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To Cardio or not to Cardio .....

I sometimes can't emphasize enough to everyone about how important Cardiovascular exercise is to you and your body. I try to push everyone to do more of it all the time. I tell all my clientele to squeeze it in on days they don't work with me. Wether it be a walk , jogging , bike riding , swimming , playing ball , roller blading , roller skating ,etc..... you get the idea! Get creative. Get your heart rate up. Yes , even sex. A person can burn up to 200 calories during sex. So have fun with it. It helps you keep on keeping on . So do it. Get out there and keep active. The more you do the better. Live your life and don't waste any moment and get some exercise in while doing it. After all , YOU'RE WORTH IT!

Whole Grains and Legumes

As some of you may or may not know. My wife and I are both Vegetarian and almost Vegan. It's the cheese thats tough to give up. I always get asked ,"What do you do for protein?" I eat lots of whole grains , beans , legumes and soy(although not alot. Being a man , Soy isn't too good for you because of it's high estrogen count. But some don't hurt.).

Whole grains are an excellent source of fiber, protein, B vitamins, and zinc. Legumes include pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, peanuts, and black-eyed and split peas. So go ahead and use beans as a protein source in salads, soups, stews, and rice dishes. Beans are high in complex carbohydrates(the good ones) , fiber(it's what too much of makes you toot! But go ahead and have it. A little toot never hurt anyone and everyone does. ) ,iron and folic acid(good for your blood cells and even helps prevent anemia.) , and have more protein than any other vegetable food.

So there you have it. Eat up all the beans and whole grains you want. Here's tooting to you!

Hitting the Streets!

As always , I've been on the quest for knowledge. And this time around I've been on the quest for fitness knowledge. I do read a lot. But really what I wanted to know was what people , like you and me , do to better help themselves and most of all their health and what would they like to change about themselves. So the wife and I hit the new farmer's market this past Saturday in Playa Vista. Which by the way was real cool. Lot's of goodies to be offered. Great place to get your veggies , especially since the wife and I are both Vegetarians. Anyhow.... Not to get sidetracked here , we walked around and handed out promotional flyers for my Personal Training and stopped a few people and asked them what they do to better serve themselves and most of all their health and how much time out of the week do they take time for themselves? And quite honestly I was surprised by their responses. Not a lot of people take the time out for their health during the week. The most common answer was "Who has the time to do that?". And understandably so! A lot of us have got to work , come home , feed the kids , walk the dog's , buy the groceries , etc..... You get the idea! But really , One must Make the time for themselves. So I've decided to offer people a free workout consultation and if they decide to continue training after that , a discounted rate for my Personal Training services. So if you are reading this and want to come on out and give working out with me a shot. By all means , feel free to contact me.

Is it Flu Season again?

Good Grief!!! Everywhere lately , everyone has been getting the Flu. Yes!!! The mighty and unstoppable INFLUENZA seems to be gripping onto one too many lately. 

One of my Favorite Clients(They all are really!) just called me to inform me that she won't be able to make tomorrow morning's session because she feels like she got hit by a truck!!! A big one too. 

So should one workout when they have the flu? No!!!! It is always better to skip a workout when your not feeling well , then it is to tough it out and risk getting worse than you already are. It's not only good to this , but also very considerate to others around you. You don't want to spread your flu to others. Especially your trainer! 

Now if your symptoms are above the neck , stuffy nose(clear discharge) or a scratchy throat. Then go ahead and workout. But make it light. Real light. A light workout when feeling this way may help clear your sinuses but always make sure to drink plenty of water during your workout and after as well. If you begin your workout and things start taking a dive for the worse. Call it a day. 

If your symptoms are worse than the common cold factors-such as chest congestion , fever , chills , muscle aches , etc.....  Most definitely do not workout. Complete rest should be the only thing your body and mind should be exercising till you are fully recovered. 

Once you feel normal , than start light again. Sure , you may have to start from a few steps back. But it won't be long till your back to where you once were. 

Always remember that exercising with an infection or flu does nothing for you but put you at risk for more serious illness. Always listen to your body. It knows you better than you might think! 

Ginger!!!

King Henry VIII used it to ward off the plague. Now , personally I'm not too sure if it really fought off the plague but Ginger does have many benefits. For one , it can definitely fight off motion sickness. In fact , more so than dramamine.  

In Denmark researchers have discovered that ginger can block the effects of prostaglandins. These are substances that cause inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain , which lead to migraines. 

A researcher at Cornell University discovered that ginger has an effect on blood clots that is similar to that of aspirin. By the same token , it appears that High Cholesterol levels are lowered using the same active ingredient.

Long used in Eastern medicine to treat musculoskeletal problems , ginger contains a complex of compounds that researchers suspect helps fight and ease inflammation in several ways. 

So there you have it! Now you have a reason to enjoy ginger more. And I don't mean the girl from Gilligan's Island. Although Mary Anne was

always the hotter one. 

New Year , New YOU

Hello there! 

So I've been a bad blogger. Been lagging on keeping this blog going. But now it's time to change that isn't it? 

So this is the time that gym's love. The "New Year's Resolutionaires" is what we used to call them when I worked at a gym in Santa Monica. Many new sign ups , the gym would be crowded with newbies from morning to night for the first few weeks of January. But soon there after it would fizzle out. Very unfortunate though. I recall getting in trouble for encouraging people to keep coming in when I wouldn't see them in there for a while because to the owner's and management it wouldn't matter. They just wanted to see those numbers coming in for sign ups. 

Anyhow.... 

My point is to stick to it. Don't throw away your money , go for a few weeks and let it fizzle. And Don't call it a resolution either. Think of it as an investment in YOURSELF! Just keep going and going. And if you're here on the sunny coast of California , there is so much for you to do out doors. Go on a bike ride , take a run on the beach  , go rollerblading , take a nice stroll with your significant other after dinner. Stay active! Make time for yourself! You should come first before all the other mundane things in life that boggle us down. As a Personal Trainer , I've heard just about every excuse in the book and quite honestly it bums me out when I do. We are the planet's smartest creatures and we let ourselves get boggled down by such little meaningless things. So remember how privileged you are to be alive. So go out there and DO SOMETHING!