Health And Fitness – The Key To Your Future

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and being fit is a way of life for some people, and a chore that is almost completely ignored by others. Irrespective of where you fit on this scale, we are all aware of the health benefits associated with sustaining a degree of fitness. Aside from the obvious benefits, a healthy lifestyle, that includes moderate exercise, may reduce our chances of suffering from a number of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, thyroid conditions, and weight related joint problems. In addition, “feel good” endorphins are released when we exercise, it improves our levels of human growth hormone, and it is a great stress buster.

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It is not the purpose of this article to recommend any particular type of exercise program, but to discuss ways in which healthy lifestyle choices and supplementation may help to improve your overall health and fitness.

Nutrition and Health

Since the 1950s, and the advent of the Lipid Hypothesis, which suggested a relationship between saturated fat, cholesterol and the incidence of coronary heart disease, we have been encouraged to reduce our intake of dietary fat. However, these hypotheses of old are now being replaced by new research that is encouraging us to consume healthy fats. While it is thought that an excess of certain saturated fats like lard and suet may be detrimental to heart health, monounsaturated fats, including olive oil, avocado and nuts, and some polyunsaturated fats found in oily fish, are very beneficial. These fats contain important nutrients and antioxidants needed for proper brain function and stamina; even butter, from grass fed animals, contains the important fat soluble vitamins A, D, K and E.

While consumption of cholesterol rich foods was once considered the primary cause of heart disease, contemporary research refutes this idea, and research now points to two other substances, c-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine. CRP is produced in the liver in response to inflammation in the body. It is now considered to be a more reliable marker for cardiovascular complications than cholesterol, as inflammation is synonymous with atherosclerosis. Furthermore, data comparing high CRP levels with high LDL (bad) cholesterol showed that CRP is a more reliable predictor of possible coronary events. In fact, patients with high CRP were considered at higher risk, even when their LDL was low.

Homocysteine is an amino acid that encourages the formation of plaque within blood vessels, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. This amino acid has been studied extensively, and is now believed to be a far more important indicator of atherosclerosis than cholesterol. As we age, homocysteine levels tend to rise, especially in postmenopausal women, so it is important to have your levels tested.

Food choices affect not only the way you look and feel, but just about all your internal organs, even both women’s and men’s reproductive systems. We are seduced by the amount, cheapness and accessibility of food today, and bombarded by advertising campaigns convincing us we don’t have time to cook real food. One of the best ways of complementing your fitness is by ensuring you have as healthy a diet as possible.

A strong argument for buying organic food, other than the fact that it is largely free of pesticides and herbicides, lies in a relatively new connection between pesticide use and the antioxidant content of food. In agriculture, crops are naturally stressed by insects and, as a result, produce polyphenolic compounds, or naturally potent antioxidants. Crops that are treated with pesticides and herbicides however, don't require these compounds, so produce fewer of them. These potent antioxidants provide better nutrition, especially when the ubiquitous chemicals routinely used in agriculture are absent.

Organic foods are generally free of artificial food additives including MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, as well as artificial sweeteners and colorings. All of these have been associated with an increased risk of asthma, edema, headaches, growth retardation, hyperactivity in children, and a number of allergies.

There are some obvious benefits of not ingesting pesticides, herbicides, and additives, but it is worth remembering that organic foods are more nutritious, and richer in vitamin and mineral content. Vitamin C and magnesium levels are 20-30% higher, while organic spinach, potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce are significantly higher. Similarly, organic livestock that range on grass show higher levels of important omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

There is more and more seminal research suggesting that the hunter-gatherer diet and the nourishing diets of traditional societies have the most to offer nutritionally. These diets are synonymous with virtually no heart disease, diabetes, osteo-arthritis, obesity and cancer. When a western diet is adopted by people with traditional, healthy diets, degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and cancer become more prevalent. Although traditional diets differ from place to place, the one thing they have in common is that they do not consume any processed foods, or fat derived from vegetable oils.

Grass fed meat has been shown to provide up to 25 times more heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids than grain fed beef. It also contains high levels of vitamin E, which lowers the risk of heart disease and improves skin. The brain also benefits from omega 3 fatty acids, with research linking it to reduced levels of depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Grass-fed meat also significantly lowers your risk of cancer, due to its content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Eggs are considered one of nature’s most perfect foods. They are rich in lutein, (which protects arterial walls against thickening), as well as the fat soluble vitamins A and D. They contain sulphur rich proteins which are essential for the strength of cell membranes. They are also a very concentrated source of choline, a B vitamin that helps to keep cholesterol moving about in the blood stream. Subjects who participated in The Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study were found to have better looking arteries with the more eggs they consumed.

Nuts are also a highly nutritious and healthy food that has been much maligned in the past by the fat phobic. One such nut is the Australian Macadamia nut which is one of the most nutritious. It is rich in copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, as well as vitamin B1. Roughly 80% of its fat is monounsaturated with over 20% being palmitolytic acid. This has strong antimicrobial properties that protect you from pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Almonds, macadamias, pecans and cashews in particular, contain the highly stable oleic acid, so will not go rancid easily. Nuts also contain the nonessential amino acid arginine, which protects the inner lining of arteries. Nuts are known to raise HDL, (good cholesterol), and provide fiber.

Supplementation

There is an enormous range of supplementary products available today. It can be quite a difficult task sifting through them all in order to make informed decisions that will benefit your overall health and fitness.

Dr Garry Gordon, a leading exponent of chelation therapy, believes that many health problems may be exacerbated by heavy metals that are present in our air, water and our food. These accumulate in the body over time and may cause significant health problems such as; behavioral and cognitive changes or learning difficulties, hypertension, tremors, hypertension, anemia, gingivitis, cancer, fatigue, headaches, gout, chronic renal failure, male infertility, and depression. As such, he has developed a range of supplements designed to enhance a healthy lifestyle.

Beyond Chelation Improved (BCI) incorporates a number of important ingredients, including a unique compound that work synergistically to prevent toxin absorption, and thus eliminate the toxic load from our bodies. BCI contains important vitamins and minerals, as well as Vitamin K-2, Resveratrol, pure omega oils, EDTA, garlic, Evening Primrose Oil and Gingko Biloba.

Essential Daily Defense is another powerful chelating and detoxifying agent. It is formulated to aid the body in excreting toxins and heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium. It also helps to moderate any tendencies towards excessive blood clotting.

Heavy Detox is a natural supplement specifically formulated to help bind mercury and other heavy metals so that they can be eliminated from your body. It actually assists the body in its own natural detoxification process.

Beyond Any Multiple (BAM) is a very comprehensive multi vitamin and mineral supplement. It contains the full gamut of ingredients that you would expect to find in a high quality supplement, as well as Resveratrol, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Selenium and Vitamin K2.

Krill contains both DHA and EPA fats, and research to date strongly illustrates its role in preventing heart disease and cancer, while having a positive impact on the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. Krill is a natural, synergistic blend of Omega-3 fats and antioxidants, extracted in such a way as to avoid contact with oxygen, heat and light.

While you may not have heard of Resveratrol, you may well have heard about the benefits of a glass of red wine. That magic ingredient is a plant molecule, and is found in trace amounts in the skins of red grapes! While there is some debate as to exactly how Resveratrol works, it is believed that it targets a particular enzyme, which then mimics calorie restriction effects, including an increase in the production of new mitochondria (the main constituents of body cells associated with energy). One of the side effects of energy release is the production of free radicals, which can be thought of as the sparks generated from a raging fire. Free radicals can damage DNA, and over time, the mitochondria, which may negatively affect their efficiency. These causative reactions are thought to be increasingly linked to aging. Resveratrol, it appears, has the ability to replace the damaged mitochondria with that which is new and effective.

Human growth hormone (hGH) is a hormone produced by the body that performs a variety of very important functions within the body, including; increasing calcium retention, and bone mineralization, increasing muscle mass by forming new muscle cells, promoting lipolysis which reduces adipose (fatty tissue), increasing protein synthesis and stimulating the growth of all internal organs except the brain, playing a role in fuel homeostasis, reducing the uptake of glucose in the liver, promoting liver gluconeogenesis, contributing to the maintenance and function of pancreatic islets, and stimulating the immune system. It is however, greatly influenced by many factors, such as stress, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and growth hormone itself. As you may already be aware, your levels decline naturally with age, so by the time you are 60 you will have approximately 80% less growth hormone than when you were 20. Signs of hGH reduction include increased body fat, increased anxiety, social isolation, poor general health, and a lack of positive well being.

Bio-Pro is a spray that contains a unique combination of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) and NADH, two important energy producing compounds found within the body. ATP is a bio-energy molecule that our bodies generate for energy production. NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) is an important coenzyme, and the working form of vitamin B3. It also plays a vital role in energy production.

It makes good sense to look after your body. You wouldn’t intentionally put dirty oil in your car and expect it to run normally, yet many of us do the equivalent to our bodies. The human body is a wonderfully, adaptive mechanism, yet the cumulative effects of such behavior eventually mean degeneration or disease in some form. While paying attention to your health and fitness will not necessarily guarantee you a pain free and disease free life, it certainly goes a long way towards maintaining your health and longevity.