Health Benefits of Ginger

Ginger is not only a delicious way to spice up your dinners, but it has been used for centuries as a natural medicine to treat ailments ranging from migraine headaches to menstrual cramps.  Ginger is native to Southeast Asia, but these days it is grown and harvested in Fuji, South America, Jamaica, Indonesia and Australia.  There are several different varieties available, and the flesh of ginger can be white, yellow or red depending on the variety.

Ginger has long been used to treat nausea and flatulence by naturopathic doctors and it is now becoming more widely used for its ability to treat motion sickness.  It has even been confirmed by one scientific study to be more effective at preventing and treating motion sickness than the medication Dramamine.  Ginger reduces all symptoms of motion sickness including the dizziness, vomiting and cold sweating.  Ginger is also effective at treating morning sickness and a 2005 study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology medical journal reported that ginger effectively treats nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. 

One area that I have been aware of for quite some time is ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties.  The endurance community has long been a proponent of using ginger to help athletes reduce both inflammation and the pain associated with it due to running and cycling.  Some massage therapist use ginger oil to help relieve pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. 

Several university studies have linked ginger to potentially protecting consumers against and in treating certain types of cancers including ovarian and colorectal cancer.  With colorectal cancer, a compound found in ginger called gingerols has been shown to inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells.  A study conducted by the University of Michigan reports that ginger can induce the death of ovarian cancer cells. 

Another area of health that ginger seems to have a positive impact on is the immune system.  Ginger works to open the sinuses due to its spicy favor and pungent aroma, as well as promoting healthy sweating, which can be especially beneficial for cold and flu sufferers.  Ginger can also assist in relieving some of the discomfort associated with stomach flu symptoms and due to its pain reducing properties, ginger can help with the aches and pains that typically accompany this illness. 

As with most foods and ingredients, there are both fresh and powdered forms of ginger available.  While you can gain the benefits of ginger through both types, eating it in its fresh and whole form is most beneficial.  Fresh ginger is widely available in the produce section of most grocery stores.  Simply peel the brown skin and slice, dice or chop up the flesh of the ginger root and add it to your next meal for a yummy and healthy way to up your health!

Competition: The Good and the Bad

So my good buddy from the way back posed a question on Facebook the other day and then took it away before I had a chance to respond :)  So, I thought hmmmm, this might be a fun question to tackle here on the blog page!  So the question was, "does anyone have any insight into possible negative impacts caused from competition?"  Or something along those lines.  I personally think that this is a fantastic question and one that my own personal answer for has changed over the years.  There are both positive and negative aspects to competitiveness.  Our very survival depends on our competitive nature, otherwise we would not strive for better jobs, education, or be able to obtain many things that we need for life.  There are negatives as well, particularly in a psychological sense. 

Early on in my adult life, particularly from my ungrad days until my mid-20's I was all about competition, as I had just gotten out of college and was full-steam-ahead into bodybuilding, so I constantly found myself in competition with everyoone else in the gym, as well with myself.  What ended up happening was I found myself getting more and more frustrated because I just couldn't seem to acheive that "perfect" bodybuilder's body that I was working so hard for.  I became very self-centered as all of my focus was centered on being in better shape than others.  If I saw someone threatening, meaning with bigger muscles than myself, I would find something hurtful or negative to say in my mind about that person.  Basically, my competitive nature was being channeled in a very negative and self destructive manner.  So in the "win at all costs" way, I feel that competition is a very negative thing.  Let's say that at least it has the potential to become a very negative thing, as it did in my case.

So let's fast forward a couple of years after my bodybuilding days.  Because I had set myself up for utter failure with my attitude and competitive approach to working out, I eventually gave up completely when I could live up to the level of perfection I demanded out of myself.  I gained close to 100 pounds and I entered into a downward spiral of depression and anxiety.  I cannot say that it was all related to my failed experience with bodybuilding and competitive drive gone-astray, but I can certainly say that situation acted as a catalyst for my emotional state.  This lead to self-medicating with alcohol, which in turn lead to even more issues....ugh.  Eventually I came out of all of that, and I can say that I gained a ton of insight into self-motivation.  Through a lot of self discovery, hardwork, good people like my wife, and yoga, I found my way back and have gotten myself in the best shape of my life!  I have a renewed understanding of wellness and I currently compete as a triathlete, with some success that I am proud of. 

So that being said, these days I have learned to focus on the positive aspects of competition.  It can be used as a way to push ourselves to new limits and to achieve levels of fitness we didn't know we were capable of.  But I have to stress that there is a fine line you walk when it comes to competiton.  It's easy to fixate on the being better than everyone else aspect that competition has.  It's okay to take training seriously and I think that it is imperative that we do.  We cannot although become comsumed with winning to the point that it affects our very being and changes who we are.  We can't take it to the level that we weigh our self-worth through success or failure of competition.  My wife and I this very evening were talking about another old friend of mine that I really can't have anything to do with these days because of his self-centeredness, egotism, negative competitive drive and jealousy.  If you think about it, all of those descriptors are totally interrelated.  It's sad, but when something as strong as our competitive drive is left run wildly, we can become a pretty miserable person because I can promise you, despite how good you might be, you'll never be as good as you want to be.  And that my friends can drive you crazy and make you do some pretty rediculous things to your body.  It can also drive those around you away.  Just somethings to think about!

Newton's Laws of Motion and How the Relate to Exercise

                Newton’s First Law of Motion states that when an object is at rest it will stay at rest unless acted upon by some outside force and when an object is in motion, it will remain in motion until acted upon by some outside force.  This law explains inertia, both at rest and active states.  In order to understand this law as it relates to weight training, resting inertia is as simple as a dumbbell lying on the floor.  In order to lift the weight, you must apply a force greater than the weight.   The second part of this law that deals with active inertia tells us that if we move a weight, it will remain in motion on its own accord without the additional application of force to keep it moving.

Newton’s Second Law of Motion relates to force and its relationship to mass and acceleration.  It states that in order to create a force you must place a mass into motion with acceleration and a change in velocity.  This can relate to weight lifting as when a weight (mass) is moving (has velocity) it has momentum.  In order to continually create force when weight lifting, you must continually change the speed of the object.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion is known as the equal and opposite reaction principle.  The law states that objects in contact exert equal and opposite forces on each other.  An example of this law is doing a push up and that in order to do one, we must push against the floor.  In turn, the floor pushes against us and thus allows us to raise our truck to complete the push up.  In that way both we and the floor are exerting equal force upon one another when in contact.

So see, some of that stuff we learned in high school physics has some real life value if you apply it!

 

Essay Answer Relating to Stability Ball Exercises

Perform at least one exercise for each major muscle group on a stability ball. Were you able to use the same weight as you normally do? If not, why do you think you could not use as much resistance? What populations would benefit from the use of incorporating stability ball training? Are there certain individuals who should not use a stability ball?

The exercises I chose to perform for this learning experience were dumbbell presses for the chest muscles, alternating one-arm overhead presses with dumbbells for the shoulder muscles, supine overhead pullovers with a dumbbell for the back muscles, one-leg lunges with dumbbell (I placed the back foot on top of a smaller stability ball) for legs, and weighted crunches for the abdominals.  It was not surprising to me that I could not use the same amount of weight for these exercises (with the exception of the weighted crunches) as I can while performing the exercises standing or on a hard bench/seat.  The reasoning behind this is the fact that more balance is required in order to perform each movement.  Stability and balance play an important role in being able to use the stability ball.  That being said, the stability ball offers an entirely new dynamic to strength training and has a place in most workout programs in my opinion.  Exceptions to this would be for those individuals that have either mobility or balance issues.  Older adults that have trouble with balance and stability should take extreme caution if trying these types of exercises.  Obviously leg amputees might have a hard time with balance, as the feet must be firmly mounted to the floor while performing the exercises.  For other athletes without the mentioned conditions, the gains to the stabilizing muscles used when performing exercises on the stability ball can be of benefit to most sports. 

Training Principle of Periodization

Periodization is an important aspect to consider when developing a training program, both strength and cardiovascular programs, in order to ensure continual fitness gains.  We can define periodization as how one’s training is broken down into discreet time periods called “macrocycles”, “mesocycles” and “microcycles.”  In order to understand the concept of periodization, it is easiest to look at a macrocycle as a one year “big picture” type program.  Mesocycles can be seen as the year program broken down into months and the microcycles as a one week training period.  The laws of training (The Law of Individual Differences, The Laws of Overcompensation and Overload, The SAID Principle, The Law of Specificity, The GAS Principle and the Law of Use/Disuse) have a direct relationship with periodized training.  The laws of training must adhered to in order to both ensure safety, as well as progression. 

Periodization can be utilized in bodybuilding in order to help an athlete achieve their peak physique at the time of a competition.  The training year would begin something like working to increase muscle mass during one period, then becoming more specific, in terms of toning, in another period as the program moves closer to the competition.  The final period would involve reducing body fat and the final preparatory stages prior to the event.  Football players will use the off season of a training year to put on muscle mass, meaning during this period, much time is spent in the weight room.  As the season approaches, more sport specific training drills become the focus of the mesocycle, before finally entering into the maintenance period during the season. A third example is that of endurance athletes.  The beginning of the training year will be focused on base building or increasing endurance fitness.  The second mesocycle is getting focused on speed and race pace type training.  The 3^rd period would then be focus of preparing for racing and attempting to ensure peak fitness leading into a race.

Periodization should be use by everyone engaging in any type of fitness program as a means to make gains and ensure recovery. 

Difference in Muscle Types

The muscles in our bodies are made up of three different types of muscle fibers, Type I, Type II a, and Type II b.  Each of our bodies contains both Type I and Type II fibers, yet most have more of either Type I or Type II.  The first, Type I is also called slow twitch muscle fiber, and it generates ATP predominately through the aerobic system of energy transfer.  Physical activities that utilize the Type I muscle fibers are endurance type events and low intensity sports such as long distance cycling.  Type I muscle fibers are extremely resistance to fatigue, yet they have low ability in terms of force output.  Athletes with a predominance of Type I muscle typically posses a lean body type, with a low body fat percentage (think of an Olympic marathon runner’s physique).  In terms of how to train to increase and enhance Type I muscle fibers, aerobic exercise of durations over 45 minutes is the most effective means. 

                The second type of muscle fiber categorized into two subdivisions, Type II a, and Type II b.  This type is referred to also as fast-twitch fiber.  Type II a is characterized by a fast shortening speed and well-developed capacity for energy transfer from aerobic to anaerobic sources.  Physical activities that generally rely on the performance of Type II a fibers are shorter distance running sports such as sprinting, and other power-driven sports such as power lifting and baseball.  Type II a muscle fibers have an intermediate resistance to fatigue, and athletes with a predominance of these fibers typically have larger muscles which allow them to produce high force output for long periods.  High intensity training such as sprinting and weight training is the most effective means of training this type of muscle fiber.

                The third type is another subdivision of fast-twitch muscle fiber, referred to as Type II b.  Our text defines this type as having the most rapid shortening velocity and the greatest anaerobic potential.  Often called the “couch potato fibers,” this type is prevalent in sedentary individuals and is believed to help these individuals respond to emergency situations.  These fibers have no resistance to fatigue and are extremely strong.  That being the case, they are susceptible to injury when used and often their use in situations leaves them damage beyond repair.  According to Fitness: The Complete Guide by Dr. Frederick Hatfield says that when sedentary people begin a training program, they immediately lose their Type II b muscle fibers. 

My Personal Training Website

I have my website set up and ready to go!  Wanted to share a link to the site on this blog:  www.issacertifiedtrainer.com/christopherweaver  So please take the opportunity to check it out and if you or anyone in the Asheville, NC area is looking for a personal trainer with experience in a vast amount of exercise modalities and weight loss, please contact me!  I am also open to assisting in developing workout routines, triathlon and running programs, weight loss consultation and health teaching via e-mail and Skype for those outside of my physical area.

Positive Effects of Exercise on Diabetes and Prevention

Diabetes is a disease that affects 25.8 million Americans according to the American Diabetes Association.  This is over 8% of the total population in the United States!  There are two types of diabetes, which I will not go into great detail to describe, but very basically Type I is often referred to as juvenile diabetes, which Type II is Adult Onset type, that is often a result of poor diet, sedentary living and obesity.  Health care practitioners and exercise scientist have long promoted physical activity to help with symptoms of diabetes, but more and more research today offers proof that exercise can not only help with symptom management, but also in preventing development of the disease all together (Type II). 

For those with diabetes, exercise helps in two ways.  Number 1 exercise helps with controlling weight and number 2, exercise helps to lower blood sugar levels and promotes more stable blood sugar levels.  While most doctors suggest cardiovascular workouts (as it increases breathing rates and strengthens the heart) more research is promoting weight and resistance training.  In fact, one study I looked into found that weight training alone may reduce the risk of developing diabetes. 

Even low intensity physical activities have a positive effect on diabetes management, including such activities as walking, biking, gardening and housework.  One concern that many diabetics have is the nerve damage that they might have experienced in their legs and feet.  If this is the case, I recommend that these folks look into water exercise as a very low impact form of exercise.  Also they should consider some weight training exercises that focus on the upper body if possible.  Even a small amount of weekly weight training appears to have substantial benefits in terms of lowering the risk of developing diabetes.  An independent study found that men who lifted weight for just up to 59 minutes a week lowered their risk of diabetes by 12%.

Why You Should Be Avoiding Canola Oil

So I recently became interested in Canola oil after hearing some disturbing news in terms of the potential toxicity of this oil.  While some of the claims seem a bit over-exaggerated, the point remains that Canola oil is a very processed, very refined product that seems about as far away from natural as a food product can be. 

Canola oil literally stands for Canada Oil, Low Acid.  Canola oil was developed by the Canadian oil industry back in the late 1970’s.  The low acid part of the name comes from the genetically modified form of rapeseed oil that is used to make Canola.  Natural rapeseed contains high levels of erucic acid, which is poisonous to humans and animals.  Through the genetic manipulation of rapeseed, scientist produce a seed that has a 0.6 % erucic acid level which is low and determined to be safe, but my thought is why not just use healthy oils that contain no erucic acid? 

Looking into rapeseed a bit further, I found literature relating to the fact that both in India and Asia, people use rapeseed oil to cook yet the difference is that they only use freshly pressed rapeseed oil, as it goes rancid soon after being pressed.  A disturbing report was detailed in a 1995 issue of the Wall Street Journal linking a dramatic increase in lung cancer occurrence in Chinese people that used rapeseed oil to stir-fry foods.  It was determined that the smoke produced from rapeseed oil is carcinogenic. 

A few other disturbing facts about rapeseed oil is that it is used as a pesticide on plants, it is used as an industrial lubricant, to produce certain types of fuel, soap and in producing the color pages in magazines.  Not exactly what I associate with healthy foods!  Canola oil also contains Trans Fatty acids (a fatty acid that has been “transmogrified” by high-heat processing) which are linked to cancer, and other research links the oil to depletion of Vitamin E.  There are also claims that rapeseed oil is used to produce mustard gas, the deadly agent used in warfare, yet some of the literature I read state that the seeds used for the cooking oil are not in fact the same used for the toxic agent. 

Given the amount of concerns over the safety of Canola oil, I am certainly not alone in my decision to avoid using it.  While it is used in many processed foods and by many restaurants, we can monitor the amounts being used in the foods we make at home.  Just more reinforcement to cook more and eat out less often!  Some healthy, safe and natural alternatives to Canola oil are coconut, palm and shea nut for frying and olive, almond and sesame for non-high heat use.  See my previous blog about coconut oil for a brief description of the health benefits it offers. 

Crystal Beach Triathlon Race Report

So I have wanted to do this race report for quite some time, yet it has been difficult to sit down and write it out (been working on the ISSA trainer program, getting my book up and going and applying to chiropractic school). 

The Crystal Bay Triathlon in Onancock, VA (September 15th, 2012) was an absolute amazing experience all the way around.  It's a smaller, hometown type event yet some serious traithletes show up every year to compete.  This was the 17th year that they've been putting this event on and this year had a really nice turn out.  Close to 100 people competing for the top spot!  I ended up placing 2nd overall and really feel that I raced about as hard as I possibly could.  The winner simply smoked the rest of the field, winning by over 8 minutes!  Just gives me a new goal for next season :)  I'll break down the race by each event and then give a brief description of my transitions.

The 800 meter swim was held in the Chesapeake Bay, and up until about an hour before the start of the race, the swim was going to be called off due to rough conditions.  Luckily the swim was not cancelled and despite the choppy waters, I ended up coming out of the swim in 4th place.  I opted to wear my wetsuit given the choppy conditions, yet in hindsight I think I might have been able to shave off a bit of time by not wearing it.

Transition 1:  We have close to 1/4 mile run from the swim exit to the transition area, which was a bit different that I am used to.  I should have sprinted, but decided to hold back a bit.  This is an area that I think that I can improve upon if doing the race next year.  The transition went smoothly for me, thanks to my awesome new tri-suit!  The wetsuit came off quickly, shows and helmet went on with ease and no issues at all.  I can honestly say I do not feel that I could do anything to improve much in T1.

The bike was flat, fast and all out!  I stayed in my biggest gear from start to finish and maintained aero position for the duration of the 15 mile course.  The landscape in Onancock is incredible and this truly is one of my favorite places on Earth.  There was a tough headwind to content with coming off the bay for the entire ride, so I can certainly see getting a faster time with improved conditions (not to mention uping my bike fitness, LOL)  The bike has become my strongest split by far.  I knew that in order to do well in this race, it had to be on the bike and I pushed as hard as I could (within reason) the whole time.  I topped out at 28 MPH and was able to maintain close to 23 MPH the entire ride.  I had the 2nd fastest bike split of the day when all was said and done.  One thing that was a bit frustrating was the loose gravel at many of the intersections.  This really took some slowing down and bike skills to navigate without biting the dust :)

Transition 2:  T2 went really well, as I was off the bike and into my running gear with ease.  It was awesome getting some encouragement from the wife, father-in-law and of course lil" Peanut!  Lots of local support as well!  Again, I do not see any way to gain any noteworthy amount of time in this transition.

The run was an out and back course that covered 3.5 miles.  After the all-out hammerfest I conducted on the bike, this run was insanely tough!!!!!  I even about threw up in the final 200 yards!  I think that is an indication you are giving it you all :)Thank goodness the course was completely flat, which was sooooo nice after all the hilly mountain miles I log living here in Asheville, NC!  Anyway I was able to hold everyone behind me off, and grabbed my best finish to date in a tri!  I defintely feel that sprint distance if my distance and will put all my focus on sprint racing next season. 

The post-race festivities were absolutely awesome!  There was live music and the race is actually held at the race director's house, which is a beautiful property right on a little inlet coming off the bay.  The awards were hand made wooden trophies, which was totally neat!  I would soooo recommend this race to anyone.  It's competetive, well managed and just so much fun!  They even made it a point to give out medals to all the 1st time triathletes that completed the race!  Now how awesome is that?!?

So this was a really awesome way to finish out my racing season.  It gave me a whole new level of confidence in my racing abilities and my training program.  I know the areas I want to work on in my off season and I have my work to do.  I definitely want to focus on increasing my run speed at the 5K distance.  I know that means speed work and lots of intervals.  I am already doing some of that now, but will certainly be doing it intensively some January on.  I am currently in my heavy weight training mesocycle, which will carry on through December before focusing in on a couple early season indoor triathlons in March that I want to place top 3 in.  Then I tenatively have my season planned out as the May Day Biathlon in Morganton, NC, the Firecracker Indoor Tri in July which is held in Gastonia, NC and The City of Lenoir Tri in Lenoir, NC which is held in September.  I hope to squeeze in the Crystal Beach one again next year, but my plans to start chiropractic school next October might make travelling that close to my start date a bit difficult :)  If you made it down this far, thanks for checking out my post!

Fitness Advertising.....The Art of Deception!

So I just finished up the ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer program and part of the exam had 6 essays that we had to choose from a list to complete.  Given the helpful information that are in the essays, I thought it would be worth posting these on the blog. 

So this particular essay deals with the myths and deception present in many of the fitness and supplement advertisements in fitness magazines.  We were asked to choose 5 ads and then comment on what makes them false or misleading, and then summarize how the ads could be more truthful. 

To find articles and advertisements that are full of exercise myth, all you have to do is open any fitness or bodybuilding magazine and you will be greeted with page after page of products and workout routines that “guarantee” you will be ripped in just a matter of weeks with little or no commitment to working hard for results. The five articles that I chose cover just a few of the popular supplements currently on the market, one popular DVD based workout program, and a piece of workout equipment that promises results with just minutes of use a few days a week.


Advertisement 1 is for a very popular weight loss pill that has been around for some time. It promises “ripped” muscles and has a before and after photo of a guy that goes from very average to very muscular in what he claims is nine weeks. The myth here is that all that is needed is a fat burning pill and you can take you average and slightly overweight body and turn it into one of a professional bodybuilder in only 9 weeks. What the article should say is that you can use the product, which has ingredients such as caffeine that speed up metabolism somewhat, in conjunction with a hard workout routine and see some positive effects.


The second advertisement I found is for another supplement that goes as far as to claim it is the magic pill for both weight loss and fat burning. It promises to deliver immediate and fast acting fat loss results. It then goes on to say do not use without consulting your doctor. The last statement concerns me in that number one, I question its safety and number two it seems to be a marketing scheme to make it sound like it is so powerful, you better make certain you and your doctor or ready for it. Again, as mentioned for the first ad, I would say in order to make this advertisement more truthful, it should mention that in conjunction with a healthy diet and well developed exercise routine, it can assist in weight loss given the thermogenic ingredients it contains.


The third ad that I came across that depicts a health myth is one for a 60 day DVD program that guarantees a ripped body. The myth with this advertisement is that in order to look like one of the models on the ad, you simply just have to do the program for 60 days and you will get those types of physiques. While the exercises on the program are effective at increasing fitness, they are only one method of exercise and given the high intensity nature of them, they are not suitable for all people, especially very overweight, older adults or those with physical limitations. The ad does not mention this and it is targeting everyone looking to get “ripped.” To make it less deceptive, the advertisement should spell out the methods of training used and the fact that it is not suitable for people with compromised health and mobility.


Advertisement number four is another supplement formula that targets the “extreme” workout crowd, claiming it can turn you into an advanced and unadulterated performance machine. It claims increased strength, performance and unstoppable energy. It even claims that it is not for beginners. Again, as with the other ads, what is lacking here is the mention of the importance of having a well developed and executed workout and nutrition plan.


The last advertisement is perhaps the most over-exaggerated of all. It is for a piece of exercise equipment that claims to be so good that it is used by special military forces. It claims to be effective for everyone from ages 10 to 100 and only requires 4 minutes of use per day. Any workout routine requires more than 4 minutes in order to make measurable fitness gains. Cardiovascular improvement takes approximately 20-30 before we can see any real improvement in cardio health.


Advertisements are used to generate sells and companies are willing to use deception as a means to increase use of their products. We must keep this in mind when we encounter advertisements. With the staggering number of overweight people in our society, the fitness and supplement industries can make easy targets of these folks. While their products may be able to help people with weight loss and increased performance, their claims of effectiveness are often very exaggerated and this in turn is where the deception comes into play.

You MUST Do Cardio! No Exceptions!!!!!!!!

Most of us guys can identify with the overwhelming desire to have big, bulging "show" muscles.  All the fitness magazines out there have tons of photos of guys with ripped arms and huge chest muscles, so it's no wonder we easily become fixated on weight training and anaerobic exercise.  That certainly was the case for me for a long time during my late teens and early twenties.  Now that I am in my mid-30's, I certainly have learned a great deal about what health really is.  These days I realize that in order to be heatlhy, I have to incorporate a healthy dose of cardiovascular work into my training program.  Being a triathlete, getting enough cardio isn't a concern for me anymore, but for many people out there that I run into at the gym on a daily basis, its weight training only for them.  A really interesting statistic that I want to share that illustrates the absolute necessity of cardio work is that for every hour you spend doing cardio training, you extend your life by 2 hours!  That's a heck of a return on your investment I would say!  So I certainly believe whole-heartedly in the need for weight and resistance training and it's among my favorite type of training to engage in, but cardio is a MUST.  It's all about doing both.  I suggested at the very minimum spending an equal amount of time between weight training and cardiovascular exercise.  Break you workout time into 2 equal parts (30 minutes weight training + 30 minutes cardio = 60 minute workout). Make certain that you are maintaining a somewhat-hard to hard level of intensity during your cardio work (70-80% VO2 Max or MHR).  This is where you will get the most out of your efforts.  You'll not only increase cardiovascular fitness and endurance, but you'll also scorch some serious calories!  So get on that treadmill y'all!  If you have issues with your knees or other joint problems, try the stair climber.  Believe it or not, it is incredibly low impact and nothing at all like the weight bearing stress you encounter when climbing actual steps.  If this is still to much for you, I recommend getting in the pool and doing some water aerobics.  Being in the water can make cardiovascular work possible for almost anyone with any mobility limitations.  Most gyms that have a pool offer instructor lead water exercise classes.

Why You Should Be Using Coconut Oil

So my wife Kelly turned me on to coconut oil several years ago as a healthy alternative to other cooking oils.  Nowadays, coconut oil is widely accepted by the nutrition community as one of the healthiest oils that we can use, and a great way to add healthy fats to your diet.  Initially, there were concerns by the health community over the amount of saturated fat that coconut oil contains, but given the unique structure of the saturated fats they contain, those initial fears have gone by the wayside.  I decided I wanted to look a little more in depth at some of the health benefits it offers.

Number one, which is also the reason my wife began using coconut oil prior to its level of current popularity is the fact that it has a higher tolerance to temperature than other non- hydrogenated oils, like olive and some canola oils (I want to talk about the negatives of canola oil in another blog later).  Oils can actually reach a point of rancidity if they are heated to too high of a temperature, such as those temps used for frying foods. 

Number two, coconut oil can help with weight loss.  First, including healthy fats in your diet can help you stay satisfied longer, thus reducing the desire to eat as often.  Coconut oil also contains medium-chain trigylcerides, which are assimilated easily by the body and have been linked to reducing fat stores in the body.  Recent research has demonstrated that coconut oil can increase the metabolism. 

Number three, it can assist in maintaining more stable blood sugar levels.  Coconut oil improves the production and secretion of insulin. 

Number four, coconut oil contains Lauric Acid, which is linked to the body’s improved ability to fight viruses and harmful bacteria.  Lauric acid is linked to improved immune system functioning in humans.  Coconut oil has also been linked to lowering cholesterol and increasing consumer’s ability to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Number five, coconut oil improves the body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.  Fat consumption is also necessary for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins (A,D,K and E).

So, these are just a few of the health benefits offered, each of which make it worth considering the use of coconut oil in place of other cooking oils that you might be currently using.  So for me and my family, we’ll continue using it as our go-to cooking oil for everything from eggs to tofu!

Easy Healthy Vegetarian Meal Idea

Being a busy father, social worker, husband and age-group triathlete I find myself pressed for time most days.  By the time the evening rolls around, both my wife and I are pretty wiped out.  I am a huge propponent of home cooked meals, as a means of knowing and controlling exactly what is going into our foods and into our bodies.  My go-to dinner on nights when we want something simple and vegetarian is the classic wok-cooked stir-fry.  This is a perfect meal that's simple to prepare, full of healthy vegetables and can easily have rice and tofu added for some extra pezzaz!  Our typical stir-fry includes carrots, red potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms and squash.  Obviously you can add whatever veggies make you happiest!  Simply wash and chop up the veggies, add a bit of coconut oil to the wok and let them cook for 10 minutes or until the reach the level of softness you perfer.  Remember less means more when it comes to cooking.  Overcooking food has a negative impact on the nutrient content.  Again we typically add tofu or tempeh to it after cooking both seperately to make certain the tofu gets nice and crispy while the vegetables aren't overcooked.  Serve the stir-fry over rice, quinoa or rice noodles and add a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and you have a great vegetarian meal :)

I am big on promoting vegetarian meals as they have a less detrimental effect on the planet and have a positive effect on lessening animal abuse.  If each family would commit to just one vegetarian meal per week, the positive impact would be mind-blowing!  So please consider it!