To Take or Not to Take-Nutritional Supplements-Pt. 2

In my last ezine, I brought you part I of my piece To Take or Not to Take-Nutritional Supplements; the introduction to my opinions about taking nutritional supplements...or not*.  This week, I'll explore in more detail the pros and cons of taking supplements...

Last week, we left off with Charles Poliquin's 7 very good reasons for you to take supplements (reasons 1-2 appear in last week's post.)...

...In April of this year, renown Canadian strength training coach Charles Poliquin, who has trained and/or consulted numerous world class athletes and professional sports teams, wrote this article: 10 Very Good Reasons for you to Take Supplements...here are more of Charles’ very good reasons:
 

3.  Poor food preparation –When food is cooked improperly, such as when using a microwave, it’s nutritional value is reduced.  Fast food and many other foods in the Standard American Diet (AKA “SAD” ), are highly processed which strips foods of most of their nutrients.  Nutrients in so called “healthy” carbohydrates like brown rice and whole grains are depleted during the refining process.  Supplements that may help: niacin, iron, thiamine, potassium, vitamin E and vitamin B-6.

To Take or Not to Take-Nutritional Supplements-Pt. I

“I finally got into supplements,” my sister told me the other day.  I think that means that she suddenly understood their value and had made taking them a priority. Here I thought my constant preaching about the benefits of taking nutritional supplements* had fallen on deaf ears for the past decade.
 
Before we go any further, I’d like to state that I sell supplements. There. I said it.  Now that that’s out of the way…I sell them because I believe in them.  In fact, there have been times in my life when I was struggling financially but my supplement budget would be the “last thing to go” if I were having a tough month.  I spent money on supplements the way some women buy shoes-still do.  I have my thrice daily little Dixie cup full of foundational products plus the new products that I like to try in my constant quest to attain optimal health. I have personally benefited from taking them but while I have been told I have a trustworthy face, I wouldn’t expect that alone to convince anyone that supplements are worth taking.

Called to the Wild

Marta and Luigi -This Harpy Eagle, Luigi, is a captive-bred individual who was trained as an education bird.  He serves as an ambassador for his species and helps teach people that Harpy Eagles should not be feared, but should be protected.        
(photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund)

A couple years ago, I wrote an article called How to Green Your Workout.   The article eventually became the basis for an Access Hollywood segment on the same subject.  A gym rat since day one, I started getting bored with treadmills and spinning bikes somewhere around year 15 and started looking for interesting ways to take my workout outdoors that didn’t involve the dreaded jogging. That’s when I began supplementing my weight training with hiking.

10 Things That Will Make a REAL Difference in your Health.

1.  Drink more water- Water helps carry toxins from body tissues via the colon, the kidneys (urination), through our sweat and through the detoxification process of the liver. Drinking sufficient amounts of water will aid in these processes resulting in increased energy, hydration, and overall health.

Our muscles are 75% water and require a substantial amount of water to keep them healthy and performing optimally.  Make sure and drink eight 8 oz cups of purified water per day (mornings, evenings and between meals-avoid drinking water with meals.)  Even being slightly dehydrated can cause hunger, brain “fog,” short-term memory difficulties, even trouble with basic math.

2.  Eat more veggies- Eating vegetables helps create a more alkaline internal environment which works to neutralize acidic foods like sugars and even protein.  Since protein is the nutrient most responsible for building muscle, (of particular importance to athletes),

Why the Holidays are the Best Time to Begin a New Workout Program

A doctor friend of mine shared this holiday tradition with me: every year, just after Thanksgiving, she and her husband begin a four week detoxification program that they deliberately extend to five weeks.  When she first told me about this, I thought she was (insert joke about insanity), or just trying to prove a point, to role model great health and nutrition for her patients at a time when most people go far beyond what would be considered an acceptable level of indulging.

While I am very careful about just how much I indulge during the holidays, I do indulge-(life, after all, is meant to be enjoyed.)  But

On the Yam

Thanksgiving is here!  Yea!  And so are the extra pounds!  Yea!  There isn’t much you can do about it, it’s inevitable…it’s gonna get ugly, so you might as well give in and be happy.  But hold on a second…you can indulge-without all hell breaking loose.  

Thanksgiving only comes once a year; you shouldn’t have to deprive yourself of your holiday favorites just to keep from blowing up like a balloon.  Believe it or not, there are recipe makeovers out there that can taste even better than the original.  Take my personal favorite for example, I’ve been making this recipe (makeover version) for twenty years now (for those who are doing the math, yes, I started cooking at age 4.)  

The recipe makeover below originally appeared in Shape magazine twenty years ago-I’ve been making it ever since.

You Know...Muscle Turns to Fat if you Stop Exercising...

“You know you can’t ever stop working out or all that muscle will turn to fat…” Have you ever heard one of your jealous friends say this?  Ever wondered whether or not it was true?  I hope you didn’t.  I hope you laughed at that ridiculous notion the minute you heard it and told your friend, “that’s ludicrous; muscle is muscle and fat is fat.  That’s akin to watching your liver “turn" into your gallbladder." 

One cannot wave a magic wand and have one type of tissue magically turn into another.”  Would that it could; I’d wave that magic wand over every pound