5 More Quick Ways To Reduce Cancer Risk

Cancer is largely predictable, the end result of a decades-long process, but just a few simple changes in your daily life can significantly reduce your risk.  To follow up last week's post, here are five MORE ways to reduce cancer risk:

• Work broccoli into your PPT meal plan, but steam it rather than microwaving it. Broccoli is a cancer-preventing superfood, one you should eat daily. But take note of this: A Spanish study found that microwaving broccoli destroys 97 percent of the vegetable’s cancer-protective flavonoids. So, we recommend that you steam it or eat it raw.  (By the way, broccoli's protein-to-carb ratio works very well into a healthy PPT meal plan.)
• Supplement with vitamin D.  More and more, vitamin D has demonstrated to have strong anti-cancer qualities.  If you're not spending at least 20 minutes per day getting sunlight, then you'll need more vitamin D supplementation than most.  Contact Perfect Personal Training to establish the right amount of supplementation for you.
• Indulge in cantaloupe.  Cantaloupe is a great source of carotenoids, which are plant chemicals shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer.  These are carbohydrates that should replace simple sugars in your current meal plan.
• Every time you go to the bathroom, stop by the kitchen or water cooler for a glass of water. A major study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1996 found that men who drank six 8-ounce glasses of water daily cut risk of bladder cancer y 50%. Another study linked the amount of water women drank to their risk of colon cancer, showing heavy water drinkers reducing their risk up to 45 percent!  Why aren't you drinking more water?
•  Take a multivitamin every morning. Many studies suggest getting the ideal levels of vitamins and minerals improve the immune system and help prevent a variety of cancers.

Add these ideas to your daily regimen for reduced risk, and please feel welcome to comment or call PPT at (877)698-3648 for a more personalized anti-cancer protocol for you and your family.

5 Quick Ways To Reduce Cancer Risk



You Have More Control Than You Think

In part 1 of a new series, Perfect Personal Training's team of top physiologists and herbologists have put together our first five simple ways that you and yours can quickly boost your immune systems and reduce risk for cancer!

• Spend at least fifteen minutes on moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity, five or more days per week.  This goes a long way in reducing stress and eliminating toxins, as well as boosting mood and the immune system.  Remember - you don't need machines to get your cardiovascular training in.  Power-walking, swimming, and other aerbics do the job just as well!
• Have a daily dose of Vitamin B-17, found in apple seeds, apricot seeds, millet and other foods.  (This may also improve aerobic performance over time.)
• Clear your environment of toxic chemicals. Toxins compromise the immune system's ability to battle cancer and make it harder for your body to defend itself from free radicals and errant cells.  Aim for natural cleaners and other household or workplace items.
• Aim for eight or more hours of sleep each night, in total darkness for better quality REM sleep.  It is also very beneficial to supplement with melatonin (around 2-3mg for a 150-180 lb person) two to three hours prior to going to bed, to promote healthier, more restful sleep, reduced stress, and to keep the immune system strong.
• Supplement your diet with turmeric.  Unless you have gallstones or a form of bile obstruction, turmeric is considered to be a safe and natural anti-inflammatory that demonstrates anti-cancer properties.  There is a long history of using turmeric very successfully in Asian, Indian and Chinese medicine.  PubMed explains further potential benefits of turmeric's main compound, curcumin, and Dr Andrew Weil lists more benefits and suggestions here.  For potential added benefits against cancer, combine with cauliflower.

These five easy steps aren't expensive and won't take much of your time each day, but they all have demonstrated to be potentially helpful tools for a cancer-preventive lifestyle.  We'll have more great ways to help to prevent this horrible disease posted next week!
For more information about potential cancer prevention through healthy living and holistic decision-making, call Perfect Personal Training at 877-698-3648 or visit http://perfectpersonaltraining.com

Do You Burn As Much Fat with Two Small Workouts As One Big One?

Happy Memorial Day, readers!

Today's question is a bit of a controversial one amongst dieters and those exercising for fat loss.  This question is, will a person burn the same amount of body fat by doing two small workouts instead of one big one?  Let's look at an example, below:

John Doe normally does 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each day.  He is considering splitting this into two 30 minute workouts.  Will John burn the same amount of fat this way?

The answer?  John will  likely burn about the same number of calories in both scenarios.  And, by splitting the workout into two smaller workouts, he will get added health benefits, improved post-exercise metabolic factors, and will generally reduce feelings of hunger more effectively than with his current hourlong exercise session.  However, there is a big downside...

After roughly 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at the appropriate intensity for fat loss, a person starts to burn a higher percentage of calories from stored fat.  You see, when you train your cardiovascular energy system, you don't burn every calorie from stored fat.  A bout that burns 1000 calories will not burn all 1000 calories from fat, but after 20-30 minutes, that percentage of calories burned from fat vs those burned from other sources will be higher and higher.  The story gets better:  After about 45 or 50 minutes, we'll see an even higher percentage of calories burned being stored from fat, and fewer and fewer from stored glycogen.

So, what does this mean for John Doe?  Absolute, maximum fat calories will be more greatly burned in the longer sweat-session than in the two shorter sessions, combined.  If John's sole aim is to burn as much body fat as possible, then he should stick to his current hourlong exercise session.  But, if John is bored with his routine and seeking a change that will still burn a great number of calories (and, generally, a decent percentage of those calories from stored fat), then splitting up his workout may be a good idea to avoid boredom and eventual burnout.  And again, the health benefits and metabolic benefits are often improved by exercising more frequently.

Do you have a question for an exercise physiologist from Perfect Personal Training?  We love to help!  Just post a comment below or call 877-698-3648 with your question, and we'll give you an in-depth and well-researched answer.  For more continued and personalized advice, we recommend working with a degreed and top-certified Perfect Personal Trainer.  Thank you for reading, and have a great new week!

* The Perfect Fathers' Day gift:  In-Home Exercise & Nutrition  *

Top 5 Things You Need to Reach Your New Year's Resolution

Happy 2011, Readers!

As a new year begins, so does the most common resolution:  "Eat healthier, and lose weight in the new year."  Don't let yourself become another statistic who tried and failed.  Below are the top five things you need to know to make sure you reach the success that you're setting out to achieve!

#5.  The fifth most important thing that you need to know involves flexibility training and its role in fat burning.  While not all flexibility methods are exactly alike, flexibility exercise usually involves "holding a stretch" for a given length of time (20-60 seconds is recommended by the ACSM for most populations, whereas yoga, Pilates, and some other disciplines encourage different durations).  Unlike moderate-to-high intensity cardiovascular or resistive exercise, flexibility conditioning tends to burn a relatively low number of calories per minute, even if you're sweating or "feeling the burn" to a great degree.  For the most part, you can't expect to lose much body fat from a standard flexibility regimen.  Keep that in mind when you're planning your exercise, meal plans, and total caloric consumption/expenditure, to avoid misleading yourself or setting yourself up for disappointment.

#4.  The fourth most important fact to keep in mind is that selecting an appropriate frequency and duration for your exercises is paramount.  We've all seen the "5-Minute Secret" books and strategies, that promise you the world if you just devote five minutes per day to exercise.  What we haven't seen is an example of any of these mythological systems actually working properly for people.  Science shows us that 20-60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at moderate to high intensities is recommended for most of us, five days per week or more.  And, strength training should be performed at least twice per week for every major muscle group.  To burn more body fat and keep it off, do your best to free up enough time in your schedule to allow this.  "Some" is always better than nothing, but following these recommendations is the key to long-lasting fat-loss success and longer life.

#3.  Now, let's discuss a key ingredient: intensity!  People everywhere are performing cardiovascular and strength work at inappropriate intensities -- some too high and some too little.  The truth is that most muscles will not improve much without at least 60% of their maximum tolerated resistance.  This generally means that two, three, or even five pound dumbbells won't usually do the trick once you've been exercising for more than a few months.  (Consult with your Perfect Personal Trainer for more specifics regarding your own muscles and heart conditioning.)  And, to remain free of cardiovascular disease, we need more than a light walk; we need to challenge our aerobic systems and progress safely over time.

#2.  Is there a limit to the amount of "healthy food" that you should be eating?  Absolutely!  Regardless of a food's (or a drink's) health benefits, the term "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" still applies.  Eating healthy foods is of tremendous importance, but the amount of those foods is what really makes the difference when you're on the road to fitness success.  Too many calories is too many calories, plain and simple.  Your Perfect Personal Trainer will help you to determine some safe and effective parameters in line with ACSM and AHA guidelines.

#1.  The number one thing you need to know as you embark on your quest for a healthier, leaner body?  Body Composition.  "Weight" is the measuring stick of yesterday, and "body composition" (also referred to as "fat percentage") is the gold standard for knowing the truth about your body and your risk for cardiovascular disease.  Here is the proof:
What if, after 5 weeks on your new exercise regimen, you lose 10 pounds of fat but gain 7 pounds of muscle, 1 pound of bone, and carry an extra 2 pounds of water in your body?  Your body weight would be the exact same as it was, right?  But, yet, you'd have made some excellent changes to your physique that would go unnoticeable when you look at a standard scale.  For this reason, we strongly recommend a body composition assessment by an in-home Perfect Personal Trainer.  This is truly the best way to evaluate your condition and how you progress.  Best of all, it's a good indicator of your risk for health problems such as heart disease or stroke.

Thank you all for your accomplishments and support in 2010!!  We've shed more pounds and improved more lives this year than ever before, as we've continued to expand throughout the country.  We look forward to serving you, your families, and your businesses even more in 2011 and beyond.  As always, we encourage your questions in the comment box below, or by calling 877-698-DO-IT (3648).  Our top exercise scientists and physiologists are always here to help!

We wish you all the safe, happy, and healthy New Year that you deserve!

Marathons Lead To Heart Impairment

Happy holidays, faithful readers!

Running over 26 miles is viewed as one of the great physical challenges in endurance competition. Health science repeatedly shows us that when it comes to athletic competition, a healthy assessment of risks vs benefits is vital in securing safety.

In a recent study from HealthDay News (October 25, 2010), 20 recreational runners with a mean age of 45 underwent MRIs of their hearts before, immediately after, and three months after running in a marathon. Researchers compared the information found to baseline tests of cardio-respiratory fitness and blood chemistry.

The most disheartening finding was impairment in just over half of the muscle in the left ventricle during the race. However, because overall heart function did not decline as a result, it is believed that the non-impaired section of the left ventricle picked up the slack.  The specific types of impairments found were not noted.

The most promising finding was that the more well trained the runner was, the least impaired his/her heart became. It was found that having an aerobic capacity, or VO2max, of 50 ml/kg/min (roughly 14 METs) or higher was best for preventing this left ventricle impairment.

Why does this happen?  According to an interview with the authors, it is speculated that acute inflammation and dehydration were the cause of these problems.  It is important to note that in all 20 participants, heart muscle function returned to normal by the follow-up scan at the three month mark.  (The exact recovery rates are not known.)  While this does not negate the severity of the health risks associated with left ventricle impairement, it is helpful to see that these risks were relatively short-lived in this study.

If you are considering running a marathon, half marathon, or any other race, your Perfect Personal Trainer will gladly implement an appropriate, progressive, and personalized regimen to go about minimizing risks to your heart or other muscles, while improving your run's time and maximizing your enjoyment of the competition!

Creating New Brain Cells with Exercise

Faithful readers,

Perfect Personal Training would like to thank you for your trust in our wellness services. We're proud to stand apart from other health groups with our emphasis on science, careful progression, and personalized lifestyle change. Below is more emerging research that we'd like to share with you.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has shown that cardiovascular exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells and thereby improves the memory and the ability to learn. The dentate gyrus part of the hippocampus is one of just a few areas of an adult brain that is capable of creating new cells, and cardiovascular exercise has, indeed, been found to stimulate such creation.

Similar studies have also demonstrated that the normal decline in brain tissue (of 15% - 25% from age 30 to 90) is also very slowed with aerobic exercise. Memory loss, impaired learning, and other deficiencies associated with age all seem to be battled with regular, appropriate cardiovascular work.

It is to be noted that other forms of exercise, such as flexibility exercises, may or may not have this same effect, as they were not part of these studies.

For precise care in selecting appropriate methods and intensities for cardiovascular training, please schedule an appointment with a Perfect Personal Trainer.

Thanks for reading, and have a healthy and happy new week!