A Resolution Prayer

Dear Bodies By Design,

Help me stick to this meal plan no matter how tempted I am to cheat.
Grant me the strength to refuse second helpings,
the patience to count calories,
and the courage to step on scales.
May the refrigerator contain nothing fattening in the middle of the night when my will is weak and my hunger is strong.
Lead me not into temptation of chocolate and chips.
Bless me with good health and a positive outlook to take this meal plan one day at a time.
I ask you help in all of these things so that I can become the person that
I know I was meant to be.

Amen
 
Inspire to Aspire,
Kristopher Simpson

Do You Suffer From Low Back Pain?

Statistically speaking, 4 out of 5 adults will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. When you consider the complex structure of the back, and the fact that it stabilizes and connects to your chest, arms, pelvis and legs, it’s not surprising that back pain is a very common complaint among people who participate in weight training and/or sports. Some degree of stretching or tearing of the muscle groups or ligaments, degeneration of the disc space or compression of the nerves along the spinal column may cause back pain. Pain could be caused from moving from a sitting to standing position, or standing for long periods of time. The pain is described as a dull, achy or sharp pain across the low back. Traditionally, bed rest has been the recommended treatment for low back pain, but the fact is this can be destructive for the muscles. Remember the law of nature is – either you move it, or lose it!

For more information on Physio by Design in Woodbridge, click this link. You can also book a consultation here.

Should you take a fish oil supplement?

If you are like me and have limited amounts of fish in your diet, take a fish oil supplement, which is normally a combination of salmon, anchovies, and sardines.  These are available in gel caps and the recommended dosage, according to Dr. Barry Sears author of The Zone, is 2.5 grams or 2–3 1000 mg. gel caps per day.  Pharmaceutical fish oil is recommended over the generic brands.  How will you know the difference between pharmaceutical grade and generic grade?  Dr. Barry Sears suggests breaking open a gel capsule and placing it in the freezer.  If the oil does not freeze after 5 hours, then the oil is pharmaceutical grade.  The benefits of fish oil or Omega 3 fatty acids are enormous so I guess some mothers had it right when they force-fed cod liver oil to their children!

Inspire to Aspire

Kristopher Simpson

Are cheat days counter-productive if you are trying to lose weight?

Cheating is one of the best-kept secrets for clients who are dieting. It’s the most effect strategy to avoid hitting plateaus and it also provides more consistent body-fat loss. Cheat days can be defined as shocking your body by doing exactly the opposite of your normal regime. For example, if you’re normally on a low-carb meal plan, make sure you increase your carbs on your cheat day. Another tip guaranteed to boost your metabolism is to start your cheat day in the morning rather than later in the day. The more you can stimulate your metabolism throughout the day, the more successful your cheat day will be. The science behind the cheat day and why it’s such an effective tool is that it actually prevents your metabolism from dropping. When calories decline, levels of a thyroid hormone, a major calorie burner, also dip, as does leptin and hormone sensitive lipase, an enzyme that helps banish body fat. Aside from metabolism, there’s muscle to consider; IGF-1; a hormone that supports muscle retention and repair. It also declines with prolonged dieting. Every 7-10 days you should have a cheat day to reverse the decline in metabolism while dieting. This not only prevents  “sticking points” in dieting but ensures the retention of muscle mass. You may find after your cheat day that your body weight increases and you may retain water. These side effects normally last for 2-4 days, depending on your metabolic rate. Don’t let this discourage you, as it’s only a temporary side effect. It would seem at face value that a cheat day would be counter-productive, but hopefully now you see the revealed treasure of the cheat day. Buon Appetito!

Inspire to Aspire,

Kris Simpson

Staggered Cardio Interval Training

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Staggered Cardio Interval Training Principle

In today’s busy world of working, parenting and social commitments, engaging in a fitness lifestyle can be difficult. We all have the opportunity to get into the gym and work out, but the majority of us will cut out our cardiovascular training from our workout. Why? Simply put, it’s boring. There’s nothing worse than having to do cardio training after an intense workout with your trainer. Who has the energy? Most of us don’t, nor do we have the time to be in the gym to sufficiently do our bodies justice to achieve our goals.

The solution is the Staggered Cardio Interval Training Principle. This principle alleviates the boredom of having to do cardio at the end of your workout or even on your non-workout days. To apply this principle you can add 1-2 minutes of intense cardio in between sets of your workout. When you use this principle, you can end up doing 30 minutes of cardio during your workout without even realizing it. Since cardio doesn’t demand much from your muscles, your weight training won’t suffer. On the flip side, it will help your muscles recover from that nasty lactic acid by pumping fresh oxygenated blood through your body. Also, an increased heart rate keeps you in your fat-burning zone longer, which creates effective and efficient fat-burning workouts.

Is your metabolism resistant to diets?

I have heard many of our clients blame their age for their slower metabolism’s and the difficulties they now have losing weight when in fact it could be that their metabolisms are resisting the diet as a survival response.  This leaves you with a dead metabolism and is especially relevant to people who have dieted many times throughout their lives.  The body will always adapt to stressful situations like dieting and will build up a resistance to it each time.  Case and point, while I was bodybuilding and needed to lose up to 50lbs for each show I found it more challenging every time.  Want your body to co-operate, my suggestion is stay away from extreme dieting and keep a metabolism with a pulse! 

Inspire to Aspire,

Kristopher Simpson

Personal Training Tip: Jump Squat and Bench Jump

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

To perform a proper jump squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your butt and hips back as you squat down, keeping the weight on the heels of your feet. Explode at the top of this movement by jumping up off the ground. As you land, absorb the impact by going right into your next squat. Do the same for a bench jump, another plyometric exercise that will build serious muscle in your legs and butt.

-Alek Gazdic

Green Tea it Up!

Tea it up! Coffee is our friend – particularly on mornings when booze was our friend the night before! Besides the nice buzz or lift, caffeine also helps free and mobilize fat cells to be used for energy. Here is the message: green tea does the same thing, only better!  On top of its flab, and cobweb fighters, green tea contains flavonoids – as much in 2 cups as in one serving of vegetables, says Jeffrey Bluberg Ph.D., who researches antioxidants at Tuft University. Don’t buy the pre-bottled green tea, it doesn’t provide the same benefits.  Instead buy tea bags and brew 2 cups a day with the hot water. Long story short, make sure that your java is green, not black, and enjoy the antioxidant effect along with a helping hand to keep you lean!

Kristopher Simpson

How many times a week should I eat salmon to get adequate amounts of essential fatty acids?

I will answer this question using a two-pronged approach.  Firstly, what type of salmon should you be eating and secondly, how often should you eat it.  Not every breed of salmon is created equally.  The latest evidence from Dr. Floyd Chilton, author of Inflammation Nation, states that Atlantic farmed salmon may not be giving you the essential fatty acids D.H.A. and E.P.A. that you are looking for.  Farmed salmon are normally fed a grain based feed that is very unlike the natural algae that they would eat in the wild.  The grain feed contains mainly omega 6 fatty acids and not the omega 3 fatty acids E.P.A. and D.H.A.  Algae contains mainly omega 3 fatty acids and that is why wild salmon, particularly Pacific wild salmon, will be the better choice for you.  In regards to how often you should be eating salmon, I would suggest two to three times per week.  If you are like me and have limited amounts of fish in your diet, take a fish oil supplement, which is normally a combination of salmon, anchovies, and sardines.  These are available in gel caps and the recommended dosage, according to Dr. Barry Sears author of The Zone, is 2.5 grams or 2 –3 1000 mg. gel caps per day.   Pharmaceutical fish oil is recommended over the generic brands.  How will you know the difference between pharmaceutical grade and generic grade?  Dr. Barry Sears suggests breaking open a gel capsule and placing it in the freezer.  If the oil does not freeze after 5 hours then the oil is pharmaceutical grade.  At the end of the day, eating the proper type of salmon or supplementing with fish oil will decrease your risk of medical ailments, help you achieve a higher level of health and fitness and in essence, let you live the good life! 

Inspire to Aspire

Kristopher Simpson

Dumbbell Bicep Curl on Stability Ball

Bodies by Design Fitness Tips

Dumbbell Bicep Curl on Stability Ball

Muscles Worked: Brachioradialis, Brachialis, Biceps Brachii

Step 1

Sit on the stability ball with your knees bent and legs at a 90-degree angle, feet flat on the floor and shoulder width apart. Keep you’re back straight, core tight and arms at side. In each hand grip a dumbbell, with palms facing the ball (do not rest the weights on the ball).

 

 

 

Step 2

Slowly lift the weights straight up turning your wrists once the weights have cleared your body, so that your palms are facing up. Continue lifting the weights up in a slow and controlled manner until approximately shoulder height to complete the contraction.  Exhale while completing this step.

 

 

Step 3

Breathing in on the way down, gradually lower the weights, turning your wrists as you near your body so that your palms are facing the ball, and you return to the starting position. Repeat.

 

 

 This is excellent for emphasizing the biceps in all its actions but make sure you get it right!

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