Hey, hi there.. what's your dosha?

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means “the science of life and longevity”. Although Western medicine classifies Ayurveda as ‘alternative/complementary’, the practice started in India over three thousand years ago and one can argue that Western medicine is the one that is ‘alternative’.  According to this science, every person is a creation of cosmic energies and a unique phenomenon, and we all have a constitution, or balance of doshas. The five universal energies are Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. From these energies, three doshas are created; Vata (Space and Air), Pitta (Fire and Water), and Kapha (Water and Earth). It is believed that your dosha is determined at the moment of your conception, made up of the vata-pitta-kapha factors most active in your parents’ bodies at that time.

According to Ayurveda, health is a perfect state of balance among the body’s doshas (three fundamental energies). By balance I do not mean have all three doshas being equal but rather maintaining the proportion of each based on your constitution. To figure out your constitution, here is a good test http://www.yogajournal.com/health/498 and there is an even better one in any book by Dr. Vasant Lad, the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute.

I first became interested in Ayurveda about six years ago from my friend Claudia, who is a yoga teacher. When Claudia and I first became friends I had mentioned that I was recently recovering from pneumonia. The next day she brought me a bunch of her Ayurvedic books to borrow plus some essential oils to help with my breathing. I was hooked from there. Ayurveda is so complex that there is way too much information to fully explain in a blog post, or by someone like me who has not fully studied it. I am hoping to explain a bit of the concepts and encourage you to learn more on your own.

My constitution is Vata-Pitta, but the two doshas are so close that on some days I am Pitta-Vata like my husband John. Glancing at me, one would think I was mostly Pitta due to my Mesomorph body-type (Vatas tend to be more Ectomorph and Kaphas more Endomorph). My green eyes and the redness I sometime get around my nose are strong Pitta traits. However, those who know me realize that I am very energetic, bordering on hyper (Vata), needs to be constantly moving (Vata), and my joints crack (Vata), and my skin tends to be dry (again Vata). When asked a question, I tend to answer really quick and sometimes I am not correct (Vata), while John takes his time to think first and says the correct answer (Pitta). I wear Uggs all winter long, not for the fashion, but because I am always cold (Vata), while John wants to put the A/C on in March! (Pitta). Although, when John is under a lot of stress he tends to feel anxious (Vata), while I need to work a bit more on my temper (Pitta).  John also has the Vata dark eyes and hair.

Our daughter is also a Pitta-Vata mix. From her green eyes and light gold hair I definitely see Pitta, and she is already has some lean muscles, so I suspect a Mesomorph body like her parents. I also see a lot of Vata in her since she is definitely a ‘Wind’ child being so energetic and breezy. In all children, Kapha is very prevalent and I see it in her smooth dewy skin and her shiny hair. She is also so warm, loving, kind, and compassionate which are strong Kapha traits. Kaphas naturally have a sweet, loving disposition and tend to be stable, faithful, and religious. Kaphas also tend to be larger, heavier bones and may be prone to weight gain if not careful. But, due to their strong water energy, tend to have beautiful skin and hair.

I hope this created interest in some of you. There are many resources on the internet as well as books. Many ailments, diseases, and emotions are the results of your doshas being unbalanced. Each dosha responds to different diets, exercise, and times of day. As an example, sometimes when I feel like I am losing my temper, I realize that my pitta may be a bit too high and that I need to add some kapha to create patience and compassion. I will look for foods and drinks that are high in kapha but low in pitta. If someone has too much kapha and is holding too much weight, they may want to eat foods that lower kapha and increase vata. If you really stop to think about it, the ‘magic’ of Ayurveda is balancing energies! Pretty simple, right?

Om Shanti (peace and tranquility)

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

"The best soy latte that you ever had, and me"

Every time I hear Train’s ‘Drops of Jupiter’, I automatically want to go to Starbucks. However, soy lattes and I have a somewhat complicated relationship. I don’t like regular milk so, when at Starbucks, I order my coffee with a splash of soymilk. At home I only use almond milk. I am afraid of having too much soy since I believe it can affect hormones and may lead to a risk of breast cancer. Soy contains phytoestrogens, however studies have not yet proven any link between breast cancer risk and soy intake. In fact, some studies show that soy consumption can help reduce the risk of breast cancer in Asian populations.

My theory is, in Asian populations the primary forms of soy are miso, which is fermented, and edamame, which is the unprocessed soybean. In Western countries we have soy protein shakes, soy burgers, soy turkey, soymilk, tofu ice cream, soy baby formula, soy fillers, etcetera and ad nauseam! It is our culture to learn that something may be good for us and then to over process it and take it so far removed from the natural state. A great example of this is the acai berry craze of recent.

In Japan, the women who have low breast cancer rates from a soy diet are not eating tofurky nor are they actually eating that much of the natural or fermented soy anyway. They are eating real food in moderation, keeping calories low, and eating foods in the natural state. I think this way of eating can prevent much disease regardless of whether that diet includes soy or not.

Within just the past 4 months, two different women confided in me that they think their breast cancer was caused by a very high soy intake. One woman was a vegetarian who figured she used about one half-gallon of soymilk every two days. The other woman was living on diet soy shakes and edamame. I am not a doctor nor do I pretend to be, but to me it sounds like they have a valid assumption

Many babies are given soy-based formula. This can be dangerous for baby boys as far as hormonal development. This may be too much estrogen for their little bodies. This is also a danger for girls as well since having too much estrogen in the body is not a good thing.

That being said, everything is moderation is usually fine unless you have, had, or you are at high risk for breast cancer. If that is your case, talk to you doctor about any concerns you have with soy. Personally, I limit my soy intake to a minimal.  As I said before, when at Starbucks I get a splash of soy milk, I have edamame sometimes when we go out for sushi, some tofu, and I will have the occasional veggie burger (although that is about as rare as when I have an actual beef burger). And if you have read some previous posts of mine, you will know that, in the past, I followed a vegan diet for quite awhile too! There are so many better sources of vegan protein than soy (beans, quinoa, nuts, brown rice, to name a few).

I hope to give you some ‘food for thought’ in this post. I think this ‘soy debate’ can also be applied to almost anything. If a little of something may be good for you, often a lot of that same thing can have the opposite effect and may be dangerous.

Have a compassionate, kind, and happy week

XOX


UPDATED: I received the below email from a very strong and very brave friend of mine. Suzanne was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer which she fought and conquered. Right after she was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer which she bravely fought and overcame. She is very well informed and had the following to add to this post. After reading this, I no longer want any more tofu!

This was an awesome article on soy.  And I've read that in Asia, after being fermented, is fine.  That would be miso, tempeh, natto, (soy sauce) and tamari-  on occasion.   But, here in America the soy typically isn't fermented and it is processed in a way that makes their proteins impure and increases the amount of carcinogens.  An example would be tofu.   Read labels!  You should also stay away from anything with soybean oil and soy protein isolate-- which is in a lot of food!  Soy isoflavones have been shown to reduce the testosterone levels of animals and men (which decrease libido and sperm count), and disrupt normal hormone levels in women.  An old "wives tale" in Japan says that women punish straying husbands by feeding them a lot of tofu.  Soy isolates are in a lot of protein bars and snacks.  They can cause hypothyroidism.  Throw out anything containing :  soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, texturized vegetable protein, or soy (or soybean) oil.  They are probably in packaged energy bars, crackers, veggie burgers, and vegetarian look-alike products.  If you have been taking soy for a long time, get your thyroid checked. Thought you would like to know!  Thanks for all your wonderful blogs! Take Care, Suzanne

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

The Chocolate Cake Factor

The other day I got a few laughs on Facebook when I used an old expression that some of us in the Fitness profession used about 15 years ago (hey, I never pretended to be young). The expression is ‘CCF (Chocolate Cake Factor)’. For example, suppose there is a person who is consistently at the gym working really hard over a long period of time, yet it does not seem as though that individual is having any results. Back then, a trainer may have turned to their colleague and said ‘oh, I guess it is just CCF’.

What this means is that no matter how hard you exercise, you can’t ‘out-train’ a bad diet. The example of this expression is that sometimes people have the mindset that they worked so hard at the gym so they ‘deserve some chocolate cake’. Now, ‘chocolate cake’ can also stand in for muffins, donuts, fried food, etc. When someone in my Spinning class asks me how many calories do I think they burned in my class, I often respond, ‘I don’t know the exact number, but if you leave here and get a latte and a muffin you will negate your workout’. I purposely try to take the focus off the calories burned since the inclination would be to think about what can now be consumed.

The problem with this mentality is that it is very easy to consume a lot of calories pretty fast, but it takes a lot of work to burn off those calories. Therefore, I do not think exercise is the best way to control or lose weight. Of course you need fitness. That is non-negotiable! But, to lose or maintain your weight you need to focus on diet. I read once that ‘great abs are made in the kitchen’ and I agree.

I was at a popular restaurant in New York yesterday where the calories are listed on the menu. Many of the entrees were over 1,000 calories! Lets do some math here. Since calories burned vary by person by so many variables, I am going to assume 100 calories/10 min of moderate to high intensity just for simplicity in this example (and I am too lazy for complicated equations right now).

Ok, you ran for a full hour at a rate of 6.0 and your muscles are sore! You worked really hard, sweating like mad, and burned about 600 calories. Now let’s see how many calories we would have burned doing absolutely nothing. I encourage you to read more about BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). These are both calculations used to estimate how many calories you burn assuming you did nothing but rest for24 hours. For this example, let’s use RMR and assume it is 1,200 calories. Divide that by 24 to give a calorie burn of 50 for an hour of sitting around doing nothing. So, we need to subtract that from our treadmill workout giving us a net benefit of 550 calories. Again, I am using very conservative estimates in my example.

OK, so we are at the restaurant feeling great after our tough workout and we order an entrée for 1,100 calories, a glass of wine to celebrate (120 calories), and what the heck let’s split the dessert since we earned it (550 calories). Calorie total for this one meal is 1,770 (wow, and that is just one meal! But does this sound familiar yet?). Your entire workout gave you a 550-calorie benefit bringing your meal down to 1,220, which is still way too much for one meal. It takes 3,500 extra calories to gain a pound, but with this math it is easy to see how that can happen.

I don’t want to discourage you; I want to do the opposite so lets use this same example in another setting. Ok, rewind. You did an awesome workout and made a net burn of 550 calories and going to meet your friends out to dinner. You have a nice glass of wine because you deserve it, order a lower calorie entrée or if you want the 1,100 calorie one then eat half of it. Politely demur on the chocolate cake at the end telling your friends that you are full. You stayed in your calorie budget and your exercise gave you a 550-calorie deficit. Wow, at this rate you will lose about 1/lb a week, the healthy amount. Great job!

Have a wonderful and healthy week

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Can a diet prevent cancer?

I recently came across some information about something called the ‘Epigenetic Diet’. This is not about weight loss; it is so much more powerful than that. Researchers are trying to prove that this diet may prevent cancer. Of course, this piqued my interest and I found myself researching it more.

Epigenetics research focuses on the effects that diet can have on the structure and the function of DNA. It was formerly believed that cancer is caused by a mutation in DNA, but scientists are finding that more than half of the cases are caused by changes in gene activity rather than the structure.

Ok, here is some quick science:  Your DNA is made up of a unique sequence of about 3 billion nucleotides. These are arranged into units called ‘genes’. Your genes contain all of the information needed to produce proteins necessary to create your cells and tissues to sustain your life. The process of creating a new protein in your cells is called ‘gene expression’ and your body closely regulates it. It is believed that mistakes in gene expression lead to illnesses like cancer. One of the ways of regulating gene expression is through epigenetics.  Epigenetics research focuses on the change of gene expression by means other than the change in DNA nucleotide sequence. This is where diet comes in.

So, what do I think of this? Well, I am neither a doctor nor a scientist but I think it makes sense. We learned back in basic high school biology class that our cells are constantly regenerating. So, as our cells change, what are they being built from? To me it makes sense that they are made using what goes into our body, whether that be food, medication, drugs, environmental pollution, etc. Since we can’t 100% control the environmental factors, I think we should pay great attention to what we can control. That means it is important to watch what you put into your body. Do not smoke or take drugs, limit alcohol (although in moderation it has positive benefits), make sure the medicine you take is really needed, watch out for dangerous chemicals in plastic, and avoid nitrates and chemicals in your food.

But the good news is that there is so much more you can ADD than to avoid. Food such as broccoli, blueberries, tomatoes, and grapes as well as flaxseed, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, green tea, and red wine are some examples of things that may be able to ‘turn on’ genes that suppress tumor growth and ‘turn off’ the genes that promote growth. Of course, none of this is proven yet but I personally believe that it will be some day. It definitely will not hurt to add these to your diet.

I eat broccoli, flaxseed, and tomatoes everyday and blueberries, grapes and green tea on a lot of days. I will start to add cinnamon and turmeric to more of my food and of course enjoy a nice glass of red wine!

Cheers! And Happy Summer

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Now We're Cookin'

I have mentioned before that I am a bit of a ‘lazy cook’. In my defense, I find that the more ingredients added to a dish usually increase the amount of calories, salt, and fat. Also, it is challenging to have an open flame with a pre-schooler running around the kitchen tormenting the cat! It also seems that anytime I try to boil or simmer something, my daughter suddenly needs help in the bathroom. This is both dangerous and disgusting, resulting in half-cooked food going into the garbage. And yes I will admit it; I am really not much of a cook. (I am a very good baker though!).

However, occasionally I would like to make healthy, nutritious, and delicious meals for my family.  To do this I had to get a bit creative. I bought a slow-cooker last winter, and an indoor grill recently. These kitchen tools allow me to cook without worrying about burning my house down when I am called away from the kitchen. I also keep them far back on the counters to avoid being knocked over by a cat running from a child who is trying to put a tiara on his head and a mask on his face! (Yes, this is just a normal day in my kitchen)

To get my daughter involved in cooking, I bought her a children’s cookbook. This isn’t really a ‘cook’ book since none of the recipes involve the stove or oven. I have her flip through and pick out the vegetables and fruits she wants to use. I also let her use this book to pick out meals on the days I do not cook (which is most of the time). She chooses yogurt parfaits, PB&J sandwiches, smoothies, etc. When she chooses her own food from a book of healthy choices, she eats and enjoys it. I also involve her in making a grocery list. I ask her what she needs from the store. She actually asks me which store since she prefers string cheese from one store, the apples from another, etc. The trick is to make the choices about fruit, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and whole grains. There is a lot to choose and children love to have their independence.

Another fun ‘tool’ I just purchased is a kitchen timer that looks like an owl. I told my daughter that it is hers and she is the only one who can use it. Yesterday I wanted to make a nice meal for my family. I bought mahi-mahi fish, organic spinach, garlic, onions, and avocado. I grilled the fish on my indoor grill but put my daughter in charge of setting the timer for 10 minutes and telling me when the fish was done. As she sat on the floor staring at the owl timer, I was able to cook the spinach with the garlic and onion using olive oil spray. She was way too busy being in charge of the main course to wreak havoc. She tells me that she doesn’t like avocado so I just cut it up and put it out on the table not offering her any. As soon as she saw her daddy eat some, she decided to try it and now she likes it. For some reason she thinks if daddy eats it, it has to be good.

We had a wonderful family meal. I think I may try to do this more often! Now off to check my smoke alarm batteries….

Have a wonderful and healthy week

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Body Pump Part Deux

Last month I wrote a post about my Les Mills Body Pump initial training http://sharonsherryfitness.blogspot.com/2011/05/pump-it.html . On Friday, I filmed my video to send to the assessment board for full certification. In theory, I really had until early August to do this, but with summer here, I wanted to get this done before vacation and my daughter’s fourth birthday. Also, now that school is out, I want my daughter to have a fun summer instead of watching me learn choreography.

As with the initial training, you can either receive a grade of pass, pass withheld (meaning you need your Group Fitness Manager (GFM) to help you where you fell short and then sign off), or a resubmit (meaning you need to record again and submit a new DVD).

To prepare, I team-taught some tracks during other instructors’ classes for a few weeks. That was great practice, and it also allowed me to receive honest feedback from the certified instructors. I learned one track at a time, and then practiced my track again and again. As the filming date moved closer, I spent most of my time (and any free minute I had) memorizing the choreography. I just watched the release DVD again and again, then played only the music and tested my knowledge of the choreography. My next focus was learning all of the required cues to say during the class. Practicing correct form was easier. I am a certified personal trainer, so I know correct form, but I needed to remind myself so that I did not get too caught up in the choreography.

I have to say that timing/tempo is the trickiest for teaching this class. That is why I spent so much time making sure I had the choreography nailed. I didn’t want to have to think about that plus the tempo. In Body Pump, the class must be fun and entertaining, so they do not want you to count beats and reps. You need to be able to ‘feel them’, relying on knowing the music inside and out. The music is really the key to the success of this class.

On top of all of this, I had to make sure I look like a ‘role model’ (i.e. using the heaviest weights I can manage), keep the transition between tracks smooth, introduce each track and demo moves, and ‘look the part’ (i.e. look fit, confident, and wear either red or black). Wow, this is a lot to think about!

So, to prepare for this I bought a brand new Flip camera to make sure everything was perfectly recorded. My wonderful husband took me to Lululemon and bought me a red top and black capri tights which I proudly wore in my video. Then of course I blow-dried my hair and used velcro rollers only to pull it back into a ponytail. I then added waterproof mascara and eyeliner. Come on, I was being filmed! (Yes, I am a bit vain…)

My husband took a vacation day to film the video for me, and my GFM put together a class of participants for me. I am very thankful to everyone who made this happen.

So, the big question is ‘how did I do???’ To be honest, I don’t know! I will send it in and see. Honestly critiquing myself, I saw quite a bit of mistakes.  I had mixed emotions that day. I was so relieved and happy to have it done and completed and proud that I remembered all of the choreography and cues. But then later, I was a bit down and even in tears when I started focusing on what I did not do right. I know that I was off on some of the timing, I added an extra rep at one point, I started the next set of exercises a measure too soon, and to top it all off, I lost form on the lunge track at the end. I taught a Spinning class in the morning before the filming, was practicing all week, and also running sprints all week to relieve my nerves. My legs literally just gave out.

Then after the tears, I had a change in my mindset. OK, I was not perfect, but who would be as a brand new Body Pump instructor? I was comparing myself to the Program Managers in the release DVD. They have been doing this for years, plus they are part of the development team. Of course I am not going to be anywhere near as great as they are. So I decided to think about what I did right. First of all, every single mistake I made I corrected immediately and went right back on tempo. I said every one of my compulsory cues, plus quite a bit of execution and motivational cues. My transitions were smooth as were my set ups for each track. I kept my energy high and motivating. With the exception of just one mistake, my choreography and form was right on.

So, I decided to burn my DVD and I am sending it out tomorrow hoping for the best. Trying to get the video from the Flip to the Mac to the DVD is a whole other story that would make a great post if I had an I/T blog. I added a small clip from my video below, the entire DVD is over an hour though. So, the worst-case scenario is that they will ask me to re-submit. I will gladly do that if necessary, but I was not about to toss this one since it was not 100% perfect. In accepting that I will never be 100% perfect, I am proudly stating that I am 100% human.

Have a balanced, embraced, and self-accepting week.

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Older and (Possibly) Wiser

I recently turned 42 and I am proud of how much wiser I have become with age. I look back to when I was 22 and I am happy to see how much I have evolved.

When I was 22, I avoided avocadoes and nuts since I was ‘positive’ that I would get fat from eating them. Now at 42, these healthy fats (in moderation) are staples of my diet since they are so good for my heart and for my skin. And I did not gain any weight from them!

At 22, I ate a bagel every day since it was fat-free, and how can you get fat if you don’t eat fat? At 42, I would never eat a bagel, because bagels and other simple carbs will make me gain weight.

At 22, I had a strict, inflexible regimen of running 3-5 miles on the treadmill, followed by strength training for the body part I was working that day. I didn’t enjoy it.  It was just something I ‘had to’ do. At 42, I teach a variety of classes and I take Yoga and Zumba for fun. I cross train and do full body workouts focused on both strength and power. I have a lot of fun and enjoy the variety of my workouts. And yes, I still run, but I do interval sprints and run on the days I feel like it.

At 22, I did care about my skin, but was lazy with my sunscreen and sometimes gave into the ‘peer pressure’ of being tan. At 42, I use sunscreen every day and avoid the sun during peak hours. Lunchtime is spent indoors. I also see my dermatologist each year for a skin check.

At 22, I loved supplements and wanted to try everything I read about. At 42, I realize most supplements are dangerous and I stick to my multi, calcium, fish oil, and glucosamine (per my doctor). And I make sure my doctor knows everything I take.

At 22, I worked out and watched my diet for the sole purpose of fitting into my jeans and wearing a bikini. At 42, I exercise because I love it and eat right to mitigate my risk of disease. That also means watching calories because carrying a few extra pounds does put a person at risk for disease. And as a bonus my jeans fit and I can still wear a bikini.

At 22, having a stranger compliment my appearance made me feel great. At 42, having my daughter watch me run on the treadmill and say ‘Mommy you run so fast, I am going to eat broccoli like you so I can run that fast!’ is the only compliment that matters. Well, I admit it also makes me feel great the way my husband looks at me! I really do not care what any strangers think.

At 22, I colored my hair often because I was easily bored, even though the chemicals could have been bad for me. I also wore heels I had trouble walking in since they looked good, even though it put my feet, knees and back at risk. At 42, well…. Ok… some things will never change!

Have a wonderful and healthy week

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.