I rarely drink fruit juice except on the odd occasion when we are out for a special brunch and then I may have a glass or orange or my favourite – grapefruit juice.  But, we should keep in mind that fruit juices are not the best
source of getting our nutrition.  Fruit juices are basically empty calories loaded with sugars.  The best way to enjoy your fruit is still whole and not juiced.  Let's compare fruit juice (orange) to the whole orange.  Information provided via www.sparkpeople.com

Calories in Tropicana Orange Juice – Serving Size: 1 serving

Calories 110.0
Total Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 0.0 mg
Potassium 450.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.0 g
      Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
      Sugars 22.0 g
Protein 2.0 g    Vitamin A 0.0 %    Vitamin B-12 0.0 %
Vitamin B-6 6.0 %      Vitamin C 120.0 %    Vitamin D 0.0 %     Folate 15.0 %     Iron  0.0 %           Magnesium 6.0 %
  Manganese 0.0 %       Niacin         4.0 %    Pantothenic Acid  0.0 %                Thiamin 10.0 %      Zinc 0.0 %

Now, let's compare a whole orange:

Calories:  62
Total Fat:   0.2 g               Total Carbohydrates:  15.4g
Cholesterol  0   g                      Fiber:  3.1 g
Sodium       0   g                      Sugar: 12.2 g
Protein     1.2  g              

Vitamin A – 6% of RDA            Calcium:   5% of RDA      Iron:  1% of RDA            Vitamin C:  116% of RDA  

As you can see, the benefits of eating the whole orange as opposed to the juice are:

1)  reduced overall calories
2)  reduced calories from sugar
3)  increase in Protein, Fiber
4)  increase in Vitamin A, Iron, Calcium and Vitamin C

This is just a quick overview of juice vs whole fruit.  The odd glass of juice is not a worry, but try not to make a habit of getting your fruit nutrition in the form of juice – enjoy the whole fruit. 

Till next time,

Narina

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

The heart – often talked about in both medical and romantic terms.  The heart is a muscle that is responsible for pumping blood full of oxygen to the rest of our bodies to provide that essential element to our survival.  But, did you know the heart is a muscle – capable of getting stronger and more powerful?  But, we can also die from a broken heart – not just in the romantic terms but in medical terms as well.

If you want to live a long time and enjoy all the joys that life has to offer, you need to pay attention to your heart.  And if you want to age well and be able to enjoy life to its fullest, you must exercise on a regular basis.  The heart as well as all the muscles of our body responds best to consistent and regular exercise.  Don't think weekend warrior because that is actually doing more harm than good.  Think more moderate exercise stretched throughout your week.  You body and especially your heart will thank you.  So just how does the heart benefit from exercise?  A normal heart is a strong muscular pump that during a lifetime will beat more than 2.5 billion times.  The average heart rate of an adult is 70 beats per minute.

When we exercise, the heart responds to this exercise by getting stronger.    Just like your biceps or leg muscles get stronger when you exercise, the heart responds the same way.  During exercise the blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body can increase tremendously.  With a stronger heart muscle, it is now capable of meeting the needs of the hungry exercising muscles.   The increased flow of blood to the body is achieved by two methods – the rate by which the heart beats will increase and the amount of blood that it pumps each beat will also increase.  Because exercising increases the heart muscle's strength it will push out more blood.

Also as the heart becomes stronger in its ability to pump more blood with each beat, it will have to beat less when in a resting state.  This is why endurance athletes have a low resting heart rate.  Their heart muscles are so strong from the demands of their sport and in some athletes the resting heart rate will be in as low as 30-40 beats per minute.  This adds up over the course of a life span.  During exercise the oxygen needed by the heart muscle itself also increases.  But, the heart is an amazing organ in design.  Our bodies contain tiny little organs throughout that are often call the “furnaces of the cell” because these little organs provide energy to the muscles through complex chemical reactions that take place constantly.  The heart muscle contains a larger number of these little organs called mitochondria.  More than the rest of our muscles and this means the heart is not as easily fatigued as muscles throughout the rest of our body.

Our heart can also be affected by (or broken) by several medical conditions (obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries), poor diet and lack of exercise.  If you want to live a long and productive life, able to enjoy activities and family then it is essential you take care of your heart.  Moderate exercise, proper diet and maintaining a healthy weight will keep your heart beating for a long time to come.

Till next time,
Narina
http://victoriawellness.com

Related Posts:

• 120/80 – Blood Pressure and Hypertension
• 5 Reasons to Lift Weights
• Y3T Training System: Looking Back
• Why Y3T was my training choice
• How to Succeed by Knowing Your Body

If you have ever come across the Shopping Channel you know that every time you turn around there is some new fitness gadget or  piece of equipment that is going to solve all your exercise or weight loss problems.  Now, I am not a closet Shopping Channel watcher but I have on occasion come across some incredibly silly routines or equipment.

When it comes to strength training and providing the best stimulus for the body to get stronger and move better, the old classics are still and will always remain the best.  What Are the Classics?  The classics or old standbys in any strength program are squats (and all its variations), pushing movements (bench press, push ups), pulling movements (rowing, pull ups, chins, lat pulls), deadlift (and all its variations such as Romanian deadlift, Sumo deadlift, Single Leg deadlift, Hex or Trap bar deadlift) as well as portions of the Olympics lifts (cleans, jerks, push press).

I realize that for most these exercises are not very glamorous but as the saying goes "if it aint broke, don't fix it".  And that is so true with all the old standbys of weight training.   There is no sense in re-inventing the wheel, when we have the best tools already there.

Till next time,

Narina

Related Posts:

• The Role of Time Under Tension
• Squats – Yes or No; Good or Bad?
• It Isn’t Just for Athletes – It’s for All.
• 5 Reasons to Lift Weights
• Y3T Training System: Looking Back

A comment that comes up almost on a daily basis is about working "abs".  Or, how do I flatten my stomach?  Or, "I need to do more ab work".  First off, the only thing that is going to get you a "ripped" midsection is 100% focus on your nutrition.  Yes, we can strengthen the "abs".  But, just what are your abs and what is the core?   Most people think when they need to strengthen their abs or flatten their stomach they need to do sit ups and crunches.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.   Quite often overdoing crunches will overwork the rectus abdominis and lead to muscles imbalances and predispose you to injury.

So, #1 – stop  with all the crunches.

First off we need to define the core.  And, the core is not just the "ab" muscles.  The core is basically the body minus the arms and legs.  The core muscles run the entire length of the torso.   The function of the core is to stabilize the spine, pelvis and shoulder to provide a solid foundation for movement.   Some of the more commonly known core muscles are:

1)  rectus abdominis (often referred to an the "six pack") but in function has very limited focus

2)  erector spinae – these back muscles run from your neck to your lower back

3)  multifidus – also back muscles located deeper than the erector spinae, these are also very important stabilizers and help to extend and rotate the spine

4)  internal and external obliques – located on the side and front of the abdomen

5)  transverse abdominis (TVA) – it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles.  Often referred to as nature's weight belt as it wraps around your torso to provide protection and stability

Other muscles that one would not normally associate with the Core are:

1)  hip flexors – located in front of the pelvis.  There are 5 muscles that make up the hip flexor group
2)  gluteus medius and minimus – located at the side of the hips
3)  gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and pirformis – located in the back of the hip
4)  hip adductors – located on the inner thigh

As you can see, the Core makes up a vast network of muscles all with one function – to keep the spine and pelvis stable.  The movements and power delivered by your arms and legs is only as strong and powerful as the core is stable.  It is like the saying -  shooting a cannon from a canoe.  If you are not working to strengthen all aspects of your core, not just your "abs" then you will never be able to deliver a powerful blow to the enemy –
whether it be a blow to the golf ball, tennis ball or those nasty weeds that continue to grow in the garden.  The fastest way to a leaner more defined midsection is to work your Core – all of it.  Avoid the crunches – embrace planks, side planks, lunges, squats and pushups.  Not only will you get a stronger core, you will burn many more calories than focusing on isolation exercises such as crunches.

Till next time,
Narina
"Monitoring, Mentoring, Motivation"

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

Today's newsletter is going to touch on a topic that happens to all of us – sore muscles from workouts or other activities outside the gym.  Most, if not all of us, have felt some sore muscles from time to time.  I know sometimes clients will wander in for their workouts muttering about sore muscles from the previous workout.  So, just what is muscles soreness?  Why are our muscles sore?  What is the physiology behind it and what can we do to prevent it or recover from it?

These are all great questions and I will attempt to answer them in a hopefully, concise manner.  Muscles soreness is commonly referred to as DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness.  I am sure those of you who have experienced the soreness from a hard workout recall that usually the next day your muscles may be a little sore, but it is usually two days after a hard workout that the full brunt of the soreness kicks in.  Wikipedia defines DOMS as: " is the pain or discomfort often felt 24 to 72 hours after exercising and subsides generally within 2 to 3 days. "

Muscle pain is a normal response to unusual exertion or stress on the muscle.  This leads to an adaptation by the body which leads to greater strength and stamina as the muscle recovers and grows.  There is a great article written by Johndavid Maes, and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.  entitled: " Treating and Preventing DOMS "  Even though this is a somewhat technical article, the section on Mechanisms of Injury is excellent and may help you understand the physiology behind DOMS.  Some excerpts from the article include: "For many years the phenomenon of DOMS has been attributed to the buildup of lactate in the muscles after an intense workout.   However, this assumption has been shown to be unrelated to DOMS.   The symptoms of DOMS peak within 24-48 hours after an intense eccentric exercise bout when blood lactate levels have been at normal levels for a considerable amount of time."   What this means in layman terms is:  it was always believed that lactate acid accumulations in the muscle was the cause of the muscle soreness that lasted for up to several days after a vigorous exercise session.  Research has proven this wrong.  With muscle testing done 2-3 days after exercise, it was shown that lactate levels in the blood have been at normal levels for quite a period of time, so it wasn't the rise in lactate acid that was causing the soreness.   It has now been proven in research that it is actually an
inflammatory process that takes place following eccentric exercise.  This inflammatory process leads to metabolic waste products that exert effects on nerve endings causing muscle pain.

                    Can We Prevent DOMS? 
So since we know what causes DOMS, what can we do to prevent it:
1) If you are not familiar to exercise, start gradually and don't    overdo it.
2) Perform a warm up prior to any exercise session.  This is not the same as stretching.
3) If you have not strength trained before, it is best to get help from a fitness professional to limit the effects of DOMS.
4) Allow for gradual adaption to occur over a period of weeks or months.  The body must adapt to the stresses exerted.  This goes back to #1 – don't overdo it. 

                What About Recovery from DOMS?
If we still experience DOMS what can we do to recover and get back to our exercises:
1)  Warm baths with Epsom salts have been successful in helping to alleviate some of the soreness.
2)  You can use the RICE method – rest, ice compression and elevation.
3)  Active recovery to help increase blood flow.  The worst thing you can do with DOMS is nothing.  Gentle aerobic exercise stretching have proven to help alleviate soreness.
4)  Massage, myofascial release with foam rollers both will help to reduce the soreness and help to restore muscle pliability.
5)  Gentle stretching is thought by some people to help as well.

Although we are all going to continue to have the odd bout of DOMS, it is important to understand what causes it, what we can do to prevent it and also what we should be doing to help recover.  It is also important to understand the difference between an injury and DOMS.   DOMS is not something you are going to feel right away, hence the name Delayed.  It is not a sharp, stabbing pain as with an injury.   With an injury, you will need to rest that area and adjust the workout and possibly seek treatment.  With DOMS, there is no reason to cancel workouts or rest completely.  You may need to adjust your workout, decrease intensity and allow that area a little more recovery time before it is worked directly again – but movement is much more beneficial that nothing.

Till next time,

Narina

Related Posts:

• How to Maximize Your Workouts
• Get A Cardio Coach for Your HIIT Workouts
• The Extreme Sport of Gardening
• How, What and Why…
• 5 Easy Steps to Help Boost Your Metabolism