John's Hopkins Newsletter on Cancer

Judd's note: I usually don't post long articles, especially if I haven't written it myself. But I came across this article on the Metabolic Typing forum, of which I'm a member, and I think it's an important one to recirculate. 

The following cancer update from Johns Hopkins actually admits that chemotherapy and radiation aren't the only way to kill cancer cells. I wanted to include this on my wellness blog because I think it's monumental that Johns Hopkins would admit that there are perhaps safer and more natural ways of attempting to control and reverse the effects of cancer....

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins (summarized, not necessarily verbatim) :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color. A better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat, like chicken. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine; green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup. [Judd's note: If you are a protein-dominant person, don't shy away from meat. If you have trouble with elimination, then eating a lot of meat may block the system even more. Consider colon hydrotherapy and supplementing with iodine.]

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies.

Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.

He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

Please share this with your whole email list....[end]

Why Some People Never Exercise

I'll come right out and say it: Time.... This is the number one reason many people can't squeeze exercise into their hectic life. Sure, there are many American adults who are simply unmotivated to workout, but the number one reason is lack of time.

America, despite being in a bummer of a recession, is still the #1 economy in the world. As a result, there are still millions of Americans who are overworked, carrying the workload of several people. There are also many a housewife that could run for SuperMom of the Year award, whisking kids to school, cooking 3 meals a day, ferrying kids to soccer practice, attending PTA meetings and never enjoying a moment to themselves.

Whew! What a harried pace of life we Americans do lead. No wonder 2 out 3 American adults are overweight. We do not leave time to better our temples. Temples, of course, being our bodies.

Most people think that the only way they can lose weight is by going to the gym 4-6 times a week for at least an hour.

My mission is to teach people that bouts of exercise as short as 3 minutes long, repeated at least 3 times a day, can dramatically increase energy levels, strength, and overall health.

I used to be a gym rat. I really enjoyed being at the gym for 2 hours, exercising perhaps half of the time, socializing the rest. My gym was like Cheers to me. Everybody knew my name.

But eventually, I tired of the gym. I got busier with work and other hobbies. I no longer had the time, nor the desire to be in the gym for so long.

So now, every day, I do bodyweight strengthening exercises. I do a maximum of 20 minutes at a clip, many times as few as 10 minutes. I perform exercises that give me 3 major benefits: they work on flexibility, strength and jack up my heart rate up all at once.

It's rare to be able to perform exercises that have all 3 effects. Think about it, jogging and other forms of cardio don't really work on strength, plus they can make you feel really stiff.

If you're a muscle head and only pump iron for exercise, you're only strengthening, but not lengthening the muscle fibers. Hammering out a set of bicep curls doesn't challenge the heart muscle very much either.

I pick 3 simple exercises to do throughout the day. Similar to eating 3 times a day to achieve the goal of having sustained energy throughout the day, I attempt to exercise 3 times a day. This keeps my blood flow raging like a river, unlike most people's whose blood is stagnant like a dirty swamp.

What are the 3 exercises?

1. Wide down dog to wide upward dog
2. Pushup to Downward Dog
3. Hip Drive

These 3 simple exercises will keep you limber, strong and heart strong. 

Call me at 858.442.6861 or Skype: KungFuSurfer or email me at judd@fitnessandbodywork.com to have me demonstrate these 3 highly beneficial, simple exercises you should perform daily...

Hot Flashes: What Causes Them and Why Your Husband Wants to Take the Next Flight Out of Town

Judd's note: Most of my clients I've worked with are female, but there are plenty of males I have had the privilege of helping over the years, some of whom are on my wellness email list. And while hot flashes are for the most part a female problem, it no doubt affects their respective male counterparts who do their part to stand by them the best they can when hot flashes occur. Books could be written on hot flashes and hormone imbalances, but this quick post should explain in a fairly simple way why hot flashes occur. Thanks to Reed Davis, my mentor and creator of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition for helping me explain....

Most hot flashes are caused by the vasodilatation effect of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). In menopause, estrogen levels naturally dip below a certain point, and FSH is released into the bloodstream by the Hypothalamus/Pituitary in an attempt to whip the ovaries into producing more estrogen.

Because the ovaries are basically non-responsive after menopause, the FSH level gets even higher. This will decrease as the person adjusts to the lower estrogen levels. In the meantime, the vasodilatation effect of FSH means the little capillaries under the skin are dilated, holding more of the core temperature blood, resulting in a "hot flash". The allopathic (western medicine) remedy is a small amount of natural estrogen, lowering the FSH, to get the patient through this difficult time.

For those looking into more natural holistic health solutions, I recommend a couple simple lab test kits that will show you the following:

• Level of adrenal stress (this will affect your hormones)
• Sex Hormone levels (3 different estrogens, testosterone)
• Melatonin (the sleep hormone, also a clue into digestive function and chronic infection)
• Liver function
• Cellular oxidation level
• Protein digestion

For those that suffer from hot flashes, and for the men that indirectly suffer from them, simple lab test kits are the only way to know for sure what's going on in the body. Don't pop a pill or take a cream without first knowing if your hormone levels are balanced. This is akin to taking the bandaid approach to wellness.

Call me at 858.442.6861 or Skype: KungFuSurfer to discuss these simple lab test kits and to alleviate hot flashes. Like headaches, hot flashes are common--but not normal!

Eating Smart at the Workplace

Just because you work in a corporate setting for 8-12 hours a day, doesn’t mean you have to lose the battle of the bulge.

Ideally, your schedule allows you to squeeze in at least 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise like fast walking. (It doesn’t have to be 30 consecutive minutes; it can be broken up.)

Even if your schedule doesn’t allow much time for exercise, it is in fact possible to lose weight without sweating. How? Nutrition is the key.

Drink Water Every Morning!

The first thing you should do every morning is to drink pure water, one or two cups. Try to make this a habit. What this does is give your body a chance to purify and rehydrate itself.

We wake up after sleeping for several hours so we are naturally dehydrated. If you drink a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, you are dehydrating yourself even more.

By drinking water first thing in the morning, we are allowing our bodies to naturally cleanse itself. It will be the only time of day when we have that ability. Popping even healthy supplements first thing in the morning forces the liver to work and process the supplements and doesn’t allow for a natural purification.

It’s best to eat something a half-hour to a full hour after you’ve had some water.

If your hectic schedule doesn’t allow you to prepare breakfast, there are several quick fixes for breakfast.

Eat breakfast everyday; follow the 10 by 10 rule

Hopefully you understand the value of eating breakfast everyday. From a weight-loss perspective, it will help stoke your metabolism. If you skip breakfast, your metabolism will actually get slower. Not a good thing if you’re trying to keep off the pounds.

I have a rule for breakfast: 10 by 10 … or 10 grams of high-quality protein by 10 a.m. Follow this rule and your metabolism will get off to a rocket-burning start. At my local health food store, they sell packaged soft-boiled eggs, perfect for on the go people like myself.

Eating two eggs (including the yolk, where the essential amino acids and other healthy nutrients are contained) satisfies my demand for protein and natural fat.

Every meal should include the three macro-nutrients: protein, natural fats, and carbohydrates. So all I need now to complete my healthy, balanced breakfast is a carbohydrate. Eating half a green apple gives me all the carbohydrates I need to feel properly fueled for at least the next few hours.

Eat at least three balanced meals per day and natural snacks

To get the most out of your workday, you’ll want to have rock-steady energy throughout the day. The best way to achieve that is to eat at least three balanced meals per day, all of which include the three macro-nutrients discussed above.

I keep my energy steady by sometimes eating a late-morning or mid-afternoon snack to keep my blood sugar levels balanced, which is key to sustaining good energy and mental clarity.

Food is supposed to make you neither hyper nor sleepy. If you are eating a balanced meal, you will feel perfect, steady energy.

So what types of snacks can you eat? In general, a good rule of thumb to follow whether it’s a snack or a part of a meal is to ask yourself, “Was this food around 10,000 years ago?”

If the answer is “no” then it’s probably not a good snack.

Don’t let advertising fool you. There is no such thing as a healthy potato chip, even baked ones, or crackers (with the exception of rice crackers in moderation).

For snacks, you’ll want to follow the same rule as eating your major meals by combing all three macro-nutrients.

So a perfect snack could be:

· a handful of walnuts (which combines healthy natural fat and protein) with half a pear (carbs);

· cottage cheese (protein and fat) with a handful of strawberries (carbs);

· two slices of organic turkey (protein and fat) with a handful of blueberries (carbs);

· celery sticks (carbs) with almond or organic peanut butter (fat and protein);

· rice crackers (carbs) with sliced avocado (natural fat) and/or string cheese (protein and fat)

Eating carrots might seem like a healthy and smart snack, but carrots are relatively high on the glycemic index, which is a measure of how quickly your blood sugar levels rise after you’ve eaten something.

So to prevent a potential blood sugar spike, instead of eating just carrots alone, combine the carrots (a carbohydrate) with some string cheese (fat and protein) or a high-protein dip like Tahini.

Another rule of thumb to follow, which is a challenge for many corporate workers, is: Don’t go more than five hours without eating! I personally try not to go more than four hours in between meals to keep my metabolism active.

We are still wired like prehistoric cave dwellers. Our bodies are highly efficient at preserving fat. Even if we are used to eating every day, more than once a day, if we wait several hours to eat, our bodies physiological instinct to slow our metabolism down to preserve fat will kick in.

Don’t wait until you feel hunger to eat! By then, your blood sugar levels are way down and even if you eat a properly balanced meal, there’s a good chance you might feel a crash after you eat.

Try to go food shopping every Sunday to make sure you have plenty of snacks for the work week.

Select all natural snacks that will keep you properly filled throughout the day.

Minimize the amount of grains, wheat, and flour that you are currently eating. Even if something says “multi-grain” or 100% whole wheat, you will lose the battle of the bulge if you eat foods high in these types of carbohydrates, which are easily converted to simple sugars.

At health food stores, there are plenty of flour-free breads. Opt for sprouted breads, as these have living enzymes that aid in digestion.

If you follow these guidelines, you won’t need to drink as much coffee. I like to drink one cup of strong coffee in the morning to fire up my brain synapses. But I do so only after I’ve eaten breakfast.

Aside from a good cup of coffee in the morning, try to drink only water throughout the day. I guarantee that if you implement these tips into your life on a daily basis, you will feel better energetically and mentally, and you’ll look even better naked!

How to Eat Healthier When Dining Out

Eating out is generally less healthy than preparing foods at home, that is unless you're living off of Top Ramen noodles and cans of Spaghetti- O's.

Typically, restaurants use cheap vegetable cooking oils, like Canola, which when exposed to high heat, chemically denatures and can actually raise bad cholesterol levels (LDLs), but that's for a whole other topic. This is generally the biggest reason why it's unhealthy to eat out.

Another main reason is you don't know the source of the foods you're eating. Are the meats from a local source and humanely-raised and grass-fed or is it derived from mass-produced agri-business slaughterhouses that pump hormones, steroids, and antibiotics into what you're eating?

It's not a pleasant thought but it's one worth thinking about.

On an energetic level, to make sure you're eating the right foods for your Metabolic Type, there are simple ways to get good energy from food when eating out.

Most restaurants and cafes will allow you to custom order off of the menu. If you know that you do better eating higher amounts of protein and natural fat, for example, you wouldn't want to order spaghetti at an Italian restaurant even if it comes with chicken. Instead, ask the waiter if the cook can just prepare you a plate with grilled chicken and vegetables. A side salad with that would most likely leave you feeling satisfied.

If you must eat some spaghetti, just have a portion about the size of your fist.

And before the waiter is able to place on your table a bread basket before the main entrée comes out, don't give in to temptation. Instead, politely refuse the bread, which is most likely white bread that will end up bloating your gut anyway.

Pay attention to the macronutrient proportions (carbs, fats, protein) and determine what ratios you do best on. Life's too short to count calories. Eating should be a blessed experience every time, but do so knowing that you have your macronutrient ratios dialed in to achieve optimum energy after every meal.

It's never much fun to feel like you're in a coma after you eat. I personally do well on a dinner plate that's about 40% protein; 30% natural fat and the other 30% coming from mostly veggies. This isn't percentage of calories; just proportion of the whole meal.

Perhaps you'll do better on 30% protein, 20% fat and 50% carbs.... start paying attention to how you feel until you discover the best ratio for you. Then start custom ordering your meals accordingly.

The waiter and the cook might think you're a pain in the butt, but who cares? It's your wellness that's at stake.

How good (or bad) is running for you?

I have clients who are competitive runners. Hopefully, after they finish reading this, they'll still be clients! (Sheryl, you reading this?)

I make it no secret that I'm not a fan of running.

A 3-mile jog here or there is fine, but when it comes to running long distances like half and full 26.2 mile marathons, I have a few major problems:

1. Long distance running may wreak havoc on the body's joints over time.

2. It depletes your body's ability to produce cortisol, the hormone that fights stress.

3. May potentially reduce your muscle mass

I think there are far better activities for fat burning that are safer on the joints such as power walking up hills or stairs, or kettlebell training (Disclaimer: I have a biased opinion since I teach kettlebells).

But some people just love to run, whether it's for the mind-clearing effects, endorphin rush, endurance factor or for goal setting.

If you're one of those people who love to run, the following advise may keep you injury free and preserve what strength you do have.

1. Supplement your running with some form of resistance training to keep your joints happy and properly functioning.

2. Warm up properly and include joint mobility warm-ups (which I teach as well).

3. If you're running for more than an hour, make sure to supplement your run with enough carbohydrates to sustain your energy. The body likes to use carbs for fuel. It will only burn a limited amount of carbs and fat before it starts using your own muscle tissue as fuel.

4. Speaking of which, make sure you are eating enough protein and natural fat to support the muscle tissue you do have.

5. Consume sea salt and trace minerals to replenish electrolytes. I prefer Redmond Real Salt.

6. Try to stretch 6-8 hours after a run, when your muscles need it the most.

7. Invest in the best shoes money can buy.

8. Walk barefoot often on grass, dirt or sand to strengthen your feet.

9. Don't walk with flip flops; they are terrible for your feet.

10. Get regular bodywork therapy (like my Thai stretch therapy) often

I prefer exercises that add muscle tissue and burn fat without stressing the adrenals. I don't think running is one of them. But if you are a runner and adapt some of these measures above, you'll be able to run for decades to come.

Top 5 Ways to Get Leaner for Summer

Now that winter appears to be over, most people are thinking about summer vacation plans. And of course, summer means less clothing and and showing more skin.

So how to shed those last stubborn 10-15 pounds in time for peak beach season?

These 5 ways will help.

1. Stop eating the wrong foods!

- How do you know what the wrong foods are? When it comes to nutrition, there is no black or white. One food, say, red meat for example, may help one person get leaner, while it may actually lead to weight gain in someone else. An online questionnaire called Metabolic Typing can help you figure out which foods your body prefers to use for fuel. For those who do the advanced questionnaire, you'll get a 300-item food list telling you which foods to eat regularly and which ones to avoid. If you're interested in doing the test, contact me for some important details.

2. Exercise 3 Times Per Day!

-If you really want to boost your metabolism, you obviously need to exercise. Even if you workout for an hour every morning, try to add a brief workout at lunch and then again in the evening. Ten minutes is sufficient if you pick exercises that challenge the whole body and gets your heart rate up.

3. Green Tea

- Consuming green tea is an easy way to boost your metabolism throughout the day. It's a good alternative for coffee drinkers as its caffeine spike isn't as dramatic as coffee's; its released more slowly. If you're not a fan of drinking green tea, there are plenty of supplements that have green tea extract.

4. Eat Fat To Help Break Down Fat

-Flax seed is a healthy natural fat with many health benefits, including aiding in the metabolizing of fats. Try to buy a flax seed or oil with high lignan content. Add it to smoothies or salads or yogurt.

5. Mix it up

-If your exercise routine involves lots of walking or jogging, you need to challenge your muscles more by picking a different exercise. Far more effective than walking or running on a flat surface is hiking or doing brief sprints (with a good warmup) on an incline. You'll burn way more calories, get in better shape, and boost your metabolism.

*****Extra Tip: Make sure your hormones are balanced. A simple adrenal function lab test (which I offer) can tell you if your hormones are balanced. If not, your metabolism will definitely be negatively impacted. Highly functioning metabolism goes hand in hand with balanced hormones.

Stick to these principles and you'll likely see those last stubborn pounds melt off in time for summer.

How to Get Leaner Without Working Out

Let's face it, some people just hate working out. The concept of breaking a sweat and wasting time at the gym when they could be drinking beer intimidates the "Gymophobe."

But beer-bellied boys who are planning on getting married in the near future can take solace in the fact that it's very possible to lose weight and get slimmer without touching a single weight, with the exception, of course, of 12-ounce curls.

Most people think that the key to getting a Fabio-like washboard stomach is doing hundreds of ab crunches. That couldn't be further from the truth. Truth is if you want to get leaner around your waistline, it's all about nutrition and eating smarter.

And before you get a preconceived notion that eating smarter equates to eating nothing but raw veggies and tofu, consider that many of the foods that you enjoy can still be eaten.

With the rare exception of someone who does best on a high-carbohydrate diet, most people primarily thrive on a lean-protein rich diet with healthy fats.

If a life-long weightlifter stopped strength training for the rest of their life, it's possible through nutrition alone that the weightlifter could preserve nearly all muscle gain through proper diet.

This means avoiding anything made with flour like the plague. No bread, pasta, cookies and other baked goods. If you go out to eat at an Italian restaurant, stop the waiter from placing on your table the white bread. Order instead a lean protein like chicken breast with vegetables. Skip the spaghetti entirely if you are in a race against the wedding clock.

A good grain to eat instead of pasta is Quinoa (Kee-Nwa), a high-protein grain from South America. Most health foods sell it.

Another foodstuff to avoid is snack foods that many people erroneously still regard as a health food, such as pretzels and baked potato chips.

Pretzels have flour. Flour will expand in your intestines and bloat your gut. Baked potato chips, while they might be healthier than fried chips, are still nonetheless empty calories that will go straight to your lovehandles.

The human body was designed to digest and process proteins, natural fats, fruits, vegetables and ancient grains.

If you stick to a diet of lean proteins (chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon), natural fats (avocado, olive oil, flax oil, fish oils, butter) and carbohydrates mostly in the form of vegetables and some fruit, you will begin to get leaner.

Avoid snacking on empty calories like pretzels and chips. Instead, eat some chicken or some all-natural or organic cheese and nuts. Don't worry about eating nuts and avocado. Many people avoid nuts and avocado because they are high in fat.

But natural fats are essential for organ function and protect against diseases and contain many antioxidants. It would be wise to limit all dietary fat intake but don't be duped into thinking that all fats are bad. Certain fats like Flax Oil actually help the body metabolize fat.

The way to a flatter belly is to stick to this type of nutritional protocol. If you crave something sweet, chances are you are eating the wrong foods. Stick with three meals with a balance of a handful portion-sized lean protein (all natural chicken sausage for breakfast), carbohydrates primarily in the form of vegetables (preferably fresh and lightly cooked) and natural fat (1/4 of an avocado).

If you are hungry in between meals, have a handful of nuts. Try to avoid dried fruit as this is usually very high in sugar.

A simple rule of thumb to follow when it comes to nutrition: if the food you're considering eating wasn't around 10,000 years ago, don't eat it.

Stick to this protocol and you'll be looking leaner in no time.

How to Hire a Personal Trainer for Free

Depending on what area you live in, hiring a personal trainer can be a very costly endeavor. Depending on what area you live in, hiring a personal trainer can be a very costly endeavor. And while it's true that most of the time a bride's family will pay for the wedding, nonetheless there are always unforeseen expenses that the groom will incur getting ready for the big day and honeymoon.

So unless you're making a hefty six-figure salary, here's how to avoid paying the $85-$100-plus that some personal trainers charge. If you have a job that offers a service, ask your potential trainer if they would be open to bartering.

Are you one of the following?: accountant; massage therapist; mechanic; repair man; bartender; hairstylist; financial advisor or chef, just to name a few...

If you contact enough trainers you will eventually find one that is open to exchanging services.

If you have an occupation that the trainer is not interested in bartering for your services, say you're a surveyor or sewage treatment plant worker, you can significantly reduce the cost of training if you refer clients to your trainer.

Other ways to lower the costs of getting in awesome shape for your wedding include joining a boot camp style workout.

These cardio and bodyweight-strength workouts have become very popular in recent years and some classes are only $10 per class as there are other people participating who are splitting the cost with you.

If you are set on working out in a gym setting, you can alleviate the cost of training if you workout with your soon-to-be bride or a friend. Most trainers who are the least bit competent will be able to train two people at the same time.

Even if you can't barter personal training for your specialty, you can pay only $30 or so per session if you workout with a partner rather than pay the $55-$100-plus that most trainers charge per hour.

If you are someone that has had workout experience and knows how to exercise safely, online coaching is another inexpensive way to lose fat.

Some trainers charge a flat fee to write a 12-week exercise program. Even if the trainer charges say $300 for writing a program, that $300 would only get you at most six sessions with a personal trainer in a gym.

Purchasing a Fitness DVD is another inexpensive way to get in shape. If you can motivate yourself to turn on the TV and follow the exercise DVD before work in the morning or as soon as you get home, this will be a very inexpensive and fun way for you to get in shape.

If you're still set on working out with a personal trainer but you are a low-wage income earner, there's nothing wrong with swallowing your pride and showing a potential trainer your earning statement. There's a chance the trainer will offer you an affordable rate at a sliding scale.

Sea Salt: The Mineral that Boosts your Health

When you think of someone pouring some salt on their food at a restaurant, chances are you're envisioning the following scenario: A wife who sounds like Edith Bunker telling her overweight, unfit Archie Bunker of a husband, "Oh, Archie, don't you know that salt is terrible for your blood presha."

If Archie wants his salt, let him have his salt, but only if it's not processed, refined table salt. Only the most conscious of eating establishments offer true sea salt, the therapeutic mineral that has many health benefits.

For starters, sea salt regulates heartbeat levels, perfect for anyone who experiences arrhythmia. Most people usually have excess acidity in their system. Sea salt combats this and extracts acidity from the cells, especially those precious ones in the brain, according to an article on a healthy water website.

Diabetics can also have tremendous relief of their symptoms by adding some sea salt to the diet, as the mineral helps to maintain blood sugar levels. Other benefits of sea salt include but are not limited to: helping absorb food particles through the intestinal tract; clearing the lungs of mucous and phlegm, a vital help to those with asthma and cystic fibrosis; and for the endurance athlete, sea salt helps prevent muscle cramps.

Salt obtained from solar evaporation of sea water is entirely different from modern refined salt, and it contains a variety of minerals that play a role in keeping the body's electrolytes in a healthy balance.

Common table salt is primarily kiln-dried sodium chloride with anti-caking agents added. Trace minerals, as well as calcium, magnesium and potassium salts are removed in processing. Kiln-drying involves scorching salt at high heat to remove moisture. This refining process creates a product that is unnatural and hard on the body. It is the true culprit that contributes to high blood pressure, heart trouble, kidney disease and eczema, among other problems.

Even many salts labeled "sea salt" are washed or boiled, which removes minerals and trace elements from the salt. These salts are absolutely toxic to the body, says the Salt Institute.

Today many people cannot tolerate the amount of salt required to remain healthy. As a result getting sick from time to time has become an inescapable aspect of the human condition we take for granted.

Unrefined sea salt helps control your blood pressure, the distribution of fluids in the body, and the balance of electrolytes in your blood.

For those with low thyroid output (hypothyroidism), being on a salt-restricted diet only makes symptoms worse. Adding salt, specifically sea salt, can be beneficial, and is in fact recommended to all thyroid patients with low aldosterone (a hormone that the adrenal cortex produces; if you have fatigued adrenals, you may have low aldosterone and hence, low salt levels). Sea salt contains important trace minerals, whereas they are mostly removed from table salt. Recommended amounts daily are 1/4 to 1/2 tsp in water twice a day if needed.

Don't be scared...add salt to your diet and water! Sea salt that is!

Not all Water is Created Equal, Find Out What You Should Drink

The municipal tap water in Encinitas, California, where I live, has 15 pollutants, including two unregulated contaminants. What's in your home town's tap water? Check out EWG.org to find out.

Now that I have found out officially that my tap water might have some impurities, to say the least, should I rush out and purchase some bottled water? Or maybe I should get a home water delivery service? Or perhaps a Brita filter?

None of these choices represents the healthiest drinking water as you'll learn reading on.

If I buy bottled water, I will contribute to a mutli-100-billion-dollar-a-year industry that is wreaking havoc on our environment.

I visited the bottled water association's website and while they do an admirable job promoting recycling, plastic bottled water is terrible for the environment.

According to LighterFootStep.com, bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. And FoodAndWaterWatch.com states that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. While the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and in demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles are simply thrown away.

That assumes empty bottles actually make it to a garbage can. Plastic waste is now at such a volume that massive, Texas-size islands of trash now spin endlessly in the world's major oceans. These micro plastic particles never completely break down. This represents a great risk to marine life, killing birds and fish which mistake our garbage for food.

So next time you reach for that bottled water, remind yourself of something: All the plastic that has been produced on earth, ever since plastics were invented, every single piece of it, is still here. True, some of it has been recycled, which is good, but it's still here in one form or another and will be for centuries to come. Our landfills can only hold so much.

Ask yourself if you really want to contribute to the world's growing environmental crisis? Or are you going to do your part for the environment by not drinking bottled water?

Even home water delivery, although better for the environment, still takes a toll on the environment. Fossil-fuel burning trucks deliver the water, which often times are exposed to direct sunlight for hours. This may cause the bottle to leach cancer-causing petro chemicals into the water you're drinking (This is more so with small, single-use plastic drinking bottles than reusable polycarbonate containers).

Direct exposure to heat causes the water to reduce in ph value, which brings us to another health topic and to the million dollar health question: What is the healthiest water I should drink?

Most chronic illnesses and diseases are caused by too much acidity in the blood. What causes acidity? Stress, bad food, bad water, to name a few. All bottled water, even the ones that advertise themselves as the healthiest drinking water are all acidic. Perhaps when they are bottled at the source they are, at best, neutral ph (7.0). However, bottled water, and this is worth repeating, turns acidic because the bottles sit for hours, exposed to sunlight and leaching chemicals.

Even reverse osmosis or distilled water is at best neutral and purified water from a filter lacks bone-building minerals like calcium. Alkaline water is found naturally but only in a select few places around the world. In Japan and Korea, alkaline water is used as medicine to treat all kinds of illnesses.

Thanks to some high-tech companies, alkaline water is now available in the U.S. Some companies manufacture ionized water machines for home use. Although some consider the $2000 price tag expensive, considering that bottled water is more expensive per ounce than gasoline, paying $2000 for water that can balance your system, give you more mental clarity and even mitigate health problems is a small fee, especially if you have good credit. Some water companies will finance your alkaline water machine so you can pay a modest monthly fee for drinking healthy water.

Alkaline water has a higher concentration of oxygen meaning that you will rehydrate your system more efficiently. Alkaline water also has millions of antioxidant compounds to neutralize the effects of oxidation. Think of your cells like a bike that's left outdoors. Left exposed to the hostile elements, your cells, just like the bike, will rust and oxidize.

For those looking for mainstream medical analysis on alkaline water, you won't find much. But there is a lot of information on the Internet about alkaline water. It takes a while for the U.S. to accept Oriental Medicine theories. It's only been in the last five or ten years that acupuncture has been accepted in the mainstream medical community.

Expect alkaline water to become more popular exponentially every year. Environmental awareness is on the forefront of the mass consciousness. Alkaline water is not only healthy for the majority of people (in some rare cases, someone might have excess alkalinity) but also smart for the environment.

For more information or to purchase an alkaline water home machine, visit: IonWays.com/miracleh2o.

My Nutrition Revolution Evolution: From Grape Soda to Grapeseed Oil

Every day until I started high school, it was grape soda and doughnuts after school or practice. My family friend who would take care of me after school put a blanket on me as I passed out on the "Archie Bunker" chair after watching Scooby Doo and other classic cartoons.

I often woke up with headaches. I was lethargic at times, even though I was constantly playing sports after school, be it football, baseball or basketball. I was a three-sport jock dumping the wrong fuel in my system.

Back then, I, as well as my family, lacked the knowledge we now have of the Glycemic Index. I encourage everyone to find a copy of one online, print it out, post one copy on your fridge and keep another in your wallet for when you dine out.

I know now that if I eat a plain baked Russet potato, the glycemic index is 98 (out of a possible score of 110;); not good for somebody who burns carbs way to quickly. A plain baked potato for me is all-too quick burning octane. I've got to add some sour cream (hopefully organic) to it to slow my oxidation rate. The quicker the oxygen burns the food up, the more likely I will feel lethargic later from exhausting my energy supply.

Up through college, I ate anything that I could lay my hands on in order to gain weight, as I entered college weighing 140 pounds, standing at 6-ft tall.

I became friendly with a powerlifter who taught me to stack layers upon layers of bread in between peanut butter and honey. I would watch this squat, adrenal-charged powerlifter fold a whole pizza in half and almost swallow the whole thing in one bite.

So I scarfed down multiple plates of pasta and pizza and always, as per the suggestion of my powerlifting friend, ended my meals chugging four glasses of milk for the extra calories.

I finally started getting a little bulky and no longer felt self conscious about my stick-figure frame. But for the first time, I was also fighting a mini battle of the bulge. On a family trip to Hawaii in my senior year of college, my sister taunted me: "You've got lovehandles."

I would never go back to that burrito place and order that again -- I try as much as possible now to eat organic meats -- but the experience turned me back into an omnivore.

It only makes sense that my body naturally gravitated back towards meat consumption. In 2006, I discovered METABOLIC TYPING. Through MT, it was determined that I should feel free to eat liberal amounts of grass-fed beef and other rich protein and fatty foods. No, it wasn't the Atkins Diet; I still consume 30-40% of my caloric intake in the form of carbohydrates.

Determining what your body prefers to burn for fuel is priceless. Doing this will provide you with rock steady energy all day. It will keep you calm, focused and healthy.

I also have recently discovered further sources of holistic nutrition to determine my Metabolic Type, which isn't new; it's been around for at least 5,000 years. The ancient yogis in India developed Ayurvedic medicine, which consists of three main constitutional types (Vatta, Pitta, Kapha).

I visit an Ayurvedic practitioner in town who told me to stay away from spicy and citrus foods because they just add more fuel to my rapidly-burning fire. Makes sense. Ayurveda and food-allergy tests are great supplements to finding out what your Metabolic Type is.

Now, I'd be hard pressed to be able to pinch and inch on my midsection. Hardly a drop of flour in my diet, no refined and unsprouted grains except for oatmeal and quinoa flakes in the morning. Very little processed food; nothing my body doesn't like.

My blood sugar is steady Eddie. My energy is constant. I have discovered my true self a lot more by staying positive and energetically- efficient.

I hope everyone in the U.S. discovers how to eat for their specific needs and learns to cook with healthy oils like coconut oil and grapeseed oil. And I hope there will be a lot less people one day pounding bottles of grape soda.

To have me help you determine your Metabolic Type, visit HealthExcel's website and enter my name and adviser number: Judd Handler; JH868. Call Judd at 858.442.6861 for more details.

How to Select a Personal Trainer

If you are clueless about how to start an exercise program to get in shape and lose weight, hiring a personal trainer is as sensible as hiring an attorney to write a will or settle a divorce case.

But in big cities, personal trainers are as ubiquitous as lawyers, as well as Starbucks and McDonald's, so how to weed through the potential candidates?

Ask your friends or coworkers if they can recommend a trainer. If you can't find one through a referral, try a Google search or use Craigslist to find one.

If you are looking to lose, say 20 pounds, try to find a trainer that either has personal experience losing weight or ask the trainer to supply you with testimonials from clients who have successfully lost weight in a given amount of time.

A skinny trainer who has never had to worry about losing body fat or a trainer that has muscles bulging out from every body part might not have the knowledge or experience in helping you achieve your goal of losing the most amount of body fat in the safest and shortest time possible.

If you need to get in shape for a specific event, say a wedding, you will want to start working out with a trainer at least 12 weeks before you get married, because the average body takes that long to show significant physiological changes.

Does it matter if your trainer is certified? Most gyms will only hire trainers who have a nationally-recognized certification (ACE, NASM), however, even trainers that are certified might not be the best match for you.

There are some gym rats who have been trainers long before it was required to carry a certification and receive the compulsory continuing education credits.

Sometimes the best education one can get is on the job. Some uncertified trainers will help you look like a lean stud in your tuxedo or wedding gown with over 10 and 20-plus years of experience. That's because they know exactly which exercises you should perform and how many sets and reps to do like the back of their hand.

Ask your potential trainer if they have a portfolio. Excellent and dedicated trainers maintain visual proof of their work with before and after pictures of clients who have transformed their physiques.

Interview your potential trainer as if you were the CEO of a company or the head of HR and the trainer is applying for a job.

Ask the trainer specifically how they will help you reach your goal of losing body fat and increasing muscle density in a safe but highly effective manner. You'll most likely be able to tell if they sound legit.

Tell your trainer you are not interested in bodybuilding workouts as very few people have the genetics to workout as a competitive bodybuilder would. In other words, if your trainer tells you that your workout will include 10 sets of bicep curls on Tuesdays, that's going to be a waste your time and money and could potentially damage your joints.

Also ask your trainer if you will be provided with nutritional recommendations to ensure that your workouts will be supplemented by the most sensible eating plans to help you lose fat. (Remember: it's more important to concentrate on the amount of body fat you lose; not overall weight.)

After all, if you continue to eat junk, all the money in the world thrown at your trainer will not make you look like a sexy hunk.

Again, interview the potential trainer as if you were interviewing them for a job. Don't be afraid to ask questions. It's your money. It's your hard-earned money; spend it wisely.

Burn Off Your Spare Tire in Only 20 Minutes

Being a gym-rat might not be the best option to lose that spare tire.

In most gyms in this country, there exists a stale mindset: that in order to be chiseled like an Olympic athlete, you must go to the gym six days a week and train for an hour to two hours.

And that's not even counting cardio; that's just the strength training.

If you want to get lean and look good in the buff--and let's be honest: that's why most of us work out--then throw out the old paradigm that cardiovascular exercise must be separated from strength training, which also is separated from flexibility training.

Why not combine all three components? Why not spend three-quarters less time in the gym and actually get better results?

By combining exercises that activate all major muscle groups in the body, you will not only get stronger, you will also burn more calories and fat.

Exercises like squats, deadlifts and clean and jerks tax the whole body and they are great core-muscle builders. And because these exercises get blood pumping to all areas of the body, the cardiovascular system gets a great workout as well.

Men love to pump up their biceps, often doing 10-12 sets of isolated arm curls. What a waste of time! But don't worry, by performing total-body exercises, your biceps will be highly engaged and activated, fully pumped.

Another popular fad in gyms is balance training. Have you ever been in a gym and seen a trainer throw a ball to a client, while the client is standing on a balance disk? If you want to work on your balance and coordination, then by all means throw $75 at your trainer and have fun catching balls.

But if it's fat burning, strength-gaining, heart-pumping results you are after, start performing old-fashioned but highly-effective exercises.

You don't have to be an Olympic weightlifter to perform squats and deadlifts. You may substitute barbells, which could be inappropriate for somebody performing a squat for the first time, with dumbbells. You may also use your own bodyweight.

Hiring a personal trainer for three to six months might be a good idea if you have no prior exercise experience or need the motivation.

If you do hire a trainer, make sure to specify that you want the following in a 60-minute session:
-- 10 minutes of Joint Mobility warm up (which loosens up the joints and allows for easier and less painful and tight movement);
-- 10 minutes of core-building exercises (to strengthen the corset-like musculature structure of the abdominal cavity and lower back)
-- 20-25 minutes of total-body exercises (every repetition should incorporate the glutes, hips and core)
-- 10-15 minutes of stretching therapy (active isolated stretching is ideal, however static stretching is therapeutic as well)

Kettlebells, which look like a cannonball with a thick luggage handle attached to the top have become a popular workout tool in the past handful of years. Because the weight of the kettlebell is off-centered, as opposed to a dumbbell, the whole body must be used to generate force to complete a rep.

Ditch isolation exercises in exchange for total-body integration. You'll have more time to hang out at the bar with your friends.

The Genius of Your Abs

Whether you believe in creation or evolution (or both) there is no denying the genius of the abdominals. It is not up to humankind, in my humble opinion, to find out for sure if abs were created by some divine force billions refer to as "God" or by some millions-of-years in the making natural process.

Who is to say for sure why the muscles in our abdominal cavity (four layers of them) resemble a packing-tape wrap job at your local mail delivery shop?

This seemingly simple yet highly effective design protects our internal organs, just as bubble wrap, a box and tape protect valuables on a cross-country flight.

Keeping with the packing tape analogy, the abdominal muscle fibers run horizontal, vertical and diagonal. It is a good idea to both strengthen and stretch the abs in those three planes.

The abs take up more room than most people realize. They stretch from the bottom of the breast plate to the pubic bone. If you sit at a desk for several hours at a time at work, try and make an effort to stretch your hidden eight-pack every day.

A simple but highly effective stretch: Stand up and stretch your arms overhead. Take a few inhales, then exhale and raise your arms to the sky. Keep your chin up to a level that's comfortable. With every exhale, raise your arms higher.

Optional, for further stretch: lean your arms into the top of the doorway, or one arm at a time on either side of the door.

The QL muscle (Quadratus Lumborum) is often thought of as a deep muscle of the lower back, but it's actually the much forgotten deepest abdominal muscle. Because the QL, (located in the lower back next to the muscles that keep the spine upright) helps tilt the pelvis to the side, that's another good reason to perform movements in all planes of motion, specifically for the QL, to the side.

Perform multi-plane movements daily using one of the following methods:

- static stretching
- dynamic stretching
- aerobic training
- strength training
- walking

5 Food Rules to Break

Judd's note: Are you sick of hearing nutrition advice dispensed to the masses, as if everyone's the same? You're not alone. I came across this article by Alan Aragon, M.S. that I'd like to share....

It goes like this: A client looking to lead a healthier life hires me, a nutritionist, to help him improve his diet. I analyze what he's been eating, factor in his food preferences, and together we create an eating plan that fits his lifestyle and goals. Soon after, he's not iceably leaner and more energetic--a happy customer.

That's when the trouble starts. After a coworker asks him for the details of his diet, my client suddenly finds himself in a heated interrogation. Doesn't your nutritionist know red meat causes cancer? And that potatoes cause diabetes? Shouldn't he tell you to eat less salt, to prevent high blood pressure?

The upshot: Myths just made my job a lot harder. That's because nutrition misinformation fools men into being confused and frustrated in their quest to eat healthily, even if they're already achieving great results. Thankfully, you're about to be enlightened by science. Here are five food fallacies you can forget about for good.

Myth #1: "High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys."

The origin: Back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your "glomerular filtration rate," or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding, many scientists made the leap that a higher GFR places your kidneys under greater stress.

What science really shows: Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn't have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there's zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein-- specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day--damages healthy kidneys.

The bottom line: As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you're a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you're a skinny 150 pounds but want to be a muscular 180.

Myth #2: "Sweet potatoes are better for you than white potatoes."

The origin: Because most Americans eat the highly processed version of the white potato--for instance, french fries and potato chips-- consumption of this root vegetable has been linked to obesity and an increased diabetes risk. Meanwhile, sweet potatoes, which are typically eaten whole, have been celebrated for being rich in nutrients and also having a lower glycemic index than their white brethren.

What science really shows: White potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn't necessarily better than the other. For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. As for the glycemic index, sweet potatoes are lower on the scale, but baked white potatoes typically aren't eaten without cheese, sour cream, or butter. These toppings all contain fat, which lowers the glycemic index of a meal.

The bottom line: The form in which you consume a potato--for instance, a whole baked potato versus a processed potato that's used to make chips--is more important than the type of spud.

Myth #3: "Red meat causes cancer."

The origin: In a 1986 study, Japanese researchers discovered cancer developing in rats that were fed "heterocyclic amines," compounds that are generated from overcooking meat under high heat. And since then, some studies of large populations have suggested a potential link between meat and cancer.

What science really shows: No study has ever found a direct cause-and-effect relationship between red-meat consumption and cancer. As for the population studies, they're far from conclusive. That's because they rely on broad surveys of people's eating habits and health afflictions, and those numbers are simply crunched to find trends, not causes.

The bottom line: Don't stop grilling. Meat lovers who are worried about the supposed risks of grilled meat don't need to avoid burgers and steak; rather, they should just trim off the burned or overcooked sections of the meat before eating.

Myth #4: "High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is more fattening than regular sugar is."

The origin: In a 1968 study, rats that were fed large amounts of fructose developed high levels of fat in their bloodstreams. Then, in 2002, University of California at Davis researchers published a well-publicized paper noting that Americans' increasing consumption of fructose, including that in HFCS, paralleled our skyrocketing rates of obesity.

What science really shows: Both HFCS and sucrose--better known as table sugar--contain similar amounts of fructose. For instance, the two most commonly used types of HFCS are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55, which are 42 and 55 percent fructose, respectively. Sucrose is almost chemically identical, containing 50 percent fructose. This is why the University of California at Davis scientists determined fructose intakes from both HFCS and sucrose. The truth is, there's no evidence to show any differences in these two types of sugar. Both will cause weight gain when consumed in excess.

The bottom line: HFCS and regular sugar are empty-calorie carbohydrates that should be consumed in limited amounts. How? By keeping soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and prepackaged desserts to a minimum.

Myth #5: "Salt causes high blood pressure and should be avoided."

The origin: In the 1940s, a Duke University researcher named Walter Kempner, M.D., became famous for using salt restriction to treat people with high blood pressure. Later, studies confirmed that reducing salt could help reduce hypertension.

What science really shows: Large-scale scientific reviews have determined there's no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake. Now, if you already have high blood pressure, you may be "salt sensitive." As a result, reducing the amount of salt you eat could be helpful.

However, it's been known for the past 20 years that people with high blood pressure who don't want to lower their salt intake can simply consume more potassium-containing foods. Why? Because it's really the balance of the two minerals that matters. In fact, Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption does. And it turns out, the average guy consumes 3,100 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day--1,600 mg less than recommended.

The bottom line: Strive for a potassium-rich diet, which you can achieve by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. For instance, spinach, broccoli, bananas, white potatoes, and most types of beans each contain more than 400 mg potassium per serving.

In Defense of Butter

Sure, butter is rich in fat--especially the saturated kind. But most of this fat is composed of palmitic and stearic acids. Research shows these saturated fatty acids either have no effect on your cholesterol or actually improve it. Not enough to convince you that butter--in moderation, of course--isn't a dietary demon? Keep reading.

One pat of butter contains just 36 calories, and the fat it provides helps you feel full longer.

Butter is one of the top sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural fat that's been shown to fight cancer.

Studies show the fat in butter improves your body's ability to absorb vitamins A, E, D, and K. So a pat of butter on your vegetables actually makes them healthier (and tastier).

This article originally appeared on MensHealth.com

Got Knee Problems? Roll Your Pain Out

Many people who are interested in exercise have seen those white, cylindrical foam rollers in fitness centers. But most people have no clue what they are used for. Foam rollers, or Pilates rollers as they are sometimes known, are used for three primary purposes.

Foam rollers are used in Pilates or other fitness classes to improve core strength and balance. Another major benefit is for releasing muscle tension.

Some people who enjoy running or jogging as a main form of cardiovascular exercise experience knee pain from the excessive pounding the joints take from the pavement.

I personally advocate only running on natural surfaces, such as grass and sand; however, even those surfaces may contribute to knee pain.

The main culprit of knee pain amongst runners is usually what's called Ilio-Tibial-Band (ITB) syndrome. While ITB syndrome sounds like some horrendous infectious disease picked up from some backwater Southeast Asian lagoon, it's actually something a lot less serious.

But runners take their running seriously and want to be in tip-top shape. The solution is to use the foam-roller and roll out the side of the leg from the hip bone to the knee, the area called the IT Band.

The ITB is fascia, or connective tissue. If it gets too taught, the ligaments that are responsible for keeping the knee tracking could get misaligned, causing knee pain. Many runners often feel pain on the outside of their knee, an indication that the IT bands are too tight.

A caveat, though, about using a foam roller: it hurts! Rolling out the IT bands is painful. But if you feel pain when rolling on the sides of your thighs, then that's an indication you need to be rolling in the first place.

Gradually, the pain will mitigate and your knees will hurt less when you run.

To complement your foam rolling, you should do stretches that release the IT bands.

Call me at 858.442.6861 to receive a private session on using a foam roller and stretches to relieve IT band tightness.

How to Eliminate Stiff Joints in Just Two Weeks

Do Your Joints Creak Like floorboards in a Haunted House? Do you think that it's normal for you not to be able to turn your head more than a couple inches? What have you done all these years to improve your neck mobility?

Do you think it's just genetic luck that someone can rotate their head like the Exorcist? Maybe you think you're too busy to do neck exercises ... if you can't make time to go to the gym, then how would you squeeze a joint mobility session into your hectic day?

If you do indeed want to make a positive change in your overall well-being and functionality as a physical specimen, take heed of this advice.

If you take just five minutes in the morning to do some of the following exercises, you will feel your physical tension mitigate significantly. You might also avoid a traffic accident by being able to comfortably look in your blind spot.

Range of motion/joint mobility exercises can be done in the shower, on the toilet or in a plane, train or automobile. You can increase the mobility of your neck while watching TV. If you're unmotivated to get off the couch during commercials, consider doing some range of motion exercises while keeping your coach cushions warm.

Start off doing exercises that will increase the range of motion in your neck.

Flexion and extension is first. Tilt your chin up to the sky and hold for a second while breathing out, then inhale and bring your chin towards your chest. Repeat at least 20 times.

Rotate your head to one direction keeping your chin parallel to the ground and without lifting your shoulders. Try 15 repetitions one direction; repeat on the other side.

Next, perform 15 reps of lateral flexion, whereby you bring your ear to your shoulder, also without lifting your shoulder. If you can only bring your ear down an inch or so, you need to do this exercise!

Move on down to your shoulders and perform 10 reps of shoulder rolls one way, and then switch. Progress to unilateral movement, elevating one shoulder blade at a time. Don't forget to switch directions.

If you do just these simple exercises you will notice a great improvement in your athletic performance and overall daily feeling of well-being.

To learn more range of motion exercises contact Judd to schedule a complimentary introductory 20-minute joint mobility lesson.

Is it Necessary to Take a MultiVitamin?

Judd's note: Not all vitamins are created equal, I think most people will agree. If you're taking Centrum, you're literally pissing your money down the toilet. But how essential is taking a multi daily vitamin? Some people with healthy diets believe that eating fresh, organic, local food is all that's needed to ensure proper nutrition. In this post, Dr. John Mamana, M.D. provides his expert opinion....

Medical science has always known that nutrition plays a key role in the development of a variety of diseases. We recognize that nutrients must be provided by the diet in adequate amounts otherwise deficiency syndromes will appear. What is becoming more apparent is the fact that nutrient requirements are frequently higher than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) because of variable accessibility of the nutrient form in food and inefficiency in intestinal absorption.

It is also becoming apparent that nutrient requirements change as we mature. The result is that a growing number of scientific organizations no longer believe that we can meet the body's nutritional needs through diet alone. The multivitamin has emerged as an excellent means of complimenting good nutrition to guarantee adequate intake of essential nutrients.

The body requires both macronutrients and micronutrients. Protein, fats, and carbohydrates are examples of macronutrients. They provide the energy and the protein the body needs. Most Americans eat a diet that contains more than enough fats and carbohydrates to meet the body's energy needs. We also have no problem meeting the body's protein requirements. This is important because there are no body stores for protein and protein has many structural and functional roles in the body.

Whenever the macronutrient requirements of the body are not met there are obvious symptoms. The individual begins to experience muscle weakness, fatigue, hunger and weight loss. These symptoms occur rapidly and continue to worsen until the deficits are corrected. This is not always the case in micronutrients deficiency states.

A micronutrient is defined as a vitamin and/or mineral found in the diet essential for normal body function and repair. The body requires a daily supply of these vitamins and minerals. The body is unable to synthesize any mineral and is only able to produce vitamin D and vitamin A in small amounts. The vast amount of essential micronutrients must come from our diet. The good news is that a portion of the daily requirement for some micronutrients can come from a storage depot.

This is fine for those vitamins and minerals which have small daily requirements but relatively large body stores. However, when most micronutrient deficiencies begin there are no symptoms until the body's storage depot for that nutrient is depleted. For example, iron deficiency anemia suggests a chronic blood loss somewhere in the body, likely the gastrointestinal system or by menstruation.

However, symptoms do not occur until very late in this process. The post-menopausal women may have no symptoms of her calcium deficiency prior to experiencing a fracture. This delayed onset of symptoms, for months or even years, has troubled nutritional scientists because we know that micronutrient deficiencies occur in many of the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. In addition, there are mineral deficiencies of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iodine, chromium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and selenium that occur.

Micronutrient needs change at certain times in our lives and the body's ability to absorb micronutrients decreases with age, which concerns nutritional scientists about the adequacy of diet alone to provide adequate intake levels. The research shows that inadequate micronutrients contribute to heart disease, cancer, anemia, osteoporosis, blindness, neuropathies, and dementia.

The solution to adequate micronutrient intake is a multivitamin. The time has come to accept the fact that we can design a supplement to specifically meet the body's needs at the proper time. The prenatal vitamin has become a medical standard of care because it contains the necessary micronutrients pregnant women require. We can do the same thing for men and women of all ages. The multivitamin becomes the nutritional insurance policy for the body, supplying the adequate vitamins and minerals needed for healthy living and top performance. This can be done in a safe and effective way.

A multivitamin has established itself as one of the best preventive medicine strategies we have. It does not become a substitute for a healthy diet but it has proven its usefulness in producing healthier lives. Those individuals committed to eating well and exercising regularly still need to trust the science, realize that as they age and continue to push their bodies to perform they desperately need to replenish their essential micronutrients. The remedy is simple - take a multivitamin.

5 Things to do When You Come to a Red Light

Take a deep breath

Immediately change your outlook and programming. No longer will you have the mindset to be inpatient for the light to turn green. Take notice of any trees around you. Are the leaves rustling? Do you see any shapes in the clouds? Use this time to tune in with your breath. When you're at a red light take a deep breath, expanding your belly and rib cage and then let out a deep breath, either through the nose or mouth, with or without sound. The important thing is to exhale all the thoughts that have you been weighing you down and consuming mental energy on the drive.

Extend your neck

Get more range of motion in your neck by lifting your chin up to the roof of the car. Feel the stretch in the front of your neck. This activates the thyroid gland. Get some movement in that area by doing a counter-stretch so that your chin is tucked in towards your chest. Then lift your chin back up again, to the normal range of motion you can achieve without discomfort. At an average red light, you should be able to do this at least 10 times. And if somebody honks you, don't react from a place of anger; instead notice how good your neck can move. It's a good bet the person honking you doesn't have your range of motion.

Activate your abdominals and perineum

Most people by now know how to activate the abdominals. When you come to a red light, first take a deep breath in. Exhale and then pull your belly in gently towards the spine. At the same time, activate your perineum. For men, it's the sensation of stopping the urine flow while peeing; for women, it's performing Kegel exercises. It might take a while to train your muscles to the point where you feel the sensation you're supposed to: a quasi-orgasmic sensation which you should feel up the spine and towards the crown of your head. Practice this enough and you'll be upset you weren't stopped at a red light.

Rotate Your Ankles

Your ankles are the foundation joints for your body. Just as a house is only as strong as its foundation, so is the human body. Think about it: when is the last time you did anything beneficial for your ankles? A long walk is good, but it's only one motion; the ankles aren't moving in different ranges of motion. At a red light, do ankle rotations with one foot clockwise, then counterclockwise, then side-to-side, and any other plane of motion. Switch feet with caution. Try putting your car into park with the emergency brake on if you're at a long light.

Rotate Your Wrists

Unless you're a mesomorph (someone who is naturally muscular; think football jock) with naturally-strong wrists, chances are you are not exercising your wrists enough. Our ever-increasing labor-avoiding society continues to suffer from carpal tunnel and other chronic conditions from sedentary lifestyles and technology. If you use the computer a lot, then wrist exercises are a must. Just as with the ankles, rotate your wrist one way, then the other; move it from side to side, then flex and extend it (fingers up; fingers down).

Adopt some of these tips when you come to a red light. You'll soon be reprogrammed into ridding yourself of anxiety.

Postural Alignment for the Commuter

It doesn't take an expert in kinesiology to figure out that doing lots of commuting by car can cause your spine to look like a question mark after many years. Driving for extended periods of time can lead to poor posture and muscular imbalances. Imbalances lead to joint weakness and potential injury, which result in missed days at work and less bacon to bring home.

Weekday working warriors most often exhibit forward head syndrome and increased kyphosis of the thoracic spine, among other symptoms. What is kyphosis? Ever seen the Hunchback of Notre Dame? Quasimodo, although much more pronounced, had the same symptoms that drivers are at risk of having: Abnormal rearward curvature of the spine, resulting in a protuberance of the upper back; a hunchback.

When seated with poor posture for long periods of time, the pectoral [chest], sternocleidomastoid [neck muscle that rotates and flexes the head] and scalene [extending from the back of the neck to the first and second ribs] muscles are short and tight. Spinal erectors, those vertical muscles along the spine, become long and weak and overcompensate by trying to pull the muscles back.

The most important thing a commuter can do is maintain proper seating alignment. Your seat rest should be all the way up so that the hip and knee joints are at a 90-degree angle. Alternate between this angle and, if and when you feel your back muscles fatigue, recline back to a 130-degree angle. Your knees shouldn't be too far forward. Try to keep them right above your ankles to establish proper blood circulation. If your knees are too far forward, knee and ankle joint problems could develop, as well as sciatica, a condition where the sciatic nerve, which runs down from the hips through the legs, is improperly innervated.

If you're seated with 90-degree posture at the knee and hip joints, a lumbar support isn't necessary. If you prefer to use one, however, make sure the apex of the support rests in alignment with your belly button.

Even if you think having a six-pack stomach is overrated, it's still a good idea to strengthen your abdominals. Abdominal muscles are a part of every move that you make. The problem is, when you're driving, you're not moving much, and the abs are shut off. Abdominals are the core of your strength and power. They are essential for good posture, supporting the back and preventing lower back problems.

Practice activating your deep abdominal muscles, which stabilize the spine during movement. Inhale and inflate your belly. As you exhale, pull your belly button in deep towards your spine and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat this 10-20 times a few times a day.

Buy an exercise ball, and keep it in your car. Take it to work with you. Take breaks every now and then to rest your back on the ball. After a long drive, pull into a safe parking lot or bring your ball into hotel room and roll out on it. Perform abdominal crunches with your tailbone supported on the ball to strengthen your midsection.

If you notice that your head sticks out in front of your shoulders, practice putting a finger on your chin and pushing it in until your ears rest over the shoulders. This technique alleviates chronic tension in the upper back area.

Why Everyone Should Stretch

We lose flexibility at the average rate of 1% per year! When you add in lifestyles of either too little or too much physical activity, increased stress levels, poor hydration and nutrition, then loss of flexibility accounts for an even more rapid acceleration of the aging process. Stretching is the ultimate anti-aging medicine by improving ease of movement, posture, reducing injuries and making your muscles lengthen much more efficiently. Muscles are incapable of lengthening by themselves; they are only able to contract, so stretching is crucial.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching uses scientific principles first established by physical therapists and neurophysiologists to get the best possible response from the neurological system. Unparalleled gains in functional range of motion, strength and power is the result because we use PNF with unique combinations of angles, positions and techniques that makes PNF work even better. After the session, your body neurologically has gained the ability to carry over the benefits gained and use them for more efficient training, sport and other life activities.

What is the difference between static and dynamic stretching?

Dynamic stretching is a pulsing and flowing technique that gradually increases your functional flexibility without making you feel tired, sore or weak. It is ideally done within 1 hour previous of training or playing a game, as it wakes up the nervous system for rapid firing required for intense movement yet at the same time keeps you feeling loose. Static stretching is ideally done within 15 minutes after completing intense training or competition in order to regain the flexibility lost from prolonged muscular work and to prevent scar tissue formation from muscular strain and micro-tissue damage.

Try to take just 5-10 minutes out of your day, morning and afternoon to stretch!

Daily Healthy Living Tips

New Year's Healthy Living Tips

Winter has arrived. You're tempted to stay warm by eating fattier comfort foods and cranking on the heat, hibernating watching movies, being sedentary like a bear.

How then to get leaner during the holidays and winter?

Don't go Insane with a Diet

Allow yourself to cheat every once in a while. If pizza is your favorite guilt food, eat one slice per week. You'll end up going crazy if you eat only tofu and carrots everyday. If you enjoy artery-clogging fatty meat like brisket for example, eat only a fist-sized portion.

Find alternatives to foods laden with saturated fat and cholesterol; though keep in mind not all saturated fats and foods that have cholesterol are bad for you, such as coconut oil, excellent to cook with as it stays very stable at high temperatures.

Try eating a Mediterranean diet of lean fish, green salads, nuts, and fruits and vegetables, hummus, and whole-wheat pita, olives and olive oil. (Don't cook olive oil at higher than a medium flame, as it will alter the chemical properties of the oil for the worse.)

Eat More Often!

A sensible eating plan should consist of eating several small meals a day, say four or five. Combined with daily moderate-intensity exercise, eating more often throughout the day will speed your metabolism into overdrive. Some still think that the less often you eat the better for you. The exact opposite is true. If you're only eating twice a day, or spacing your meals five hours or more apart, your metabolism shuts down and body fat is preserved, not burned.

Replace fatty cuts of meat with fish, which is virtually free of saturated fats, contains heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, is loaded with protein and low in carbohydrates.

Which Carbs Should I Eat to Stay Lean?

If you're going to eat carbohydrates, eliminate simple carbs, that is, anything with refined sugar or anything containing white flour. Try to eliminate flour in general as simple sugars will weaken your immune system.

To successfully avoid colds and flu during the winter, you should have your immune system running at optimal levels. This means avoiding simple carbs, as excess insulin spikes will weaken your immunity. The sugar might also exacerbate allergy symptoms.

So avoid doughnuts, white bread, and sadly, yes, bagels. Choose 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread and brown rice instead of white. Eating foods with flour and processed or refined sugars will spike your insulin production levels, eventually resulting in a loss of energy and an increase of stored body fat.

So if you are hungry for carbs, try lots of vegetables and complex, slow-burning carbs like whole grains.

Unless you plan on hopping on a treadmill right after you eat a piece of candy, the unburned sugar will be stored as fat. If you know you're going to exercise at say five in the afternoon, eat some brown rice (along with a balanced protein/fat source) a couple hours earlier to fuel your workout. Although brown rice is a healthy alternative to white rice, if eaten late at night, it will be stored as fat for your body to use as energy. So if you're hungry late at night, try to eat something that is comprised mostly of protein. Speaking of protein�

...Was Dr. Atkins Right?

The late Dr. Robert Atkins is the most controversial doctor. Atkins advocated a high-protein, low-carbohydrate approach to weight loss. His book, Diet Revolution, became one of the 50 bestselling books in history. Atkins was right in the sense that our bodies don't store excess protein as bodyfat, as carbohydrates do (excess protein is secreted through urine). For people who are obese and don't exercise, the Atkins diet will help them shed significant weight. But life is too short to deny yourself of tasty carbohydrates. Your body prefers carbohydrates as a primary source of fuel. Much of the weight loss for the Atkins diet is from water. If you're on a very high-protein, low carb diet such as the Atkins diet, you will immediately gain weight if you have a portion of pasta, rice or other complex carbohydrate. If you exercise regularly, you will need to eat some carbs in order to have enough energy to perform. The Atkins diet worked for some, most likely because those people were born with protein-dominant metabolic types.

But for most people (those with mixed carb and protein-dominant metabolic types, or a heavily carb-dominated type), the Atkins diet, turned out to be just like all other tens of thousands of come and go fad diets.

The Universal Law of Thermodynamics and Exercise

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins react differently in your body, but what weight loss all boils down to is the Law of Thermodynamics. Simply put, you will gain weight (fat mass) if you consume more calories than you burn. So how do you burn calories?

Set an initial goal for yourself of performing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week and resistance training two or three times a week. Eventually you will get hooked and want to increase the exercise frequency.

What if I hate running?

Then don't run. Unless you're a well-conditioned athlete, your heart rate should not exceed (when first starting an exercise program) 70 percent of your theoretical heart rate, which is 220 beats per minute minus your age times 70 percent. There are other formulas for figuring your target heart rate, but this is the simplest. Not sure what your heart rate is while working out? Go buy a heart rate monitor (sold at sporting goods stores for approximately $80) and exercise at an intensity that is between 55 and 70 percent of your target heart rate. Remember to warm up and cool down for five minutes each. Initially, strive for 25 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise (including warm up and cool down).

Your metabolism will skyrocket when you add resistance training to your aerobic exercise regimen. One pound of muscle burns approximately 35 calories a day, compared with five calories a day for one pound of fat. How do you turn fat into muscle? Resistance training. The elderly and women need resistance training to prevent osteoporosis and build bone density.

Not sure how to get started with a resistance training program? Consult a personal trainer. You can also use your own body weight to build up strength, increase bone density, increase your metabolism and lose fat, however, getting motivated to perform these exercises on your own is a problem. It's best to train with a fitness professional or exercise with a fitness-savvy friend.

Don't forget to breathe!

The Hebrew word for breath, "Neshima" and soul, "Neshama" derive from the same root. Breathing properly helps us connect to our souls. Inhale and expand your rib cage and belly. Exhale the stale air and carbon dioxide out by deflating your belly when you breathe out. If you want to be on this Earth for a longer period of time and see your children and grandchildren graduate, get married and have their own children, then change your lifestyle. The most honorable, charitable and selfless act you can do is to adopt a healthy lifestyle so that you will be with your loved ones for a longer (and higher quality) period of time.

The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat

Judd's note: I could write my own blog about which foods to absolutely avoid and perhaps I will one day. But I wanted to post this one by Dr. Joseph Mercola, who has one of the most popular natural health sites on the Internet. I really like his comments so I decided to share with my readers. Hope you learn and enjoy....

There are no "bad" foods, right? Only food you should eat in moderation? Well, not really. The following foods are so bad for your body that I really can't see any reason to eat them. Not only do they have zero nutritional value, but they also give your body a healthy dose of toxins, which should make the idea of eating them really hard to swallow.

Doughnuts

Doughnuts are fried, full of sugar and white flour and most all varieties contain trans fat. Store-bought doughnuts are made up of about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fat. An average doughnut will give you about 200 to 300 calories, mostly from sugar, and few other nutrients.

It's too bad that Americans view doughnuts as a breakfast food as, nutritionally speaking, eating a doughnut is one of the worst ways to start off your day. It will through off your blood sugar and won't stay with you so you'll be hungry again soon. You are better off eating no breakfast at all, or better yet grabbing a quick glass of Living Fuel.

Soda

One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. I can't think of any good reason to ever have it. The diet varieties are also problematic as they are filled with harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease, yet the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year. Plus, drinking all that sugar will likely suppress your appetite for healthy foods, which pave the way for nutrient deficiencies.

Soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States over the last decade, which is not surprising considering that most school hallways are lined with soda-filled vending machines.

Schools often make marketing deals with leading soft drink companies such as Coca-Cola from which they receive commissions--based on a percentage of sales at each school--and sometimes a lump-sum payment, in exchange for their students' health. School vending machines can increase the consumption of sweetened beverages by up to 50 or more cans of soda per student per year.

If you routinely drink soda--regular or diet--eliminating it from your diet is one of the simplest and most profound health improvements you can make.

French Fries (and Nearly All Commercially Fried Foods)

Potatoes are bad enough when consumed in their raw state, as their simple sugars are rapidly converted to glucose that raises insulin levels and can devastate your health. But when they are cooked in trans fat at high temperatures, all sorts of interesting and very unpleasant things occur.

Anything that is fried, even vegetables, has the issue of trans fat and the potent cancer-causing substance acrylamide.

Foods that are fried in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils are particularly problematic. These polyunsaturated fats easily become rancid when exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of damaging free radicals in the body. They are also very susceptible to heat-induced damage from cooking. What is not commonly known is that these oils can actually cause aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight gain. You can read the article 'Secrets of the Edible Oil Industry' for more information. It is theoretically possible to create a more 'healthy' French fry if you cook it in a healthy fat like virgin coconut oil. Due to its high saturated fat content, coconut oil is extremely stable and is not damaged by the high temperatures of cooking. This is why coconut oil should be the only oil you use to cook with.

I am fond of telling patients that one French fry is worse for your health than one cigarette, so you may want to consider this before you order your next 'Biggie' order.

Chips

Most commercial chips, and this includes corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips, you name it, are high in trans fat. Fortunately, some companies have caught on to the recent media blitz about the dangers of trans fat and have started to produce chips without trans fat. However, the high temperatures used to cook them will potentially cause the formation of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide, and this risk remains even if the trans fat is removed.

Fried Non-Fish Seafood

This category represents the culmination of non-healthy aspects of food. Fried shrimp, clams, oysters, lobsters, and so on have all the issues of trans fat and acrylamide mentioned above, plus an added risk of mercury.

Seafood is loaded with toxic mercury and shellfish like shrimp and lobsters can be contaminated with parasites and resistant viruses that may not even be killed with high heat. These creatures, considered scavenger animals, consume foods that may be harmful for you.

Eating these foods gives you a quadruple dose of toxins--trans fat, acrylamide, mercury and possibly parasites or viruses--with every bite.

If you have a taste for seafood, there's an easy solution. It's best to avoid your local fish fry and try the only fish I now eat--the delicious wild red Alaskan salmon that was proven through independent lab testing to be free of harmful levels of mercury and other contaminants.