Back to Archives
Back to AdrenalineFitnessNY Home

In case you wondered, this is me.

I'm currently in the process of becoming a Paul Chek Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach. It was while studying the course material that I realized just how important one's diet and lifestyle is not only to reach and maintain one's ideal weight but to one's health and sense of well-being overall. Previously, I believed blindly in the mantra preached by Reebok Sports Club's ivy-league educated nutritionist: "In order to lose weight, it's all a matter of calories. The amount of calories you eat simply needs to be less than the calories the body needs to function." Less calories in, more calories used up results in weight loss for everyone. And it could be any calories as long as you didn't consume too many.

Could it really be that simple?

It's not, I learned over the years. For some people this approach may work fabulously, but it won't for all. For example, if you cut your calories too much, you're likely to gain more weight during the few days when you do overeat (certain weekends, during that dinner party, eating out) than someone who doesn't cut calories ever. This is because drastically cutting calories will eventually slow your metabolism, which will lead to weight gain. (For more about this, go to Martha the Nutritionist's useful article below). Also, many people who subscribe to a traditional weight loss regimen (low-fat foods, no or little meat, fruits and veggies in abundance) and do lose weight will often feel deprived and hungry.

It turns out that disregarding what kind of calories you're consuming as long as you expend them can be downright disastrous for your health and general well-being. The kind of calories one consumes - the right kind for you - matters very much. This brings us to Metabolic Typing, a science that is the buzz across the fitness industry at the moment. The following excerpt is drawn directly from The Metabolic Typing Diet by Wolcott & Fahey:

Metabolic typing is based on the fact that over thousands of years of evolutionary history, people in different parts of the world developed very distinct nutritional needs (biochemical individuality), in response to a whole range of variables, including climate and geography and whatever plant and animal life their environments had to offer. As a result, people today have widely varying nutrient requirements, especially with regard to MACRONUTRIENTS - the PROTEINS, CARBOHYDRATES, and FATS that are the fundamental dietary "building blocks" most essential to sustaining life. We all need a full spectrum of nutrients. But, different people have genetically programmed requirements for different amounts of various nutrients. It is these differing genetically based requirements that explain why a certain nutrient can cause one person to feel GOOD, have NO EFFECT on another, and cause a third person to feel WORSE.

The bottom line is this: Unless you acquire all the nutrients for which you have a genetically programmed need, your cells' ability to perform their functions will be impaired! When you eat according to your own unique hereditary requirements, as opposed to following some universal dos and don'ts or randomly prescribed dietary advice, it's entirely possible that you can...

- Prevent and reverse degenerative disease
- Strengthen your immune system
- Achieve and maintain your ideal weight
- Optimize physical energy and mental clarity
- Overcome mood swings and depression
- Enhance athletic performance and endurance

There's no single greater influence on your health than the food you eat several times a day, every single day of your life. One must first identify the specific raw materials that will support the body's unique biochemical requirements, and then supply them in the right combinations. Then, simply step aside and let your body repair, rebuild, and regulate itself!

Metabolic typing is based on the synergy of the body's nine fundamental homeostatic control mechanisms (FHC's). These nine FHC's regulate all the biochemical reactions taking place in the body at any given moment. All chronic diseases have one thing in common: They involve an imbalance in one or more of these control mechanisms.

Wolcott's research has shown the most influential of these mechanisms to be the OXIDATIVE SYSTEM (i.e., slow, fast, mixed), and the AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (i.e., sympathetic, parasympathetic, balanced). Thus, a convenient testing system was developed to aid in determining which of the THREE BASIC METABOLIC TYPES one might be:

CARB TYPE = (Sympathetic dominant, slow oxidizers) require low-protein (20%), low-fat (10%), high carbohydrate (70%) diets.

PROTEIN TYPE = (Parasympathetic dominant, fast oxidizers) require high-protein (45%), high-fat (20%), low carbohydrate (35%) diets.

MIXED TYPE = (Balanced autonomic nervous system dominant, mixed oxidizers) require relatively equal amounts of proteins (40%), fats (10%) , & carbs (50%).

There is plenty of room for individuality within the context of each of these basic categories. For example, one protein type may experience optimal health consuming 45% PROTEINS, 30% CARBS, & 25% FATS, while another protein type may experience optimal health consuming 55% PROTEINS, 20% CARBS, & 30% FATS! It is also very important to note that not only are the RATIOS of PROTEINS/CARBS/FATS important to consider, but also the TYPES. For example, protein type individuals are generally recommended to consume primarily NON-STARCHY vegetables for carbs such as spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and celery.

Conversely, carb types can do well on some starchy higher glycemic carb sources such as most fruits, potatoes, carrots, beets, cereals and all rice.

When you have determined your metabolic type, the best way to go about finding out exactly what ratio of Proteins/Carbs/Fats that is right for you is to simply listen to your body and see how you feel. Keeping a food diary in which you put down how different foods make you feel (good vs. bad, energetic vs. tired, focused vs. difficulty concentrating, satisfied vs. sweet cravings, etc) is the best way. (I know it's tedious, but it truly pays off writing everything down.)

Download the Metabolic Typing Self Test here. Keep in mind: Circle the answer that best describes the way you feel, not the way you think you should eat! Very important... Good luck!

If you have any questions about Metabolic Typing, please email me!

by Garrett J. Braunreiter, CSCS, The Energy Coach

There is a great law of the universe that is simply stated: if you think in negative terms, you will get negative results. If you think in positive terms, you will achieve positive results.

In other words, BELIEVE AND SUCCEED.

William James said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."

"A man's life is what his thoughts make of it." --Marcus Aurelius

You can make just about anything of your life - anything you believe or visualize, anything you pray for and work for. Look deeply into your marvelous mind. Amazing wonders are there. Whatever your situation, you can improve it. You are greater than anything that can happen to you.

Here are seven practical steps for changing your mental attitude from negative to positive, for generating new, creative thoughts. This is not a one-time shot; you must keep on trying these steps for them to work.

1. Deliberately speak positively for the next 24 hours. Speak hopefully about EVERYTHING. About your job, your health, your future. Go out of your way to talk optimistically about everything. Sure, this will be a challenge, especially if your habit is talking defeat.

2. Continue this positive talking for the next week. After the initial 24 hours, KEEP GOING. Then give yourself a day or two to be your "other" self; you'll discover that what you meant by "realistic" a week ago was actually negative talk, but what you now mean by "realistic" is something entirely different. It is your NEW positive-talking self. And you'll notice more people talking pessimistically. You may remark to yourself, "I can't believe so many people talk like that!"

The Power of positive Thinking!

3. Feed your mind as you feed your body. To make your mind healthy, you must feed it nourishing, wholesome, positive thoughts. After your 1-2 day "break" from positive thinking, start at once today to shift your thoughts from negative to positive. Buy a self-help/inspirational/motivational book. From the beginning, underline EVERY sentence about FAITH. Do this for the entire book. These statements are the seeds you'll plant into your mind.

4. Commit to memorizing every underlined FAITH sentence. Memorize one sentence each day, until you can recite the entire list from memory. This will take time. But remember, you spent a heck of a lot more time thinking negatively than this exercise requires. Effort and time will eliminate your negative pattern.

5. Who is the most positive thinker amongst your friends? Find out who it is and start cultivating that relationship(s). I didn't say to abandon your negative friends; just get closer to the positive ones, absorb their spirit and strengthen your faith, and come back to your negative friends with your new way of thinking without taking on their negativity.

6. Avoid arguing with negative thinkers. However, whenever a negative attitude rears its ugly head, counter-attack with a positive and optimistic opinion. Another great, universal law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. EVERYTHING IS POLAR - hot/cold, up/down, in/out, front/back, POSITIVE/NEGATIVE. Can't have one without the other. You're not putting the other person down; you're just reinforcing your positive opinion.

7. Ask and you shall receive. God did not put us on earth to fail at everything we try. He wants us to achieve all that we desire. Whether we pray or not, we're sending messages to God of what we want. He will not give you anything greater than what you believe you can get. He wants to give you great things, but even He can't make you take anything you don't have faith in. Be careful for what you ask for!

Want a better, more successful life? Cast out the old, dead, unhealthy thoughts. Replace them with vital, positive, dynamite thoughts. This is how simple it is to remake you, your life.

Ask Julia - Does Creatine Work? Q: I'm a 54-year-old male who works out regularly every week with medium to heavy weights. Most weeks I get in at least three one-hour strength workouts (with a day's rest in between). We change the routine often to keep my muscles guessing. I have also changed my eating habits so that these days I eat a small meal every three hours instead of two or three bigger meals per day. According to my trainer, this is the best way to add muscle. I have certainly gained strength and definition, but I would like to become bigger. My friend suggested that I take creatine. Does creatine work?

It appears that creatine does help your muscles to grow bigger. The reason for this is because ingesting creatine enables your musc les to work harder than normal and recover quicker. The increased workload thus results in bigger muscles. The following study (one of many similar I found) highlights this:

"Researchers compared the effects of creatine on body weight, body fat, bench press in eighteen male power-lifters, (average 27 years of age). All were preparing for a competition eight weeks away. The study was done for 26 days during the hypertrophy phase of the lifters periodized training. The experimental group consisted of nine subjects who were given a creatine/sugar drink combination, while the placebo group consisted of nine subjects that received only the sugar drink. The subjects initially ingested 20 gms/day for five days (five gram dose, four times per day) and then went to a maintenance dose of five gms/day for the last 21 days. The three RM bench press and Most-Reps-Performed (over five sets) were the methods used to assess strength changes; skinfolds and the Lifesize computer software (Nolds Sports Scientific, Sydney, Australia) were used to estimate Lean Body Mass changes."

THE RESULTS

"Both groups improved their bench press. The creatine group improved strength performance by 8.9 kg (+/-) 3.3 kg and the placebo group increased by 2.5kg (+/-) 0 kg. This suggested that the resistance training program alone was effective in improving performance, however, the group who ingested the creatine had a better lifting performance. In addition, the creatine group was able to perform more repetitions (40 percent more) over the course of 5 sets than the placebo group (only seven percent more). This result alone suggested that creatine may have a strong influence on the body's ability to recover more quickly during a workout and therefore allow the athlete to perform more work during the exercise session. Body mass (as measured by weight) did increase more in the creatine group, however, since no intra-muscular measurements (biopsies), cross-sectional area or body composition itself were done, the researchers believe that most of the body weight increase was likely to be fluid retention within the cells (cell swelling)."

Here are some recent guidelines on how to use creatine:

- use creatine monohydrate supplementation along with a sugar drink to facilitate loading (one needs to take almost twice as much creatine citrate to match the effects of monohydrate)
- adjust the dose according to your body weight (maintenance approx.100mg/kg)
- load for no more than one week (300mg/kg/day) and then go on to a maintenance cycle (100mg/kg/day)
- stop every month or so, to stimulate the body's own homeostatic production of creatine
- take your full day of creatine intake in smaller amounts over the course of the day
- always ensure that you ingest your creatine immediately after your workout

Over the seven year period of the study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, 3,714 men developed cancer and 1,153 died from the disease. Men who walked or cycled for at least 30 minutes a day had an increased survival from cancer with 33 per cent, than the men who exercised less or did nothing at all.

The researchers also found that a more extensive programme of walking and cycling for between 60 and 90 minutes and a day, led to a l6 per cent lower incidence of cancer. But these activities only led to a five per cent reduction in cancer rates among the men who walked or cycled for 30 minutes day, a finding which could be due to chance.

The researchers surveyed men from two counties in central Sweden about their lifestyle and the amount of physical activity they did. They then scored these responses and compared the results with data officially recorded in a central cancer registry over a seven year period.

"These results show for the first time, the affect that daily exercise has in reducing cancer death risk in men aged between 45 and 79", says Professor Alicja Wolk, who led the study. "We looked at more moderate exercise such as housework, undertaken over a longer period of time and found that this also reduced men's chances of dying from the disease."

' Are you diligent with your diet and exercise program but still not losing weight? It's possible that you are a little too diligent! Most of you have probably heard that eating too few calories can slow your metabolism, thereby making weight loss more difficult. This is true. Studies have shown that your body can slow its metabolism by as much as 30% when you undereat.

What is "undereating"?
This will depend upon your age, sex, weight, height, activity level as well your individual metabolism. For the average woman, consuming fewer than 1200 calories would be too low. The fewer calories you consume, the greater the impact on your metabolism. Consuming 800 calories or less on a daily basis has the greatest effect of slowing your metabolism. Not only does consuming too few calories slow your metabolism while you are dieting, it will also cause your metabolism to stay in "slow-down" mode for a period of time even after you go off the strict diet. This contributes to weight regain.

Typical Scenario
Let's say you want to drop 20 pounds somewhat quickly for a special occasion - so you follow a strict 1000 calorie diet. You initially lose 10 pounds in the first month, however your weight plateaus for the next two months. The scale doesn't budge. You get frustrated and go off the diet and revert back to your old eating habits (which weren't so bad to start with!) and find yourself regaining the weight you lost. In the past, your eating habits maintained your weight. The fact that you are now gaining has to do with the fact that your metabolism has slowed from strict dieting.

How can you increase your metabolism from eating too few calories?
1. Continue to exercise regularly. This will help to rev up your metabolism. Weight training is especially important to build muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. However, this does not mean you should "over-exercise". Exercising too much, along with undereating, will slow your metabolism even more!

2. Slowly increase your caloric intake. This will help to speed your metabolism. Everyone is different, however I have found that many of my clients o well with increasing their calories by approximately 100-200 a month. So for example, if you are currently consuming 800 calories a day, get up to 900 for 2 weeks or so, then increase to 1000. This will give your body time to adjust to the higher caloric intake without causing weight gain. Your eventual goal will likely be a minimum of 1200-1500 calories a day. Make sure you are adding in calories in a balanced manner - protein, fat and healthy carbs. Continue to exercise as you are increasing the calories, however don't increase your exercise. This will only offset your increased caloric intake.

Very few people actually consume too few calories!
I frequently have people come into my office claiming they hardly eat anything and are still not able to lose weight. In my experience, once these people keep a food record for a few weeks, they find they are actually eating more than they think. However, there are definitely some people who are eating too few calories. I would recommend you keep a food record for a week or two to see which category you fit into.

Bottom line, while we all have days where we might consume too few calories, doing so on a regular basis is self-defeating as it will only slow your weight loss and make weight gain more likely once you have gone back to your normal eating patterns. The best way to lose weight is to follow a moderate calorie restricted diet and engage in a regular exercise program that includes weight training and cardiovascular exercise.

Check out Martha's useful nutrition blog at CityGirlBites

(Courtesy of The Alzheimer's Associaton )

Physically: Physical exercise is essential for maintaining good blood flow to the brain as well as to encourage new brain cells. It also can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, and thereby protect against those risk factors for Alzheimer's and other dementias. Growing evidence shows that physical exercise does not have to be strenuous or even require a major time commitment. It is most effective when done regularly, and in combination with a brain-healthy diet, mental activity and social interaction.

Aerobic exercise improves oxygen consumption, which benefits brain function; aerobic fitness has been found to reduce brain cell loss in elderly subjects. Walking, bicycling, gardening, tai chi, yoga and other activities of about 30 minutes daily get the body moving and the heart pumping.

Physical activities that also involve mental activity - plotting your route, observing traffic signals, making choices - provide additional value for brain health. And doing these activities with a companion offers the added benefit of social interaction.

Avoid head trauma when exercising

• Use protective headgear when engaged in physical activities, such as bicycling, horseback riding, bouldering, skating and so on.

• Wear a seat belt.

• Guard against falls by using handrails, watching out for tripping hazards and taking other precautions.

(Severe head injuries have been associated with increased risk for later development of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.)

Socially: Research shows that people who are regularly engaged in social interaction maintain their brain vitality. But again, the combination of physical and mental activity with social engagement - and a brain-healthy diet - is more effective than any of these factors alone.

A recent study reported that leisure activities that combine physical, mental and social activity are the most likely to prevent dementia. In the study of 800 men and women aged 75 and older, those who were more physically active, more mentally active or more socially engaged had a lower risk for developing dementia. And those who combined these activities did even better.

Other research found that sports, cultural activities, emotional support and close personal relationships together appear to have a protective effect against dementia.

So stay socially engaged in activities that stimulate the mind and body:

• Stay active in the workplace

• Volunteer in community groups and causes

• Join bridge clubs, square dancing clubs or other social groups

• Travel

Mentally: Mental decline as you age appears to be largely due to altered connections among brain cells. But research has found that keeping the brain active seems to increase its vitality and may build its reserves of brain cells and connections. You could even generate new brain cells.

Low levels of education have been found to be related to a higher risk of Alzheimer's later in life. This may be due to a lower level of life-long mental stimulation. Put another way, higher levels of education appear to be somewhat protective against Alzheimer's, possibly because brain cells and their connections are stronger. Well-educated individuals can still get Alzheimer's, but symptoms may appear later because of this protective effect.

You don't have to turn your life upside down, or make extreme changes to achieve many of these benefits. Start with something small, like a daily walk. After a while, add another small change.

Keep your brain active every day:

• Stay curious and involved - commit to lifelong learning

• Read, write, work crossword or other puzzles (Click here for an E-Puzzle!)

• Attend lectures and plays

• Enroll in courses at your local adult education center, community college or other community group

• Play games

• Garden

• Try memory exercises

OK, I know viewing almost naked celebrity bodies is shallow, silly, a complete waste of time, ridiculous -- but oh so much fun!!!!! Some of them will inspire you to work out harder, some of them will make you jealous, and some of them will make you feel that maybe your own body isn't so bad after all...

Enjoy!

To view Star Magazine's Best and Worst Celebrity Bods Part 1 click here and to view Part 2 click here.

To view England-based celebrity beach babes and bums click here.

To take the Guess the Celebrity Beach Body click here.