What Are the Benefits of Amino Acid Supplements?

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and are found in many food sources. Some amino acids can be made by your body, but others, known as the "essential amino acids," must be obtained through food or supplements. Although amino acid supplements are often associated with athletes, supplementation may benefit anyone. This is because amino acids produce enzymes and are also involved in mood, concentration, sleep and a number of other physiological phenomena. While amino acids may have benefits, you should consult a doctor before using any supplements.

Abdominal Fat Loss

Although most fat loss supplements contain high levels of stimulants and other ingredients that claim to increase your metabolism, amino acid supplements may support fat loss. According to a study published in "Menopause" in 2007, supplementation of a soy amino acid supplement for 3 months helped fight the growth of abdominal fat in post-menopausal women. use of an amino acid supplement in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet may offer superior fat loss compared to dieting alone.

Retention of Muscle Mass

Amino acids and protein are known to aid in the muscle-building process when used in conjunction with resistance exercise, but research indicates amino acids may also benefit muscles that are not being trained. A study conducted at the University of São Paulo and published in the June 2010 issue of the journal "Muscle & Nerve" found that supplementation of the amino acid leucine in rats helped prevent muscle breakdown in muscles that were purposely immobilized. The researchers explain that leucine reduced the expression of genes that break down muscle during periods of inactivity.

Improved Exercise Performance

Amino acids assist in muscle building and help reverse muscle breakdown, which can aid in building muscle mass. Exercise science research suggests that these tendencies may also assist in enhancing exercise performance in endurance sports. A study, conducted by the Saga Nutraceuticals Research Institute and published in the February 2009 issue of the "Journal of Nutrition Science and Vitaminology" found that VO2max, a measure of efficient oxygen usage, was higher when using a branched-chain amino acid supplement compared to a placebo. The researchers concluded that the use of an isoleucine, valine and leucine supplement "may be effective to increase the endurance exercise capacity."

While amino acid supplements can boost your protein intake, you shouldn't take them without first consulting your doctor. Protein increases the workload on your kidneys, because metabolizing protein creates toxic by-products that your kidneys must flush from your body, and consuming too much protein can negatively affect kidney function. If you suffer from food allergies, some amino acid supplements might cause adverse reactions -- for example, whey and casein proteins might trigger dairy allergies, while soy amino acid supplements are unsuitable for those with soy allergies. A health care professional can recommend an amino acid supplement unlikely to cause adverse reactions, as well as recommend an appropriate dose.

The 3 Secrets to Losing Belly Fat

As a health and wellness coach, the number-one question that everybody asks isn't, "How do I live longer?" or "What can I do for more energy?" It's almost always, "How do I lose this tummy?" In a world where we're bombarded by ads promoting four-, six- and eight-packs, it's no wonder we're obsessed with abs.

While having tight and toned abs is partly genetic, the great news is that there are a number of things that you can do today to firm, slim and define your midsection for good.

1. Drink Green Tea: 

Green tea has been shown to boost the immune system and fight cancer-causing cells in our body, but it also works very well to assist in the burning of excess weight and body fat. The epigallocatechin gallate component in green tea acts as a thermogenic, meaning that it stimulates the fat-burning process. You'd need to drink at least seven cups of green tea per day to get the effects of two to three capsules of a green-tea supplement, so I suggest taking them in the morning to avoid caffeine stimulation later in the day or choose a decaffeinated version.

2. Interval Cardio: 

The good news is that long cardio sessions are over and interval cardio is taking its place. Interval training involves sprinting or pushing the body into an anaerobic state in short bursts of exertion for 20 to 30 seconds with rest periods in between.

When doing interval cardio, there's less oxygen available to the muscles and the body will more quickly fatigue. A 20-minute session of interval cardiovascular exercise just three days per week stimulates the fat stores in our body and works to burn excess weight.
On either the elliptical machine or recumbent bike, do a three-minute warm-up. Increase resistance and sprint for 30 seconds, then reduce resistance again and perform a 90-second cool-down. Do this eight times followed by a two-minute cool-down at the end for a total of 19.5 minutes just three days per week. That's it.

3. Eat More Fat: 

This seems completely contrary to logic, but the latest research shows that by consuming more healthy unsaturated fats, such as coconut, avocado, olive oil, fish, nuts and seeds, not only do we feel satiated longer, but our systems also gets busy stimulating the fat-burning process within our bodies.

Studies have found that those who ate foods higher in healthy fats, such as those found in the Mediterranean diet, had a lower body-mass index. This means less body fat and a leaner frame than those who ate a low-fat diet. They also lost excess weight more easily.

We all want to look and feel our best, and getting there just takes some consistent effort. By following these simple steps and committing to them for a minimum of three months, you are well on your way to a slimmer, tighter and more toned belly -- just in time for summer!

How To Start A Running Habit

The winter may be cold but 5k races are just around the corner. And if you’re interested in becoming a runner, now is a GREAT time to start. So take stride with these best steps on how to start running!

1. Ask yourself why

This is the first and most important step. Ask yourself some questions to figure out what you want to accomplish with this new step. Why do you want to run? Are you in it to lose weight? Do you need a hobby? Do you want a new morning activity? What other areas of your life will be affected by starting this new journey?

You get the idea. Figure out the deeper reasons why this is a positive change for you. Because when you want to hit the snooze button instead of getting an early run in, you’ll need to remember your inspiration. If you’re having a hard time finding your why, talk to a trainer or health coach about these questions and they’ll be happy to give you some guidance.

2. Sign up for a 5k

This one is EXTREMELY important. While health is a lifestyle, not a destination, it’s important to focus on a destination. Think SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Pick a running event with a reasonable amount of time to train for it, register to keep yourself accountable, and stick to it!

3. Tap into an app (or trainer)

My first suggestion for this is to find a trainer to help you with a program, but your resources don’t stop there. Find an app that’ll guide you on this journey. MapMyFitness or Couch-to-5K are great options. MapMyRun also has running groups so that you can log in and find a local group to run with. Whether you’re advanced or just beginning, plugging in to a local team will motivate the heck out of you.

4. Buy some new shoes

As the great poet and philosopher Paolo Nutini once said “Oh, I got some new shoes on and suddenly everything is right.” Running shoes will make a HUGE difference in comfort and attitude. Look like a pro, feel like a pro. This is a solid investment, so buy carefully. Most athletic shoe stores have employees that can analyze your feet and tell you exactly what you need.

So Ready! Set! Run!

For Busy Women: 3 Tips for Easy Ways to Become More Fit

Whether you are a full-time mom, working mom, working professional, or college student, one of the biggest challenges to becoming fit is finding the time in your busy life. The good news is that this challenge may not be as difficult as you may think.

Did you know that the fastest way to increase your flexibility and build stronger muscles is to engage your brain intentionally during your fitness routine? And, you can actually increase your fitness just by doing your daily activities if you know how to engage your brain.

Our brain is what controls and organizes all of our movements -- our body, our thoughts, and our feelings. In order to move, our brain has to form detailed representation and connections. This is called "mapping" of the brain, which creates the various configurations and patterns of our movement.

One of the most powerful ways to facilitate and greatly accelerate this process is to bring Attention to what you feel as you move. You can reduce hours of mindless repetition of certain movements to just a few minutes of movement infused with your attention to what you feel as you move, and you can get much greater, more fuller mapping of those areas of your body. In response, your muscles get stronger and become more toned, and your body will become more flexible, at least as much, if not more, than doing lengthy, repetitious movement.

Fitness Tip # 1

Movement With Attention: The next time you do any kind of fitness regimen, take a few minutes, slow down, and pay close attention to what you feel as you move. Do this a number of times throughout your workout and you will begin feeling immediate changes that, in a few weeks, can translate into greater fitness, fewer injuries, and more vitality. Experience how your fitness will be enhanced in just a short time.

Another powerful Essential for the busy woman that can greatly enhance fitness is Imagination. If you are really busy and don't have time to go to the gym or take a class, think of the movements that you do during your daily activity as a fitness program. Research has shown that using your imagination can make a significant difference in your health and fitness.

Fitness Tip # 2

Imagination: Think of the movements you do during your daily tasks -- such as carrying your groceries, taking your laundry downstairs, making the bed, pushing the stroller, walking to another office -- as great exercise, and bring attention to your movements from time to time throughout the day. Think of these tasks as your fitness regimen, so you can use the movements to wake up your brain and engage it with ways that increase your fitness with what you are already doing. By doing this, you can increase your flexibility, your strength, your general fitness level, and you will become more alert.

Another Essential that wakes up and enhances the brain to improve your body and fitness is Variation. When you do your fitness program in an automatic manner, you get only a small portion of the benefit because your brain only strengthens already-existing patterns.

Fitness Tip # 3

Variation: Whenever you are doing your daily activities or participating in a fitness program, take a few minutes every so often and change things around. Go a little slower or faster, do it wrong, do it right, move in a variety of ways. Be playful with the variation of your movements and your brain will thrive. This approach will wake up your brain to connect with your body and improve the quality of the organization of your movements. The better the organization of your movements, the more fit you will become. The outcome will yield better organization of your muscles, along with fewer injuries, and greater energy and vitality.

And moving will feel good!

How to Build an Easy, Affordable Home Gym

Many people find it more comfortable, convenient, and affordable to log their exercise time in the privacy of their own house. You certainly don't need a gym filled with fancy equipment and trainers to get in great shape and shed unwanted pounds. For example, I believe that nothing beats a brisk walk outdoors around your neighborhood. Exercising indoors at home is also quite easy, with all the heart-pumping workout DVDs and affordable fitness equipment out there. Simply pick a space in your home and designate it as your at-home gym, then begin to gather a few essentials. With everything you need to get moving right there at your fingertips, you'll never have an excuse to skip a workout.Curious  about how to set up your own home gym? Here are some wallet-friendly basics to consider including

Yoga or exercise mat.

When doing floor exercises, exercise mats provide extra cushion for safer and more comfortable exercise. Use your yoga mat when doing ab work, stretching, floor exercises and Pilates.

3 to 5 pound weights and resistance bands.

Lifting weights is important to building a strong, fit body - it helps you tone your limbs and build muslce, and it's great for your bones and metabolism. If you're new to strength training, start with 2 to 3 pound dumbbells, and slowly work your way up to heavier weights as you develop muscle. Resistance bands are another strength training tool that are a great portable option for using at home and while you travel.

Balance and stability ball.

When you have a stability ball, you have dozens of exercises at your fingertips. This one ball can give you a full-body workout. It's an especially great tool for strengthening your core during sit-ups - or, you can actually sit on it instead of a chair. You'll automatically tighten and tone your midsection, just by sitting there.

Exercise DVDs.

I love fitness DVDs. Not only do they bring a trained instructor right into your home to show you exactly how to do the moves properly (and keep you motivated), but they allow you to mix up your workouts and keep your routine from getting stale. There are so many fun workouts to get your heart pumping. Try Kickboxing, Zumba, Pilates, dance workouts and boot camp DVDs - the list goes on and on!

Beginner yoga and stretching DVDs.

Many people don't consider stretching a workout - but it's actually a very important part of fitness. The more flexible you are, the less likely you are to be injured - and you know what recovery time from an injury can do to your waistline. Have a yoga or stretching DVD on hand to warm up your muscles before a workout and cool them down when you finish. As a bonus, you'll soothe away stress and feel much more limber.

A mirror to check your form.

I can't stress how important proper form is to an effective workout - the wrong form, or using equipment incorrectly, can cause pain and injury - and at the very least, your routine will lose some of it's effectiveness. Without an instructor or trainer around, it's up to you to ensure you are doing every move the right way. Do all exercises in front of a mirror so you can watch your posture and alignment, and make any corrections necessary to keep your body safe from injury.

The Secret to Lasting Health, Vitality, and Optimal Weight

The start of a New Year is a time for resolutions. It is a time for making new plans and setting goals, a time for putting your ideas into action. One of the most common resolutions people have is to improve their health. They look to eliminate bad habits, start a new diet, eat better, or exercise more. Although well intentioned, people often neglect the number one factor to consider when trying to improve health and achieve lasting weight management: despite the food you put in, it’s what happens inside that counts.

The Problem with Most Weight Loss Programs

Many diet programs today are based solely on calories. Yes, even those that call them “points”, “blocks”, “menu exchange items”, or something else, are essentially based on calories IN (food) versus calories OUT (exercise). While it is true that the balance of caloric intake and output is important for proper energy usage and metabolism, it does not offer the whole picture. Proper weight management (and more importantly overall health and vitality) rely on more than just food and exercise.

What you put on your plate is not necessarily an indicator of caloric intake and health. Weighing and measuring food, watching portion sizes, and choosing the “right foods” doesn’t guarantee proper levels of nutrient uptake. They are only a measure of the weight and type of foods that you put into your body. What does matter is what happens to the food once it enters into your system.

Forget “You Are What You Eat”, You Are What You Digest, Absorb, and Assimilate

In order for an organism to thrive, it must be able to efficiently digest and absorb nutrients and effectively excrete waste products. Once the food enters your body, a chain of events must occur for that food to be broken down into individual components to provide nourishment and energy to the body.

Each of the organs of the digestive system must play its role. Stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and colon all play a part in this symphony. A kink in any part of the chain weakens the whole process and can lead to some disastrous results.

In Canada, millions of people suffer from chronic gas, bloating, stomach pain, and other digestive complaints. In the past 20 years it has been recorded that about 1 in 5 people suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Pharmacies and grocery stores are full of antacids, laxatives, fiber supplements, pain relief pills, etc. Yet, every day, more and more people suffer from these types of issues.

Low moods, joint pain and stiffness, and weakened immunity are all the result of a weakened digestive system. How does digestion relate to depression, arthritis, and the common cold? Here are some lesser known (though incredibly important!) facts about your digestive system:

The greatest number of serotonin receptors (upwards of 65%) are housed in your intestinal tract – NOT in your brain. These are the chemicals that are often low in people with depression. Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs for mood disorders.

Approximately 60-70% of your immune system is housed in your digestive system. Your digestive system is the first line of defense for invading microorganisms. A weakened digestive system means a greater occurrence of disease and infections

Proteolytic enzymes (protein-digesting enzymes) produced in the pancreas are powerful anti-inflammatories. A decreased production of these enzymes due to poor digestion means more aches and pains

Your greatest organs of detoxification are those of the digestive system – the liver and large intestine. Compromised digestion means that these organs have to work overtime, and can become clogged and overworked. This leads to a backup of toxins in the body, which weaken the immune system, decrease energy production, and can affect every organ and system in the body.

Experts believe that the number one cause of internal toxicity is undigested food.” – Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald, The Detox Solution

Until digestion is normalized, optimal health and ideal weight cannot be achieved. A weakened digestive system means that the body will be unable to receive all of the nutrients it needs for healthy metabolism. In addition, the body will hold more weight in the form of undigested food if it is unable to break down and eliminate the food.

Reestablishing nutrient uptake through a strong digestive system is the key to lasting weight loss. A good flow of nutrients and essential factors for metabolic balance will ensure that the body receives the correct amount of essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other factors required for metabolism and energy usage, as well as the elimination of wastes, of which the buildup leads to accumulated weight gain.

If you have resolved to improve your health in 2009 think of your digestive system. A strong, well-functioning digestive system if the secret to health, vitality, and weight management!

How to Lose Weight Fast: A Proven 3-Step Plan That Works

There are many ways to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.However, most of them require you to be hungry and unsatisfied. If you don’t have iron willpower, then hunger will cause you to give up on these plans quickly.

The 3-step plan outlined here will:

Kill your appetite.

Make you lose weight fast, without being hungry.

Improve your health at the same time.

Step 1 – Eliminate Sugars and Starches

The most important part is to remove sugars and starches (carbs) from your diet. These are the foods that stimulate secretion of insulin the most. If you didn’t know already, insulin is the main fat storage hormone in the body. When insulin goes down, fat has an easier time getting out of the fat stores and the body starts burning fats instead of carbs. Another benefit of lowering insulin is that your kidneys shed excess sodium and water out of your body, which reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight.It is not uncommon to lose up to 10 pounds (sometimes more) in the first week of eating this way, both body fat and water weight.

Step 2 – Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables. Constructing your meals in this way will automatically bring your carb intake into the recommended range of 20-50 grams per day.

Protein Sources:

Meat – Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bacon, etc.

Fish and  Seafood – Salmon, trout, shrimps, lobsters, etc.

Eggs – Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.

Low-Carb Vegetables:

Vegetables

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Spinach

Kale

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Swiss Chard

Lettuce

Cucumber

Celery

Step 3 (Optional) – Exercise 3-4 Times per Week

You don’t need to exercise to lose weight on this plan, but it is recommended. The best option is to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Do a warm up, lift weights, then stretch. If you’re new to the gym, ask a trainer for some advice. By lifting weights, you will burn a few calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight Studies on low-carb diets show that you can even gain a bit of muscle while losing significant amounts of body fat

Have you heard that apple cider vinegar will help you lose weight?

The only study to test the idea in people was done in Japan. In the study, 175 obese but healthy people took either vinegar or water daily for 12 weeks. Their diets were similar.

They kept food journals. At the end of the study, those who used vinegar had lost slightly more weight. On average, the vinegar group lost 1-2 pounds over the 3-month period. They gained it all back after the study was over.

The researchers suggest that vinegar may turn on certain genes involved in breaking down fats.
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