Between diet fads, juice cleanses and “clean eating” claims left, right and centre, it can be difficult to decipher what “healthy” really means these days. Does it mean eating only homegrown produce and meat? Or does it simply mean cutting out processed foods? What about sugar? Dairy? Fats? Protein sources?

Even as the vegan-raised daughter of a nutritionist, all the buzz has had me confused in the past. Since we cannot have Danielle (our holistic nutritionist) follow us everywhere, I have decided to break down the great diet debate and why this has become so controversial. After all, every body is different, but knowing the different benefits of certain food groups will help you make the right choices.

If you want to optimize your energy, digestion, weight and fitness you must listen to your own body’s reactions. The golden rule: food is medicine! Realistically, if a food has a commercial, you shouldn’t be eating it! Every food commercial I have seen is an advertisement for a swamp of processed and genetically modified ingredients (yes, including orange juice), not to mention packed with sugar. Fun fact: sugar is said to be as addictive as drugs like nicotine or cocaine; you feel great during a sugar feast because sugar triggers the release of dopamine (the same “feel good” neurotransmitter as other drugs), with sugar being the only food that does not allow your dopamine levels to naturally balance over time. Consequently, your brain cannot tell you when you’ve had enough and ends up forming an addiction in more serious cases.

To keep things simple: no matter which diet you choose, there is always going to be the good, the bad, and the ugly. In the case of nutrition you could call that the vegetables, the refined sugar, and the genetically modified organisms (GMOs). So to clarify, vegetables are great. Eat an unlimited variation to get a wide range of nutrients from potassium, iron, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid) to A, B and C Vitamins.  Refined sugar - found in essentially anything packaged these days from juices, granola bars, crackers, yogurts and so on - is the monster under the bed. This is what you should be afraid of and avoiding at all cost! I mean, we’re not perfect… a treat is harmless here and there, but try to make that a weekly or even monthly thing. And by all means, not with every meal! Now for the ugly, literally cell-morphing and cancer causing genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). If you haven’t been paying attention to every piece of health news over the last couple years, the rudimental reason we’ve been warned against these are their reputation for causing free radicals in our body that lead to cancer.

NOW… moving on. After researching the most popular diets explored in the 21^st century, I have found the most evidence supporting a plant-based diet. With that being said, those who do not want or need to give up properly raised and naturally fed animal products are leaning towards a paleo-style diet.

Here are the common features amongst vegan/plant-based and paleo diets that our nutritionist, Danielle, and I agree that every diet should follow:

1. Very low glycemic load: low in sugar, flour, and refined carbohydrates of all kinds.
2. High in fruits and even higher in vegetables. The deeper the colours and variety, the better the phytonutrient content that protects against most diseases.
3. Low in pesticides, antibiotics and hormones, and low or no GMO foods.
4. No chemicals, additives, preservatives, dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners.
5. Higher in good-quality fats such as those from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados (rather than conventional animal products and vegetable oils).
6. Adequate protein for appetite control and muscle synthesis.
7. Organic, local and fresh foods.
8. Little to no dairy. (For most it contributes to inflammation, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and may increase - not decrease - the risk of osteoporosis).
   
   

The main differences between these diets are the beliefs surrounding grains and animal products. If you have been tested and are indeed gluten intolerant, you may want to test your reaction to the paleo diet, which removes grains, legumes and starches from the vegan/plant-based alternative. The idea behind this is that the 3 aforementioned food groups are part of the FODMAP family (acronym, deriving from "Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols, which are all “short chain carbohydrates (oligosaccharides), disaccharides, monosaccharides and related alcohols that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine”) which cause inflammation, indigestion and other functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID).

On the other hand, vegans (excluding moral reasons) believe that consuming animal products (including fish and eggs) should be avoided altogether, given that the ingestion of additional hormones, toxins, fat and cholesterol are linked to cancers of all sorts, hormonal imbalance, cardiovascular diseases, infertility, autoimmunity diseases, metabolic dysfunction and more.

My belief? “Pegan” (following the combined guidelines of both paleo and vegan) is probably best, unless you are eating a very minimal amount of animal products that you raised yourself. The main reason being that you just can’t trust anyone these days! Which brings me to my main point - don’t trust me, trust science and your body. My honest practice: mainly vegan, with indulgences in cheese, chocolate and fish. I am not recommending you strictly adhere and never enjoy your favorite treat again, but merely pointing out that every time you eat something you are either feeding disease or fighting it. If you are curious about cutting down (or out!) on certain foods, speak to Danielle about your goals, symptoms, and options to learn how beneficial the incorporation of a personalized nutrition plan will have on your body.

Email or call us to book an in-person OR virtual appointment with our renowned Holistic Nutritionist and Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Danielle Bossin-Hardy!

Gracee Shorter

Client Relations Manager

gracee@catalyst-health.ca

647-351-0101

References

1.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP

2.     http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7482/10-signs-youre-gluten-intolerant.html

3.     https://s3.amazonaws.com/paleodietevo2/research/Saturated+Fat+Consumption+in+Ancestral+Human+Diets+The+Paleo+Diet.pdf

4.     http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17500/why-everyone-should-consider-going-pegan.html

5.     http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2586336/pdf/cwn072.pdf

6.     http://badassu.net/100-scientific-reasons-to-not-eat-meat-part-2/

7.     http://www.medicaldaily.com/how-does-sugar-affect-your-brain-turns-out-very-similar-way-drugs-and-alcohol-295034

HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is one of the most effective work out regimes for building muscle, burning fat, and increasing your heart rate.  It’s been recent buzz in the fitness world as of late, the buzz word being: HIIT workouts.

So what is it exactly, and why is it so important?

HIIT alternates between bursts of quick energy, high intensity exercises instead of steady, fixed cardio. After all, repetitive cardio can get boring and your body can get used to the same exercises day in and day out - we all need something new and exciting to keep our body and mind interested!

Weight loss plateaus are extremely common in your journey to a fit lifestyle. This is mainly because muscle burns fat and lean muscle mass uses five times the calories compared to fat mass.  When you begin a new exercise routine, the brand new program will take time for your body to adapt; this is when your body responds best because it requires you to work extra hard and make changes to adjust to a different work load. As soon as this adaptation phase ends, you are left burning less calories and the level of intensity does not feel near as intense as it was originally.

This is where HIIT comes into effect, if your goal is to burn fat then you need to encourage your body to work as hard as possible, and that is only done by incorporating HIIT activities into your workout routine.

Catalyst Personal Trainer, Kevin Yeboah, believes strongly in the effects of high intensity interval training.

“I would choose a HIIT workout mainly because it offers variety,” Yeboah said. “It gets your heart rate up, and it burns more calories as it shocks your muscles, and depending how intense, it can even shock your nervous system.”

Yeboah stresses the importance of HIIT, especially during compound exercises, or exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time. Exercises such as squats with an overhead press are great compound exercise, which can be completed in interval training. Even better, incorporating high intensity workouts can result in a faster overall workout, rather than working for a full 60 minutes. With an HIIT regime you can burn fat fast and speed up your metabolism in half the time.

For all you skeptics, unsure that these claims of HIIT is the most effective weight loss and fat burning workout, we have some evidence to back up our claims. A study showed that when researchers compared the result of fat oxidation from a high intensity interval-training program to one with continuous cardio activity, well the results were impressive. While both burned the same amount of calories, researchers found that sustained moderate intensity workouts to be much more effective for fat burning, “A continuous exercise training protocol that can elicit high rates of fat oxidation increases the contribution of fat to substrate oxidation during exercise and can significantly increase insulin sensitivity compared with a eucaloric interval protocol."

HIIT is more effective and efficient at burning fat fast and keeping up a healthy heart.

Sam Turchan

sam@catalyst-health.ca

**Study Reference: Venables, M. C.; Jeukendrup, A. E. (2008). "Endurance training and obesity: Effect on substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 40 (3): 495–502.  

 Alright. So as of late, a lot of people have been asking me about muscle recovery. I don't know if it's the weather, the time of year, or if something is going around, but more often than not people are complaining about being too sore to work out. While I'm sure these are all legitimate claims, I question whether we are all doing enough on our own time to aid in muscle recovery. You warm up before and after your workout by stretching and then you are on your way; however, that five-minute stretch at the end of your workout is not enough to relax the muscles, jumpstart your recovery, or stimulate muscle growth. 

In fewer words - working out: basically just the break down of muscle, but during the actual activity the muscle itself is not growing. The growth comes during the rest. The muscles you've torn down repair themselves with greater, thicker strands of muscle fibers. Without the recovery phase, the muscles will remain sore and broken down, which in turn will cause pain and discomfort.

So the question: How do we properly recover?

Being sore is bound to happen. It's part of working out; it’s part of life. What we do to prevent the long-lasting effect is what is most important. The less time sore means the more time we can spend on actively building our muscles and developing a higher level of strength and functionality. The most obvious part of recovery is rest. Lots of sleep and resting your body is the simplest and most effective way to recover.

In addition, active recovery is a vital part of this entire process, a part that cannot be missed.  This doesn’t necessarily mean ‘going-hard’ in the gym, it simply means engaging in a light jog, brisk walk, or even a swim. Any of these light exercises aid in reducing muscle pain and soreness to help recover a bit faster.

Nutrition for your pre-workout and post-workout are super important as well. Consuming enough protein and carbs before and after a workout are important for feeding the muscles the energy they need for recovery. If you can, consume a meal two to three hours before your workout. If time is not on your side, a small snack such as a banana, yogurt or a handful of fruit is ideal. Even a protein shake with low fibre carbohydrates would be good as a pre-workout snack (the carbs will help boost energy). The best thing to do post-workout is to have a high-protein beverage, a protein shake, chocolate milk or any fruit smoothie, within one hour of your workout. During that hour your muscles are primed to absorb nutrients because they are damaged and depleted. I personally recommend a protein shake because Whey protein can take as little as 20 minutes to absorb into your muscles. Milk, on the other hand, can take up to seven hours. Both are beneficial, however, whey protein absorbs faster and usually has a good carb to protein ratio.

Helpful foods are foods high in potassium. A great example of this is bananas, oranges, potatoes, and melons, all which can help with soreness and cramping. Also, foods that may help in reducing inflammation are cherries and pineapple, and if accessible to you, fish oil is great for the joints!

Lastly, hydration. Water, water, and more water. Drinking plenty of water during and post-workout will definitely aid in muscle recovery. Water helps flush out the toxins in your body and obviously prevents dehydration. Being dehydrated causes muscle soreness, and greatly slows down the rate of recovery, regardless of how much protein or rest you manage to incorporate into your routine. Stay hydrated folks! 

Topical creams or ointments, cold baths, massages or light stretching, Epsom salt baths and icing can all help as well. 

Another way to prevent constant muscle soreness is to avoid over-training. Listen to your body. Don't overdue it in the gym. Working out consecutive days in a row is fine as long as it's not the same thing each day. Giving your muscles a chance to rest and grow is key in building, so if that means missing a day or switching it up to something lighter, then do so!

So to recap: rest your muscles, feed your muscles, and hydrate your muscles to speed up that recovery time and get back in the gym fresh and ready to go faster than ever. 

Kevin Yeboah
kevin@catalyst-health.ca

Treadmills/Running 

Treadmills can provide a great cardio workout for those rehabilitating from injury, since the belt of a treadmill helps move 25% of your body weight as you run. Although the impact of the treadmill does less damage to your joints, it gives you a false indication of what speed you can actually maintain outside. Running on pavement can be detrimental to your joints (hips, knees, ankles) and lead to stress injuries. Problems are multiplied if you have a poorly formed running stride. It is said that the body is impacted about 5,000 times per 30 minutes of running, which can take a toll on the body over time. There is a time and place to use the treadmill for weight loss. Fasted cardio promotes the most amount of fat loss and this is how it works: In the morning before you consume any food, run on the treadmill for 10 to 15 minutes at an intense speed. Doing cardio on an empty stomach will force your body to use stored fat to help complete the session. Immediately after, be sure to consume a complex carb and protein rich meal to help you recover and refrain from over-eating later in the day. 

Strength Training 

There are many different types of strength training, and training programs should be dependent on the goals and capabilities of each individual. Movements like the squat, pull up, overhead press, deadlift, push up and bench press improve overall strength. If done with low weight and high repetition, the workout tests your muscular endurance

 as well as your cardiovascular endurance. Not only will you transform your body, but you will also find every day tasks more comfortable as a result of your stronger muscles correcting posture and stance. The main exercises that I've mentioned above actually help decrease fat, especially when you increase the percentage of weight that you use. Doing 12 to 15 reps of a circuit style program including those movements will spike your heart rate and challenge your overall endurance levels. Keep the rest to a minimum, and ensure your form is correct!

Conclusion

At the end of the day I use both methods to help my clients reach their goals. Using machines like the treadmill and bike can be beneficial for most people, but they must be used correctly. Using intervals on machines are much more effective than longer, slower bouts when aiming for high intensity and overall endurance improvement. Not only are shorter but faster intervals much eaasier on your joints, but combining both cardio and strength-training will help you achieve weight-loss faster. There are several ways you can you combine these two methods to create an effective workout.

You can create variations of the workout depending on the ratio of work to rest periods you take. A popular method is "tabata" which is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds. You can do one movement such as double under skips, sprints, thrusters(squat and shoulder press) and kettlebell swings or combine two movements and increase the rounds by 3 or 4. Regardless of which approach you prefer, both strength training and cardiovascular endurance are essential factors in healthy and lasting weight loss regimes.

Written by Jerome Ferguson-Cumsille

Jerome@catalyst-health.ca

Well, it looks like another cold and dark January is almost behind us. In a blink of an eye (and add 60 days) it will be SPRING! But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s look back to see how we have done so far in 2015.

Let’s start with a look at our checklist:

   Put snow tires on

    Pay holiday bills

     

    Keep up New Year’s resolutions – hmmm...

I hate to say it, but let’s be honest…January is traditionally the month of good intentions and poor results.

Health related goals tend to be the most common resolutions set. We often overindulge during the holidays and health is what’s fresh in our minds when deciding on the biggest change we need to make. This isn’t necessarily a good thing. Over half of us set New Year’s resolutions but the truth is, less than 10% of us are actually successful. If you are dreading the inevitable day when your New Year’s resolutions fall flat, it might be because you need different resolutions!

I read a great Instagram quote in mid-December that phrased it perfectly,

“If you were serious about your New Year’s resolution…you’d be doing it already”.

There’s two things to take from this:

#1. Yes, I quoted something from Instagram.

#2. If you’re not serious, don’t even bother.

Let’s look at a few reasons why New Year’s goal setting usually falls short:

1) Unrealistic or Vague goals - The more vague or unrealistic the goals, the less likely we are to achieve them. It’s tempting to try everything on your list, but for best results, focus on one or two specific and realistic things.  You can always do more later or add a new goal when you achieve one on your list.

2) We don’t set ourselves up for success - Want to eat healthier? Pack your fridge with healthy items. Want to read more? Turn off the Netflix and create a cozy reading environment. Want to drink less? Stay out of bars! In order to succeed we have to prepare our environment for our new goals. This goes for people too. Seek support from friends and family. If you don’t get support from your friends, your first goal should be to drop these deadbeats and go get some new ones! Or just hang out with us :)

3) Set the right goals – If the reason for your resolution is that your co-workers are doing it that “herd mentality” won’t get you very far. Your goals need to have a “WHY” behind it. Why do you want to make this change? Why is it important to you? Believe me, there will be days where putting forth the effort will seem daunting - we need to have a strong purpose to fall back to in order to achieve success with goal-setting.

 

4) Using guilt or fear to motivate – Avoid this one altogether. Using guilt as motivation will inevitably just lead to more of the same. Be positive. Be excited.

Ways to help make it stick!

Instead of focusing on outcomes this January, why not set your sights on the actual process this year?

·      Set goals that are action-oriented. Ex) Make the goal to workout 3 x per week instead of the goal being to lose 15lbs.

·      Make fitness a priority – schedule it! Whether it be your training session at Catalyst or a home workout, put it in your agenda and don’t bump it!

·      Surround yourself with winners – happiness and excitement is contagious. Be with people who motivate you and make you feel good. The rest will take care of itself.

·      Seek help from the best – this is your body and your life so take it serious. Wanting to “eat healthier” but not knowing what this actually means isn’t going to go very well. What does your body actually need? Use professionals to help you create a plan that is specific and realistic.

·      Don’t freak out – a slip up doesn’t mean you failed. So you had a few drinks and a slice of pizza…tomorrow is your chance to get right back on track. Nothing changes.

 

Keep it up!

 

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

-       Henry David Thoreau

 

 

 Dr. Craig McNamee

 craig@catalyst-health.ca