Category Archives: Wellness

The Stress and Relaxation Response and How Belly Fat Is Made

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The “fight or flight response” is our body’s primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to “fight” or “flee” from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival. When we experience excessive stress, whether from internal worry or external circumstance this bodily reaction is also triggered. Originally discovered by the great Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon, this response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm. This response actually corresponds to an area of our brain called the hypothalamus, which—when stimulated—initiates a sequence of nerve cell firing and chemical release that prepares our body for running or fighting.

After studying the physiological effects of the ‘flight or fight’ stress response, Cardiologist Herbert Benson discovered that by eliciting the ‘relaxation response’ the opposite was also true (1996). This physiologic state of calm is an equally essential survival mechanism, providing us with the ability to heal and rejuvenate our bodies. Today, the relaxation response is crucial when considering how often the fight or flight response is triggered inappropriately.

When our minds become focused through deep breathing, meditation, repetitive prayer, or mantras, the body responds with dramatic affects. There is a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure and metabolic rate (Benson, 1996).

Under stress, the potential to store belly fat is much higher.  This is caused by certain hormone receptor sites in the abdominal region or center region of the body.

How does it get there? It’s absorbed via the intestines. But the key player is the omentum (the abdominal fat storage facility).  It’s the pouch you carry on your belly. The belly pouch!

So your omentum clears the cortisol steroids because it has receptors that bind to them and can suck them out of the bloodstream (unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily reduce the stress level that you feel). The steroids turbo-charge the ability of omentum to store fat, so your belly fat (and subsequent waist size) become the best surrogate indicator of how well you are really coping with stress (despite what your brain might be claiming). That uptake of steroids throws your body in metabolic disarray by:

Making your omentum resistant to insulin so sugar floats around without being absorbed and used appropriately by needy cells, and this:

  1. Chronically raises your blood sugar, which damages our tissues;
  2. Super-charging your omentum with inflammatory chemicals that destabilize the delicate equilibrium of your hormones;
  3. Forcing your omentum to pump high-octane fat directly into your liver—causing your liver to make even more inflammatory chemicals.

Here is the bottom line, the human body will always function in a way that ensures survival for evolution. A lot of times this means the body will resist the changes we are trying to induce. When you are stressed out the last thing the body is likely to do is lose weight, specifically fat mass. I have found with a lot of clients that progress will come to a screeching halt due to excessive stress in their lives. Focus on decreasing your stress, creating a planned safe approach to exercise, getting in the right type of nutrition for your goals and which compliment your exercise and everything in life will become easier and more manageable!

How can I prevent a heart attack?

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It is important for you to understand your risk factors for having a heart attack or heart disease. If you understand what they are then you can change your lifestyle to reduce your risk factors and your chance of having a heart attack. Risk factors that can be reduced are: smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, lack of exercise. You can reduce your chances by reducing your risk factors. Do not smoke, if you are overweight lose weight, if you have high blood pressure take your medications as your doctor prescribes and reduce the amount of salt you eat, if you have high cholesterol take your medication as prescribed and eat a diet low in fat, if you are diabetic take your medication as prescribed and follow your diet as prescribed, try to exercise per your doctor’s advice

Even if you have heart disease, there’s a lot you can do to improve your heart’s health.

Ask your doctor for help and when it comes to exercise and nutrition seek the help of a specialist, (ei: Qualified Personal Trainer with experience and a Certified Nutritionist),  your doctor can give you general good advice, but that only goes so far and some doctors, might even give you the wrong advice. Together, you can set goals to reduce the things that raise your risk of heart attack.

- Don’t smoke, and avoid other people’s tobacco smoke.

- Treat high blood pressure, if you have it.

- Eat a healthy diet that’s low in saturated fat, trans fat, and salt. Increase your good fats such as mono and polyunsaturates (good fish, nuts, seeds such as flax and hemp)

- Exercise at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week.  Keep your heart rate constant and at a level that is recommended for your current condition. Your personal trainer will help you with this.  I am heart wise certified with Ottawa Heart Institute. Trainers that are Heart Wise certified can work with you to target your specific zone.

- Keep your weight in the normal range. Depending on your fitness goals, this range is different for everyone, but there is a general body mass index rule that you can follow, however it is a reading that does not take into account your goals or existing muscle mass if you’ve played sports or have done resistance training.

- See your doctor for regular check-ups.   Get full blood work done. Check the results. Ask to see them.. TRUST ME, doctors are humans and there is always a chance for human error when READING the results.

- Take your medicines exactly as prescribed.  The right type of nutrition and exercise are huge factors in helping reduce your medications, even getting off some types of medications.

- Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes. .Again, The right type of nutrition and exercise are huge factors in helping reduce your diabetes medication for Type I and eventually come off your Type II diabetes medication.

 

Create A Morning Routine That Helps You Lose Fat!

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If you eat a decent breakfast and lunch, with perhaps a nutritious snack in between, you should be taking in enough calories to function properly throughout the day and feel alert until dinnertime. After dinner, many of us stop eating and do not eat anything at all until morning, while some of us snack once or continuously. However, throughout the evening and night, the body continues to function and burn calories, even when sleeping. After six to eight hours of sleep, we awake with a need to consume more calories to get through the day.

Morning is the time of day when the body is most depleted of calories. This is a great opportunity to burn fat from the body. Instead of the exercising at night to burn excess calories left over from your last meal, experts suggest a morning workout of the same intensity and length will burn three times as many calories as the afternoon or evening workout. This is simply due to the fact the body will expend the existing calories in the body then will dig down to use excess, stored fat to produce energy.

To get the most out of your morning workout, health experts recommend working out for at least thirty to sixty minutes for optimal fat burning results. Prior to working out, avoid consuming calories of any kind, as the body will use these before they begin to burn the body fat available for energy. Do not worry, however, as a good breakfast is part of a fat burning morning routine when consumed after the morning workout. Exercising in the morning kicks the body’s metabolism into high gear, burning many more calories throughout the day than if you wait to exercise until nighttime.

Of course, part of a fat burning ‘morning routine’ is…well… the routine. By consistently working out each morning, your workout for the day is complete, you’ll be better equipped to cope with the day’s stresses, and you’ll enjoy better impulse control over your food choices throughout the day. Choosing healthy breakfast foods, rather than skipping breakfast, and eating after your workout will significantly curb food cravings throughout the morning until lunch time. When that morning donut cart rolls through your office, you’ll be able to smile confidently and say “No thanks.”

Starting the day with a healthy workout and a nutritious breakfast is your best opportunity to commit to burning fat and getting into serious shape. Fitness expert Rob Lagana is available to help you, and will customize a nutritious, fat burning meal plan to help you reach your goals.

Q&A What can I do for my low blood pressure?

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In my experience, I have had clients with low blood pressure and they have asked me if their low blood pressure would improve with training. The answer is YES.

Anybody with a reading if 90/60 mmHg or lower is regarded as having hypotension (low blood pressure). People with low blood pressure have some protection from factors which raise blood pressure to undesirable levels. However, low blood pressure may be a sign of an underlying problem, and can cause unpleasant symptoms.

Below are the most common symptoms of hypotension:

Blurred vision
Cold, clammy, pale skin
Depression
Dizziness
Fainting
Fatigue
General feeling of weakness
Nausea
Palpitations
Rapid, shallow breathing
Thirst

Two of the main causes that I see more often in clients are:

Dehydration

When your body loses more water than it takes in you eventually become dehydrated. Hydration levels (levels of water in the body) do not have to drop much before you start feeling dizzy and weak – dehydration-induced weight loss of just 1% can lower blood pressure enough to cause symptoms. Dehydration can be caused by severe diarrhea, vomiting, heat, overusing diuretics, and over-exercising. If water or blood levels drop dramatically the patient can go into hypovolemic shock – the severe water/blood drop in volume means the heart cannot pump the blood properly, resulting in life-threatening hypotension.

Endocrine problems (not including diabetes)

The endocrine system is a system of glands involved in the release of hormones – examples include the thyroid gland, and the adrenal gland. The thyroid gland makes and stores hormones that help in the control of the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate at which food is broken down and converted into energy (part of metabolism). Low blood pressure can be caused by hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). If the adrenal glands do not work properly (adrenal insufficiency) there is also a risk of hypotension – the adrenal glands are located just above each kidney and are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response.

There are 2 critical things to normalize low blood pressure based on the above potential causes:

1. Drink More Water. The average person that exercises for 30 minutes in a neutral climate with no health issues, needs around 3 liters of pure water a day. Start sipping on water throughout the day until you reach 3 liters and any other fluids on top of that is bonus (Alcohol and Coffee is excluded).

2. Use slow, safe exercise progressions to build muscle. Muscle building exercise raises your T3 (active thyroid) raising your core temperature. Muscle building also reduces overall stress in the body, because in order to build muscle, you must attain an anabolic state. An anabolic state can only be achieved by a healthy strong metabolism.

A health strong metabolism, means that your good hormones and enzymes are being built up at a optimal rate.

Rob’s 5 Tips To Help You Lose Weight and Stay On Track On Your Own

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1) Have a mental picture in your mind, and PLAN your weight loss project.
Any successful project starts with a plan, and you should look at losing weight the same way!! Thinking about details such as..where you stand presently, where you want to be, and the steps you will take to get there! And this includes planning your meals and preparing them in advance! This has helped me tremendously!
2) Look at your weight loss project as a whole life changing experience, and not as a diet!
Focus more on the idea that you have now chosen and made a commitment in taking a NEW path of a healthier lifestyle, and you can be certain that just as I you will start to witness as your body changes and becomes new again! Start by promising yourself to only allow nothing but healthy foods in, and watching your portion control,along with also starting to take small steps in making exercise part of your new daily lifestyle! Join a gym if you can, and if money is an issue for you, there is always the local YMCA’s which have a program in place to help with funds as EVERYONE deserves to live a healthier active life!
3) Use all the resources you can to help make this project succeed.
Visit your local library, do some online searches, talk to your family doctor. Get EXCITED about Re-educating yourself basically on how you can change your unhealthy body into a brand new healthier one!! You would be surprised at how much info is actually out there, and how amazing this sort of project becomes! Just remember nothing will be handed to you, its up to you to take charge of your own life, and to act on it!
4) Get mentally prepared by acknowledging the fact that it is not going to be easy.
This might be the BIGGEST challenge that you will ever make for yourself, but remember the self rewards that come with being challenged are 100x better! Being challenged makes you a stronger person both inside and out! Also remember to keep in mind especially if you are having a bad day, that in the end it WILL be all worth it, and that it certainly DOES get easier as times goes on! Just stay strong and don’t let weakness defeat you, and remember you are so much stronger! Have patience and work through it day by day, week by week…don’t focus on the end goal.
5)Set little goals before reaching your end goal.
This will make the time go by faster, and you will be excited when passing these little goals as you reach them and not even realize that you are getting closer to the bigger goal with each passing day! These can be anything from special monthly occasions, weekly weigh ins, monthly pics. Perhaps your doctor can arrange some weekly weigh ins, FREE OF CHARGE!! Whatever it is that will help keep you motivated while working towards you end goal.

Just remember we all deserve to be healthier and happier, so challenge yourself today!

Q&A If you could do one thing to improve your health, what would it be?

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Focus on what you put into your body. I call this food shaping. Food shaping is what I call knowing how much of certain foods to eat, (portion control) what time to eat them, and what type…There are 2 types of foods. Food that fuels your body and food that breaks your body.
Imagine your body as highly priced automobile, like a Bugati Veyron (my favourite). You put low grade fuel; you get low grade performance which can result in breakdown.
Food for fuel directly affects your body’s metabolism. Most people that have been on low grade foods, don’t notice the continued negative effects such as lethargy, brain fog, stress, high blood pressure, high sugar, high fat cravings and less than optimum hormone production. They don’t know what’s it like to have that high end metabolism. Little by little it becomes worse, until you have a habituated lifestyle.
Start eating whole natural foods, which are unprocessed, and contain macro and micro nutrients that your body needs to run on and repair itself.
Healthy food doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. Be creative.
Evaluate what’s in your fridge and cupboards. Most people know which foods are good and which are bad. Take the bad foods and remove them from your home. If you need extra help, consult with a dietitian.
None of us want to wake up one morning with cancer, or diabetes, or heart
disease. Now – not all disease can be averted – but ultimately us
all would like to avoid as many health setbacks as we can.

Boost Your Metabolism

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Metabolism is all about breaking down tissues / cells and rebuilding them.. The cycle of this creates your metabolic rate and the rate that you need is unique to your conditions. The advice below will make sure you have a guide to keeping the metabolic cycle going, which will lead you to lean muscle mass.

1. Build Muscle Mass Strength training builds lean muscle
tissue, which burns more calories at work or at rest, 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. The more lean muscle you have, the
faster your metabolism will be. How do you start strength
training? Try some push-ups, or a few squats or lunges. Use 5
lb. free weights to perform simple biceps curls or triceps
pulls. Do these exercises three to four times per week, and
you’ll soon see a boost in your metabolism as well as an
improvement in your physique.

2. Do Not Skip Meals or Drastically Reduce Your Caloric
Intake If your body senses that food is in short supply, it will
slow your metabolism to conserve energy. Over time, the result
is that when you do eat (even if you consume the same foods as
always) your body will be slower to use the calories as fuel,
thus creating a backlog of unwanted pounds. A good strategy is
to cut your caloric intake by no more than 500 calories per day
and never less than 1200 calories total each day. Once you
determine your goal for calorie consumption, divide those
calories into 6 different small meals/snacks through out the
day.

3. Increase the Amount of Protein in your Diet Most
researchers agree that protein helps to stabilize the secretion
of insulin into your blood stream, a process that can affect
metabolism. The average person would benefit from protein intake
at a minimum of 70 grams or higher each day.

4. Aerobic Workout 3 Days a Week Even though exercise doesn’t
affect your RMR, the extra calories you burn could add up to an
additional 1-2 pounds of weight loss per month.

5. Increase Movement in Daily Lifestyle The more you move,
the more you burn! You can actually make a significant addition
to the number of calories you burn each day by relatively minor
changes in lifestyle. This can be as simple as taking the stairs
instead of the elevator; park a distance from the mall or
office; window-shop with your best friend rather than sit over
coffee; walk the dog instead of just let him out; do a little
gardening or clean house while you talk on the phone. Making
these types of changes for just 20 minutes of your day will
cause you to burn an additional 100 calories per day or an
additional pound per month. Making more of these changes can
help you burn as much as an additional 1,000 calories per day!

6. Go For an Evening Walk Although exercising any time is
good for you, evening activity may be particularly beneficial.
Many people’s metabolism slows down toward the end of the day.
Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your
metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three
hours. What that means for you: those dinner calories have less
of a chance to take up permanent residence on your hips!

7. Get Adequate Sleep As funny as it sounds, sleep
deprivation may make you fat and not just because you’re
susceptible to cases of the late-night munchies. According to
researchers at the University of Chicago, women who got less
than four hours of sleep per night had a slower metabolism than
those who slept for a full eight hours.

What about supplements? Diet supplements that claim to increase
your metabolism have flooded the marketplace. Our advice is to
beware. Stimulants (such as caffeine, ephedrine, nicotine, and
others) have not been clinically proven to increase metabolic
rates. It may be that they stimulate a person to simply be more
active, which then burns more calories.

A supplement is just that…
Use it to supplement your diet with missing nutrients and to
hydrate the body with special nutrients in order to acheive
either a anti-catabolic state or anabolic state. There is no
magic pill, so beware of miraculous marketing hype.

Ottawa Nutrition Seminar

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Ready to Get Fit, Firm and Lean? FREE Pro Training Tips Will Get You There!

Reach Your Best Weight and Enjoy Vibrant Good Health With Fitness Expert Rob Lagana’s

Attend this FREE SEMINAR, sign up NOW !!

Would it help you if you were at your optimal weight and health?

According to the National Weight Control Registry, 89% of people who
lost 30 or more pounds and kept it off for at least one year did it
with diet and exercise.

Only 10% succeeded using diet alone’
Only 1% succeeded using exercise alone…

So, if weight loss is one of your primary goals, optimizing your
nutrition is key.

Unfortunately, dieting is where most people fail. They either start
out gung-ho on some unhealthy kick and then lose interest when the
plan becomes too boring (remember the grapefruit diet?) or they set
out impossible goals they can’t stick to (like eating 8 times a day
and drinking gallons of water).

The results?

Metabolic shutdown and damage
Stress
Burn-out
Depression
Weight rebound
Do you bounce from diet to diet with no results?
Don’t have all day to cook 8 meals ?
and lots of frustration and wasted time.

Is that what you’ve been doing?
Then let me ask you

Are you tired in the afternoon? Eat candies at work or before bed?
Do you feel lazy? Pulled a muscle recently for no reason or from
improper lifting?
Do you have moderate to high cholesterol?
Is your body mass index (BMI) too high?
Have you been diagnosed with an illness?
Do have insomnia?
Do you have poor circulation?
Do you drink too much or smoke too much?
Do you bounce from diet to diet with no results?
Are you sick and tired of eating lettuce and weird vegetables?
Do you experience loss of appetite, headaches, depression, decreased
immunity, sudden drop in performance, general bitchiness, insomnia,
gradual Increase in muscle soreness?

The answer to all of these common complaints and more is fitness. But
probably not the kind of fitness you’re thinking about.

Certainly not crunches, grapefruit and diet soda.

Learn How to
Reach Your Best Weight with Glowing Good Health!

“I worked with Rob for 6 months now and over that period of time, lost
54 pounds. I went from a size 44 to 33 in jeans. I had bad knee pain
from squatting and leg press exercises, but I’m now completely pain
free , just from Rob’s help. I couldn’t bench press 135 lbs but in 6
months, I am now bench pressing 135 lbs for 8 reps. I have recommended
Rob to my relatives and friends and they agree that they will reach
their fitness and health goals just as fast as I did.” Andrew T. -
Florida

“Rob, put me on a diet plan that met my everyday schedule. It was easy
to follow his diet as he outlined exactly what to eat and even gave
tips on how to prepare the meals for an “on the go!” person like me. I
lost 19 pounds so far in the short time that I have been on Rob’s
diet. Let’s just say that my boyfriend pays “special” attention to me
now! Lol! Thanks Rob! ” Sandy C. -New York

Working with thousands of clients over the past 12 years, I’ve
learned one important fact:

It’s easy to get started. It’s hard to finish.

My goal is to be there with you when the starter gun goes off, and
cheer you to the finish line, for a lifetime of natural diet and
exercise that doesn’t interfere with your lifestyle, but complements
it and seamlessly becomes a welcome part of your everyday existence.

Here’s what we can accomplish together:

Correct metabolic damage caused by fad diets or improper eating
Improve your metabolism
Improve your hormonal profile
Gain more lean muscle mass, with firm and toned physique
Succeed in breaking your old habits
Have more energy, patience, strength, positivity, lean muscle, tiger
focus, and productive lifestyle and confidence
Be able to achieve longevity with quality and functional living
Create a fat burning state with a functional diet you can live with
for a long time.
Gain more muscle mass using a drug-free techniques

Whether you want to get ripped, be more toned and lean, or simply
find a better way to live your healthiest life, I can show you how.

What are you waiting for?

Attend this FREE SEMINAR, sign up NOW !!

Can I drink Alcohol on a diet?

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I’m often asked by people wanting to lose fat, “Can I still have a glass a wine a day?”

The answer is the less the better, none is best. Alcohol is calories and actually closer to fat calories in levels. Carbs are 4cals/gram while alcohol is 7cals/gram, that is just a bit less than fat which is 9cals/gram. Alcohol is also very high glycemic.

I have seen people plateau on their fat loss journeys, by keeping alcohol like wine in their diet on weekends. Even 2-3 glasses on a weekend has a significant impact on obese people that are trying to lose fat. The higher your bodyfat, the more strict you have to be on your diet. By strict, I mean 100% compliant and consistent. You can still eat a wide variety of foods but you need to choose the right foods.

Alcohol, should not be part of your nutrition plan, unless your body is in a fat burning physiological state and its a special occasion. Even though these occasions should be limited.