More mobility

Kelly Starrett, owner of San Francisco CrossFit, a physical therapist or as he is called by Freddy from Crossfit Oneworld, a mobility therapist. Once Kelly gets his hands on you, he can fix your aches and pains up, no problem. Kelly believes that increasing your mobility isn’t something you have to see a specialist to do. You need to take responsibility for fixing yourself and maintaining yourself. Kelly has started a new project, Mobility Wod. What is Mobility Wod?

“Every human being should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves. You know how to eat, how to train, and what to do if you have a cut. You should also know how to fix your tight hips, painful knees, and stiff shoulders, and how to make yourself faster and more powerful. It’s too much to mobilize everything, all the time, everyday. Start somewhere. The Mobility Wod should take you four to ten minutes to complete. Do it everyday. Remember the area that feel like a Shaman’s Blow.”

He posts a different mobility drill everyday, they take 4-5 minutes and can be done before your daily WOD.  Guys and gals, check it out and get more mobile!

http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/2010_08_22_archive.html

Learn To Massage (and maybe get one too!)

We have a unique line-up of massage seminars this fall and beyond just for couples!  Bring your spouse, your gf/bf, your ex (no scrapping!), a platonic friend, your hot new date or just someone you want to get your hands on. Remember, this is a family-friendly facility so keep your mind above board for this series please…

The sessions will be lead by our long-time friend Mark Aquino (see below).  He’s PHENOMENAL!!!  Book now to reserve your spot.  Max 6 couples per session.

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Couples Relaxation Workshop: Friday September 10

Learn simple yet effective swedish massage techniques to ease your partner’s stress and relieve their stiff backaches and neck pains or just muscle stiffness in general in a relaxed, fun and comfortable setting with Mark.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing and bring 2 pillows and a blanket.
Cost is $80/couple inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

Note: No crotch grabbing unless you are George

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Sore Muscles Workshop: Friday October 8th

Bring a partner and learn sports massage techniques to help with your muscle aches, tension and strains to help with training and recovery in a relaxed, fun and comfortable setting with Mark.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing with a change of clothing (athletic shorts & top) and bring 2 pillows and a blanket.
Cost is $80/couple inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

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Trigger Point Workshop: Friday November 12th

Learn how to release those chronic ‘knots’ and ‘sore spots’ in your muscles in a relaxed, fun and comfortable setting with Mark.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing with a change of clothing (athletic shorts & top) and bring 2 pillows and a blanket.
Cost is $80/couple inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

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Stress and Relaxation Workshop: Friday December 10th

Forgetting to breathe? Give yourself a mini vacation from the stress and hectic pace of your life in a quiet, comfortable and restorative session with  guided by Mark. Soothing music will be provided.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing and bring 2 pillows and a blanket.
Cost is $40/person inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

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Chronic Neck and Back Pain Workshop: Date TBD

Learn how to help your partner’s headaches, sore neck and back using gentle yet effective myofascial release techniques in a relaxed, fun and comfortable setting with Mark.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing with a change of clothing (athletic shorts & top) and bring 2 pillows and a blanket.
Cost is $80/couple inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

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Runner’s Workshop: Date TBD

For runners and their partners, from beginner to advanced, who want to learn how to remove fatigue, help soreness and improve their resilience through simple massage techniques and stretching in a relaxed, fun and comfortable setting with Mark.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing with change of clothing (athletic shorts & top) and bring 2 pillows and a blanket.
Cost is $80/couple inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

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Foot Workshop: Date TBD

Treat your feet and your partner’s feet to a much needed “R&R” session in a relaxed, fun and comfortable setting with Mark.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing and bring 2 pillows and a blanket. Cost is $80/couple inclusive of HST.
7:30pm to 9:30pm

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About Mark Aquino B.Mus., R.M.T. (Osteopathy – current study)

Mark graduated from Sutherland-Chan Massage Therapy School as Valedictorian in 1999. He has been practicing Craniosacral therapy through the Upledger Institute (Florida) since 2001 and myofascial and movement therapy through Dianne Woodruff PhD in Toronto/Oakville since 2004. Through a vast experience at medical and wellness clinics in the GTA and Hamilton area as well as a thriving practice in Oakville for the past decade, Mark creates a soothing and healing environment to help restore the body.

Mark is currently pursuing his 3rd year of post graduate Osteopathic studies at the Canadian College of Osteopathy in Toronto. Mark’s education also includes a Bachelor Of Music degree from McMaster University in 1995 .

Side note: Mark’s wife Leslie is Andrea’s BFF.  Leslie (Elzee) is also the designer of the FirePower Performance Log books, and co-interior designer of FirePower Training.

Words of wisdom from OPT, and a recipe too!

Hey everyone, some great words of wisdom from James OPT Fitzgerald, a great athlete and past crossfit games competitor!  The recipe is also from his site, it is what they serve at up at their daughters birthday…try them out!

Playing Hard Advice Ages 10-15 years of age – play hard until you have to be pulled in for supper. Ages 15-20 years of age – find friends you can play AND laugh hard with and be loyal to them. Ages 20-25 years of age – play so hard that you can discover who you REALLY are. Ages 25-30 years of age – find new friends you can play AND laugh hard with and be loyal to them. Ages 30-35 years of age – play hard until you have to be pulled in for supper. So far in this journey I seem to see repetition – which allows learning. A transformation from a “me to you to me ” perspective; a snake eating its tail of sorts. I wonder if it will happen again? Does it happen to others? What happens if one does not realize it past the first playing hard? When did you stop playing? To “play” is to not think, just do. Why? Because you can. Play is enjoyable. Play is powerful. Take a period of time in your week/month…where you felt as if you enjoyed the moment so much that time passed so perfectly; what were you doing? Repeat what it took to get there. Was it a proposed meeting, a planned event, a chance happening you can repeat? Set yourself up again and again; place all your energies into these opportunities – a chance to play of sorts. The more we can fill our lives with play opportunities at school, work, home, etc…the more we can realize what an enjoyable journey this is. James http://www.optimumtraining.ca/ http://optimumperformancetraining.blogspot.com/

Now for the recipe….

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan “Buttercream” Chocolate Frosting

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• ½ cup agave nectar

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, blend together eggs, oil and agave
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet thoroughly
4. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and scoop a scant ¼ cup into each
5. Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes
6. Cool and cover with vegan “buttercream” chocolate frosting
7. Serve

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao
• ½ cup grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• pinch celtic sea salt

1. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil
2. Stir in agave, vanilla and salt
3. Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to chill and thicken
4. Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
5. Frost over cake
   Enjoy!  See you in the gym!
   Bri

great link!

Gotta thank Steve C. for this one!  It’s a great site for family friendly paleo recipes!  The lady is a Mom, and a crossfitter!  Check it out!

http://everydaypaleo.com/

Bri

Why we do what we do!

I wasn’t sure if I should write this but I think the message is important.  On Saturday night while at work a call came to the station from our Unit Commander, one of our members while off duty had collapsed suddenly at home, was VSA (vital signs absent) when  the ambulance arrived.  He was taken Brampton Civic Hospital and pronounced dead! Massive heart attack!  Folks, he was 44 years old with teen aged kids, and 23 years service.  He was one year older than me!  While I can’t speak to his diet, I can say that he did not exercise!  I do know he was not adverse to the odd helping of beer and chicken wings! He was a great guy, always willing to help the younger officers, was always smiling, not a grouch like me! 

We push people hard here in the gym, we  train athletes, moms, dads, CEO’s, kids!  Sure we want the hockey guys to make their next try out, we want you  to lose that last 5 pounds, we want you to hit a new PR in Cindy!  Why? LIFE!  If you don’t exercise, EAT RIGHT, and by that I mean lose the “North American Food Pyramid” crap!!  Start looking at Paleo or zone, but I have to tell you that Paleo works, and it will change you from the inside out.   I suffer with aches every damn day, but I suck it up, push myself because I want to meet my grandchildren!

Get to work!

Bri

Stretch, stretch, and more stretching…

Hey everyone, I am as guilty of this as anyone…I don’t stretch enough!  I even tried the hot yoga, but it was just too damn hot!!  Anyway, here is a link for some stretches you can hit 3-4 times a week, in the gym or at home!

http://www.onefourfourone.com/services/static-mobility-complex/

Print them off and carry them in your training  journal, whatever it takes, we need more mobility! (me especially, getting old and stiff)

Bri

The Top 5 Super Foods

Nourishing yourself doesn’t have to drain your bank account, and some of the most common (and cheapest) foods are just as beneficial for you as the fad “super foods” that are heavily marketed. In light of all the confusion about what we eat, I have compiled a list of the top 5 healthiest foods that I think everyone should routinely include in their diet. All of them are filled with health-promoting nutrients, and in a lot of cases, can even be viewed as cheap natural medicine. I invite you to try each of these over the next little while in order to experience what these superfoods can do for you.

Super Food #1: Kale
I could write an entire book about the health benefits of kale (and looking at the length of this blog, I almost have!). In my opinion, it is one of the most nutritious vegetables available, yet most people have never heard of, nor laid eyes on, this leafy green. There are so many varieties of kale, from curly to ornamental, to even “dinosaur” kale! Each variety differs slightly in colour (green, white, blue-green, and purple), as well as in taste (spicy and bitter to more mellow and sweet).

As a part of the Brassica or cabbage family of vegetables, it contains anti-cancer compounds called glucosinolates and methyl cysteine sulfoxides. Studies have shown that the specific glucosinolates that are contained in kale appear to reduce the risk of many different cancers, including breast, ovarian, and colon cancer. Kale is also a healthy food to support detoxification of the body. More specifically, consumption of kale has been found to up-regulate enzymes within the liver which neutralize cancer-causing substances, as well as alter gene expression to increase the body’s overall number of detoxifying enzymes. Furthermore, kale contains a considerable amount of dietary fiber to support regular elimination, as well as three times more calcium than phosphorus to help support strong healthy bones.

This leafy green can easily be incorporated into your diet in many ways: You can add some raw chopped kale to your salads to add a spicy punch, or you can lightly steam kale and add a tablespoon of organic butter for a delicious side dish to any dinner. You can puree cooked kale and add it to almost any fall or winter soup. You can blend it into a morning smoothie, or even juice it with other fruits and vegetables for a mineral-rich drink. It tastes particularly delicious when steamed and accompanied by a handful of walnuts (see the benefits of walnuts below).

Super Food #2: Flax Seeds
This super food is one which I learned about years ago from a member of my family (who insisted on adding ground flax to almost everything she ate!), and one which I incorporate into my own diet almost every day. Flax seeds have a long history, as they were originally cultivated in Mesopotamia, and have been recorded to be utilized as a food as far back as Ancient Greece.

This golden-brown seed is one of the richest sources of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It is the high ALA content of flax seeds which makes it a super food for anyone looking to support the health of their cardiovascular system. More specifically, regular consumption of flax can help to reduce total cholesterol levels, LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, as well as blood triglyceride levels. Furthermore, the high ALA content of flax seeds also makes it an excellent “anti-inflammatory” food, with studies showing that it can help to reduce the inflammation involved in arthritis.

Flax seeds also contain phytoestrogens, which can work in the body to balance hormone levels, making them a staple for anyone who is suffering from the hot flashes, mood swings, and irritability associated with menopause. Some research has also indicated that regular flax seed consumption may also be a promising natural medicine for those suffering from depression and memory problems. These nutrient-rich seeds also contain a good ratio of insoluble to soluble fiber which can help relieve constipation naturally, and promote regular daily bowel movements. Ground flax seeds can be used in smoothies and shakes, and can also be added as a healthy addition to any baked good. You can also use ground flax seeds as well as flax oil in salad dressings, which will give your salad a warm, slightly nutty taste. One thing to remember however: Flax seeds, particularly once ground, should be stored for in your refrigerator or freezer to prevent them from going rancid. Flax seed oil should never be exposed to heat, and should be purchased in a dark bottle which light cannot pass through.

Super Food #3. Sea Vegetables
You’re asking yourself, “What the heck are sea vegetables?”. Essentially, they are vegetables that grow in the sea, often known as seaweeds.  There is such a wide variety of sea vegetables to choose from, usually categorized by colour, each with a distinctive texture and taste. Some particularly delicious seaweeds are the brown variety (Kelp, Kombu, Wakame), and the red variety (Nori, Dulse). Sea vegetables are a rich source of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, important for both bone and cardiovascular health.

Even more importantly, they are a great source of the important mineral iodine, with a half of a cup providing almost 300% of our daily requirement. Dietary iodine sources can be useful for supporting the health of our thyroid (and therefore promote a healthy metabolism), and can be medicinal for anyone suffering from hypothyroidism. However, I consider sea vegetables a super food mostly because they contain high amounts of lignans, phytonutrients which can help reduce the development of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, and fucans, a carbohydrate-like compound which can reduce inflammation in the body.

Sea vegetables can easily be worked into your meals without you even knowing it! You can buy them in their dried form, grind them up, and sprinkle them on your food as an alternative to table salt. Nori seaweed can be purchased in dried sheets which can be made into delicious California rolls, using your favorite vegetables and brown rice. They are also delicious chopped up and tossed onto a salad or into a warming winter soup. You can also use Kombu when you are cooking dried beans to make the beans easier to digest (and to remove their gassy side effects!). Use 5 or 6 inches of Kombu for every 1 cup of dried beans in order to see results.

Super Food #4. Quinoa
This ancient grain is gaining popularity among vegetarians and vegans these days, as it is considered a complete protein, containing all of the essential amino acids. Quinoa is actually a seed that was a staple for the Incas, who held it in high esteem for the stamina it provided warriors. This seed doesn’t contain gluten or wheat, therefore it is a great alternative for those with either wheat or gluten intolerances. I consider quinoa a super food not only because of it’s amino acid profile, but also because it is a rich source of alkaline minerals, such as magnesium and calcium. In fact, quinoa contains a ratio of magnesium to calcium of about three to one, making it easier for you to absorb these important minerals, and therefore helping you to create and maintain strong bones.

Quinoa is typically boiled in water or broth, and can be a fantastic addition to any meal. I enjoy quinoa regularly, adding a dash of cinnamon and some natural seeds and nuts for a lovely (and filling!) breakfast. It tastes great in soups and stews, and can be eaten cold accompanied with other fresh veggies and chopped olives for a delicious summer salad. Raw quinoa can even be sprouted and eaten as a crunchy snack, rich in live enzymes.

Super Food #5: Avocados
This rich, buttery, and heart-healthy fruit (yes, I said fruit….) is native to South America, and is such a beautiful food in terms of nutrients that it can be eaten by itself as a meal. Avocados are about twenty percent fat, but these fats are mostly monounsaturated, beneficial for reducing LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels. These lovely green morsels contain large amounts of potassium and folate, both of which are important nutrients to support a healthy cardiovascular system as well. Aside from these health benefits, avocados also contain a large amount of glutathione, an antioxidant which protects your cells from being damaged from free radicals (the “bad guys” in terms of disease).

You can prepare avocados in many ways. I often cut avocados in half, remove the pit, and eat them with a spoon for lunch. They are also delicious as a topping for your favorite salads, in dips, and on top of black bean soup.

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Well, there they are, the top 5 super foods to include in your diet regularly, in my opinion. Try them, enjoy them, treasure them. With all of this being said, keep in mind that all unprocessed foods contain nutrients, in varying amounts, that are beneficial for your health. A local organic apple can be just as nutritious as any of the 5 foods above. I challenge you to include more natural, whole foods in your diet this week, and start to stay away from “foods” that come in a box with ingredient lists which contain numerous multi-syllable words that you can barely pronounce. If you do so, I guarantee that you’ll begin to discover many more fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds which can do super things for you too!

Source: www.healthygirl.ca

Author: Heather Bucciachio, founder of Naturally Nourishing

Fat or Fiction: Changing the ratio of Omega 3 & 6

Fat is probably the most misunderstood component of the human diet. The acquisition of scientific terminology as marketing jargon has certainly increased this misunderstanding. Most consumers are now aware of terms such as omega-3 and omega-6, and essential fatty acids, and know that there are such things as good fats and bad fats. Unfortunately this does not mean that people are making wiser food choices.

A product endorsed by the heart foundation, for example, such are margarine, may be touted as being a source of omega-3, yet this product also contains trans fatty acids, which science has shown contribute to cardiovascular disease. This is a perfect example of a so-called ‘good fat’ turning renegade when subjected to industrialization and refinement.

A consensus is emerging among researchers that our bodies are designed to function using a whole food pre-agricultural diet high in long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in cold-water deep-sea fish such as salmon and tuna. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in flax seeds, walnuts and dark green vegetables. The science that supports the use of omega-3 fats as health promoting agents also makes the important distinction: that the quality of these fats effects their function, as does the ratio to other fats in the diet such as omega-6 and the arachidonic acid derived from saturated fat.

Quality: the changing ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3

Omega-6 and Omega-9 are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). PUFA’s are sometimes called essential fatty acids because they cannot be synthesized by the body and must be provided through the diet. Generally, our diets contain far too little omega-3 and an excess of omega-6 fat. Experts looking at the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids suggest that in early human history the ratio was about 1-4:1. Currently most Australians eat a dietary ratio that is around 20-50:1. The optimum ratio is most likely closer to the original ratio of 1-4:1. For most of us, this means not only increasing our omega-3 intake, but also greatly reducing the omega-6 fatty acids we consume.

We should also bear in mind that the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in these foods has changed with the use of factory farming techniques and growth enhancement practices in agribusiness. Researchers at the Weston Price Foundation have observed that organic eggs from hens allowed to feed on insects and green plants can contain omega-6 and omega-3 in the beneficial ratio of 1:1, but commercial supermarket eggs can contain as much as nineteen times more omega-6 than omega-3.

Why You’ll Never See Obese Fish: Marine oil for weight control

When we significantly reduce the omega-6 fatty acids in the diet and increase the Omega-3’s from marine oils, the metabolic rate is increased. Marine oils also reduce the insulin response to oral glucose. This means that the body utilises the energy from carbohydrates more efficiently, without storing it as fat.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s): A safer aspirin

The increased omega-6/omega-3 ratio in our diet most likely contributes to an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and inflammatory disorders. If we correct this ratio and increase our intake of high quality omega-3 inflammation is reduced, as is the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Omega 3 fatty acids modulate prostaglandin metabolism. Put simply: the omega-3 fatty acids available in deep sea coldwater fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna have an anti-inflammatory action similar to aspirin. When aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) are used frequently to treat conditions such as arthritis, they can have serious long-term side effects. The omega-3’s in marine oil, on the other hand have an excellent safety profile. Scientists have also recently discovered a key anti-inflammatory fat in the human body, which they have named Resolvins. Resolvins are made from omega-3 fatty acids.

Fat: Brain food

Apart from water, the human brain is composed of 60% fat (lipid). Lipid is a general term for fatty biochemicals such as phospholipids, triglycerides, ceramides and free fatty acids. Unlike other body membranes, neurons (brain cells) contain a very high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are required for important functions such as signal transfer and data processing. The brain needs dietary fats (saturated and unsaturated) to function correctly. There is now very good evidence to link conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, senile dementia, clinical depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia with a deficiency of long chain PUFA in modern diets. The best sources are from cold-water deep-sea fish.

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• Source: www.foodmatters.tv
• By Professor Ian Brighthope

Gum Disease – The Silent Killer

The mouth is the gateway to the body because all cellular function and major systems begin with fuel that is processed in the mouth.  Poor nutrition and body health starts with a poor environment in the mouth – the proverbial “Garbage in, Garbage out”.  Interestingly enough, the mouth is the last place to receive nutrition for its own function – the gums, teeth, etc – even though the process starts in the mouth.  Therefore lack of nutrition becomes a never-ending cycle of poor health leading to more poor health – all from poor health of the mouth. DR W Loesche at the Michigan School Of Dentistry associates poor dental health with “early death from any cause” and DR Jack Caton President of the American Academy of Periodontology states that “avoiding periodontal disease is not just important for keeping teeth for a lifetime, but also in keeping the rest of the body healthy.”

It all begins in the mouth!

According to the American Dental Association approximately 75% of our population has periodontal problems.  This statistics has widespread implications for our general population. Do your gums bleed? Are they red or puffy? Has you dentist ever told you that you need to brush better or see the hygienist more frequently? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then you have some form of periodontal or gum disease. However because symptoms of gum disease are often silent until the later stages, you are likely to have gum disease even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms.

In a normal healthy mouth there is always a slight space between the tooth and the bone called a pocket, which is usually about 1-2mm (about an eighth of an inch). Poor oral hygiene and/or poor nutrition will allow plaque, or hard deposits to form on the teeth. These deposits allow for the growth of bacteria that cause inflammation of the gum tissue. The bacteria also release toxins that help break down the tissue, helping the infection to progress. As the infection progresses, the gum tissue becomes red instead of its normal healthy pink color and will get puffy.

As the infection continues, bleeding will occur, especially when you floss or brush. Aside from these effects the bacteria migrate into the pocket and begin to destroy the periodontal membrane. The toxins produced by the bacteria will also destroy the bone in the immediate area. The process can be seen by a deepening of the normal healthy pocket from 1 to 2mm to 3 to 4mm and in severe cases 7 to l0 mm or more. The effect is that the teeth involved are loosened and will eventually fall out.

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What can you do about Gum Disease?

Hippocrates said “Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine, And Thy Medicine Be Thy Food.” He was one of the great doctors of all time because he believed that a well-nutritioned body can heal itself without the need for the synthetic medication that we use so often today. These poisons are just treating the symptoms, masking the real problems and creating other problems through terrible side effects.

Our bodies consist of trillions of cells working in miraculous symmetry. For these cells within our body to stay healthy, we must supply high quality nutrients. Unfortunately, most modern-day food is processed, bleached, refined, adulterated, irradiated, pasteurized, homogenized and are at least a week old by the time you eat it. This food cannot furnish all the wholesome necessary nutrients you need. It is thus of paramount importance to choose organic, nutrient-rich foods.

by Victor Zeines, DDS and Nutritionist, as seen in Food Matters (www.foodmatters.tv)

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Belly Fat

– And How to Make it Scram

Politicians, gossip columnists, doctors, your best friend — they’re all talking about the same thing: fat. Especially belly fat. The great thing about belly fat is that the better you get to know it, the easier it is to make it vanish (if only spam e-mail worked the same way!). Digest these stomach-flattening facts.

1. All fat is not alike. Eat more calories than you burn and the extras get packed away in one of two places — long-term storage depots beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat) or short-term bins deep in the abdomen (visceral fat). Visceral fat is what we call omental fat — that is, fat in your omentum, a piece of webbing that hangs off your stomach just beneath your ab muscles, sort of like a mesh apron.

2. The fat you don’t see is the most dangerous. The soft, superficial stuff that ripples your thighs and tummy may be a bikini spoiler, but if you can pinch it, it probably won’t kill you. However, if you have a solid “beer belly” . . . well, you’re likely headed for more trouble than a politician hooked up to a polygraph. That’s because too much deep fat churns out supersize amounts of hormones and proteins, which can lead to big hazards. Among them: lousy LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels; high blood sugar and blood pressure; insulin resistance; and widespread inflammation. All are instigators of many diseases — including dementia, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. But often you can get a “do over” and it doesn’t take that long and isn’t that hard, if you know what you’re doing. So don’t stop reading!

First, don’t rely on your scale. As you start to reduce risky belly fat, your weight may temporarily go up. So ditch the scale in favor of the tape measure. If you’re a woman, your waist should be 32.5 inches; if you’re a man, 35 inches. Creep past 37 inches for women or 40 for men, and the health dangers increase.

3. Stress makes you fat. Not only does stress lead you to eat Haagen-Dazs straight from the carton, but it also triggers the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. When stress becomes unrelenting, the omentum attempts to control cortisol flow by sucking it out of the bloodstream. Nice try, but cortisol fights back once it’s in the omentum and turbocharges fat there. That sets off other chemical reactions that leave you feeling hungry . . . and looking for the Haagen-Dazs again. Fortunately, any kind of stress reduction, especially exercise, will help short-circuit this stress/fat cycle. Feeling tense right now? Go for a walk the minute you finish this column.

4. The fat you eat affects the fat you get. When monkeys munched on trans-fat laced diets for 6 years, they developed more deep-belly fat than those who went trans-fat-free, even though both ate the same number of calories. Physiologically, we’re close enough to monkeys to extrapolate that trans fat doesn’t do anything good for your waist or your arteries.

5. Blasting belly fat isn’t hard. If you’re not overweight but still have an oversized waist, the fastest way to shrink your omentum is by walking. Taking a brisk 30-minute walk each day will keep those fat cells from expanding. Pick up the pace some, walk a little longer, and you can give your omentum a makeover, turning a flabby apron of omental fat into sheer mesh again. After 30 days of walking, start doing resistance exercises as well to add muscle and lose inches — otherwise you’ll hit a plateau. No dumbbells? No gym? No problem. You can get an excellent workout in 20 minutes by using your own body as a weight to stretch and strengthen all of your major muscle groups.

6. Whole grains scare away belly fat. If you and a friend go on a diet but you eat whole grains (meaning brown rice, steel-cut oats, and whole-wheat pasta, not whole-grain Pop Tarts) and your friend eats processed grains (anything made with white/enriched grains and flours, cupcakes to noodles), you both might lose the same amount of weight, but you’ll shed more belly fat and lower your levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of damaging inflammation. And your food will taste better, and you’ll feel full longer. AND you’ll have a flat stomach!

Source:  Realage.com

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