Health tip for week Nov 23rd

I know I discussed the importance of using Kettlebells in my prior blogs, but for this week’s blog I will like to share my experience and the tips I learn from this past weekend’s advance Kettlebell certification.  The class was intense and not to mention we all had to pass a fitness test which was hard.  You get to choose the weight of Kettlebell you want to use for the test.  Once determine which weight, there are certain reps you must perform.  I chose 8 kg Kettlebell because I had a lasik eye surgery 2 days ago and I didn’t want to go hard.  So I had to do 65 jerks (both arms) and 75 snatch each arm.

While performing the test, the key was breathing.  A continuous breathing not only help me finish the reps, but it kept me from getting tired too fast, staying focus and keeping my heart rate steady.  Keeping my heart rate normal was important for me because of my eye surgery.  I needed to maintain my blood pressure normal.

Another thing I learned is that technique was critical.  If I didn’t have the right technique, I would not have completed the fitness test in the proper timing.  Bad technique will fatigue you faster and not to mention, all the bruises you will get in your arms and your wrists/hands will give out after few reps.

Kettlebell is a great tool for conditioning.   I recommend everybody to at least try it.  Please, get an instructor to show you how to use them correctly. Proper technique is not only critical but will make it a more enjoyable experience.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Health tip for week Nov 15th

Hi everybody-

First, I want to apologize for not able to write a health tip last week.  There were too many things going on my personal life and at work.  For those who didn’t read the newsletter, we are remodeling the gym so part of the gym was in construction last week.  It is almost done and coming together nicely very soon. I will have photos to share soon.

Ok. So this week’s health tip is to discuss “FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE”. What is exactly functional medicine?

I attended a seminar in San Diego this past weekend and it was about Functional Medicine and Clinical Testing.  My gym offers this service and so I decided to attend the seminar to learn more about it.  Not many people know what this is. I never heard of it until I met my husband.  Functional Medicine is really traditional medicine where you treat the causes and not the symptoms.  Modern and conventional medicine has been about treating the symptoms and illness.  Functional medicine goes more in depth and beyond the symptoms to determine what is causing that person to be sick and/or to have symptoms.  By treating the cause, you cure or eliminate the symptoms.

It is really a very simple concept that most doctors missed.  How often do you go to the doctor and tell them that you can’t sleep to simply learn that your doctor prescribes you ambient or some other  sleeping medication?  How about doctors prescribing you antibiotics for an infection or some sort of pain killers for headaches or any pain?  Have they ever told you what is causing the headaches, why you are always tired, why can’t you lose weight, etc……?

What makes functional medicine even more unique and better is that the doctors look for nutrition and diet as first choice to cure the causes, natural supplements as second choice and use prescription drugs as last resort.  It is all about having/maintaining a long-term good health and illness prevention.

Here are some real cases discussed over the seminar:

• Using specific amino acids can cure depression and bio-polar.
• Fixing a person’s thyroid helps lose 20 lbs in weight, something that person struggles for years.
• A 35-year old girl was prescribed medication for rheumatoid arthritis.  By repairing her GI tract, she came off from the medication and was back to be 95% before she got arthritis.
• Giving fatty acids along with minerals and vitamins reduced inflammation and cure many auto-immune illness.

It is amazing how a clinical testing can give you so much information about your health.  By simply fixing and improving your amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids deficiencies, you can get rid of most of your symptoms and illness.   Repairing adrenals, thyroids and GI tract will improve your health by at least 70%.  All of our clients who went through our functional medicine have had a whole lifestyle change for the better and are much happier and healthier.  All of our clients don’t want to go back to their all old bad habits because they notice how well they feel now and what a difference it has made in their lives.

If you are interesting in learning more about this service, please don’t hesitate to contact us at afperformancecenter@gmail.com or google it. There are lots of information online about functional medicine.  Please, spread the word about this method as I strongly believe this is the way medicine should be.  And all doctors should practice this.

Health tip for week Nov 1st

Standing cobra exercise:  A great exercise to help you stand up straight.

Standing cobra works all of your back muscles.  Most people who sit for long hours are likely to have a upper cross syndrome or a round back with arms/shoulders forward and head forward.  This exercise helps strengthen your back muscles so you can stand up straight without forcing it or thinking about it.

This is how it works:

1) Make sure you have a resistance band with handles.  Hang it somewhere high.  I usually tell my clients to hang up on top of any door and close it so it will be jammed in the door.

2) Grab the handles or if you have a correction band like in the video, have your palms inside the band.  Open up the hands behind your shoulder and round your shoulders back and keep shoulder down.

3) Squeeze your shoulder blades together, and open the chest up.  And hold for 30 seconds, relax and repeat 3 x.

4) Make sure you stand up straight.  Don’t use your body to hold the position.  Use your arms to bring the band next to or behind your body.  And make sure you don’t arch your back (in other words, stick your butt out too much), don’t want to feel it on your lower back.

Thanks and watch the video to get a better idea.  Email me if you have any questions, afperformancecenter@gmail.com