Gut Check Time !

                    "True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington."-Anonymous

Gut Check Time !!

In my blog I would like to address popular, useful and important topics . The first blog was about reaching your goals, building life long habits that allow for changes and bringing the fun back into your goals .  What I want to speak to in the second blog is our guts and its connection to our immune system. Have you been sick? On antibiotics or maybe have you had the dreaded flu? Many us have not been lucky and needed to be on  antibiotics . What makes me cringe is the most folks use the antibiotics without knowing the damage it does nor how to fix the damage once its done.  Luckily we can work to minimize the damage and thats my goal, help minimize the damage.

This may get a little scientific, but I will keep it to a minimum, I promise . The immune system is not some mystical thing ,like “Core” muscles. Approximately 70% of your immune system is in your gut in the intestinal flora. The immune system is a three tier system the first level is the anatomical barriers the skin and mucus membranes, as well as other responses such as sweat tears and salivation. The second tier is the innate system this is the broad generic responses to bacteria that have made it past the first tier. The third tier is the adaptive/specific immune system which can learn and improve its responses to specific microbes over time and with repeated exposure.  

Our large intestines are inhabited by trillions of bacteria often called probiotics . They are introduced at the time of birth . If we did not have probiotics in our system, we would have issues with food borne infections, lacking vitamins and minerals as well as a weakened immune system.  The guts network  is maintained by gut associated lymph tissue. Our probiotics are in constant contact with the network to keep the system ready for contact with bacteria . This allows for the system to learn how to deal with bacteria without constantly getting an infection. This is important once we go to school or  start to meet many different people . 

Now that I have you saying “huh?”, lets get to why we are here maintaining gut health. In 2010 there was a study (1) that showed the adverse effect that antibiotics have on our guts . Concerning mainly the microbes or intestinal flora, it alters the composition of the microbial populations allowing for further infections. This was initially thought to be a short term issue, but the effects have been seen over 7 days later . The Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control conducted a review noting "The long-term presence of resistance genes in human gut bacteria dramatically increases the probability of them being transferred to and exploited by harmful bacteria that pass through the gut. This could reduce the success of future antibiotic treatments and potentially lead to new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria." 

A 2008 study(2) by the Duke University Medical Center Department of Pharmacology of Sucralose and the filters Maltodextrins effect on intestinal flora showed some interesting results . Evidence indicates that a 12 week administration of Splenda exerted numerous adverse effects including : a reduction in beneficial feca microflora, an increase in fecal PH, and enhanced expression levels of proteins which are known to limit the bioavailability of orally administered drugs and nutrients . 

Our gut health is important to us on many levels, so we need to minimize the damage that has been done and limit any damage going forward.  We should not be using sucralose any further, opting for stevia . When you are prescribed an antibiotic, you need to take a probiotic unless your on one already. A probiotic with acidopholus and active bacteria with parts per billion . In conjunction, supplement with glutamine this allows for the stomach lining to be repaired as the antibiotics will strip it away as well. You can help yourself as well with a daily dose of yogurt, keifer , or even some kinds of sauerkraut have probiotic effects.

1 http://mic.sgmjournals.org/content/156/11/3216.full 

2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800291

Functional Fitness Systems Blog: Putting the fun back into fitness

Functional Fitness Systems Blog: Putting the fun back into fitness: It’s that time of year again; when we find ourselves saying, "I resolve to do this or I resolve to lose X amount of weight". Then ...

Putting the fun back into fitness

It’s that time of year again; when we find ourselves saying, "I resolve to do this or I resolve to lose X amount of weight". Then two or three weeks pass and you are not at Zumba, not at the gym and the treadmill has become a towel rack. The excuses begin: My bed is warm, it is cold and snowy out, I will go tomorrow, I am sore, after work the gym is packed and I am tired,. Honestly, there are a litany of excuses; I know I have some of the best.

The question of why we don’t stick to the goals we set for ourselves, encouraged me to formulate ways to create lasting change. There are four elements that are needed to create long-lasting change and results: Goals, Accountability, Performance Evaluation and Fun. Yes, I said it that dirty three letter word. Read more about that tantalizing FUN.

 So you have a goal, a resolution or something that you want to accomplish. We all have goals, dreams and aspirations, but no one gives us a map on how to get there. Goals can be anything from having a better race time to getting through a yoga/workout class without needing a break, or even going back to school.  Breaking the goal down into manageable steps is your GPS. Take your goal and break it down into two steps: long range (monthly, quarterly, yearly) and short range (daily, weekly). The trick is to hold yourself to a higher standard of what is acceptable and what is no longer acceptable for you. This is a new you; a new belief in yourself, an investment for your future.

Goal setting is a strategy I have used myself and continue to use to this day. My goal was to be a kettle bell instructor.  In order to have passed the required course and obtain certification, I needed to be able to demonstrate three movements and be able to teach them as well. I had the goal and some of the steps to get there. I studied the movements, saw where I was having an issue and put a plan in place. The toughest move for me was the "Turkish Get Up"; an ancient movement, which was designed for wrestlers to lift their opponents off of them with one arm. So I broke down the move with the help of a friend into 6 parts and drilled them down; one part a week until I was ready. On the day that I had to perform and teach the movement for my final evaluation, I passed and the thing that helped me the most was the familiarity with the ins and outs of the "get up". Setting up my goals to learn the movement step by step allowed me to instruct the other candidates in my program with ease.

 When setting goals, accountability and community building is an excellent strategy. Once you know what you want do or where you want to be, let your friends know. Allow them to help you stay on track. It is easier when we share the load, especially when the load is something new and challenging. You may want to tell your more vocal friends about what you are up to ( your goals), those who will not be sheepish about calling you out when you may be seen slacking and need that extra push of encouragement. The other way to do this is to create a community of like-minded people.  You can then bounce ideas off of one another. What may work for you may work for them or it maybe something that can be tweaked to get super progress.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep a food blog with pictures, this can be done on Tumblr. Post your goal and your meal plan; the positive reinforcement can be awesome.  But so can the tough love. I cannot take the credit for this, I have to thank Tim Ferris and the 4 hour body. No matter what goal you set for yourself, keep notes of everything; the devil is in the details. You may miss something in the day to day grind; however, with the notes you can go back and see the data. 

 Performance evaluation - what is working and what is not.  Maybe we are not progressing in our body composition goal, or not getting stronger or flat out "it ain't working". At a time like this we look back at our data to see what we did when the numbers were moving in the right direction. Also, we want to examine what did not work and from that moment in time make small changes until we right the ship.

 Something that should not be overlooked is the roll of a mentor; somebody who has accomplished a goal similiar to yours with success.  Pick that mentor's brain for the outliers, the things you would not expect to come up during your journey. A mentor may have the insight and a different perspective that may help you acheive your goal. Ask that person to look at your plan or program and embrace that feedback whether negative or positive. Sometimes, how a person says something or what he or she may say can just shed a light on you to make a slight adjustment in your plan that will bring forth many benefits.  Also do not be afraid to hire a professional to help you; it just may be the boost that you need. More times than less, it can be something so small that makes all the difference in the world and a fresh set of eyes can see it. 

Last but not least FUN,FUN, FUN. I strongly believe in linking goals to enjoyment. If you want to lose weight then at the end figure out a physical challenge such as a running, swimming or an adult basketball league. Whatever you like. It does not necessarily have to be a physical challenge, it can be a mental challenge as well. You may want to take an academic class, learn a language, maybe something you wanted to do as a kid. Find something you enjoy enough that gets you out of your comfort zone. Challenge your mind and your spirit. Linking these two normally unrelated goals has a synergistic effect in that it raises your confidence. Confidence in your abilities is one of the biggest pieces in our journey towards our goals.