Change your brain change your body!

I have been doing some reading over this past year on brain chemistry and how it all relates to overeating, moods, and overall function.  We as Americans are told we should take a pill and that will fix everything but the reality is that there are many other things we can be doing that can improve how our brain functions which translates into positive things like:

1. Reach and maintain your ideal weight
2. Soothe and smooth your skin at any age
3. Reduce the stress that can impair your immune system
4. Increase willpower and eliminate cravings that keep you from achieving your exercise and diet goals
5. Enhance sexual desire
6. Lower your blood pressure without meds
7. Avoid depression and elevate enjoyment in life

Drugs are only part of the answer.

Here is a list of brain healthy activities you can do to enhance brain function:
1.)Sleep at least 7 hours per night
2.)Exercise regularly-it improves circulation to the brain
3.)Spend more time reading instead of watching TV or on the computer
4.)Take good supplements to support brain function and neurotransmitter levels(multivitamins/fish oil)
5.)Cut caffeine and alcohol intake
6.)Meditate daily for 15 minutes
7.)Constantly learn new things.


You see the brain controls everything that goes on in the body and doesn't it make sense to start oat the source versus just treating the area that is affected.  One thing I've learned in my personal training career is where you feel the pain is many times not where the problem is. 

This blog post is too cover this broad topic so if this sounds good to you and you would like to learn more.

I strongly recommend the book "CHANGE YOUR BRAIN CHANGE YOUR BODY" by. Daniel Amen M.D.

It will provide you with some great practical information that can drastically change your life.  There are many ah ha moments in this book. Check it out.

Evil Aspartame!!



Many people I know try to avoid sugar but fall prey to the trap of artificial sweeteners because they have no calories in them like sugar filled products do.  It makes sense doesn't it. I drank the aspartame kool aid. For heaven's sake I used to encourage people to drink diet soda.

Well as I grow older I grow wiser. It's pretty clear to me now that  this stuff is poison. The FDA gets 75% of it's food additive complaints are regarding aspartame. Isn't the FDA suppose to protect us??  I have a feeling the aspartame makers have a strong lobby in Washington. Even though it receives so many complaints it remains in many of our foods like yogurt, juice, pop, gum, desserts, cereals and many other foods. 

In a report done by the Dept of Health and Human Services in 1994 over 90 different symptoms were documented here is a laundry list of those symptoms:

• migraines
• vison and heart irregularities
• depression
• irritability
• muscle spasms
• weight gain
• memory loss
• fatigue
• insomnia
• joint pain
• anxiety

According to those researchers that did this study aspartame can worsen chronic conditions or illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, brain tumors, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

So what the heck is in aspartame that makes it so nasty?

It's made of 3 chemicals aspartic acid(40%), phenylalanine(50%), and methanol(10%). When it's temp goes above 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the methanol in aspartame coverts to formaldehyde which is grouped in the same group as cyanide and arsenic-DEADLY POISONS!

Here is another interesting tidbit.

Aspartame is thought to be what is some of the mystery of the Dessert Storm health problems. The burning tongue and other problems discussed in over 60 cases can directly linked to consumption of an aspartame product. Several thousand pallets of a diet dink were shipped to Dessert Storm troop. (Remember what heating the aspartame does to the methanol above 86 degrees) Well these drinks sat in 120 degree heat for weeks at a time. All of their symptoms are identical to aspartame poisoning.  

Dr. H.J. Roberts, diabetic specialist and world expert on aspartame poisoning says "consuming aspartame at the time of conception can lead to birth defects." According to Dr. Louis Elsas Pediatrician Professor at Emory University, phenylalanine concentrated in the placenta caused mental retardation.

Dr. Rusell  Blaylock a neurosurgeon says "the ingredients stimulates the neurons of the brain to death, causing damage to the brain in varying degrees.

I don't know about you but where there is smoke there is fire. 
It is my opinion this stuff is toxic and harmful to the body and there is plenty of research to back it up.

With all this I've decided to avoid this chemical.  If you are not convinced here are some good books to check out.

"Excitotoxins The Taste That Kills" By. Dr. Russell Blaylock

"Aspartame The Ignored Epidemic" By Dr H.J. Roberts

Do your own investigation and I think you'll find aspartame guilty of being EVIL.

Beware Of Liquid Calories

By now, you’ve probably heard the term “empty calories”. What are they? Why are they so bad for you? How can you avoid them?

Empty Calories =
High Calories but Low in Nutritional Values



In other words, these are calories that enter your body and provide no useful purpose other than increasing body fat.



Here are a few examples of “empty calorie” foods: chips; candy; French fries; all other deep-fried foods; sweetened packaged foods; refined grains such as crackers, cookies, pastries, white rice, white pasta; alcoholic beverages; etc.



But the major culprit of “empty calories” are in liquid form—soda, bottled iced teas, flavored waters, artificial fruit juices, energy drinks, etc.



So before you reach for that next drink out of the vending machine or convenience store cooler, think again, you may be stifling your fitness efforts.



Here are a few of the “20 Worst Drinks in America 2010,” according to Men’s Health magazine:



#20. Worst Water: Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

150 calories, 0g fat, 33g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 2 Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Bars.



#19. Worst Bottled Tea: SoBe Green Tea

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

240 calories, 0g fat, 61g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 4 slices of Sara Lee Cherry Pie...Don’t be fooled, most bottled teas are made of two primary ingredients: water and sugar.



#18. Worst Energy Drink: Rockstar Energy Drink

(1 can, 16 fl oz)

280 calories, 0g fat, 62g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 6 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts.

#16. Worst Soda: Sunkist


(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

320 calories, 0g fat, 84g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches. While all sodas get 100 percent of their calories from sugar, some are still worse than others. Fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar than regular colas. Orange soda relies on artificial colors yellow 6 and red 40 - two chemicals that may be linked to behavioral and concentration problems in children.



#14. Worst Kids Drink: Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

340 calories, 0g fat, 60g sugars. Sugar equivalent to two 7-ounce canisters of Reddi-Wip. Don’t be fooled...the Twister line of ‘fruit juices’ have 10 percent juice and 90 percent sugar with artificial flavors and coloring.



#11. Worst Espresso Drink: Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream

(venti, 20 fl oz)

660 calories, 22g fat (15g saturated), 95g sugars. Sugar equivalent to 8 and half scoops of Edy’s Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream...and more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deep-dish sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s.



Okay, I’m going to stop there. Do you see a pattern here? Lots of calories and loads of sugar.



Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that it’s not uncommon for the average American to consume 800 calories or more per day through drinks along.



If you drink 2-3 of these “empty calorie” drinks every day, that’s up to 5600 calories per week or over 1-1/2 pounds of fat per week.



Extra weight isn't the only problem associated with drinking empty calories, consuming too many calories—especially empty calories—can lead to a variety of conditions: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, not to mention tooth decay from the sugars.



Your best bet, stick with water. But if you must, check the label. Go for diet soda instead of regular; use low-calorie sweeteners/creamers in your coffee; look for low sugar content in flavored waters; etc.

Zumba kicks off at Puravida Fitness!

Check Out Our Kickoff Zumba Class From Last Night. Muy Caliente!

Why Do I Do That??

Have you ever wondered why you struggle with eating the very foods that you know will sabotage your dietary goals or do the things that you’re pretty sure will set you off on the wrong path? There are several factors that you need to be aware of in order to decipher the answers to these age-old questions.


Is there actually a food or type of food that ‘trips your trigger’? Right now you’re saying OMG she’s in my head. You may answer with a resounding yes and you may even be able to give name to the offender(s). However, there really are no ‘BAD’ foods; it’s just that your personal and physiological responses to having eaten a particular food may be out of whack. So what do you do with this ‘wackiness’?

Your first step is to identify those foods, situations, emotions and people who set you off your nutritional goals. I know it sounds awful to single out people that set you off but it’s true that the company you keep affects your choices. Do you eat when you’re happy? Sad? Stressed? Excited? Depressed? You need to identify the emotions that tend to make you feel like eating out-of-control. How do you feel when you have little or no control over your food choices? Or when you’re faced with too many choices, such as an “all-you-can-eat” buffet? You need to have a plan when you are faced with these situations. We’ll take a look at some strategies later in this article.

Another aspect you need to understand is that your brain is wired for self preservation. If you are faced with the possibility of starving (i.e. low calorie diet) or that you can’t have certain foods (i.e. carbohydrates) you’re brain goes into overdrive to prevent self destruction. There is a part of your brain called the hypothalamus that controls hunger, thirst, sexual desire among many other senses. Over the course of your life you have trained your brain, more specifically your hypothalamus, to control a cascade of physiological events that leave you feeling like you have no choice but to eat more than is reasonable. So, are you at the mercy of this process? Yes and no! Your journey may take longer and may require a bit more effort than others but you are not doomed to failure.

If your child was slower at learning math than the other children in his grade would you consider him doomed to be less-than? Of course not! Maybe you would spend more time helping him with his assignments. Or, maybe you would find him tutor. You wouldn’t just give up on him. Right? In a sense, when you give up on yourself because it’s too much of a struggle you’re telling yourself that you’re not worth the effort. Maybe YOU need a tutor!

Life throws us curveballs every day and sometimes we just need help to make it through the day. The act of securing a support system does more than make you feel good. It can, over time and with repetition, actually retrain your brain to respond in a way that doesn’t overreact (the sky is falling) to the stresses life presents and from upsetting your apple cart. The stress hormones produced when you perceive stress, whether physical or emotional, signal the hypothalamus to go into preservation mode. Stress hormones cause your blood sugar to go up, which promotes the production of insulin, which in turn causes the blood sugar to drop. It’s almost like a rollercoaster ride, and it’s precisely at this point that you are physiologically and physiologically, vulnerable to overeating or overreacting. The key is to understand the triggers that make you feel stressed or out-of-control and learn new ways to deal with them.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Understand your stress, thus over-eating triggers. Get assistance from a health professional that can help you see and understand your behaviors and responses in a new, healthier way.

• Give yourself plenty of time and positive feedback for making even a little progress. Take small steps toward making better choices. Set short and long-term goals so you can measure your success. Have someone you trust hold you accountable.

• Eat small frequent meals throughout the day so the blood sugar roller coaster doesn’t leave you vulnerable. Make and stick to a reasonable eating and exercise plan. Weight loss may not be the first or even primary goal. Maybe you need to just start eating for life and health, let the weight loss be a result of a new way of eating.

• Know that you are not a failure, weak willed or a bad person. For some of us this whole eating and exercising thing is a little more challenging than we’d like. Embrace the challenge so a new and healthier you can be there for your family, friends and co-workers.

• Realize that you are not what you weigh, nor are you what you eat. Try not to succumb to societies unreasonable version of the perfect (skinny, sexy, smart, good looking) you. Don’t let what you weigh or what you eat become a negative experience. Remember, a negative experience = stress undesirable behavior like over eating or eating anything you can get your hands on at the moment.

• Make a plan! If you need help let me know. I’ve been there, seen it all, and done it all. I just can’t remember it all at my age. Trust me, I remember enough to help you make a plan and live a new and healthier way.



Lu Herbeck

Puravida Fitness - Nutrition Director

luherbeck@yahoo.com

Coaching tip for your fresh start this fall

Coaches Corner with our Certified Life Coach -Nancy Von Horn

The wisest mind has something yet to learn George Santayana

All over the country students are heading back to school. Do you remember the excitement and anticipation of going back to school? A time of new beginnings and challenges…a fresh, new start full of possibilities,

Where, in your life, would you like a fresh new start? Perhaps you have struggled with your health and fitness goals, again and again, and are looking for a new perspective, a new approach and are finally ready to meet the challenge head on, with a whole life approach to fitness. By tying your fitness goals into your life goals, and creating your own vision for health and success, you can finally reach those goals…and have fun doing it too!!

So step up to the challenge, get excited about change and commit to new learning and new beginnings! Being a life long learner enables you to remain on top of your game, your career and life.

Put the effort in and be amazed by the results you obtain.

Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. Abigail_Adams




Nancy Von Horn , a master certified coach and founder of Chartered Destiny Coaching, has spent 17 years coaching clients to business and personal success. She is a member of both the International Coaching Federation and the Minnesota Coaching Association and holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in Education and a Masters in Social Work.



To contact Nancy email her at cddestiny@yahoo.com 

Getting dirty feels good!

Today we completed our second annual Brush With Kindness  Project With Habitat For Humanity. 
I got really friggin dirty but it feels good to do something besides write a check. We got to meet the person we were helping as well as partcipate in the project he needed done.

Basically he needed work done to his house that he could not afford and if he didn't get it one the city was going to start fining him. Our crew came out and helped with siding repairs and painting on the exterior of his house.

We had a great day an a lot of fun razzing each other as we plugged  away at this project. When the day was done much had been accomplished. His siding was replaced and he ha new paint on the trim of his house.

It was a beautfiul day to be outside and actually spend time focusing on something other than the usual work.

I posted a quick video and some pics below.

My dad the "unofficial foreman"

Trainer Andrew Franz and his client Don Moran show their lack of fear of heights

                                             Quick Interview With The Homeowner.