Energy Drinks

I get many questions on Energy Drinks. Yes, they are effective for giving the user fast and definite results. Most contain vitamins as well as sugars. You want to watch that sugar count PER SERVING. Sugar is okay, but in reasonable amounts. I would recommend that you look at how many calories you are burning with activity before you decide on your daily intake amount. I encourage you to watch the sugar content when selecting an Energy Drink. You will definitely get a physical boost which will last several hours. Some Energy Drinks contain Guarana, Ginko Biloba, or other ingredients to provide a mental boost (more focus, more alert) as well.

Caffeine is in most Energy Drinks. You also need to watch your intake of caffeine as you can "overdose". You will benefit from keeping your caffeine count to a little over 200 mg per day. For example, OTC products for pain or for energy run between 64 and 200 mg per serving. 8 ounces of brewed coffee runs 135 while tea offers 0 - 100 mg per serving. Don't be too suprised to find that soft drinks run from 0 -55 mg per serving and even certain caffeinated waters provide 50 - 125 mg per serving. In addition frozen desserts include caffeine and these can run from 8 - 85 mg per serving. Chocolate offers 5 - 31 mg per serving.

Your best bet is to pay attention and intake a pre-determined amount of caffeine per day. If Energy Drinks are your "thing" count them first and then add on.

ANTIOXIDANTS - UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTATION

Cut an apple and leave half on the counter and as you know it turns brown. This is a result of oxidation. Rust on your car is due to oxidation. Oxidation is the interaction between oxygen molecules and all the different substances they may contact, from metal to living tissue. Sometimes oxidation is not such a bad thing, as in the formation of super-durable anodized aluminum. Other times oxidation can be destructive, such as the rusting of an automobile or the spoiling of fresh fruit. The process of oxidation depends on the amount of oxygen present in the air and the nature of the material it touches. True oxidation happens on a molecular level -- we only see the large-scale effects as the oxygen causes free radicals on the surface to break away.

So, what has this got to do with your health? Well, when a man oxidizes, we call it aging and sometime cancer. Antioxidants counter this process.

Nature gave us foods for our DNA to handle oxidation of our cells. The Stone Age population was hunter-gatherers and looked for colorful foods – up to 150 in variety throughout the seasons. These foods provided antioxidants. Anthropologists have stated that Harry and Sally of the Stone Age did not die of diabetes, cancer, heart attacks or stroke. They died from some traumatic event instead.

In addition to lots of colorful fruits and veggies, I strongly recommend supplementation. Afterall, unless you are buying at the farm stand, you are not sure what has been bioengineered or otherwise altered that may reduce the fruit or vegetables ability to protect you. I believe in supplementation. You just have no way of knowing the level of free radicals and antioxidants in your body at any given time.

When selecting an antioxidant supplement, I strongly recommend you find combination rather than single antioxidant as studies show they are more effective in combination. You need a team of antioxidants to boost your immune system and fight!

What to look for?

I suggest you consider products with the following ingredients:
Vitamin C and E
Beta Carotene (Vitamin A)
Selenium
Schizandra Berries

Making targeted food choices and supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and herbs will go a long way in keeping you healthy and slowing down the aging process. Why not avoid all those “preventable lifestyle diseases” when the answer lies before you?

For questions or additions to this blog, please comment.

Essential Oils & Aromatherapy

In response to the question, I will give a brief summary on what is an "essential oil" and what is "aromatherapy ". An essential oil is the oil from many parts of the plant. It is "essential" as it has a unique scent - the "essence of the plant". It is highly concentrated so only a little is needed. There are various methods of extracting the oils. These are used in flavoring foods, drinks, perfumes, cosmetics, cleaning products, and of course, incense. Essential oils have healing properties e.g. asthma, burns, cellulite, headaches etc. Thus, we use the "Essential Oils" for healing the body as well as the emotions via"Aromatherapy". Alternative Medicine employs Essential Oils for its curing effects. www.inshapezone.com has a large variety of these oils available.

Balancing Act

I was asked to comment on improving balance. Yes, it can be done. One simple way to intiate improvement of balance is a Balance or Wobble Board. It is a simple piece of equipment that allows you to practice balance and balance recovery. What happens is that over time you increase these skills by increasing "muscle memory" (so to speak) of your eyes, inner ear as well as your proprioceptors* in the joints for spatial and kinestetic awareness - positioning of your body limbs and touch sensors located at the bottom of your feet.

FYI *Proprioception means "sense of self". In the limbs, the proprioceptors are sensors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length, and tension, which is integrated to give information about the position of the limb in space.