The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) conducted tests of canned infant formula that found high levels of Bisphenol-A leaches from the metal can lining into the infant formula at levels which have been found harmful to test animals. This chmical has been linked to neurodevelopmental problems and reproductive problems. Could there be a link with the high incidence of ADD, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental diseases. Could the early exposure of our now adult males be a part or the cause of the current fetility challenges many couples face?
The American Academy of Pediatrics has not taken a fromal position on the dangerous interactions of BPA with our children. Go to this website and bookmark it for future reference if you want to find out more, www.ewg.org.
We were aware of this many years ago and continue to try and avoid any potential exposure to BPA.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Is Gatorade Healthy?
Do you think Gatorade is healthy? Have you researched this position? Well, my wife found our family an awesome dentist, Dr. Robbins in Exton, Pa, who was not afraid to confront us about whether or not our child consumed sports drinks that are unhealthy.
We brought our 10 year old in for a dental examination. The first and only question my son was asked was whether he drank Gatorade. The dentist went on to say that it caused more damage to the teeth than soda due to its acidity. My wife and I had been trying to avoid Gatorade ue to the high fructose corn syrup(HFCS) that is used as a sweetener. Most experts consider HFCS as one of the most harmful sweeteners in food and drink currently.
“Sports drinks have fewer calories than sodas, but the calories add up. A student who drinks an extra 20-ounce sports drink every day for a year consumes enough calories to gain 13 pounds over the course of the year.”
http://ucanr.org/spotlight/sportsdrinks.shtml
I wonder why more parents don't consider it important to know the quality of the food that their children consume. The sugar content in Gatorade could only be considered necessary for long duration endurance events of 90 minutes or longer (marathon training). Parents should not consider a normal day playing outside as a long duration endurance event.
What exactly is wrong with water anyway? If you add a little lemon to it (fresh squeezed) or some himalayan sea salt you can make it a very refreshing and healthy drink.
"There are three major drawbacks to the continual use of sports drinks like you describe in your question. The first is obesity since these drinks are rich in carbohydrates (that is why they taste so good). The second is drinking too many sports drinks can erode the teeth due to the acidity - not the sugar. And third, sports drinks are more expensive than the best fluid replacement of them all - water."
http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/advicedetail.cfm?id=2394
We brought our 10 year old in for a dental examination. The first and only question my son was asked was whether he drank Gatorade. The dentist went on to say that it caused more damage to the teeth than soda due to its acidity. My wife and I had been trying to avoid Gatorade ue to the high fructose corn syrup(HFCS) that is used as a sweetener. Most experts consider HFCS as one of the most harmful sweeteners in food and drink currently.
“Sports drinks have fewer calories than sodas, but the calories add up. A student who drinks an extra 20-ounce sports drink every day for a year consumes enough calories to gain 13 pounds over the course of the year.”
http://ucanr.org/spotlight/sportsdrinks.shtml
I wonder why more parents don't consider it important to know the quality of the food that their children consume. The sugar content in Gatorade could only be considered necessary for long duration endurance events of 90 minutes or longer (marathon training). Parents should not consider a normal day playing outside as a long duration endurance event.
What exactly is wrong with water anyway? If you add a little lemon to it (fresh squeezed) or some himalayan sea salt you can make it a very refreshing and healthy drink.
"There are three major drawbacks to the continual use of sports drinks like you describe in your question. The first is obesity since these drinks are rich in carbohydrates (that is why they taste so good). The second is drinking too many sports drinks can erode the teeth due to the acidity - not the sugar. And third, sports drinks are more expensive than the best fluid replacement of them all - water."
http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/advicedetail.cfm?id=2394
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Soy found to decrease sperm count
Harvard researchers discovered that men who eat 1/2 of a serving per day of soy-based foods could have their sperm count significantly decreased because of it. Wow! How about this scenario. You think you are feeding your child a healthy serving of soy milk or soy-based formula and know you find out that you could be seriously damaging their endocrine system, for life. What exactly is a xenoestrogen? Xenoestrogens are substances that act like estrogen in how they affect the body. Excess estrogen inside the body is linked to cancer and other horrible diseases. If you do not remember, HRT(estrogen) therapy is one example of a medical intervention that was actually more harmful than the disease/condition that it treated. You may have read that Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen as described in our blog recently. You can read about this at msnbc, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25833435/, and the Scientifc American blog http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=soy-vey-does-eating-tofu-lower-sper-2008-07-23. I read about this in research articles around 5-6 years ago and have been talking to parents about it ever since. However, most if not all parents are told by their pediatrician that soy-based foods are entirely safe. Hmmm! If possible, I will have the research article posted on the website www.b2hc.com by the weekend.
Canada bans plastic bottles
Wow! Leave it to Canada to drop the hammer on the chemical industry. There is overwhelming evidence that plastic bottles both used for drinking water (or other adult beverages) and infant formula contain dangerous chemicals that have harmful effects to those exposed both young and old. This was the first time a government took action to reduce exposure to B.P.A., bisphenol-A. Check out the article in the April 18, 2008 edition of the N.Y. Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/business/worldbusiness/18cnd-plastic.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1219230725-J4mfYulnCH5Ooi22Pe3smQ). New York Senator Charles Schumer was reported as saying he will introduce a bill to ban the use of B.P.A. plastics in any food or beverage containers.
We have recently received our shipment of Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles. There has been too many questions about where to find safe drinking bottles. Call 610-361-9531 or send an email to info@b2hc.com if you want to know how to get a stainless steel water bottle. You can also look up Klean Kanteen online and order directly from them. There will be more information in the future about this in our newsletter. You can sign up to receive our free newsletter at www.b2hc.com. Throw out those old water bottles!
We have recently received our shipment of Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles. There has been too many questions about where to find safe drinking bottles. Call 610-361-9531 or send an email to info@b2hc.com if you want to know how to get a stainless steel water bottle. You can also look up Klean Kanteen online and order directly from them. There will be more information in the future about this in our newsletter. You can sign up to receive our free newsletter at www.b2hc.com. Throw out those old water bottles!
Friday, August 8, 2008
The $14,615 workout machine vs The 4 minute workout
I came across an advertisement in one of those airplane magazines a while back that caught my attention. What I found was the answer to becoming fit and losing weight. The only problem, it cost $14,615. It was a machine called the ROM. It actually looked very strange and I couldn’t even come close to comprehending spending $14, 615 for a machine but it did leave me wondering how they could make that claim. Could I actually exercise only 4 minutes per day and get the results I was looking for, improved fitness and fat loss?
Well, I'm going to save you a lot of money today because I'm going to explain to you how to achieve higher levels of fitness without an extremely overpriced machine. This "top secret" training method may do more for you than all your other exercises classes combined and leave you with 23 hours and 56 minutes to live the rest of your day.
But there's a small price to pay. Done correctly, you reach new levels of fatigue and exhaustion. I have gotten physically sick, from this training technique from pushing my body as hard as absolutely possible.
There’s that old saying that the Japanese can do it cheaper and faster when it comes to producing goods to sell to the masses. Well, this is a great example of how accurate that really is. This method of training was discovered by a Japanese researcher who was looking to find a way to increase both the anaerobic (doesn’t utilize oxygen for energy production) & aerobic utilizes oxygen for energy production) metabolic pathways in elite athletes.
This method was discovered by Izumi Tabata at the National institutes of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Tabata had two groups of elite athletes to use in this study. One group exercised on bikes for 5 days per week for 6 weeks with each session lasting 60 minutes. The other group exercised 5 days per week for 6 weeks with each session lasting 4 minutes. The results were amazing. The 4 minute Tabata workout produced a greater level of caloric burn, which leads to greater fat loss, over a 24 hour period. Also, another incredible finding was that the 4 minute workout resulted in improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic performance. The athletes improved their fitness by working out 56 minutes less each day. Wow!
This training method is so simple, yet so incredibly difficult, that athletes tend to try it once, acknowledge its greatness, and then rarely go back to do it again. What is it? It's simple: take one exercise and perform it in the following manner:
1) For twenty seconds, do as many repetitions as possible.
2) Rest for ten seconds
3) Repeat seven more times!
That's it! You're done in 240 seconds or four minutes! Oh, and that thing you're trying to brush off your face? That would be the floor.
Eight sets of "as many reps as you can get done," followed with a brief ten second rest— simple and effective. The best exercise for the beginner Tabata trainer is the body weight squat.
It helps to have someone record the reps of each set for you because, well, you won't remember as you get dizzy from exhaustion.
You should measure you lowest set of repetitions performed to compare workout to workout. You are starting with body weight squats to a close to parallel position if possible. For those of you that can, go slow and deep with your squats. If you have some challenges with your knees or are concerned about your form, squat down to a chair, like a dining room chair. The depth of your squat will directly relate to the level of muscular effort required to perform every rep in this brief 4 minute workout.
I have done this workout with three to four different exercises in a row. I have used the squat, pushup, crunch and pull-up. In this format I worked out for 16 minutes and was totally slammed! I would like to give you a few pointers to get started.
First, you need to be able to see a wall clock with a second hand during your four minutes of fun. Stop at twenty seconds, rest ten seconds and go again. Watching the clock seems to help with the focus.
And remember this: you really shouldn't consider doing much after the Tabata workout. Your lungs will be going like a locomotive engine. Go ahead and plan anything you like, but don't be surprised if it just doesn't happen. The hardest thing about this workout is staying focused for four minutes. But then again, you could have bought the $14, 615 ROM machine, which would look nice next to your Nordic track.
Well, I'm going to save you a lot of money today because I'm going to explain to you how to achieve higher levels of fitness without an extremely overpriced machine. This "top secret" training method may do more for you than all your other exercises classes combined and leave you with 23 hours and 56 minutes to live the rest of your day.
But there's a small price to pay. Done correctly, you reach new levels of fatigue and exhaustion. I have gotten physically sick, from this training technique from pushing my body as hard as absolutely possible.
There’s that old saying that the Japanese can do it cheaper and faster when it comes to producing goods to sell to the masses. Well, this is a great example of how accurate that really is. This method of training was discovered by a Japanese researcher who was looking to find a way to increase both the anaerobic (doesn’t utilize oxygen for energy production) & aerobic utilizes oxygen for energy production) metabolic pathways in elite athletes.
This method was discovered by Izumi Tabata at the National institutes of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Tabata had two groups of elite athletes to use in this study. One group exercised on bikes for 5 days per week for 6 weeks with each session lasting 60 minutes. The other group exercised 5 days per week for 6 weeks with each session lasting 4 minutes. The results were amazing. The 4 minute Tabata workout produced a greater level of caloric burn, which leads to greater fat loss, over a 24 hour period. Also, another incredible finding was that the 4 minute workout resulted in improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic performance. The athletes improved their fitness by working out 56 minutes less each day. Wow!
This training method is so simple, yet so incredibly difficult, that athletes tend to try it once, acknowledge its greatness, and then rarely go back to do it again. What is it? It's simple: take one exercise and perform it in the following manner:
1) For twenty seconds, do as many repetitions as possible.
2) Rest for ten seconds
3) Repeat seven more times!
That's it! You're done in 240 seconds or four minutes! Oh, and that thing you're trying to brush off your face? That would be the floor.
Eight sets of "as many reps as you can get done," followed with a brief ten second rest— simple and effective. The best exercise for the beginner Tabata trainer is the body weight squat.
It helps to have someone record the reps of each set for you because, well, you won't remember as you get dizzy from exhaustion.
You should measure you lowest set of repetitions performed to compare workout to workout. You are starting with body weight squats to a close to parallel position if possible. For those of you that can, go slow and deep with your squats. If you have some challenges with your knees or are concerned about your form, squat down to a chair, like a dining room chair. The depth of your squat will directly relate to the level of muscular effort required to perform every rep in this brief 4 minute workout.
I have done this workout with three to four different exercises in a row. I have used the squat, pushup, crunch and pull-up. In this format I worked out for 16 minutes and was totally slammed! I would like to give you a few pointers to get started.
First, you need to be able to see a wall clock with a second hand during your four minutes of fun. Stop at twenty seconds, rest ten seconds and go again. Watching the clock seems to help with the focus.
And remember this: you really shouldn't consider doing much after the Tabata workout. Your lungs will be going like a locomotive engine. Go ahead and plan anything you like, but don't be surprised if it just doesn't happen. The hardest thing about this workout is staying focused for four minutes. But then again, you could have bought the $14, 615 ROM machine, which would look nice next to your Nordic track.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Exercising Without Getting Results
What if I was to tell you that your workout was the main reason you were not getting the results you want. You may be working hard, sweating much and feeling sore all over but come to realize you have been at it for months and you are really not any closer to your training goals then when you began. Now I am assuming that you have a goal or reason for training. After all, without a destination for your vacation, how do you know where to go or even how to get there? This, for some people, is their biggest challenge. But let us really discuss how you could be exercising extremely hard but fail to get the results you want.
Let’s say your goal is to gain some lean body mass, muscle. I will cover three very common ways that you could fail at gaining lean body mass. The common thread among these three training mistakes is that they all involve having training techniques that are not congruent or in agreement with the training goal, increasing lean body mass.
The most obvious training faux pas can be realized when we consider the lack of attention your gym’s power rack receives in a day to day basis. There is the occasional guy doing standing barbell curls in the rack but rarely do you have to wait long to find it available. Consider this very important fact of muscle physiology. The greater the demand placed on the largest muscle systems of the body, the greatest response you will have from the body in producing anabolic hormones (the body’s natural hormones that drive muscular development) like growth hormone and testosterone. When you perform full body compound movements like the squat, deadlift and chin ups at the appropriate intensity and volume (amount of work performed) your body will respond by producing more muscle in response to the demand of your training. You cannot expect to create more muscle mass when exercising the smaller muscle groups with single joint movements like bicep curls and lateral dumb bell raises.
The next very common training mistake is one very few people realize that they are making, even when you ask them about it. Most people will tell you that they train hard. However, it’s been my experience that very few people are training at a high enough intensity to stimulate growth. When you consider that the body will only change or adapt when presented with an adequate physical stressor it makes obvious sense. The intensity with which each exercise is performed is a critical factor that cannot be overlooked. No matter what you selection of exercise, if you perform it at low intensity, you will never achieve your desired goal. However, if you are new to exercising, you may realize a bit of change or improvement in your physique even at a low intensity. This is generally limited and fleeting. This improvement in can be due to comparing a low intensity weight training program to no weight training at all. So consider this during your next workout. Are you exercising with enough intensity?
Now finally an overlooked weight training variable that is extremely underappreciated. Rest. Seemingly mastered by the masses this term has nothing to do with leisure and everything to do with that brief period of time with which you allow your body to recover from a weight training set. The rest period can be defined as the time you rest between sets of a particular exercise. It can be as short as 10 to 30 seconds or as long as 5 minutes. By manipulating your rest period you can challenge the body’s different energy systems and increase your potential for muscular hypertrophy (increased muscle mass). The biggest mistake with respect to the rest period is that most people rest too long. Rest periods that last longer than 1.5 to 2 minutes can diminish your potential for gaining lean muscle mass. Longer rest periods, like 3 to 5 minutes, can be valuable when training for strength but will not help you increase lean muscle mass. When you increase your rest period you decrease the over all level of weight training intensity.
So if we can wrap up with a brief summary here I think this article could assist you if your weight training goal is to increase your lean body mass. If we begin with the planning component of a good workout, then we should make sure to write down our exercises and select compound body movements (multiple joint movements) that will challenge the larger muscle groups of the body. Finally we shoulder remember the close relationship between shorter rest periods and increased intensity. Rest periods should be around 2 minutes or less and you should continually strive to push yourself to higher levels of intensity with each repetition you perform. If your time is as valuable as I believe it is, you owe it to yourself to make the most of it. Train hard but train effectively.
Let’s say your goal is to gain some lean body mass, muscle. I will cover three very common ways that you could fail at gaining lean body mass. The common thread among these three training mistakes is that they all involve having training techniques that are not congruent or in agreement with the training goal, increasing lean body mass.
The most obvious training faux pas can be realized when we consider the lack of attention your gym’s power rack receives in a day to day basis. There is the occasional guy doing standing barbell curls in the rack but rarely do you have to wait long to find it available. Consider this very important fact of muscle physiology. The greater the demand placed on the largest muscle systems of the body, the greatest response you will have from the body in producing anabolic hormones (the body’s natural hormones that drive muscular development) like growth hormone and testosterone. When you perform full body compound movements like the squat, deadlift and chin ups at the appropriate intensity and volume (amount of work performed) your body will respond by producing more muscle in response to the demand of your training. You cannot expect to create more muscle mass when exercising the smaller muscle groups with single joint movements like bicep curls and lateral dumb bell raises.
The next very common training mistake is one very few people realize that they are making, even when you ask them about it. Most people will tell you that they train hard. However, it’s been my experience that very few people are training at a high enough intensity to stimulate growth. When you consider that the body will only change or adapt when presented with an adequate physical stressor it makes obvious sense. The intensity with which each exercise is performed is a critical factor that cannot be overlooked. No matter what you selection of exercise, if you perform it at low intensity, you will never achieve your desired goal. However, if you are new to exercising, you may realize a bit of change or improvement in your physique even at a low intensity. This is generally limited and fleeting. This improvement in can be due to comparing a low intensity weight training program to no weight training at all. So consider this during your next workout. Are you exercising with enough intensity?
Now finally an overlooked weight training variable that is extremely underappreciated. Rest. Seemingly mastered by the masses this term has nothing to do with leisure and everything to do with that brief period of time with which you allow your body to recover from a weight training set. The rest period can be defined as the time you rest between sets of a particular exercise. It can be as short as 10 to 30 seconds or as long as 5 minutes. By manipulating your rest period you can challenge the body’s different energy systems and increase your potential for muscular hypertrophy (increased muscle mass). The biggest mistake with respect to the rest period is that most people rest too long. Rest periods that last longer than 1.5 to 2 minutes can diminish your potential for gaining lean muscle mass. Longer rest periods, like 3 to 5 minutes, can be valuable when training for strength but will not help you increase lean muscle mass. When you increase your rest period you decrease the over all level of weight training intensity.
So if we can wrap up with a brief summary here I think this article could assist you if your weight training goal is to increase your lean body mass. If we begin with the planning component of a good workout, then we should make sure to write down our exercises and select compound body movements (multiple joint movements) that will challenge the larger muscle groups of the body. Finally we shoulder remember the close relationship between shorter rest periods and increased intensity. Rest periods should be around 2 minutes or less and you should continually strive to push yourself to higher levels of intensity with each repetition you perform. If your time is as valuable as I believe it is, you owe it to yourself to make the most of it. Train hard but train effectively.
Did you drink your toxic water today?
There has been much media attention drawn to whether or not common everyday plastics are adding to the toxic burden of our families and possibly causing serious health challenges. The biggest question regarding plastics is surrounding Bisphenol A and it's devastating effects on the health of every person that is exposed to it. In my short time as a healthcare provider, Chiropractor, I have seen this topic come up several times but then fade away without any apparent change in the existing regulations surrounding the types of chemicals used in making plastics. Recently some reporters with a Milwaukee newspaper evaluated hundreds of research papers on this topic and their results were damaging for the plastic makers and the products that are sold everyday in our stores. There appears to be a huge effort to cover these concerns. You can review this recent article here http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=692150. Also, there was a recent program that aired on PBS in which Bill Moyers investigated Bisphenol A. A quick point to note. If you do a search for this chemical, Bisphenol A, you will find a few websites that repeatedly come up at the top of whatever search engine's list you see. These websites are managed by companies or interest groups that work with the chemical industry. Their only purpose is to provide information that will support the companies who have a financial interest in producing the plastics that contain Bisphenol A. Check this out! Look up Bill Moyers report on PBS and then also review the work done by the reporters with the Milwaukee paper. If you want a safe container for your water, go to The Paper Market in Kennett Square, Pa for a SIG bottle or come to my office to get a klean kanteen stainless steel water bottle. Drink safely!
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