December 2008 Newsletter

An Inspirational Quote

Mahatma Gandhi

1 Hour, 3 Days A Week Can Change Your Life
by Nina Lynn, nina@totalfitness.net

Are you one of those people who believe that you need to exercise until you're exhausted, for hours on end, five days a week, to get any benefits? Well, I have good news for you. It doesn't take that much exercise to improve your health and quality of life. A consistent one-hour, three days a week of weight resistance and cardiovascular training can literally change your life.

As a health club owner, my members are always telling me about their improved health and vitality from a basic three-day a week routine.

Here's what I hear: "My doctor is thrilled with my blood work, all my numbers improved!" "My cholesterol dropped and all I did was stick to my exercise plan." "My wife is relieved because I finally got my diabetes under control, and I feel so much better. If I miss a week my blood sugar goes sky high and she makes sure I get back to the gym." "Before I started working out I never had any energy, now I feel ten years younger!" I hear all of this from folks who exercise moderately for just one hour, three days a week.

Here's what I mean. You may think you need to run to burn off those extra holiday calories, but you may be putting yourself under unnecessary stress that equates to advanced aging when walking is easier on the joints, and actually provides greater general health benefits without the wear and tear on the body. And rather than an hour, twenty to thirty minutes is enough to keep your heart rate elevated and improve the functioning of your cardiovascular system.

What will it do for you? It makes your heart work a little harder so that it stays strong. It moves the lymph in your lymphatics, cleansing and healing them. It increases the amount of oxygen you take in and circulate in your blood, while increasing blood flow itself. It strengthens your muscles, joints and bones.

Also, you don't have to do aerobic exercise to get aerobic benefits. This has been proven by numerous scientific studies and discussed repeatedly in the episodes of Total Fitness radio show. You DO breathe when you lift weights. Your heart rate increases, as does your respiration. Research has shown that moderate weight training can strengthen the heart, slow the resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase lung capacity, and facilitate weight loss. In fact, a well paced workout with weights (with 1-2 minutes between sets, not 5-10 minutes), three times a week, will actually burn more calories in a week than running a half hour four times a week.

How is that possible? When you stop running, your muscles stop burning calories, but when you work your muscles with weight resistance, especially large muscle groups as with squats or lunges, those muscles continue to burn calories for two to three days while they rebuild, and your metabolism increases as a result. This type of workout also trains the body to better DEAL with stress, rather than PUTTING you into stress the way running can do.

I have come to realize that feeding yourself right is one of life's basic skills that must be mastered - like balancing your checkbook, making a financial plan or discovering your true job talents. If you fail to plan to succeed, you set yourself up for a long list of various failures.

So, if you have been thinking you could never exercise enough to make a difference in your health, think again. A consistent routine of one hour of combined cardiovascular and resistance training three times a week could make a difference in the way you look and feel that will astound you. The important thing is being CONSISTENT. It is the consistent pattern of making exercise a part of your weekly schedule that will improve the quality of your life in the long run.

Ask a Total Fitness Practitioner near you to get you started. If you live in Atlanta you can workout with Catherine in her facility. If you live in Palm Coast, Florida you can workout at my club, Alpha Gym. If you are in Phoenix, Paula can be your personal trainer. Find us all at totalfitness.net. Wherever you live, make a plan, stick with it and enjoy the results.

Are Vegetarians Happy?
by James Williams, James@totalfitness.net

Despite vegetarianism's popularity, scientific observations within the last 10 years have cast doubts on its alleged plethora of health benefits.

Experiments looking at vegetarianism and mental health typically use self-report questionnaires to determine a participant's level of psychological well-being. This process relies on the participant being honest and in touch with their feelings and their body.

During the past 10 years, researchers have noticed that adolescent women are more likely to adopt a vegetarian diet than men (Lindeman, 2001) and choose this way of life for "spiritual reasons" or to be "healthy." Compared with omnivorous teenage females, vegetarian teenage women have been found by numerous researchers to have poorer health (Larsson et al., 2002; Neumark-Sztainer et al., 1997; Perry et al., 2001). On a more serious note, vegetarianism is also used by some women to regulate their body weight, a process which can progress to life-threatening eating disorders.

Does science know the precise impact of a vegetarian diet on mental and emotional health? Rather than suggesting a cause and effect relationship between the two, scientists have noticed a correlation among them. For example, vegetarians are very concerned about being slim (Martins and Pliner, 1999; Worsley and Skrzypiec, 1997), show distinct signs of eating disorders (Cooper et al., 1985; Lindeman et al., 2000; Worsley and Skrzypiec, 1997) and are two to three times more likely to attempt self-harm (Perry et al., 2002) than omnivores or semi-vegetarians (who eat fish but no meat).

Baines, Powers, and Brown (2005) noticed that depression and anxiety was more prevalent among vegetarians and semi-vegetarians than omnivores. They used the questionnaire responses of 9,113 Australian women aged between 22 and 27 to reveal that the mental and emotional health of omnivores was best.

It's important to recognize that your brain chemistry is made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and that your neurons require good fat, including omega 3 fatty acids. Here at Total Fitness, we do lab tests that ascertain amino acid deficiencies and recommend appropriate steps to correct these problems when we find them, including eating meat, taking protein shakes when necessary and even personalized custom-formulated amino acid compounds in cases of extreme deficiency. We have found that it is very common for our vegetarian clients to show up severely deficient in the amino acids they need to build the brain chemistry necessary to be calm, happy and think clearly.

Vegetarians also reported regular constipation, symptoms of anaemia, and the most menstrual discomfort in numerous scientific studies. The latter has also been observed by Griffith and Omar (2003); Barr, (1999); and Pedersen et al., (1991). The Australian women who ate no meat also also reported more sleeplessness and took the most antidepressant medications. A Scandinavian study with 2,041 participants reported that people who ate little meat had the most symptoms of depression, tiredness, and headaches (Larsson et al, 2002).

More specific personality characteristics have also been observed among vegetarians. These include maturity fears, feelings of ineffectiveness, and interpersonal distrust (Lindeman et al., 2000). Reduced self-esteem and body-image problems have been observed by Polivy and Herman (1987) and Szmukler et al., (1995). Vegetarians' questionnaire responses indicated to Lindeman (2002) that they perceived the world as less controllable, were less likely to believe there was goodwill, experienced lower self-worth, and felt there was less justice compared with omnivores or semi-vegetarians.

Overall, studies have commented that vegetarian women display "enhanced emotional distress" (Cooper et al., 1985; Lindeman et al., 2000' Worsley and Skrzypiec, 1997) and have "considerably poorer" mental health (Baines, Powers, and Brown, 2005) compared with omnivorous females.

Even though these results seem to speak very clearly, it's essential to consider the participants' beliefs, work/rest time ratio, and their sleeping, exercise, and hydration habits. In addition to nutrition, each of these factors plays a part in determining a person's health and happiness. In our practice, female vegetarian clients have exhibited many of the emotional characteristics and physical health problems found by researchers and overall they have not been the happiest of clients when they first come to see us. Their willingness to incorporate meat into their diet is the beginning of their improved mood and more sustained energy levels.

We at Total Fitness recommend an omnivorous diet for women and men who are free of serious health conditions because our clients report feeling happier, healthier and leaner.

If you would like the references for this article, please email James Williams.

The Truth About Soy
by Paula Owens, Paula@TotalFitness.net

When it comes to soy, much of what we read and hear about comes from the people who market it. Before you mix up a soy shake, snack on a soy protein bar or pour yourself a glass of soy milk, we at Total Fitness encourage you to question whether or not you are actually doing yourself a favor. Consider the following:

• Soy plays havoc with your immune system.


• The digestive tracts of many people are irritated by soy.


• Soy is an anti-nutrient with high levels of phytic acid that reduces assimilation of minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. High phytate diets cause growth problems in children.


• Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals, soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.


• Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and contributes to infertility. Additionally, in Japan, when housewives want to decrease the virility of their husbands, typically they give them soy products.


• Soy promotes breast cancer in adult women. Tumors that require large amounts of estrogen can feed off of the phytoestrogens in the soy.


• Soy inhibits your thyroid causing increased thyroid damage and disorders, especially in women. Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.


• Soy is extremely toxic to infants. All infants should be fed breast milk the first year of life. The best substitute after breast milk is raw goat's milk. Soy formula should never be considered because soy-based formulas are high in phytoestrogens and other anti-nutrients. Bottom line, feeding an infant soy formula is comparable to giving the baby five birth control pills worth of estrogen every day! For girls, this can cause premature development such as breast buds, pubic hair and even menstruation before age eight. In boys, this can retard sexual development and even cause learning disabilities.


• Soy shrinks your brain. In a major ongoing study involving 3,734 elderly Japanese-American men, those who ate the most tofu during midlife had up to 2.4 times the risk of later developing Alzheimer's disease.


• Soy contains phytoestrogens, which may increase your risk of dementia. However, tempeh, a fermented soy product made from the whole soy bean, has been associated with better memory. This could be related to the fact that it contains high levels of the vitamin folate, which is known to reduce dementia risk.


• Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase your body's requirement for B12.


• Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D and calcium. Consumption of soy is not ideal for bone health.


• Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.


• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.


• MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods. Rats consuming MSG do not lose weight no matter how much exercise they actually do.


• Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to your nervous system and your kidneys.

Paula Owens on TV
by Catherine Carrigan, catherine@totalfitness.net

On October 28th, abc15 Sonoran Living interviewed Paula Owens about her book, The Power of 4. To view this four minute segment, click on the link below or visit Sonoran Living

Paula's new book would be a great gift for yourself or someone else who is searching to find out what will really work to become fit and healthy. Purchase a copy of The Power of 4.

A Tasty Recipe!

Stuffed Mushrooms by Lee Townsend.

• 2 cups gluten-free bread toasted
• ¾ cup grated provolone cheese
• 1 large egg beaten
• ¼ cup parsley
• ¼ cup basil
• ¼ cup green onions
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 18 large button mushrooms

What's Special About This Recipe?

1. This is a great gluten-free appetizer you can make for your holiday entertaining.
2. Phytonutrients found in cancer have been the subject of anti-cancer research.
3. Mushrooms are high in vitamins B2, B5 and B3 as well as selenium and copper and zinc.
4. Mushrooms may help prevent breast cancer by preventing circulating levels of estrogen from becoming excessive.
5. Mushrooms contain a powerful antioxidant, L-Ergothioneine.

Talks & Seminars

U.S. Talks with Catherine Carrigan:

Join Catherine Carrigan, president of Total Fitness, for two talks in January about "The Four Steps To Total Fitness."

Join us on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m., as she speaks to the Debutantes of G.R.A.C.E. at the United House of Prayer for All People at 2719 Third Avenue in Atlanta in the church social hall. This is the second year of the church program to empower young women from across Atlanta.

Join us also on Monday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. as Catherine speaks to the Women's Guild of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. The talk will be held at Holy Spirit School Hall.

Both talks are free and open to the public. If you would like to attend either talk, please email Catherine@TotalFitness.net.

U.S. Seminar with Paula Owens:

Title: The 10 Day Detox Challenge Seminar - Revitalize Your Mind and Body with this Safe and Effective Life-Enhancing Program.

Date & Time: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 9AM to 12 Noon.

Location: Chandler Police Station (Neilson Room) 251 N. Desert Breeze, Chandler, AZ.

Tuition: Just $59!

Sign up before January 1st and bring a friend for FREE!

For more information visit Paula's website and sign-up NOW!

Additional information is available from Paula at 480.706.1158 or email Paula.

U.S. Seminar with Sue Maes:

Mar. 30 - Apr. 3: Soul Enhancement. This is Sue' Maes newest course!! This five day course will blow your resistance right out of the way from becoming all you choose to be! You will enhance your spiritual light.

Experience:

• Reach a higher level of consciousness
• Accessing your intuitions
• Clearing your energy fields
• Raising your vibration
• Your personal gifts
• Develop Clairvoyance, Clairaudient & Psychometry
• Self testing
• Chakra Healing
• Spirit Guides
• Many Spiritual Techniques
• Clearing techniques to enhance your spiritual path
• Clearing your karma levels
• Seeing Aura's

Receive a comprehensive manual that you will be able to work from after on yourself or others.

Cost: $1200 with a $200 non-refundable deposit due no later than March 1, 2009

Location: Atlanta, Ga.: see location map

For more information, please contact Catherine@totalfitness.net or call 404-350-8581

Jan. 16-19: Healthy Body Class. One week course that teaches you how to "turn on" the organs in your body allowing the body to move toward better health. It utilizes techniques to improve and reset the out things that are out of balance. $800 Canadian

For more information on how to sign up please visit Sue's website or contact her at sue@totalfitness.net or call 519-471-1174.

Upcoming Dog Walks With Qi Gong

Join Meredith Minkin, ace dog trainer, and Catherine Carrigan, ace people trainer, for two upcoming dog-people adventures in January. We will hike with our dogs, practice behavior drills and follow up with a qi gong class at one of Atlanta's beautiful nature preserves.

The cost is $15, which goes to Meredith Minkin. To sign up, please email merminkin@yahoo.com Dates: Saturday Jan. 3 and Saturday Jan. 17 Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a great way to get fun exercise in the outdoors, practice behavior drills with your dog and make new friends.

Useful New Web Resource!

Now you can get daily online news of the most useful developments in fitness, nutrition, health, and motivation. This high-quality resource is named Evolve and is written by our very own James Williams.

Evolve features a short, easy-to read daily report of a key media or journal article relating to how you can live a healthy and happy life. With Evolve, you can also interact with other people around the world by sharing relevant comments, thoughts, and ideas to the topics posted. Plus, Evolve gives you free healthy living tips and fresh comment.

You'll love your daily dose of Evolve because it keeps you informed. Every day, Evolve helps you to discover what's new and gives you information that can enhance the quality of your life. You can either sign-up to receive Evolve in your mailbox daily, using the yellow box in the top left corner of this page, or visit Evolve.choseit.com when you want to catch-up on the latest news.

You can visit Evolve right now and start participating in this exciting new resource!

Yoga and Qi Gong Classes in Atlanta

Yoga Classes: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
4465 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA.
$15 per class or $65 per calendar month.

Yoga class will be moving in January to a nearby location at 4820 Long Island Drive due to construction at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. View the directions and map on our website: Yoga Location.

Qi Gong Class: Every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
1951 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA. $15 per class.

You can purchase a hand-made necklace by Catherine Carrigan to benefit the Atlanta Pet Rescue. The shelter reports that due to the economy, they are seeing a 67 percent increase in the number of abandoned pets while their donations have decreased 42 percent. Whether you need something for Christmas, a birthday present, or jewelry for a special occasion, email Catherine@TotalFitness.net to purchase something that will take care of homeless dogs and cats. To find out more, visit Atlanta Pet Rescue.

Create Your Wellness Plan

To schedule an appointment to find out about a personalized fitness, nutrition or healing program that will help you get results, please contact us:

In Atlanta

Catherine Carrigan catherine@totalfitness.net, Phone: 404-350-8581

James Williams james@totalfitness.net , Phone: 404-350-8581

In Los Angeles

Nina Lynn nina@totalfitness.net

In Phoenix

Paula Owen paula@totalfitness.net, Phone: 480-706-1158

In London, Ontario, Canada

Sue Maes sue@totalfitness.net, Phone: 519-471-1174

You can also visit us on the web at www.totalfitness.net