Why Exercise Is The Best Medicine For Your Brain

By Chris Woolston

Given time, any brain can succumb to dementia — memories fade, thoughts scatter, basic abilities wither on the vine. Brains don’t come with lifetime guarantees, but there is one major step you can take to protect yourself from Alzheimer’s or other causes of mental decline: exercise your body.

Nothing protects the brain quite like regular exercise, says Jennifer Heisz, a cognitive neuroscientist at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Not crossword puzzles, not supplements, not prescription medications. Exercise seems to beat them all, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline by about 35% to 45%, according to the latest evidence.

“It’s a strong message,” Heisz says. “We have control over our dementia risk.”

Here’s another way to look at it: People who don’t exercise as they age are taking a gamble. In a study of more than 1,600 older adults published in January in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Heisz and colleagues found that a lack of exercise was about as risky as having certain types of genes that raise the risk of Alzheimer’s. Genes are forever, but exercise habits can change.

Heisz’s study found that exercise didn’t seem to prevent dementia in older people who carried the types of genes that make Alzheimer’s more likely. She says that’s probably because disease-related brain damage had already progressed past the point of no return. But if they had exercised in their 30s or 40s, she adds, some of them might have been able to delay or perhaps even prevent the disease. “It seems to be easier to prevent the damage than to reverse it,” she says.

Exercise enhances the release of chemicals known as nerve growth factors that help brain cells function properly, say Teresa Liu-Ambrose, director of the Aging, Mobility and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Nerve growth factors probably also help build new brain cells, giving the brain an extra cushion against age-related losses. Studies in rodents show that exercise encourages formation of new brain cells in the hippocampus, an organ in the medial temporal lobe of the brain that plays an important role in memory.

“It’s like investing in a retirement fund for the brain,” Liu-Ambrose says.

Exercise enhances blood flow to the brain, which can help keep it heathy and nourished. Liu-Ambrose notes that exercise also helps prevent hypertension and diabetes, which are two major risk factors for dementia.

For reasons that aren’t clear, exercise seems to be especially helpful for female brains, she says. That might make a good workout even more important because women are generally more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease compared with men of the same age. According to the Alzheimer’s Assn., two-thirds of Americans with the disease are women.

There’s no particular type of exercise that seems to be best for the brain. Heisz notes that most of the subjects in her study walked three times a week. “It could be as simple as that,” she says. About 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise every week would be a reasonable goal, she says.

“Even a 15-minute walk per day would be much better than doing nothing at all,” Liu-Ambrose says. “People just need to do it.”

Source: http://www.latimes.com/science/la-he-hl-brain-exercise-connection-20170518-story.html

Meal Inspiration

Main St. Meats Dinner

• Main St. Meats hamburger pan fried in iron skillet with onions and mushrooms - season to taste with sea salt and black pepper
• Cannellini beans rinsed, warmed in pot with garlic, sage, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper 
• Steamed brussel sprouts steamed until fork tender season with sea salt and olive oil

Saturday Breakfast Before Mountain Bike Riding at Enterprise South 

• Avocado Toast - toast whole wheat bread - spread avocado on toast - slice hard boiled egg over toast - season with sea salt, chili pepper, drizzle of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice
• Strawberries and blueberries with toasted almonds, pecans and walnuts and a drizzle of honey
• Smoothie of 1 orange, 1 cup frozen pineapple, 1 banana, spoonful of plain yogurt, 1 cup water, and a sprig of mint! 

10 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Eat Eggs

By Grant Stoddard

Eggs might just be the easiest, cheapest and most versatile way to up your protein intake.

Beyond easily upping your daily protein count— each 85-calorie eggs packs a solid 7 grams of the muscle-builder—eggs also boost your health. They’re loaded with amino acids, antioxidants and iron. Don't just reach for the whites, though; the yolks boast a fat-fighting nutrient called choline, so opting for whole eggs can actually help you trim down.

When you're shopping for eggs, pay attention to the labels. You should be buying organic, when possible. These are certified by the USDA and are free from antibiotics, vaccines and hormones. As for color, that's your call. The difference in color just varies based on the type of chicken—they both have the same nutritional value, says Molly Morgan, RD, a board certified sports specialist dietitian based in upstate New York. Here are 10 incredible effects the mighty egg can have on the human body.

1. YOU’LL BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

If you don’t want to play chicken with infections, viruses and diseases, add an egg or two to your diet daily. Just one large egg contains almost a quarter (22%) of your RDA of selenium, a nutrient that helps support your immune system and regulate thyroid hormones. Kids should eat eggs, especially. If children and adolescents don’t get enough selenium, they could develop Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease, two conditions that can affect the heart, bones and joints.

2. YOU’LL IMPROVE YOUR CHOLESTEROL PROFILE

There are three ideas about cholesterol that practically everyone knows: 1) High cholesterol is a bad thing; 2) There are good and bad kinds of cholesterol; 3) Eggs contain plenty of it. Doctors are generally most concerned with the ratio of “good” cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol (LDL). One large egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, but this doesn’t mean that eggs will raise the "bad" kind in the blood. The body constantly produces cholesterol on its own, and a large body of evidence indicates that eggs can actually improve your cholesterol profile. How? Eggs seem to raise HDL (good) cholesterol while increasing the size of LDL particles.

3. YOU’LL REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE

LDL cholesterol became known as "bad" cholesterol because LDL particles transport their fat molecules into artery walls, and drive atherosclerosis — basically, gumming up of the arteries.(HDL particles, by contrast, can remove fat molecules from artery walls.) But not all LDL particles are made equal, and there are various subtypes that differ in size. Bigger is definitely better — many studies have shown that people who have predominantly small, dense LDL particles have a higher risk of heart disease than people who have mostly large LDL particles. Here’s the beauty part: Even if eggs tend to raise LDL cholesterol in some people, studies show that the LDL particles change from small and dense to large, slashing the risk of cardiovascular problems.

4. YOU'LL HAVE MORE GET-UP-AND-GO

Just one egg contains about 15% of your RDA of vitamin B2, also called riboflavin. It’s just one of eight B vitamins, which all help the body to convert food into fuel, which in turn is used to produce energy.

5. YOUR SKIN AND HAIR WILL IMPROVE

B-complex vitamins are also necessary for healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver. (In addition to vitamin B2, eggs are also rich in B5 and B12.) They also help to ensure the proper function of the nervous system.

6. YOU’LL PROTECT YOUR BRAIN

Eggs are brain food. That's largely because of an essential nutrient called choline. It’s a component of cell membranes and is required to synthesize acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Studies have shown that a lack of choline has been linked to neurological disorders and decreased cognitive function. Shockingly, more than 90% of Americans eat less than the daily recommended amount of choline, according to a U.S. dietary survey.

7. YOU'LL SAVE YOUR LIFE

Among the lesser-known amazing things the body can do: It can make 11 essential amino acids, which are necessary to sustain life. Thing is, there are 20 essential amino acids that your body needs. Guess where the other 9 can be found? That's right. A lack of those 9 amino acids can lead to muscle wasting, decreased immune response, weakness, fatigue, and changes to the texture of your skin and hair.

8. YOU'LL HAVE LESS STRESS AND ANXIETY

If you're deficient in the 9 amino acids that can be found in an egg, it can have mental effects. A 2004 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences described how supplementing a population’s diet with lysine significantly reduced anxiety and stress levels, possibly by modulating serotonin in the nervous system. 

9. YOU’LL PROTECT YOUR PEEPERS

Two antioxidants found in eggs — lutein and zeaxanthin — have powerful protective effects on the eyes. You won’t find them in a carton of Egg Beaters — they only exist in the yolk. The antioxidants significantly reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts, which are among the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness in the elderly. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants who ate 1.3 egg yolks per day for four-and- a-half weeks saw increased blood levels of zeaxanthin by 114-142% and lutein by 28-50%!

10. YOU’LL IMPROVE YOUR BONES AND TEETH

Eggs are one of the few natural sources of Vitamin D, which is important for the health and strength of bones and teeth. It does this primarily by aiding the absorption of calcium. (Calcium incidentally, is important for a healthy heart, colon and metabolism.)

Are You Making Your Discipline Count?

I write a lot of letters and make a lot of phone calls inviting people to take a look at Forte Fitness and consider if our services would be a benefit to them.  Often in these conversations I meet people who are very dedicated, consistent, disciplined exercisers, but they are not making their commitment truly count.   It is uncomfortable to pry, but I attempt to tactfully ask them what their typical routine encompasses.  There are many, for sure, that are truly exercising in smart and effective ways, but not everyone.  

At Forte we define training smart as exercising in a manner that develops overall health, quality of life, and physical independence that lasts a lifetime by building a functional body and developing cardiovascular health.  Generally speaking the issues I find happen to fall into gender specific camps.  

General concerns for men:

• Doing the same exercises over and over again leads to overuse injuries
• There is little understanding of periodization in developing a strength program
• The focus is on upper body exercises, bench, shoulder presses, and bicep curls, that lead to shoulder protraction, impingement, and rotator cuff injuries and eventual shoulder surgery
• There is a lack of scapular retraction relative to the protraction work
• The belief that cardio (elliptical, treadmill, biking, jogging) is enough for the legs – it is not. We live on our legs. These exercises are excellent cardiovascular developers, but they do not move the ankles, knees, hips and low back through full ranges of motion. Exercises like lunges, deadlifts, and squats, and their variations, build a truly functional lower body
• The belief that crunches and sit ups are excellent core exercises, when in fact men do not need anymore flexion, but need to develop extensor strength through the plank and plank variations

General concerns for females:

• Many females gravitate to yoga, which is excellent, but in general, females don’t lack for flexibility or range of movement. Keep doing your yoga, but understand you may be focusing on your strength simply because it is what you enjoy – keep doing your yoga!!! But add some more focused strength training
• A misunderstanding of weight training fearing it will cause one to gain too much mass – this is a myth because gaining mass requires the testosterone levels of a male and a commitment to weight training not 2-3 days per week but 4-6 days per week with multiple exercises per muscle group
• Weight training for a female is necessary 2 days per week to build a functional body, to build bone density, and prevent osteoporosis
• A belief that cardio exercise is the best way to achieve a healthy body composition – it is a part of the program but weight lifting is a better and more efficient method to building a fast metabolism
• Doing the same exercises the same way with the same weight over and over expecting to see change will not work – doing things the same way over and over expecting change is the definition of insanity - the principles of periodization must be followed to create change

I encourage you to consider these general concerns and determine if any of them apply to you. Do some research, make the necessary changes, or hire a personal trainer for a short period of time to learn how to train smart and safe.  And don’t forget you can never out train an unhealthy diet.  

Raw Garlic For Breakfast...Did I Get Your Attention?

One the first things I learned from my Nonna (my Italian grandmother) was that raw parsley and raw garlic are a perfect marriage - and they are.  

So, try this frittata out!  Mince one raw garlic clove.  Coarsely chop a good handful of flat leaf parsley.  Chop 4 mushrooms.  Beat two organic, free-range eggs.  In an iron skillet put enough olive oil to coat the skillet.  Put the mushrooms in the pan.  Beat the eggs a bit more with the raw garlic and parsley.  Pour into the pan and cook on the lowest heat.  Flip when the edges begin to get solid. Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper, and crushed chili pepper.  

I promise you this is good and that you will not smell like garlic all day!  

Add a side of oatmeal with dried currants, pecans, walnuts and a drizzle of local honey.  Enjoy fresh sliced mango and a glass of green tea with several lemon slices.  

By the way ... how many plants is that? Garlic, parsley, mushrooms, mango, oats, currants, pecans, walnuts, green tea and lemon - 10 plants to start the day - not bad.  The more plants you eat, the more well you will be!  

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Buon Appetito! 

Make Your Home A Sanctuary

Many families really want to eat healthfully. They truly want to teach their children to eat healthfully. They want to prevent disease, increase life longevity, and improve quality of life. There are many strategies that can be helpful with these goals in mind.

As I speak with mothers and fathers, one strategy that I believe is very important is to make your home a sanctuary. What I mean by this is take a look at your refrigerator and food cabinets. The key to nutrition is eating real, whole foods. We all know what are real foods and what are not.  If a plant has been altered, changed, or processed from its original form it is not a whole food anymore and, therefore, is not really a food. The plants we eat are vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, seeds and whole grains, and they should be in the same form in your kitchen as when they are harvested or gathered.

Likewise animal products should be in the same state they were in as if the animal were hunted or fished, with exception of dairy products. I encourage you when consuming animal products to choose those that are free range and grass fed.

Take a quick lesson from how our digestive system is designed and evolved. Human beings are not true omnivores. Our gut system and teeth without debate are predominantly designed to consume plants. We are primarily herbivores with the enzymes necessary to break down animal products.

Think about our ancestors as they gathered and hunted. Which is easier? Clearly gathering is more efficient, as plants are readily available, they do not run away, they do not fight back, and do not require as much caloric expenditure to acquire. Take it one step further – what color plants are the easiest to gather? Green. We are primarily designed to consume green vegetables; next, other colored vegetables, followed by fruits, nuts, beans, seeds, and whole grains. Animals would have been a significantly smaller portion of the human diet.

Let’s get back to the refrigerator and food cabinets. This takes agreement from both mom and dad, but it is the right thing to do. Go through the refrigerator and food cabinets and take out anything that is not a whole food and donate it to a food bank.

Now fill your refrigerator and cabinets with mainly plants – vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, seeds and whole grains – and, if you choose, a little bit of animal products.

Mom and dad, you owe it to each other and you owe it to your children. You are the gatekeepers to your children’s socialization and eating behaviors. These behaviors will be primary factors in whether you and your children live flourishing lives of high quality, or suffer from illness and disease that plague modern man.

Splurge on special occasions, holidays, dates and the like. A lifestyle of eating healthfully will create health for you and your family. Just don’t eat and drink traumatically every day. Think about it, even if you made poor food choices 65 times a year you would still have eaten healthfully 300 times. Make your home a sanctuary!

What muscles am I stretching?

We've all done the same stretches in gym class or at soccer practice, but do we really know what muscles we are stretching? It's also important to move beyond just the "touch your toes" hamstring stretch and learn about other accessory muscles needing attention.  If you're not ready to dive into yoga or you're a little intimated because you're not a bendy pretzel naturally, work on some of these stretches at home. But don't just work on them, study and educate yourself on which muscles you are lengthening. Take it a step further and couple the right stretches with your workout for the complimentary combo of stretching and strengthening. Keep up the work you guys!

34 Pictures That Show You Exactly What Muscles You’re Stretching

3 Essential Keys to a Healthier Lifestyle

The never-ending journey to a healthier lifestyle is very exciting! But, it can also be difficult and frustrating. It is very important that we understand that life is going to happen. I believe it is more important that we make sure nothing hinders us from making continual progress. There are three keys that have to happen in order for us to stay on track.

1.  Patience: “The capacity to accept or tolerate delay.” - The problem that most of us have is that we want instant gratification. Look at it as a race of endurance, not a sprint. It is imperative to set realistic expectations that are measurable and obtainable.

 
2.  Forgiveness: As mentioned earlier, the storms of life are going to happen, it is inevitable. Things are going to happen that will sometimes cause you to be down on yourself and lead to a state of self-pity. Don’t let one bad decision deter you mentally. There are a lot of voices in our commercial media telling people, “you are not good enough.” I am here to tell you that there is no room for it. You are good enough. We have to learn to forgive ourselves in order to break through adversity. 

3.  Self-Awareness: “The conscious knowledge of one’s own character”- You have to be brutally honest with yourself to truly understand your progress. I think this is the single most helpful thing a person can do in order to succeed not only physically, but also in all aspects of life. We can solve a good bit of our problems by simply looking inward. An example of this would be to look at yourself as your own friend. What advice would you give yourself? Do your everyday choices line up with what you are striving to accomplish? Each decision must be reverse engineered, seeing the product or end result of each decision before that decision is made. It's that simple.

NOT ENOUGH TIME…REALLY…168 HOURS…

I often hear the excuse that there is simply not enough time to exercise consistently.  I don’t want to be insensitive. I know life can be very busy.  However, I want people to remember there are 168 hours in a week.  I am just encouraging you to give three hours committed to your own health through the vehicle of fitness.  That still leaves 165 hours to get everything else completed. 
 
I believe the biggest key to begin is scheduling your workout onto your calendar just like you would any other important meeting during the week.  Put yourself on your own schedule in your calendar.  Give yourself the same respect you would give to anyone else by keeping the appointment.  If you have something that truly must trump the appointment, then you must treat yourself with the same respect you would treat someone with whom you have an appointment.  That means reschedule the appointment in your calendar.
 
A second key that can help insure success is having an accountability partner.  This person must hold you accountable and be impervious to your excuses so that you will keep your appointment with yourself.  When you must miss or just fall back into old habits, this person makes sure that you reschedule and get the workout completed. 
 
The third key is that if this won’t work for you, then you need a personal trainer.  At some point you cannot afford to continue not caring for yourself.  A personal trainer can encourage, motivate, and hold you accountable in a way that a friend or spouse simply cannot.  Not to mention when you pay for something you are more likely to be consistent. 
 
The bottom line is you must value yourself.  Remember that busy can often be translated for caring for others so much that you do not care for yourself.  At some point you must realize that that the logical end-result of not exercising is the loss of your health and quality of life.  Instead of being able to care for others you will end up being a burden to others.  The best way is if you can discipline yourself to make self-appointments! But, if not, you should strongly consider investing in a personal trainer.  Exercise is true health insurance. 

Wishing you the best!  - Julian 

Nature Calls 5K

Hey crew! It's time to put your functional fitness to use. Join our Forte family for a leisurely 5K trail adventure in March!

Mainly a low key, no frills, low cost, no awards social race, run, and/or hike, this race is hosted by Lula Lake Land Trust. The 5K course is on a beginner friendly trail and is open to anyone traveling at any speed. 

Saturday, March 11th @ 10am and registration cost is only $15! (additional $5 for race day registration.)

Click here to register for the race!