CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)

Sometimes even with a healthy and active lifestyle there are areas of our bodies that just will not co-operate. CLA is a stimulant free, all natural alternative to aggressive crash dieting, self-deprivation and frustration.

How does CLA burn fat?

CLA has been shown to increase lean muscle mass, while decreasing body fat.

Consuming CLA accelerates the body’s metabolic rate while slowing the body’s conversion of dietary fats into body fat. In a way, when the body is getting enough fat through the diet, it doesn’t feel the need to hoard fats by enlarging adipose tissue.

• CLA interferes with a substance in your body called lipoprotein lipase that helps store fat in your body.
• CLA helps your body use its existing fat for energy.
• LA (Linoleic Acid) increases lean muscle tissue – more muscle means your body can burn even more fat.

As if supporting a good overall body composition isn’t enough, CLA also helps:

• Support healthy cell growth in the stomach, lung, skin, colon, and breasts
• Maintain a healthy heart and vascular system
• Support healthy blood pressure
• Promote healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Maintain healthy blood sugar levels
• Supports healthy, normal immune system function
• Is a powerful antioxidant.

As beneficial as CLA may be to your body, unfortunately your body cannot make its own supply and in order to get the necessary amounts for your diet you would be required to eat very large amounts of meat and dairy products derived from ruminants. So supplementation must be relied upon for an effective amount of CLA; 3.4 g daily.

Does CLA have a stimulant effect?

No! Unlike traditional fat burners that try to speed up your heart rate and make your body run hotter – CLA does not do this. CLA is stimulant free and has no side effects.

Benefits;

• Improves fat loss
• Reduces inflammation throughout the body and alleviates joint pain
• Improves focus, concentration and mental acuity
• Assists with healthy mood balance
• Strengthens immune function
• Supports cardiovascular health
• Promotes healthy skin and hair

Essential fatty Acids (EFA’s) are required for proper body function however the body cannot produce them on its own; they must be supplied through diet and supplementation.

It is VERY difficult to achieve proper amounts of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) through dietary sources.

What do Fish Oil’s do in your body?

Improves fat loss;

• Has a positive effect on your metabolism and weight control. Taking fish oil will boost weight loss, and also reduces insulin resistance.

Provides Lubrication and flexibility;

• For muscles, joints, blood vessels, lungs, hormones, reproductive functions and digestive system.

Increase Energy;

• Red blood cell production (More blood means more oxygen is available to those hard-working muscles, which increases stamina).

All cells in the human body are surrounded by a membrane composed mainly of EFAs;

• The body’s entire system functions on the basis of an osmotic interchange between cells, so healthy cell membranes will allow a greater flow of nutrients in and toxins out.

Shorten recovery time from fatigue;

• Encourage the blood to bring oxygen to muscle cells.

• Allow cells to absorb the nutrients needed for recovery.

Increase brain function;

• The brain is made up of 60% fat, which is derived from good dietary sources.

• EFAs are useful in improving memory, attention span and learning ability in children as well as adults.

• Increase mood, reduce symptoms of depression and fatigue.  

• EFAs make up the cell membrane of Neuro-transmitters of the brain.

For more information listen to our Radio Show on Omega Fats

Oh Glorious Kale!

Kale is widely referred to as a super food. This is because it is full of nutrients such as vitamins A, C, and E, fiber, calcium, manganese, and loaded with sulfur containing phytonutrients which have been shown to protect against many kinds of cancer including breast and ovarian.

 Super Hero Food Is More Like It.

Ingredients;

1 Head of Kale

5 tbs Coconut Oil

2 tsp Sea Salt

2tbs Nutritional Yeast

Cooking instructions;

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Wash and ensure kale is VERY dry. A salad spinner works great to remove excess moisture.

3. Remove kale leaves from their spines putting them onto the cookie sheet (kale spines can be kept and used to make nutrient rich broth).

4. Coat bottom of a deep sided cooking dish with coconut oil. Add as much kale as you can fit into the pan (kale will shrink dramatically during cooking). Add 6-10 dollops of coconut oil of coconut oil on top of kale.

5. Sprinkle sea salt in nutritional yeast to taste on to of kale. I am quite generous with both sea salt and nutritional yeast.

6. And that is all! Place cookie sheet in the oven and cook for 30-40 min until crisp. Baking until the edges brown but are not burnt. Watch closely – burning can happen fast. If more kale is used more time will be needed.

 Enjoy!

You can add kale chips to a salad, steamed vegetables, pasta dish or just eat them on their own. A absolutely delicious and guilt free snack.

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 43, Fat: 1.3g, Carbs: 7.3g, Protein: 2.5g

Have you ever said ‘I’d love to lose that last 5lbs – 10lb – 20lb?’ – Of course you have, we ALL have.

But what you really want is to lose is excess fat, not muscle, not water weight, especially not fatty deposits protecting your organs.

Losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing. Just because you lose weight, does not mean you lose fat, and just because you lose fat, does not mean you lose weight

The Answer Is NOT starvation!!

-Not eating enough calories results in;

• Muscle loss,
• Dehydration,
• Slower fat burning - your body will always adapt to a lower calorie intake.

-If you consume less calories per day than your body is using for energy you will lose energy not fat, and your body will start burning up your energy stores to make up for the energy deficiency.

-Unfortunately, the energy stores used to make up for this caloric deficiency are not your stored fat, but instead it’s your body’s protein and carbohydrate stores that will pick up the extra work load.

-Your body will leach the protein and carbohydrates from your muscle cells; causing your muscle mass to reduce.

-Your metabolism is then forced to decrease (a low metabolism = slow or no fat burning). Your body now requires less energy to maintain its new lower body weight, which is why your body conserves energy by slowing down the metabolism.

Bottom Line: if you can’t maintain that lower calorie intake for the rest of your life, you will gain your weight back when you get tired of starving yourself!

Then what is the answer?

PROPER MEAL TIMING

(Check out our podcast on ‘Meal Timing’ or our Meal Timing blog)

• Eating every 2.5 to 3 hours will not only help you avoid blood sugar spikes and falls but also speed up your metabolism. If your body does not feel like it is in danger of starvation then it will not try to store extra carbohydrates for future energy – i.e.; fat.

EAT MORE REAL FOOD

• Your body absolutely needs clean whole foods; not only as an energy source, but to also boost your metabolism and provide your body with the essential nutrients you need to thrive.
• You will notice if you eat more nutrient dense food more often you will find yourself hungry less often and much more satisfied throughout the day

Introducing a Multivitamin/PhytoBerry/VegeGreens/Fish Oil/UDO’s Oil will help you reach your daily nutrient needs.

BALANCE THE NUTRIENTS IN YOUR MEALS

• Having a carbohydrate, protein and essential fatty acid every time you eat is absolutely essential for a healthy life (snacks included).

The addition of Protein Powder/Fish Oil/UDO’s Oil will help to maintain steady blood sugar levels.

WEIGHT GAIN IS NOT DUE TO LACK OF WILL POWER

• It is a combination of a fast food society, stress, poor habits and general misinformation. Get the junk out of the house and surround yourself with healthy food you love to eat.

BE MINDFUL OF YOUR BODY

• Notice your digestion, energy, stamina, brain power and even mood after eating. Is there a difference in your body after sitting down and enjoying a healthy home cooked meal as opposed to a fast food burger that you just shoveled down in 3 minutes?

EAT S-L-O-W-L-Y

• Take the time to enjoy and savor your food. This will allow you to appreciate your meals more, but also you will feel full after eating less because you have allowed your stomach to process the amount of food it has received and decide it has had enough. Our bodies are amazing!

REDUCE STRESS AND LET YOURSELF SLEEP

• Stress reduction and sleep are immeasurably important to fat loss, but more importantly to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
• Stress triggers your body to release a hormone called Cortisol which initiates fat storage (your body thinks it is under attack during times of stress). So stressing about your image will only act as a detriment to you fat loss goals.

Natural sleep aids include; Melatonin/Sleep Relax/ZMA/Calcium & Magnesium.

SOME EXTRA HELP

• CLA (Conjugated linoleic acids) act as a fat blocker that targets survival fat. The un-stored fat is used in the surrounding muscles. CLA is also an appetite suppressant.
• Fat burners will boost your metabolism and give you a jumpstart on your fat loss goals and also allow you to see immediate and radical results. (Great for short term results – Not recommended for long term solution)

The Best Ways to Track Your Progress

How are your old cloths fitting? Old cloths are one of the most accurate ways of measuring progress because they only take the shape of your body into account – not your weight.

Stop doing ritualistic daily weigh in’s; these damaging your motivation and are not an inaccurate representation of your progress. Any healthy physical changes done to your body; be in fat loss or weight gain is supposed to takes time. Start weighing yourself every 2 weeks, no more.

Have a photo shoot - Take full body pictures of yourself and compare them with old ones. It is tough to see all your hard work when you are looking at yourself in the mirror every day. Photos will give you some hard evidence of your progress.

This week Jessica and Sandy talk about the importance of using supplements to help with hormones and testosterone levels.

Have you ever woken up one morning and decide today is the day.  Your gym pass has been burning a hole in your pocket for 3 months and now it’s time to get your money’s worth……….In one day.

Yes, we have ALL done it.

You head down to the gym with unbreakable determination and have a 3 hour workout marathon.

I don’t really have to tell you what is going to happen next, but we can relive it together.

“I can’t move my legs….. my butt is so sore……. my arms are like jelly!”

Your whole body aches for a week, and now the gym is an unpleasant place again.

No good.

Clearly easing your way into any exercise program is the best way to ensure that you will stick with it and more importantly that it will be fun – not painful.

Here comes the great news; there are many other ways to reduce muscle soreness and increase recovery time. One of the best ways to insure you are achieving your workout goals is enjoying a whey protein isolate shake with glutamine right after your workout. There is a common misconception among women and men alike that a protein after your workout will make you look big and muscular. This is simply not true; putting on large amounts of lean muscle mass is incredibly difficult, it requires detailed planning and strong dedication, it is not something that will happen by accident. A sufficient amount of protein in your diet is absolutely essential not only for good health but also weight loss.

During exercise your skeletal muscle tissue and tendons experience micro – tearing. This micro-tearing provides your body with an opportunity to re-build stronger than before, allowing you to work harder in the gym and burn more calories. However proper post workout nutrition is essential for muscle recovery. A liquid meal is the best way to quickly replenish your body with vital nutrients and the building blocks for muscle recovery.

Whey protein isolate is the fastest absorbing protein because it is free of lactose, fat and cholesterol. Speed of digestion and absorption is ideal for muscle recovery because after exercise muscle cell’s potential to initiate rebuilding and replenishing peaks about 15 minutes after exercise and declines to 40% within 60min. This window of opportunity has a major effect on muscle cell’s anabolic processes (recovery).

So after every workout – isolate protein shake.

For further information have a listen to our radio show on how to prevent muscle soreness.

Are you waking up every day under a huge weight of worry? Dose anxiety cloud your life, making happy and care free situations dull and frustrating? Or do you just wish you could turn that little voice inside your head off more frequently?

Good news, here are a few simple ideas to keep in mind and you are well on your way to effective and sustainable stress management.

First Step; recognize the symptoms of stress and understand their purpose.

• Butterflies in your stomach; Digestion stopping.
  Digestion takes up 60% of your body’s total energy, that’s a lot, and in a time of crisis that’s energy that is needed for survival.
• Clammy hands; increased core temperature.
  Heats and loosens muscles allowing you to run or fight with lowered chance of soft tissue damage.
• On edge, quick tempered; increased sensory perception.
  Allowing you to quickly notice and respond to danger.
• Heart pounding; increased heart rate and blood pressure.
  Heart rate increases to circulate fuel and oxygen to vital organs for activity and defense.

There are many more ways in which your body responds to stress, 1400 actually, these are simply the ones you are most likely to notice. When your stress response is triggered all physical, psychological and hormonal changes are activated. Stress is an all or nothing response.

Step Two; learn what triggers stress in your life and develop healthy stress reduction strategies

The most dangerous thing about stress is how easily it can creep up on you. You get used to it. It starts to feel familiar, even normal. You don’t notice how much it’s affecting you, even as it takes a heavy toll.

To reduce stress in your life you must first have the courage to examine the true underlying cause of your stress.  What and how strongly you react to something is entirely personal. It depends on past experiences, relationships and simply personality types. However stress management is much more universal.

How can stress make me sick? How I Reluctantly Discovered That I Am A Human
What is stress? Stress…… What Are You?

Or Have a listen to our radio show's on stress and ways to control it.

What Is Stress?

The stress response is designed to help you rise to meet challenges.

Do you remember a specific moment during a high stress situation where everything slowed down, your thoughts became very clear; you were calm and making quick and rational decisions? Did you just watch your child dart into traffic?..... Fight with your loved one? ……..Money issues?......... Doctors appointment?...... Getting sick?........Watching loved ones get sick? …….New job? .....Stressful old job?

Even positive events can trigger the stress response such as; getting married,  going to college or receiving a promotion.

We have all felt the stress response……. Our bodies are equipped with a natural defence mechanism that will jump into action during high stress situations. This natural response allows us to think clearly and quickly…….. give us loads of energy……….. reduce our perception of pain………. Really allow us to do just about anything in order to keep us and the ones we love alive.

Cool huh!?! Kind of sounds like we all have secret super powers.

And it is true we each are equipped with amazingly strong survival potential. Which is great…… until our stress response gets out of control and starts to cause very broad and serious health concerns ranging from lethargy to disease to mood swings…….. even death!

How can such a seemingly natural response cause such huge health concerns? As humans we are only meant to experience a stress response once or twice a week, but now we are all living in a chronic state of alert. This is where a host of problems will occur. The stress response is designed to keep us alive for 20 minutes at most, it is not a state where we are meant to live our lives. When stressed, your body will respond with 1400 different activities including the dumping of a variety of chemical mediators into our blood stream shutting off long term survival functions. These functions include digestion, immune system repair of damaged tissues and many, many more.

This is one of the most ironic problems we face because the only way out......... is to RELAX.

An in depth look at the stress response and ways to control stress in your life. Stress……Inside Your Body
How can stress make me sick? How I Reluctantly Discovered That I Am A Human

Get ready for this one!!! Tastes like dessert but low calorie and high in nutrients. A perfect snack on the go.

In food processor;

Add;

2 cups Nuts (any kind), mix for 7-10 minutes – until butter.

Add;

1 cup Chocolate Protein Powder
3/4 cup Honey
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
3/4 cup Dried Fruit
1/4 cup Udo’s Oil
2 cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Mix as well as you can with food processor then finish mixing in large bowl by hand.

Roll by hand into bite size balls, and store in the fridge. Allow bites to harden over night for best texture and flavor.

In this weeks radio show Jessica Samuels and Sandy Pembroke continue on the topic of stress.