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

Healthy Moms Event

HealthyGirl and FirePower Training Present…

Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies

Promo Video

Are you a busy or a new mom? Are you expecting a little one? Do you have a young family?

Join us for an hour of pampering, tea, nutrition tips, samples and other goodies on November 26 in Milton at 10am. This exclusive workshop, especially for moms, will address achieving optimal nutrition for moms and babies. Learn about low-glycemic eating, nutrition and proper supplementation for moms and babies.

Learn how to get back into your body and how nutrition plays a role in mind and body health. Discover a system to address energy, fitness, immune system, metabolism, insulin resistance, and hormones. All information included in this seminar is recommended by NY Times best-selling author, Dr. Christiane Northrup in her recent edition of “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom”… Free gift for all attendees. Free to attend but seats are limited. This event will sell out.

Register at www.healthymoms.eventbrite.com

Healthy For Life Nutrition Seminar

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Reset your body and Reset your life to feel better than ever.

Join Andrea Savard, Wellness Coach and her team to learn about low-glycemic eating and proper supplementation for stabilizing blood sugar and cutting cravings for sustainable weight loss.

Discover a system to address energy, fitness, immune system, metabolism, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia and hormones.

All information included in this seminar is recommended by Dr. Christiane Northrup in her recent edition of “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom”.

Location: FirePower Training, 509 Main St E., Milton, ON  L9T 3J2

Questions/RSVP: andrea@firepowertraining.com

WOD – Sunday August 9th, 2009 Family Day

Family Day

11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

All welcome! You don’t have to be a member to come and play with us!

Come and check out the FirePower atmosphere, come for some coffee a workout and a little bbq

“Family Fun” WOD

Team wod

Teams of 3

Team completes 400 m run  (towing is legal)

For the remainder of the wod only one member of the team works

45 burpees

50 thrusters with 45 pound bar

70 wall balls

100 air squats

150 kb swings  1 pood (orange)

100 box jumps

row 2000 metres

100 sit ups

70 jumping pull ups

50 ball slams

45 overhead squats with 45 pound bar

5 heavy tire flips ( team can help)

3 rope climbs

Remember to work together as a team and encourage each other.

The most important aspect of this workout is to have fun!

CrossFit – What is Fitness?

Keeping a food journal

Hey everyone,  I know we harp on keeping a journal about your training.  This is done so you can chart your progress, and see measurable results.  But how many of you record what you eat?  This is also important for self evaluation.  If lately you have been working hard, but spinning your wheels in weight loss, strength gains, etc.  Maybe you need to track what you put in your body, how it makes you feel after, and how you felt in the gym.  I think this is just as important as your training  journal.  I have spoken with a few of you recently about plateauing, and how to break out of it.  By tracking your nutrition, training, sleep patterns, etc.. you can map your way back on track!  I know this sounds time consuming, but maybe this investment of time in your health is worth a little sacrifice.  When lack of time is used as an arguement, I ask you this question; Who was voted off survivor last night?  If you know the answer, you have enough time to write your food consumption down!

See you all in the gym!

-Brian

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

WOD – June 12th, 2009

Dynamic Warm up with the Dot Drill

Skill 

Overhead squat to a moderate weight

 

WOD: Complete reps of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for time
Power Clean 40% Bodyweight
Burpees
Thruster, 40% Bodyweight

Ladies use 30 %

135 lbs x 30% = 40 lbs (I’d probably use the 45 pound bar here) 

 

Good luck to our FirePower athletes George, Brian, Sarah, and  Shawn who are racing this weekend in the Emergency Services Adventure Race. This race is a 5 to 8 hour race that includes mountain biking, paddling, trekking, navigation and teamwork. The team has to stay together and race as a unit for the entire time. Let’s see how the short and fast CrossFit training will prepare them for this endurance event. I’m sure they are going to kick butt!  Good luck! See you at the race.

WOD – May 30th, 2009

 

 

 3 rounds for time of : 

20 ring push-ups

1 tire flip

20 box jumps

1 tire flip

20 kb swings 70/55 (black or red)

1 tire flip

20 wall balls 20/12

1 tire flip

2o double unders

1 tire flip

20 sit ups

1 tire flip

20 sumo dead-lift high pull 65/45

1 tire flip

 

 A bunch of the FirePower Crew is off to tackle the Emergency Services Adventure Race in a couple weeks, so good luck to them! CrossFit is great general preparedness program for Adventure Racing. When you do an adventure race, you generally don’t know the distances or how long each discipline will take, and you have a vague idea on how long the race will take, for example 5 to 8 hours or 24 to 36 hours in a longer race. CrossFit has allowed you to cut down on the pure volume of the training that you have to do, and still be competitive in longer races, remember it is quality and intensity that matters! In adventure racing like CrossFit, you don’t have to be a superstar at any one discipline, but if you want to do well, then you should be generally good at all of them: Paddling, Mountain Biking, Trekking, and Navigation. You never really know what you are going to get, so you have to be ready!  This WOD is some great race training, but doesn’t negate the fact that if you are going to do a race you should do some specific training for your race, and actually get out in a boat and paddle, and spend some time in your saddle on you bike so that your butt doesn’t hate you. See you at FirePower!

Milton Nutrition Seminar: May 14th

Healthy For Life Nutritional Seminar

Thursday May 14th

Location: South 202 Corp. 202 Main Street E, Milton, L9T1N8

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Cost: Donation to Milton Food Bank

Please RSVP  to Andrea by email

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LOSE POUNDS.  LOSE CRAVINGS.  DETOX.  STABILIZE MOOD.  INCREASE ENERGY.

Learn How To:

• RESET your body, RESET your life to feel better than ever!

• Choose low-glycemic eating and proper supplementation for stabilizing blood sugar, cutting cravings, and sustainable weight loss

• Discover a system to address energy, fitness, immune system, metabolism, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia and hormones

• Recommended by NY Times best-selling author, Dr. Christiane Northrup in her recent edition of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

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Get educated from 2 health & fitness coaches!

Leanne Grechulk

• Founder, HealthyGirl
• International Wellness Coach, based in Ontario
• Creating balance & total mind-body wellness including diet & nutrition, fitness, stress reduction, finances and purpose in life
• B.Sc, MBA
• 8-Time Marathon Runner, Certified Pilates Instructor
• Nutritional Certification through ‘The Rose Program’

Andrea Savard

• Co-founder of FirePower Training & CrossFit in Milton
• 12+ years competitive boxer/trainer of recreation and pro athletes
• Health, wellness and lifestyle coach
• B.Comm in Marketing
• Former international equestrian athlete & trainer
• Busy mom of 4 year old twins

Chinese Medicine and Lifestyle Choices

“He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skills of his doctors” a Chinese Proverb

Traditional Chinese Medicine is much different then Western medicine and favors a holistic approach, views the universe and body philosophically and develops inductive tools and methods … to guide restoring the total balance of the body.” In Chinese medicine, they add, “the correct balance between Yin and Yang make up the vital energy, ‘Qi,’ an essential life-sustaining substance of which all things are made.” Traditional remedies include herbal medicines, acupuncture, massage and moxibustion, an herbal heat therapy. Herbal medicines account for about 90% of the Chinese drug market.

I wanted to learn more about Chinese medicine because I was intrigued about the holistic approach, so I asked my cousin Dave, who left his cushy job as a mechanical engineer and  to become both a Homeopathic Physician and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Chinese medicine has been around a lot longer than western medicine and Dr. Dave uses acupuncture, herbs, and other traditional forms of treatments to heal his patients.  Dave said to me “Our treatment principles are simple:  By correcting any underlying weakness or imbalance and resonating with the body’s own innate healing mechanisms, the body recovers the ability to heal itself.” Dave just recently got back from a residency in China working at one of the major hospitals observing how the Chinese doctors treat ailments with a combination of herbs and traditional western medicine.

I asked Dave, what guidelines he recommends for his clients, and this is what he said:

Lifestyle Choices for Healthy Eating :

•    eat a whole foods diet ( whole grains, fruits, vegetables, unprocessed foods… )

•    eat a primarily plant-based vegetarian diet

•    greatly reduce or eliminate the intake of sugar (all forms of sugar, including juices, pops, sweets, and ingredients such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, corn syrup, etc. )

•    reduce or eliminate refined carbohydrates from the diet (white rice, white flour, white pasta)

•    eat less saturated fat, especially that found in domestic meat (healthier choices of animal protein include the leanest cuts, free range, and in particular skinless poultry, wild game, and fish)

•    strictly avoid hydrogenated fat, trans-fatty acids (margarines, shortenings, etc.) refined oils, and deep-fried foods.  Also, try baking/steaming foods in place of frying.

•    eat more fibre (inherent in a plant based and whole food diet)

•    drink at least 1-1.5 litres / 6-8 glasses of water daily

•    minimize consumption of  salt / sodium

•    ensure diet includes essential fatty acids, such as omega-3’s and EPA (both of which protect against cholesterol and heart disease) examples include flax oil or ground flax seed, hemp seed, as well as cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring

•    limit dairy intake (milk, cheese, butter, etc…)

•    reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine consumption

•    avoid overeating

•    slow down and be mindful  – avoid eating while in a rush, or eating too quickly

•    chew food thoroughly (much of digestion starts in the mouth)

•    avoid eating late, or before bed

•    eat organic whenever possible (especially animal products)

•    wash produce with vegetable soap (optional) before use – will limit consumption of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and waxes

•    reduce exposure to food additives, colourings, and preservatives

•    check ingredients of packaged foods carefully – for hidden fats, sugars, colourings, preservatives, and other additives

•    identify and address any food allergies or intolerances

•    approximate ratios for carbohydrate ~ 60-70%  :  fat  ~ 15-25%  :  protein ~ 15-20%

•    eat all foods in moderation (keep some variety in your meals – if you notice eating a certain food or a certain flavour more often, try something different)  The key to healthy nutrition is to maintain a balanced diet.

Additional Recommendations for Weight Reduction :

•    Practice eating less !  (smaller portions, unnecessary snacks, etc.)

•    Eating from a plant-based diet of whole grains, vegetables, and other unrefined foods.

•    Reduce fat intake (saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats).

•    Commitment to at least 30-60 minutes of daily physical exercise (this may be the only way to lower the body’s set-point for weight and hunger regulation).  Exercise is the essential step for losing weight and keeping it off.

•    Eating smaller meals more frequently (as opposed to bigger meals less frequently) to keep metabolism higher, may be beneficial.  Although eating less in general is the ideal.

•    Use some/all of the following ingredients often in a soup: barley, adzuki beans, mung beans, cabbage, bell peppers, bok choy, celery, chicory, endive, parley, radishes, turnips, watercress, asparagus, corn, garlic, onion, leek, scallions, and possibly small amounts of brown basmati rice, quinoa.

•    Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends emphasizing bitter and pungent flavours, and limit sweet, salty, and sour foods (with the exception of lemon and grapefruit).

 

Other tips for food cravings and hunger:

•    Avoid eating significant amounts of simple or refined carbohydrates, or eating them alone (without protein or fat to balance).  The result is unstable blood sugar, and food cravings due to rebounding into a hypoglycemic state.  Note: whole foods and complex carbohydrates contain beneficial fibre and density, which slows the metabolism of sugars.

•    If craving a snack, try drinking a glass of water first (this is often all that is needed).

•    If cravings occur between or after meals, try brushing teeth (a fresh mouth may deter hunger).

•    If food cravings result from boredom, go for a walk, do some stretching, get active …

•    Watch less TV (studies have shown that both weight and food consumption have a direct relationship to time spent watching TV).

•    Experiment by not eating until you are full, rather eat until you are no longer hungry.

•    Experiment by only eating when you are truly hungry.  You may be surprised to see how less often you actually are !

 

David Arnold  BESc, DSHomMed, RCSHom, RAc, RTCMP, has completed the five year DOCTOR OF CHINESE MEDICINE Program at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Victoria, BC.  He is a currently a Registered Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and licensed in the province of BC to use Acupuncture and prescribe Herbal Medicine.  David Arnold is also a CLASSICAL HOMEOPATH and a Registered Member of the Canadian Society of Homeopaths.

Check out more at :

http://www.healthandwellnesshouse.com

www.organicchineseherbs.ca

 

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