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About Me

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Burlington, Ontario, Canada
I choose to focus training and nutrition on the individual. I believe in a totally holistic approach emcompassing body, mind and soul and the interaction between them. Utilizing the disciplines of weight-training , pilates, ballet and yoga to ease pain, heal injuries and strengthen the body,and the spirit. Never give up! Never step down!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Medications that can effect weight gain

Here is a list of commonly used drugs associated with weight gain: 1) Benadryl drugs-that-cause-weight-gain-1 Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) is an antihistamine, which is used for allergies and as a sleep aid. It is found in Tylenol PM. Histamine is a chemical crucial for regulating food intake, causing appetite suppression when it binds to a specific receptor in the brain. It may also increase the breakdown of fat.1 When the histamine receptor is blocked, its effect on appetite is decreased, leading to increased food intake and weight gain. A large review study found that people who used antihistamines had higher weights, waist circumferences, and insulin concentrations than those who did not.2 Alternatives: Ask your doctor about inhaled medications for allergies which are not generally associated with weight gain. If you have trouble sleeping, consider natural remedies and better sleep habits (i.e. no caffeine late in afternoon, no TV in bed room, etc.). 2) Antidepressants drugs-that-cause-weight-gain-2 The most widely prescribed antidepressants are from a class called SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Simply, serotonin is thought to play a role in mood, and brain levels are low in many depressed patients. SSRIs allow serotonin to stay active longer, contributing to enhanced mood in many people. Serotonin is also well known to be an appetite suppressant, so it stands to reason that these drugs will help with weight loss. It turns out that the opposite is true. This paradoxical effect is not completely understood, though likely has to do with the complex interaction between serotonin and other appetite regulating mechanisms. Certain SSRIs, like Prozac, are associated with short term weight loss, though this is temporary and long-term data show a weight-neutral or weight gain effect.3 Alternatives: These should be discussed with your doctor. 3) Beta Blockers drugs-that-cause-weight-gain-3 These drugs are used to treat high blood pressure as well as certain heart conditions. While it is unclear exactly how these drugs contribute to weight gain, it is likely at least partially related to metabolic slowdown. One of the ways these drugs work is by slowing down the heart, which decreases exercise capacity. Additionally, they may cause fatigue, which will then lead to decreased activity and less caloric expenditure. Alternatives: If you are taking a beta blocker for high blood pressure, discuss other medication options with your doctor. 4) Prednisone drugs-that-cause-weight-gain-4 A synthetic corticosteroid, prednisone has potent anti-inflammatory properties. It is used to treat asthma flares and allergic skin conditions, as well as certain autoimmune diseases and arthritis. Prednisone causes water retention and increased appetite. And while prednisone is a catabolic hormone, meaning it causes the breakdown of fat and protein, these effects are more than offset by its appetite stimulating properties. To make matters worse, excess calories consumed in the setting of elevated corticosteroid levels tend to be preferentially deposited around the middle. Alternatives: Doctors should prescribe prednisone when there is no option for a less potent drug. If you must take prednisone or any steroid, it is very important to be aware of its ability to increase appetite and watch your calorie intake very carefully. 5) Seizure Drugs & Mood Stabilizers drugs-that-cause-weight-gain-5 These drugs include Depakote, Risperdal and Olanzapine. The weight gain associated with these medications is often rapid and significant, with research showing as much as a 37 pound weight gain during the course of treatment.4 Scientists believe the drugs’ action on the histamine receptor in the brain is responsible for the effect.5 Alternatives: Discuss this with your doctor. People taking these medications need to be aware of the potential for weight gain and work with a qualified professional to mitigate this side effect as much as possible. Since weight gain can be rapid, it is a good idea to start as soon as treatment commences. 6) Insulin & Other Diabetes Drugs drugs-that-cause-weight-gain-6 Since weight loss is a primary goal of treating type 2 diabetes, it seems illegal that some of the most commonly used drugs to lower blood sugar can cause significant weight gain. When a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, there is often a frantic rush to get the blood sugar down using any means necessary. By giving insulin or insulin releasing agents, sugar is removed from the blood stream and often stored as fat. The result is a lower blood sugar but often 10 or more extra pounds of fat, which can then increase medication requirements and cause more fat storage.6 This vicious cycle continues and makes it essentially impossible for many patients to ever get off medication. Additionally, aggressive blood sugar lowering effects can often cause hypoglycemia, or too low blood sugar, when must be remedied by eating sugar (Often diabetics will need to eat candy or drink juice to get their blood sugar up.) which causes more fat gain from the extra calories. Alternatives: There is no easy answer here. Short-term blood sugar lowering must be viewed in a long-term context. This is certainly a controversial area where mainstream medicine often differs in opinion from complimentary or alternative medicine. If you find yourself familiar with the scenario laid out above, educate yourself and find a qualified professional whom you trust to work with. This is not to propose that you should not take a medication if your doctor says it is necessary. But if you are taking a medication that can contribute to weight gain, it helps to know ahead of time and create a plan to attempt to negate some of the weight gain side effect.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Bounce Back Into Shape This Spring It’s that time again – if you’ve let your muscles go over the winter, here’s the best way to get them back. The first glimmer of spring sets things in rapid motion as eager sports buffs emerge from months of hibernation with golf club in one hand, tennis racket in the other and a baseball bat impatiently waiting its turn to send that ball sailing over the bleachers. Too often, however, a lack of conditioning means the only thing soaring is your elevated risk for injury. “Would you trust your car in a cross-country race after it has basically sat in the garage all winter? Probably not. So don’t expect your body to give you its best performance when it’s basically rusty, seized-up and in need of a tune-up!” says Alwyn Cosgrove, a former world Taekwondo champion and internationally renowned specialist in athletic preparation currently living in southern California. While popular early-bird activities such as tennis, golf and softball appear at first glance to be fairly low key pursuits, their emphasis on explosive movement and stop-and-start action makes unconditioned players particularly vulnerable to getting hurt. “Aside from poor performance, which some would say is the biggest risk, the obvious problem associated with spring sports and inadequate conditioning is injury. Although people think of golf, softball and tennis as fun recreational activities, they are still high force, high velocity, ballistic activities that you need to prepare for several weeks prior to the season,” Cosgrove says. Cardiovascular training, which goes a long way to promoting good health, is not enough, according to Cosgrove. “Strength and flexibility take priority, followed by cardiovascular conditioning. Doing cardio first, as most people do, is akin to putting a new V8 engine in your car, with no back wheels, a broken axle and a front end out of alignment. You need to work on the structure before we work on the capacity of the body.” Work to condition the entire body, with the aim of becoming injury-resistant and enhancing athletic performance by building overall muscle strength. Cosgrove also recommends focusing on the big stretches — hip flexor, glutes, hamstrings and lower back – all the muscles involved in rotation. “For conditioning you can’t go wrong with classic exercises such as squats, lunges, push ups and rows. You must, however, train in all three planes of motion — so rotational lunges, rotational push ups, for instance, will all be extremely valuable.” Spring into Shape: “I’d start with two to three sessions of strength and flexibility each week with one cardio session each week for the first three weeks and build up to three strength/flexibility sessions with two to three cardio workouts,” says Cosgrove, who suggests the following exercises: Bulgarian Split Squats: “Perhaps the most single hated exercise in my training facility — so simple yet brutally effective that I think it’s a must for any training program” Start in standing position with the bench behind you Facing away from the bench, place one foot on bench and one foot two or three feet in front of bench — you are in a modified lunge stance With bulk of bodyweight on front leg, bend front knee until your thigh is below parallel and the knee of your trailing leg is grazing the floor Pause and return to fully upright stance. Repeat for desired reps and then switch sides Supine Hip Extension with Leg Curl: “One of only two exercises that target both functions of the hamstring—hip extension and knee flexion—simultaneously.” Lie on the floor with calves on exercise ball, arms out to your sides with palms face up Extend upward from hips until your body forms a straight line with your feet, hips and shoulders Keeping hips elevated, draw the ball toward you by bending your knees. Hips should remain in line with shoulders and knees Slowly straighten legs and lower hip to starting position

4 Ways to Spring Clean from the Inside Out

4 Ways to Spring Clean from the Inside Out