Exercise, diet, and your immunity - Personal Trainer - Brodie Mangan

The temperatures go down and your immune system is often soon to follow. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are always the best way to avoid getting sick, but when germs are abound you may need to take extra precaution, hand gel anyone? This article will look at ways to avoid getting ill but also what to do when you find yourself with a virus.

Preventing Illness

Just so you know i think the above picture illustrates perfectly how to remain illness free for most the time and ow to prevent chronic problems but leading on. One of the best ways to deal with cold and flu season is to pack your body with vitamins known for their antioxidant properties. These little nutritional gems work to increase the number of white blood cells in your system creating a mini army of disease-fighters, (think millions of me, aye that’s some army!). These nutrients are necessary all year, but are especially important when germs are abundant. Reading the news this week it also looks like the weather changes a lot in the next few days so this is doubly important – good timing I hear you say! :P

·         Vitamin C. This is the #1 immune booster. The vitamin increases white blood cells and helps cells deflect viruses that may enter the body. Over the long-term Vitamin C intake pays off by improving your heart health with lower HDL levels, decreased blood pressure, and overall improved health – and immunity! It is wise to incorporate at least 200mg of Vitamin C daily which can come from citrus fruits, like oranges, or a supplement, in fact I've had a cold like most all week and I've been taking a 200mg supplement from Superdrug (no plug) just to make sure I’m hitting higher levels than normal.

·         Vitamin E. If you are looking for natural disease killers in your immune system, Vitamin E is the nutrient for you! Found in seeds, vegetable oils, and grains, this nutrient seeks and destroys germs. The only problem with Vitamin E is that is it difficult for people to get enough with diet alone. A supplement of about 100mg per day will help you reach your needs, however, if you are sedentary, smoke, or consume high amounts of alcohol you are going to need even more – up to 400 mg daily, hello Scotland!! Aha – obviously I’m trying to change this little by little but I’m only one man!

·         Carotenoids. You may also know this powerful antioxidant as beta carotene. Working to enhance the amount of infection-fighting cells in your body while simultaneously decreasing the free radicals (molecules known to damage your body and increase cancer risk) in the body. Not only do carotenoids help the body stay disease-free in the immediate future but it also has huge payoffs lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke. Boost your intake of carrots, kale, and colorful peppers to get more beta carotene. Actually just add kale to every meal, boom, job done BrodiePT out!

·         Zinc. Again, boosting white blood cell production is the main way zinc helps keep you healthy. Oysters – yes I know not many eat these, unless you’re a bit weird or on some challenging date where the guy has picked silly fine dinner bonazer!  crab, beef, turkey, and beans are the highest food sources of zinc, oh and they’re high in protein as well – you know I love my protein chat!

·         Exercise. You know exercise helps you meet your fitness goals, but did you know that it has an immeasurable impact on your ability to ward off illness? Research shows exercising 30 to 40 minutes, most days, during the cold and flu season boosts the body’s defences against viruses and bacteria. There is also a connection between regular exercise and increased mental health, apart from it’s the best defence against depression, which as many know Scotland specifically has a high rate of mental illness! – Ever see me unhappy in a vest cutting around the place with my pump on? Nah thought not! But also, when you are happier you tend to get sick less often.  Exercise should be a pillar of your healthy lifestyle regardless of the season. Regular exercise reduces the chances you’ll get sick in both the short and long-term. For example, aerobic activities and none traditional training or modern training policies are linked with reduced risk for heart disease. But if you need a kick to get you started, then just come drop me a message, I personal train in Glasgow but also online for a select few!

When You’re Sick

You may be pretty down and out when sick, so taking care of yourself is the priority. Here are a few things you can do to help your body recover faster.

·         Eat smaller meals. Your body is spending a lot of energy fighting the infection and still needs fuel. Most likely, your appetite is lacking but trying to get a series of small, healthy snacks into your day will help your body have the energy to fit back. BTW I don’t mean a packet of family size Doritos every 4 hours with dip included in front of E4.

·         Hydrate.  This is especially important if you are suffering from nausea or diarrhea. This doesn’t mean just water, even though its the main part! But you also don’t want to fill up on sugary drinks (which can actually make the symptoms worse!). Sports drinks or hypo-tonic drinks more specifically are probably your best bet, if you remember lucazade came from being a hospital drink back in the day! But you may want to water it down a little bit to reduce the sudden influx of carbs your body may get. OR a nice homemade example would be dilute juice and a touch of salt and a potassium supplement for the needed electrolytes. Exercise. Don’t do it, yup you heard me! It is better for your body to focus its energy on fighting off disease than getting your workout in. Take a few days of rest, and then get back at it when you feel better.

On the Road to Recovery

Depending on the intensity and duration of your illness will determine how quickly you bounce back. As soon as you’re appetite returns resume your balanced diet or my food program i set for you, although it’s best to stick with small meals for the time being. Also, slowly return to your regular workouts upping your intensity as your energy returns.

Once you are fully recovered you want to start the whole process over making sure you incorporate those immune boosting nutrients. Again if you need further help with your diet, visit me at brodiept.com or come see me in person for personal training.

Kind Regards

Brodie

Personal Trainer – Online Trainer

Belly Fat - Has it already got you?? The Dangers Which You Might Not Know About

Belly Fat - Has it already got you??

Weight around the mid-section is always a concern. This usually stems from a cosmetic view-point, but there are many health concerns that relate to extra pounds around the waist. Stress, poor diet, and lack of exercise all lead to excess weight and for many, that fat accumulates around the belly.

Belly fat is serious and increases your risk for many health problems. There is a strong correlation between central obesity and diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. This is often referred to as metabolic syndrome and happens after a shift in the blood chemistry impacting insulin production and hormone balance. Even if you are in a normal weight range (based on your BMI), you may have excess belly fat and increase your risk of these same diseases¹.

I often see this in men, young men at that! With low muscle mass and a rather large stomach, even though they may want to build muscle, I have to educate them that firstly due to their hormones being out a whack that it won’t happen but secondly they’re likely to put more fat one! Once again proving that a number on the scale may not be the best indication of health.  

Belly fat is unique because it does not just lay dormant, taking up extra space and making your next shopping trip frustrating. Instead hormones and inflammatory substances are secreted from this fat². This happens because it is widely believed that abdominal fat breaks down easily into fatty acids that have easy access to the liver through the portal vein². Fatty acids are not the only ones to blame for belly fat but also increased insulin levels from the constant influx of carbs from the diet. When the body does not use the glucose provided, it is stored…as fat, you should all know by now if you’ve spoken to me ot read my previous work that I don’t hate carbs, far from it but they have to be controlled!

Another interesting side effect of excessive visceral fat is the presence of fatty liver. At one point fatty liver was a condition observed mainly in chronic alcoholics. However, as obesity rates have risen, so has the incidence of this disease. This happens because of the fatty acids delivered to the liver that are then stored at fat³.

Fighting the Fat

The main way to deal with belly fat comes from serious lifestyle changes with the right balance of diet and exercise interventions.  Visit brodiept.com for meal plans and exercise programmes designed to help you work away that belly fat and improve your overall life!

Diet Your Belly Away

There are no specific foods to target belly fat, reducing the amount of added sugars in your diet can help reduce belly fat.  Also, increasing your intake of citrus fruits, broccoli, kale and bell peppers (all containing vitamin C) can help reduce belly fat by regulating cortisol levels in the blood stream⁴. Keep in mind the body can only handle about 500mg of the vitamin at a time so if you are taking a supplement, consider taking it in the morning and evening instead of all at once. Foods high in vitamin C include:

·         broccoli

·         kiwi

·         strawberry

·         red pepper

·         collard greens

·         kale

·         parsley

·         red cabbage

·         Brussels sprouts.

Inflammation may play a big role in increased belly fat. Focus on foods that help reduce this inflammation such as salmon, anchovies, walnuts, flaxseeds, and grass-fed meats. The common inflammation-fighting nutrient found in these foods is omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are a great 1-2 punch because they also help reduce cortisol levels. If you are concerned about your fatty acid intake you may want to consider taking a fish oil or flaxseed supplement daily⁵.

Bloating and inflammation within the digestive tract can lead to poor gut health so you must provide it with the good bacteria it needs. Probiotics – found in yogurt, kimchi, kefir, and buttermilk – help to boost our overall immune system while also helping our gut get rid of waste. Additionally, there is a strong connection between bad bacteria and weight gain. If you are not having regular bowel movements (at least once a day) changes are you holding toxins from these bad bacteria in your gut. Drinking plenty of water, consuming foods high in probiotics and reaching your fiber goal will help move these toxins out of the body and help flatten your belly, plus make you feel much better!

Exercise Your Belly Away

Cardiovascular exercise will help shrink the size of your body, ultimately reducing belly fat. There is evidence that 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, completed at least 4 times per week was most effective in targeting visceral fat – or belly fat^6.   Combining cardiovascular exercise with resistance training is more effective in ridding the body of abdominal fat than simply cardiovascular training – brodiept.com can create the perfect routine to do this for you.

If you are short on time, interval training may be your best bet to incorporate cardiovascular exercise with weight training. For example, walk at a brisk pace for 45 to 60 seconds then stop and do crunches or other abdominal exercises. The key is to keep your heart rate elevated during the entire workout to burn more calories and fat whilst creating that all important post exercise calorie burn for hours afterwards! While you may be able to reduce abdominal fat with diet alone, to create a flatter more lean look in that area you will need to strengthen those muscles through correct exercises which target the muscles that contract to keep it all tight, ask to see my 6 pac ill be sure to sure you how its done :P

Thanks Brodie – for once I've referenced some of the points in-case people want a further read.

p.s Don’t be shy about contacting me, all details can be found on my website brodiept.com

References:
1. Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome. Nature. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17167477

2.. Abdominal obesity and your health. Harvard Medical School. http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/abdominal-obesity-and-your-health.shtml

3. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/DS00577

4. A randomized controlled trail of high dose ascorbic acid for reduction of blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective responses to psychological stress. Psychopharmacology. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11862365

5. Omega-3 fatty acids. University of Maryland Medical Center. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega3-fatty-acids

6. Increased dietary protein and combined high intensity aerobic and resistance exercise improves body fat distribution and cardiovascular risk factors. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17136940