envision's Blog

Great new treadmill workout:)

cherfano — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:55:35 +0000

BBQ! Avoid Carc…

cherfano — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:16:26 +0000

BBQ! Avoid Carcinogens in Summer Cooking

Since humans invented fire, we’ve enjoyed the benefits of cooking food. However, cooking food has its drawbacks, including the development of carcinogens. While smoking, toasting and frying your foods also produce carcinogens, BBQing can be considered one of the worst ways to prepare food as it forms benzopyrene, a cancer causing chemical during the cooking process. Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’S) are two of the chemicals reactions caused by both the smoking and the high or prolonged temperatures respectively. So if you taste smoke in your food and if you have “charred” your food then you raise your risks of certain cancers such as pancreatic and other diseases.

Now not to cause a damper on summer while in beginning bloom – it as all about moderation and lowering your risks as much as you can while still enjoy the high life. Here’s how to minimize harmful chemicals while still enjoying that summer cookout:

1) Keep your cooking of BBQ foods to a minimum. The jury is still out on what is a safe limit so save for more special occasions and practice cooking methods such as steaming, baking or alternatively carpacio or ceviche.

2) Keep unit clean of black ash and fat residue from food including coals, rack, and inside cover. Clean unit (Including coals) at the beginning of each season. So, if you BBQ all year round that would be 4 times a year. Minimum, spring, summer and fall.

3) Cook food slowly on lower heat as to avoid flare ups that blacken the meat. This “char” is the worst offender so cut off before eating. Also avoid high fat meats or added fats that will cause more flare ups.

4) Stock up on veggies as there is little to no fat in these and thus less flare ups on the grill. Try zucchini, asparagus or cherry tomatoes with a light apple cider vinegar and garlic marinade and skip the oil. Drizzle olive oil on afterwards.

5) Cut meats into smaller pieces so it spends less time on BBQ.

Your body should be able to metabolize these offenders in moderation and if your body’s detoxification systems are performing well. This mostly involves a healthy liver so drink your lemon water, and use herbs such as milk thistle and dandelion in tincture or capsule form.

Baby girl Kyra Sawyer

cherfano — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:39:59 +0000

I have not done much personal blogging in here but have to capture one of the most pivotal moments in my life which happened on February 2nd, 2012 – the birth of my first child, Kyra.

I had a gorgeous pregnancy with hardly a symptom and in fact felt pretty awesome most of the time until the last month when I had to start slowing down and workouts, sleep and productivity became less and weight, bloating and anxiety became more.

She was 2 days late and really didn’t want to come out. Although I laboured naturally with my midwives for almost 20 hours, her heart rate became unstable and we had to have an emergency C-section which broke my heart. The important thing is that we are both okay and more than that we are thriving together in our second month of mother daughter bliss.

I look forward to a lifetime of friendship, and learning. I am truly blessed!

We all know sugar is bad but toxic?!

cherfano — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:32:28 +0000

We are all savvy of the perils of all things white such as white flour and sugar but lately there has been some confusion (on my part too)! about consuming fructose products such as agave which was touted by the nutrition community as being a “healthy” choice because it was low glycemic, meaning that it did not spike blood sugar levels. This meant that it was a good choice for diabetics and everyone not wanting to become one. It also looked good for the waistline, because if the sugar is not being rapidly absorbed in the bloodstream, then not as much would turn to fat, right? Well watch the following report and see that is not all there is to the story. Seems you can’t have your cake and eat it too in this case of sweet surrender!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n

Help osteoarthritis with Kaprex!

cherfano — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:14:44 +0000

I have had our boy Tahoe on this for a few years now and I swear he would not be running up any hill if it weren’t for it! Great for humans too!!!

Craving Crunch?

cherfano — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:36:34 +0000

Try some quick homemade kale chips.

Kale is not the easiest food to eat on account of how fibrous it is but the nutritional benefits are amazing. Kale is a super plant, an awesome green and a great dark leafy vegetable choice.

Cut Kale into bite sized pieces
Lay them out on a cookie sheet
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Place in oven at 475 degrees until crispy (you will need to regularly check in and stir them up a bit- shouldn’t take longer than about 10 minutes)
Enjoy as a substitute for potato chips.

Raw Broccoli Salad!

cherfano — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:44:01 +0000

Won’t claim this one as my own although I am already playing around with ingredients:) This is a dandy gal at:

http://thestonesoup.com/blo

raw broccoli salad
takes 5 mins
serves 2

I just adore the way the avocado and broccoli combine in this salad to give crunch and creamy richness. I think I’ve discovered a new food marriage made in heaven.

Feel free to take this idea wherever your imagination takes you. While I find it fairly substantial for lunch with the nuts and avocado, I’d add in a few more almonds or serve with some shredded poached chicken or some proscuitto for a larger meal. Canned tuna or salmon would also be lovely.

Those with nut allergies could easily just skip the almonds or replace them with a little finely diced red onion for the colour and crunch.

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 head broccoli
1 avocado
handful roasted almonds

1. Combine mustard, vinegar and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a salad bowl. Season.

3. Chop broccoli into tiny trees and toss in the dressing.

4. Chop avocado in half and scoop bight sized chunks into the dressing using a spoon.

5. Toss salad to distribute the dressing and serve with almonds on top.

Passing of a legend – Jack LaLanne

cherfano — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:12:58 +0000

Today marked the passing of a fitness and nutrition legend and a personal inspiration of mine – Jack LaLanne. 96 years young and living life fully and strongly right up into ripe old age. 2 hours a day of weight lifting and an hour a day in the pool was his daily commitment. He focused on proper clean food and knew the importance of fruit and vegetables long before it was trendy. He was a true pioneer and will be missed. He will live on in spirit in us – the crusaders of continued health and wellness as a lifelong pursuit. Here are some of his greatest moments!

This is a great excerpt from his national TV show, the first fitness show of any kind!

www.mahalo.com/jack-lalanne/

Here is a list of some of his great athletic accomplishments:

1954 Age 40: Swam the length of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks – an undisputed world record.

1955 Age 41: Swam, handcuffed, from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.

1956 Age 42: Set a world record of 1,033 pushups in 23 minutes on You Asked for It, a TV Show with Art Baker.

1957 Age 43: Swam the treacherous Golden Gate Channel, towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser. This involved fighting the cold, swift ocean currents that made the 1 mile swim a 6 ½ mile test of strength and endurance.

1958 Age 44: Maneuvered a paddleboard 30 miles, 9-½ hours non-stop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore.

1959 Age 45: Completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hours and 22 minutes. Happy the dog is born and The Jack LaLanne Show goes nationwide

1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1975 Age 61: Swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1976 Age 62: Commemorating the Spirit swam 1 mile in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed, shackled and towing 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.

1979 Age 65: Towed 65 boats filled with 6,500-pounds of Lousiana Pacific wood pulp while handcuffed and shackled in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan.

1980 Age 66: Towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida filled with 77 people for over a mile in less than 1 hour.

1984 Age 70: Handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 ½ miles.

Jack LaLanne turned 93 in 2007. Who’s up for a rest day challenge of 1000 push-ups and 1000 pull-ups (Jack’s record was 1:22)

WHO INSPIRES YOU??!!

Habits Takes Time- Health is Lifelong!

cherfano — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:48:04 +0000

Happy New Year to all! I can still say that officially until the end of January:)

I am so thrilled with the commitment from all of my steady clients and new ones too. January is always a busy time filled with a renewed sense of importance of one’s health, whether it be continued goals from last year or new ones. I think the single most important factor to seeing success, whether it health related or other, is in being specific with what your motivation for change is. Are you interested in something specific like leaning out or getting rid of that persistent sinusitus/allergies or all around vitality? Even for the most inline person, being engaged in your health and conscious if it at all times takes practice, patience and a little forgiveness.

“Established habits demand little conscious effort, but creating a new habit is hard work”, Scientific American Mind reports. Psychologist Phillippa Lally of University College London asked 96 undergraduates to form a habit in 12 weeks of repeating daily a healthy behaviour, such as drinking a bottle of water with lunch. Her results suggest that habits take mush longer to form than researchers previously though (an average of 9 and a half weeks and potentially as long as several months), but missing one or two days of repetition will not impede the process.

This is good news for those of us that get discouraged if we skip a workout or have a less than optimal meal. Stay the course and remember, it is where your motivation and heart is that is most important and what you do the majority of the time. Health is lifelong!

Magnificent Magnesium

cherfano — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:21:16 +0000

Most of us really don’t know what our body is composed of and take for granted that we get enough nutritional materials from what we eat. Truth is that rarely do we even meet the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) of vitamins and minerals. Truth be told, these limits are outdated and on the low side given our fast paced, pollutant laden, and soil depleted sad state of affairs in North America and most parts of the industrial world. Even if the best organic diet provided the right amounts of healthy ingredients, there are digestive and environmental factors that can interfere with its absorption and efficacy.

Magnesium (Mg) is an elemental alkalizing marvel and is the 4th most abundant mineral in the body, comprising 50% of bone mass. It is responsible for some 300 biochemical reactions and is imperative for healthy nerve and muscular function. Think of it as the “relaxing” mineral both for your muscles and your mind. Rich sources are green leafy vegetables (chlorophyll), fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. If you are an athlete, you may think you get enough from sports drinks which do help but are often just enough to replenish often low to begin with amounts after exercise and are laced with simple sugars, dyes, artificial colours and flavours.

Since Magnesium is absorbed primarily through the small intestines, having proper digestion is imperative. IBS or Crohn’s disease, for example, will affect the absorption level of all nutrients and magnesium is no exception through improper biochemical reactions and the “flushing out” that occurs with diarrhea associated with the digestive disorders.

How do you know if you are getting enough from your diet and if you should supplement? Listen to your body. At the root of holistic nutrition and most non-Westernized practitioners lies a set of symptomoligical symptoms that serve as warning signs that not all is right within and dig down to address the “root cause” of impaired function. Headaches, anxiety, insomnia, constipation, allergies, and even ADD, fibromyalgia, arrhythmia, allergies, hypoglycemia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease can be specific indicators of magnesium deficiency (they also can be indicative of other deficiency). These signs are vital in assessing low levels of all nutrients. Blood work may need to be done in extreme cases, especially if kidney function is an issue.

This is the cool stuff – research! What you should know is that research shows varying results but it is accepted that adequate levels of Mg have:

anti-thrombotic (anti-clotting) effect in the blood
increase exercise tolerance in already fit individuals up to 20% (through increased vaso dilation of arteries and capillaries – improved cardio function!)
improve calcium metabolism and hormone regulation (helping to dissolve calcium deposits over time) and decrease risk of osteoporosis and osteomalacia
assist in carbohydrate metabolism by influencing the release and activity of insulin (with hypoglycemia or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus where Mg is excreted through kidneys faster with high blood sugar) This also supports a low to mid Glycemic Diet to ensure proper Mg levels stay in body!
Over 2 alcoholic drinks (6 oz.) or cups of coffee (12 oz.) and pharmaceutical drugs such as diuretics and antibiotics will leach Mg (and other minerals) from bone, and bloodstream
Help with sound sleep, muscle recovery/release (think epsom salt bath – magnesium sulfate!), nervousness, constipation, restless leg syndrome, heart palpitations, leg cramps, and “RELAXING”…

So, what to do? On average you should be consuming about 300-400 mg a day and again that is next to impossible to get exclusively from your food coupled with lifestyle and environmental factors that can further deplete stores.

Food always first so load up on halibut, salmon, raw almonds, cashews, raw chocolate nibs, spinach, kale, broccoli, edamame (soy beans), black eyed peas, and kefir. Try natural coconut water for 3 times the levels of the average sports drink of all electrolytes.

Also, taking supplements such as Natural Calm Magnesium (www.calmnatural.com) which is calcium citrate, a bioavailable powder form that can used in tea before bed, convenient Magnesium Gel by Natural Calm can be rubbed topically (just not near the heart!) or magnesium glycinate (amino acid chelate for good absorption) in pill form.

The golden rule would be not to exceed 500 mg. unless you have underdone a sweat fest over many hours like an ironman, or hot yoga marathon perhaps (but you likely will have been supplementing electrolytes throughout activity). Your body will tell you when it is enough – in excess you could experience diarrhea, or abdominal cramping but only if you really overdo it and its water soluable anyway so the body passes it very quickly.

Now take some and RELAX…