Congrats to Kyle Olson of Layton, Utah!  A great story at mensfitness.com about weight loss success becoming a family affair.  Kyle was a starting center in high school, focused on power and bulk.  When his football days ended, he found himself at 245 pounds.  Through a combination of diet and exercise, Kyle transformed!  Still powerful, but at a muscular and defined 163 pounds.  Kyle’s parents also got on board, losing over 200 pounds together.  A family tree has changed forever.  Congrats, Kyle!

Yesterday, the FDA approved the sleep aid Intermezzo.  It is intended for those who wake up during the night and have trouble falling back asleep.  In an article posted in WebMD, we learn that the FDA had twice refused to approve the drug based on concerns about individuals getting up and driving after taking the drug and before the effects fully wear off. 

In response, the manufacturer, Transcept Pharmaceuticals, changed the label to say it should only be taken if you have at least four hours to sleep and five hours until you drive when you take Intermezzo.  What is odd to me is that the danger is still there– there’s just a labeling change.  If everyone read and followed directions, then everything may be fine.  But typically inserts and labels are thousands of words long.  If the drug is taken too late in the night– problems can still arise. 

Sleep is such an important part of our day and the suffering of those who have trouble sleeping is considerable.  Insomniacs have a new tool at their disposal and if properly administered, it may help make the most of those precious hours of sleep.  Personally, with three little kids around, days are so hectic that falling to sleep isn’t a problem.  Although I’ve used our Sleep Tite now and again to encourage a deeper night’s sleep, especially when I know I really need the rejuvenation.

It’s a new year and time for the annual start of the fitness commitment.  At least, it seems that way to me.  Every year, there is a commitment to get fit, to lose the weight, once and for all.  Every year, I fizzle.  But this year will be different.  I’m working with My Natural Supplements to keep to a healthy diet, a good exercise program, and their supplements for energy and sports nutrition.  I switched from the TRX to P90X recently, and am on day 2 of the 90 day Lean program.  It’s a good workout.  Exhausting, but good so far.  The “before” pictures are taken (and locked in a triple encrypted folder that will melt the hard drive and burn out the users eye sockets if accessed improperly), and the program is simple– just do what they say.

One big thing they emphasize is the post-workout drink.  For about an hour after you work out, the body is primed for fuel to rebuild and strengthen.  One thing that is working great for me is the Biolean ProXtreme drink.  Mix the protein powder with water or milk and you have a great tasting, low carb, protein shake.  I usually mix mine with a banana for some potassium.  Be aware that the banana adds carbs, but some carbohydrates are needed after a good workout.

So, the 90 day transformation is underway.  I’ll post again as the changes happen.  Bring it!

A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition has concluded that adding Omega-3 fatty acids to a low-fat, high-carb diet may improve the health of those with metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a catch-all phrase of sorts for a complex set of risk factors that indicate the potential to run into more serious problems down the road.  Its frequently a precursor to type II diabetes.  The study states that “Fish oil supplements correct many metabolic alterations associated with insulin resistance, including reduced postprandial plasma triglyceride concentration.” See the full article and more information here.

Source: The Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi:10.3945/jn.109.120816
“A Low-Fat, High-Complex Carbohydrate Diet Supplemented with
Long-Chain (n-3) Fatty Acids Alters the Postprandial Lipoprotein Profile
in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome”
Authors: Y. Jimenez-Gomez, C. Marin, P. Perez-Martinez, et al

This is a question that seems to come up every time we get serious about weight loss.  The soda drinker will start to look at the calorie count in a typical 20oz bottle of soda and will realize that the 20 minute treadmill workout is just about balanced by that one soda.  Knowing that most gurus say we shouldn’t drink our calories, we start to think about diet soda as a quick and easy alternative to shave calories but still get the soda fix.  Some of them actually taste not too different from the real thing, and we think we’ve found a solution.
Then, we start to hear about all the negative effects of diet soda.  Do they promote weight gain?  Can they be more harmful that the regular soda?  A quick online search leads to a spirited debate and we’re confused again.
I’m not going to give the definitive answer here, nor am I going to rehash the online debate.  Just google “is diet soda bad” and go from there if you are interested.  But here’s a common sense way to look at it.  Do you want to drink what amounts to a carbonated chemical experiment?  It’s perhaps a harsh way to look at it, but I think it’s true.  Just take a look at the ingredients– water, caramel color, artificial sweetener, phosphoric acid, citric acid, potassium benzoate, natural flavor, and caffeine.  So, colors, chemicals and acid dissolved in water.  The body simply isn’t expecting to deal with this. 
The doctors and other high-IQ types can debate the actual effects– whether getting the sweet without the calories causes your body to them crave sweets, the effect of the acid on your teeth, the long term effect of replacing some molecules in sugar with chlorine and calling it healthy, etc..  But, just a dose of common sense says this stuff can’t be good for us. 

Supplement quality is a big newsmaker these days.  In the USA, the freedom to produce products in the marketplace is always being balanced by the government’s need to ensure safety and quality.  The government body that is charged with ensuring such safety is the Food and Drug Administration. 
The FDA established the requirement that supplement companies comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices a few years ago.  These standards require that controls are in place to ensure supplements are processed “in a consistent manner, and meet quality standards.”  There are a number of provisions related to the design of the manufacturing facilities, operations and quality control, product testing and record keeping. 
My Natural Supplements welcomes the FDA in its role of ensuring safe, effective supplements.  We’d like to repeat the statement offered by our main supplier:  “The laboratories and manufacturing operations that formulate Wellness International Network’s products [such as Biolean, WinOmeg3Complex, and Sure2Endure] are registered and licensed with the FDA as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) “A Rating” facilities, which are recognized worldwide for the control and management of manufacturing and quality control testing of foods and pharmaceutical products. ” (WIN press kit)

Anyone who is obese or overweight and who starts to work with a doctor begins to learn about their blood sugar, or blood glucose levels, and in some cases begins to track how stable their numbers are.  Doctors tell us that maintaining these levels are an important part of our overall health.  But just what is your blood sugar, and why is it important?
Very simply, doctors measure blood glucose in terms of the glucose density in the blood.  In the USA, that is typically expressed in terms of milligrams per deciliter.  An average man may have 5 liters of blood, so a level of 100 mg/dL would amount to about 5 grams of glucose in the blood.  Given that a typical restaurant sugar pack may have 2.5 to 3g of sugar, this doesn’t sound like much.
However, we are a fickle lot when it comes to the systems our bodies regulate.  After all, a 2% temperature elevation is a fever, a 5% elevation means you are very sick.  So our bodies use hormones to regulate the amount of glucose in our blood.  It rises after a meal and, ideally, is controlled in a tight band of about 80 to 120 mg/dL.  If it gets too low or too high, sickness or disease can result.
Since glucose is a critical source of energy for your cells, having low glucose levels is much worse than high levels, at least in the short term.  Too low blood sugar can lead to disorientation, fatigue, or, in more serious cases, loss of consciousness.  Having too high blood sugar results in your hormones working overtime to control the glucose.  In time, too much of this can result in insulin resistance or diabetes. 
I hope this primer has helped you understand a bit more about the role that blood sugar plays in your body.  Remember to seek the advice of a qualified medical professional if you have any medical concerns.  My Natural Supplements provides this information without intending to offer any medical advice of any kind.

“Down in south Louisiana they have four food groups — salt, sweet, au gratin and fried,” shares Bruno of Thibodaux, Louisiana. “When you’re eating those combinations on a daily basis, there’s no wonder Louisiana’s one of the most obese states in the country. And with a history of diabetes, heart disease and obesity in the family, I thought it was best to take a hold on this situation before I turned 40.” In January 2007, Bruno realized he had reached his heaviest weight ever of 267 pounds with a 46 inch waist.

A couple weeks later, Bruno was introduced to WIN’s products and added them to his new regimen of exercise and a healthier diet. “Once I started taking BIOLEAN®, I noticed a steady two to three pounds coming off a week.  BIOLEAN is a great product! It works wonders, but you can only reach its full potential when you’re working out and eating right,” Bruno shares, adding that he also uses Sure2Endure™, Mass Appeal™, Food For Thought®, Winrgy® and WINOmeg3complex™.

Six months later Bruno was donating almost all of his clothes to Goodwill as they no longer fit his new lean body. Losing a total of 42 pounds and sporting a slim 34 inch waist, Bruno no longer has to hide his body behind his clothes.

I have a new favorite routine after my morning workout.

We all know that the muscles in our body need protein, and after a workout is the perfect time to refuel to help repair and strengthen those muscles.  What’s working great for me is to mix up a ProXtreme shake with some fat-free milk and a banana.  Mixed in with a hand blender and served over ice, it makes a great tasting, low fat, refueling drink.  You can go with the chocolate of vanilla flavor of ProXtreme, or if you want, use chocolate or strawberry milk, but watch the sugar content in that case.

I also add in my daily BioLean serving with the shake.  Taking BioLean with a low-calorie meal helps with absorption of the supplement, and the added energy boost just adds to the workout benefits.  I arrive at the office mentally and physically ready for a great day.

USA Today’s health section posted an article on the results of a recent study that says that taking more steps in a day can cut your risk of metabolic syndrome.  Metabolic Syndrome is sort of a “catch-all” of risk factors for heart disease.  The more conditions you have (overweight, high BP, low levels of good cholesterol, etc.), the higher your risk of full blown disease.  What’s interesting about the story is that we are finding that we don’t need to be running marathons or becoming Ironman Triathletes in order to be fit– we just need to incorporate a few small changes, like walking, into our daily lives.
This is consistent with the practice of taking natural supplements like BioLean and Sure2Endure.  For those who need to lose weight or have that extra boost for a workout, these products are great.  But, thousands of people take them as a daily supplement as well.  A little change, taking the time to supplement with breakfast and lunch, can make a huge difference.  The body responds when we feed it good and healthy nutrition and exercise.  You don’t need to go crazy, just make take, consistent steps.  It’s the principle behind our motto “nourish your healthy lifestyle.”  We can’t change everything with a supplement, but we can be the tipping point to help you  live a better, fuller life.