Simple Tip to Reduce Gender Specific Cancer

If there is one simple tip I can give people to reduce the chances of getting gender specific Cancer it is this:  Avoid Heating Food in Plastic!  In addition do not put hot food or liquid in plastic containers.

When plastic is heated to 80-degrees or above it will release plastic into your food.  What is bad about this is that plastic releases xenoestrogens that mimic bad estrogen in you body.  Increased levels of bad estrogen are often correlated to gender specific cancer like Breast, Cervical and Ovarian in women and Prostate in men.

Going forward avoid heating food or liquid in plastic (especially in a microwave).  In addition try to avoid adding heated food or liquid in plastic containers.  Try to use glass instead.

Strictly Strength Workout 10/28/14

Below is the workout we did on Tuesday, October 28th in Strictly Strenth at Life Time Eden Prairie Athletic Club.  This workout is a long circuit with fourteen exercises done in a row.  It is unique as I taught it in an "Inside Out" order by starting out by performing exercises for smaller muscle groups first and the larger muscle groups (Normally I start with the larger muscle groups first) last.

For each exercise (The ones that are listed under "B" and "C") do a 15-20 reps for one circuit and then repeat 1-2 times.  For video demonstrations of the exercises click here.

-A:  Movement Prep

-B1:  Lying Glute Bridge
-B2:  Lying Dumbbell Skull Crushers
-B3:  Figure-8 Lateral Tube Walk
-B4:  Resist-A-Band Biceps Curl
-B5:  Single Leg Dumbbell RDLs
-B6:  Dumbbell Side Raise
-B7:  Dumbbell Front Squat
-B8:  Dumbbell Shoulder Press
-B9:  Dumbbell Step-Ups
-B10:  Seated Resist-A-Band Low Rows
-B11:  Lying Glide Disk Leg Curls
-B12:  Push-Ups
-B13:  Dumbbell Plié Squat
-B14:  1-Arm Dumbbell Row (Elbow Out)

-C1:  Reverse Crunch
-C2:  Regular Crunch
-C3:  Accordian Crunch 

Enjoy the workout!

Q & A With Corey: A second Benefit of Magnessium

Question: I am a woman and I have a hard time falling asleep and wake up many times in the evening. Is there anything I can do to fix this problem other than taking sleeping pills/medication (I don not want to go that route)?

Answer:  As I talked about in the previous post regarding constipation, an easy way to fix sleep issues is to start taking magnesium as a supplement.  Some females have sleep issues and problems with constipation.  Adding magnesium can hit two birds with one stone. 

Regarding magnesium dosage to improve sleep, 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 sleep quality 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.  It is high quality and very inexpensive. 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 regarding improving sleep for my clients is Ubermag from the Poliquin Group.

Try one of the above products and using the directions given and your problem should be solved in 7-14 days.

Q & A With Corey: One Benefit of Magnessium

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.

Simple Steps to Reduce Breast Cancer Part 2: Get Basic Blood Work Done

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.

Simple Steps to Reduce Breast Cancer Part 1: Skinfold Measurements

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.

Simple Steps to Reducing Breast Cancer: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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.