Inspiring Story - The Iron Nun

“I realized the only failure is not to try because your effort in itself is a success.”

— Sister Madonna Buder, The Iron Nun

The 86-year-old has earned the nickname ‘The Iron Nun’, having completed more than 40 Ironman races in the past 30 years. Sister Madonna Buder first got into exercise after attending a workshop led by a priest who championed running as a way to harmonize the mind, body, and soul. But after seven years of running, she craved more and signed in her first triathlon, intrigued by the variety it offered. The rest, as they say, is history.

She completed her first Ironman race - comprising of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run - in 1985, aged 65. At 75, she became the oldest woman to ever complete an Ironman triathlon. At 82, she set a world record as the oldest Ironman triathlon competitor.

BT Exercise: Single Leg Squat to Overhead Press

Single Leg Squat to Overhead Press

The core exercises that challenge the most important muscles and most effectively, also, in the least amount of time. Single leg squat to overhead press is a multi-joint exercise to challenge core and hip stability and use as many muscles possible through the entire range of motion. 

Step 1:
Balance on one leg and lift your opposite leg, placing it directly beside the balance leg. 
Step 2:
Place your hand that is on the same side as your balance leg onto your hip and hold a dumbbell in your other hand. 
Step 3:
Squat on your balance leg, bending at your hip and knee, and reach toward your balance foot with the dumbbell. 
Step 4:
Push through your heel, and stand. 
Step 5:
Curl the dumbbell to your chest.
Step 6:
Press the dumbbell overhead.
Step 7:
Slowly and with control, return to the starting position and repeat.

24 Hour Fitness. "Brain Training - Single Leg Squat to Overhead Press | 24 Hour Fitness." YouTube, Published on Feb 8, 2017.

BT Eats: Healthiest Spices and How to Add Them to Your Meals

Holiday season is upon us and we are all watching calories, here are 11 healthiest spices for flavorful and healthy meals:

1. CINNAMON
Cinnamon is a nutritional powerhouse. It contains iron, calcium and manganese and is loaded with antioxidants and health benefits.

2. CARDAMOM
Cardamom has a long history as a stomach soother. According to Ayurvedic medicine, it counters acidity and makes fatty foods more digestible.

3. Fennel
Sweet fennel bulbs are a good source of vitamin C, regular consumption as a good way to support a healthy immune system. 

4.  CAYENNE PEPPER
Cayenne pepper is known for its pain-relieving properties, but studies also suggest it may aid weight loss. 

5.  TURMERIC
This bright orange-yellow spice contains the antioxidant curcumin. Curcumin can suppress the gene implicated in the development and progression of breast cancer by improving the efficacy of chemotherapy medications and reducing drug resistance.

6.  CLOVES
The clove is a powerful spice loaded with antioxidants, it is the highest in antioxidants compared to other common herbs and spices.

7.  GINGER
Call it the wonder spice. Ginger has many compounds, including gingerol. Ginger has been used for the treatment of colds, gastrointestinal problems and motion sickness. Studies have also shown that ginger may protect our tissues and organs from oxidative damage and prevent cancer growth.

8.  NUTMEG
Nutmeg may help you make fewer trips to the dentist. Nutmeg may relieve digestive problems such as indigestion and gas. 

9.  SAFFRON
This spice may be a natural antidepressant, it offers mood-boosting effects and relief from PMS symptoms.

10.  GARLIC
A growing body of scientific research confirms garlic’s reputation for benefiting the cardiovascular system, lowering cholesterol, reducing blood clots and preventing platelet aggregation.

11.  CUMIN
Cumin is a good source of iron and shows potential to lower blood glucose. Cumin has antibacterial properties, and has been found effective in killing bacteria linked with stomach ulcers.

To read the full article please click the link below.

BT Health: Antibiotic, Yea or Nay?

Cold and flu season is on us in a big way. Hopefully you have been lucky but lots of people are getting sick.

If you are sick, how do you know when you need an antibiotic? This is an important question especially now during cold and flu season.

Antibiotics are used in many cases in which they are not helpful. This can lead to digestive side effects, more frequent infections, and even more severe side effects.  At the same time, you wouldn’t want to ignore a bacterial infection and be sick longer than necessary.

How can you tell if an infection is viral or bacterial?

Think about four areas in which you can have symptoms:

• Lungs – productive cough, sense of pressure
• Throat – pain and burning
• Sinuses – pressure, pain, congestion, runny nose
• Ears – pressure, pain

Many find this the opposite of what they would expect, but the more places in which you have symptoms the more likely you are to have a viral infection.

The most common combination would be a cough, sore throat, and a runny nose. In almost all cases, that’s a virus. To read the full article, please click on the link below.

BT Health: Boosting recovery

Listening to your body when it needs a break. Simple solutions to getting back on track nutrition, supplements and listening to your body.

Think of training like making withdrawals from a “body bank account.” The more intense the training, the bigger the withdrawal.

Training stress can also combine with other life stressors — such as work, relationships, family, financial or other demands.

Rest and recovery is a deposit into that bank account. And hopefully, you’re putting in a good — and regular — salary of purposeful rest and recovery protocols.

Otherwise, you risk overtraining and over-reaching, i.e. “deficit spending.”

Where should I start?

Step 1: Pay attention. Symptoms sound familiar? That’s okay.

Awareness is the first step in targeting the problem. Consider a symptom diary where you track how you feel — even a few notes in the margin of your workout journal can help you see trends.

Step 2: Do the basics, consistently

The second step is to immediately reinforce your existing good habits. This includes:

• getting enough quality sleep

• getting enough quality nutrients

• actively chasing rest and recovery protocols

Usually, following this “fundamentals first” prescription for a few days – and then committing to maintaining it – will improve your symptoms.

Remember that supplements are supplemental — an addition to the fundamentals.

If you insist on killing yourself in the gym despite your body’s plaintive cries to stop, a supplement probably won’t prevent further damage.

So help the supplements do their job by getting the rest and recovery basics down first. Supplements won’t fix stubbornness.

Step 3: Supplement wisely

However, if you’ve tried the basic rest and recovery strategies consistently for several weeks and you’re still constantly dragging, consider supplementing.

Click on the following link to read more about common problems and their supplemental solutions.

BT Health: Stay Hydrated

it's about listening to your body when it needs fluid. No one is the same. Everyone requires different amounts liquids depending on lifestyle, gender, age, and exercise.

"Every single cell in your body needs fluid to function properly," says Angie Eakin, MD, a family medicine physician at Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Here are 6 Big Myths About Hydration, click on the link below to read more.

BT Fitness: Race Walking vs. Power Walking

Something as simple as a daily brisk walk can help you live a healthier life. For example, regular brisk walking can help you: Maintain a healthy weight. Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.

Race Walking

Race walking is an international Olympic sport with specific rules ensuring it's done properly. According to United States of America Track and Field, which oversees race walking in the United States, "Race walking is a progression of steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground so that no visible loss of contact occurs." Race walkers are judged in competition to make sure one of their two feet remains touching the ground at all times and to ensure they don't lapse into running.

Power Walking

Power walking, also known as fitness walking and health walking, is slower and not as rigorous as race walking. It's embraced by many people as an effective and easy method for losing weight and staying in good shape. Unlike going for a stroll, power walking involves swinging your arms in an exaggerated back and forth motion in rhythm to your steps, taking long strides and hitting the ground with your heel first as you propel yourself forward as quickly as possible.

Calories

You can measure the different intensities of power walking and race walking by the number of calories each exercise burns. According to the calorie calculator at NurtriStrategy.com, if you weigh 155 pounds, walking at a brisk, power walk pace of 3.5 miles per hour burns 267 calories per hour. If you step up that pace into the more intense power walking zone of 4 mph, you'll be burning 352 calories per hour. If you turn that into a race walk -- which can be more than 8 mph for world record holders -- you'll burn 457 calories per hour.

BT Eats: Dr. Alan Christianson's Healthy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are a great way to get good protein in and light enough for a lunch or dinner. This is a copycat recipe for many different unhealthier versions you can find at chain restaurants. Remember when eating healthy, you can always make alternative to your favorite “comfort” foods. Just add cooked rice and enjoy!

Sauce Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup Eden brand gluten free teriyaki sauce

• ⅔ cup water

• 1 tablespoon xylitol

• ½ teaspoon ground mustard

• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic

• ½ teaspoon onion powder

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

• 1½ tablespoons sweet chili sauce

For Lettuce Wraps:

• 1 cup finely chopped carrots

• 1 cup chopped celery

• 1 cup chopped mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• Sea salt

• pepper

• 1 lb organic lean ground turkey

• 3 stalks green onions

• 12-16 butter or iceberg lettuce cups

• 2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Begin making sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat slightly above medium heat until mixture comes to a low boil. Stir constantly for 4 minutes to thicken. Remove from heat.

2. To make turkey filling, prepare veggies by chopping carrots, celery, mushrooms, and green onions.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large saucepan/skillet over slightly above medium heat. Once pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, add all veggies but green onions. Stir to coat with oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Saute veggies for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.

4. Add turkey to veggie mixture. Break up turkey with a spatula. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add green onions. Cook ground turkey until cooked through and no longer any traces of pink, about 5-6 minutes.

5. Drain any liquid from turkey mixture. While mixture is still warm, spoon about ½ cup of sauce over turkey. Stir to coat all mixture. Add additional sauce to mixture as desired.

6. Serve by adding cooked brown rice and turkey mixture into lettuce cups and serve with remaining sauce for drizzling.

BT Health: Protein Portions, Intake & Timing

Protein is always a hot topic. Carbs have been demonized. Fat has been on the chopping block. But protein? It earns a health halo, often connected to everything from weight loss to muscle gains. Maybe this is for good reason. After all, researchers and protein experts around the world are investigating protein’s optimal role in aging and satiety across the lifespan. Yet that doesn’t mean our diets get protein right. Researchers find we’re eating too much protein at the wrong times—and not enough at the right times. Namely, we need more high-quality protein at breakfast and less protein at dinner, the research suggests (Mamerow et al. 2014).

Click on the Source Link below to read the full article. A good article on protein. This can give you an idea of what might work for you individually.

BT Health: What are the healthy fats?

Fat plays an essential role in our diets and health, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids. These include the much talked about omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Let's take a look at these essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), what they are and where to find them.

Understanding the roles of fat, and which fats to choose, can help you and your clients avoid a fear of dietary fat, which is essential for our health and serves several important functions within the body. These include:

• Energy (providing 9 calories per gram of fat, energy storage)
• Protection (surrounding vital organs, protecting them and helping to keep in place)
• Thermoregulation (insulating from environmental temperatures)
• Nutrient transport (regulation and excretion of nutrients in the cells– carrying vitamins A,D,E & K)
• Stomach emptying regulation (slows stomach’s hydrochloric acid secretion)
• Hormone synthesis (precursor)
• Satiety and palatability (initiate release of cholecystokinin (CCK) which contributes to satiety)
• Cell membrane (structure and function)

Click on the Source Link below to read the full article. It's a good read when you're not sure about what healthy fats are.

BT Health: A Summertime Classic - Tofu Ceviche

A good summertime classic with a little twist for vegetarians. I'm not a vegetarian and ceviche is one of my favorites. I would definitely give this a try.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds firm tofu
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic, from 1 clove
• 1 bunch radishes, sliced or chopped
• 1 cucumber, sliced or chopped
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Cut tofu into small cubes. In a large bowl, put vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp. salt and 1 cup water. Whisk to combine, then add scallions, garlic and tofu; toss gently to coat with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 days.

2. Drain tofu mixture, reserving pickling liquid. In a separate large bowl, put tofu mixture and add radishes, cucumber and avocado.

3. Toss ceviche with 2 Tbsp. of reserved pickling liquid, plus oil and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more pickling liquid if desired. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.