We have all heard about the importance of vitamin D and possibly even some specific nutritional guidance on the proper intake of vitamin D, but do most of us really know why we need it in our bodies?  Vitamin D is usually obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements.  Although it IS found in foods, very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, including fatty fish, egg yolk, milk, orange juice, yogurt, and cereal/bread.

What does Vitamin D do for our bodies?

- aids in the Maintenance of organ systems

- increases flow of calcium into blood stream

- promotes the absorption of calcium from food in intestines

- reabsorbs calcium in kidneys

- bone growth and remodeling

Who is at risk for low levels of Vitamin D?

- breast fed infants

- someone above 50 years old can not synthesize vitamin D efficiently

- those with limited sun exposure

- dark skin people- melanin means less ability of skin to produce vitamin D from UV

- obese people

What can a lack of vitamin D lead to?

- thin, brittle bones

- rickets

- osteomalacia, osteoporosis

- links to increased susceptibility to chronic diseases: tuberculosis, periodontal diseases, MS, chronic pain, SAD

As personal trainers, it is important to educate our clientele on the many intracacies of proper nutrition.  Adequate Vitamin D levels may be overlooked by many, but should be viewed as an essential part of one’s diet.

Here is a topic that is of great interest to myself and the rest of my staff at Studio Element.  The childhood obesity rates are alarmingly increasing in America and seem to be even more so in Saint Louis.  When I was young, recess and gym time was so much more prevalent and now it is almost non-existent.

According to the CDC website, in a study done from 1976-1980 and 2003-2006, for children aged 2–5 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 12.4%; for those aged 6–11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 17.0%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.6%.  As the number ONE killer in America, obesity is linked to a whole host of health complications including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and several others.

Here is another graph from the CDC website indicating the prevalence of obesity, ages 2-19, over the last four decades.

The bottom line is that we, as parents, need to take responsibility and educate ourselves and our children how to make better choices, become involved in active activities, and to develop these life skill to use throughout a lifetime.  With the dwindling exercise opportunities at schools, it is imperative to involve your children in other activities to keep them active whether it is sports leagues, family hikes, or a fitness program specifically designed for children as offered by Studio Element Personal Training.

Although many of us drink soda regularly and know that it is unhealthy, most probably don’t know the extent of it.  Soft drinks contain little or no vitamins or essential nutrients.  Instead, they contain items that we should avoid or limit such as caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars, and food additives.  Consumption of soft drinks can lead to tooth decay, obesity, nutrition depletion, and heart disease.

The normal daily USDA recommendation of sugar in a 2,000 calorie diet is 10 teaspoons.  Most soft drinks fill this quota with one serving!  Overconsumption leads to raised insulin levels, leading to depression of the immune system and decrease ability to fight disease.  Besides this, excess consumption also leads to increased body fat stores which, in turn, leads to a whole host of health problems.

Many people have determined that by drinking sugar free or diet soda they are making a better choice.  One study shows that regardless of diet, sugar free, or regular consumption, individuals displayed a 30% incrase in belly fat.  In a recent blog post, I discussed the unknowns about artificial sweeteners.  Some of these could possibly pose a risk to your health.  

In addition to helping my personal training clients in St. Louis, I want to share this information to everyone and also give some tips to ingest more adequate fluids.

- Drink fresh water.  Water is vital and contains vitamins and nutrients essential to life.  Try enhancing your water with honey or mint leaves

- Drink Fruit Juice.  Although sometimes loaded with sugar, you can water down.

- Drink Tea.  Has numerous benefits including antioxidant properties and calming effects

Throughout the year there are various barriers that we must overcome to keep a proper, balanced diet.  The current and upcoming season prove to be especially challenging with the cold, cozy temperatures and the several holidays/events.  Here are some tips that you can implement to ensure that you limit your caloric intake and keep active.

1. Football games- serve veggies and low fat dip as part of your spread, do push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks during every commercial or half time

2. Seasonal Beverages- highly caloric drinks such as eggnog, lattes, apple cider, and hot toddies.  Try hot green tea or light beer and limit yourself to one or two

3. Halloween Candy- Satisfy sweet tooth with gum or fruit.  Limit candy, but put away in cabinet when not eating

4. Stuffing- contains fat , sausage, and butter and is especially bad with gravy.  Try a low fat recipe with fruits, vegetables and stock and keep portions small

5. Pies- It’s the buttery crusts, sweet fillings, and whipped toppings that get you.  Try skipping the crust, limiting the topping and limiting the quantity.

6. Exercise- as always, it becomes even more important to stay on top of your fitness plan.  It may even be the right time to enlist the assistance of a qualified personal trainer!

So many of us use artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Equal, Stevia, or Nutrasweet on a daily basis based on beliefs that it is “better” for us.  Although Americans in particular tend to go overboard with sweet sugary treats, it may be the better choice overall.  Our bodies can’t handle the amounts of sugar that many put into their bodies, but we have developed such that we can handle moderate amounts and our bodies know how to process it.  On the other side, sugar is an empty calorie and a good majority of us tend to overconsume.

An obvious advantage of artificial sweeteners is that they have zero calories.  It only makes sense that if you are attempting to restrict calories in your diet, switching from Coke to Coke Zero or Diet Coke is obvious.  On the flip side, these products are made in labs and are not natural.  We know very little about what these chemicals will do to our bodies long term.  There seems to be some “hybrid” products new to the market that may be worth researching, but for now my personal opinion is this:

- Limit the sugar and sugary products in your diet

- Stick with the real deal (sugar) as often as possible (at least until more research becomes available)

These are all guidelines that we, at Studio Element, discuss with our personal training clients and attempt to integrate into their overall plan.

According to the American Heart Association, Americans are consuming way too much sugar which is, of course, a big component of the increasing overweight and obese population.  The average American ingests 22 teaspoons of sugar each day.  Women should get 6 teaspoons while most men should get 9.

Sugar is in so many products these days and may even be difficult to avoid.  Soft drink, candy, energy drinks, etc are all bad sources.  This increasing consumption, coupled with decreased activity is leading to increased obesity.  

There is enough sugar in natural foods such as fruits to fulfill an average persons intake.  Pay close attention to the ingredients for added sugar including sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, molasses, or evaporated cane juice.  Also, get moving- try a bootcamp, a personal trainer, a cycling group, anything active!  If you are in need of specific help beyond that, contact a qualified Registered Dietician for some individualized Nutritional Counseling.  I know of a place who has a great one!

In the industry of personal training, we are bombarded with questions regarding some of the self-appointed super-juices and their highly touted benefits.  I, myself, have always been leery of the actual benefits that one can obtain from regular consumption.

It turns out that the success of some of these “super-fruits” is nothing more than good marketing.  Companies that sell some form of goji, mangosteen, pomegranate, noni, or acai claim that the fruit has miraculous anti-aging, antioxidant properties.

The most popular of the bunch, acai, has had testing that indicates its omega 3 content, high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) score, and fiber content.  Further research shows that the omega 3 content and fiber content is minimal at best.  The ORAC reading comes from a powdered acai extract that was a much more concentrated form of acai.

In conclusion, it appears that my initial thoughts on the so-called “super-fruits” is correct.  While they are as good for you as any other fruit, there really is nothing “magical” about them.  As a personal trainer, it is our duty to keep our clients informed about such claims and make sure that they don’t waste their money on false information.

The key to an effective weight-loss program is also the most overlooked and neglected: Your metabolism. Some people are cursed with a slow one while others have a benefit of one that’s incredibly fast. But your genetics don’t have to have the last say. There are some very simple but very effective things that you can do to maximize your metabolism and make it more efficient.

• Perform cardio first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach. This will start your metabolism on a high note and keep it running faster for the rest of the day. Your cardio sessions should last somewhere between 15-45 minutes.

• Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. When you consume large meals 2 or 3 times a day your metabolism can actually slow and you can become lethargic. By spreading your calorie consumption evenly over a 24 hour period you keep your metabolism more active and you burn more calories.

• Lift weights regularly. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat so by adding muscle to your frame your body will be forced to compensate by burning more calories even when you’re sedentary.

• Consume a moderate amount of caffeine. Caffeine has been clinically proven to speed up your metabolism and burn more calories compared to when you consume no caffeine at all. Just be careful not to consume any close to bedtime, especially if you’re sensitive to its effects.

• Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Believe it or not, your metabolism actually gets ramped up and becomes extremely active when you sleep, especially during REM cycles. By sleeping deeply and uninterrupted you can make more efficient use of your time, burn calories while you sleep, and have your metabolism primed by the time you wake up.

Of course, as always, a qualified personal training facility can facilitate a more individualized plan to assist in speeding up the process of developing a quicker metabolism.

At Studio Element Personal Training, we tend to focus our attention more on function and lifestyle, but do realize the popularity of just “looking good.”  We generally believe that this goes hand in hand with the appropriate style of exercise that we regularly implement, but there are a few tips that can specifically reduce and tone-up that midsection.

1. Increase the Cardio- use a high-calorie burning method and be consistent

2. Don’t try to spot reduce-  You can perform all of the crunches, sit-ups, leg lifts in the world, but you’ll never see the results without a more balanced program

3. Eat Better- Contemplate seeing a Registered Dietician.  Most people generally know what to eat and not eat, but a Dietician can give you valuable tips on dining out or snacking appropriately and can hold you accountable to your goals.

4. Get Balanced- Each muscle group has an antagonist.   The two muscle groups work synergistic ally during the eccentric and concentric phases of movement.  Weakness in one or the other can lead to injury.

5. Be Patient- Don’t expect to experience HUGE results over a period on 1 month.  Give yourself 4 months and then reassess.

It only makes sense that the beloved beverage that so many are fans of has had countless studies done to examine coffee’s impact on health.  This is one of those topics that is of great importance to have some knowledge in the personal training industry.

There is research that indicates that consumption of coffee can:

- reduce diabetes risk

- reduce Parkinson’s risk

- reduce risk of colon cancer

- manage asthma

- control headaches

- boost mood

- prevent cavitites

- enhance athletic endurance and performance

The jolt that many people search for in their cup of joe can also increase nervousness, hand trembling, and cause rapid heartbeat. Coffee may also raise cholesterol levels in some people and may contribute to artery clogging. But most recent large studies show no significant adverse effects on most healthy people.

Some of these benefits are related to the caffeine content, while others are related to the large amounts of antioxidants.  The question we get quite often as personal trainers is “How much coffee is in the beneficial range?”  The basic answer is 1 to 3 cups per day.  It is also important to realize that no one should feel guilty for drinking coffee, as long as it doesn’t adversely affect their life.