Blog

CUCKOO  FOR COCONUT …..OIL …

There is a lot of talk about coconut oil these days, I would like to help you understand it’s benefit’s and why you may want to have coconut oil handy in your “Lean for Life” kitchen.

High quality raw coconut oil is unique, it’s also a healthy saturated fat because it boasts a spectrum of

nine different fatty acids-the majority being MCT(medium chain triglycerides).

MTC are a burning fat, not a storing fat. When these fats are metabolized in the body , they bring some of the stored fat out along with them. When we eat the right fat’s it truly helps to burn the unwanted fat.

The confusion to weather or not coconut oil is helpful was due largely that some of the health professionals were taught to focus on the caloric values of saturated fats & never understood the nutritional values and health benefit’s of medium chain triglycerides (saturated fat in the coconut oil).

The health professionals also where thought to believe it is a really bad fat because of the high levels of lauric acid, which they misunderstood to aid in raising cholesterol levels and clogging up arteries. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Components of Coconut Oil

A healthy diet contains mixtures of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Human

breast milk contains about 45 to 50 % saturated fat, about 35% unsaturated and 15-20%

polyunsaturated. Lauric acid and capric acid comprise about 20% of total saturated fatty acids

found in breast milk. The high content of lauric acid in breast milk protects infants from invading

viruses and bacteria and supports the immune system.

What coconut oil does not do :

Coconut oil does NOT clog arteries

Does not raise cholesterol levels

Does not raise triglyceride levels

Does not cause obesity    

Does not cause heart disease

Does not contain trans fatty acids

Does not contain hydrogenated oil

Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. How? It is easy to digest and helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid & enzymes systems. It increases the body’s metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight.

The ability of some of the medium chain saturated fatty acids to inhibit the liver’s formation of fat very likely synergizes with the pro-thyroid effect, in allowing energy to be used, rather than stored.  When fat isn’t formed from carbohydrate, the sugar is available for use, or for storage as glycogen.

Therefore, shifting from unsaturated fats in foods to coconut oil involves several anti-stress processes, reducing our need for the adrenal hormones.  Decreased blood sugar is a basic signal for the release of adrenal hormones.

Unsaturated oil tends to lower the blood sugar in at least three basic ways.  It damages mitochondria, causing respiration to be uncoupled from energy production, meaning that fuel is burned without useful effect.  It suppresses the activity of the respiratory enzyme (directly, ‘and through its anti-thyroid actions), decreasing the respiratory production of energy.  And it tends to direct carbohydrate into fat production, making both stress and obesity more probable. MCTs are more directly sent to the liver, where they are quickly burned.

The highest quality when shopping for coconut oil is Cold pressed virgin oil, this is produced with in one hour of opening a nut.

Coconut oil has been know to keep at room temperature for over 2 years.

When adding Coconut oil to you “Lean for Life” daily nutrition I suggest you replace some of your other oils used with coconut oil. It has been recommended that 3-4 tbsp daily will be of assistance for excellent health & weight loss.

Remember good fat’s help burn bad fat’s.

Wake up & smell the iron ….

If you think doing a walk 3 times a week is all you need, I want you to re-think after this article. You need to get friendly with the iron, weight training.

Weight training is responsible for many things here is a list of fact”s on why weight training needs to be part of your weekly routine.

WEIGHT TRAINING :

Resistance training is going to build muscle, and the muscle that we all ready have will get tuned up to become more efficient at burning fat. Muscles constitute the metabolic engine of your body. Which means the more muscle you have the higher your resting metabolism functions, the more active the muscles are the more fat you will burn, 24 hours a day. One pound of active muscle burns almost 50 calories a day.

How often should I do resistance training? If your goals are fat loss 2-3 times a week will be effective.

• BENEFITS TO WEIGHT TRAINING
• PREVENTS OSTEOPOROSIS
• INCREASES METABOLISM
• DECREASES BLOOD PRESSURE
• DECREASES CHOLESTEROL
• IMPROVES BONE DENSITY
• IMPROVE BALANCE, COORDINATION
• HELPS DECREASE BODY FAT
• BURNS MORE CALORIES
• LOSE INCHES TONES MUSCLE
• IMPROVES MUSCULAR ENDURANCE
• HELPS REHABILITATE INJURIED MUSCLES
• HELPS DECREASE RISK OF ADULT DIABETES
• IMPROVES POSTURE
• INCREASES YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
• LOWERS RESTING HEART RATE
• After the age of fifty if you are not weight training to keep your muscle you will be losing muscle at a rapid pace therefore your ability to burn extra fat will slow.Muscle knows no age and you can build and keep muscle as long as you train properly. A weight training routine that can be done at home works well, you don’t have to have a fancy gym to keep your muscle’s strong.Lady’s start pumping the iron now, so your later years will be a breeze. Eat purposefully and watch yourself grow young.

SUGAR/WHITE POSION

DID YOU KNOW THAT SUGAR COULD POSSIBILY BE DEEMED AS A DRUG?

In my opinion any food source that has been stripped of all food quality’s and nutrients , that can alter your body, is labelled a drug. Why not sugar ? It’s list of side effect’s are equally as long as a drug.

It’s the most acceptable drug of choice today. Sugar is addicting and causes a host of issues in our bodies.

• Did you know as soon as you have sugar you are impairing one of your fat burning hormones ( growth hormone) .

• Sugar raises your insulin levels (another powerful fat storing hormone )& then drops them low, this is why you will have more sugar cravings.
• Sugar cause’s inflammation in your body

Sugar is the main cause for childhood obesity & hyper tension.

• Sugar suppresses your immune system
• Sugar contributes to depression & anxiety
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia
• Sugar interferes with absorption of vitamins & minerals
• Sugar raises adrenaline levels in (children)
• Sugar cause free radical formation in the bloodstream
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in your liver
• Glucose (a fancy name for sugar) & vitamin C have similar chemical structures,so when sugar is present they compete with one an other upon entering the cells. More sugar less Vitamin C.
• Sugar feeds Cancer
• Sugar impairs DNA
• Sugar promotes Candida

Did you know that the average person consumes 2-3 lbs of sugar each week? This is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars come in many hidden forms.

Below is a list of sugars with a different name.

• Sucrose(table sugar)
• Dextrose(corn sugar)
• High fructose corn syrups
• Honey ( with some vitamin and mineral benefit’s) it’s the highest calorie count of all sugars.
• Glucose
• Lactose (milk sugar)
• Maltose (malt sugar used in rice milk)
• Palm sugar
• Alcohol
• Maple syrup

These different sugars are hidden in many processed foods such as cereals,ketchup,peanut butter,bread ect..

Here are some tip’s on living “Lean for Life” all year round & into the Holiday season:

• Eat lean protein 4-5 times daily. Protein is Thermogenic in nature, which helps to balance your insulin levels.
• Eat the majority of your starchy carbs morning & noon with less for dinner.
• No processed foods,as they are mostly hidden sugars & bad fat’s
• Eat good fat’s as they help to burn bad fat’s
• Do not drink your calories, only water,herbal tea’s
• Try not to eat 3 hours before bed as your natural growth hormone will be impaired. Growth hormone is responsible for helping keep you lean & youthful. It is one of your fat burning hormones.
• Move your body daily, work up a sweat if your weight training it only needs to be 45 mins to burn of all your stored glycogen .
• Cardio sessions should be short 25 -30 minutes of hard intervals
• Sleep 8-10 hours a night it will help ensure your cortisol levels will be balanced. Cortisol is a fat storing hormone.
• By using Muscle Lines 80-20 rule all year round you can enjoy everything life has to offer and still stay “Lean for Life”

“Lean for Life” will teach you real skills. Did you know fat burning has everything to do with your hormones?

Learn how to make decisions based on fat storing or fat burning. Learn how to be a “Fat burning machine”

Through a structure system Muscle Lines is helping clients achieve and maintain optimal health through the holidays and year round.

Muscle Lines encourages purposeful eating 80 % of the time & 20 % enjoying other tasty foods.

Muscle Lines wants to wish all of you a Merry Christmas & a Healthy Happy New Year !!!!!!

THE HEALING POWERS OF INFRARED HEAT

With so many health products and gimmicks on the market today I felt the need to write about my discovery of the infrared sauna.

The first question I wanted answered was; what is the difference between a regular and infrared sauna?

The first discovery was that the infrared heaters emitted infrared heat which is absorbed directly into the human body, unlike the regular sauna which uses indirect heat.

Secondly infrared energy penetrates deep into your skin up to 2-3 inches much like natural sunlight. Heating up your body through infrared heaters can help boost your immune system through the heating process which mimic’s a fever, therefore boosting your immune system naturally,& slows down virus & bacterial growth.

Another comparison I thought was interesting was one litre of sweat in an ordinary sauna contains approximately 3% toxins, while the sweat analysis from infrared sauna contains 20 % toxins.

The human body starts to liquify at 110 degrees Fahrenheit, through a process called transpiration taking heavy metals out along the way. Interestingly an estimate of one in four people suffer from heavy metal poisoning.

List of heavy metals:

• lead
• cadmium
• nickel
• copper
• sodium

List of benefit’s:

• Better circulation
• increased energy
• speeds up injury recovery
• detoxification
• stress reduction
• skin beautification
• improved immune system

With the deep penetration infrared sauna you can increase blood circulation which releases built up toxins and wastes in your body. Infrared heat generates and simulates vasodil atation of peripheral blood vessels bringing oxygen to your joints & extremities therefore speeding up the healing process of athlete’s which helps recovery.

In conclusion all studies point to repeated one hour sessions 2-3 times a week can be very beneficial to your health & wellness .

Depression is a feeling all of us will encounter in our life time. We are in the physical form which therefore means we go threw an array of feelings, whether it be moment to moment, daily, monthly it is going to happen. The big question is this, is it keeping you from your daily activities or taking the fun out from your life?

Severe depression may require  doctor’s guidance, but mild or even moderate is totally workable outside of medicine. Did you know it is OK to feel feelings in a deep & UN logical way. The difference is how long does it last?

If diagnosed with mild to moderate depression exercise can help. Here is a list of why.

• Exercise increases mastery and makes you feel in-control.
• Exercise increases energy.
• Exercise helps distract you from worry.
• Exercise will help you to sleep better.
• Exercise improves your moods for up to 12 hours.
• Exercise is a stress buster-relieves muscle tension & elevates your heart rate, this combo makes you more relaxed therefore you can deal with your problems more effectively.
• Exercise can change your brain chemistry that is linked to moods.
• Intense exercise can stimulate the production of endorphins.
• Exercise increases Neurogenesis (the growth of nerve brain cells)
• Exercise is necessary & can be enjoyable, join a group be supported find new friends.

A professional can help to guide you to the right type of exercise for your current level of fitness & health.

Having a structured exercise plan can help you get on the right track to natural healing.

WHAT IS PERIMENOPAUSE?

• A change in hormonal function leading up to menopause
• Symptoms can begin years before menopause occurs
• A process similar to puberty gradual change over time
• Can last up to 5 to 15 years
• Typically begins around age 40, but can begin in the 30′s as well

WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?

• Officially defined as that point in time when menstrual cycles end permanently
• Not done menstruating until one full year has passed from last menstrual period
• Average age 52

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY BODY?

• My old eating habits and diets aren’t working
• I have gained inches around my mid section that I cant get rid of
• I am craving sugar like never before
• Just not feeling good about myself
• Feel like it doesn’t matter nothing works any way
• Depression sets in
• The down ward cycle begins

3 MAJOR ISSUES OF MENOPAUSE

• Immediate hormonal symptoms and developing ways to cope
• A need to re examine your life for a deeper sense of meaning
• Taking an active role in managing long term health issues like heart disease and bone loss

TAKE CHARGE

• Understand Menopause learn the facts about physical changes
• Manage it, find solutions and ways of coping with symptoms and issue
• Own it accept and embrace menopause as an opportunity to make vital changes in your life

THE FOCUS OF A MENOPAUSITIVE PLAN…

• Exercise for physical conditioning and symptom relief
• Good sound nutrition for energy,weight loss and long term health Relaxation(yoga meditation) to lower stress

MEN HAVE

• 30 billion fat cells
• Smaller fat cells
• More fat releasing enzymes
• Ability to loss weight quickly
• Greater success with dieting
• Greater success with exercise
• 40 pounds more muscle mass
• 30% faster metabolism
• Less muscle loss with age
• Testosterone and a shorter life span

WOMEN HAVE

• 30 billion stubborn fat cells
• 5 times larger fat cells
• More fat storing enzyme
• Ability to gain weight
• Resistance to diet and exercise
• More fat mass
• Slower metabolism
• More weight gain with age
• Estrogen, the ability to have children and a longer life span

SYMPTOMS OF PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE

• Heart palpitations
• Migraine headaches
• Night sweats
• Insomnia
• Hot flashes
• Weight gain
• Aching and sore joints
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Itchy skin
• Irregular periods
• Urinary symptoms
• Bone loss
• Depression

PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN DEALING WITH WEIGHT GAIN

• Fat cells respond to lower hormone levels
• Drop in metabolism to maintain physical and emotional health during menopausal transition
• Fat cells begin to produce estrogen a valuable hormone for the transition

FAT CELL LIFE CYCLE

• Childhood puberty (waiting for puberty)
• 4 fat storing enzymes and 2 fat releasing enzymes
• Puberty
• 9 fat storing enzymes and 2 fat releasing enzymes
• Pregnancy 9 months of fat storage
• Approx age 35-6 fat storing enzymes
• 2 fat releasing enzymes
• Age 45-8 fat storing enzymes and 1 fat releasing enzyme
• Age 55-6 fat storing enzymes and 4 fat releasing enzymes

ESTROGEN AND FAT CELLS

• What is estrogen? It’s a group of 3 hormones that regulate women’s reproductive functions
• Estrogen performs 300 different functions in the body
• As women age estrogen from the ovaries and glands start to dwindle
• As estrogen levels drop the womens body has some clever way of dealing with this that’s right estrogen can be produced in fat cells so the fat cells start making their new home usually first around the mid section
• Women’s fat cells can also divide and make more fat cells

LOCATION OF FAT

• The womens body chooses the tummy for fat storage this is the area most conductive to the production of estrogen
• Fat cells located in the mid section insulate the liver and adrenal glands it’s the aid of these two that produces the estrogen

Regulate your bodies weight around the so-called set point

The body’s thermogenic capability is a very important factor in long-term weight management. The body has a natural ability, if it’s thermogenic machinery is working well to increase the amount of food calories that are burned off. This allows the body to regulate its weight around the so-called set point, the point around which the weight fluctuates. Unfortunately, as the thermogenic machinery becomes less able to convert nutrients to heat, the set point tends to creep up to a higher weight. Over the course of years an individual’s natural weight can increase by three to five pounds a year. Over the course of ten years this translates into thirty to fifty pounds of weight gain. In an attempt to alter this, crash diets are resorted to and unfortunately have an adverse influence to the thermogenic machinery and may in the long term increase the set point. So choosing your quality of food choices should be high on your list.

MACRONUTRIENTS

Nutrients that the body needs in fairly large quantities and that contain calories the body can burn for energy to do its metabolic and physical work are called macronutrients. Macronutrients include protein, carbohydrates and fats.

PROTEINS

All food, as it naturally occurs,contains some amount of protein. Various foods contain different percentages of protein and are made of unique combinations of the possible 32 different amino acids. The body uses these amino acids in its own combinations to build its protein structure substance.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbs make up two-thirds of human food intake. This category of nutrients is divide into 3 subcategories; simple carbohydrates or simple sugars, complex carbohydrates often called starches, and fiber. All carbs are sugars or more complicated structures made from sugars.

FATS

Fats belong to a category of nutrients technically referred to as lipids. This category of nutrients includes fat from animal sources as well as from plants sources. Oils are fats. Fats are often classified in terms of their saturation. Saturated fats come from animals although some plants are higher in saturated fats such as palm and coconut oil these are higher in saturated fat than the animal. Unsaturated fats are found in plant foods, including nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables, and even some fruits.

HER FAT

• A women’s body is designed to store fat. More than a mans. Here are
  the facts;
• Women’s fat cells are up to five times larger than a mans
• Women’s fat cells can contain up to twice the fat-storing enzymes
• Women’s fat cells can contain half the fat-releasing enzymes

This means it’s easy for women to put on fat and harder to take it off. Women have at least 8%more fat than men, which allows for an extra 120,000 calories for use in needy times. On average men carry 40 more pounds of muscle than women do. Men also carry 10 times more testosterone than women. Testosterone is a muscle building fat burning hormone. Men manufacture up to twice the amount of fat releasing enzymes that women do. On an average men burn 30% more calories during exercise than women do.

ESTROGEN

Estrogen is a group of three hormones that regulate women’s reproductive functions. As women age, estrogen production from the ovaries and glands starts to dwindle. As estrogen levels drop women’s bodies make plans for future estrogen manufacturing sites, and the best location seems to be in the fat cells. Yes estrogen can be produced in the fat cells. These facts give women all the more reason to want to put more muscle on your frame. Muscle helps burn more fat and helps turn your fat burning furnace up. The more thermogenically active your muscles are the more fat you will burn at rest. One pound of active muscle burns 50 more calories a day.

SUMMARY

In order to achieve your fitness goals a carefully thought out program is of the essence. The right amount of intense weight training to produce active muscle, enough cardio to burn extra calories and body fat and last but not least careful choices of macronutrients to help your muscles stay active and thermogenic. Living a lean and healthy lifestyle includes making the right chooses . Discover how you may learn how to make the right choices and stay lean and healthy all the time not just for an occasion or a short duration. Muscle Lines will educate and challenge your current lifestyle to a healthier way. We can always do better. With Muscle Lines lifestyle program you will learn how to turn your body into a fat burning machine.

In controlling ones weight, resting metabolic energy not the energy of the activity

Basic concept of weight management says that the number of calories taken in must equal the calories you expend in both metabolic and physical activity to maintain a stable weight. Metabolic activity or metabolic rate is determined by the body’s basic energy metabolism. On an average 75% of the energy expended each day is used to support the basic metabolic processes of the body. Only 25% of the energy we expend is the result of activity, such as exercise or work. This suggests that the largest factor in controlling ones weight is resting metabolic energy not the energy of the activity. Fitness level and resting metabolic rate is directly correlated. Which means a person, who is more active and also has more muscle on their frame will have a higher resting metabolic rate, therefore will have an easier time maintaining a balance between dietary calories in and total calories expended.

However, it appears that there is more to weight management than just calories in, and activity expended. EFFICIENCY is a huge factor in weight management. Some people may have metabolisms which burn off extra calories as heat, while others may have metabolisms which take extra calories and store them as fat. The balance between heat production and fat formation is related to a process called THERMOGENIC RESPONSIVENESS. An interesting fact a person who is greatly over weight (represents in their body shape extra energy stored as fat) will show symptoms of not having enough energy and being very tired. For these individuals energy in food is not being effectively transformed into the energy of physiological activity. Instead the energy is being stored as fat. So the two factors in weight management are, the balance one strikes between the number of calories consumed and the calories expended in the energy of activity and resting metabolism. The ability of the body to automatically increase its amount of heat production(thermo genesis)as a consequence of increased calorie intake.

The principal approach to appropriate weight management is to regulate both the density and type of calories in the diet by decreasing the amount of fat and increasing protein and carbohydrates.

Low impact exercises that promote fat burning; power walking, cycling, and aerobics

The food you eat each day is made up of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats we need some of each for our body and brain to function. Protein is our source for building muscle and tissue. protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The food you ingest satisfies 3 fundamental needs for energy, tissue repair, and growth. There are minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats we need some of each for our body and brain to function. Protein is our source for building muscle and tissue. Carbohydrates are our body’s main source of immediate energy. The minerals and nutrients that we get from our food are what allow all the systems to work together. Fat is very important to our diet for many functions. Fat is important to our eyes, ears, adrenal glands, and sex organs. About 3% of your total body fat is what insulates and cushions your vital organs.

Don’t Neglect Water

Water is one of the most important nutritional aids for sports performance. Yet is frequently over looked, water lubricates and cushions the joints, provides fluid for the blood and body cells, and helps keep the body cool. Water is the bodys’ “radiator fluid”, conducting heat from deeper body tissues to the skin for dissipation. If your fluid in take is low, water is then taken from the bloodstream in order to supply the perspiration necessary for cooling. The consequence for this movement out of the bloodstream creates a thicker, more viscous blood flow and elevates the heart rate also increasing the turbulence in the small blood vessels. This process can bring up the issue of heart disease. A person who is exercising needs to drink at least 8 glasses a day and always avoiding thirst. Once you have hit the thirsty zone you are very dehydrated. The need for water consumption is particularly important for the older athlete since the ability to sense thirst declines with age. It’s the decline in the taste bud function and other mechanisms appear related to aging.

Working with weights can be fun and a weekly routine for your lifestyle

It is important to know the difference between the term flexibility and stretching. Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint and can be static or dynamic in nature. Stretching is the process of improving one’s flexibility by performing specific movements. A lack of stretching can cause the sacomeres at the end of the muscle fiber to disappear. (A sarcomere is the smallest functional unit of a muscle fiber). The safest and recommended approach to stretching is a slow and gentle static in nature and held for 15-30 seconds. As flexibility improves the stretch may be held for up to 1 minute. Strength training, in conjunction with a regular flexibility program can help prevent injuries and improve posture. The two activities together help to strengthen weak muscles and lengthen short ones, and ensure a proper balance between strength and flexibility. Strong muscles will aid in stabilizing joints and flexible muscles can exert their force through a wide range of motion.