12 Natural Steps To Healthy Blood Pressure

High blood pressure has been called "the silent killer" because it often doesn't create symptoms for many years -- usually, not until a vital organ is damaged.

Many hypertensive people begin medication to help to control their blood pressure, unaware of some simple steps that can correct hypertension completely naturally, while improving other aspects of health also.

#12.  Take a magnesium supplement about two hours prior to going to bed. Usually, roughly 250 mg are suggested. Contact us and we can look at some lifestyle factors that may increase or decrease this number.

#11.  Supplement with folic acid.  Higher doses of folic acid are associated with healthier blood pressure, especially in young women.

#10.  Make your carbohydrate selections be potassium-rich foods at least once daily.  While the average American consumes fewer than 3000 milligrams per day, a whopping 4700 milligrams are recommended daily.  Bananas are a quick and excellent selection that require no preparation.

#9.  If your caffeine intake is higher than one cup per day, then reduce it to one cup daily.

#8.  Eat more garlic, or supplement with garlic capsules.
Moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise 5 days per week for at least 25 minutes.. If you dont have time then make time.. Normalizing your blood pressure should be incredibly important to you, and your family.

#7.  Every time you reach for a pickle, stop, and consume cucumbers instead. You'll get more antioxidants, with a smaller amount of salt and carcinogens.

#6.  Supplement with Coenzyme Q10 (doses vary based on lifestyle, prescriptions, and genetic factors).  We mention this anti-oxidant in many of our blogposts because of its vastly-demonstrated ability to improve health and reduce risk for chronic disease.  When it comes to high blood pressure, CoQ10 is no exception!

#5.  Limit sodium to 2300mg per day.  If keeping track of your sodium intake isn't feasible for you, then, at least, try to adhere to a low-sodium diet and have these levels checked twice yearly.

#4.  Adhere to cardiovascular fitness exercise at a moderate to high intensity on most days of the week.  Perfect Personal Training can determine your target heart rate, most ideal modality of exercise, and stretches and a post-workout meal that should accompany your cardiovascular exercise.

#3.  Eat a small piece (about half the size of your pinky finger) of dark chocolate every afternoon or evening.  Believe it or not, this is likely to reduce your blood pressure significantly in just two weeks of daily use.

#2.  Use fish oil as your meal's dietary fat source at least once daily. Just one or two grams per day will reduce inflammation and help to normalize blood pressure.  For some, higher doses are recommended.  Consult your physician to find what dose is right for you.

#1.  De-stress.  Deep-breathing techniques, restful sleep, and relaxing activities such as stretching or reading a good book can go a long way in helping to control blood pressure and keep your body and mind healthy.

Find out more about personalizing a plan for healthy blood pressure.  Call us at (877)698-3648 or request your consultation online at http://perfectpersonaltraining.com

Remember - our top wellness professionals come right to your home or workplace for every session!

Top 5 Summer Supplements

There is more and more talk in the media regarding the need for supplementation:  Whether it's herbology for preventive health, synthetic supplements claiming to boost metabolism, or protein supplements to make up for shoddy nutrition, health stores offer a wide variety of pills, capsules, and drinks to supplement our intake. Some demonstrate great benefits... Others do not.
Below are Perfect Personal Training's top selections regarding supplementing for joint health, cardiovascular health, brain health, and more!  Please keep in mind that everyone's needs are different, and that you should consult your Perfect Personal Trainer and your MD to better personalize your nutrition and supplementary decisions.

(Click any of these supplements to purchase online.)
Coenzyme Q10 is absolutely essential to strong cardiovascular health.  Found in every cell of the body, studies have demonstrated that CoQ10 reduces risk for Parkinson's and heart disease, and helps to manage hypertension as well as chest pain.  Studies also demonstrate that it plays a hand at preventing coronary artery disease as well as macular degeneration and migraine headaches.  It even tempers symptoms of gum disease and fibromyalgia.

Boron is found in very small amounts in our American soil, and contributes to improved joint health.  Other countries with more boron-rich soil generally show to have smaller incidence of arthritic symptoms.  For an incredible article on Boron & Arthritis, click here.

Boswellia is often demonstrated to be a helpful anti-inflammatory, which will help in keeping joints more pain-free.  Often taken in doses of 200-250 mg 2-4 times daily, boswellia is a regular part of most joint pain therapies.

Cinnamon is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice, but we usually don't get as much as our bodies can really use through diet alone - even if that diet is heavy in cinnamon. This is a great reason to add this supplement to your regimen, and take bigger advantage of its preventive health abilities.  A couple of simple capsules each day are believed to help detoxify blood and improve cardiovascular functioning, while reducing inflammation.

And, lastly, Turmeric is something we've talked about in previous blogs, noting its anti-cancer properties and ability to calm systemic inflammation.  It's historical use spans thousands of years, and is a noteworthy part of any herbal, holistic formula to improve overall health and longevity.

Would you like more preventive health information from Perfect Personal Training's top wellness professionals?  "Like" us on Facebook and join our 15,000+ fans for great health conversation, success stories, and interesting health articles.

Have a safe & healthy Independence Day, from all of us at Perfect Personal Training!

Exercise Science Advice for Fitness Beginners

Are you a fitness beginner, seeking to structure a new regimen?  We recently asked an exercise physiologist from Oak Park, Michigan, as well as a wellness coach with a bachlor's degree in therapeutic recreation from Philadelphia, what their best advice would be to those who are inexperienced in the world of fitness but who seek to set up their first program.  Both women are Perfect Personal Trainers -- fitness trainers who go to their clients' homes for exercise and nutrition sessions, structuring very personalized plans.

Read their important, injury-preventing fitness advice here in our recent press release:
http://www.prlog.org/11876805-perfect-personal-trainer-explains-most-important-steps-for-fitness-exercise-beginners.html

Find our your own fitness level for FREE:  Perfect Personal Training offers complimentary preventive health assessments, right at home.  Just visit http://perfectpersonaltraining.com/signup.php to request yours.  Sessions thereafter are as little as $37.50 per person when you exercise with a friend, or just $58.50 in most areas, for your first four weeks, when you purchase Private Training.  Call us at 877-698-3648 to find out more!

5 More Steps To Reducing Cancer Risk

You've already read ten great ways to NATURALLY reduce your risk for cancer, in our previous posts.  As horrific as this disase is, there are actually a tremendous amount of lifestyle changes that will reduce your risk for cancer quite significantly.  Below are five more incredible ways to continue to reduce your risk for various cancers.  Please read and share this important article with those you love!

• Consume garlic several times per day:  Garlic not only boosts the immune system, thereby helping your body to fight off cancer, but it also promotes healthy blood circulation and improves heart health.  If you don't like the taste of garlic or are having a hard time working it into your meals, then take garlic pills as a frequent supplement. 
• Cut out high-fat animal protein: A Yale study found that women who ate the most animal protein had a 70 percent higher risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while those who ate diets high in saturated fat increased their risk 90 percent. So switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy, try substituting poultry or fish for beef or pork, and use olive oil instead of butter.
• Tolerate dandelions: Using commercial pesticides on your lawn may increase your risk of cancer, since most contain pesticides linked to lymphomas and soft-tissue cancers. Additionally, pesticides used solely on lawns don’t have to go through the same rigorous testing for long-term health effects as those used on food.  Keeping your lawn more free of unnecessary pesticides may go a long way to creating a more cancer-free life.
• Buy clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned: Many dry cleaners still use a chemical called perc (perchloroethylene), found to cause kidney and liver damage and cancer in animals repeatedly exposed through inhalation. Buying clothes that don’t require dry cleaning, or hand washing them yourself, can reduce your exposure to this chemical. If you must dry-clean your clothes, take them out of the plastic bag and air them outside or in another room before putting them on.
• Include cruciferous vegetables with as many of your meals as possible:  These vegetables (collard greens, kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc) give your body what it needs to remain strong and resilient in its fight against abnormal cells.

Questions about your health & wellness plan?  Call us at (877)698-3648 and we'll be happy to help you!

5 Fitness Myths That Are Hurting Your Workouts

The amount of fitness controversy in the media is enough to make your head spin, sometimes.  To make things worse, most of the information you come across in TV and magazines isn't coming from degreed exercise physiologists, but from fitness enthusiasts without a collegiate health background.

We surveyed five top Perfect Personal Trainers to ask them what they thought were the most destructive fitness myths in the media today that are actually impeding weight loss efforts as opposed to improving them.  You might be surprised to read what they had to say!

Myth #1:  Eating After 6pm Leads to Bodyfat Gain
"This is one of the biggest fitness and weight-loss myths, and it's creating some awful effects on peoples' metabolism," explains Val Fiott, Director of Operations and Client Services for Perfect Personal Training.  "Studies have demonstrated repeatedly that any weight gain associated with eating in the evening or late-night has to do only with the food selection and quantity, and not with the actual time of night.  People tend to make less healthy food choices when they are eating later in the day, but this should not be misconstrued to mean that eating at night is a bad move.  Eating every three hours that a person is awake is an excellent idea for maintaining or growing muscle, and it is a proven fact that the more muscle tissue you have, the higher your metabolism is.  For healthy individuals, eating at night is a good thing, as long as you're eating within your meal plan for the proper number of fats, proteins, and carbs that your body requires." 

Myth #2:  Ideal Bodyweight is Based On Height
"It is a myth that everyone fits into a standard height-to-weight table," explains Yvonne Ferguson-Hardin, a Perfect Personal Trainer who creates and coaches personalized exercise for clients in their homes throughout Perfect Personal Training's Philadelphia market.  "There is no true table that [explains ideal numbers for] the petite Korean, the muscular African, and the more robust big-boned Hawaiian.  Everyone is unique, and the size and weight that is [healthy] for one may not be for another."

Myth #3:  Training with Weights Leads to Arthritis
"Of all fitness fallacies, this one may be the most damaging to the mindset of the health-conscious, progressive-thinking person, " begins Brian Walters, Director of Staff Management and exercise physiologist for Perfect Personal Training.  "Resistive conditioning, be it with free weights or otherwise, is an extraordinary way to actually prevent arthritis.  It is sometimes likened to causing arthritis only because the exercising person often over-exercises a joint by using incorrect form or a resistance that is too high.  Conversely, under-exercising a joint with a resistance that is too light to produce results will allow for the joints to decondition just as they would in a person who is not exercising, which would also result in arthritis symptoms, over time."

Myth #4:  30-Minute Workouts Are As Effective As Longer Workouts
"This is a funny one," says Aaron Dunn, exercise physiologist and scheduling manager for Perfect Personal Training.  "We actually burn MORE bodyfat per minute after around the 50th minute of exercise than we do in the first 50 minutes.  Therefore, the only reason to end your fat-burning workout after only 30 minutes would be because you don't have time for more.  Ending at 30 minutes is definitely not conducive to more rapid weight loss."

Myth #5:  Exercising a Body Part Burns Fat on That Body Part
"It's sad that people have been so misled", began Jeff Rio, Perfect Personal Trainer since 2010.  "When someone exercises their buttocks muscles, for example, they aren't programming their body to actually burn fat around the buttocks.  What is happening is that they are programming the muscles of the buttocks to get stronger and to have more endurance.  Essentially, the muscles get more toned there.  But, this does not have to equate to fat loss around the muscles of the buttocks.  That is a whole separate issue involving nutrition, caloric values, and a fat-burning strategy through cardiovascular work and other exercise.  Butt training does not necessarily equate to specific butt fat loss."

Have a question involving your own personal fat loss or fitness goals?  We'd love to help!  Call (877)698-3648 or visit us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/perfectpersonaltraining) to ask us anything that is on your mind.  We are here to help!

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