North Vancouver Boot Camp Talks Sleep, Lightheadedness and Muscle Soreness and Recovery

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Why Don't I Sleep Well?

Many people find that as they get older (and busier!) their quality of sleep suffers. The two most common complaints that we hear all the time are:

1. I cannot get to sleep.

2. I can get to sleep but I wake up after a few hours and cannot get back to sleep.

Sleep problems like these are often due to a combination of higher than desirable cortisol (a hormone produced by your adrenal glands) and lower than desirable melatonin (a hormone produced by your pineal gland).

So what are we to do about this problem? Firstly, stop doing things that make the problem worse! Exercising after 6pm will often cause cortisol levels to rise...in some people this behaviour contributes directly to a sleep problem. Drinking coffee (or consuming things that contain caffeine) after 12 noon can also cause the same type of problem. Another common culprit is working late into the evening (I am guilty of this). This does two unhelpful things...it gets your brain going at a million miles per hour and the white light from the computer screen can contribute to the delayed release of melatonin i.e. that computer screen makes your body think the sun is still up!

Here are some other things you can do to help improve your sleep quality:

1. Eat protein and fat at dinner. It's a bad idea to eat a carbohydrate dominant meal in the evening e.g. soup and salad. This will result in elevated blood sugar then a rebound hypoglycemia a few hours later. The rebound hypoglycemia requires cortisol secretion to release glucose from the liver. This process is called gluconeogenesis and is a recipe for a bad night's sleep. Better dinner choices are fish with vegetables and avocado or steak with vegetables and cheese. These meals should result in stable blood sugar and thus nice low cortisol levels.

That's a good meal...and healthy too!

2. Exercise early in the morning within 60 minutes of rising. This will stimulate your adrenals to secrete cortisol. Cortisol makes you feel alert and alive...you want that feeling in the morning (but not at night!) Vigorous exercise every morning creates a level of physical fatigue that makes it much more likely that you will feel tired and sleepy by 10pm.

3. Taking a 30 minute Epsom salt bath around 8-9pm has a very sedating effect on the central nervous system. The sedating effect is due to magnesium. Through trial and error my friends Chris and Janet have found in their practice that 6lbs of Epsom salts is needed in order to get a noticeable effect. They have also tried shorter baths but it seems that a full 30 minutes is required in order to get the effect they are looking for.

Now doesn't she look relaxed and ready for a good night's sleep?

Try these ideas and get your sleep back on track. Think how much more productive you could be during the day if you slept like a baby every night...

Why Do I Get Lightheaded When I Stand Up?

This is quite common and in the abscence of any serious health problem is usually a sign of adrenal fatigue and depleted mineral status. The medical term for this condition is benign postural hypotension (BPH). If you exercise vigorously every day you are more likely to develop BPH because you lose lots of minerals in sweat. Competitive endurance athletes almost always suffer from BPH at some point each year, usually when they train harder or more frequently than normal. What can be done? BPH is merely your body telling you that you need to add minerals to your diet. Add sea salt liberally to all meals and start taking a good quality electrolyte capsule 3 times a day. Use Energenix from Isagenix to the water you drink throughout the day as well as in the water you drink while working out. Available from us directly at The Maker's Body Boot Camp or at http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/wantmoreenergy.dhtml). 

Reduce Muscle Soreness And Speed Recovery

Most of us get sore muscles from time to time. Anybody who lifts weights regularly expects to feel sore from time to time. Post workout soreness is your confirmation that you did something worthwhile. If you NEVER got sore from strength training it's probably time to make some changes to your routine as we do in boot camp on a regular basis such as increase the weights you are lifting, decrease the rest period or flat out push yourself harder ;). Making a radical change like this to your strength training routine will make you sore. What can be done to mitigate this and speed up the recovery process?

There are a number of supplements that can help. Try this combo: 1 scoop or 2 ounces of Ionix Supreme (http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/ionixsupreme.dhtml) before you workout and another 1 scoop or 2 ounces immediately afterward mixed with 1 scoop of IsaPro (http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/isapro.dhtml). IsaPro is the highest-quality whey protein from dairy cows that are pasture-fed on small New Zealand family farms, milked according to season, and not treated with hormones or antibiotics. Ionix Supreme is a nutrient-rich, rejuvenating drink that restores and protects the body and helps increase your ability to perform mentally and physically. One of the neat parts about it is it contains specialized adaptogens and over 100 specially sources ingredients that energize your cells and adapt your body to any form of stress. IsaPro and Ionix Supreme are available from us directly at The Maker's Body Boot Camp or at http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/isapro.dhtml and http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/ionixsupreme.dhtml.

You will NOT look like this guy...

However you may look like one of these.

If you want an added kick to your workouts, add 1-2 scoops or 1/2-1 stick of Energenix into the water you drink while working out. Energenix is a refreshing drink powder containing Vitamins A, C and B complex, electrolytes and nutrients that are lost during stress and exercise. It's natural fuel for the body, it gives you endurance and sustains your energy without caffeine or stimulants. Available from us directly at The Maker's Body Boot Camp or at http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/wantmoreenergy.dhtml).

Another good way to speed up your recovery from strenuous exercise is hot/cold contrast. Think Russian or Finnish sauna with a hole cut in the ice for the cold plunge. Most of us don't live in that kind of weather so a compromise has to be made. If you have access to a sauna then use it. Put water on the heater/coals to create steam and humidity...the goal is to SWEAT profusely. After a few minutes (or whenever you start to get a little too hot for comfort) get out of the sauna and get in the coldest water you can find. This might be the cold water in the shower or a cold bath or a large tub of icy water in your back garden. Spend 30s-60s in the cold water then go back into the heat and repeat the process. Go from hot to cold at least 3 times. Always start in the heat and finish in the cold. If you do this several times a week you will quickly build a tolerance for both the cold and the hot temperatures. You may in fact sleep like a baby after experiencing this! You're probably wondering what this does. There are 3 main benefits:

1. It causes rapid/massive vasodilation and vasoconstriction of blood vessels. This creates an effective pumping mechanism which removes metabolic waste from tight/ischemic tissue.

2. The profuse sweating in the sauna helps to get rid of toxins - that's why a dry sauna won't work well. You need significant thermal stress (i.e. humidity and heat) to cause profuse sweating. Your skin acts as an organ of elimination. Make it work for you by exercising daily and getting in a wet sauna regularly.

3. Most of us live in very tightly controlled environments. We have the temperature in our houses set just so, then we climb into our climate controlled cars and drive to work where the temperature is again maintained in a very narrow range by a computer. Our ancestors did not live like this...in the summer they got HOT and in the winter they got COLD. In the day time they were warmer than at night. It is not healthy or desirable to live in an environment that never goes below 15 Celsius or above 24 Celsius. Part of knowing you are alive is physical interaction with the outdoors. Hot/cold contrast will make you feel more alive than you have in a long time.

We're here to help you get healthy!

Tyron

PPS. Thanks to my friends Chris Maund and Janet Alexander for what was shared in this blog.

Janet Alexander

A 25-year veteran of the Health and Fitness Industry and commited endurance athlete, Janet draws her experience from a varied career base, including teaching, sales and marketing, advertising and design as well as working with clients requiring sports performance and orthopedic rehabilitation. Janet is one of the Senior Faculty at the C.H.E.K Institute, co-owner of The CHEK Studio, Inc. in Encinitas, CA where she works predominantly with golfing athletes and their coaches including PGA and LPGA professionals. https://www.chekconnect.com/Page/ConnectProfile?member=janetalexander1

Chris Maund

Chris Maund is a member of the C.H.E.K Faculty and has been teaching for the C.H.E.K Institute since 1998. Chris has a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Sports Science from Loughborough University in England. He has written a thesis to satisfy part of the requirements for C.H.E.K Practitioner Program entitled "Sleep, Biological Rhythms and Electromagnetic Fields". Chris is a strong believer in the value of massage therapy and studied Paul St John's Neuro Muscular Therapy program. An experienced triathlete, he was a member of the British National Squad from 1989-1992 before emigrating to New Zealand in 1993. Chris has a wealth of experience working in a wide variety of rehabilitation and sports conditioning scenarios. https://www.chekconnect.com/Page/ConnectProfile?member=chrismaund

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Boot Camp in North Vancouver Shares 10 Ways to Boost Your Immune System

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1. Take 1000-2000 mg of vitamin C every hour until your bowels become loose that's when you know you are capped with vitamin C and have hit the saturation point.   C-Lyte: This formula contains three types of energizing Vitamin C that are gentle on the stomach while supporting antioxidant protection to keep your body in peak health. Available from us directly or at http://MakersBody.Isagenix.com/ca/en/clyte.dhtml

2. Drink warm water with 1/2 or a whole lemon squeezed into it as many times during the day as you want.

3. Drink LOTS of water.

4. Keep warm.

5. Take 5-10 drops of oil of oregano under your tongue every 2-3 hrs.

6. Take 8 capsules of vitamin D per day (usually 8 capsules but just check the serving size on your bottle). Vitamin D by Now brand. Available from us directly.

7. Take a high quality probiotic supplement for your gut flora to aid in digestion, boost your immune system and combat disease. Take either: HMF Forte (each capsule contains 10 billion CFU) or HMF Intensive (each capsule contains 25 billion CFU). Available from us directly.
Recommended use for HMF Forte: Take one capsule two times daily with meals.
Recommended use for HMF Intensive: Take one capsule daily with a meal.

Human MicroFlora (HMF) probiotic strains are research-driven and clinically proven in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trials at 25 billion CFU. Proprietary non-pathogenic human-sourced microflora bacterial strains are utilized as they have strong epithelial adherence and a naturally high tolerance to stomach acid.

HMF Forte provides two strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, along with fructooligosaccharides to specifically assist in re-establishing and maintaining a normal intestinal microflora. Studies show that an overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens leads to a compromised immune system, resulting from immuno-suppressive and toxic influences such as impure water supply, antibiotics, processed foods, pesticides and stress. Stress upsets the delicate balance of the intestinal flora and imbalances of friendly bacteria, leading to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. HMF Forte is a moderate-level maintenance probiotic formula indicated for individuals who use antibiotics, oral contraceptives, steroids and hormonal replacement therapy, and for extreme fatigue, allergies, yeast overgrowth, stress, hypercholesterolemia and indigestion.

HMF Intensive contains a highly concentrated amount of the two strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis in a single daily-dose capsule, specifically formulated as a medium term immunomodulator to prevent opportunistic bacteria from proliferating the gastrointestinal tract. Many factors compromise the immune system’s defenses such as the overuse of antibiotics and prescription drugs, environmental pollutants, and stress, resulting in impaired healing ability and lowered defense against infection. Supplementation of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria will crowd out unwanted bacteria by repopulating the gastro-intestinal tract. HMF Intensive is a high-level therapeutic formula indicated for acute or chronic allergies, dysbiosis, yeast infections, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and hyper-cholesterolemia. HMF Intensive is highly recommended after completion of the HMF Replete program. The capsules are 100% pure vegetable-sourced. Product ideal for vegetarians.

8. Eat a few raw garlic cloves per day. If you can't stomach it by itself, chop it up and combine it with a meal or add it to a shake/smoothie.

9. Berberis Formula by Genestra Brands. Adults: Take two capsules two times daily away from meals. Risk Information: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not use. If you have a kidney disorder or blood pressure problems, consult your healthcare practitioner prior to use. Available from us directly.

10. Homeopathic remedies
Belladonna (homeopathic)
Used for inflammations, fever, congestion, headaches.
Take 5 pellets 3x/day if you feel like you're getting sick or are sick already.
Available from us directly.

Mercurius Solubilis (homeopathic)
Used for sore throats, tonsilitis, coughs.
Take 5 pellets 3x/day if you feel like you're getting sick or are sick already.
Available from us directly.

Drosera Plex Syrup (homeopathic)
Used for Coughs, Catarrh (inflammation of the mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body).
Take 1 tablespoon (15ml) 3 to 5 times daily.
Available from us directly.

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Is Getting Your Cholesterol Tested Even Necessary?

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See below for an article by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on cholesterol testing and the negatives of doing it. Enjoy :)

Many people ask me this question:

WHEN I TEST MY BLOOD CHOLESTEROL, WHAT SHOULD IT BE?

My answer is:

DON'T TEST YOUR BLOOD CHOLESTEROL!

IT IS A POINTLESS EXERCISE AND A POTENTIALLY HARMFUL ONE!

I will explain, why.

Your blood levels of cholesterol are maintained by your liver: when we eat more cholesterol, the liver produces less; when we eat less cholesterol - the liver produces more. That is why low-fat and cholesterol-free diets have no effect on blood cholesterol: your liver will maintain a particular amount of cholesterol in your blood, depending on what your body is doing at the time.

Why does your body need cholesterol?
Our bodies are made out of cholesterol and fats to quite a large degree, and cholesterol is essential for many functions. Cholesterol is such an essential part of our human physiology that the body has very efficient mechanisms to keep blood cholesterol at a certain level at any given moment of your life. However, cholesterol - lowering drugs (statins) are a completely different matter! They interfere with the body's ability to produce cholesterol and hence they do reduce the amount of cholesterol available for the body to use. Let us see just how dangerous that is.

Human brain is hungry for cholesterol!
Every structure in the brain needs cholesterol and saturated fats not only to build itself but also to accomplish its many functions. If you start interfering with the body's ability to produce cholesterol you put the very structure of the brain and the rest of the nervous system under threat. Memory loss and cognitive decline are very common results of statin therapy. In fact it is possible that a considerable part of dementia epidemic in our ageing population is due to our ubiquitous statin prescriptions. Eating fresh eggs and butter daily has been shown to improve memory and cognitive ability in the elderly. Any person with memory loss or learning problems needs to have plenty of these foods every single day in order to recover.

More recently statins have been linked to development of Parkinson's disease. The leading researcher Dr Xuemei Huang from North Carolina University stated: "A surge in Parkinson's disease could be imminent because of the widespread use of statins."

There are people whose bodies are unable to produce enough cholesterol; these people do need to have plenty of foods rich in cholesterol in order to provide their organs with this essential-to-life substance. Low blood cholesterol has been routinely recorded in criminals who committed murder and other violent crimes, people with aggressive and violent personalities, people prone to suicide and people with aggressive social behaviour and low self-control. From the beginning of cholesterol-lowering drug trials increased numbers of deaths from violence and suicide have been recorded. The late Oxford Professor David Horrobin warned us: "reducing cholesterol in the population on a large scale could lead to a general shift to more violent patterns of behaviour. Most of this increased violence would not result in death but in more aggression at work and in the family, more child abuse, more wife-beating and generally more unhappiness." Indeed, one of the fist side effects of statins is the change in mood and personality towards being intolerant, aggressive and short-tempered - a warning sign that the brain is starving for cholesterol.

Cholesterol protects us from infections!
Cholesterol is essential for our immune system to function properly. People with low blood cholesterol are more prone to infections and when they get an infection they are more likely to die from it, compared to people with high cholesterol. Before the discovery of antibiotics mixture of raw egg yolks and cream, very rich in cholesterol, was used as a cure for tuberculosis and other infections for centuries.

Every steroid hormone in the body is made out of cholesterol!
After the brain, the organs which are very hungry for cholesterol are our endocrine glands: adrenals and sex glands. They produce steroid hormones, which accomplish a myriad of functions in the body. Without cholesterol we will not be able to cope with stress or to have children.

Cholesterol is essential for babies and children!
The proponents of the diet-heart hypothesis and the public policy makers tell us that our children from the age of two should follow a programme for reducing their blood cholesterol by avoiding natural fats and replacing them with margarine. The pharmaceutical giants are working hard on creating cholesterol-lowering drugs for children. These dangerous guidelines are given out "just in case", without any scientific data to support them. The consequences of this policy can be very serious indeed for our children: aggressive behaviour, learning difficulties, poor memory, poor immunity, poor physical health combined with the future risk of developing cancer, heart disease, stroke and infertility. Children's bodies are generally not able to produce enough cholesterol for growth and development, so eating cholesterol-rich foods is essential for children! That is why human breast milk is very rich in cholesterol!

Cholesterol is essential for the elderly!
Many studies have shown that old people with high cholesterol are healthier and live longer than people with low cholesterol. In fact it is dangerous to reduce cholesterol in old people. And yet that is exactly what our doctors are doing! The older the person is the more their low blood cholesterol poses a risk of stroke, while it has been clearly demonstrated that high blood cholesterol protects older people from strokes, heart disease, infections, cancer and many other health problems.

Vitamin D is made out of cholesterol in the body!
Our recent misguided fear of sun and avoidance of cholesterol have created an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the Western world leading to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, autoimmune illness, obesity, bone and muscle disease, high blood pressure, chronic pain, poor immunity and susceptibility to infections. As many people are unable to produce enough of their own cholesterol, eating cholesterol-rich foods is essential for them to produce vitamin D.

Cholesterol and saturated fats are essential for healing!
No damage in the body, no wound or scratch can be healed without cholesterol and saturated fats. That is why large-scale studies have found that people who have low levels of cholesterol are prone to cancer, because their bodies cannot heal damaged tissues.

It is this function of healing that brings us back to the testing for cholesterol: all your blood level reflects is how much damage there is in your body at any particular moment, that has to be healed. If you had a cold, an infection, a dental treatment or a surgical procedure, then there is a lot of damage in your body to heal, so your blood cholesterol level will be high until the healing has taken place. If you are tired and under stress, your adrenals have a high demand for cholesterol, as they make their hormones from it. So, your liver has to produce more cholesterol than usual and send it to your adrenals, making blood levels of cholesterol high. In winter cholesterol goes high and in the summer it is generally lower, because cold weather and lack of the sunshine vitamin D places high demands on your immune system, which is very hungry for cholesterol. These are just a few scenarios when your blood cholesterol has to be high to serve your body's needs.

Every day, depending on what your body is doing, your blood cholesterol levels go up and down quite a lot. A blood test for cholesterol will give you a snippet of this activity, completely out of context of your body's needs at the time. If this snippet happens to find it high, then two harmful things can happen to you:

1. You are likely to be put under pressure to start a statin therapy, depriving your body from one of the most essential nutrients;
2. You will have to live with a new anxiety - a fear of heart disease! And for no good reason at all, because cholesterol levels in your blood have nothing to do with heart disease.

If you really want to know about your risk of heart disease, then these are the tests to do:
1. C-reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation in the body. Heart disease is an inflammatory condition.
2. Insulin levels in your blood. The insulin profile will show if you suffer from a metabolic syndrome, which is the underlying condition for heart disease.

To learn more about this whole issue (and see all the scientific references to back this up), please read her book "Put Your Heart In Your Mouth". You'll be happy you did :)

Helping you get healthy and lean in 2012,

Tyron

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Bootcamp in North Vancouver Discusses that Cholesterol is Good - Part 3

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Yummm butter! And to think not only does it taste good, but it's good for you too!

Many of you have had blood tests but most of you probably don't really understand what these tests are telling you about your health. That's a shame because regular blood testing can be very helpful in determining what effects your diet and lifestyle is having on your physiology. In this post I'll go through cholesterol, HDL, LDL, lipoprotein (a) and triglycerides. In future posts I'll go through albumin, globulin, TSH, homocysteine, c reactive protein, creatine kinase, ferritin, white blood cell count, haemoglobin A1C and 25 hydroxy vitamin D.

Cholesterol measurements get all the headlines but really are not all that helpful. The results needs to be put in context with HDL, LDL, triglycerides and inflammatory markers like lipoprotein (a), homocysteine, c reactive protein (highly sensitive version). The other thing that needs to be understood is that the "normal" levels for cholesterol have been revised downwards over the years so that nowadays many healthy individuals are advised to start using statins if their total cholesterol is over 200mg/dL REGARDLESS of what their other test results look like. Much of this is due to the fact that many MDs get their ongoing education from drug company sales reps, which can lead to problems in and of itself. For a good review of this problem read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes, "The Cholesterol Myths" by Uffe Ravnskov and "Put Your Heart In Your Mouth" by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Three really good books that will definitely change the way you look at fats, oils and cholesterol and that they are not evil.

Another problem is that we are all led to believe that if we increase our consumption of eggs, bacon and red meat this will result in higher cholesterol levels. This is not necessarily the case. There are some individuals who experience a drop in cholesterol when they make such a dietary change and others who see no change at all. If you wish to try such an experiment on yourself, make sure you are eating high quality/"clean" eggs, bacon and read meat. If you load up on these foods from cheap, non-organic, non-free range, non-grass fed sources then you are prejudicing the results of your own experiment. The goal is not to see what effect the growth hormones, flavourings, preservatives and antibiotic residues have on your blood chemistry!

Do you feel this way?

HDL is a sub fraction of your total cholesterol and it's main function is to transport cholesterol to the liver, adrenals, testes and/or ovaries. It is actively involved in the removal of cholesterol from arterial walls. In this regard it is antagonistic to LDL (but that doesn't mean that LDL is bad as we've been led to believe). Cholesterol is an absolute necessity for the production of the following hormones:

Pregenenolone

Testosterone

DHEA

Aldosterone

Cortisol

Oestrogen

In other words, if you deliberately cut fat from your diet, or if you are taking a statin, it's just a matter of time before you develop a hormonal problem. You cannot possibly make optimal amounts of these hormones unless you eat fat. Could this be one of the reason why people aren't losing weight because they aren't producing adequate amounts of these fat burning hormones?  Could this also be one of the reasons that so many people have a hard time getting pregnant? What about all those males getting diagnosed with testosterone deficiencies? Generally speaking it is good to have high HDL. High HDL levels indicate that plenty of cholesterol is being transported to areas in the body where hormones are made. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL can be useful in this regard. If this ratio is under 3.5 you are doing well and lower is even better.

LDL is also a subfraction of your total cholesterol. It has become increasingly obvious recently that the oxidized form of LDL is much more relevant in terms of cardiovascular health and in particular arterial wall health (that's what you want to stay away from oxidized LDL which comes in the form of damaged fats, i.e. powdered, processed eggs for instance). The problem is that this test is not readily available and many MDs do not know about it. For more information go to:

http://www.shiel.com/oxldl.htm

If you are able to get this test done, lower numbers are better.

Lipoprotein (a) is a sub fraction of LDL and is an inherited risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Lower numbers are better. High levels often go hand in hand with infections like h. pylori. H. pylori is a bacterial infection that causes damage to the parietal cells in your stomach, thus reducing the production of hydrochloric acid. This might sound like a good thing but it's not! You need hydrochloric acid to kill pathogens in the food you eat and to break down high protein foods especially red meat. If you have noticed that your ability to digest red meat has deteriorated as you got older, or if you seem to have less of an urge to eat red meat than when you were younger, you should get tested for h. pylori. It's a nasty infection that many of us have for years and do not know it. Left untreated it sets the stage for peptic ulcers and even stomach cancer. Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, two Australian researchers, received a Nobel Prize in 2005 for demonstrating the unpleasant effects of h. pylori in human beings. All of this is relatively new information so don't be surprised if your MD knows nothing about it. It's up to you to figure this stuff out - after all it's YOUR health.

Triglyceride levels generally reflect the amount of carbohydrate in your diet. The more carbohydrate you eat the higher your triglycerides are likely to be. Carbohydrate rich foods include grains, vegetables and fruits and anything made with grains, vegetables and fruits. Over consumption of carbohydrates is probably the single biggest mistake that most Westerners make. Most of us eat carbohydrates in the kind of quantities that competitive marathon runners require. Unless you are running 50+ miles a week you should not be eating like this! If your triglycerides are over 80mg/dL, forget about grains and fruit. Get your carbohydrates from fresh, locally produced, organic vegetables. Contrary to popular belief fruit is not good for everybody at all times. Most of the carbohydrate in fruit comes in the form of fructose (fruit sugar). The only major metabolic pathway for frucotose is conversion to triglycerides by the liver. This is one reason why anything containing fructose should be eliminated if you have high triglycerides. You should see major changes in your triglyceride count if you make these dietary changes AND exercise for at least one hour every day.

We know this is a lot of information but these are some health related issues that you ought to get familiar with.

Helping you get lean and healthy in 2012,
Tyron

PS. If you haven't had a chance to check out our new boot camp/training facility click the link below to see video of the class in action!

http://www.youtube.com/user/VancouverBootCamps/videos

PPS. Thanks to my friends Chris Maund and Janet Alexander for what was shared in this blog.

Janet Alexander

A 25-year veteran of the Health and Fitness Industry and commited endurance athlete, Janet draws her experience from a varied career base, including teaching, sales and marketing, advertising and design as well as working with clients requiring sports performance and orthopedic rehabilitation. Janet is one of the Senior Faculty at the C.H.E.K Institute, co-owner of The CHEK Studio, Inc. in Encinitas, CA where she works predominantly with golfing athletes and their coaches including PGA and LPGA professionals. https://www.chekconnect.com/Page/ConnectProfile?member=janetalexander1

Chris Maund

Chris Maund is a member of the C.H.E.K Faculty and has been teaching for the C.H.E.K Institute since 1998. Chris has a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Sports Science from Loughborough University in England. He has written a thesis to satisfy part of the requirements for C.H.E.K Practitioner Program entitled "Sleep, Biological Rhythms and Electromagnetic Fields". Chris is a strong believer in the value of massage therapy and studied Paul St John's Neuro Muscular Therapy program. An experienced triathlete, he was a member of the British National Squad from 1989-1992 before emigrating to New Zealand in 1993. Chris has a wealth of experience working in a wide variety of rehabilitation and sports conditioning scenarios. https://www.chekconnect.com/Page/ConnectProfile?member=chrismaund

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Bootcamp in North Vancouver Discusses that Cholesterol is Good - Part 2

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In my last blog post I shared about how important saturated fats and cholesterol are to your health and that the conventional wisdom of eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet to improve your heart health has led millions astray down a path that actually INCREASES heart disease. If you didn't get a chance to watch that video, click the link directly below. The content is shocking!

Watch part 1 by clicking the link below:

==>http://tyronpiteau.blogspot.com/2012/01/bootcamp-in-north-vancouver-discusses.html

Today what I want to share with you is part 2 of that video where I go into more detail about how important it is to consume fats and cholesterol in your diet and that cholesterol-lowering drugs are doing havoc on society and are actually making things WORSE! Watch part 2 below.

Helping you get lean and healthy in 2012,
Tyron Tweet This

Bootcamp in North Vancouver Discusses that Cholesterol is Good - Part 1

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In today's blog post I share about how important saturated fats and cholesterol are to your health and that the conventional wisdom of eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet to improve your heart health has led millions astray down a path that actually INCREASES heart disease. See what I mean by watching the video below. The content is shocking!

Helping you get lean and healthy in 2012,
Tyron

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North Vancouver Boot Camp: This Could Save Your Life...Literally

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Helping you get health in 2012,
Tyron Tweet This

North Vancouver Boot Camp: Will Fat Actually Help You Lose Fat?

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Fat isn't our enemy so lets use it to our benefit as our body's were created to need it. Below are some interesting points to consider regarding fat.

• Michael DeBakey, a famous heart surgeon, did an experiment on 1,700 patients with hardening of the arteries and found no relationship between the levels of cholesterol in the blood and the incidence of atherosclerosis.

• Similarly, The Medical Research Council showed that men eating butter had half the risk of heart disease as those who ate margarine (a deadly trans fat butter substitute).

• Uffe Ravnskov reports, concerning saturated fats in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, that “the scientific evidence, honestly evaluated, does not support the assertion that ‘artery-clogging’ saturated fats cause heart disease. Actually, evaluation of the fat found in clogged arteries reveals that only about 26 percent is saturated. The rest is unsaturated, of which more than half is polyunsaturated.

• Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, Ph.D., state that heart disease should not be blamed on animal fats or cholesterol, but upon consumption of vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats (trans-fats), and refined carbohydrates; vitamin and mineral deficiencies; and the reduction or disappearance of antimicrobial fats from the food supply, i.e. animal fats and tropical oils.

Benefits of saturated fat:
1. Constitute at least 50 percent of all cell membranes.
2. At least 50 percent of all fat we consume should be saturated; otherwise calcium cannot be effectively incorporated into the skeletal system.
3. They lower Lp (a), a key substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.
4. Protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as NSAIDs.
5. Enhance the immune system.
6. We cannot properly utilize essential fatty acids (omega 3s and 6s) without saturated fats.
7. Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid provide the preferred fuel for the heart. The heart is mainly covered by saturated fats.
8. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids found in butter, coconut, and palm oil have important antimicrobial properties especially in the GI tract.

Benefits of cholesterol:
1. cholesterol in the cell membrane gives our cells necessary stiffness and stability.
2. cholesterol acts as a precursor to vital corticosteroids, hormones that help us deal with stress and protect the body against heart disease and cancer, and to sex hormones.
3. cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D
4. bile salts are made from cholesterol, which are essential for fat digestion.
5. its an antioxidant. Protects us against free radical damage that leads to heart disease and cancer. This is a likely explanation for why cholesterol goes up with age.
6. Cholesterol is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is the body’s natural “feel good” chemical. Low cholesterol has been linked to aggressive and violent behaviour, depression, and suicidal tendencies.
7. mother’s milk is rich in cholesterol which is essential for the proper development and growth of the child’s nervous system.
8. Dietary cholesterol plays an important role in maintaining the health of the intestinal wall. Low cholesterol diets can lead to leaky gut syndrome and other intestinal disorders.

Good sources of fats and oils:
• Fats to include: extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut oil, raw, organic, grass-fed butter, ghee (clarified butter), organic, grass-fed animal fats, fish oil (EFA Icon), organic seeds (flax, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin), organic raw nuts (walnuts, pecans, macadamia, almonds), avocados, eggs (yolk).

• When buying fish oil supplements make sure the fish are from a region of low toxicity and make sure the product has been molecularly distilled in order that the toxins are at a low level. Consume 10 grams/day. For a good quality fish oil, check out EFA Icon at http://ProgradeNutritionals.com/essential-fatty-acid.html. Save 15% off on this order and the entire store. Just use coupon code NEW15 at checkout. It includes Krill Oil with Astaxanthin (a powerful antioxidant). Because of the way the EPA and DHA fatty acids are bound to phospholipids, its much more potent and bioavailable meaning you don't have to take as many capsules as a regular fish oil to get the same dosage and benefit, i.e. 2 capsules compared to taking 6-10 of fish oil.

• Fats to avoid include: trans-fatty acids, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, vegetable oils (i.e. corn, soy, canola, etc. oils), fats from conventionally-raised animal/fish.

I hope that helped :)

Also don't forget to let us know if you can join us for our celebration! On Saturday January 21, 2012 we'll be having our New Year/Grand Opening to celebrate our new facility as well as just another reason to party ;)

There will be live music, dancing (for those who want to) and food so if you can make it we'd love to have you. Please fill out the attached file indicating how many guests you'd like to bring (including yourself) as well as the food item you'd like to bring if you are able to (don't feel obligated) and then save it and email it back so we can prepare for the event and know the exact numbers.

Helping you get lean and healthy in 2012!

Tyron

PS. On February 20th, 2012 my friend Mich will attempt all 5 boot
camp classes to raise money and awareness of eating disorders. All
donations will be going to help support The Looking Glass
Foundation. Check out the flyer that's attached to learn more and how you can support.

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Could This One Nutrient Be That Important To Your Health?

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Now watch what Dr. Mercola has to say about vitamin D.

So if you have access to the sun or a safe, healthy tanning bed, obtain your vitamin D that way. If not then obtain vitamin D3 by taking 8000 IU per day.

For a good quality fish oil with astaxanthin in it, go with Krill Oil. Click this link http://ProgradeNutritionals.com/essential-fatty-acid.html and get 15% off at checkout by entering this code: NEW15.

Helping you get healthier in 2012,

Tyron

PS. If you live in North or West Vancouver, BC and want to experience the boot camp in North Vancouver that GUARANTEES you'll lose at least a clothing size in 28 days or your money back AND will help you get fast results then click the link below. Also check out a sample of our class in the video below.

===>North Vancouver Boot Camp

===>Here's the video:

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Dark Chocolate Macadamia Bark Sprinkled with Sea Salt

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‘Tis the season of candy and sugary baked goods showing up everywhere you go. Plates of cookies, tins of caramel corn, strings of candy canes and leaden logs of fruitcake – why these things symbolize good cheer is hard to figure out. There’s no reason to be a complete Scrooge about holiday desserts, though, just as there’s no reason to deprive yourself entirely if you’re craving something festive. When your sweet tooth goes looking for the ultimate dessert indulgence this year, look no further. Dark Chocolate Macadamia Bark Sprinkled with Sea Salt (as shared by Mark Sisson from
http://www.marksdailyapple.com) tastes fully and completely like “real” dessert. Not only will you enjoy every bite, so will the family and friends that you gift it to (hint, hint, don’t eat it all yourself!)

This perfect dessert is loaded with flavonoids from the dark chocolate and has a positive fatty acid profile from the macadamias. But the very best part about this decadent treat is that you can whip it up in less than 30 minutes using only three ingredients.

The full recipe is below, but there’s not a whole lot more to it than melting chocolate, stirring in nuts, sprinkling with sea salt and refrigerating. So why is the result so amazing? First of all, it’s important to use good chocolate. The darker the better, both for health reasons and intensity of flavor. The macadamia nuts add a sweet, buttery component and the crucial sprinkle of sea salt on top is the flavor equivalent of an exclamation point.

The result is a dessert that’s the perfect thing to nibble on around a roaring fire, surrounded by those you love most. Or, at a holiday office party or New Year's event surrounded by those you love a little less dearly, but still love of course ;). Wherever the event, it will be a little bit merrier if Dark Chocolate Macadamia Bark Sprinkled with Sea Salt is your indulgence of choice.

Ingredients:

 
9-10 ounces dark chocolate (aim for 85 – 90% cacao), chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Heat 2/3 of the chocolate in the microwave or on the stove. If using a microwave, heat the chocolate in 30-second increments, stopping to stir vigorously each time. It should take 2 minutes or less to melt the chocolate. If using the stove, create a double boiler by filling a pot with a few inches of water then balance or hold a smaller pot filled with the chocolate just above the water line. As the water gently boils, the steam will melt the chocolate in the smaller pot without burning it. Stir occasionally, removing from heat as soon as the chocolate melts completely.

Remove the melted chocolate from the microwave or stove. Add the remaining hard chocolate to the hot melted chocolate, stirring vigorously until it melts as well.

Stir the macadamia nuts into the chocolate.

Line a rimmed dish of your choice with parchment paper or wax paper. The size of the dish will determine how thick the bark is. A 2-quart squarebaking dish makes thicker bark (like in the photos). A larger dish will obviously yield thinner bark.

Spread the chocolate evenly in the rimmed dish. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, longer if chocolate isn’t solid yet. Use a knife to cut the bark into squares or misshapen pieces. Store the bark at room temperature.

Dessert doesn't have to be all bad. This is one of those good ones. Enjoy!

Tyron

Mark Sisson is the author of a #1 bestselling health book on Amazon.com, The Primal Blueprint, as well as The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and the top-rated health and fitness blog MarksDailyApple.com. He is also the founder of Primal Nutrition, Inc., a company devoted to health education and designing state-of-the-art supplements that address the challenges of living in the modern world.

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North Vancouver Boot Camp Christmas Eating Tip

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So enjoy all the good food (and cheesecake as I know I will ;) and time with family and friends just use the rich food and desserts to your advantage by incorporating a workout in that day. If you are coming to boot camp (http://MakersBody.com/SlimDown.html) we'll be open throughout the holidays at our regular times as detailed below. 

And the winner of The Maker's Body Complete Package is... (drumroll please)... Farideh Mansouri! Congratulations Farideh. The complete package includes a kitchen overhaul, a Whole Foods shopping tour, learning about different products, the do's and don'ts of eating, helpful tips, a monthly meal plan with recipes, a grocery list and our in-house chef Mich will cook and prepare a 7-day breakfast-lunch-dinner meal plan based on your dietary requirements! What better way to start January than with all your meals cooked for a week and a plan for the rest of the month :)

Boot Camp Calender

Monday	6:00-7:00 AM 11:30 AM-12:30 PM 5:00-6:00 PM 6:00-7:00 PM 7:00-8:00 PM
Wednesday	6:00-7:00 AM 11:30 AM-12:30 PM 5:00-6:00 PM 6:00-7:00 PM 7:00-8:00 PM
Friday	6:00-7:00 AM 11:30 AM-12:30 PM 5:00-6:00 PM 6:00-7:00 PM 7:00-8:00 PM
Saturday	10:00-11:00 AM

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Your friend and 2012 fat loss solution,

Tyron 

P.S. How to Get Signed Up for the 14 Day Slim Down  
1.) Go to http://MakersBody.com/SlimDown.html. 

2.) Fill out the form on that page. 

3.) Fill out the registration form that will be emailed to you after following the steps above and email it back to us. Must be completed before attending.

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How to Get Six-Pack Abs

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The fitness industry is a crazy business, especially when it comes to abs. For example, if you want to reveal your six-pack, you generally have two product choices.

1. The too-easy-to-work method.

You know this better as "5-minute abs!" or some such hype. But if this approach were really effective, even Chris Christie would have a washboard.

2. The so-hard-it-has-to-work method.

Think 60 to 90 minutes of exercise, 6 days a week. Now if you have the time and energy for this kind of regimen, we commend you. But plenty of people are missing one or the other. And that's just reality, not a cop-out.

So we wondered: Could there be an ab-sculpting program that actually works and is doable for most people? For the answer, we turned to Mike Wunsch, C.S.C.S., and Craig Rasmussen, C.S.C.S., creators of Men's Health's newest fat-loss plan, 24-Hour Abs! The answer: "Absolutely," says Wunsch, who teams up with Rasmussen to design the workout programs at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. "That's exactly how we make our living."

One important fact about Results Fitness: Even in a recession, this Southern California gym has expanded. Twice. Why? Because its trainers have developed a fat-loss formula tailored specifically for busy people. (Read: mostly everyone.) The requirements are simple: 30 to 40 minutes a day, 3 days a week. So how do these trainers do it when so many others have failed? They threw out the old guidelines. The new ones they've created are based on 21st-century science and the methods that work best with their clients. Now you can benefit, too.

Don't target your abs to lose fat

Or you might end up frustrated like this!

Back in 2002, we reported that it would take 250,000 crunches to burn a pound of fat, according to estimates from University of Virginia scientists. We're pretty sure those researchers published that statistic to make a point. But after almost a decade, the point still may not have hit home. "I'm amazed at the number of people who think that simply doing ab exercises will make their belly disappear," says Rasmussen. "That is probably the least efficient way to reveal a six-pack."

Do work every single muscle

Ok maybe not to this extreme but you get the point

"Muscle is your body's primary fat burner," says Rasmussen. Your muscles require energy to contract, which is why you burn calories when you exercise. But resistance training, unlike running or cycling, also causes a significant amount of damage to your muscle fibers. And that's a good thing. "Your body has to expend energy to repair and upgrade those fibers after your workout," says Rasmussen. "And a single total-body weight-training session can boost your metabolism for up to 2 days."

So you shouldn't neglect a single inch of your body. That goes double for the legs, a body part that plenty of men either train just once a week or simply ignore. Case in point: Syracuse University researchers determined that people burned more calories the day after a lower-body resistance session than the day after they worked their upper bodies. [you're welcome The Maker's Body clients for all those leg exercises we give you...they're a reason for the pain...good pain that is :)] Why? Because your lower half houses more muscle. The upshot: "A busy guy's smartest approach is to train his entire body every other day," says Rasmussen. "That allows you to elevate your metabolism maximally all week long, even though you're working out only 3 or 4 days a week."

Don't start your workout with crunches

"You can do lots of crunches and situps and still have a weak core," says Wunsch. "We see that all the time." The reason: Classic ab moves like crunches and situps work the muscles that allow you to flex (that is, round) your lower spine. (In fact, there's new evidence out there that shows the crunch might be The Most Useless Exercise Ever.) True core exercises, on the other hand, train the muscles that prevent your spine from rounding. They also allow you to transfer force from your lower body to your upper body (in a golf swing, for example), and vice versa. Core exercises target the same muscles that crunches do, but they also include your hip and lower-back muscles. So what's a true core exercise? One that trains you to keep your spine stable and in its natural alignment. Besides the plank (more on that in a minute), scores of exercises qualify, including the side plank, mountain climber, and even the pushup.

Do start with core exercises

Stability Ball Rollout

"We test everything in our gym," says Wunsch. "And we've seen that people achieve far better results when they do core exercises at the beginning of their workout instead of at the end." The reason: By training your core when your muscles are fresh, you achieve the fastest gains in strength, says Wunsch.

That's important for the average guy, Wunsch and his colleagues have found, because the core is the limiting factor in almost every exercise. "A weak core is what keeps most men from lifting more weight in the squat and deadlift and just about everything else," says Wunsch. "If we focus on strengthening their core first, they'll ultimately be able to lift heavier weights, which allows them to work more muscle and burn more calories. We're thinking about long-term success."

Don't spend hours on your core

While 5 minutes of exercise a day isn't enough to reveal your abs, it is about the right amount of time to dedicate to targeted core training. "We've found that just 2 to 4 sets of one or two core exercises is quite effective," Rasmussen says. "Our goal is to make you stronger, not more tired." A 5-minute core routine prior to weight training has a side benefit, too. "It revs up your core muscles so they fire better as you do other exercises," Rasmussen says.

Do master the plank

Ok not that kind of plank...

this kind

Flip through any issue of Men's Health and you'll probably find some version of the plank. This exercise may appear boring and easy—after all, you look like you're simply holding a pushup position but with your weight supported on your forearms instead of your hands. "The plank is easy only if you're doing it incorrectly or don't know how to make it more challenging," says Wunsch. What's more, he adds, the plank is key because it teaches you to make your core stiff. "That's a skill you need for almost every exercise."

So how do you perfect this exercise? Start by assuming a plank position, and then have a friend place a broomstick along your back. It should touch your head, upper back, and butt; this indicates that your spine is in proper alignment. If the stick doesn't make contact at all three points, simply adjust your posture until it does. That's the position you need to hold. Now to learn all the secrets to the perfect plank, watch this video.

Don't waste a second on the treadmill

"If you have only 30 to 40 minutes to devote to a workout, then every second has to count," says Rasmussen. "In those cases, our clients do zero running." His contention is that you can achieve faster fat loss with resistance training. How so? First, drop the assumption that running burns more calories than lifting does. A University of Southern Maine study found that a single set of a weight-training exercise torches as many calories as running at a 6-minute-mile pace for the same amount of time. So for every second you spend lifting weights, your body is expending high amounts of energy.

There's also the metabolism boost of weight training. "Resistance training has a much larger metabolic impact than long-distance running does," says Rasmussen. "Plus, your body is being given a stimulus to gain strength and build new lean tissue." One last efficiency benefit: Lifting weights through a full range of motion can improve your flexibility as well or even better than static stretching does, according to a University of North Dakota study.

Do keep your body moving

"Our goal is to pack as much physical work as possible into whatever time our clients have," says Wunsch. To that end, he and Rasmussen frequently implement supersets and circuits—strategies that save time without sacrificing results. To understand why, you'll need a few quick definitions.

Straight sets: This is a traditional weight-training routine, in which you complete all the sets of a given exercise before moving on to the next.

Alternating sets: These involve alternating between exercises that train your body using two noncompeting movements. For example, you pair an upper-body exercise that works the muscles on your front side—a pushup or bench press, say—with a lower-body exercise that emphasizes the muscles on your back side--the deadlift, for example. The idea is that you work a group of muscles with one exercise, but instead of sitting around for a full 2 or 3 minutes while that muscle group recovers, you perform an exercise that doesn't heavily engage those same muscles. As a result, you can cut your rest time in half or eliminate it completely.

To perform the deadlift with perfect form click here.

Circuits: These are similar to alternating sets, except that they involve three or more exercises. You can rest after each exercise in the circuit, or only after the last exercise.

How much time can these techniques save? A 2011 Spanish study found that men who trained with circuits achieved the same gains as those who trained with straight sets—yet their workouts were 42 percent shorter. But that's not to suggest you should hit the showers early. No, it means circuits and alternating sets can help you squeeze more total sets into the same sweat session.

Your friend,

Tyron

PS. If you live in North or West Vancouver, BC and want to experience the boot camp in North Vancouver that GUARANTEES you'll lose at least a clothing size in 30 days or your money back AND will help you get fast results like this girl in the video below who lost 20 pounds, 6.5 inches off her waist and 4 inches off her hips, then click the link below to get your free workout and $50 off any one of our programs:

===>North Vancouver Boot Camp

  
===>Here's the video:
 

Craig Rasmussen 

Craig has relocated back to Southern California after spending several years in Indianapolis, Indiana working as a fitness coach at a private training facility, and a strength coach at the high school level. Prior to that, Craig worked as a full-time Physical Education teacher at the middle school level in Santa Monica, California. Craig also received his BA in Physical Education from CSU Chico. He grew up in Ventura attending Buena High School with basketball being his sport of choice.

Craig became passionate about weight training following his freshman year in college when his Junior College basketball coach listed that two of his weaknesses were his strength and size. This proved to be a great motivation for him and he now is a competitive powerlifter and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Find out more about Craig at http://www.results-fitness.com/trainers.php?page=4&action=9.

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