February is National Heart Health Awareness month and when it comes to the health of our hearts we need to start paying attention – Heart Disease doesn’t just affect grown ups  anymore.

2,200 Americans die of  cardiovascular disease every day, an average of one  death every 39 seconds. Heart Disease is the number one killer of men, women and children in America today.  In fact this is the first generation of children that researchers predict won’t outlive their parents.  Children at the young ages of 8-12 are being shown to have the beginning stages of hardening of the arteries and high cholesterol according to researchers.  I don’t know about you but that makes me look twice at what I’m putting in my daughters lunch box!  The sad thing is that almost all of these diseases are preventable!  With simple changes like eating a whole foods based diet of  fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources.  Avoiding  saturated fats and processed foods that are overflowing with MSG (monosodium gutamate),Hydrogenated Oil and other preservatives our bodies were not meant to process.

Tips on cutting Hydrogenated oils from your diet:

1.  Look below the label at the ingredient list

2. Most semi solid fat sources like Crisco and Peanut Butter contain hydrogenated  and or partially hydrogenated oils.  You are better off going with Real Butter and changing out your  peanut butter with a”Natural” version.

3. Try to reduce the amount of foods consumed from boxes and or packages.  Most packaged,boxed foods contain hidden hydrogenated oil, and other preservatives.  Fresh produce is cheaper than the boxes!

4. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store-  this is where your healthy items are!  Produce, Meats and Dairy.

5. Get creative with your cooking!  Have fun make a wacky fruit salad with lots of color your kids will love! Try a Meatless Monday and see what local produce is in season and on sale for inspiration!

YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR HEART WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

Cosmopink Style Personal Training has been leading boot camps in the local Lodi area for  the past six years and we just recently opened our own Training Studio!  Our boot camps are indoor and  outdoor and we hold classes year round. 

Our classes are designed to teach proper technique, challenge, motivate and literally kick your butt.   We work with beginners to advanced fitness levels and  everyone is guaranteed a great workout!  If you’ve been curious about boot camp come in and check it out - we’ll let you  try your first class free.

The end of the year is a time when a lot of us tend to take stock on the past year, its ups and downs and how we can resolve to change the things we don’t like and make them better.  Somehow on December 31st we decide to put to rest the last chapter in our book for the year -even though  the majority of us do this  not by resting and taking care, but by celebrating  until the very last minute! Go figure!

The point is, is that for many we use the time between Christmas and New Years to reflect on our life’s journey, not only where we have been and are now; but where we will go from here.  Without Faith its hard to imagine the possibility of change, without Hope, the courage to stick with  it when it’s tough, and without Love, the strength to get us through.

The question I have for you is why wait?  Life doesn’t really stop and start over just because the date changes -its an ever changing ongoing process!  If you are like many of us – we are all striving to learn and grow and be better people, to nurture ourselves and others….. Why wait until January 1st to do it!  Start today, right now!  If there is something you want to change, learn, develop, love……..then be like Nike and JUST DO IT!

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Protein has been deemed by the World Health Association as “essential for optimum growth in children.”   They also suggest that newborn infants require  complete dietary proteins that contain about 37% of the weight in essential amino acids, while adults on the other hand,  require about 15%.

Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and can be broken up into  two different groups; Essential  and Non – Essential.   Essentials are not produced by our bodies so we must get them in the form of food or supplementation whereas the ” Non-Essential” can be  produced by the body are no less essential than the “Essential.”

Protein is often a “Hot Topic” with all of the fad dieting going around; Atkins, South Beach, Medi -Fast and  even Smoothie Diets to name a few.  A lot of these diets are very high protein, low carb and high fat.  Some  are so extreme as to tell you not to eat Fruits and Vegetables, while others swear that no protein is the way to lose weight! While you may lost weight it will probably be water, gastrointestinal bulk and lean muscle tissue which should not be your goal…..

Tsk, tsk, tsk! Even if  you aren’t an athlete your body still needs Proteins -  aka (amino – acids), Carbohydrates -  aka (Glucose) and Lipids – aka (Fat) These are your major Macro – Nutrients your body (including your brain) need in the right amounts to optimally function.

Now the that being said the nutritional requirements of any individual are directly based upon that person’s activity level, conditioning and  goals.  We could throw a few more variables in there, but you get the  picture -  your specific needs will  be different from your neighbors and so on.

So how can you tell if you are gettting the right amount of Protein? Nitrogen!  The answer lies in the  structure of the amino acids.  In addition to their composition of carbon and hydrogen atoms, amino acids have the unique characteristic of containing nitrogen as part of  their molecular structure, which gives us the ability of measuring  the nitrogen balance of an individual. 

Rule of thumb is if you are looking  to maintain the body mass you have you want equal nitrogen in and equal out.  If you are looking to add lean muscle mass (such as an athlete) you want a nitrogen surplus.  If you are deficient -  you may want to bump up your protein intake.

Nitrogen can be measured by testing urine and there has been a test developed to test the amounts to give individuals and athletes a rough idea of their nitrogen balance.  While it may take some time and tracking every day to measure, it should allow you to combine and test  different protein sources and come up with your own individual protein regimen that is right for you.