Ashwagandha is a shrub with yellow flowers that blossom into a small
red fruit. It is actually in the same family as the tomato! It is native
to India, Northern Africa and the Middle East, but is also grown in the
United States today.
Ashwagandha
is on a very powerful adaptogen herb used in Ayurveda. Adaptogens help
our bodies cope with external stresses (i.e. toxins in the environment)
and internal stresses (i.e. anxiety and insomnia). They help us to
‘adapt’ by modulating our response to stress or a changing
environment.to our environment.
This herb is most well-known for its restorative benefits. In
Sanskrit Ashwagandha means “the smell of a horse,” indicating that the
herb give you the vigor and strength of a stallion, and has
traditionally been prescribed to help people strengthen their immune
system after an illness. It doesn’t actually smell like a horse though!
So, how does this relate to sleep? Studies have been showing
ashwagnandha can lower blood serum cortisol levels. Cortisol is a
hormone released by the adrenal glands that give us that ‘flight or
fight’ response. In this modern world, most of us are faced with stress
that raises our coritsol. When we have constant stress, our levels of
cortisol remain elevated in the body. These leads to the inability to
relax and sleep naturally, increased cravings, increased abdominal fat,
and even affecting our thyroid.
There has been a few studies done on humans that sound quite
promising. According to research published in the July-September 2012
issue of “Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.”, a study of 64
people with chronic stress were given either placebo pills or 300 mg
twice daily of ashwagandha root extract. After 60 days, those taking
ashwagandha had significant improvements in cortisol levels. A January
2014 paper published in “Pharmacognosy Research” showed that healthy men
who were given 250 mg of leaf and root extract twice daily for 3 weeks
had improvements in reaction time and task performance, compared to
those taking a placebo.
Ashwagandha even is being studied in cancer prevention/cancer fighting. From the Memorial Sloan Kettering website: “Ashwagandha
is a popular Ayurdevic herb. Studies show that it has anti-inflammatory
effects. Ashwagandha also relaxes the central nervous system in
animals. Laboratory studies found that ashwagandha kills some cancer
cells and enhances some immune cells possibly by damaging the cancer
cells’ ability to generate the energy it needs to reproduce. Ashwagandha
also reduces the level of an important antioxidant in tumor cells,
which may enhance the ability of radiation therapy to kill those cells.
However, this herb may induce abortion, so pregnant women should not use
it.”
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Yoga for a Balanced Body
To be fit and healthy, it is important to strength train, get
cardiovascular fitness, and have flexibility. Strength training is so
important for so many reasons and you may read about that here. But it is important to correct muscle imbalances and improve posture.
A muscle imbalance is created by a change in muscle length, strength and neuromuscular activity creating either a static or dynamic malalignment. A malalignment is an incorrect alignment of the joints in the body without moving.
So, how does this happen? Really it happens when one or some muscles are over active and one or some muscles are under active. This can come from doing the same activities day in or day out but it can also happen from sitting at a computer with your shoulders protracted forward and your neck at an anterior strain. I can bet most of us are guilty of that.
As far as over working some muscles and under working other, that can also be a product of moving in the same plane of motion all the time when our bodies are meant to move in all three.
The Sagital Plane is the most (over) used. Imagine your body is split in half making a right and a left side. We run, bike, walk, squat, lunge (most lunges), curl, etc in this plane. The Frontal Plane is the imaginary line splitting your body in front (anterior) and back (posterior) halves. Think of jumping jacks, lateral raises, and side lunges. The Transverse Plane splits the body in half at the waist. Think of twisting, throwing a ball , pivoting, golf, tennis.
What does this have to do with Yoga? Yoga takes your body through all three planes in both a dynamic and static setting. You move your body the way it is meant to and this can help mitigate over use issues. Sun Salutation B alone does this!
Lets talk about overuse in muscles. The most common Over Active Muscles in the body are:
Feet/Ankle: Soleus, Lateral Gastrocnemius, Peroneus Longus and Brevis (the muscles of the back and side)
Knees: Biceps Femoris (hamstring) and Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) ( IT band issues )
Lumber-Pelvis-Hip-Complex (LPHC): Hip Flexors, Adductors (inner thighs), Abdominals, and Erector Spinae (back close to spine)
Shoulders: Lattisimus Dorsi and Pectoralis major/minor
Head and Neck: Upper Trapezius, Sternocleidomastoid (neck muscle), Levator Scapular (exactly how it sounds , it raises your scapular, think of when your shoulders reach to your ears when you are stressed)
So, to work on the imbalances it is important to train the Common Under Active Muscles, which are:
Feet/Ankle: Medial Gastrocnemius (the part of your calf that is closest into your midline), Anterior Tibialis (the muscle used to flex in dorsiflextion), Posterior Tibialis
Knees: Vastus Medialis Oblique (this is the muscle of the quads closest into your midline and one of the biggest causes of knee misalignments is when the Vastus Lateralis is so much stronger and pulls your knee cap outward)
Lumber-Pelvis-Hip-Complex Gluteus Maximus and Medius (yes, the butt muscles are weak on most people. A ‘big butt’ doesn’t mean it is big with muscle. Sorry but true), Hamstrings, Intrinsic Core Stabilizers (the ‘pilates muscles) , and Erector Spinae (and yes I see that I also wrote in for over active. This one can go either way depending on the person)
Shoulders: Middle and Lower Trapezius, Rhomboids, and the muscles of the Rotator Cuff (so yes, those exercises that make you cringe on Track 8 at Body Pump? Do them!)
Head and Neck: Deep Cervical Floor (and I mean your neck, not the OB/GYN definition!)
So, again, how does Yoga help? Yoga is a balance between the strength and the stretch. Each time one of the over used muscles is being stretched, the antagonist muscle (the opposite) is being strengthened. Like Pilates, Yoga uses the deep core muscles as well.
Muscle imbalances are fixed using Corrective Exercise. Corrective Exercise is defined as the programming process that identifies neuromusclar dysfunction and develops a plan of action and implements a corrective strategy.
Ok, stay with me…. Now the Neuromuscular System allows all muscles surrounding a joint to: Concentrically produce force, Eccentrically reduce force, and Statically stabilize the kinetic chain on all three plane of motion (as discussed above). Therefore we need the Nervous System and the Muscular System to communicate! And Flexibility improves this communication. Another score for Yoga!
So what happens if you choose to ignore muscle imbalances and flexibility issues? The body is designed to take the path of least resistance. Meaning that even with movement dysfunction, the body will still find a way to do the action. Think of a squat. If you cant get the ankle flexion needed your body does forward and if your hamstrings are too tight your knees may pull out. The body will do it, but not effective. This is referred to as Relative Flexibility and can set you up for injury
So, in a summary: Yoga takes your body through all planes of motion, helps to fix and prevent muscle imbalances, and improves your nervous system and muscular system synergy. So, get on your mat!
Namaste
A muscle imbalance is created by a change in muscle length, strength and neuromuscular activity creating either a static or dynamic malalignment. A malalignment is an incorrect alignment of the joints in the body without moving.
So, how does this happen? Really it happens when one or some muscles are over active and one or some muscles are under active. This can come from doing the same activities day in or day out but it can also happen from sitting at a computer with your shoulders protracted forward and your neck at an anterior strain. I can bet most of us are guilty of that.
As far as over working some muscles and under working other, that can also be a product of moving in the same plane of motion all the time when our bodies are meant to move in all three.
The Sagital Plane is the most (over) used. Imagine your body is split in half making a right and a left side. We run, bike, walk, squat, lunge (most lunges), curl, etc in this plane. The Frontal Plane is the imaginary line splitting your body in front (anterior) and back (posterior) halves. Think of jumping jacks, lateral raises, and side lunges. The Transverse Plane splits the body in half at the waist. Think of twisting, throwing a ball , pivoting, golf, tennis.
What does this have to do with Yoga? Yoga takes your body through all three planes in both a dynamic and static setting. You move your body the way it is meant to and this can help mitigate over use issues. Sun Salutation B alone does this!
Lets talk about overuse in muscles. The most common Over Active Muscles in the body are:
Feet/Ankle: Soleus, Lateral Gastrocnemius, Peroneus Longus and Brevis (the muscles of the back and side)
Knees: Biceps Femoris (hamstring) and Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) ( IT band issues )
Lumber-Pelvis-Hip-Complex (LPHC): Hip Flexors, Adductors (inner thighs), Abdominals, and Erector Spinae (back close to spine)
Shoulders: Lattisimus Dorsi and Pectoralis major/minor
Head and Neck: Upper Trapezius, Sternocleidomastoid (neck muscle), Levator Scapular (exactly how it sounds , it raises your scapular, think of when your shoulders reach to your ears when you are stressed)
So, to work on the imbalances it is important to train the Common Under Active Muscles, which are:
Feet/Ankle: Medial Gastrocnemius (the part of your calf that is closest into your midline), Anterior Tibialis (the muscle used to flex in dorsiflextion), Posterior Tibialis
Knees: Vastus Medialis Oblique (this is the muscle of the quads closest into your midline and one of the biggest causes of knee misalignments is when the Vastus Lateralis is so much stronger and pulls your knee cap outward)
Lumber-Pelvis-Hip-Complex Gluteus Maximus and Medius (yes, the butt muscles are weak on most people. A ‘big butt’ doesn’t mean it is big with muscle. Sorry but true), Hamstrings, Intrinsic Core Stabilizers (the ‘pilates muscles) , and Erector Spinae (and yes I see that I also wrote in for over active. This one can go either way depending on the person)
Shoulders: Middle and Lower Trapezius, Rhomboids, and the muscles of the Rotator Cuff (so yes, those exercises that make you cringe on Track 8 at Body Pump? Do them!)
Head and Neck: Deep Cervical Floor (and I mean your neck, not the OB/GYN definition!)
So, again, how does Yoga help? Yoga is a balance between the strength and the stretch. Each time one of the over used muscles is being stretched, the antagonist muscle (the opposite) is being strengthened. Like Pilates, Yoga uses the deep core muscles as well.
Muscle imbalances are fixed using Corrective Exercise. Corrective Exercise is defined as the programming process that identifies neuromusclar dysfunction and develops a plan of action and implements a corrective strategy.
Ok, stay with me…. Now the Neuromuscular System allows all muscles surrounding a joint to: Concentrically produce force, Eccentrically reduce force, and Statically stabilize the kinetic chain on all three plane of motion (as discussed above). Therefore we need the Nervous System and the Muscular System to communicate! And Flexibility improves this communication. Another score for Yoga!
So what happens if you choose to ignore muscle imbalances and flexibility issues? The body is designed to take the path of least resistance. Meaning that even with movement dysfunction, the body will still find a way to do the action. Think of a squat. If you cant get the ankle flexion needed your body does forward and if your hamstrings are too tight your knees may pull out. The body will do it, but not effective. This is referred to as Relative Flexibility and can set you up for injury
So, in a summary: Yoga takes your body through all planes of motion, helps to fix and prevent muscle imbalances, and improves your nervous system and muscular system synergy. So, get on your mat!
Namaste
Kookin' with Kaitlyn
I may need to thank Nick Jr. TV station for my daughter’s healthy
eating. When my daughter was four and she loves a show on that station
called ‘iCarly’. It is about a girl who, along with her friends, hosts
an Internet show. My daughter thought that sounded so cool, so I
suggested that she have her own show. And the idea of ‘Kookin’ with
Kaitlyn’ was born. She is now almost 6 and she still loves this
Full disclosure, this was not a real show. We did not stream live. We did not even have a webpage. We used my Facebook personal and business pages. I took pictures of her cooking her recipes and posted it on my personal page. She gets so excited about that and loves to see it up on the computer. Then later in the evening, after we taste-test the recipe, with feedback from her, Daddy, and me, we would post the recipe on my Sharon Sherry Fitness page.
This is fun for her and she looks forward to it most weeks. Even the week our beloved family cat died, she insisted on ‘doing Kookin’ with Kaitlyn’ because ‘everyone wants to see the show and that is what Barney (our cat) would want me to do’. Her show helped her heal her heart.
Each time we made a new recipe, we spoke about what we were going to make. We usually got ideas from friends. (her own original recipe is posted below) Then we go to the store and have her pick out the veggies.. Yes, that is right, she is excited about the vegetables because she chooses them herself. I also let her choose the spices we use as well.
The meals we make are healthy, ‘clean’, gluten-free, low-carb, low in saturated fat, very low sodium, and full of many vegetables. Due to her age, I did not allow her to handle any raw meat, poultry or fish, no knives, and no open flames. She did everything else except for those items.
Her ‘show’ Kooking with Kaitlyn has turned her into a very healthy eater. But more than anything, it greatly built up her self-esteem and confidence. Plus it is a ton of fun for me!
Kaitlyn’s Own Chicken Recipe
4 breast of chicken
minced garlic
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 eggplant cubed
2 yellow peppers cut
1/2 bag of Trader Joes organic frozen chopped spinach
Trader Joes flower pepper
Stew Leonards Italian seasoning spice mix
Trader Joes organic low-sodium vegetable broth
Place chicken in slow-cooker with garlic and pepper on top, add onions, add veggies, sprinkle seasoning, add a bit of broth to wet Cook on low for 7 hours but put on high for first 30-40 minutes. Mix and fork-shred chicken before serving
Nutrition per each serving (makes 4) 250 calories, 23g carbs, 36g protein, 2g fat
Full disclosure, this was not a real show. We did not stream live. We did not even have a webpage. We used my Facebook personal and business pages. I took pictures of her cooking her recipes and posted it on my personal page. She gets so excited about that and loves to see it up on the computer. Then later in the evening, after we taste-test the recipe, with feedback from her, Daddy, and me, we would post the recipe on my Sharon Sherry Fitness page.
This is fun for her and she looks forward to it most weeks. Even the week our beloved family cat died, she insisted on ‘doing Kookin’ with Kaitlyn’ because ‘everyone wants to see the show and that is what Barney (our cat) would want me to do’. Her show helped her heal her heart.
Each time we made a new recipe, we spoke about what we were going to make. We usually got ideas from friends. (her own original recipe is posted below) Then we go to the store and have her pick out the veggies.. Yes, that is right, she is excited about the vegetables because she chooses them herself. I also let her choose the spices we use as well.
The meals we make are healthy, ‘clean’, gluten-free, low-carb, low in saturated fat, very low sodium, and full of many vegetables. Due to her age, I did not allow her to handle any raw meat, poultry or fish, no knives, and no open flames. She did everything else except for those items.
Her ‘show’ Kooking with Kaitlyn has turned her into a very healthy eater. But more than anything, it greatly built up her self-esteem and confidence. Plus it is a ton of fun for me!
Kaitlyn’s Own Chicken Recipe
4 breast of chicken
minced garlic
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 eggplant cubed
2 yellow peppers cut
1/2 bag of Trader Joes organic frozen chopped spinach
Trader Joes flower pepper
Stew Leonards Italian seasoning spice mix
Trader Joes organic low-sodium vegetable broth
Place chicken in slow-cooker with garlic and pepper on top, add onions, add veggies, sprinkle seasoning, add a bit of broth to wet Cook on low for 7 hours but put on high for first 30-40 minutes. Mix and fork-shred chicken before serving
Nutrition per each serving (makes 4) 250 calories, 23g carbs, 36g protein, 2g fat
Sunday, March 17, 2013
First Figure Competion
I am nervous and excited. I spent a lot of time building muscle, which I did not have a lot of. I gained about 7 lbs of pure muscle though!! Now I am working on shedding body fat while keeping my muscle. I have an amazing coach, Joe Franco at Team Franco Bodybuilding. I am also working with IFPA Figure Pro, Theresa Evans, for posing lessons. I have my song picked out, my suit blinged up, competition heels, fake eyelashes, jewelry, cheap duvet cover to bring to hotel to sleep in after the spray tan, bikini bite to hold suit in place, and dark sweatsuit to wear over it. I still need to either pick out make-up of decide to get it done professionally.
At this point, my coach is making changes to my macros and my cardio each week. Basically my carbs get cut a tiny bit and my cardio increased a tiny bit. The point is to lose fat and not muscle. It is important to feed muscle.
My coach doesn't give his clients a 'cookie cutter' diet. Thinking you have to just eat fish and oatmeal is so old school. He gives me macro numbers to hit, and I choose the foods that work best for me. This is important because each person reacts differently to different foods. Throughout my prep, I used a huge variety of foods to hit my macros. Now as it gets closer, I am limiting myself to the foods that give me energy and do not cause any bloating. At this stage, my meals are most often made up of the following:
Shake: Shakeology. I have been experimenting with various shakes over the years and started Shakeology over the summer. Nothing compares to it and I even became a Beach Body coach myself in November. I have all four flavors. Vegan and regular.. and switch around. I use almond or coconut milk since skim milk bloats me. Soon, I will just mix with water though.
Carbs: Full discloser, I am gluten intolerant. I mostly use berries, oats, sweet potatoes, squash, rice cakes and apples. I sometimes use quinoa but that is also protein as well. And for an easy to transport me, I use brown rice wraps... but rarely do that. I eat TONS of veggies too, but the carbs in veggies are pretty low. Apples and rice cakes will be taken out soon though.
Protein: Throughout my prep I had a very large variety, but at this point I am down to the protein from my Shakeology, baked chicken, egg whites, and the occasional no-salt-added tuna. I cut out lentils and beans this week since they make me hold a little water weight. That is fine any other time, but not this close to the stage.
Fats: I used almonds and chia seeds for most of my prep, as well as some coconut, flax and olive oil. Mostly due to variety/boredom, I am now have avocado, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds for my fats. Eventually it will just be the avocado. After my show, I will bring back nut and seed butters ;-)
Other: Quest Bars and About Time Whey as needed to get to macros. PB2 to get the flavor of peanut butter in my shakes when the craving for it hits.
As soon as the show is over, I will go back to my usual wide variety of foods. These are just the foods that I find do not bloat me.
I plan to blog a lot more in the coming weeks that take me to the show. This is my first time and it has been the most amazing experience to far. I have learned so much about myself, worked so hard, met some incredible people, and I haven't even stepped on stage yet!
I hope you follow me on this journey. I post quite a bit on my Facebook page too. www.facebook.com/sherryfitness
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Figure Competitor in Training
I think many of you know that I am training to compete in my first Figure Competition in the Spring of 2013. That is why I haven't been posting as much as usual. I have been VERY busy being a full time Mommy, training my clients, teaching my classes, and now training for a show.
I am SO excited. At the beginning of August I started working with my coach, Joe Franco. I chose Joe based on his stellar reputation and because he is also such a great person. So far the journey has been amazing. I just finished my 11th week with Joe. I am eating very well and training hard. I see quite a bit of definition already. The 'diet' is pretty easy now since I am in the 'building' phase. I am eating plenty of clean protein, carbs, and healthy fats and tracking my macros. I am allowed two 'free' meals a week, which for some reason I keep spending on frozen yogurt!!!!
I chose a show on April 27th and then another one two weeks later on May 11th. I will post more frequently, but will keep the posts shorter. You can also follow me on Facebook as Sharon Sherry Fitness or on Twitter @SherryFitness for shorter updates.
I will post some of my favorite clean means in the coming weeks as well. For now here is an easy gluten-free lunch sandwich on the go:
Food For Life Brown Rice Wrap 24g carbs
3oz low sodium turkey 20g protein
organic American cheese 3g protein
And if you want an easy lunch at Panera:
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad with NO dressing, NO pecans, and No apple chips (have them add extra greens and tomatoes. Comes to 230 calories, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 31g protein and 4g sugar
Have a wonderful weekend
xox
I am SO excited. At the beginning of August I started working with my coach, Joe Franco. I chose Joe based on his stellar reputation and because he is also such a great person. So far the journey has been amazing. I just finished my 11th week with Joe. I am eating very well and training hard. I see quite a bit of definition already. The 'diet' is pretty easy now since I am in the 'building' phase. I am eating plenty of clean protein, carbs, and healthy fats and tracking my macros. I am allowed two 'free' meals a week, which for some reason I keep spending on frozen yogurt!!!!
I chose a show on April 27th and then another one two weeks later on May 11th. I will post more frequently, but will keep the posts shorter. You can also follow me on Facebook as Sharon Sherry Fitness or on Twitter @SherryFitness for shorter updates.
I will post some of my favorite clean means in the coming weeks as well. For now here is an easy gluten-free lunch sandwich on the go:
Food For Life Brown Rice Wrap 24g carbs
3oz low sodium turkey 20g protein
organic American cheese 3g protein
And if you want an easy lunch at Panera:
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad with NO dressing, NO pecans, and No apple chips (have them add extra greens and tomatoes. Comes to 230 calories, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 31g protein and 4g sugar
Have a wonderful weekend
xox
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Kaitlyn's Clean Turkey Meatloaf
Since I am training for a Figure Show, my five year old daughter is cooking my clean meals.
This is her Clean Turkey Meatloaf. Very simple and easy. Remember this is a 5yr old so measurements are not always used. This is meant to be fun.
- 1.25lb Organic 99% lean ground turkey *
- 4 egg whites *
- 1/2 cup uncooked organic oats
- salsa, not measured just poured
- diced onions, celery, and carrots (again not measured, just use a lot. I cooked this with some vegetable broth first)
- black pepper and garlic powder sprinkled
- organic ketchup
- dash of mustard
Serves about 5. Approx 178 calories, 14g carb, 27g protein, 1g fat
* I do not let my daughter handle raw meat of eggs with her hands. She uses a fork and a mixing spoon.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Back to school time!
I am also training for a fitness competition and will compete in April. I just started working with an amazing coach as well, Joe Franco at http://www.teamfrancobodybuilding.com/. After just three weeks with him, I have seen nice results already. I will continue to post updates about my progress in the next 7 1/2 months before my show. I look forward to the 'finished product', but I am also enjoying this journey.
Since we are 'Back to School', I would like to talk about healthy lunch/snack choices to pack for the children. To keep it simple, I like to think of my daughters meals and snack as having three components; a protein, a fibrous carb, and a starchy carb. Of course children need healthy fats as well. Most schools do not allow nuts so I prefer to give her nuts and seeds at home. Avocado is also a great fat for children, which I feed her at home as well, but it could easily be added to a sandwich. But for simplicity sake today, we will just pick the three main lunch components.
Here are a few idea. Remember to also keep it fun!
1)Protein:
String cheese
Yogurt
Sliced turkey or ham
Edamame
Cubed Tofu
Grilled Chicken but into pieces
Hummus (also a healthy fat)
2)Fibrous Carbs: (add as many as you would like)
Apples
Grapes
Banana
Pear
Cucumber slices (goes nice with Hummus)
Baby carrots
Grape tomatoes
3)Starchy Carbs: (this can also be a little 'treat' since they *are* children)
Pretzels
Crackers
Granola bar
Rice Cakes
Sweet Potato baked and cubed
Cereal in a baggie
These are just a few ideas. I am sure you can get the picture. Make sure to give them a healthy breakfast to start the day right. Dinner can be a more 'traditional' meal. Lunch at school should be easy and fun. And when you think of it as 1-2-3, it becomes even easier for you.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Back to School
XOX
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