Question: I am a middle-aged woman and I have constipation issues that are really annoying. Is there anything I can do to fix this problem?
Answer: This is common and an easy way to fix it is to start taking magnesium as a supplement.
Without going into to much detail magnesium is considered the "Stress Mineral." There is a direct correlation between stress and magnesium loss. Because of cell phones, texting, email, deadlines, financial issues, etc. people are under more stress then ever before and this this leads to magnesium loss. One of the side effects of low magnesium is constipation and this is common in women as they get older. By taking or increasing magnesium intake can solve this problem very rapidly.
As far as dosage, most people will benefit from 400-500 mg/day but some people may need to take much more than that (Over a gram). To figure out how much you need start with the above dosage for a week. If the constipation doesn't improve up the dosage to 800-1,000 mg. In most cases these dosages will solve the problem. Some people may need to use more, but the key is to increase the dosage no more than 500 mg/day.
As far as brands, Thorne has a good product that can be purchased from the Life Time Fitness website. Natural Calm is a powdered form that can be found at most higher end grocery stores and Co-Ops. Finally, one of the best ones I have used is Ubermag from the Poliquin Group.
Try one of the above products and using the directions given and your problem should be solved in 7-10 days.
The last post went over the importance of site specific body fat in reducing Breast Cancer. In addition to having a fitness professional taking skinfolds, basic blood work should be done at least once/year.
Most people have the following done in their yearly physical:
- Total Cholesterol
- LDL Cholesterol
- HDL Cholesterol
- Triglycerides
- Fasting Glucose
In addition to the above tests, these three should also be done:
- Vitamin D (sometimes this is included in a physical and sometimes it isn't)
- C-Reative Protein
- Homocystine
In conclusion if you have all the above work done it can give you a good starting point towards better health. Life Time Fitness offers all the above tests for members to take at select clubs each month. Also, LT Proactive Care Clinics can take all the above tests. Finally a great first step would be to get a My Health Score done at a Life Time club. It includes a body composition test (could be skinfolds depending on the fitness professional), blood pressure, and the first five tests listed above.
One of the easiest, non-invasive ways to reduce the risk of Breast Cancer is to lose body fat.
World renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin is one of the top experts regarding the influence that site specific body fat has on hormones.
One quick measurement females should take in consideration is the leg measurements which includes the Quad (front of the leg) and Hamstring (back of the leg).
According to Poliquin the sum of these two sites should be less than 30 mm for optimal female hormone production and health.
Going forward an action item that should be done ASAP is get a skinfold test done by an appropriate fitness professional (ideally trained in Poliquin's BioPrint) and see where you are at. From there additional action steps can be taken regarding nutrition, training, supplementation and lab testing so your fitness goals are met and your chances of Breast cancer are reduced.
As many people are aware, the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. An obvious way to make sure people are aware of it is by NFL and NCAA football players wearing additional Pink colors on their uniforms. The Purdue Boilermakers actually had special helmets designed this past week with the Hot Yellow color featured. This months blogs will feature ways to reduce Breast Cancer through fitness assessments, lab testing, training programs, nutrition and supplements. Stay tuned as there will be some good education coming up.
One complaint I hear in mid to late September is low energy levels.
One easy way to correct this issue is to get your Vitamin D levels checked. This can be done at the doctors office or you can order test that can be done at Lab Corp locations.
Once you get the blood drawn the levels you want to shoot for would be 60-80 ng/dL to start with and an ideal level of 80-100 ng/dL.
To get to these levels some people might only need to supplement with 5,000 i.u. Other people may need 10-15,000 i.u. to get to there, especially in the fall months.
Regarding supplement brands I have found the liquid Vitamin D from Thorne FX to be one of the better ones as it also contains Vitamin K2 to help prevent excess calcium to be absorbed in the blood instead of bones.
For this weeks Workout of the Week the muscles of the core will be the focus with an emphasis on stability. For this workout there are two exercises the Plank and the Side Plank.
Here is a video for the Plank:
Here is a video for the Side Plank:
Perform each exercise for 2-3 sets for 30-90 seconds each. The total duration of the workout should be 3-12 minutes based on how many sets you do and how long you hold each plank.
Enjoy the workout and have a great week!
Usually most people wait until the holidays to lose body fat.
However, by that time the average American gains 8-12 lbs between October 31st-January 1st.
This weight gain can easily be prevented if you start now and make a goal to lose weight prior to Halloween or even better extend it longer to Thanksgiving. In this time frame a person can lose 8-20 lbs of fat.
Over the month of September I am going to write some posts regarding the topic of effective fat loss in the fall.
Stay tuned!
