This is a review of June Chadwick

Presenting the Alexander Technique

By Kristen Matthews

I recently took a workshop on “The Science of Pilates.”  We discussed the parallels and differences between Personal training and Pilates, and how we (Pilates instructors) fit into the gym world.  Pilates has been around for many years, but it’s really only been the past few that it’s become more mainstream.  With that being said, it can sometimes be a challenge making gym members see the benefits of Pilates.  My goal is to help people realize that Pilates can be an important foundation to any type of physical activity. Both Pilates and PT take clients through workouts that are based on their level from beginner up to advanced.   And in both you work on hypertrophy (changing the muscle), muscular endurance, and muscular strength.  The goal in any type of exercise is to change your body and variety in your workouts will help to reach that goal.

Personal training focuses mostly on concentric motion, which occurs when a muscle shortens in length and develops tension.  An example of this is the upward movement in a bicep curl.   In a training session you typically tear muscle fibers, which creates muscle soreness, lactic acid build-up, and degrades flexibility.   On the other hand, Pilates focuses mostly on eccentric motion.  This is the development of tension while the muscle is being lengthened.  Picture the lowering of the arm in a bicep curl.   Pilates typically stretches muscle fibers because of the focus on eccentric motion and the goal is to find symmetry between strength and flexibility.   Pilates will restructure your body from the inside out, starting at your core.   It’s an all over workout, with many muscle groups working for each exercise.

When putting together your own workout schedule, think about how you can vary it.  As much as I love doing Pilates I’d get bored pretty fast if that was the only type of physical activity that I was doing.   I mix it up by going to yoga classes, hiking with friends, and working with my Personal trainer, Laura Hebert of Santa Monica Sweat.  In every one of those activities I am engaging my core. My yoga is stronger because of my Pilates practice.  The training I’m doing with Laura is helping me see weaknesses that I wasn’t noticing when doing Pilates.  And hiking is a way to get my cardio in and spend time with friends.  Who said working out should be boring!   Remember that the more you do something, the faster you will see results.  If you’re thinking of adding Personal training or Pilates to your routine, aim for doing each two times a week.  You can even start with doing Pilates two times a week and training one day a week or vice versa.  Your body will thank you and so will your health.

I recently read this article in Berkeley Wellness letter about losing weight and keeping it off (stopping the yo yo dieting) and it truly sounded like the workout ‘regime’  I’ve been following with my trainer- Scott Crawford – for over a year. It’s encouraging and exciting to think I will be able to maintain the great results I’ve had – just by continuing to do what I’ve been doing and staying focused. I’ve lost body fat  – and at an accelerated rate when I combined a more structured diet plan with my workouts. We tracked  heart rate, body fat measurements and food journal with Teri Tom, MS, RD – and I dropped from 22% body fat to 16.8% in a month and a half! And the best part about it – I feel great!

The National Weight Control Registry has been looking into information on over 5000 people who maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for more than 5 years.  Here are the successful strategies that these maintainers had for losing the weight and keeping it off:

1. Eat a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. Most calories (55-60%) should come from ‘good complex’ carbs – like whole grains, veggies, fruit and high fiber foods – NOT high sugar foods. 24% of calories come from fat and the rest (16-21%) from protein.

2. Be aware of calories consumed – total calories count – no matter what you eat.

3. Eat breakfast

4. Monitor and watch yourself – weigh yourself once a week and keep a food journal of what you eat

5. Exercise – A LOT – 60-90 minutes a day. Carve out time every day and plan to do something. Look for ways to keep active during the day and walk. Walking is the #1 activity.

And one more point about protein. Most Americans consume way more protein than they need -and you don’t need more protein if you exercise. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults is .8 grams/day for each kilogram (2.2 lbs) of weight. That would be 64 grams for a 175# man and 47 grams for a 130# woman. (1 ounce of chicken  or 1 cup milk = 8 grams) …so it adds up quickly.

By Bonnie Crouse

Check out our most recent press in the daily healthy online magazine Vital Juice.

We hosted the LA editorial team here for one of our weekend retreats and they absolutely loved it.

Click below to read the full review and save 20% off your next retreat.

http://vitaljuice.com/entry_detail/la/1037

by Melissa Beaugrand, Soma Get Fit Chef

Cooking is something that I started doing at a very young age. My mother started teaching us girls as soon as we could hold a spoon. I have memories for as long as I can remember of being with my family and helping to prepare meals. It always seemed the more people, the more fun when I was young as there was always laughing and talking and teasing.  Personalities really come out during meals, especially if there is a preference (or dislike) for what is being served.

Now that I cook for a living, cooking has a slightly different feel to it for the most part.  I am in a professional kitchen which is VERY different from a home kitchen.   I don’t get to enjoy the meal with the people that I am cooking for, and neither do I get to watch them enjoy it. There is no talking about likes or dislikes, there is no feedback first hand.  Most importantly, I rarely know the people that I am cooking for.

It was so rewarding for me to cook for Edward last month.   We met at the beginning of his stay here at the farmers market, and I tried to get a sense of what he liked and disliked.  Because he was so agreeable and open and easy to talk to, I really feel like I got to know what  his general eating habits were.  I was able to tweak his meals based on what I thought he normally eats, yet make it healthier and more low calorie.

I also got to get feedback!! Yay!  Because of what I learned about him, I added more cilantro, I made sure all the carrots were raw.  I added lowfat cheese.   The feedback was first person – he was able to tell me face to face that he loved something – and it was so rewarding to see his eyes light up thinking about a meal that he had eaten.

I think that is what I am going to enjoy the most with SOMA forthwith.  I will get to not only meet great people, but get firsthand feedback and be able to make them happy with the food that they are going to eat.  Food makes people happy.  Food makes me happy.  Seeing my food make people happy is priceless.

by Angelle

Please note that this information is provided as a guideline only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own intuition, nutritionist, physician or trained professional. If you have special circumstances or in doubt whether this is for you, consult a professional before starting a program/cleanse. Good luck!

There is nothing quite like the euphoric feeling that results from a
good cleanse. That feeling of being so clean physically and clear
mentally. So why not try them all…

The Fast: This is first cleanse I ever tried and still do it from time to time. Fasting is a period of abstinence from all food or specific items.

The first few days of a fast can be rough due to the quantity of waste passing into the blood stream. I felt tired, hungry, and headachy. After the third day of the fast, there was little desire for food and my energy was back up. I felt light and clear.

http://falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm

The juice fast: Juice fasting is a type of fasting and detox diet in which the practitioner consumes only fruit and vegetable juices.

I can only do this for 2 days then I get sick of juice and get really hungry and end up eating worse then I did before the fast. Be careful of drinking to much fruit juice and becoming a sugar addict.  http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/juice_fasting.htm

The raw diet: The raw food diet is a diet based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Food is Not Heated above 116 degrees F.
I love the raw diet I go 2 weeks to a month on this a feel amazing but it tends to be hard on my digestion to stay on this cleanse.

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/dietandfitness/experts/nutrexpert/articles/0,,282_598387,00.html

The lemonade cleanse: No solid foods are allowed, nor are any supplements. You consume only the Master Cleanse elixir to keep you hydrated.The plan calls for you to drink 6 or more servings daily of the lemonade drink. The only other options are a “salt water flush” of 2 teaspoons salt mixed in a quart of water in the morning, and an herbal laxative tea at night, if needed.
I didn’t feel the beniftis that results from this, as I felt from the other cleanses. And I ened up craving sugar sugar sugar?! Maybe it was all the syrup? And I still have trouble taking down anything that has cayenne pepper, yuck!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-lemonade-diet-master-cleanse-diet

The olive oil cleanse: involves drinking a combination of olive oil, Epsom salt and some type of fruit juice over several days.
Never again!! after following the directions to a T. I never felt so sick in my life as a result of drinking Epsom salt, dry heaving olive oil and not being able to leave the bano. I was so hungry the next day I ate an entire vegan pizza for breakfast.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gallbladder-cleanse/AN01283

Colon cleanse: Colonic irrigation or colon hydrotherapy, also known as a colonic, is an alternative medicine practice which involves flushing the colon with warm filtered water. The colonic removes a buildup of waste which supporters of the practice believe is harmful for digestive and general health.

I love this but only do it once a year If, I really need it. I generally feel tired after. I take really good care of myself and eat very cleanly to replenish my system.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/coloncleanse/a/colonic.htm

Detox tea: Yogi Detox tea is the best! I take it before bed.

The complete cleanse supplements: These don’t work for me other than make me bloated and you can’t really eat while taking them.

The coconut oil cleanse: A coconut oil cleanse is a method that replaces regular food with coconut oil, usually for about 3-7 days.

I love this but only made it 2 days. On the first day I felt tired and moody but not really hungry. By day 2 I was happy and felt great. I’m going back on this one…

By Teri Tom, RD

For an article in Woman’s Day Magazine.  Can you answer?:

Q:  I’m looking for qualified health experts (dietitians, nutritionists, nurses or doctors) who can comment on some of the more popular detox and cleanse diets out there and give their recommendations about the dos and don’ts of each (from the master cleanse to detox teas)–are they healthy or not? What are the recommendation and warnings about them?

A:  This is a loaded question, as my usual stock answer applies here as well—“it depends…”  On what the person is trying to do, where their current health is, pre-existing conditions, etc.  I think the Master Cleanse for a limited time is not a bad way to reset your taste buds and caloric intake and to give your poor Gastro Intestinal Tract a break. But if you have any issues with blood sugar, be careful.  I also think gout can be an unpleasant side effect as you are breaking down muscle on so little calories, which can elevate your uric acid levels.  And if muscle loss is a concern, this is not the cleanse for you.  I just see too much muscle loss to recommend for some people.

By Jason Campagna, M.D., P.h.D.

Medical Director Soma Get Fit

Q:  “I’d like to speak with a health expert (e.g. a doctor, registered dietitian or similar source) who can answer the following: If someone is heading to a social occasion where they expect to have several alcoholic drinks, is there anything they should do — or avoid doing — beforehand to minimize the chances of becoming drunk? What steps will help reduce the post-party after-effects (e.g. a hangover or general feeling of exhaustion)? This is for a health piece in a Canadian consumer women’s magazine.”

A:  In general, there is nothing that anyone can do prior to consuming alcohol which can reliably prevent or diminish the chances of becoming ‘drunk’. The basic mechanics of alcohol consumption and the bodies response to it are fairly straight forward. All alcoholic beverages have some amount of actual alcohol in them (the proof designation). This is the dose of the alcohol. Once consumed, that dose of alcohol is broken down by pathways which are to some degree effected by how much one normally drinks. A heavy drinker can break down more alcohol per hour than a light drinker. So, in short, if someone is normally a light drinker but engages in heavy drinking, they are setting themselves up to be quite drunk in short order. The pathways that break the alcohol down in the body do this breaking down in a specific way: they ‘consume’ some constant amount of the dose each hour. Lets say you drink 100 units of alcohol in a single glass of wine. Lets also say that your body can consume about 200 units of alcohol per hour. As long as you do not exceed 200 units of alcohol per hour, you will not become drunk. Heavy drinkers can break down more units per hour, which explains why they can drink more. If a glass of wine has 100 units, but a shot of vodka has 180, then in an hour we are talking 2 glasses of wine or one shot of vodka before problems begin. This much is pretty simple and true for everyone. The major factor for any one person is how much of the dose of alcohol in a drink actually makes it into your bloodstream. Sticking with the 100 units per glass of wine for the moment. It turns out that if you have not eaten a meal in some number of hours, almost all of that dose gets taken right into the blood. So, drink 100 units, get 100 units in your blood. But, food in the stomach stops much of that absorption so that perhaps you only get 40 or 50 units into the bloodstream. In short, if you eat and drink you get less dose into the blood and can drink more.

The problems come in three ways. One was mentioned above. Someone is normally a light drinker but drinks heavily that night. Second, someone eats dinner and drinks wine but feels no effect from the wine, so keeps drinking at that pace after the meal. That person will go from absorbing 40 units of 100 (40%) to something approaching 90 units or so (90%) pretty quickly. If that person does not “slow down”, lots of alcohol hits the bloodstream and even though you may have felt okay over dinner, that changes pretty fast. The last issue comes from the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Drinking makes you urinate. This is called the diuretic effect of alcohol. The dehydration that comes from drinking can really cause someone to get drunk much faster (100 units in your blood seems like much more to the body when you lose lots of volume by urinating all night long). So, drinking even at a pace that seems okay for you, can be too much after a few hours.

The hangover part is well understood, but a real nightmare to make better! For every hangover recipe or formula we know of, there are hundreds that people of tried over the years and have faded away. The breakdown product of the alcohol in your blood is actually a toxin. This toxin also gets broken down by the body. But, at a much, much slower rate that the alcohol. The hangover effects of the alcohol are due to this toxin in the blood. In fact, the alcohol abuse drugs we prescribe to people actually just inhibit the pathways that break down that toxin so that after a few sips of alcohol, the effects of the toxin are immediate. People just feel hungover immediately! So, less drink equals better morning. Keeping hydrated is the most important thing other than limiting intake that anyone can do. Drink lots of water as you drink alcohol and drink water before going to bed. Dehydration makes the toxins effects much, much worse. So, in short, there are no good prevention steps but slowing down drinking as the night wears on and staying hydrated are absolutely required to even have a fighting chance of feeling well the next day!