The Truth About "Light" and "Sugarfree" Items

                                               Well here goes the good old media again!
      While the number of overweight and obese Americans continues to rise so do the numbers of "Fat Free" "Light" and "Sugar Free" items. When looking for "healthier" food options there are many different routes people take; however, a common one is to try to switch your regular food items to the "Light" or "Fat/Sugar Free" options. This is where the media and marketing people fool us! What many people don't know is that both fat and sugar are used in many food products to aid in a couple different things, but mainly shelf life and most of all taste. If a food company takes one of those items out of the recipe then the food is going to decrease dramaically in the areas listed above. As a result of this they tend to add more of the other item. For example, many fat free cookies contain nearly twice the amount of sugar as regular cookies, and same goes the other way, many sugar free cookies have almost twice the fat as a regular cookie. So instead of helping people lose weight, many of these items are actually contributing to weight gain and all the chronic diseases that go along with it. Bottom line, NEVER TRUST THE FRONT OF THE PACKAGE! Always read the nutrition label on the back and compare different items before choosing one.


Fun Fact: Did you know food companies can list anything on their box as long as it is a true fact? For example: on a Cheerios box it may say "You can lower your cholesterol in 30 days!". Well yes this is true. Almost anyone can lower their cholesterol in 30 days; however, it is not because you are eating Cheerios! Cholesterol only comes from animal products. This is a good fact to remember when looking at foods that use the marketing phrase "low cholesterol" or "cholesterol free". If you go to a store and find items that say the things listed above, most likely they aren't even animal products so DUH they don't contain cholesterol! This is just a marketing tool to sucker us buyers into purchasing products. Even if we don't realize it, our minds see the words "free" and "low" on food labels and immediately think "healthier". Don't let them get you! Read the nutrition labels!



Source: Samin Moham, Cottage Hospital RD

Planks

              

              Want to get stronger, but don't have much time? Planks are the exercises for you!

 Now no one exercise will get you a rock hard body, especially not in 15 minutes or less (contrary to what the infomercials might tell you). However, if you want to do a good workout in a hurry you should try doing variations of different plank exercises. Planks are an amazing exercise to get your whole body engaged. They not only work the abdominal muscles, but also help build shoulder strength, and leg strength. Do a few of these exercises mixed with a little cardio work, and you've got yourself as good of a quick full body workout as you can get! Of course, like any exercise, these need to be done properly in order to be effective. Below is a picture of proper form for a forearm plank. A forearm plank is a good starting point for your plank endeavors!

Source: www.livestrong.com. "Do Plank Exercises Really Develop Abs?"

On Fasting and the Power of Information

There is a long-standing notion that a ‘normal’ diet consists of three square meals a day, often with snacking in between. If you aren’t a ‘breakfast person’, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of some well-intentioned but factually-lacking advice to change your ways to fit that standard.

In reality, there are a variety of dietary strategies to go along with the variety of goals one can have for their body. One example is ‘intermittent fasting’, which has experienced a recent boost of interest and attention in the fitness world. Intermittent fasting is pretty much exactly what the name suggests, integrating periods of 14-18 hour fasting into your weekly dietary routine (and there are so many variations you can do within this framework!). In this strategy it is just as much about what you do eat as what you don’t eat, and depending on your goals what you eat when you aren’t fasting will vary. It is not a diet to try inconsistently or just on a whim, but when applied intelligently there is a lot of data to support its validity as a tool on your fitness journey.

This blog is not intended to convince anyone to try intermittent fasting, or to cut meals out of their day. It is merely to remind us that nutrition is not one-size-fits-all and that just because someone doesn’t eat like you doesn’t mean that they are unhealthy. Ultimately the important thing is to evaluate your goals and do your own research to find the approach that will work for you.

For more information on intermittent fasting, check out these articles:

On Minifasting

The importance of research

For beginners

Sitting, A Cause for Disease?

       

        We are constantly hearing that we need to be more active as a society and that we spend too much time sitting down or being sedentary. To a lot of people I think this sounds a lot like when you're mom told you that you shouldn't eat too much Halloween candy; and what was your response to her "but why?" Well the reason you should be less sedentary is the same reason you shouldn't have eaten too much Halloween candy, IT WILL MAKE YOU SICK! Recent studies have shown through 47 different investigations that a greater amount of sedentary time results in greater risk of all diseases; especially cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Good news is that participants who had the same amount of sedentary time as the other participants, but also regularly moved around, proved to have a lower risk level. So whats moral of the story? Your mom was right! And so is the idea that we all need to get up and moving more! If you need some help doing that join our gym Fisher Strength and Health! We have personal trainers we can refer you to in order to help get you started, and great exercise classes for all levels! Start getting healthier today!

Call us today!
(805) 963-3439



Source; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/. Dr. Cindy Haines. January 20th, 2015.

Cold Laser Therapy

        

         Have aches and pains that won't go away? Have an injury that just won't seem to heal? Well we have cold laser therapy!
         Cold laser therapy utilizes different wavelengths of light to deep heat tissue and help to accelerate the healing process. This type of therapy has been successfully used to treat many different conditions including (but not limited to):
        -Acute and Chronic Pain
        -Bursitits
        -Tendonitis
        -Muscle Strain
        -Ligament Sprain
        -Back Pain
        -Soft Tissue Injuries
       We have also had much success with this therapy in our own office. Many patients have reported feeling better with as little as one laser treatment, and other chronic pain injuries have felt significantly better with as little as three treatments! This therapy is non-invasive and pain free! Call us today if you to want to try it out!

Lawson and Fisher Chiropractic (805) 963-3439



Source: www.coldlasers.org. "What Is Cold Laser Therapy".

New Years Resolution

     

      What was your New Year's resolution? For so many people their New Year's resolution is (or always is) to get in shape and lose weight. Those two goals are great, but not always the easiest to achieve; or are they?
       For a lot of people the definition of getting in shape means working until you drop in the gym everyday, and cutting out all foods you love. THIS IS NOT TRUE!! If we all change our mindset from "I want to get in shape, and lose weight" to "I want to get healthy", all of a sudden these New Year's resolutions will become significantly easier.  According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, obtaining a healthier lifestyle is as easy as just moderately exercising for a total of two and half hours a week, and including more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. Two and a half hours a week?! That's only 20 minutes a day! That would be a good hike, a long walk, a little jog, anything that gets that heart rate up for 20 minutes a day! Or you could do three good hour long workouts throughout the week and call it good! Now I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot easier than I expected.
     Once we wrap our heads around the idea of just trying to have a healthier lifestyle (including more fruits, vegetables, whole grains in our diets, and moderately exercising throughout the week), then we will naturally start losing weight and getting into shape. This New Year's resolution does not have to be one that is hard to achieve; it can be as easy as picking an apple over chips at lunch, choosing  some water over Gatorade when your thirsty, and walking that block or two to get your lunch instead of driving (or just making your lunch at home). Achieving a healthier lifestyle will naturally help you achieve weight loss goals, and help you obtain the body you've always wanted! This is so much easier than we have all believed it to be! So this year lets all strive to make those small changes that will lead to life long benefits! WE CAN DO THIS!!



Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease; Prevention: What Can We Do

How Blueberries Can Help Your Overall Health

     
        Not only are these little blue treats delicious, but they can also help improve brain function and life span! Studies have shown that blueberries can help slow age-related damage to brain cells, including decreasing memory loss. Recent studies done on fruit flies and organisms called C. Elegans, have shown that blueberries may also extend one's life span.
        In the case of the fruit flies, blueberries were given as a regular part of their diets, and researchers discovered that they not only lived 10% longer than those who did not regularly eat blueberries, but that their physical activity levels also increased. Results were even more dramatic in the study involving the C. Elegans. These organisms were routinely given supplements of blueberry extract, and researchers found that their average life span increased 28%. They also found a significant improvement in the organisms tolerance of stress within their environment, and a 20% reduction of age-related proteins that impair function. So when your out grocery shopping don't forget your blueberries! Take little steps to improve your health everyday!



Source: Life Extension Magazine July 2012, by Susan Evans