fitness Archives - RG Magazines

Getting Physical: Exercise One of Many Medicines For Good Health

RG Mags Staff — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0000

by VEJAY STEEDE

Any General Practitioner worth their weight in salt will tell you that exercise is a vital part of existence, especially if you want to enjoy a decent quality of life and equip your body to fight off countless debilitating ailments. Quiet as it’s kept, diet, exercise and discipline can absolutely give laughter a run for its money in pursuit of the ‘best medicine’ title.

According to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, “regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance.

“Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.”

Movement makes moving easier, less stressful and more efficient; that’s a no-brainer. As the time-tested adage goes, ‘a body in motion, stays in motion’. That is also a well-respected law of physics; a simple postulation that energy never dies, it just transforms.

Regular exercise relieves stress, improves your mood, helps keep your body weight in check, and, perhaps most vitally, helps prevent, or manage, serious afflictions like stroke, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety, arthritis and many types of cancer.

Regular exercise also improves balance, builds stamina, helps cognitive function, and can lower the risk of death from all causes. In short, exercise is an amazing tool to help you live a long, healthy and, probably, happy life.

Of course, exercise often entails exerting one’s body to the point of physical exhaustion, so there is always a risk of doing damage as well. How much exercise is too much? Can physical training actually cause chronic afflictions?

Hafid James

We asked International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) pro Hafid James, who is a professional bodybuilder, healthy lifestyle coach and personal trainer, what his thoughts on the topic were. Mr James is a bona-fide professional athlete, an individual who trains religiously and pushes his body to often astonishing levels.

His role as a life coach and personal trainer puts the physical and emotional health of his clients squarely in his hands too, and he is very good at what he does.

Mr James espouses the virtues of many other crucial components that constitute what modern humanity has come to understand as health.

“Exercise is important but is only one aspect of improving one’s quality of life. I feel there is too much emphasis on exercise and not enough on other aspects of health. Mainly dietary, but also sleep, stress, mental health, and so forth.

“I’ve had lifestyle clients that have worked out everyday for months or even years and their results were temporary, or non-existent. I’ve had lifestyle clients that tried to outwork their lifestyle illness – hypertension, imbalanced hormones, diabetics – but it wasn’t until we changed their mindset and approach to health that they were able to decrease, or remove, certain medications. In my opinion, a lot of these situations happen because we focus too much on exercise and not enough on understanding what health really is.”

Regular exercise, of course, is a key component of a healthy lifestyle; not the whole shebang. Sleep is an oft-neglected component, and the Mayo Clinic staff makes a very important connection between exercise and sleep: “Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster, get better sleep and deepen your sleep.”

While regular exercise and healthy sleep are good for all human beings, Mr James expounds on the role of exercise in meeting the health needs of individuals.

“I feel everyone should be exercising regularly, but regular exercise is based on the person, their needs and their goals. I’m a professional bodybuilder so I am in the gym weight training 5 days a week, but I also have lifestyle clients who have lost over 20 pounds and reduced medications, and the only exercise they are focused on is walking and the number of steps a day they are getting in. So, it really just depends on the individual.

“A good baseline for the average person is about 30 to 40 minutes of exercise a day. Again, depending on who you are this could include walking, swimming, weight training, dancing, running, sports.”

Of course, exercise is a well-known component of weight management. According to the Mayo Clinic, “exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.”

Mr James however, warns against leaning too heavily on exercise when it comes to losing weight.

“You should not prioritise exercise to lose weight. For my lifestyle clients, and myself, exercise is simply an accelerate. Once you are focused on your health – our definition of health is the continuous process of making one whole and balanced – fat storing hormones should be lowered, fat burning and muscle building hormones should be heightened and hunger is better controlled, so you’ll eat less without having to overthink it. Adding exercise will now amplify your results.

“When you go into your weight loss journey just thinking about exercise, if you ‘plateau’, most generally think, ‘ok, I have to exercise more or eat less.’ Then, before you know it, you’re doing two hours of cardio a day, in the gym 5 times a week, and eating enough calories to barely get by, feeling awful and not taking in the nutrients your body needs daily.

“After a while most people will give up. A term commonly used for this is over-training, which simply means whatever workload you are doing is greater than your body’s ability to recover from it. This can be very deleterious on the body and your health. To me, health is about a quality of life. Generally, you shouldn’t feel awful trying to improve your quality of life.”

Balance is essential when starting an exercise regimen. Over-training can cause physical problems over time. I personally learned all about my sacroiliac joint when I was diagnosed with sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SJD) a few years ago. SJD is a condition that is agitated by climbing stairs, an activity that I engaged in excessively during training some years prior to the diagnosis. The pain was debilitating; but I digress.

Ultimately, the benefits of regular exercise massively outweigh the pitfalls, as Mr James concludes:

“Especially when combined with a healthy, holistic lifestyle, having an active lifestyle has a myriad of health benefits. Improving insulin resistance, which can prevent or aid in reversing Type 2 Diabetes, dealing with stress, decreasing your chances of many cardiovascular diseases, preventing or delaying muscular atrophy, reducing the risk of obesity, improving your blood pressure which can prevent or aid in reversing hypertension, improving gut health, on and on and on.

“Again, I want to stress exercise alone might help with these things, but for maximum, long lasting benefits, please remember exercise should be one factor in your overall holistic approach to health. Without the right ‘balance’ you could do more harm than good. Be happy. Be healthy.”

The post Getting Physical: Exercise One of Many Medicines For Good Health appeared first on RG Magazines.

The Squat Squad

RG Mags Staff — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 19:16:03 +0000

RG Mags spoke with Bermudians Tiffany Dawson and Jadirra Harvey about how they use their online platforms to attract followers, promote their offerings and motivate people into better health.

Tiffany Dawson

As a World Beauty Fitness & Fashion Inc (WBFF) bodybuilder, Tiffany Dawson uses her social media presence to interact with followers both in Bermuda and overseas cities in which she competes. With over 22,000 Instagram followers and having reached the cap of 5,000 friends on Facebook, she saw her following grow considerably upon becoming a WBFF professional athlete. “The most effective way to get people’s attention is to provide information to them that leaves them wanting more,” Ms Dawson said, of how she attracts new followers. “The goal is to give them insight into the world in which you live and allow them to join you.” To this end, she stressed the importance of rawness and authenticity in her posts as a way to emotionally connect with her audience. “I try to remain as real and unedited as possible in each post and story. I have bad days just like everybody else, and it’s important for me to show the genuine Tiffany Dawson.”

Ms Dawson cautions that although social media is a necessary and inescapable tool in 2019, it’s important to stay grounded and not let it warp your sense of reality. “The power and influence of social media will penetrate you if you are not careful,” she warned. “It has shaped our view on society and what it means to be beautiful, but we are all beautiful in our own way.” She also noted that while platforms such as Facebook and Instagram could act as tools of inspiration, it is important not to succumb to the instant gratification culture that is often encouraged by social media. “Being healthy is not overnight. You cannot pay for a better body online and wait for it to be delivered to your doorstep.”

Jadirra Harvey

Jadirra Harvey – fitness nutrition specialist and owner of Koba Fit – uses social media to promote her varied weekly group fitness classes, and finds these sites to be a valuable resource. “All social media platforms have benefits,” said Ms Harvey. “Yes, there may be a few minor differences, but ultimately, they share the same goal, which is to provide opportunities, reach leads, attract audiences (big or small) and boost organic visibility.” She said the biggest challenge in using social media was motivating people to commit to behaviours that would lead to a higher quality of life, not just fitness. “There’s nothing more challenging than trying to improve you,” Ms Harvey said. “Allow your challenge to motivate rather than discourage you. I say challenges are opportunities wearing work clothes. They require action and force you to find new ways to succeed.”

The most viral post I ever made was a video I shared on Instagram doing a Hanging Strict One-Arm Toes to Bar,” she explained. “Given the intensity of performing this exercise with two hands, it’s definitely one of the hardest and most impressive moves.” Indeed, Ms Harvey’s Instagram account (@koba.fit) features dozens of videos of both herself and her clients performing exercises in and around the gym. Such videos regularly garner several hundred views each. Her commenters are enthusiastic and come across as genuinely inspired with each physical feat highlighted. ”

The post The Squat Squad appeared first on RG Magazines.

Why Not Having Resolutions Might Help You This Year

Alejandra Ottley — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 09:30:19 +0000

The new year is here and that means, for most folks, it’s time to set New Year’s Resolutions. What better time to get your life in check after all? But, what if I told you that you might be better off ditching resolutions for 2019?

The new year is supposed to come with a clean slate and a wave of motivation, but that usually fades away as quickly as it comes. Though you might think that this will be the year you finally read one book a week, even though you haven’t picked one up in years, or wake up at 5 am every morning to work out, chances are, it probably won’t be. Instead, you’re probably setting yourself up for disappointment, by setting goals that are either unrealistic or simply unachievable.

Realistic, for example, is realizing that the new year, in the grand scheme of things, is about as significant as any other new day, week, month, etc. As much as we would like it to, January 1 won’t suddenly bless you with the solutions to all your problems nor the motivation to accomplish everything you’ve ever wanted. It comes down to a little bit of luck, timing but ultimately, yourself.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “It takes around 21days to form a habit”? It has been presented as a fact for decades, after Dr. Marxwell Maltz, an American plastic surgeon noticed that it will take his patients around 21 days to get used to their recent physical changes such as a new nose or even the loss of a limb. He later noticed that it will take himself a minimum of 21 days as well to adjust to changes and new behaviors. Which prompted him to talk about his experience. More than half a century later, and after a dozen books quoting him (often leaving out the “21 days minimum” part) his findings have been often misinterpreted and used to support the thinking that it takes a considerably short amount of time to form a new and long-lasting habit.

It’s not surprising that this idea has spread like wildfire. However, as you’ve probably noticed, it takes much longer to form a new habit. After all, habits, when they’ve become habits, are second nature and hard-wired into our brains. Which is why it would make more sense that it would take much longer than 21 days to break an old one or form a new one.

Now, before you throw out your planner and kiss your goals goodbye, try setting realistic goals this year, that at least put you one step closer to what you want. For example, instead of holding yourself accountable to that “one book a week”, aim for one a month, or even one per season. And instead of “waking up every morning at 5 am for a workout”, maybe try to find time for one or two workouts a week that will work with your schedule.

Resolve to make progress, as slow as it might be, rather than feeling defeated at the end of the year when your goal never came into fruition.

The clock turned to midnight, as it does every night, so take the pressure off yourself and don’t set an expiration date for your goals this year. Instead, work on a realistic plan that will take you to where you want to be (or at least one step closer). After all, as much as we plan, life happens as it wants to and there is no amount of planning that can avoid that.

The post Why Not Having Resolutions Might Help You This Year appeared first on RG Magazines.

Jeron Gunness Uses Martial Arts to Get You New Year-Fit

RG Mags Staff — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 16:24:54 +0000

Photography by Akil Simmons

Jump into 2019! We had Jeron Gunness, Alchemy Fitness personal trainer and Muy Thai champion, use his knowledge of martial arts, to build your cardio, confidence, and sense of self for the New Year. Carve out the time for this ancient-art inspired schedule, meant to be combined with a good nutritional diet for a complete and healthy lifestyle.

The key to martial arts is finding balance. Muay Thai practioners have to balance cardio, weights, Muay Thai technical training, bag work and pad work. The weights and cardio add value to the art of Muay Thai.

Week 1

Week 1 is used to build a motor programme. Slow, but deliberate movement to master basic technique and movement to prevent injury.

Day 1:

Equipment (optional): Dumbell (DB) or Kettlebell (KB) with squat or lunge

Warm Up: 5-10 min walk/run, dynamic stretches

5 Sets, 15 Reps

Squat

Lunge in place

Push-up

Pull-up/Inverted Row

3 Sets 30-60 secs hold

High Plank

Low Plank

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 2:

Equipment Optional: Heavy Bag or 3lb DB

Warm up: 15-30 min preferred cardio (Run, Row, Swim)

3 rounds Equipment (optional): Shadow Box or Use DBs

20 Jab 20 Bicycle Crunch

20 Cross 20 R. Twist

20 Left Hook 20 Jump Squat/ Squat Pulse

20 Right Upper Cut

20 Alternating lunges/ Step Back Lunge

Cool down: Static Stretch

Day 3: Super Sets

Equipment (optional): DB/ KB/Skip rope

Warm up: 1-2 mins skip (2-3 rounds), Dynamic Stretch

5 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Dips

Push up

5 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Squat Kick

Walking Lunges

3 Sets

Pull-ups (5-10 reps)

Burpee (10 Reps)

3 Sets, 30-60 secs

High Plank

Low plank

Side plank (both sides)

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 4

Equipment: 3lbs DB or resistance band. Heavy Bag.

Warm Up: 2-3 Sets 1-2 mins, Jump Rope, Dynamic Stretch

Cardio: 15-30 mins run/swim/row

AMRAP (as many reps as possiblewith the designated time) 15-20 min

20 jabs, Cross (left and right count as 1 rep)

10 Burpees

20 Jabs, Cross, Left hook

15 Jump Squat

20 Jab, Cross, Left hook, Right Upper Cut

20 Running Plank

10-12 Push Ups

Cool Down: Dynamic Stretch

Day 5:

Warm Up: 3-5 mins walk/run, Dynamic Stretch

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Dips

Push-ups

Pull-up/Inverted row

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Squats

Side Lunges

Step-ups

3 Sets, 20 Reps

Running Plank

Jab, Cross sit-up

Mountain Climber

Jab cross to the side sit up

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Week 2

Day 1

Warm up: 3-5 min walk, run, row machine

Equipment: KB

3-5 Sets, 10-15 Reps

KB Swing

Squat with knee raise

KB Swing

Close grip Push-up

KB Swing

Jab Cross Sit-up

3 Sets, Reps 30-60 secs

High Plank

Low Plank

Low Plank to High Plank

Day 2

Equipment: heavy bag/ 3lb DB for punches (optional)

Warm Up: 3-5 min walk/run, Dynamic Stretches

Cardio: 15-30 min run/swim/row

Sets 3-5

20 Jab, Jab, Cross

20 Leg Raise

20 Cross, Hook, Cross

20 Running Plank/Plank Tuck

20 Uppercut, L. Hook, Cross

20 Alternating Squat Kick

20 Right Kick

10 Plyo Push-up

20 left kick

20 V-up

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 3

Equipment: heavy bag/ if no bag 3lb dB for punches (optional)

Warm up: 3-5 mins walk/run/ row, Dynamic Stretches

AMRAP 15-20 mins

15 KB Swing

15 Squat Kick

50 Skips

12 plyo push up

20 jab cross sit up

10 Burpee

10 Mountain Climber

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 4

Warm up: walk/run 3-5 mins, Dynamic Stretch

Cardio: 15-30 mins run/swim/row

3-5 Rounds

20 Jab, Jab, Cross

20 Jab+ Cross Sit-ups

20 Cross, Hook, Cross

20 Running Plank/Plank Tuck

20 Uppercuts, L. Hook, Cross

20 Jump Squats

20 Right Kicks

10 Plyo Push-ups

20 Left Kicks

20 S. Leg V-ups

Day 5

Warm Up: 3-5 mins walk/run, Dynamic Stretch

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Dips

Push-ups

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Squats

Pull-ups/Inverted rows

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Box Jumps

Walking lunges

2 Sets, 20 Reps

Mountain Climbers

Jab, Cross Sit-up

Slider Plank

Jab cross to the side sit-up

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Week 3

Day 1

Warm up: 3-5 mins walk, run, row machine

Equipment: KB/Box/Skip

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

KB Swing

KB Goblet Squat

Box Jump

Skip

Goblet Lunge

Push-Up

Medicine Ball Slam

30-45 sec shadow jab, cross as fast as possible

3 Sets, 30-60 secs Reps

High Plank

Low Plank

Low Plank to High Plank

Day 2

Equipment: heavy bag. If no bag, 3-5lbs DB for punches (optional)

Warm Up: 3-5 mins walk/run, Dynamic Stretches

Cardio: 15-30 min run/swim/row

Sets 3-5

20 Jab, Cross, Jab, Cross

20 Russian Twists

20 Jab, Cross, L. Hook, Cross

20 Running Plank/ Plank Tuck

20 Jab, Jab, Cross

20 High Knees

20 Alt Right and Left Kicks

10 Wife Push-ups

20 Alternating Left and Right Straight Kick

20 V-Ups

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 3

Equipment: heavy bag/ If no bag, 3lbs DB for punches (optional)

Warm up: 3-5 min walk/run/row, Dynamic Stretches

AMRAP 15-20 mins

100 Jab, Cross

15 Knees To Chest

50 Left Hook, Right Hook

20 Running Plank

20 Jab Cross Sit-ups

50 Left and Right Uppercut

10 Burpees

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 4

Equipment: heavy bag/ If no bag, 3lbs DB for punches

Warm up: walk/run 3-5 mins, Dynamic Stretch

Cardio: 15-30 min run/swim/row

3-5 Rounds

20 Jab, Left Hook, Cross

20 Jab+ Cross Sit-Up

20 Right Upper Cut, Cross, Left Hook

20 Bicycle Crunch

20 Uppercut, L. Hook, Cross

20 Alt Jump Lunges

20 Right Kick

15 Squat Jump

20 Left Kick

20 S. Leg V-ups

Day 5

Warm Up: 3-5 min walk/run, Dynamic Stretch

2 Sets, 10 Reps

Walkout

Bear crawl

Sit-throw

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Dips

Push-ups

Squats

Pull-ups/Inverted Row

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Box Jump

Walking lunges

Ball slam

KB swing

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Week 4

Day 1

Warm up: 3-5 min walk, run, row machine

Equipment: KB/ Box/Skip

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

KB Swing

Box Jump

Skip x50

Push-Up

Med Ball Slam

30-45 sec shadow jab, cross as fast as possible

3 Sets, 30-60 secs Reps

High Plank

Low Plank

Low Plank to High Plank

Day 2

Equipment: heavy bag/ If no bag, 3lbs DB for punches (optional)

Warm Up: 3-5 min walk/run, Dynamic Stretches

Cardio: 15-30 min run/swim/row

Sets 3-5

20 Jab, Cross, Jab, Cross

20 Russian Twists

20 Jab, Cross, L. Hook, Cross

20 Running Plank/ Plank Tuck

20 Jab, Jab, Cross,

20 High Knees

20 Alt Right and Left Kicks

10 Wide Push-ups

20 Alt Left and Right Straight Kick

20 V-ups

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 3

Equipment: heavy bag/ If no bag, 3lbs DB for punches (optional)

Warm up: 3-5 min walk/run/ row, Dynamic Stretches

AMRAP 15-20 mins

100 Jab, Cross

15 Knees to Chest

50 Left Hook, Right Hook

20 Running Plank

20 Jab Cross Sit-ups

50 Left Right Kick

10 Burpees

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Day 4

Equipment: heavy bag/ If no bag, 3lbs DB for punches (optional)

Warm up: walk/run 3-5 mins, Dynamic Stretch

Cardio: 15-30 min run/swim/row

3-5 Rounds

20 Jab, Left Hook, Cross

20 Jab+ Cross Sit-ups

20 Right Upper Cut, Cross, Left Hook

20 Bicycle Crunches

20 Uppercut, L. Hook, Cross

20 Alt Jump Lunges

20 Right Kick

15 Squat Jump

20 Left Kick

20 S. Leg V-ups

Day 5

Warm Up: 3-5 mins walk/run, Dynamic Stretch

2 Sets, 10 Reps

Walkout

Bear crawl

Sit-throw

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Dips

Push-ups

Squats

Pull-up/Inverted rows

3 Sets, 10-15 Reps

Box Jumps

Walking lunges

Ball slam

KB swing

Cool Down: Static Stretch

Jeron Gunness is a Personal Trainer with Alchemy Fitness Studio, and Exercise Therapist certified through International Sport Science Association.Through his years of training for competitive fighting, Jeron has coached a number of Muay Thai champions and trained numerous students under the arts of Muay Thai, kickboxing and boxing. His love for martial arts prompted him to pursue a career in personal training and coaching. With his vast knowledge and experience in martial arts, he sets to bring a new look to fitness.

Connect with Jeron on Instagram @gunnazfit

The post Jeron Gunness Uses Martial Arts to Get You New Year-Fit appeared first on RG Magazines.

The art of modification

RG Mags Staff — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 15:23:13 +0000

Christine Dailey goes beyond fitness for your stage of life

The thing about working out is that there’s always a really good excuse not to. Whether your nine to five is more like a seven to seven, or you’re a new mom just trying to find time to shower, there’s a lot that gets in the way. As women, we are motivated by the mental aspects of a gym. What stage of life are you in? Take your workouts beyond the “fitness” part and find what stimulates your body and your mind.

Young and fit (ages 18-25)

Walking into the gym and spending 45 minutes on the elliptical isn’t as exciting as going to the club, or the latest movie with your friends. You know it’s important to exercise but to be honest, your calendar is pretty chock-a-block, reserved for school, social or sleeping. Plus, up until now, you’ve never really had to think about working out because school sports usually checked that box.

Can you imagine a spin class that has a hot, bumping playlist, wicked club lighting and a group of motivated friends? Go to a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class with an energetic, fit instructor and just try to stay away. These classes will give you that “team” atmosphere, where everyone is pushing you to that next level. Group classes make it easier to commit and take the hard work out of the equation because all you have to do is show up, your coach will take care of the rest.

Career fit (ages 25-35)

You stomach a 60-hour work week, lunches are reserved for meeting and greeting, and you are absolutely wiped out by the time seven o’clock rolls around. You know that the best thing for you to do is to move, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get a proper workout in.

One of the solutions might involve you becoming a morning person. The best time to bang out that workout is before your day even starts. Set that alarm for 5:30 AM and hit the gym. A group class has tons of energy, the studio is buzzing, and it beats showing up to a half-empty gym only to try and figure out what to do by yourself! Check it off your list and move on with your day.

Post-partum fit (ages 30-45)

Once you become pregnant, health is at the forefront – pregnancy yoga and breathing classes, light swims, and relaxing walks. One step into postpartum means fitness and self-care get put on the back burner. You’re lucky to get a shower in, let alone a workout! Not to mention, your pre-pregnancy body seems more like a far-off dream than a reality.

After the go-ahead from your doctor, it’s all about finding what you enjoy as an emerging mother. Ask yourself what motivates you, while listening to your body – what can you realistically do? Find a personal trainer that can work with you to increase your pelvic floor strength at your own pace. You can eventually integrate into group fitness – strength classes, circuit training and conditioning, with an energetic instructor that speaks to your inner voice and motivates you to re-invent and love your new body.

Menopause fit (ages 50 +)

Your body doesn’t move like it used to. Running may no longer be an option, or that lower back pain gets in the way. You might be frustrated that you are no longer able to work out like when you were young and fit.

Like all stages, this is one of exploration. You will have to step outside the box and try something new. You were a runner, but have you tried indoor cycling? It will work up the same sweat and get your heart pumping, with less pressure on your knees. Any good circuit class or boot camp will have modifications to help you build to your full potential. If you’re feeling a bit nervous, a personal trainer can seamlessly find a workout that is tailored to challenge you, while working with any previous injuries. This is the time your body needs the exercise the most – if you don’t use it, you lose it.

The secret to your stage of life is the art of modification. Check in with your own body to find out where you’re at. Whether your too cool, too busy, too tired or (feeling) too old, it’s all a matter of reprogramming your mind. As a woman, you most likely know what you want in life, fitness is no different. Figure out what works for your body and mind and find it. Your life depends on it!

This article was originally published in the Fall 2018 edition of RG Magazine.

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Magnum Power Force Gym

Josh Ball — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 19:58:12 +0000

When you’ve spent 25 years watching people change their lives through diet and exercise it no longer becomes just a job, it becomes a passion.
For Karen Hodgkins, the current epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the community has given her even more reason to keep pushing the healthy lifestyle to as many people she can reach. Whether it’s through Magnum Power Force Gym or teaching people how to make healthy choices through the Diet Center weight loss program she runs through the gym.
Over the past few months, upgrades have been ongoing at the gym – new cardio machines, weights and the introduction of virtual classes, as well as renovating parts of the building to make way for a functional fitness space.
“The new virtual classes are basically on-demand classes on a big screen taught by the best professional fitness instructors in the world through a programme called Les Mills,” said Ms Hodgkins. “While we still will have our classes with a ‘live’ instructor, this gives the flexibility where if one of our classes is cancelled or if you want to do a class at a specific time and the studio is not being used that can be arranged. It allows there to be a lot more choices in classes, and it also is great for people who might feel a little bit self-conscious about doing classes with other people they can do a class by themselves or bring a friend.”
Virtual classes include Les Mills Body Pump, Grit Series, RPM and Body Flow – a yoga-based class.
The next phase of the upgrades will be making the gym 24-hour access, with plans for it all to be in place by the end of the month.
Making the gym a welcoming and accessible space is part of a mission to get the island healthy.
“My biggest passion is counseling people in weight loss and changing their health, their life and their bodies to become healthier people,” said Ms Hodgkins, who also runs the Diet Centre, whose participants also have access to the gym.
“I have clients who come in with huge health problems. They’re on the borderline of diabetes, high blood pressure, and their doctor is recommending them to take high blood pressure pills, but all of those things can be reversed. I’ve seen people lose the weight by changing their eating habits and starting to exercise, they go back to their doctor, and they can come off their pills and their blood sugar medicine – they are reversing their health. We teach people how to make better food choices and make it part of their lifestyle.”
Ms Hodgkins said weight loss is as simple as changing eating habits and starting an exercise programme – even if that’s just getting out and walking for 20-30 minutes a day.

“It doesn’t take a lot. You just have to eat healthily and get into exercise. Just go out and start walking every day. Just start that. It doesn’t have to be in a gym; it can be anywhere – just get physically active.”

And it isn’t as expensive as people might think to eat healthily, either, she said. “It’s about the choices we make at the grocery store. Some of our fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive, but you have frozen options that you can use that are just as good. Is it expensive the choices you have to make to avoid kidney failure or having body parts removed? What is it worth? It’s all about priorities and our health.”
Ms Hodgkins said she welcomes the introduction of a sugar tax – something she has advocated for over the years. But for the sugar tax to have any effect, she said she hopes to see the money from the tax put towards subsidizing healthcare and educating the public about making healthy choices.
“I am very concerned about the figures of diabetes in this country. What is it doing to our children and what is that doing for the healthcare costs to everyone else that is healthy and that has to pay these premiums in healthcare because of the bad choices that some people in our community are making?”
She said many people still don’t realize that sugar is equivalent to a drug and as addictive as cocaine.
“If you’re choosing to make bad choices then you’re going to have to pay higher taxes on it,” she said. “It may not deter people from making bad choices, but it may help us to help subsidise the healthcare system. People make the choices to eat bad foods, and they know they are making a bad choice, but it’s all about taking care of yourself and making a choice to not end up with the same diseases as your parents had.”
Education in the schools about the benefits of healthy food choices needs to continue, she said, but with more emphasis on the diseases that can contribute to health complications, such as loss of limbs.
“It starts with education in the schools because a lot of obesity is hereditary in the sense that these food habits are passed down from generation to generation. Diabetes runs in my family and I will never forget when I went to visit my uncle, who had diabetes, and I asked him why he was missing a finger, and he said it was because he had diabetes and he had to have it removed. That has always stuck with me, and I knew that I never in my life wanted to lose a body part because of a disease.”

Want more!? Check out Catherine Burns’ tips on eating clean

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You are what you eat

Josh Ball — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 19:49:24 +0000

We’ve all been told “you are what you eat”, but that’s not such great news after Christmas is it? How’s your body composition doing over there? 10 per cent turkey, 90 per cent Quality Street? Lots of us slip down the slippery slope during the festive season, especially in Bermuda where we’re so good at going all-out for celebrations. That’s one of the things I love about this country, but oh my God it gets us into trouble!

I’m not going to throw a book of statistics at you, but we all know our diabetes rate is sky-high across both sexes and within an increasingly younger demographic. Heart disease is the biggest killer of our women and cancers are significant too. The crazy thing about our disease incidence is that so much of it is preventable. Not only are we suffering through unnecessary pain and lifestyle limitations, but we’re bankrupting our economy too. Health insurance is cripplingly expensive, not because our domestic insurers are greedy, but because it has to be to cover the monumental number of claims. And if we lost health insurance benefits as we know them, because we ate too much KFC, drank too much soda, or didn’t get our veggies in, how frustrating would that be?

When you break it down to individual behaviours, you’d be right to say that something like “eating Cheetos” doesn’t translate to escalating healthcare premiums. But an accumulation of these behaviours does. And it’s rare for someone to eat a completely healthy diet with just a sprinkling of Cheetos on top, because junk food is addictive. Food manufacturers know that there’s a special ratio of ‘salt: sugar: fat’ that gets your brain wanting more. No wonder it’s hard to say no, and no wonder one cookie leads to another. After all, humans eat for pleasure (hedonic hunger) as well as for necessity (biological hunger) but that’s dangerous in an environment that’s riddled with cheap, easy and socially acceptable junk-food options.

I teach a six week optimum nutrition programme called Nutrifit. I wrote it to help people understand the basics (blood sugar balance, improving digestion, liver function and more …) but also to teach individuals how to navigate our current food environment. Lots of people need help figuring out how to succeed within an environment that’s currently set up for them to fail. And the main philosophy underpinning what I teach is simple. It’s to “choose food that nourishes you.” The idea is to remember that the food you eat is supposed to do a job for your body. The fuel you choose will very simply make every other aspect of your life harder, or it can make it easier. We make this point within our Beat the Couch running programme as well; when you’re trying to get fit, healthy eating will give you energy and support injury recovery, whereas eating junk makes you feel lethargic and inhibits healing.

Of course, all this comes close to the concept of “You are what you eat.” And do I believe in that? Absolutely. But in order for “you are what you eat” to be really useful, it’s worth taking a closer look. Here are some things to consider:

You are what you eat, but more specifically what you digest and absorb.
Good digestion is critical for optimum health. A healthy balance of gut flora and a good supply of enzymes help to break down your food without discomfort and improve your absorption of nutrients. A diet of sugary, processed junk (and caffeine/alcohol) can inhibit enzyme function and also trigger dysbiosis (an imbalance) within your gut flora. Commonly that would lead to fatigue, bloating and bathroom issues as well as compromising your immune system. As an aside, if your digestive system is compromised for any reason (maybe you’re ill, going through treatment or have some allergies flaring up) then although raw food generally contains more nutrients, your body might more readily absorb them when they are gently cooked.

You are what you eat, but how you prepare it matters too
Did you know that if you boil broccoli for longer than five minutes you’ll have up to a 77% nutrient loss? So if anyone tries to make you eat soggy vegetables you’ve got the perfect excuse to refuse them now. I wish I had known that at school! The best way to prep your veg is to steam it, even if you are cooking it from frozen. Cooking vegetables within dishes (soups and curries etc) is fine so long as the dishes are simmering rather than boiling. Roasted veg is good too, just try to do it over a lower heat for longer, than a higher heat for a faster period of time. In addition, some foods benefit from special preparation in order for you to maximise your nutrient exposure. For example, the heart healthy properties of garlic are more readily available when you crush the clove before chopping it.

You are what you eat, but you are what you eat eats too
Do you follow me? What I mean is that you get much better nutrition from animals (and animal products) that have been fed a healthy diet vs a factory-farmed diet. For example, much of chronic disease is linked to omega 3 deficiency, but more specifically, to a really high ratio of omega 6 intake compared to our omega 3 intake. Grass-fed cows carry a lot of omega 3, but factory farmed cows (which are fed a diet of soy and corn) carry much more omega 6. That affects the ratio of the fats you absorb through eating meat and dairy. So if you can, choose grass-fed, organic beef and dairy.

You are what you eat, especially if you exercise
Many people think that if they exercise off the junk, that what they eat doesn’t matter. It actually couldn’t be further from the truth. Exercise, especially intense exercise, whilst being great for your body strength and cardiovascular fitness, also generates a fair amount of free radical activity in your system. Left unchecked that can contribute to accelerated ageing and other types of cellular damage. But the good news is that eating lots of fruit and vegetables helps to cram your diet with the antioxidants that help to neutralise free radical activity. So there’s no excuse not to exercise, you just have to eat well too!

So that’s it! You are definitely what you eat, but it’s a little more complicated than that! To learn more, join me in the clinic, for Nutrifit or for the next Season of Beat the Couch. Season 11 starts February 22 — early bird information, pricing and registration is online now! All details at www.natural.bm

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the Managing Director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK Please note that she is not a Registered Dietitian. For details regarding consultancy, Nutrifit and Beat the Couch, please go to www.natural.bm or call 296-6609. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda.

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