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Benefits Of Wheat Germ Oil

Benefits Of Wheat Germ Oil

Published by on February 25, 2025 | Leave a response

Should you take wheat germ oil or include it in your supplements? It all depends on your personal needs and goals. Wheat germ oil is packed with nutrients. It provides a generous supply of omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains omega-6 and omega-9. It is packed with vitamins K and E. It also contains choline, which is neither vitamin nor mineral but is frequently grouped with B vitamins, as well as vitamin A and other B vitamins. Wheat germ oil comes from cold-pressing wheat germ.

Wheat germ oil can improve energy and reduce the potential for infection.

Taking wheat germ oil can provide an energy boost. It’s the omega-3 fatty acids in it that convert to energy for muscles to use. It helps increase circulation, which translates into more energy as well. After a demanding workout, some athletes are susceptible to respiratory infections due to the reduction of immune functioning. Including vitamins C and E in your diet can help prevent the problem. Since wheat germ oil is high in vitamin E, it’s one option to use.

You may lower your blood pressure when you take wheat germ.

Taking wheat germ won’t replace medication. Don’t use it in conjunction with blood pressure-lowering medication since it might cause too low of a drop. It also has other heart-healthy benefits due to the omega-3 fatty acids. It helps lower the harmful LDL levels and increase the beneficial HDL. It can reduce the risk of plaque building on the interior of arteries. It does contain an imbalance of omega-6 6o omega-3, so moderating your use is suggested.

Wheat germ oil may have side effects.

If you have a wheat allergy, you may have side effects from wheat germ oil, such as nasal congestion, headache, digestive issues, or difficulty breathing if taking it internally. While it’s considered safe for most other people, take precautions if someone in your family has a wheat allergy. Don’t give it to babies. They could develop wheat allergies.

  • Your brain requires healthy fat. Wheat germ oil contains healthy fat that can improve your nervous system. It’s the omega-3 fatty acids that support the brain and nervous system. It also is an antioxidant that protects the brain.
  • Wheat germ oil may help regulate your blood sugar. If you’re already on a medication for high blood sugar, consult your healthcare professional before taking it. It can cause blood sugar levels to drop dramatically.
  • Wheat germ oil can keep you looking younger. It’s been used on the skin for centuries. It helps avoid oxidative stress and can minimize scars and wrinkles. It also boosts collagen production.
  • Wheat germ oil may help prevent obesity by boosting your metabolism to burn more calories. As with any supplement, use it cautiously and always consult your healthcare professional if you take medications or have a health condition.

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

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Is There A Good Time Of Day To Take Vitamins?

Is There A Good Time Of Day To Take Vitamins?

Published by on February 15, 2025 | Leave a response

Not everyone needs supplements if they eat right, but some still do. Each person’s body and needs are different. Once you find you have a deficit, other questions arise. Is an imbalanced diet the cause? Is there a health issue responsible for the problem? Once you answer those questions, you move to the type and dosage of the vitamins and the time of day you take them. There are two types of vitamins: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins include eight B vitamins and C. Fat-soluble vitamins include D, K, A, and E.

You should take some vitamins with food.

There are several reasons to take vitamins with food. Some work better on an empty stomach. Some require the consumption of food to avoid digestive issues. Fat-soluble vitamins need fat for absorption. Taking them with a small amount of fat ensures they are available for the body. The fat should come from healthy choices like avocados or salmon. Studies show that when a person takes vitamin D after a meal, absorption increases by 32% compared to vitamin D taken with water. When taken after a meal with more than 5 grams of fat, the absorption increased by as much as 57%.

Can food interfere with the absorption of water-soluble vitamins?

Water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C dissolve easily in water, so drinking a glass of water is the only thing necessary. The water should be tepid. If it’s too hot or cold, it can interfere with the process. Water-soluble vitamins should be taken on an empty stomach, according to some authorities. Vitamin C may cause stomach issues in some people when taken on an empty stomach. Vitamin B12 tends to boost your energy. Take it in the morning to avoid insomnia.

Multivitamins diminish the absorption of one vitamin type.

It doesn’t matter whether you take a multivitamin at mealtime or take it earlier with only water it will affect the absorption of either fat-soluble or water-soluble vitamins. There’s no best time to take them unless you’re susceptible to stomach issues from vitamin C. In that case, taking them with food protects from gastrointestinal issues and provides the fat necessary for absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins. The trade-off is diminished absorption of water-soluble vitamins.

  • Always take fat-soluble vitamins after you’ve eaten food with fat. You don’t have to eat an entire meal. You can eat toast with mashed avocado instead of butter or a cup of yogurt.
  • B-complex vitamins boost energy. Taking them before a workout may be beneficial. Vitamin D is necessary for strong muscles and bones. Use them before strength-building sessions.
  • If you’re building muscle, taking vitamin D before a workout with a snack helps increase testosterone levels and makes muscle-building easier.
  • If you’re taking any medication, always check with your healthcare professional or pharmacist before taking any supplements. Some vitamins interact with or boost the medicine. One example is vitamin E. When it’s taken with warfarin it can cause excessive bleeding.

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How Athletes Can Manage Stress Through Nutrition

How Athletes Can Manage Stress Through Nutrition

Published by on February 5, 2025 | Leave a response

Athletes often are nervous right before an event. Sometimes, it continues throughout the endeavor. Being a little tense is good. It’s part of some athletes’ preparation, but once the race, fight, or race begins, it’s time to get down to business. If an athlete can’t manage stress, it can negatively affect their performance. During the competition, additional physical stress comes from pushing the body to the limit. There are multiple strategies available to help. One of those uses nutrition. It can help reduce both mental and physical stress.

Stress can be beneficial and provide a boost in energy for competition.

Getting the jitters before a competition is normal for everyone, whether they play professional football or compete in a chess tournament. The fight-or-flight response is a preservation instinct. There is an optimal point where stress helps the athlete function at their best. It’s rare to see an athlete have too little stress, especially right before their performance. If they do, it can impede the driving force to excellence. A little stress can be helpful to push the athlete toward their best by providing a boost of energy and improved focus. Overstressed athletes don’t function at their best. It impairs their ability to make decisions and decreases their performance.

Dietary advice can help the athlete perform their best and reduce stress to controllable levels.

Athletes can use various dietary strategies for stress management. Maintaining maximum glycogen stores, increasing protein intake throughout the day, and ensuring adequate hydration to prevent excess fluid loss are three. Timing food intake and the balance of macronutrients, which includes pre and post-workout snacks consisting of protein and carbohydrates, is another approach. Newer methods include the supplementation of micronutrients. The most critical factor is using a nutritional combination that addresses the athletes’ needs and keeps them mentally and physically healthy.

Stress can occur due to lack of energy.

Stress isn’t all mental. Physical stress is part of the problem. Ensuring the body has adequate energy can reduce the amount of stress. That assurance comes from timing food intake and choosing the food combinations that provide energy at varying times. Consuming snacks before and after exercise can boost recovery and reduce the physical stress exercise places on the body.

  • It takes a delicate balance of protein intake. It’s necessary for recovery, but too much can cause calcium loss and increase the risk of dehydration.
  • It takes the perfect balance of calorie intake to calorie output to ensure athletes maintain weight classes. Athletes should focus on nutrition and avoid diets that put undue stress on their bodies.
  • Introduce food into the diet that contains natural stress relievers, such as leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and eggs. Eggs contain multiple nutrients, including choline, that help reduce stress. Sweet potatoes reduce cortisol, a stress hormone.
  • The diet that fills your nutritional needs and addresses excess stress may contain food like broccoli. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, which has a calming effect and contains multiple vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

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Winter Workouts: Staying Active When It's Cold Outside

Winter Workouts: Staying Active When It’s Cold Outside

Published by on January 25, 2025 | Leave a response

It can get cold and snowy in Louisville, KY, during winter. If you run, ride a bike, or even walk as exercise, you should dress for the weather and be cautious or find alternate winter workouts for those days when the weather doesn’t cooperate. It could be the best time to take your workout to the next level and join a gym part of the time while continuing your regular exercise regime on other days. It can add variety and improve all types of fitness, not just endurance.

When you stick with your outside regimen.

If you’ve always exercised outside, you conditioned your body for cold weather. It adapted slowly as the weather changed unless there was a dramatic drop in the temperature overnight. Layer your clothing instead of opting for one heavy coat. As your body warms, you can remove layers. Wear gloves and a cap or headband. If the temperature drops below freezing, wear thermal pants or undergarments. If there’s precipitation, wear waterproof clothing. Thermal socks and waterproof shoes with gripping soles are also necessary.

Stay safe.

During icy weather, take care if you’re running. Always take a cell phone with you. If possible, exercise with a friend. Whether you workout outside or keep it inside at a gym, leaving the house can be intimidating when it’s cold outside. Exercising with another person or a group can make you more accountable for your workout. It’s also safer. If one person has a health issue, the other can call for help. People with bad intentions are less prone to assault two or more people.

Take your workout inside.

Exercising outside can be invigorating and refreshing. It can increase your circulation and be more comfortable than a warmer inside workout once you start sweating. However, it’s not for everyone. Inside winter workouts may have more appeal if you’re not a fan of cold weather. If that describes you, exercise with a friend at the gym or use a personal trainer. You still have to face the cold to get to the gym. Both will improve your chances of going.

  • Whether you exercise outside in the morning or at the end of the day, wear reflective clothing. It gets light later and dark earlier, so you want to ensure drivers can see you. Put reflectors on the pedals and add lights if you ride a bike.
  • Don’t shy away from exercising outside on those days when the weather is crisp. Working out in cold weather improves your endurance and your exercise more efficiently. It can change white fat to brown fat that burns quickly.
  • Do warm-up stretching before you go outside to exercise. It’s even more important during cold weather. Your joints and muscles are stiffer during the cold winter weather. Start with your neck and work your way down to ensure all muscles are warmed.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional before you start any exercise program. If you’re looking for the best fitness program, our trainers can help you.

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

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Why Diet Is Just As Important As Fitness

Why Diet Is Just As Important As Fitness

Published by on January 15, 2025 | Leave a response

It’s that time of year. It’s a resolution-keeping or resolution-breaking system, depending on how well you’re doing. People often vow to improve their health by improving their diet or exercise regimen. Both are vital for good health. Which is more important? They should both be priorities. A healthy diet improves your physical well-being, and so does exercise. Each plays a vital role in good health.

If you want to lose weight, both diet and exercise provide benefits.

Remember this saying. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Eating healthy is a priority if you want to lose weight or build muscles. If you eat ten thousand calories daily, unless you’re an Olympic swimmer, it’s almost impossible to burn them off in a day. Even if you exercise, you’ll still gain weight. A poor diet doesn’t contain all the nutrients necessary to keep your body functioning at its best. Eating foods high in fiber feeds the gut microbiome. It acts like a secondary immune system and creates enzymes to control bodily functions.

Exercise can keep you looking and feeling younger.

Just like a healthy diet, exercise plays a role in weight loss. It burns calories to create a deficit that helps you lose weight. It plays a role in aging by increasing the length of telomeres. They act like aglets on the end of shoelaces and prevent the chromosomes from unraveling, which can cause cell damage and, ultimately, death. It also increases the number of stem cells in the body. They replace damaged cells and help you look more youthful. Exercise increases the beneficial microbes in the gut to improve digestion and bodily functions.

Improve both.

A healthy diet and regular exercise can help you reach any fitness goal. If weight loss is your goal, exercise burns calories, builds muscle tissue, and changes your body composition. The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight. Muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does. You’ll be boosting your metabolism to make weight loss easier.

  • Both a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you burn belly fat. Obesity is the leading cause of preventable deaths, especially if most of it is around the waist. Diet and exercise can burn that fat, reduce insulin resistance, and prevent conditions like diabetes.
  • You’ll live longer and better when you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Staying fit allows you to live independently for longer and enjoy what life offers.
  • Making small changes to your diet can bring many benefits. Cutting out highly processed food and food with added sugar improves your diet dramatically. Choose food closest to its natural state.
  • If you aren’t sure how to make the dietary changes necessary or how to create your workout program, we have registered dietitians and personal trainers to help. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting any diet or exercise program.

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

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New Year - New Fitness Goals

New Year – New Fitness Goals

Published by on January 5, 2025 | Leave a response

People in Louisville, KY rang in the New Year with resolutions and mental promises to do better in the future. These resolutions are goals. Many people set fitness goals to get healthier, stronger, or leaner. You need to do more than set goals or make resolutions. Your resolution should be clearly defined. Create a plan to achieve those goals and make them achievable. If you want to lose 40 pounds, you need to set a timeline. It should be realistic and healthy. By starting now, you can celebrate next New Year’s Eve looking fabulous.

Break down your goal into manageable sections.

If you consider losing 40 pounds, it can seem overwhelming. Break it down into smaller, easier-to-manage and achieve mini-goals. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound. Increasing your activity level and decreasing calorie intake causes a loss of two pounds a week by creating a 1000 daily calorie deficit. Establish your weekly weight loss goal, then determine how many weeks it will take to shed the forty pounds. If you choose two pounds a week, it will take you 20 weeks. That’s your deadline.

Determine your weekly plan to reduce your calorie intake.

Traditional dieting isn’t the best option for weight loss. People often starve themselves, feeling deprived and hungry all the time. Diets always end. Sometimes, they end at a drive-through Quickie Burger with an order of fries, a jumbo burger, and a shake. Sometimes, they succeed. When they succeed, people often return to old eating patterns that put on the weight in the first place. Instead, learning to eat healthier and smarter can mean never dieting again. A dietician can help you plan healthy menus that fit your needs and preferences.

Start an exercise program to burn more calories.

Some people join a gym to increase their caloric output. Others start a walking or bike riding program. No matter what you do, be consistent. Too often, people start with high expectations only to quit within a few weeks. Many people pay for gym memberships but never benefit because they fail to go. One way to avoid that and get the training that achieves your goals is to use a personal trainer. It turns your gym visit into an appointment.

  • Your gender, weight, age, body composition, exercise intensity, and activity level when not at the gym will determine how many calories you’ll burn when you workout. Men burn more calories than women. Younger people burn more calories than older people.
  • Track your progress. Winners keep score. When you track your workout and progress, it makes it more like a game that you want to win. It motivates you by holding yourself accountable.
  • Don’t push yourself too hard initially, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Focus on learning the proper form for each exercise and start slowly to prevent injury that can set you back for months.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional before starting any new diet or exercise program. Our personal trainers can help you develop a plan to reach your fitness goals faster.

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

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How Exercising Can Be A Stress Reliever

How Exercising Can Be A Stress Reliever

Published by on December 25, 2024 | Leave a response

Are you feeling stressed? It’s easy to do in Louisville, KY. Life is busy. People have a lot of tugs on their time. Finding a way to reduce the stress or counteract it is vital. People often look to ways that aren’t healthy. Those ways may bring even more stress, like poor health or physical injury. One stress reliever not only improves your physical health, but it also improves your mental health. It’s exercising.

Stress starts a natural reaction to danger.

Caveman needed survival skills. The body’s reaction to stress is one of those. When early man faced danger, it signaled his brain to trigger hormones that prepared the body to fight or run. The hormones cause blood to go to the extremities. It caused blood pressure and heart rate to rise. All the changes made man more prepared to flee or fight. Burning off stress hormones while creating new hormones makes the person feel better. We don’t have the same dangers today, but the response is the same. It’s not best to fight an angry boss or leave your car and run into a traffic jam. Mimicking both actions through exercise helps overcome stress and provides other benefits.

Some people use exercise as a form of meditation.

Meditation can change your mind’s focus and help you relax. It is one way to reduce stress. Some people use exercise as a form of meditation. They direct their focus to the present and the rhythm of the body. If you’re running outside, it’s all about the sound of your feet hitting the ground and the wind and warmth of the sun on your face, and the warmth of the sun. If you’re lifting, your focus is directly on the muscles. Not only does exercise help divert your attention and bring stress relief, but it also helps you develop laser focus.

Stress can lead to anxiety or depression.

Many studies have revealed that exercise helps both depression and anxiety. Many therapists use it as an adjunct therapy. One study found therapy and exercise had better results than therapy alone or therapy and medication. Another benefit was that it had no side effects except for a healthier, more attractive body.

  • Exercise improves your posture and makes you look more confident. The more confident you look, the more people treat you as though you are. That treatment makes you feel more confident and less stressed.
  • Exercise helps promote better sleep. That can enable people to cope with stress better. Lack of sleep alone can be stressful. Add that to the day’s stress, and you have an overwhelming combination.
  • You’ll improve your gut microbiome when you exercise. Many beneficial microbes in the gut create enzymes that can boost your mood and improve your emotional well-being.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional first before starting any exercise program. If you have limitations, consider using a personal trainer to guide you safely through a program. Make sure you let the trainer know about any physical problems.

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

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Do You Need Protein After A Workout?

Do You Need Protein After A Workout?

Published by on December 15, 2024 | Leave a response

What you eat plays a major role in your health and fitness level. When you eat also plays a role, especially if you workout. You need the nutrients to keep you going and get the most from your workout, but you also need the materials to recover and rebuild muscle tissue. That means you need both carbohydrates and protein pre and post-exercise.

Most people understand a small snack or meal before exercising boosts your energy.

There are a few rules to follow when you eat before working out. The closer you are to exercising, the less you should eat. You also should avoid fatty foods. These rules are logical. They have to do with digestion. If you eat a large meal, make sure it’s 3 or 4 hours out. For smaller snacks, make it a half-hour window. Your body has to digest the food and exercise can interrupt that. Also, fats take longer to digest, so go light on fatty food. Pre-workout food also helps start recovery quicker.

Exercise causes tiny micro tears in the muscle.

When you exercise, especially when you do intense muscle-building, it causes micro tears in the muscles. The magic of muscle-building doesn’t occur when you exercise but during recovery. That’s when the micro-tears heal and form scar tissue to build bulk and strength. It’s one reason you should wait 48 to 72 hours before exercising those muscles again, or the healing doesn’t occur.

Post-workout snacks are for recovery and replenishing glycogen stores.

Eating a snack of protein provides the building blocks for building muscles. Carbohydrates replenish the glycogen stores in the muscles. Both are necessary to maximize your benefits from the workout. Eat it as soon after a workout as possible. It can be a full meal or a snack like apples and a spoonful of peanut butter. If you have a busy day following exercise, you won’t run out of steam midway.

  • Protein contains amino acids that are the building blocks for muscle tissue. Carbohydrates provide the energy for your body to function. The combination for a post-workout snack should be 40% protein and 60% carbohydrates.
  • If it’s close to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, wait until your next meal to eat. Make sure you replenish liquids throughout the workout and afterward, regardless of intensity.
  • You don’t have to make it elaborate. There are simple, inexpensive snacks you can make. Greek yogurt with bananas and berries is one option. Fruit and nuts are another. Keep the carbohydrates healthy and avoid food with added sugar.
  • If your workout is intense, you may need to replenish electrolytes. For potassium, eat a side of sweet potatoes, grapes, or green, leafy vegetables. You’ll also get magnesium from the green, leafy vegetables. Chicken soup can provide sodium.

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Are Avocados Good For Diabetes?

Are Avocados Good For Diabetes?

Published by on December 5, 2024 | Leave a response

If you have diabetes, your diet plays a vital role in your health. Some foods are off-limits, like those packed with added sugar or other simple carbs. Food high in trans-fat should also be avoided. Most people try to avoid foods high in fat or calories and may cut avocados out of their diet. They think eating it can interfere with weight loss. That could be a mistake. Avocados provide many health benefits, especially for people with diabetes.

Eating avocados provides healthy fat and nutrients.

Avocados are high in nutrients that everyone needs, especially diabetics. They are an excellent source of vitamin K. Vitamin K helps boost insulin sensitivity and improves sugar metabolism. According to one study, eating a medium avocado daily lowered the risk of metabolic disease by 50%. A different study showed that people who ate the most avocados had a lower risk of developing diabetes.

If you’re worried about losing weight, avocados can help.

Often, people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, need to lose weight. Keeping calorie counts lower is important. They’re high in fat, which means they’re higher in calories. That usually stops people from eating them. Don’t let that stop you. It doesn’t mean you should eat several a day, but it does mean you can eat them. Avocados contain fiber that fills you up and helps maintain blood sugar levels. The more fiber in your diet, the lower your fasting blood sugar and A1C levels are.

Metabolic syndrome is reduced when you eat avocados.

What is metabolic syndrome? It includes having three of five medical conditions. These include abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, low serum high-density lipoproteins, and high serum triglycerides. It increases your risk for stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Scientists believe the problem may come from increased visceral fat—belly fat. Visceral fat causes inflammation. It plays a central role in weight gain and insulin resistance. One 12-week study found that when two groups ate the same calories but one group included avocados in their diet, the body converted visceral fat to subcutaneous fat that was not associated with metabolic syndrome.

  • Avocados contain oleic and monounsaturated fatty acids. Using oils high in oleic fatty acids instead of polyunsaturated fat, such as flaxseed oil, can reduce abdominal fat. Monounsaturated fatty acids also reduce belly fat.
  • It is high in vitamins E, C, B3, K, B6, B5, and B2. It contains folate, copper, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. The high potassium content can help lower blood pressure.
  • The high-fat content of avocados can help you lose weight. It keeps you feeling full longer. It lowers the bad LDL cholesterol and improves the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional before including avocados in your diet if you have diabetes. Every person is different and requires a personalized diet.

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

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