Fitness Link Blog

Inflammation is at the root of many of the common diseases that plague our society.  It is linked to Asthma, Allergies, Crohn’s  disease, Colitis, Arthritis and other severe conditions.  It also affects high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  It can even cause Edema and prevent weight loss.

Each condition will manifest itself in the area where the inflammation is.  Heart disease is inflammation of the arteries.  Arthritis is inflammation of the joints.  Asthma is an inflammatory response in the lungs.  Crohn’s and Colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases.

Since inflammation plays such a big part in our health, it’s important to not only understand its role but to know what you can do to control it.

What is inflammation? 

Inflammation is our body’s 2nd line of defense against bacteria, viruses and pathogens.  It’s made up of powerful defense cells and chemicals designed to fight off the ugliest of invaders.  It also plays a big part in the response phase of an injury such as a cut.  Normal levels of inflammation are absolutely necessary for our own protection.  Problems occur when inflammation rises to unsafe levels, or when the body fails to clear out the excess.

Signs of inflammation in the body

Here are a few symptoms you can check for to see if you have inflammation:

• Redness
• Warmth
• Pain
• Swelling
• Loss of function

If you have these symptoms, especially for an extended period of time, it’s likely you have inflammation and need to take action.

What causes inflammation

An overactive immune system is what floods the body with this volatile chemical concoction.  The immune system could be responding to harmful bacteria.  But many times it is due to dietary and/or environmental toxins building up and triggering an immune response.

Here are common foods that promote inflammation:

• Corn, soy and canola oils
• Conventional meats
• Pasteurized dairy
• Refined grains and sugars
• Trans fats
• Gluten
• Food allergy or intolerance

Other contributing factors also include:

• Smoking
• High levels of stress
• Inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle
• Internal or external injuries (long-term)

Problems with conventional treatments

Various drugs are prescribed in an attempt to reduce inflammation.    Aspirin, corticosteroid prednisone and Statin drugs are a few. However, drugs never come without their side effects – Vioxx ended up killing more than 60,000 people from strokes and heart attacks.

The truth is, our bodies are not deficient in drugs.  They are deficient in nutrients.  Although certain medications may at times be beneficial in emergency situations, they never fix the root cause of the issue.  And they may leave you with side effects you have to live with for a long time.

Steps to naturally reduce inflammation

The best idea is to prevent emergency situations by reducing and controlling your levels of inflammation.  Here are some steps on how to do this:

1)  Stop Smoking.  This one might be obvious.  But smoking directly inflames the lungs and glands.  And nicotine can also trigger inflammation in other parts of the body as it travels.

2)  Avoid inflammatory foods. Reduce or eliminaterefine d grains and sugars as these are highly inflammatory.  Avoid Conventional meats from animals fed grains, as their levels of Omega-6 are dangerously high.  Instead, choose grass-fed animal sources that have normal levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and that don’t trigger inflammation.  Also, opt for raw dairy products instead of pasteurized.  Or try coconut milk or almond milk instead.  Be sure to eliminate all trans fats and refined vegetable oils.

3)  Increase your Omega-3’s. Clean, healthy sources of animal meats, fish in particular, contain Omega-3’s.  Land based animals will only contain sufficient levels of Omega-3 if they are grass-fed.  You can also supplement with Cod Liver oil or Krill oil.  Other sources include nuts and seeds such as walnuts and pumpkin seeds.

4)  Eat more vegetables. Vegetables are proven to help reduce inflammation.  They are a fantastic weapon for you to use when fighting inflammation or any other disease.   Set a goal to eat a vegetable with every meal.

5)  Identify and eliminate any food intolerance you may have. This can be tricky, and you may need someone experienced to help you.  But here are the top culprits:   Gluten, dairy, wheat, soy and corn.

6)  Exercise! Exercise is one of the best ways to reduce inflammation without any of the side effects caused by medication.

7)  Reduce stress levels. Elevated stress levels can trigger chronic inflammation as your body is tricked into thinking it is under attack.  Find ways you can release stress from your life.  Try exercise, yoga, deep breathing, reading, journaling, praying or other stress reduction techniques that work for you.

8)  Use these anti-inflammatory foods, supplements or herbs. Dr. Nicholas Perricone is one of the leading proponents of the anti-inflammatory diet and has authored several books.  He lists the following foods as anti-inflammatory:

• Acai fruit
• Allium vegetables (chives, garlic, leeks, onions, scallions and shallots)
• Beans and lentils
• Green foods
• Hot peppers
• Nuts and seeds
• Sprouts

Also many of the herbs are anti-inflammatory such as ginger, basil, rosemary, turmeric, boswellia, tulsi, cinnimon and more.

Co-Enzyme Q10 and Selenium are helpful supplements.  And also the enzyme Bromelain, found in pineapples has natural anti-inflammatory properties.

In conclusion

Inflammation is a necessary defense system for our bodies, and can easily be controlled through diet and lifestyle as mentioned above.  Drugs and surgery are harsh treatments reserved for critical emergency situations, and they don’t even fix the root cause of the problem.

Get your body healthy!  And teach it to control inflammation naturally.

If you have any questions or need help implementing any of the above recommendations, e-mail me at Jmartin@TnFitnessLink.com

Jonathan Martin

FREE Saturday morning bootcamps

American Legion Post 88 Members

Saturdays from 9AM to 10 AM

Under the Post 88 Pavilion in Donelson, TN

For those of us that have served in the military, the word, bootcamp brings back a flood of memories.  We had the best of times, worst of times, and those miserable, down right, humbling moments where facing your limits and breaking point was a right of passage.

As time has mellowed the raw emotions of bootcamp, the great things rise to the surface, particularly the physical shape we reached.  Nothing was as inspirational as leading a company mate through a long 5 mile run or being able to complete pushups in the hundreds!

As a tribute to those that have served our country, Fitness Link is providing FREE Saturday morning bootcamps to American Legion Post 88 Members on Saturdays from 9AM to 10 AM.  Our bootcamps are designed for YOU.  The experience is one filled with the best of times from the old days with an emphasis on injury prevention, comaraderie, and a possible push up or two!

The real benefit is incorporating healthy activities into your daily routine with posture, balance, endurance, strength and flexibility emphasized.  As we age, these are the areas that begin to be neglected, but with a small dose of change, the benefits are tremendous.

All members and their families are welcome. We emphasize safety with a focus on increasing flexibility, balance, posture, and strength to enjoy living life to the fullest!

We meet under the Pavilion in Donelson! For specific details, check out the American Legion Bootcamp Brochure.

Have a healthy, happy day!

Cindy

The following article was featured in our bi-weekly newsletter.  To receive more tips and ideas, sign up now in the sidebar.

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Every day people count the number of calories they are consuming. Their goal is usually to consume fewer and fewer calories, because they have been told that this equals weight loss. This approach, however, never has nor ever will be the key to true weight loss. In fact, lowering your calories can be one of the most dangerous things you do.

The discovery of the calorie did not occur until the late 1800s. And restricting them did not become a practice until around the 1930s. This discovery has been both a blessing and a curse. Calories make it easy to track food intake – making it a simple math equation. But to the body, not all calories are created equally.

The body counts Nutrients not calories

One of the biggest problems with calorie counting is that it takes the focus away from food and puts it on a number. This method leaves people more concerned about the numbers rather than what foods they eat. For example, an apple and a container of Jell-O might both be worth 85 calories. Or 3 eggs and a bag of potato chips are both worth 160 calories.

These foods are not created equally. Their nutrient values are completely different. Just because 2 foods have the same weight or volume does not mean they are interchangeable. They are so far apart, in fact, that your body will actually lose fat eating apples and eggs but gain fat with the others. It’s like trying to run your car on a gallon of Pepsi. Even though a gallon of gas and a gallon of Pepsi might weigh the same, the car obviously can’t run on soda. Don’t expect your body to!

Your body needs nutrient-dense foods. If you eat food that is deficient in nutrients, your body is forced to strip from its own inventory to allow digestion and utilization of that food. This leaves your body further depleted of nutrients and pushes it into starvation mode. Thinking that there’s a famine, your body quickly stores fat as a safety precaution and prays for you to eat more nutrient dense foods soon.

Thermodynamics

Poor quality food also does not produce the same amount of energy as high quality food. And with less energy being produced, the body’s natural reaction is to slow down its energy expenditure. Your body doesn’t have a slow metabolism because of your “bad” genes, or because it hates you. It’s simply trying to survive by working with the little resources it was given. No other machinery on earth is as adaptable and equipped with such self-preservation abilities as the human body.

The assumption that all calories (regardless of their origin) break down into energy the same way in all people, all over the world, and in all circumstances is simply ignorant and lazy. Metabolic reactions in each person can be as widely diverse as the languages we speak or the color of our skin. No two people look alike, and likewise, no two cells produce energy exactly the same way. This is yet another reason why our food choices should be based on our body’s need and not merely on the number of calories.

Other considerations

There are many other conditions that have a much greater effect on weight loss than counting calories. These can include:

• The digestive and excretory systems – their effect on immune function, energy levels, mood, toxicity and weight loss.
• Blood sugar levels
• Hormonal balance
• Thyroid function
• Stress and sleep

Conclusion

Focusing on calorie count for weight loss is as enlightening as reading book titles but not the pages. A book title tells you one thing, the content inside tells you another. And still your individual interpretation of the book leaves you with your personal result.

Counting calories may be an “easy” way for some people who are trying to eat healthy. But not only can it be dangerous, it’s insufficient at best. If you want true results, you must learn to feed your body plenty of what it needs.

Please note: Those consuming excessive calories (8000-10000 a day for example) would still benefit from lowering their caloric intake to a more reasonable level. In this case, tracking calories would be helpful until proper nutrition is reached. Any calorie restriction diet should be done under the care of a health professional.

3 Action steps YOU Can Take

1. Eat high quality, nutrient-dense foods.
2. Avoid processed and refined foods that are nutrient deficient.
3. Eat for your Metabolic Type

Do you eat less than 2000 calories a day?  Do you struggle with weight loss?

If you would like help determining how much food and specifically what food you should be eating – contact me!

First time consultations are free. Call or e-mail today:

Jmartin@TnFitnessLink.com

(615) 477-6502

Jonathan Martin

Dr. Josh Axe is hosting a Total Body Revolution Seminar on Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10:30a-2:30PM at Christ Church’s Montelle Hall (15354 Old Hickory Blvd).   Registration will open at 10:00a.

He will be discussing how to finally shed those last ten pounds, naturally balance your hormones, detoxify your home & body, and manage stress.  We will have a booth set up to answer your questions and calculate your body fat percentage.

Tickets can be purchased from Exodus Health Center or 9 Fruits Smoothies in Cool Springs for $40*.

Call 615.445.7701 for more information or visit Dr. Josh Axe Live Events Page.

*Minimum donation requested.

Few things unite couples more than a common goal.

• Better health = A happier relationship
• Share your time with each other
• Common goals with personal achievements

Let this year be a time when you and your Valentine can share in building your health together.  Through February 15th, Fitness Link is offering a very special Partner’s Package:  2 for the price of 1

The Valentine’s Partner’s Package includes:

• A fitness evaluation and assessment
• 3 months personally designed exercise program
• Your personal Metabolic Typing diet programs for both
• 3 months Wellness Coaching

A value of over $1,250……….Now, until the 15th, is only $600.

Give yourselves the gift of health this Valentine’s day.  And experience the many benefits that come with your combined commitment to each other and to a healthier, happier life!

For more information on this special offer, give us a call at (615) 477-6502!

Hello Nashville,

Jonathan and I are here to help promote health and fitness in the Nashville area.  Through the blog, we discuss local events, ways to stay healthy and add fitness to a busy life.

Have a fitness related question?  Ask and we’ll include it in an online discussion.

Not sure about a certain workout plan?  We’ll be sharing techniques and more.

Need a place to workout with a friend or group?  Check out our bootcamps and group sessions!

Your body is your vehicle that guides you through life.  Let’s learn how to take care of it together and keep you hummin’ around town.

Sincerely,
Jonathan & Cindy