Still researching!

I don't want anyone to think that I have forgotten about my blog.  Trust me I haven't. So far I have found that the best food plan to follow woul be an anti-inflammatory one. I would be following the meal plan of someone who has an auto immune disease.  I'd likely be going gluten free and increase certain vegetables.  I would also need to increase the amount of probiotics I intake, which I've already done with Shakeology. 

My doctor gave me a book from a local nutritionist that I will be reading so I'll update again about this ate I've read that.

I apologize for the delay!

Lyme Disease Diet - Research Quickie...coming soon!

Hey guys,

I just wanted to let you know that this weeks research quickie is going to be a little delayed.  I'm trying to find more sources of actual studies on people with Lyme and how their diet affects their health.  As someone with Lyme, I want to find a diet that will help me no longer have the few flare ups that I get.

I'm looking forward to finishing up the research and sharing it with you all.

Marq

The Power of Visualization

"If you can't see it, then how are you going to get it?!"
That is a thought that was running through my head when I first decided that I wanted to lose weight.  Waay back before I actually understood my "why" behind my desire to lose weight and get back the physique I once had.  So, this thought has been in my mind recently, since I just discovered my why not too long ago.

The art of seeing what you want to achieve, and I do believe it is an art, is called visualization.  I'm sure we all know what visualization is, but just to ensure we have all of our i's crossed and t's dotted (=P) let's throw a definition out there:

Visualization is "...a cognitive tool accessing imagination to realize all aspects of an object, action or outcome".  In a sense it's kind of like day dreaming, but with a purpose behind it, because you (re)create a scenario using most, or even all, of your senses" (Baumgartner, 2011).

I use visualization on an almost daily basis now because if I can't see myself with a four pack in a bikini for the first time ever, then how am I going to know what to aim for?  How am I going to know when I reach my goal?

Visualization has many uses outside of helping you get the body you want.  Psychologists use it in their practice to help patients exercise specific reactions to situations; athletes use it before a match; actors use it before they perform.  It helps because the brain is being trained to perform the task, it's like practicing a practice match.

Angie LeVan, MAPP, (2009) goes over a great way to get started with visualization.  I've included the excerpt below:

Begin by establishing a highly specific goal. Imagine the future; you have already achieved your goal. Hold a mental ‘picture’ of it as if it were occurring to you right at that moment. Imagine the scene in as much detail as possible. Engage as many of the five senses as you can in your visualization. Who are you with? Which emotions are you feeling right now? What are you wearing? Is there a smell in the air? What do you hear? What is your environment? Sit with a straight spine when you do this. Practice at night or in the morning (just before/after sleep). Eliminate any doubts, if they come to you. Repeat this practice often. Combine with meditation or an affirmation (e.g. “I am courageous; I am strong”, or to borrow from Ali, “I am the greatest!”).

So, what is your highly specific goal?  Can you see it happening yet?  If not, keep practicing!

Reference(s):
Baumgartner, J. (November 8, 2011). The psychology of dress, the doctor is in...you closet! Visualize it. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-dress/201111/visualize-it.

LeVan, A. (December 3, 2009). Flourish! Seeing is believing: The power of visualization. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/flourish/200912/seeing-is-believing-the-power-visualization.

Research Quickie: Is working out after fasting a good or bad thing?

This is a question that has been floating around the internet for, what feels like, forever.  It seems like you can read an article that says "YES!  Fasting is the key to SUCCESS in fat loss!" and then turn around and find one that says the polar opposite.  With that in mind, I present my random research into the subject.  Again, I haven't performed a study myself but I have found quite a few.

Eating carbohydrates 30 minutes before exercise, in Coyle, E and team’s 1983 study, resulted in a faster decrease in muscle glycogen and blood glucose concentration during exercise. This would in turn, result in less endurance during prolonged exercise. The team suspects that cause of the loss of endurance is from the process the body goes through following a carbohydrate meal, i.e. increase in insulin levels. Interestingly to me, their study, amongst others, found that providing carbohydrates during exercise frequently delayed the onset of fatigue.

What is muscle glycogen? (Elmhurst College)
* The storage form of glucose in the muscles. Glucose is one of the monosaccharides absorbed by the body when breaking down plant based material. The other two are fructose and galactose. In a nut shell, glucose is sugar. During intense exercise, when he energy stores in the form of fat aren’t enough, the glycogen stored in the muscle is converted back into glucose for immediate use via the bloodstream.

Carbohydrates are a key fuel source for exercise, with the major source during exercise being the muscle glycogen stores (Ivy, 1991). “The greater the muscle glycogen stores, the longer the exercise time to exhaustion.” After its depletion during exercise, assuming you eat an adequate amount of carbohydrates, muscle glycogen levels return to pre-exercise levels within 24 hours. “For the average endurance athlete, a daily carbohydrate consumption of 500 to 600g is required.”

Now, you’re probably saying “But these are all talking about endurance exercises! What about me?!” Well, I have news for you, you can choose to eat nothing or to eat something. The difference for the rest of us isn't large enough to matter, in my opinion. According to the recap of a 2010 Belgian study, by Jennifer Sygo (2013), a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist, the group that fasted before exercise had the best results in weight management at the end of the study while the people who didn't fast had gained weight but more endurance by the end. I would like to point out that the men in this study consumed a breakfast high in fat. If you’re not consuming a breakfast high in fat then...well you’re likely still fine having breakfast before the workout. If you do have a high fat breakfast, then I would suggest exercising and then eating.

Another study by Paoli and team (2011), found that people who ate before exercising burned more calories throughout the day vs those that fasted. So this is something else to keep in mind.
In my opinion, for what it’s worth since I’m not a medical professional…YET!, if you’re doing to be doing light to moderate exercise and you’re not hungry then don’t even worry about it. If you’re going to be running a marathon or doing an intense program like P90X3 or Insanity then I would suggest you eat
first and wait an hour for the insulin spike to normalize before working out and then, during the breaks, munch on some carbs (veggies or fruits, ideally) or have a well-rounded protein shake.

Personally, I have a protein shake or a smoothie with some Greek yogurt and wait at least 25 minutes before I workout. It’s not a meal high in fat and since it’s liquid, it gets into my system faster, so I don’t see a problem. I find that when I don’t have something before I start I am sluggish and don’t push as hard as I could.

Let me know if there's a topic you'd like me to cover next Monday!  This topic was suggested by my friend Pam.

Belgium study recapped by Jennifer Sygo: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3002457/

References

Coyle, E., Hagberb, J., Hurley, B., Martin, W., Ehsani, A., & Holloszy, J. (February 4, 1983). Carbohydrate feeding during prolonged strenuous exercise can delay fatigue.

Elmhurst College (2003). Glycogen. Retrieved from http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/547glycogen.html.

Ivy, J. (January 1991). Muscle glycogen synthesis before and after exercise. Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas, Austin.

Kravitz, L. (n.d.). Eating or fasting for fat loss: A controversy resolved. Retrieved from http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/fasting.html.

Krssak, M., Petersen, K., Bergeron, R., Price, T., Laurent, D., Rotheman, D., Roden, M., & Shulman, G. (October 27, 1999). Intramuscular glycogen and intramyocellular lipid utilization during prolonged exercise and recovery in a man: A10C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Retrieved from http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jcem.85.2.6354.

Sygo, J. (February 7, 2013). Fasting and fitness: Should I eat before I exercise? It depends on your workout goals. Retrieved from http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/02/07/fasting-and-fitness-should-i-eat-before-i-exercise-it-depends-on-your-workout-goals/.

Raspberry Ketones Quickie (What's up with this?!)

Most of us have heard of Raspberry Ketones (RK) by now.  You've probably seen a commercial for them or looked at them in the diet section of your local convenience or grocery store.  I know I wondered if they lived up to the hype, I'm sad to say that the research I've done soo far has left much to be desired.  This doesn't mean that I'm discouraged at the possibility that RK could aid people in their weight loss journey, the truth is RK hasn't been tested on humans in any scientific study, the closest we've gotten to human testing is human flesh testing in test tubes (Hand, 2013).  

What are Raspberry Ketones?
RK is one of the "...200 molecules that contribute to [a raspberry's] distinct flavor" and smell" (Cox, 2013).  RK, specifically, deals with that raspberry smell we love soo well, which is why it is used in products ranging from candles to soaps.  I was surprised to find out that RK "...is actually found in cranberries, blackberries as well as red raspberries..." (Cox, 2013) of various genes.

The initial thoughts that RK could prevent weight gain and promote weight loss is due to its molecular structure, which bears resemblance to the structure of capsaicin. 

So does it work?
Unfortunately, there isn't enough evidence to say if it does or doesn't.  According to Caroline Cederquist, R.D. (2012), none of her patients that added RK to their weight loss regimens noticed a significant change.  We will just have to wait for more scientific trials to be sure.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that those who are experimenting with RK are a biased variable because they don't have a control group to compare their results against and they have personal feelings towards the supplement that could affect their results.

What does the FDA say?
Well, for those that might not know, the FDA does not regulate anything this is considered a supplement.  They don't even regulate energy drinks, by the way.  This is why every bottle you buy of a supplement has the disclaimer.  However, RK was deemed "Generally Recognized as Safe" in the 1960s...at a daily dose of less than 2 milligrams.  The supplements being produced today contain much more than that, the bottle I picked up at the grocery store contains 600mg a serving, that's 1200mg a day!

Are you side effects?
According to WebMD, no.  According to the sources I've listed below, some.  It appears that RK has similar side effects that stimulants have: increased heart rate, heart palpitations, and the shakes.  It may interfere with blood thinners like Coumadin; lower blood sugar levels; and lower risk of bleeding.  However, there isn't enough information to be certain.

So why the hype?
Dr. Oz featured RK on his show back in 2012 and it took off from there.  My local herbalist has to keep an eye on the show because whenever he recommends a supplement people flock to her store to buy it. 

It's similarity to capsaicin and synephrine, which "...is often marketed as a powerful weight loss support supplement" (Clark, 2012).  Synephrine is a stimulant and, according to Shannon Clark (2012), helps boost your metabolism.  The idea of being able to boost your metabolism will be covered at a later date because it is a rather controversial topic.  :)

Final thoughts?
I'll pass on RK and just stick to eating with a focus on eating whole foods and getting at least 30 minutes of rigorous activity a day.

You can purchase the study Anti-obese action of raspberry ketone at: 
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320505001281

References

Cederquist, C. (December 3, 2012). What's the rave with raspberry ketone?. Retrieved from "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/caroline-j-cederquist-md/raspberry-ketone_b_2213936.html".

Cox, L. (September 26, 2013). What is raspberry ketone?. Retrieved from "http://www.livescience.com/39972-raspberry-ketone-supplement-facts.html".

Hand, B. (February 28, 2013). What they don't want you to know about raspberry ketones. Retrieved from "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/becky-hand/raspberry-ketones_b_2727943.html".

Future blog post: What is garcinia cambogia?

http://www.livescience.com/39243-garcinia-cambogia-supplement-facts.html

The Benefits of Working on Myself...I Know My Purpose

I just realized tonight that it's been 60 days since I became a Beachbody coach.  I'm not where I want to be with the business but I have had success and I'm holding on to that because success means that I've reached out to people and they've taken strides to change their health for the better.

Anyways, during the first 60 days as a coach I was supposed to go through a "coach basics" course led by my mentor coach.  I got about a week in when my life decided that I needed to focus on something more important.  I know!  What could've been more important than following my life's dream of helping people through nutrition and exercise?  That dream is why I'm working two traditional jobs to get out of debt enough to pay to go back to college and get my nutrition degree.  That dream plays a huge part in my commitment to improve my own health.

However it turns out getting myself emotionally in the right mindset was what was more important.  It's something that I'm still working on, overcoming trauma and managing depression.  I've come a LONG way in the last 60 days.  I'm no longer relying on two medications, I understand myself and my mind more, I can talk to myself like I talk to everyone else (positively!!), and I can issue a self pep talk like no one's business.  I'm on the verge of...dare I say it, feeling truly happy on a regular basis!

My mind feels more focused and my drive is even stronger than it was for getting my body back.  I dug deeper below "I want to lose weight." and found soo many reasons that drive me so much harder, most of them selfish but I've come to realize that the honest reasons are what drive me the most.  I was treating wish to get healthy like...a wish.  As an after thought or something that I would like to have happen but probably won't happen.  I was mentally priming myself for failure, even though I wanted success.  Now, I NEED success.  It's a hunger that I haven't felt before, it's true motivation.
This same level of drive hit me tonight in regards to helping others live healthier lives.  It struck me so hard that I got choked up, I'm still getting teary eyed.   I wanted to make a video explaining why I want to help others and why I am a Beachbody coach, but I think I would just cry the whole way through, which is why I'm saying it in a blog instead.

I want to help others because that's what I'm supposed to do, I can feel it in my soul.  When I'm offering advice and helping people pick out workout programs (even free ones on here or bodybuilding.com) I feel complete.  I feel like I'm actually living my life instead of it just passing me by.  All of my life I've felt like time was slipping through my fingers and for the first time I have found something that negates that feeling.  I am not alive if I am not able to coach and guide someone through a lifestyle change...even though I'm still going through one myself.
I feel like a switch has been flipped in my head.  Everything makes sense because I not only know, I understand my life's purpose!  This is a glorious feeling!

(Originally posted on my Sparkpeople.com blog)

Exercising when others are home...

I love, LOVE, the idea of working out at home. There's no gym membership, no need to remember to pack a bag when I go to work, no having to drive across town after work to get to a gym. These are all great perks, especially the not having to pay a membership fee.  Heck, I became a Beachbody coach not only because I want to help people and because I believe in the product, I became one because they're amazing programs to do AT HOME!!

However, I have a mental block when I comes to exercising when other people are home. In my old townhouse this wasn't an issue because I exercised in the basement. In my 439 sq. ft. apartment...It apparently is. Thoughts of "I'm being too loud." or "This is just embarrassing." pop into my head. And while I push myself through because bettering yourself, internally or externally, is worth it I feel uncomfortable the whole time. I don't push as hard as I could. I don't feel as connected with the workout. 

Eventually, I began to dread exercising at home when I knew someone else was going to be there. I'll admit, even today I'll skip a workout and just do a different activity outside or power walk the mall instead. 

This just isn't going to work for me anymore though. It's harder to lose the weight when I'm not giving it 100%. So now, I'm searching for a place to have my workouts. Since I work in a hotel now, I'm going to be asking if I can use a conference room that's not in use. It's the only solution I have right now, though I'm still thinking of more.