our cholesterol and blood flow. Rather, by incorporating walnuts into our every day healthy eating habits we will increase our blood flow and keep our hearts pumping for our Bootcamp 619 workouts!

Approximately 15% of the fat found in walnuts is monounsaturated fat. By adding a one ounce serving to a person can significantly improve the individual’s cholesterol profile. Walnuts also contain high levels of l-arginine, which is an essential amino acid which converts to nitric oxide and helps to allow our blood vessels to relax and keep the walls of the vessels clear and smooth (Tapsell, Gillen, Patch, Batterham, Owen & Bare 2004).

By now we all know that increasing our intake of Omega 3’s is important in a healthy diet. But what you might not know is how simple it is to actually increase the supply of Omega 3’s in your body. By eating just 4 walnuts per day, you can significantly increase your supply of Omega-3’s and if done on a consistent basis can have a long lasting effect on your overall health (Marangoni, Colombo, Martiello, Poli, Paoletti & Galli 2007). So whether it’s in your oatmeal after a good workout or grabbing a handful on your way out the door…adding a few walnuts to your diet will positively impact several aspects of your overall health!

Building Power and Reflex with Plyometrics

Most people who are interested in fitness are familiar with the concepts of strength and resistance training to increase the size and strength of their muscles. These are important for health and the aesthetics of having a healthy-looking body.



In order to ensure that your muscles and body do not only have the appearance of health but are also athletic, many people study the theories of Plyometrics.



Plyometric exercises are a type of training which improve the explosive strength and power of your muscles and body; it emphasizes their reactive power by improving the stretch reflex.



The stretch reflex is the ability the muscle has to contract following a period of lengthening. By reacting and switching gears faster, a muscle will gain more power output. Running, jumping or throwing are all actions that are preceded by a moment of stretch. The ability to flex back with a quick reaction will make you faster and more powerful. These are the principles of plyometrics.



The idea of plyometrics was introduced by Dr. Donald Chu of Stanford University. He developed the idea during his extensive studies and training in physical therapy, kinesiology and physical education.



Here are some examples of plyometric exercises:



Ankle Bounce



Stand with the knees slightly bent, feet together. Jump as high as possible, keeping the hands on the waist. Once landing on the balls of the feet, repeat.



Drop Jumps



With the arms at the side of the body, drop from the standing to the one-quarter squat position and jump explosively. As you jump, throw the arms upward. Land and repeat.



Squat Jump



Similar to the drop jump but with the hands clasped behind the head. Lower down to a parallel squat position and jump vertically. Land and repeat.



Plyometrics are an excellent compliment to weight training and one should always establish their strength routine prior to beginning plyometric exercises. These exercises should be performed about twice a week on a soft surface, such a mat or outdoors on the grass.



While performing the exercises, one should have the shortest possible contact with the ground and emphasis height or distance.



We integrate a variety of fitness methods into our workouts at BOOTCAMP 619 to ensure that our athletes are strong, fit and healthy!

Holiday Hints for Fat Burning Success

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday behind us, the holiday season is now in full force!

Holiday parties, desserts, mall food… they are all potential potholes on our road to our perfect body in the New Year.

However, there are plenty of great ways to avoid the down-side of holiday cheer.

You may think it’s too early… Why not just wait until I start that New Year’s Resolution to lose those extra pounds? Well, the answer is clear – why gain them in the first place? Even though you may be busy with holiday parties and year-end work, most people do have some extra time for themselves over the holidays. Spend it productively and get a jump on the rest of the crowd.

Step to the Front of the Line

Gyms are often deserted during the holiday season. Exercise can be one of the first things people drop off their busy schedules to spend more time at the mall or holiday parties. Use that to your benefit! While there may be long lines at the department stores, there’s no waiting at the stair machine. Get in a quick workout before heading out to your daily activities. If there’s no time before, it can be a great stress-reliever after a long day of work and holiday activities.

Personal Shopper

Everybody can use a little help. Santa has elves. You can get a fitness professional to help you too. By working with a personal trainer, you’ll get the attention and education that you need to get more challenging workouts. A fitness professional will make your workouts more effective and give you the motivation you need to have that extra willpower that we all lack during the holiday season.

Follow the Reindeer

Join a class! A group can really motivate you to challenge yourself. It is likely that class sizes will be down this month before the big post-holiday push. It will give you a chance to try something new without the crowd and be ahead of the rest when the holidays are over.

Dasher has Dancer, Prancer has Vixen

Get a serious exercise buddy. Make sure to choose someone that is as motivated as you are or you may not get the desired results. Make a commitment to push each other even harder than you may have pushed yourself. Find someone that shares the same fitness goals, is encouraging and committed and is around the same fitness level.

A close friend, partner or spouse could be a good choice. It is a great way to spend more one-on-one time together during a season when we are often invited to group activities.

Get Out of the Gingerbread House

Watch your diet and make sure that you enjoy your seasonal treats with moderation. Choose a few items that you may not mind cutting out this year and enjoy those that you do without stuffing yourself. You won’t miss the discomfort you feel after the meal… or the pants that don’t fit on January first.

Above all, keep fitness on your mind during the holiday season. Your health is not something to take a vacation from. In the end, a good healthy lifestyle will reduce stress and make you feel great. Enjoy your holidays and have a healthy, happy New Year!

Come in and see Chris Keith, San Diego's best personal trainer, today to get a jump on your New Year's fitness resolutions!