Free Form Fitness Blog

I always tell people who decide to “go vegan” that they better understand what they are doing or else they will have many deficiencies later on.  Though I do not recommend a vegan diet to anyone, some people are heavily invested morally into it and these tips are simply meant to help safeguard people as much as possible.

The vegan will eat absolutely nothing that has to do with animals in any way at all. Whether they avoid certain food because it contains honey or marshmallows, or because it contains gelatin, the vegan is going to be challenged in terms of nutrition.

This brief guide is going to give the details about the essential supplements that all vegans will require in order to be sure that they get the kinds of nutrients that the standard vegan diet just cannot supply. It is important to remember that the best sources for vitamins and minerals are food sources, and that many supplements have to be consumed more than once a day because the body may not be able to absorb them at the time they were initially consumed. On top of that vitamins and minerals do not act alone. They often need other co factors in order to get absorbed and utilized.

The list below gives the names and quantities of the most significant supplements, but it is also a very good idea to sit down with an expert in nutrition to discuss any additional requirements.

Amino acids – 2-6 per day of 1g supplements – These are the essential acids for good health and they can control everything from blood pressure to the functions of certain cells. Because these are most often found in animal proteins, it is going to be vitally important for a vegan to take supplements.

Carnitine – 500-2,000 mg (1/2 -1 hour before breakfast or lunch) – Because this is synthesized from amino acids and used for cellular functions, it is important to get an appropriate amount of this acid every day.

Iodine – 150 mcg – Metabolism is controlled in part by the thyroid, and this glandular network has to have enough iodine to function properly.

Iron – 18 mg  - This is an essential element for almost all life on the planet, and a vegan is going to have to have enough to prevent anemia or other issues relating to the blood cells.

Methionine – 2,000 mg – (or plenty of brazil nuts, sesame seeds, and almonds) This is an amino acid that serves as a primary tool for synthesis, meaning it is important to the processing of almost all other amino acids and nutrients.

Selenium – 200 mcg – Incorporated into most proteins and needed in only small amounts, a vegan is unlikely to find sources of this element in their diet.

Vitamin B12 – 100 mcg – The “happiness” vitamin, it is also only found in animal food sources. Some vegetable components seem to mimic vitamin B12 but act very differently in the body. The body stores Vitamin B-12 between 2-5 years so people may not feel this deficiency for years but when it does it creates havoc on your mood and your health.

Vitamin D – 1,000 IUs or as per testing (usually ranges to 4x this amount) – Essential for processing calcium properly, Vitamin D is found in animal sources ranging from fish oils and eggs to some yeasts and mushrooms. The quantities required make supplementation essential.

Zinc – 25 mg – Inadequate zinc levels lead to a long list of health problems, but it is found mostly in animal sources. This is why supplementation is required.

What does metabolic training mean? Your “metabolism” is the process through which your body absorbs and uses the foods you consume. If you have a fast metabolism, you might be able to eat more than others without gaining weight, and if you have a relatively slow metabolism you are likely to gain weight easily.

The great thing is that any metabolism can begin to be controlled through a well-chosen diet and through proper exercise. This means that metabolic training is a series of exercises performed quickly and with many repetitions in order to complete the process in less than 30 minutes. By doing so, the individual is intending to boost the heart rate, growth hormone and metabolism.

The trick with metabolic circuits is to use an array of exercises that target the LARGER muscle groups in different areas of the body in order to move blood concentration around, such as the lower body, abdominals, and back or shoulder muscles, you will produce a lot of growth hormone with this tactic that will help you burn fat and gain muscle. This beats any cardiovascular work because your metabolism will continue to burn calories long after the routine is over.

When you are able to increase your endurance, it also means that you are succeeding at increasing the lactate threshold. Any time you exercise, your muscles create lactic acid. The lactate threshold is the point when the body is creating so much lactic acid that the muscles are unable to burn it off. A metabolic circuit will help someone identify their current threshold (usually because they just cannot continue to workout at the current pace), and allow them to find out how to exercise in a way that is beneficial.

Though a fast-paced metabolic circuit may be a bit too intense for a lot of people, you will progress and be able to become much more efficient at burning calories.

We cannot emphasize enough that you are going to have to aim to identify a good pace for your circuit.  However, you are also going to have to be consistently attentive to the effects of things like fatigue or lactic acid. These are the things that lead to a crash, which ends a workout. It will take only a very short period of time for anyone to identify these things, and they can then begin using the circuits to enhance metabolism and lose weight.

Here is an advanced sample workout

Have you been dealing with “stubborn fat”. You know the kind we mean, that fat that refuses to leave your thighs or your abdominal area? This is a common problem for those seeking to lose weight, but I’m here to let you know that you can reduce certain area’s with some dietary, lifestyle and exercise “tricks” taken from Charles Poliquin‘s Biosignature course.

The body has many hormone receptor sites in different areas of the body and research shows that where you hold your fat is determined by imbalances in these hormones. The stronger the hormone imbalance the stronger the physical imbalance. Note that these are simply general guidelines and that the best solution is to book an initial consultation so we can truly assess the real problem.

Here is a generalized version of regular problem areas and their best solution:

Fat over the abdominal:
Problem: Cortisol is too high
Solution: Reduce stress

Fat thighs and butt:
Problem: High estrogen
Solution: Remove xenoestrogens (birth control pill, plastics in microwaves etc)

The muffin top:
Problem: Insulin
Solution: Lower carbohydrates

Some fat even gets redistributed that you may get very lean in some areas while getting fatter in other areas. This is a major reason why women complain that they are dieting and still getting “bottom heavy”. In cases of abnormal body fat distribution and hormone imbalance the trick is to find out what the core of problem is and to work at improving it.

For more information like this world renown coach Charles Poliquin will be coming to Ottawa for National Capital Fitday to give a four hour seminar on sleep, nutrition and toxins for optimal recovery, energy  and body composition. But make sure to buy your ticket soon because it’s going to sell out.

I’ve resisted opening blog comment for many years now because when I did in the past I had to manage a lot of spam and my time could be better spent helping people. But now that there are cool tools that make this easier, I’ve decided to open them up for each article. Feel free to ask or answer questions, offer your thoughts about the article, connect with other health enthusiasts and/or like and share the posts you like best.

What is good posture? Most people will automatically situp in a “ram rod” straight position and may even pull their shoulders back a bit too. This, however, is NOT good posture.

A good posture refers to the “three natural curves that are present in a healthy spine. From a front to back view, the 33 vertebrae in the spinal column should appear completely vertical. From the side view, the cervical or neck region of the spine (C1-C7) is curved anteriorly, the thoracic or upper back region (T1-T12) is curved posteriorly, and the lumbar or lower back region (L1-L5) is curved anteriorly.

Many factors effect posture including poor standing, seated or sleeping habits, stress, occupation and sporting imbalances, past injuries and even genetics play a role in it too. Seeing a chiropractor is your best bet in helping restore any faulty posture but any great chiropractor will also assign the proper stretches needed to help.

Here is my favorite stretch to improve posture. I like it because it’s so simple and targets many “often” problem areas like the hip flexor, chest and forearms. It’s called the “Samson stretch” that involves a few steps:

1. Lace fingers and turn palms outward while locking arms, and then push arms and hands out to horizontal.
2. Push hands forward and head back, then look straight ahead
3. Push arms overhead as you push hands hard towards ceiling
4. Keep arms perpendicular to floor and keep palms turned to ceiling
5. Lunge as far forward as possible with one leg and let the trailing knee settle to ground
6. Push hips forward feeling stretch in front leg and back
7. Maintain push to ceiling and gaze forward as you hold for 10-20 seconds
8. Repeat with other side.

A last recommendation for improving posture, particularly if you are seated a great deal of time is to have a spinal assessment done. They can tell you if you have weaknesses or problems that can be addressed through additional exercises.