Day 92- Hydroxycut, written by guest Blogger Dez Arcieri

I have asked Dez to share a research article that she wrote for an assignment in her statistics class at the University of California, Los Angeles. If you are interested in hearing more from Dez, please visit her own personal blog.

All different kinds of products constantly inundate our everyday lives. From grocery and department stores to internet and television, and everything in between, we are surrounded by products that advertise their uses and effectiveness to us as consumers. Some products claim their effectiveness to be “clinically proven” or “tested,” which may increase the likelihood of such a product being bought and used by many people all over the world. For example, a popular product called Pro Clinical Hydroxycut claims to “provide faster weight-loss results than diet or exercise alone” as per the results of clinical tests (Iovate, 2010). However, how many people actually research the claims that products make before they purchase them? How does one know that the claims are valid or true?

To answer these questions about products marketed to the public, an assessment was done on the claims made by Pro Clinical Hydroxycut. The effectiveness of Pro Clinical Hydroxycut is said to be due to its ingredients, which are listed on the website (Iovate, 2010). There they detail two studies that were done to test the effectiveness of Pro Clinical Hydroxycut. The first study was done by a “third-party,” someone unrelated to or affiliated with Hydroxycut (Iovate, 2010). According to Paul C Cozby, author of Methods in Behavioral Research, research done by a third-party tends to have low bias effect (2009). For example, had the study been done by the makers of Hydroxycut then one would wonder if the results of the study were at all biased due to the company’s interest in an outcome that supports their product. In addition, this study used a “randomized, double blind, placebo” procedure, in which the experimenters and participants did not know which substance they are being given, Pro Clinical Hydroxycut or a placebo (Iovate, 2010). According to Cozby (2009), a randomized, double blind, placebo procedure is valuable to experiments as it protects against expectancy effects that the experimenter or participant may have. This is due to the fact that being given a drug or pill is sometimes enough to produce an effect, even if the treatment is not a drug at all but some other substance, as the participant and/or the experimenter expects a change once the substance has been administered (Cozby, 2009). These precautions greatly strengthen the results of the study as we can be sure that the effects are not due to a bias.

While this first study seems to have minimized possible bias effects, one has to wonder where the researchers pulled their sample from. Nothing is said about who participated in this study or how they came to be participants. Cozby (2009) suggest that in choosing a sample for a study it is important to find people who represent the population at large. In order to decide whether their sample is a good representation one needs to know more about the participants of this study and how they were selected. For example, did the participants vary in height, weight, ethnicity, and gender? These are important factors to consider in regards to the effectiveness of Pro Clinical Hydroxycut as everyone loses weight at different rates, has more or less weight to loose, or may have other qualities, characteristics, or circumstances that makes one more or less likely to lose weight than others. Also, was the sample selected randomly or did the participants volunteer or were they chosen because they possessed some quality of interest to researchers? We can only be sure that this sample is a fair representation if every person in the population had an equal chance of participating in this study (Cozby, 2009). Each of these factors, and others that researchers may not be aware of, can act as a confounding variables that may alter or bias the results of the study in some way (Cozby, 2009).

Another point to consider in this study is how the participants were tested. Pro Clinical Hydroxycut claims that their product gives “faster weight-loss results than diet and exercise alone,” which leads one to assume that this study was operationally defined as weight-loss/time (Iovate, 2010). This claim also leads one to believe that they tested their effects against a group of individuals who were not given any treatment other than diet and exercise. However, the study explains that over a 12 week period researchers used an experimental group, who received Pro Clinical Hydroxycut, and a control group, who received the placebo. In other words, each group was given some form of treatment for 12 weeks, which is not what the claim leads us to believe. This claim would be much better supported had they also measured the effects of weight-loss with a true control group who did not receive Pro Clinical Hydroxycut nor a placebo and only did diet and exercise alone for the same 12 weeks, as stated in the claim. Those results could then be compared to the experimental and placebo groups which would then provide a more descriptive measure of the effectiveness of Pro Clinical Hydroxycut. Furthermore, the study states that both the experimental and placebo groups were given a “calorie-reduced diet,” but no mention of any exercise treatment (Iovate, 2010). This makes the claim look rather false as the claim explicitly states it is better than “exercise alone” (Iovate, 2010). Also, if exercise was not held constant among all participants then it would act as another compounding variable that would most definitely affect the results of the study (Cozby, 2009).

The results of this study demonstrate that in 12 weeks the participants in the experimental group who used Pro Clinical Hydroxycut lost significantly more weight than that of the placebo group (Iovate, 2010). They do not state the type of test the researchers used to gather these results. However, one can assume that they used a pretest-posttest design where each participant was measured for weight, randomly placed in the experimental or control group, given the appropriate treatment, and then measured for weight again at the end of 12 weeks (Cozby, 2009). Here the independent variable is either Pro Clinical Hydroxycut or the placebo, depending upon the group type, while the dependent variable is weight lost over a 12 week period. A second, follow-up study was completed by the makers of Hydroxycut showing similar results as the first study (Iovate, 2010). This study was only an eight week study, as opposed to the 12 weeks in the first study (Iovate, 2010). It appears that this study was similar in design to the first as they too used an experimental and placebo group, but there is very little describing this second study and more information is needed in order to make a concrete comparison. However, the results of both of these studies are very similar, which seems to confirm the reliability of Pro Clinical Hydroxycut (Cozby, 2009). Conversely, had the first study reported very different results than the second study one would not be able to rely on the effectiveness of Pro Clinical Hydroxycut. Moreover, disparate results would make one question the methods of the experiment and the motives of the experimenters.

Lastly, one must assess the validity of both of these studies as this determines whether or not the study actually measured what it was supposed to measure, in this case, weight-loss produced by Pro Clinical Hydroxycut (Cozby, 2009). Both of these studies appear to be high in construct validity, face validity, and internal validity (Cozby, 2010). However, these studies may be lacking in external validity as researchers did not adequately describe the sample they used as described above (Cozby, 2009).

In conclusion, it appears that Pro Clinical Hydroxycut does indeed aid in weight loss. However, the extent of weight lost is questionable and possibly different from what is stated in the claim. The biggest concern being the claim states that Pro Clinical Hydroxycut is better than “diet and exercise alone,” which may be true, but was not actually tested in research (Iovate, 2010). Therefore, consumers who purchase this product may be making a choice based upon a claim that does not have a strong research base and may see dramatically different results that what the claim asserts.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 91- Tabata Interval Training

Tabata what?

Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo discovered what they named, "Tabata training." Tabata training is a type of high intensity interval training, which only lasts for four minutes. They discovered that this kind of training produced much better results than aerobic training, and built as much muscular endurance as 45 minutes of normal cardio training. The research that was done in Tokyo used highly trained endurance athletes that were in peak physical condition before the study and their improvements were remarkable. The subjects increased their anaerobic capacity by 28% as well a substantial increase in their aerobic fitness, and a 14% increase in their V02 max.

The theory behind this idea of workout?

Intense interval training will raise the body's metabolic rate long after the exercise session is completed. Resulting in fat loss even after the workout is completed. There have been many studies since the one done by Dr. Tabata that have shown that interval training is more effective for fat loss, than low-intensity continuous exercise.

Here are two research articles, but there are plenty more:

Journal of Applied Physiology

PubMed

What exactly is the Tabata protocol?

• 5 minute warm-up
• 20 seconds of all-out intensity exercise
• 10 seconds of rest
• 8 intervals
• 2 minute cool down

(20+10) x 8 = 4 minutes

What types of exercise can you do with the Tabata training?

Any exercise can be done, the more muscles used in a workout the more ideal. Some ideas for exercises are: jumping rope, squats, burpees, sprints, push-ups, etc. For ideas on Tabata workouts, search YouTube for some helpful videos. The workout is only 4 minutes, so the more you put into it the more you will get out of it. The goal is to do as many reps as you can within the 20 minutes, 8 times. Push yourself as hard as you can; if you are new to working out take it easy and build up to more intense intervals.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 90- Costa Rican Warrior Workouts

I'm getting ready for my longly anticipated Costa Rica vacation, but with all vacations it's a struggle to find the balance between having fun and staying in shape. So why not spend your vacation doing both?

Here are some ideas of activities that you can do to stay in shape while having fun on vacation:

• Surf
• Hike
• Kayak
• Swim
• Play volleyball (or some other type of similar sport)
• Golf (don't rent a cart)
• Shop (my personal favorite cardio)

If that isn't enough try this weeks workout:

• Box jumps- 20x
• Lateral skaters- 25 each side
• Plank hold with alternating knee to chest- hold for 1 minute
• Push-ups- 20x
• Side plank- hold each side for 20 sec

Go through entire workout 3 times

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 89- Relax Ladies!

Guest Blog Author Amanda Buhl, MPH

Amanda received her Masters in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Washington School of Public Health in March, 2011.

Chronic psychological stress and the daily demands of modern life have profound consequences for human health and wellbeing. In particular, chronic stress appears to be consistently associated with a preference for energy-dense foods, namely those high in fat and sugar (1-9). Evidence from longitudinal studies also suggests that chronic stress may be causally linked to weight gain and greater abdominal and visceral fat (1-3, 10).

Stress contributes to weight gain through both modifications in food choice (eating more calories and “comfort foods” high in fat and sugar) and other, metabolic changes. In conditions of chronic stress, the hormonal balance is shifted toward low levels of fat-preventing anabolic hormones (androgens and IGF-1) and increased levels of cortisol (the main stress hormone) and insulin. Cortisol promotes the accumulation of fat around your middle because abdominal and visceral fat (the particularly unhealthy fat found around your organs) have a greater density of cortisol receptors (2, 3, 11). Also, the combination of insulin and cortisol inhibits fat breakdown and promotes fat storage through activation of lipoprotein lipase, the fat storing enzyme that converts triglycerides into stored fat.

To test the hypothesis that chronic stress is associated with greater levels of overweight and obesity, I examined survey data from 2,000 Seattle households as part of the Seattle Obesity Study (SOS). The SOS is a multidisciplinary study of food access, diet quality, and health among adults in King County led by the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research.

What the data in my study demonstrated was that, particularly among women, there was a STRONG, statically significant, positive association between self-rated stress levels and overweight/obesity (as measured by body mass index), even after controlling for numerous demographic (age, race/ethnicity), socioeconomic (income, education), and lifestyle (physical activity, smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption) variables that we know to be associated with either stress or overweight (or both). So these variables did not affect (or confound) the relationship that was seen here. Among men, a statistically significant association was not seen after controlling for the potentially confounding variables listed above, suggesting that these variables might explain the incidence of overweight in the men in this study more than stress. Though this type of study does not allow us to assume that there is a causal relationship between stress and weight gain, these findings definitely warrant further investigation.

PUNCHLINE: There may be something unique happening in women’s bodies that make us more vulnerable to the effects of stress, particularly the fat-accumulating effects of stress. Recent research has proposed that women may be more sensitive to low levels of corticotrophin releasing factor – the neuropeptide released in the brain in response to stress – signifying a difference between men and women in the physiological response to stress (12). Additionally, research has shown that following a spousal argument, women experience a prolonged stress response (elevated cortisol levels) as compared to men (13). This may suggest a greater vulnerability to social or relationship stress among women.

So ladies (and gents), check your stress levels. Dedicate time each day for activities and exercise outlets you enjoy. Also, develop social support networks where you feel comfortable and can seek guidance and help when you need it. Your body will thank you!

Keep calm and carry on,

Amanda

• Torres SJ, Nowson CA. Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity. Nutrition 2007;23:887-894.
• Epel E. Psychological and metabolic stress: A recipe for accelerated aging? Hormones 2009;8(1):7-22.
• Adam TC, Epel ES. Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiology & Behavior 2007;91:449-458.
• Wardle J, Steptoe A, Oliver G, Lipsey Z. Stress, dietary restraint and food intake. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 2000;48:195-202.
• Pollard TM, Steptoe A, Canaan L, Davies GJ, Wardle J. The effects of academic examination stress on eating behavior and blood lipid levels. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine 1995;2:299-320.
• Kandiah J, Yake M, Jones J, Meyer M. Stress influences appetite and comfort food preferences in college women. Nutrition Research 2005;26:118-123.
• Lui C, Xie B, Chou C-P, et al. Perceived stress, depression and food consumption frequency in the college students of China seven cities. Physiology & Behavior 2007;92:748-754.
• Sims R, Gordon S, Garcia W, et al. Perceived stress and eating behaviors in a community-based sample of African Americans. Eating Behaviors 2008;9:137-142.
• Ng DM, Jeffrey RW. Relationships between perceived stress and health behaviors in a sample of working adults. Health Psychology 2003;22:638-642.
• Chrousos GP. The role of stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the pathology of the metabolic syndrome: neuro-endocrine and target tissue-related causes. International Journal of Obesity 2000;24, Suppl2:S50-S55.
• Epel ES, McEwen B, Seeman T, et al. Stress and body shape: Stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosomatic Medicine 2000;62:623-632.
• Bangasser DA, Curtis A, Reyes BA, et al. Sex differences in corticotropin-releasing factor receptor signaling and trafficking: Potential role in female vulnerability to stress-related psychopathology. Molecular Psychiatry 2010;15:896-904.
• Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Newton T, Cacioppo T et al. Marital conflict and endocrine function: Are men really more physiologically affected than women? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1996;64(2):324-332.

Day 88- RESPECT YOUR FULLNESS

Principle #5: Respect Your Fullness

Learn how to eat to be satisfied, without over doing it. There are several ways to walk away from a meal fulfilled, without needing to loosen your belt a notch, or feeling sluggish and weighed down.

First of all, eat at the first signs of hunger (principal #2), instead of waiting until you are starving. If you wait until you are ravaged with hunger pains, your eyes are going to be larger than your stomach. Eating at the first signs of hunger will help you to make smarter decisions and be able to gauge your level of hunger better.

Eat slow, and make sure you chew each bite completely. So many people rush through their meals, eating while still at their desk working, going through the drive-thru and eating in the car, or in front of the TV. When we engage in this mindless eating we tend to ignore the signs our body is sending us telling us we are full. When we rush through a meal, our body doesn't have time to send out the signals that we have ate enough. The best way to eat is to enjoy our meal, set aside enough time to eat, remove outside stimulants such as driving or television. Chew each bite completely before swallowing, instead of taking the next bite before the previous one is even finished. Pause half way through your meal so that you can gauge how full you really are, before eating more than you need.

Learn how your body feels when it is full, the only sign shouldn't be that your pants have gotten tighter. Pay attention to how you body reacts when it is satisfied, acknowledging the subtle clues your body is giving you. You might be surprised to find that when you listen to your body, it will actually tell you when to have your last bite, respect that feeling. Know when to push away your food, or ask for a box, this will help you enjoy the feeling of pure satisfaction after a meal and avoid the uncomfortable fullness.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 87- CHALLENGE THE FOOD POLICE

Principle #4: Challenge the Food Police

Don't let the media tell you that you are "bad" or "good" for choosing to eat certain foods. You are the only one that knows your body enough to determine what is right for you.

Plus, to be honest with you a majority of the time they are wrong. Pushing "low-fat" or "non-fat" options down our throats, soy as a healthy protein source, or diets that sell pre-packaged dinners that are heated up in microwaves, are all not OK. These so called food police, aren't always looking after what's best for you, their research is biased, and their theories are flawed. Instead eat foods that are right for you, listen to your body instead of the media.

Challenge all information you hear, and take each new diet with a grain of salt. If the food police and media know best, then why do we see a greater increase in cardiovascular issues, obesity, and other health issues. Instead of blindly following with the rest of the crowd, take nutrition into your own hands, eat foods that work for your own biochemistry, and learn the science behind the different diets out there. Educate yourself and you will learn that you don't need anyone to tell you what to eat, the answer is out there, you first just have to sort through all the "muck" that the media has thrown out there.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

DAY 86- MAKE PEACE WITH FOOD

Principal #3: Make Peace with Food

Not allowing yourself to eat the foods that you love can definitely back fire on you. Eventually those cravings will win and when they do, you may not be able to control yourself causing you to go extremely overboard.

Allowing yourself the foods that you love every once in awhile will give yourself more control to eat with caution and to enjoy the food without the guilt and pain afterwards. As long as these foods do not cause any allergic reactions, such as being a celiac, sorry, but in that case you will have to avoid consuming gluten for the rest of your life.

Instead of seeing that chocolate bar as your enemy, think of it instead as your reward. I'm not encouraging you to use food strictly as an emotional booster, but more as just being alright with yourself when you make the decision to eat what you want to eat. We all deserve foods that we love, just not all the time. Choose when you want to eat something and make peace with the fact that you can allow yourself to do that every once in awhile. In the long run this peace with help you reach your body goals both mentally and physically.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 85- HONOR YOUR HUNGER

Principal #2: Honor Your Hunger

Whether the reason is because you are just too busy, trying to loose weight, stuck in a place with out any food options, honor your hunger. In order to maintain enough energy to complete day to day tasks you must fuel your body with proper nutrition. Skipping meals, or going too long between meals can throw your healthy food choices out the window. Once you get to the point where you are starving, the only thing that you can think about is to EAT, and at that point the type of food becomes less important.

We probably have all experienced this feeling where we get to the point that we just need food! I know that hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) people feel this way on a daily basis. They have lost the signal in their body that tells them that they are hungry, it isn't until they are light-headed and shaky that they realize that it is time to eat.

Making an effort to keep the body fueled by eating every few hours, and not skipping meals, will help us to stick to a healthy eating plan. Once we forget to eat or wait too long, we run the risk of grabbing the first food choice we see, and face it, there are a lot more unhealthy options in our face on a regular bases than there are healthy ones.

So I encourage everyone to begin honoring your hunger, know the first signals that your body gives you that you are hungry and eat then when you still have the brain function to choose sensibly.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 84- REJECT THE DIET MENTALITY

I learned about a great book, from a blog posted by one of the trainers at Innovative Results, Amanda Brown, RD, called Intuitive Eating. In the book they discuss the 10 principles of intuitive eating. Although I have yet to read the book, in the blog she posted these principles, which I have decided to use as a blog topic for the next few days.

Today we are focusing on the first principle: REJECT THE DIET MENTALITY!

As I have mentioned I have not read the book, so this blog post is only based on my thoughts on this principle.

There are so many diets out there that all promise quick weight loss results, but always at the cost of something. Whether it is avoiding carbs, restricting caloric intake, eating low fat, avoiding eating at certain times, or whatever the current fad is pushing. All these diets do is leave us wanting more, usually never providing us a natural balance that leaves us merely satisfied.

We buy magazines that explain these new diets, we see pictures of celebrities that it has worked on, we go buy the types of foods they recommend and then when we don't see the same results as the super model did, we move on to the next. Dieting is a viscous cycle. But what if it doesn't have to be? What if we could learn how to eat without dieting, without starving or restricting our body from things it wants? What if we could break this viscous cycle of dieting, and overcome the resentment that we feel every time we eat something that could go straight to our hips?

Instead, let us reject the diet mentality and learn how to really eat. Let's learn to feed our body with foods that fuel and energize us, instead of wear us down and rob our energy. But most of all just EAT! Remembering that not all calories are created equal!

Think about why all those fad diets fail? They fail because eventually people cheat on their diet, and then cheat again, until they finally throw in the towel. These diets deprive people of foods that they crave and enjoy to eat. So, my answer to you is, eat what you like to eat, but learn how to eat it. I will never suggest fast food restaurants, donuts, soda, etc, but I will suggest continuing to eat the foods that make you happy. So if you love McDonald's hamburgers then why not make your own hamburgers using organic grass-fed beef, so that you can still enjoy that food, but now you will receive the extra bonus of omega-3 fatty acids in your meal as well. The Omega-3 EFAs in this burger may actually help to decrease inflammation in the body, which can help to increase weight loss. Is ice cream your guilty pleasure? What about instead you made your own fresh frozen yogurt, which is full of healthy bacteria that can help support healthy digestion, maybe even reducing bloat. Eaten correctly, foods you love may actually provide benefits to you, when you learn how they work for your body.

I am sorry to tell you, but you can search your entire life, but you will never find a diet that will work for everyone. Everyone is different, we all have our own unique biochemistry, and we need to learn what works for us. We need to learn what works for our own bodies, and note foods that make us feel good verse those that leave us wanting something more, tired, bloated, or sick. This isn't a diet; it is nutrition, learning the proper foods that work for us, instead of basing our meals around a prescribed "meal plan" that worked for someone else.

That is why we decide to reject the diet mentality! And instead indulge in good food that we enjoy, instead of depriving our body of nutrients or restricting calories. We say "no" to the newest fad diet and feel comfortable with listening to our own body when it comes to the foods we choose.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 83- The Mirage Workout

I'm back in Vegas, although this time it's for work, so here is another Vegas workout. When I went to the gym at the hotel yesterday, all there was were cardio machines, so the workout this week is all cardio.

Elliptical Intervals:

• 2 minute warm-up
• 30 sec- keeping it above 200 strides per minute with 5 resistance
• 1 minute recovery- keeping it above 100 strides per minute
• 45 sec- keeping it above 200 strides per minute with 5 resistance
• 1 minute recovery- keeping it above 100 strides per minute
• 1 minute- keeping it above 200 strides per minute with 5 resistance
• 1 minute recovery- keeping it above 100 strides per minute
• 1 minute- keeping it above 300 strides per minute with 5 resistance
• 1 minute recovery- keeping it above 100 strides per minute
• 45 sec- keeping it above 300 strides per minute with 5 resistance
• 1 minute recovery- keeping it above 100 strides per minute
• 30 sec- keeping it above 300 strides per minute with 5 resistance
• 1 minute recovery- keeping it above 100 strides per minute
• 2 minute cool down

Too easy? Repeat workout at least one more time or you can increase your resistance and strides per minute.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 82- Farmed vs. Wild Salmon

We know that eating fish is healthy for us, but we also know that for those of us that are "ballers on a budget," it can get pretty pricey. So is it better to eat fish on a more regular basis by buying farmed fish or is it more important to break our budget to purchase only wild salmon?

First of all, salmon farms make up about 80% of the salmon on the market. A practice that has been termed, "aquaculture," which has become a $78 billion industry and has grown 9% a year since 1975. Meaning that wild salmon only makes up around 20% of the fish you find at the market, which is an explanation of why it's so much more expensive. Salmon farms can raise up to a million fish at a time. So chances are the last time you bought salmon at the supermarket or ordered it at a restaurant it was farmed salmon. So what exactly is the difference between farmed vs. wild salmon?

Salmon farms jam-pack the fish into small areas, so instead of swimming long distances, or swimming up streams over rocks, and obstacles, they swim around in lazy circles, and get fed pellets, that fatten them up faster. They are what LA Times, calls the "couch potatoes" of the sea. The path that wild salmon take, swimming against stream, and in oceans and streams actually adds to the nutritional content of the salmon. Farmed fish may be fatter than the wild variety, but that doesn't mean that it has more nutritional benefits, like Omega-3 fatty acids. Wild salmon contains a much higher amount of the anti-inflammatory Omega-3, while farmed salmon contains only a small amount of Omega-3, along with other fats, that we would rather do without. Omega-6 fatty acid is one of the fats found in farmed fish, and may actually prevent the uptake of the Omega-3 fatty acids, since the two share the same receptor sites in the body. For a great chart on the difference in the amount of Omega-3 found in farmed vs. wild salmon, visit this website. Also, since farmed fish contains more fat than wild, you will find that they contain less protein.

The depletion of healthy fats is only one of the drawbacks of eating farmed salmon. If we were to look at the diet alone of farmed fish, we can get a better idea on what is actually going on. The pellets that are fed to farmed fish, are high in protein, but also in dioxins, PCBs, fire retardants, pesticides, antibiotics, copper sulfate, as well as canthaxanthin (a dye associated with retinal damage used to make gray farmed fish various shades of "wild" pink). Most of the things that are given to these fish is to help fend against the diseases that arise in these farms, such as sea lice, or the algae from the fish nets. Since salmon are not vegetarian the food pellets that they are fed contain ground up smaller fish, the accumulation of the toxins in these smaller fish can build up in the salmon. Although, wild salmon consume contaminated fish as well, they eat more of a variety so they don't get a such a build up of toxins.

According to an article in CBS news: the average dioxin level in farmed-raised salmon was as 11 times higher than that in wild salmon - 1.88 parts per billion compared with 0.17 ppb. For PCDs, the average was 36.6 ppb in farm-raised salmon and 4.75 in wild salmon. Eating more than a meal of farm-raised salmon per month, depending on its country of origin, could slightly increase the risk of getting cancer later in life, researchers conclude. They urge consumers to buy wild salmon and recommend that farmers change fish feed.

Not only is farmed fish not good for your diet it is also harmful to our environment. The diseases, parasites, pesticides, toxins, and antibiotics that are found in these farms can contaminate the waters around the farm; populating the wild salmon in the surrounding area.

Alright then, what do we eat? Wild salmon, hands down is the best choice! If you can't afford to eat wild salmon on a regular basis, save your money by buying smaller pieces, since you will still get more nutritional benefits and less toxins from that small piece than you would if you purchased a larger piece of farmed salmon. Also, canned salmon is a safe and cheaper choice. You will find that canned salmon is usually always wild since farmed salmon does not can as well.

For more interesting articles on the dangers of consuming farmed salmon, or the dangers to our environment, visit these websites:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/08/health/main592163.shtml

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1663604,00.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-salmon9dec09,0,2475812.story

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 81- DIRT!

Learn that there is more to dirt, than just being "dirt."

This movie will be shown June 9th for the Orange County movies in the park, outdoor film series, for more information visit their website.

About the film:

DIRT! The Movie--directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow--takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth's most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility--from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.

The opening scenes of the film dive into the wonderment of the soil. Made from the same elements as the stars, plants and animals, and us, "dirt is very much alive." Though, in modern industrial pursuits and clamor for both profit and natural resources, our human connection to and respect for soil has been disrupted. "Drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt."

DIRT! the Movie--narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis--brings to life the environmental, economic, social and political impact that the soil has. It shares the stories of experts from all over the world who study and are able to harness the beauty and power of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship with soil.

DIRT! the Movie is simply a movie about dirt. The real change lies in our notion of what dirt is. The movie teaches us: "When humans arrived 2 million years ago, everything changed for dirt. And from that moment on, the fate of dirt and humans has been intimately linked." But more than the film and the lessons that it teaches, DIRT the Movie is a call to action.

"The only remedy for disconnecting people from the natural world is connecting them to it again."

What we've destroyed, we can heal.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 80- Napa Ragnar Here We Come!

It is official, team "We Don't Run For Fun," is at it again. This time we will be headed from San Francisco up to Calistoga. Keeping the majority of the team members with just a few new additions.

If this description doesn't get you excited, what does?

PICTURE THIS: The Golden Gate Bridge. Wine Country. You and 11 of your closest friends running day and night, relay style, through some of Northern California's most beautiful scenery. This running event starts in Marina Green, near downtown San Francisco, runners will take awe in the views of the Bay Area while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge as they head toward Sausalito and Mill Valley. Participants will race inland and experience the rolling hills and farmland of Petaluma before heading toward the Valley of the Moon. This race will guide runners south to Sonoma and along country roads to Napa Valley, where endless vineyards will surround runners. The race (and your stamina) will wrap up in Calistoga. Mark your running calendars; you don’t want to miss this race.

Can't wait for the next Ragnar experience!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 79- Weight is Just a Number

Why are so many of us so obsessed with the numbers on the scale? While no matter how well we eat, exercise, or how well our clothes fit us it will never feel as good as seeing the scale change numbers.

Truth be told, the scale does not tell the whole story. Yes, we have all heard that a pound of fat and a pound of muscle all weigh the same, or that a pound of feathers and a pound of bricks all weigh the same. A pound is a pound no matter what the object is, but there is more to this picture when it comes to your body and trying to loose weight.

First of all, your weight may fluctuate several pounds throughout the day. Think about when you weigh yourself first thing in the morning verse at the end of the day. Water weight can definitely move the numbers up or down and cause you to see a slight difference each time you step on the scale.

What many people forget about is that although the scale may not be budging from that set number, muscle is more dense and takes up less space than fat. This is why as the scale stays the same you may still begin to look leaner and your clothes may fit you better. Look at a woman that weights 140 lb. with 15% body fat verse a woman that weights 140 lb. with 35% body fat. The woman that only has the 15% body fat is going to look a lot leaner than the one with the 35% body fat.

Not only does muscle make you look leaner, it also will help you stay leaner and burn more calories at rest. Muscle helps to boost your metabolism, so that although they weigh the same, a pound of muscle will burn more calories at rest than a pound of fat.

The challenge is remembering that even when the scale doesn't cooperate the way you want, you may still be making progress on your weight loss goals. Focus on how your clothes fit, and the healthy tone you develop from working out. These will be your true markers and will help to keep you motivated.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 78- The Cove

Here is one of the most eye-opening documentary films that I have had the opportunity to see.

Learn about what really is going on in Japan's hidden cove. This film discusses the cruel treatment and mass slaughtering of dolphins, the effects of mercury, and the battle to help bring this to the public eye. If you have not yet seen this film, I recommend taking the time to see what these beautifully smart creatures are facing and learn how you can make a difference.

To learn what you can do to help, please visit this website: http://www.takepart.com/thecove

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 77- Caveman Diet

The caveman diet or better know as the Paleo diet is based on food that has been available throughout our evolution during the paleolithic era. The idea behind this diet is that our genes and physiology evolved through the process of natural selection and are most adapted to be nourished with the food that we evolved around. After the agricultural revolution foods that were not prominent in our diets, became overly common. Foods like grains, sugar, vegetable oils, dairy, legumes have become a dietary staple in most America's diet.

Health professionals, as well as the government have stressed the importance of removing saturated fats, cholesterol, and red meat from our diets, but the Paleo model believes that this is the wrong advice. Instead the thought is that these newer (neolithic) foods are the cause of common diseases such as, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Foods that are allowed on the Paleo diet:

• Lean proteins (ideally) grass fed meat, free range fowl and wild caught fish
• Seasonal fruits and vegetables
• Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil

To download the Quick Start guide to the Paleo diet, click here.

According to the Paleo Diet lifestyle website, there are 15 rules:

1. The Paleo diet should be high in fat,moderate in animal protein and low to moderate in carbohydrates. Calorie counting is not encouraged, neither is portion control.
2. Eat unlimited amounts of saturated fats like coconut oil and butter or clarified butter. Beef tallow, lard and duck fat are also good, but only if they come from healthy and well-treated animals. Beef or lamb tallow is a better choice than lamb or duck fat. Olive, avocado and macadamia oil are also good fats to use in salads and to drizzle over food, but not for cooking.
3. Eat generous amounts of animal protein. This includes red meat, poultry, pork, eggs, organs (liver, kidney, heart…), wild caught fish and shellfish. Don’t be scared to eat the fatty cuts and all meals with proteins should contain fat as well. Learn to cook with bones in the form of stocks and broths.
4. Eat good amounts of fresh or frozen vegetables either cooked or raw and served with fat. Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and yams are also great as a source of non-toxic carbohydrates.
5. Eat low to moderate amounts of fruits and nuts. Try to eat mostly fruits low in sugar and high in antioxidants like berries as well as nuts high in omega-3, low in omega-6 and low in total polyunsaturated fat like macadamia nuts. Consider cutting off fruits and nuts altogether if you have an autoimmune disease, digestive problem or are trying to lose weight faster.
6. Preferably choose pasture-raised and grass-fed meat coming from a local, environmentally conscious farms. If not possible, choose lean cuts of meat and supplement your fat with coconut oil, butter or clarified butter. Also preferably choose organic, local and/or seasonal fruits and vegetables.
7. Cut out all cereal grains and legumes from your diet. This includes, but is not limited to, wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, brown rice, soy, peanuts, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans and black eyed peas.
8. Cut out all vegetable, hydrogenated and partly-hydrogenated oils including, but not limited to, margarines, soybean oil, corn oil, crisco, peanut oil, canola oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil and avocado oil are fine, but don’t cook with them, use them in salad dressings and to drizzle over prepared food.
9. Eliminate sugar, soft drinks, all packaged products and juices (including fruit juices). As a rule of thumb, if it’s in a box, don’t eat it. At the grocery store, visit only the meat, fish and produce sections.
10. Eliminate dairy products other then butter and maybe heavy cream. You don’t need dairy, but if you can’t live without, try fermented dairy products.
11. Eat when you’re hungry and don’t stress if you skip a meal or even two. You don’t have to eat three square meals a day, do what feels most natural.
12. Eliminate sources of external stress in your life as much as possible and sleep the most you can. Try to wakeup without an alarm and to go to bed when it’s dark.
13. Don’t over-exercise, keep your training sessions short and intense and do them only a few times per week. Take some extra time off if you feel tired. Consider short and intense sprinting sessions instead of very long cardio sessions.
14. Consider supplementing with vitamin D and probiotics. Levels of magnesium, iodine and vitamin K2 should also be optimized. Iodine can be obtained from seaweeds. You probably don’t need a multivitamin or other supplements.
15. Play in the sun, have fun, laugh, smile, relax, discover, travel, learn and enjoy life like a daring adventure!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Food-Pie Picture

Day 76- Chi-Town Cardio

It's been a rainy and dreary weekend in Chicago; perfect for some good ol' mood boosting cardio for the workout of the week!

This workout can be done with any of your favorite cardio equipment, treadmill, stairclimber, elliptical trainer, bicycle, etc. The purpose of this interval workout is to gradually increase your high intensity time, peaking in the middle, and then gradually reducing the high intensity time. Your high intensity speed should push you, if you are on the treadmill then this should be a sprint. Intervals are a great way to burn fat, and will cause your body to burn calories even after you are done working out.

Pyramid style intervals:

• Warm up- 5 minutes
• 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
• 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
• 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minutes low intensity
• 90 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
• 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
• 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
• 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
• Cool down- 5 minutes

Too easy?

Increase your high intensity times, so that your total workout is longer.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 75- How Soy Formula is Similar to Birth Control

Granted, I am not a mother, so I don't quite understand the struggle that parents face when trying to do what's right to raise their children. But what I do understand is that soy formula should be the LAST option when it comes to feeding your children.

Why do I feel so strongly about soy? Well, I wrote my first blog ever on soy, because truthfully I am not a fan. Today though I would like to only focus on soy's effects on growing children.

We can say hands down, breast milk by far is the best food for babies.

Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infants' health, growth, immunity and development.

-- Healthy People 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

We also know that some mothers are not able to make the choice to breast feed and must supplement the baby with formula. So what are their options? The next best option would be cow's or goat's milk, but some parents feel that these are not ideal due to allergies in the baby, or hormones and antibiotics fed to cattle. So the next logical choice that parents choose is soy, since it is marketed as a "natural" choice and said to be hypoallergenic. Truth be told, soy is actually a very allergic food. And for babies that can tolerate traditional or hypoallergenic cow's milk formula, soy is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

So why do I suggest avoiding soy formula, unless it is the only viable option left?

The biggest concern to me is the estrogenic effects of soy. According to the Weston Price Foundation, "Babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day." Research also suggests that females fed soy formula as infants may have early onset of puberty, longer duration of menstrual bleeding, or more painful menstrual cycles. Since soy has been shown to be an endocrine disrupter, boys fed soy-formula, may have less testosterone, due to the high levels of estrogen in the formula. This disruption can lead to learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder, smaller than normal testes, and altered male characteristics after puberty.

If that alone is not enough to convince you to avoid soy formula, how about these reasons?

• High levels of aluminum found in soy formulas which can be toxic to the nervous system and kidneys
• Extremely high levels of manganese, some formulas contain 80 times more manganese than human breast milk, and has been suggested as a link between ADD
• Contains phytic acid which can reduce the absorption of nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc. And may in the long run cause growth problems in children.
• Lacks complete amino acids
• Other studies are still being concluded but have suggested possible connections with weakening of the immune system, thyroid damage, neurological damage, and reproduction issues.

For a great chart comparing human breast milk to soy formula, visit Dr. Sears's website.

If you would like a brochure from the Weston Price Foundation regarding the dangers of soy, visit their website.

So although conclusive long term studies still need to be done regarding the effects of soy formula later on in life, I still believe that the information out there already is enough to convince me to avoid it. Again if soy formula is your last resort, then so be it, but there are many more options out there that you can try first. Visit this website to learn about how to make your own baby formulas.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

So al

Day 74- Best Ad Ever, oh yeah and about the shoes...

What a catchy slogan, "You are the Technology," and not too bad to look at either. You sold me! Wait, what are they selling anyways?

Vibram, five finger shoes are showing up everywhere, but what exactly is this new trend?

It's called barefoot running and the idea behind it is exactly that; mimicking the feeling of running barefoot but with a little extra protection.

So unlace your sneakers, and get naked...well at least in regards to your feet.

What is the point of running barefoot? Isn't it all about arch support, absorbing shock, cushion, and the newest design and research on high tech sneakers? So with all that effort they have put into making our run more comfortable, now we are being told that it's actually better to run without?

According to an article in Runner's World, shoes do serve a purpose; they deceive the body. "Here's a explanation, based on your body's proprioceptive abilities- that is, the way it can communicate up and down all pathways. When you run barefoot, your body precisely engages your vision, your brain, the soles of your feet, and all the muscles, bones, tendons, and supporting structures of your feet and legs. They leap to red alert, and give you a high degree of protection from the varying pressures and forces of running. On the other hand, when you run in socks, shoes, inserts, midsoles, and outsoles, your body's proprioceptive system loses a lot of input."

Running shoes are designed for us to land on our heels and then roll to our toes, but can you image running like that when you are barefoot? No way, that would be too painful. Landing on your heels can result in undue shock and potential injury, especially to your knees and back.

So why then do we run like that when we wear shoes? Experienced marathon runners actually land on the balls of their feet as well, which keeps their stride light and smooth. Then there is the 1960, Ethiopia's Olympic marathoner, Abebe Bikila, who won the first of his consecutive gold medals sans shoes, while at the same time creating a world record of 2:15:17.

Other draw backs of running with shoes:

• It can impede our natural gait, which may result in shortened achilles tendon and calf muscles.
• It takes around 4% more energy to run with shoes, not only because of the added weight, but because we have to force our bodies to propel forward when we strike first on our heels.
• When a shoe is doing all the work that your feet would normally do, then you can cause the foot muscles to stop working as effectively and loose proper form and function of your feet.
• Heel striking can decelerate a runner, opposing the natural desire to move forward with each step.

Word to the wise: Go slow, ease into barefoot running. Shorten your distance considerably when first starting out, to help avoid injury. It's going to take time to retrain your body to run on the balls of your feet, so don't get discouraged.

There are also other barefoot shoes out there, I just like the ad for this brand.

For more information on barefoot running check out these additional websites:

www.runningbarefoot.org

www.barefootted.com

www.barefootrunner.org

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/even-if-the-shoe-fits-forget-it/

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7280/full/nature08723.html

http://sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP