Fitness & Wellness

Can Garlic Help Lower My Blood Pressure?

Can Garlic Help Lower My Blood Pressure?

Published by on December 15, 2022 | Leave a response

Eating garlic is widely known as a way to help control blood pressure, but is that fact or fiction? If it lowers blood pressure is the change significant and worth the potential of smelling garlic? Are the benefits as good as medication and do they have the same bad side effects or any others? The controversy has pretty much been decided via a wealth of conclusive studies that show garlic really can lower blood pressure and without the side effects of most medication, but is it enough?

Garlic has been used for a long time to help lower blood pressure naturally.

In ancient times, garlic was used to treat a number of conditions. It was even prescribed by Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine. It contains allicin, which not only gives it a distinctive smell, but also gives it beneficial blood pressure lowering properties. It’s known to boost the immune system. It also protects cells, reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and improves cholesterol levels by reducing bad cholesterol.

What is allicin?

Allicin is a sulfur compound that encourages the dilation of the blood vessels, just as nitric oxide that occurs in the body when you exercise. When blood vessels are dilated, the blood flows more easily and there’s less pressure necessary. Allicin also inhibits another protein, angiotensin II, which causes blood vessels to constrict. If they’re not constricted, blood pressure is lower.

Can you eat enough garlic to make a difference?

While studies show that garlic does have a substantial effect on lowering blood pressure, is it enough to say goodbye to medication? The answer varies by the severity of the high blood pressure and other factors, like your activity level and the rest of your diet. Studies show it may lower both the systolic and diastolic numbers by as much as 10%. Other studies show it may lower the top—systolic—number by almost 7 mmHg and the bottom or diastolic number by almost 5 mmHg.

  • Garlic also contains manganese, vitamin B6, B1, C, selenium, fiber, calcium, copper, potassium, phosphorus and iron. While it’s an exceptional seasoning with health benefits, it has almost no calories.
  • To maximize the benefits of garlic, you have to use it properly. Use the natural garlic bulb, removing cloves for use. Crush a clove of garlic on a cutting by with the flat side of a knife, remove the skin and let the crushed garlic sit for 10 minutes before use.
  • Garlic can help protect brain cells and lower the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. It’s the antioxidants in garlic that reduce oxidative stress to protect the brain.
  • You can even keep the common cold at bay by including garlic in your diet. Other foods that lower blood pressure include salmon, citrus fruits, beans, pumpkin seeds, berries, celery and broccoli.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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The Best Foods For Anti-Aging

The Best Foods For Anti-Aging

Published by on December 5, 2022 | Leave a response

Who wouldn’t want to look their best and for some people, that also means looking younger. You can improve your appearance in a lot of ways, but doing it naturally by eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep and following a program of regular exercise is the best way. It not only makes you look younger, but it also makes you feel younger, too. So, what are the foods that are anti-aging and how do they improve your appearance?

It’s all about your skin and keeping it more youthful.

When people mention fat, most people believe it will add excess pounds that nobody wants. However, not all fat is unhealthy. In fact, you actually need healthy fat to burn fat. Healthy fat helps supply energy and promotes cell growth. They are necessary for the production of hormones and protecting organs. Healthy fat also benefits the skin and protects it from sun damage. Anti-aging high fat foods include avocado, extra virgin olive oil and fatty fish. It’s the omega 3 fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties.

Potent antioxidants can protect the skin and keep you looking younger.

As you age, cells are damaged to the point they don’t replicate. That’s what causes disease and ultimately death. Foods high in antioxidants help prevent that from occurring. Examples of phytonutrients that protect the body are those in plants. For instance, lycopene is in grapefruit, tomatoes, and papayas. It helps protect the skin. Antioxidants in pumpkins, sweet potatoes and carrots contain beta-carotene, which protects the skin from the sun. Any food with high vitamin C promotes the production of collagen, which keeps the skin firm and appealing.

It’s not always what you should eat, but sometimes what you shouldn’t.

You probably already know food with sugar is bad for you, but did you know it could cause you to age? Sugar is the culprit that can speed the aging process. There’s a link to a diet high in sugar and high amounts of AGEs—advanced glycation end products. Those are what causes the skin to lose elastin and collagen that make it wrinkle and droop. Substituting healthy fruits for the sweet flavor will help both your waistline and keep you younger looking.

  • Besides the long chain omega-3 fatty acids, fatty fish contains an antioxidant called astaxanthin. Astaxanthin improves skin hydration and its elasticity. It also protects the DNA so you age slower.
  • If you want to look more youthful, you have to feel more youthful and energetic. That means taking off excess pounds that can slow you down and eating healthier. Exercising can add to a youthful appearance.
  • Spicy foods can improve your appearance and even help you lose weight without adding extra calories. Capsaicin in chili peppers can reduce age related skin changes, while ginger can prevent age spots.
  • Snack on nuts. Nuts provide the nutrition necessary for boosting collagen production. Walnuts, for instance, contains omega 3, while most nuts, almonds particularly, contain vitamin E to repair skin.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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How Much Protein Do We Actually Need?

How Much Protein Do We Actually Need?

Published by on November 25, 2022 | Leave a response

A lot of the newer diets focus on bumping up the protein intake. It’s true that if you’re trying to lose weight, protein will fill you up and cutting back on simple carbs will reduce your caloric intake. But how much protein do you really need and when do you cross over to the land of too much? The answer isn’t all that simple, since protein requirements vary based on many factors, such as age, physical activity and gender.

What is protein and how does your body use it?

Protein is made of amino acids, which are necessary for many functions, including building muscle tissue. However, they also play a role in almost every function in the body, from maintaining the nervous system and increasing memory to boosting the immune system and creating enzymes and hormones. There are 20 amino acids in the standard genetic code and the past 30 years, two additional amino acids not in the code were added, selenocysteine and pyrrolysine. Of those 22, nine are essential amino acids, meaning the body can’t make them, and they must come from food.

The requirement for protein is based on the nine essential amino acids.

If you’re active, you need more protein than a sedentary person does, to repair tissue and perform all the functions of the body. A sedentary person requires about one gram for every 2.2 pounds of weight, while an active person requires 1.3 grams for every 2.2 pounds and those involved in high levels of activity increase their need to 1.6 grams per 2.2 pounds. An inactive person weighing 110 pounds would need 50 grams, which would increase to 80 grams a day.

The older you are, the more protein you need.

The very old don’t process protein as well as their younger counterparts, so an 80-year old with the same activity level as a 50-year old would need more. The very young also need more protein, since they’re growing rapidly. Men tend to have more muscle mass, so they need more protein than women do, unless that woman is pregnant or lactating, then they need extra protein for the baby’s needs.

  • You can eat too much protein but would have to eat double the recommended amount for a long time. Too much protein can cause digestive issues, nausea, exhaustion diarrhea, dehydration and headache.
  • While it’s difficult to get too much protein, even if you’re sedentary, it can occur if you consume too much over a long period. It can cause kidney, cardiovascular and liver disease, blood vessel disorders and even death.
  • You need protein for all cells of the body. It’s the building block for cartilage, blood, bones and skin. Lack of protein can cause edema, low immunity, mood changes and fatigue. However, the average American diet has adequate amounts.
  • One side effect of eating more protein than the body needs is halitosis. It’s the type that doesn’t go away no matter how much your floss or brush your teeth.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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Are Multivitamins Useful?

Are Multivitamins Useful?

Published by on November 15, 2022 | Leave a response

There’s a lot of variety of multivitamins on the shelves of pharmacies, so you might think they’re the most useful health benefit available. That isn’t exactly true. If you’re in the grocery pharmacy, the produce section is actually more beneficial for your health. Madison Avenue has done a good job convincing America that they need to take vitamins daily, but so did the covid-19 scare. In 2020, the multivitamin market in America grew dramatically with children’s vitamin’s increasing 37.2% for $306 million in sales, men’s up 33.7% for $229 million in sales and women’s vitamins up 19.6% for $474 million.

Recent studies have changed old beliefs.

A widespread recent study of 450,000 people showed that multivitamins didn’t reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease. Another study of almost 6,000 men that lasted 12 years showed it didn’t reduce the risk of mental decline in seniors, contrary to an earlier study that said it did. While there are some benefits for taking specific supplements, that’s not necessarily true for multivitamins. One study, however, did find that multivitamins may reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

More isn’t necessarily better.

More recent studies also found that taking high doses of vitamin E and beta-carotene at high doses may be harmful. If you’re taking water-soluble vitamins, your body flushes excess out in the urine and feces. The biggest problem from consuming too much of a water-soluble vitamin is digestive issues. However, fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, D and E, are stored in the body, which can lead to overdoses.

There’s a better way to get your vitamins than taking a multivitamin.

Taking a specific vitamin and mineral supplements is quite different from taking a multivitamin. For instance, women that are considering pregnancy or who are in early pregnancy should supplement with 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. People in northern areas in the winter would do well to supplement with vitamin D if their diet doesn’t contain enough. Also, supplemental iron can be beneficial. If a person is deficient in a specific vitamin or has problems with absorption, it also is a good idea to take it. Most of all, eating a healthy diet is the best way to ensure adequate dietary needs are met.

  • Too much vitamin A can cause liver damage, interrupt calcium storage and cause calcium to build in the kidneys, damaging them. It also can contribute to lung cancer in smokers, but ironically may help those with COPD.
  • In order to get the benefits of multivitamins, they need to be absorbed and the right form of the nutrient. The binders used and type of nutrient needs to be natural and not in tablet form, which normally means they’re very expensive.
  • The most common problem, even for the far more expensive multivitamins, is an insufficient dose to make a difference or an excess dose that can cause problems. Most problems come from an insufficient dose.
  • Many multivitamins contain filler or are made from non-organic materials, such as ascorbic acid—vitamin C—which is made from GM corn. There are artificial flavors and colors added, plus heavy metals and chemicals.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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How Often Should You Go To The Gym As A Beginner?

How Often Should You Go To The Gym As A Beginner?

Published by on November 5, 2022 | Leave a response

When someone is a beginner, at Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, there are a lot of variations on how much time is spent in the gym. Some people come every day to workout, while others come once a week or even less. What is the perfect amount of time to spend? The answer varies based on your goals and even your fitness level. However, if you only come once a week to the gym, you need to be doing some type of exercises on other days to get in at least 150 to 300 minutes a week.

Part of the variation is contributed to the type of exercise you’re doing.

Are you pushing hard and going at peak intensity? Then that 150 to 300 minutes a week is suddenly reduced to 75 to 150 minutes a week. That’s about two to three gym visits, since high intensity workouts are normally shorter. Your body can’t keep up the pace for that long, especially if you’re a beginner. For other people, particularly those out of shape, taking a more moderate pace would require more time at the gym.

Not all types of training have to be done at the gym.

When you’re working with a personal trainer, let the trainer be your guide. He or she will help designate how many days you should come. For others, remember, not every exercise has to be done at the gym. For instance, a beginner might start aerobic training by walking. It’s far more interesting to walk outside, or at least inside an indoor mall, than it is to walk laps around the gym. On days you walk, going to the gym may not be necessary. If you’re doing strength training, you need to rest those muscles for at least 48 hours so the microtears caused by the workout can heal.

Beginners need to start slowly and work toward increasing their workout.

If you’ve been sedentary for years and finally decided that enough was enough, you might need more rest between tough workouts and take it easier in the beginning. Some people start by working out two to three days a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. On the days away, they go for walks, ride bikes or do other gentle exercises like tai chi.

  • You can boost your exercise time by increasing your activity. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further from the store. On Saturday night, don’t go to a show, go dancing.
  • If you aren’t working with a trainer, at least for the first two weeks take it slow. Focus mostly on form than repetition. Make sure you include warm up and cool down time in your workout session.
  • As you progress, you can increase your workout time or workout intensity. If you push yourself too hard initially, you’re apt to cause an injury that will leave you sidelined for months. Always listen to your body.
  • Make sure your program is varied. Cardio should be done at least three days a week, while strength training should be one to two times for each muscle group. Flexibility training should be done daily.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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Can Vitamin B6 Help Reduce Anxiety?

Can Vitamin B6 Help Reduce Anxiety?

Published by on October 25, 2022 | Leave a response

All people feel anxiety at one time or another. Sometimes, it can occur for no apparent reason. It may be mild enough that it’s bothersome, but short term does not really change life significantly. For a small group of people, anxiety can be significant. Recent studies show that exercise can help relieve the problem when paired with professional help and the latest studies show that Vitamin B6 may play a role in reducing the level of anxiety. Just like exercise, it may also be an important ancillary treatment for depression as well.

Anxiety is relatively common, but short-lived in many people.

Anxiety and mood disorders include everything from panic disorders to social anxiety. Anxiety and depression go hand in hand, so treatments for one often help the other. According to NIMH—-The National Institute of Mental Heath—approximately 31% of adults in the United States have experienced one type of anxiety disorder at some time in their life. Traditional treatment includes therapy and some ancillary therapy ranging from prescription drugs, exercise or home treatment with herbs like valerian. Now vitamin B6 and to a smaller extent, vitamin B12, may be added to that list.

The study was smaller but may be significant.

A study published July 19, 2022, in Human Psychopharmacology considered how taking higher doses of vitamin B6 and B12 affected anxiety and depression. It followed 478 young adults and used self-reporting techniques and MFQ and SCAARED tests that screen for anxiety, before and after the study, to learn the results. The blind study divided the participants into three groups. Those who took vitamin B6, those who took a placebo and those who took B12. Not only did they find that B6 reduces anxiety, based on those reports it also helped with depression levels. They found similar results from B12, but to a lesser degree. Other tests were also administered to study the One downfall of the study was that there were no baseline measures of B6 and B12 taken before the study.

B6 and B12 affect the neurotransmitters that calm the nervous system.

The brain has a delicate balance of neurons that excite and inhibit information. When the balance is off, the results are linked to autism, depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. B6 is involved with pathways that reduce neural excitation, which can help relieve anxiety. There are a number of reasons that B6 and B12 deficiencies can occur. Oral contraceptives can deplete vitamins, which include B6 and B12. Poor diets, poor absorption of the nutrients which can be caused by IBS, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis or celiac and alcohol consumption can affect these levels as well.

  • Controlling issues that affect vitamin B6 deficiency is one way to help prevent anxiety. Vitamin B6 can also be used in conjunction with both exercise and therapy to treat anxiety.
  • While the study used supplements that contained 100 milligrams of B6 for those taking B6 and 1,000 micrograms of B12 for that group, far higher than the daily allowance, eating healthy is a better option.
  • Healthy eating not only provides vitamin B6 and 12 it also combines those nutrients with other phytonutrients, vitamins, fiber and minerals to work in synergy, which often makes the effects of all nutrients more potent.
  • Foods high in vitamin B6 include sweet potatoes, spinach, chickpeas, bananas, nuts, potatoes, winter squash, onions, watermelon, raisins and sunflower seeds. Meat sources include beef, tuna, salmon, turkey and chicken.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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Healthy Eating In Real Life

Healthy Eating In Real Life

Published by on October 15, 2022 | Leave a response

Are you always on the run and don’t have time for healthy eating? That’s how a lot of people in Louisville, KY, feel. Real life doesn’t look like a segment from a sit com out of the 1950s where mom stayed home and cooked all the meals from scratch, families seldom ate at restaurants and there weren’t even TV dinners, let alone the variety of microwave options available today. To eat healthy today, you have to plan ahead and choose food wisely, even if it’s restaurant food.

If you have time to cook at home, make it easy and create a colorful plate.

Not everyone has a chance to cook at home, but if you do, make it nutritious. One simple way to ensure that is by making your plate colorful. If your collection of food isn’t eye pleasing, with a wide range of color, it’s probably not well-balanced. Think about a plate that only contains meat, potatoes and white bread. You only have two colors, with butter melting, possibly three. When you make your plate more colorful, by adding green, red, yellow and purple fruits and vegetables, it’s far more pleasing to the eye and healthy. Artificial coloring, like those used in Skittles or M&Ms don’t count.

Plan your meals ahead.

If you prefer not to study and learn all there is to learn about nutrition, or simply don’t have the time, don’t worry. You don’t have to know all that information. Our nutritionists can do it for you and create meal plans specifically for your needs. All you have to do is buy the food and assemble it. You can make a week’s worth of meals over the weekend and even freeze some for later if you double the recipes. After work, all you have to do is heat and eat. It’s faster than a drive through.

Expect to eat out occasionally.

Even the best laid plans can go astray, so why not plan for contingencies. If you’re going to eat at a fast food place, make it one that offers healthier options and choose those foods from the menu. Panera has a poppyseed salad with chicken that’s healthy. Chick-Fil-A offers grilled chicken options. Starbucks offers sous vide egg bites. Even KFC offers grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes and green beans as an option.

  • It’s also about what you drink. If you’re drinking soft drinks, including diet soft drinks, you aren’t doing your body a favor. While diet soda doesn’t have calories, studies show it can cause your waistline to grow.
  • Have healthy food in the fridge that you can eat on the run. Cut up fresh fruit and vegetables and have those ready for snacks and mini meals. Individual serving packs of nuts are also good options.
  • Learn to make smarter choices when you eat. Use Greek yogurt or even pureed cottage cheese in place of sour cream for potatoes and substitute brown rice for white rice as a healthier option.
  • Avoid frying food and instead opt for other techniques that are healthier, whether it’s roasting, steaming or even air frying, you can save calories and improve the health benefits of your food.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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Are Beans KETO Friendly?

Are Beans KETO Friendly?

Published by on October 5, 2022 | Leave a response

Keto has become one of the latest weight loss crazes that actually works. It requires paying close attention to the number of carbs you consume, so most people opt for more protein in their diet in the form of meat. There are lots of reasons for wanting to add beans to the diet that range from affordability to making meals more interesting. They’re nutritious and a good source of plant protein. However, beans are also higher in carbs. Not all beans are the same when it comes to carbs.

There are many healthy benefits from beans.

If you watch westerns or tales of early settlers traveling by wagon train, you’ll notice that many meals contain beans. They are not only foods used in the old west, but also hundreds of years before throughout history. They’re plentiful and the most common ingredient from the past. Beans are nutritious, not only do they contain protein, they have vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, iron, magnesium, calcium, selenium, zinc, copper, phosphorous and potassium. That’s a very broad list of nutrients.

Not all beans are the same when it comes to a keto diet.

Beans are high in carbohydrates, making it more difficult to insert into a keto diet and still have carbs left for other foods. You have to plan more carefully than you would if you ate a steak. To make it even more difficult, not all beans are the same when it comes to the carbs or calories they contain. White kidney beans, for instance, are high in both calories and carbs, with just a ½ cup containing 16 grams of net carbs and 124 calories. However, their dark red counterpart, dark red kidney beans, have just 109 calories per cup and 11 grams of carbs.

Which beans are better for keto diets?

The best type of beans for a keto diet are black soybeans. They’re creamier and sweeter than their yellow counterparts. They have a high protein count, lots of fiber, iron and calcium. Since soybeans are normally lower in carbohydrates, these make a good option. Most of these are used in veggie burgers, but can be made into tofu, added to salads or stews. For a half cup, they contain 120 calories, but just one gram of net carbs.

  • Pinto beans, like white kidney beans and the highest in carbs and don’t make a good addition to a keto friendly diet.
  • While beans are an inexpensive source of protein and contain a lot of nutrients, they also can cause digestive upsets and may cause inflammation from the enzymes. Most people find that the more they eat beans, the fewer problems they have.
  • While the carb count is high in beans, people who consume a targeted keto diet may be able to include them more often. People using this type of diet are often athletes and people who get more than normal amounts of exercise.
  • Rather than trying to figure out the right type of diet for you, whether it’s keto or not, why not take advantage of our nutritional program where the diet is created for you. All you do is buy the food.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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Yoga For Diabetes

Published by on September 25, 2022 | Leave a response

Diabetes can exacerbate some conditions, like high blood pressure, heart disease or circulation. Yoga can help directly, like stabilizing blood sugar levels. Increasing activity and eating healthy are exceptionally good for controlling diabetes. Yoga is a gentle form of exercise that most people can do. There are several poses that have proven especially beneficial for diabetics.

You might be surprised you’re already doing a few yoga positions.

Do you think you’re doing the phalakasana? Probably not. However, you may be if you’re doing the forearm plank as part of your workout. It works the whole body and helps regulate blood sugar levels, while improving insulin sensitivity. Planks—phalakasana poses—can be done by people of all ages and most levels of fitness. It can be modified for beginners who have never exercised.

Yoga relieves stress.

Yoga can help lower high blood pressure, while reducing the potential for heart disease when you do yoga poses. Yoga relieves stress and stress can raise blood sugar levels and increase blood pressure. Stress increases the production of cortisol. Cortisol plays a role in increasing the amount of visceral fat—the most dangerous type of fat. The more visceral fat you have, the more risk you have of developing high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Stress can also lead to stress eating, compounding the problem.

The reduction of cortisol when doing yoga can also reduce your feeling of hunger.

The more stressed you are, the more cortisol you have and the hungrier you are. That can cause you to eat more and make diabetes worse. It causes the liver to produce release more sugar to help the muscles get ready for flight or fight. That in turn, causes the body to release more insulin and the vicious cycle starts to get out of hand, creating first insulin resistance, then diabetes. Not only will yoga help reduce stress, it reduces inflammation. It increases adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory hormone.

  • Yoga can help with weight control, which helps control diabetes. While it doesn’t burn as many calories as some other types of exercise, it still burns extra calories. Studies found it also leads to more mindful eating habits.
  • Yoga can help improve overall sleep patterns and lead to a sounder, higher quality sleep. Lack of sleep causes an imbalance in the satiety/hunger hormones, making you hungrier, which leads to more weight gain.
  • Yoga helps build muscles. The more muscles you have, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight. A new study found that the more weight you lose, the more likely your type 2 diabetes will go away.
  • Whether you start yoga or some other form of exercise, healthy eating is also important for controlling diabetes. Like all forms of exercise, it can also improve your overall physical and mental well-being.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training

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