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Jun 22 2015

The Weight Loss Killer

Stopping this one thing will drastically help your weight loss

Is this stopping your weight loss?

“Just one can’t really hurt too much, can it?”

In his book Eat More Weigh Less, Dr Dean Ornish cites a study that found drinking three ounces of alcohol reduced the body’s ability to burn fat by one third. (Other studies have shown that alcohol can hinder fat burning up to 73%.)

So if you’re looking to get rid of that beer belly or unwanted fat around your midriff, you’ll have the best results if you totally eliminate alcohol from your diet.

If that’s not incentive enough, here’s something else…

A recent study found that men consume an additional 433 calories on the days they drink a moderate amount of alcohol (61% of that comes from the alcohol itself.)

The study also showed that on the days when alcohol was consumed, more meat and other foods containing high levels of saturated fat were also eaten (and less fruit and milk were consumed.)

Quote:

“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” – Frank Sinatra

It seems pretty clear that if you have a weight loss goals the first this you must stop/severely moderate is your alcohol consumption.
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Jun 12 2015

Holistic Personal Training- Say No To GMO’s

SolCore Fitness Santa Fe practices Holistic Personal Training.

What does that mean “Holistic Personal Training.” It means that the program that you are on should take into consideration diet and lifestyle factors as well as a complete exercise program. So if you are one of those people who is on the newest diet craze or fitness craze, I implore you to take a little more consideration in what you are doing to yourself.

Below is an article that we believe in. To us practicing holistic personal training means that we need to be aware of how much “bad” stress we are putting on our body. It is not just about one thing that causes people to get sick, it is about the totality of what we are doing or not doing to ourselves. Eating to much non organic food means that we are ingesting to many chemicals and compounds that our body doesn’t know how to deal with.

“By 2025 One in Two Children will be Autistic.”

The above quote — and shocking prediction — was said recently by Dr. Stephanie Seneff a senior researcher at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Her “one in two” prophecy is based upon the following pattern…

In 1975, 1 in every 5000 would develop autism. In 1985, it was 1 in every 2,500. In 1995, it was 1 in every 500, in 2005 in was 1 in every 166 and today it is approximately 1 in every 68 children.

In her June 5th 2014 report called Is Roundup the Toxic Chemical That’s Making Us All Sick? she presents a chart that shows the correlation between the use of Monsanto’s Roundup (which contains the active ingredient glyphosate) on crops and the rising rates of autism.

If that were her only proof it would be easy for critics to dismiss as one could overlap a chart of anything that has gone up over the years on the autism chart and make a similar case, but her case against Roundup (specifically the glyphosate found in Roundup) is well founded.

She notes that the well-known bio-markers of autism –low serum sulfate, disrupted gut bacteria, inflammatory bowel, serotonin and melatonin deficiency, mitochondrial disorder, zinc and iron deficiency (and more) “can all be explained as potential effects of glyphosate on biological systems.”

From 1995 to 2005 the use of glyphosate in pesticides rose 1,500 percent. Every year a 100 million pounds of glyphosate is used on more than a billion acres in the United States alone according to an article published in Science in Society in 2010.

In the summary of her Is Roundup the Toxic Chemical That’s Making Us All Sick? report she says that we should be very worried about glyphosate contamination of our food supply and recommends that it be banned from agriculture. She also suggests that, in addition to autism, its use can be linked to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, celiac disease and other intestinal disorders.

So how do you protect yourself against the effects of glyphosate? Avoid consuming GMOs (At 13 parts per million, GMO corn contains more than 18 times the safe level of glyphosate set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and support GMO labeling efforts.

Quote:

“It is commonly believed that Roundup is among the safest pesticides… Despite its reputation, Roundup was by far the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested. This inconsistency between scientific fact and industrial claim may be attributed to huge economic interests, which have been found

Very interesting and thought provoking info. I realize some objections may come saying “I’m to busy to cook all these meals.” Well don’t stress because as long as you are 80 to 90% good at home you don’t have to worry if you go out to eat at your favorite restaurant and they don’t use organic ingredients.

Another objection: “Organic food is to expensive!” With the rise in popularity in people wanting Organic food grocers now have to compete for business and this means discounts. Also going to the farmers market cuts out the middle man and now you get a better price and the farmer keeps more of the money. And if you are really money conscious know that cancer treatments are not cheep.

Don’t just perform random acts of movement for your workouts and don’t throw up your hands because eating organic is “hard.” Take control of your health with a Holistic Personal Training Program.
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May 15 2015

Mindfulness Is The Key To Being Happy In Whatever You Do.

Mindfulness in your exercise program and in your life.

By Maya Cordova

Now that you have begun to move forward full speed ahead into your exercise practice and are advancing in your ELDOAS and Myo-fascial stretching techniques, I want to introduce to you a new technique…one that will help you enjoy your life even that much more. This technique is called Mindfulness! Now…what in the world is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a joyful and easy technique that all human beings are capable of practicing. It is simply the practice of awareness, observation, and acceptance. You have already begun to find awareness in your body by practicing healthy exercises that change your posture, allowing you to move more efficiently in your life. You can tell when your ears are over your shoulders or when your chin is sticking up to the sky…but now, lets take one step further. By using the breath as your guide it is possible to become aware of the sensations in your body, the thoughts that flow in and out of your mind, and the emotions that come along with them…while simultaneously being at peace with them! By experiencing this awareness you can become awake to your life, and empower yourself to make choices to create the healthy life you want to live.

Benefits of Mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness will leave you feeling more productive and energetic in your daily activities and will help you to sleep better at night. You will gain better awareness of your body and how certain foods, emotions, and even thoughts affect your body. Mindfulness allows you to become harmonious with your experiences and helps your stress and anxiety levels to decrease. You will learn to become present, find more gratitude in your heart, feel more joy and peace, and essentially find a greater sense of fulfillment.

The 4 Steps of Mindfulness in Action! How can we be more mindful in our lives?

Step 1: Awareness of the breath!! The breath is the magical key!

It is very common to live our lives thinking about the future. Humans are constantly planning, looking at the clock, rushing from one place to the next, feeling overwhelmed, or feeling anxious when experiencing conflict or other stressful situations. If you find yourself doing these things, remember that you can slow down (even if it’s just for one minute!!) and focus on your breathing. What does the texture of your breath feel like? What does the breath sound like? By focusing on the spaciousness between each inhalation and exhalation you will reconnect to the NOW moment. This will help you find a sense of presence, peace, and acceptance and you become more efficient at the task at hand. You can practice breath awareness during meal times, walking, driving, working, communicating, and exercising. Once you connect to the breath you can SLOW DOWN enough to become aware of your surroundings, thoughts, and feelings.

Step 2: Awareness of thoughts!!

When you connect to the breath, you are able to slow down and actually accept the experience that you are having. This acceptance helps you to realize that IT WILL PASS. While focusing on the breath, you may begin to notice your thoughts floating in and out of your mind. Often times it is easy to get lost in the loops, and sometimes you will be able to come back to the Now moment within the breath. Eventually, you will realize that these thoughts are not actually you but are only a rising and passing part of your present experience…Thank goodness! By being aware you can actually create empowering and positive thoughts that will help you enjoy your day and motivate you through challenging situations (Like your ELDOAS!!).

Step 3: Awareness of emotions!! “What am I actually feeling right now? Whatever it is, it’s OK!!! I am human!”

Humans experience a wide range of emotions! Let them be felt! Once you become aware of what you actually feel, you can practice observing the breath and accepting the feeling that you are having. The breath is present, and the emotion, like everything else, is rising and passing. Know that your emotions, like your thoughts, are not who you are, but they are part of your present human experience. Being aware of your feelings will help you clarify your needs and you can consciously proceed forward.

Step 4: Awareness of Sensations!!

Our thoughts create emotions, and emotions create sensations in the body. At the same time sensations in the body create emotions, and emotions create thoughts! They are all connected! And each one influences how we move in the world: who we think we are, how we respond or react, how we communicate, and how we contribute to the environment around us. Being mindful of sensation in your body will help you understand where you hold tension, stress, and emotion. Experience the rising of sensation and watch as it passes away through each mindful breath.

When you practice mindfulness you may begin to notice things you hadn’t before…the sound of birds singing, the sensation in your belly during a conversation with a new friend, the taste of the incredible spices in your food, and even the beautiful hummingbird as you walk from one place to the next. Awareness empowers you and awakens you to each experience in your life. Enjoy!
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May 12 2015

WillPower: Are you missing it?

WillPower has been the “magic key” to the people I have seen achieve amazing success in their Personal Training program.

What’s the most important factor when it comes to being successful at life?

Your I.Q.?

How good-looking you are?

Your social skills?

Your physical health?

According to Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and author Charles Duhigg, the most important factor in determining your success is willpower.

“Dozens of studies show that willpower is the single most important keystone habit for individual success. Self-discipline has a bigger effect on academic performance than intellectual talent,” he says.

So how do you teach willpower?

Duhigg says the answer is through your habits.

In a 2013 TED Talk called The Power of Habit, he talks about an experiment that took place in the sixties involving willpower.

A researcher used his four year old son and his son’s classmates as subjects. Each subject was seated in a room with a desk and a marshmallow. The researcher’s instructions to the child were “I’m going to leave the room for ten minutes. You’re free to eat the marshmallow. But if when I come back into the room and the marshmallow is still here, I will give you a second marshmallow.”

Only about 15% of the children were able to resist eating the marshmallow.

The kids who ate the marshmallow tended to focus on the marshmallow; they would touch it, smell it, stare at it and generally let it dominate their thoughts.

On the other hand, the children who didn’t eat the marshmallow blocked it out of their mind. Duhigg showed a video of one boy who told himself if he were successful, he would gobble down both marshmallows at once. In other words, he gave himself a reward.

Years later, the researcher asked his son how his classmates were doing. From his answers he noticed a trend (which he then decided to examine more fully.) The children who had been able to resist eating the marshmallow were doing better in both in school and in life. They showed up for class on time, always had their homework done, had better grades, got into better colleges and had higher paying jobs. Plus, they were more popular.

Duhigg then explains what’s known as a “Habit Loop.” It consists of three components:

1) cue;

2) routine (the behaviour itself);

3) reward (which helps your brain remember the habit for the future.)

He points out that every time habits are talked about, from Aristotle to Oprah, people have focused on the behaviour. BUT, it’s actually the cue and the reward that influence how habits function.

So how do you get rid of bad habits and replace them with good habits? You predetermine the cue and the reward.

For example, your cue could be that after work three times a week you head to the gym. Your reward could be a night of guilt free TV watching or your favorite dessert. Duhigg points out that eventually, when it comes to exercise, the neurotransmitters such as the endorphins and endocannabinoids that are generated (which make you feel great) serve as their own reward.

He adds that the key to making this work for you is that you must be very specific. Simply stating, “I want to get more exercise” or “I want to lose weight” won’t do it. Instead say something along the lines of “After work on Monday, I will head to the gym. Then I will reward myself by treating myself to a smoothie.”

Now let’s switch gears for a moment and take a look at another study Duhigg references in his TED Talk.

He describes a study that involved placing rats into a very simple maze. In the maze, he placed some chocolate. To measure its brain waves, each rat’s cranium was hooked up to about 150 censors.

Upon being placed into the maze it took the rats an average of about 13 minutes to find the chocolate. Initially they concluded it took the rats that long because rats are pretty dumb.

The brain activity throughout the 13 minutes was pretty constant with a spike at the beginning (the cue) and at the end when they eventually found the chocolate (the reward).

They duplicated their maze experiment about 150 times with each rat. It gradually took the rats less and less time to find the chocolate. What they found was that while there was still a spike at the beginning and the end, during the middle part the rat’s brain showed limited activity – almost as if the rat was asleep.

What happened with the rats is remarkably similar to the marshmallow test.

In both cases, when success was achieved there was a cue (the rat was put in the maze, the child was given instructions) then there was a period in the middle (the behaviour) where there was precious little focus on the dilemma at hand, followed by a reward.

By NOT focusing on the specific issue both rat and child didn’t allow themselves to consider alternatives to their task at hand.

Perhaps you can relate to what happens when you do focus on the issue or task. For instance, have you ever planned to go for a walk and then at the last second you talk yourself out of it? You convince yourself you’re too busy, the weather is not quite right, or you have something else better to do.

Like the examples noted, wouldn’t you agree that you’d be more successful if once you received your cue you eliminated any self-conversation that might make you change your mind and instead just focused on reaping the promised reward?

Or to sum it up in the three words of a well-known sports company slogan, instead of looking for reasons not to do something you…

Just do it.

Predetermine your cues and reward beforehand. Break any annoying habits you may have that have been dragging you down.
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