Viewing entries in
nutrition
Q: Should I be taking a multi-vitamin?
A: When making the decision whether you will take a multi, or not, keep this in mind: EVERY process that occurs within your body (digestion, movement, cell regeneration, immune response, conscious thought, unconscious thought, hormone regulation, weight maintenance, etc. & etc.) takes place in the presence of water, energy, vitamins and minerals.
The real question, for me, is - What happens if I am absent (even just low on) any of these things?
Regarding Nutrition recommendations for Rx+ week ...
There is power in community. If all of us are doing nearly the same thing this week with our nutrition, it will help to inspire and empower each of us as individuals to do better and be more successful. This week we suggest a round of Burst Cycle dieting with a couple of very important changes. Changes are as follows:
1. Burst Cycle is very low calorie dieting (roughly 1100 calories per day). If you are doing all the workouts this week, your caloric needs will be much higher than what this diet provides. Find out your daily caloric needs by clicking HERE. Now, simply make up the difference by taking in lean protein ONLY. Most of us plan to do this with protein shakes to ensure strict compliance.
Side note: If you have a goal to lose weight and are using this week as a jump start to that goal, we suggest you take in significantly fewer calories than the calorie calculator suggests you eat. You'll definitely need to add calories this week, but your goal should be to take in only what is needed to support your activities and lean body weight. Ask trainers for suggestions.
2. Burst Cycle calls for a "day off" after the 3rd day. Since this Rx+ week only lasts 6 days, we are skipping this. This is NOT suggested on-goingly. Follow all other Burst Cycle rules as written.
One more thing: You will need to pay special attention to your fluid intake this week. Remember, much of your fluid intake comes in the form of the foods you eat. Since you are limiting calories, and since you are increasing activity, and since it will be HOT this week, you'll need to significantly increase water intake. You may also consider adding an electrolyte supplement to prevent cramping.
Good Luck this week. Shoot any questions you have for us into the comments section of each daily workout. Most people will have the same questions, so they'll be better answered there.
by Cami Jo Satterthwait
Emotional eating and chocolate are best friends. Nothing quite soothes the soul like a piece of melt-in-your-mouth Ghirardelli goodness! But we’ve been taught that emotional eating is bad. Giving into those desires causes weight gain and out-of-control feelings! Right?! I would beg to differ. There’s nothing wrong with letting yourself have a treat after a bad day. Eating is emotional. There’s no way around it. What you eat will affect your mood, just as much as your mood will affect what you eat. (Ever watched a cry-your-heart-out-chick-flick munching on raw broccoli? Yeah, ain’t gonna cut it!) Creating a harmony of the two is a balancing act. How to choose what you really want but still feel good afterwards. It takes a little mindful practice.
Rather than shun the evil chocolate forever and mourn your broken friendship, take a look at these benefits of eating chocolate:
• It’s an antioxidant which slows down the aging process
• Reduces blood pressure and inflammation by causing the vessels to relax
• Helps blood flow and keeps blood platelets from sticking together
• Improves insulin sensitivity
• Chocolate stimulates the pleasure center of our brain which releases endorphins, boosting mood.
Wait, if chocolate does so many good things, why has it ever been labeled as “bad”? Unfortunately there are people in the food industry that prefer big profit margins over quality. They increase their profits by driving down the cost of making chocolate. They pollute it with cheap oils and sugars that dull the real chocolate flavor, and diminish the nutritional value. The oils and sugars can actually cause you to crave more than you would if the chocolate was a purer form. Eating too much of ANYTHING is bad for you, not just chocolate. Make peace with chocolate. It’s your friend.
What to choose?
The darker, the better. Choose 65% cacao or higher.
The following list is in order of highest antioxidant activity to the lowest: Natural cocoa (the best choice), dark chocolate, baking chocolate, then chocolate chips.
The protein in milk actually binds the flavonoids (responsible for the health effects) so milk chocolate and white chocolate just don’t have comparable health benefits as dark chocolate.
How much?
You should make it a GOAL to eat chocolate every day. Seriously. To reap the heart-healthy benefits, shoot for 1 ounce daily. That’s about two or three dove squares.
