Eat More “Naked” Food

Strip away the harmful foods weighing you down! The more natural the food you eat, the less toxins you are exposed to, and the healthier it is for your body. Processed food is full of chemicals, preservatives and other substances that actually slow down your body’s metabolism and can be difficult to digest. Instead, spend most of your time at the grocery store in the produce or whole foods sections where the food has been the least tampered with. “Naked,” or natural, food gives your body the opportunity to improve digestion and help your metabolism function more efficiently.

Drink Water. And More Water.

Good news: there’s a secret ingredient that can help speed up your weight loss — and it’s free. It’s called water.

That’s right, just drinking water can help you lose more pounds in the next month. And this isn’t just quack science. Actual scientific studies have shown that people who drink more water during the day lose more weight because they feel more full before and after meals, causing them to eat less.

Water is essential for the body to carry out its normal physiological functions. When we don’t consume enough water, our body becomes dehydrated and cannot function properly. Not drinking enough water can lead to fluid retention, causing weight gain. So next time you reach for that can of soda, grab the bottle of water instead, which has no calories and will help keep your body functioning at its best.

Set a daily goal over the next 30 days to drink more water. Start slowly, drinking an extra glass before each meal or when you can remember, then slowly build up to where you’re drinking at least 64 oz per day. You’ll notice a difference not only in your appetite, but in your digestion as well.

Story by Cindy Black

Are you stuck in a rut?

Feeling like no matter what you do, you aren’t getting anywhere with your weight-loss or fitness goals? Are bad habits in the way of your progress?

We’ve all been there at one time or another. This is when you could use a little help from your friends, your spouse or your trainer. Sometimes all you need to get back on track is some practical advice. The following are proven techniques to help you overcome the harmful habits.

Fitness — Sticking With a Program

The Challenge

Why is it so hard to stay on good terms with fitness? One of the reasons is simply lack of time. Many people over schedule themselves with work, errands and their children and don’t leave time for working out. There are a number of ways to kick-start your routine and stay in the fitness groove. Once you find a training program or exercise class that fits your lifestyle, you’ll find it’s easier to schedule your workout, no matter how busy you are. And when you get used to training regularly, you’ll begin to rely on the stress-relieving benefits of exercise to get you through the day. Here are some suggestions on how to develop a healthy fitness habit.

The Fix

~ First, commit to a program. Most people try to get fit on their own, but if they don’t have structure or accountability, they can be setting themselves up for failure. The average person is not an exercise physiologist or personal trainer. They are unsure about what is the best thing to do. Hiring a professional is a good way to get you jump-started.

~ It’s important to find a program that matches your personality, your time commitment and your goals. The more you enjoy an activity the more likely you are to stick with it.

~ Try group classes or a boot camp. Not only are you being directed by a professional but also you will be encouraged by the others in class while having fun. A little healthy competition can go a long way!

~ Don’t worry about trying to find a program appropriate for your body type. Most programs will apply for all sizes, ages and abilities. Every person needs cardio conditioning, strength training and flexibility. It’s just a matter of balancing how much of each you need.

Nutrition – Eating for Weight Loss

The Challenge

If you’ve reached the point where you just don’t like the way you look or feel, it’s time to change what you’re putting in your mouth. Granted, eating healthy can be difficult, especially if you have a busy schedule, a stressful job or if you tend to snack with your children, but it can be done!

The Fix

~ Set realistic and measurable weight-loss goals. Avoid the pitfalls of setting expectations too high and giving up if you fall short. Also, enlist support from others. Share your goals with a family member, friend or co-worker. The added accountability and cheerleading can go a long way!

~ Write down everything you put in your mouth, even the Tootsie Roll from the counter at the bank and the grapes you snack on while making dinner. Many people make better choices if it has to be written down.

~ Build your environment. Make the space around you support your goals. Remove unwanted temptations like the ice cream in the freezer that calls your name in the evening. Replace empty calorie foods with nutritionally dense fruits or vegetables or heart-healthy seeds or nuts.

~ Eat every three or four hours, starting with breakfast, to keep your metabolism burning! Also, you are more apt to overeat or make poor choices when you are very hungry, so plan ahead to have nutritious food available throughout the day.

~ Build and protect muscle by strength training two to three times per week to increase your metabolism. Weight bearing activity also promotes bone health and combats diabetes.

~ Develop coping mechanisms for dealing with stress in place of mindless eating. Strategies may be going for a walk, reading a book, doing yoga or calling a friend.

You can take charge of your life! It just takes a well-designed plan and the three Ds: Desire, Determination and Dedication.

For help formulating your plan contact:

Cindy Black at the Fitness Studio, (910) 575-0975, www.cme2bfit.com, email: cindy@cme2bfit.com

Sooner or later, it is going to happen.
Everyone else starts to look so young. Their walk still has a bounce to it. Their legs still slide into sexy jeans. Their bums are still firm.
So when you find yourself wanting to skip the workout and dash off for a pedicure or hair touch-up instead, don’t go there, dearie.
One person who makes 65 feel like 45 is Jonnye Clark of Jamison, Pa. She wouldn’t consider skipping a workout. She works four days a week as branch manager for an investment firm, works out regularly and still finds time for pedicures. They’re “how I treat myself,” she says.
“My philosophy about aging is you can’t hit a moving target.”
Clark maps out her week around physical activities, which fitness experts recommend as a way of strengthening your body and boosting emotional and mental energy.
“Make a point of doing some kind of daily activity, or at the very least three days a week, and the more consistent you are over time, the better you’ll feel,” says Marjorie Albohm, president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Albohm says it’s never too late for Baby Boomers and people in older generation groups to get going again and appreciate the rewards.
“Sometimes you gain weight or it’s harder to exercise and you get discouraged,” she says. “But you have to get to the point of saying, ‘I’m making this a part of my life from this point forward.’ ”
Clark is the perfect role model, Albohm says. She gets regular aerobic activity and resistance training and works on flexibility, all prescribed by the Department of Health and Human Services in its physical activity guidelines as a way to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and promote good health.
Studies show exercise and weight training can also prevent bone loss, a concern for Clark. “I was already getting shorter and losing muscle mass,” she says.
A former ballerina who started dancing when she was 5 and continued through high school, Clark has had to modify her activities as she ages. No more ballet, for instance.
“When I was dancing, I was going to the local Y and dancing on hard, wooden floors, which everyone knows now isn’t good for you,” she says.
Her spine suffered. She had to have back surgery six years ago. Then she got going again, and hasn’t looked back.
She does Pilates one or two days a week, swims and gets on the treadmill or elliptical at her gym, and is religious about using the weight machines. She looks forward to getting back out on the golf course when the weather warms up.
“The Pilates really helped me get the flexibility back in my back” and has improved her balance and overall strength, she says.
The ability to bid farewell to a past exercise love and adopt new ones is key, Albohm says, especially for people who develop arthritis as they age and feel pain and stiffness in their joints. Exercise is a powerful tool in managing arthritis, research shows.
“Boomers, especially, who might have been high-intensity athletes in their younger years, have a hard time learning how to modify,” she says. “They can’t jog or run anymore because their knees hurt. But in trying new things, people can find things they love doing.
“It’s very, very important to keep people mobile and strong.”
And to slide into those sexy jeans

Are you only using the machines at the gym? 

Join the wave of functional training!

Functional training mimicks movements you may use in day to day life to make those chores easier.  You will train your whole body as one unit by using core strength, stability and multi-directional movements.          Train the athlete within!

If you are looking to improve your golf game – functional training is for you!

If you are looking to improve your balance – functional training is for you!

If you simply want to look and feel better – functional training is for you!!!

Call today to set up an appointment and workout smarter tomorrow.

Cindy Black – BodyEDGE Personal Training – 910.471.4500

Food additives have been used for centuries to enhance the appearance and flavor of food and prolong shelf life. But do these food additives really “add” any value to your food?

Food additives find their way into our foods to help ease processing, packaging and storage. But how do we know what food additives are in that box of macaroni and cheese and why does it have such a long shelf life?

A typical American household spends about 90 percent of their food budget on processed foods, and are in doing so exposed to a plethora of artificial food additives, many of which can cause dire consequences to your health.

Some food additives are worse than others. Here’s a list of the top food additives to avoid:

1. Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame, (E951) more popularly known as Nutrasweet and Equal, is found in foods labeled “diet” or “sugar free”. Aspartame is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined. It produces neurotoxic effects such as dizziness, headaches, mental confusion, migraines, and seizures. Avoid it if you suffer from asthma, rhinitis (including hayfever), or urticaria (hives). Acesulfame-K, a relatively new artificial sweetener found in baking goods, gum and gelatin, has not been thoroughly tested and has been linked to kidney tumors.

Found in: diet or sugar free sodas, diet coke, coke zero, jello (and over gelatins), desserts, sugar free gum, drink mixes, baking goods, table top sweeteners, cereal, breathmints, pudding, kool-aid, ice tea, chewable vitamins, toothpaste

2. High Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a highly-refined artificial sweetener which has become the number one source of calories in America. It is found in almost all processed foods. HFCS packs on the pounds faster than any other ingredient, increases your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, and contributes to the development of diabetes and tissue damage, among other harmful effects.

Found in: most processed foods, breads, candy, flavoured yogurts, salad dressings, canned vegetables, cereals

3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG / E621)

MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and many restaurant foods. MSG is known as an excitotoxin, a substance which overexcites cells to the point of damage or death. Studies show that regular consumption of MSG may result in adverse side effects which include depression, disorientation, eye damage, fatigue, headaches, and obesity. MSG effects the neurological pathways of the brain and disengaged the “I’m full” function which explains the effects of weight gain.

Found in: chinese food ( Chinese Restaurant Syndrome ) many snacks, chips, cookies, seasonings, most Campbell Soup products, frozen dinners , lunch meats

4. Trans fat

Trans fat is used to enhance and extend the shelf life of food products and is among the most dangerous substances that you can consume. Numerous studies show that trans fat increases LDL cholesterol levels while decreasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol, increases the risk of heart attacks, heart disease and strokes, and contributes to increased inflammation, diabetes and other health problems.

Found in: margarine, chips and crackers, baked goods, fast foods

5. Common Food Dyes

Studies show that artificial colorings which are found in soda, fruit juices and salad dressings, may contribute to behavioral problems in children and lead to a significant reduction in IQ. Animal studies have linked other food colorings to cancer. Watch out for these:

Blue #1 and Blue #2 (E-133)
Banned in Norway, Finland and France. May cause chromosomal damage
Found in: candy, cereal, soft drinks, sports drinks and pet foods
Red dye # 3 (also Red #40 – a more current dye) (E124)
Banned in 1990 after 8 years of debate from use in many foods and cosmetics. This dye continues to be on the market until supplies run out! Has been proven to cause thyroid cancer and chromosomal damage in laboratory animals, may also interfere with brain-nerve transmission
Found in: fruit cocktail, maraschino cherries, cherry pie mix, ice cream, candy, bakery products and more!
Yellow #6 (E110) and Yellow Tartrazine (E102)
Banned in Norway and Sweden. Increases the number of kidney and adrenal gland tumors in laboratory animals, may cause chromosomal damage.

Found in: American cheese, macaroni and cheese, candy and carbonated beverages, lemonade and more!

6. Sodium sulphite (E221)

Preservative used in wine-making and other processed foods. According to the FDA, approximately one in 100 people is sensitive to sulfites in food. The majority of these individuals are asthmatic, suggesting a link between asthma and sulfites. Individuals who are sulfite sensitive may experience headaches, breathing problems, and rashes. In severe cases, sulfites can actually cause death by closing down the airway altogether, leading to cardiac arrest.

Found in: Wine and dried fruit

7. Sodium nitrate/sodium nitrite

A common preservative usually added to processed meats like bacon, ham, hot dogs, and corned beef. Studies have linked sodium nitrate to various types of cancer.

Found in: cured meats such as bacon, ham and luncheon meat, hot dogs, anything smoked.

8. BHA and BHT (E320)

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) are preservatives found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. This common preservative keeps foods from changing color, changing flavor or becoming rancid. Effects the neurological system of the brain, alters behavior and has potential to cause cancerBHA and BHT are oxidants which form cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body.

Found in: Potato chips, gum, cereal, frozen sausages, enriched rice, lard, shortening, candy, jello

9. Sulphur Dioxide (E220)

Sulphur additives are toxic and in the United States of America, the Federal Drugs Administration have prohibited their use on raw fruit and vegetables. Adverse reactions include: bronchial problems particularly in those prone to asthma, hypotension (low blood pressure), flushing tingling sensations or anaphylactic shock. It also destroys vitamins B1 and E. Not recommended for consumption by children. The International Labour Organization says to avoid E220 if you suffer from conjunctivitis, bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma, or cardiovascular disease.

Found in: beers, soft drinks, dried fruit, juices, cordials, wine, vinegar, and potato products.

10. Potassium Bromate

An additive used to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls, potassium bromate is known to cause cancer in animals. Even small amounts in bread can create problems for humans.

Found in: Breads

Please print this out and take it with you shopping. Remember to read labels and shop as wholesome and organic as possible. The more whole, natural foods you eat, the better off you are – foods that do not contain preservatives, chemicals, fillers, artificial flavors or artificial colors.

Come try a class - I promise you will have a good time and tone up your body!!!

It is between Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach next door to Roberto’s Italian Restaurant.

Now you have no excuse to skip your workout while on vacation!

Come in from the heat for your run or get your beach pump before you hit the sand!    If you are looking for some relaxation, try one of our yoga classes.  If you need something new try Zumba or Group Ride (cycling class) to get your heart rate up while having fun.

Not only will you burn those extra calories but we will tell you all of our favorite “local” spots of interest.  We have had guests from many locations including Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, California, Florida and even Alberta Canada and Singapore!

Come on in for a workout, we would love to meet you.