Fitness & Wellness

Foods That Are Good For Your Gut

Foods That Are Good For Your Gut

Published by on February 24, 2021 | Leave a response

It’s important to make sure you have good gut health. It affects all parts of your body. Eating the right foods can be good for your gut. While gut health is important, it’s often overlooked and one of the most ignored areas of health. What does it take to improve your gut health? It starts with a healthy diet that contains foods with both soluble and insoluble fiber, low or no added sugar and even some probiotic foods, such as yogurt or kim chi. Exercise also promotes gut health.

It’s all about having the right balance of healthy bacteria.

Food with soluble fiber is ultimately important for gut health. Soluble fiber mixes with water to create a gel-like substance. This substance leaves the small intestine, where it goes to the large intestines. It becomes short-chain fatty acids through fermentation, which feeds the healthy bacteria. Good bacteria boosts your immune system, helps your brain, aids in digestion, helps weight loss and provides many other benefits. Some people believe that good health starts in the gut.

Some foods benefit gut health and others make it worse.

When you think of gut health, always consider the health of the microbes. There are as many as 1000 different types of microbes, with 30 to 40 being the most prominent. You have trillions of microbes throughout your body and eating to encourage ones that make you healthier is the goal. Fiber is one of the things you can eat to do that. Foods high in soluble fiber that feed the microbes include oats, nuts, seed, beans, apples and berries. Eating food high in sugar encourages unhealthy bacteria to grow, killing the healthy ones.

Other food that boosts gut health include fermented food.

Eating fermented food, like kimchi, sauerkraut, live culture yogurt and kifir can help improve your gut health. They provide healthy bacteria to boost your digestion and healthy microbes. These are probiotics and soluble fiber that feeds the healthy bacteria is a prebiotic. Some foods that are prebiotic are asparagus, bananas, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke and dandelion greens.

  • While antibiotics may be important for your body if you have an infection, they can also kill friendly bacteria in your gut and cause digestive problems. Always eat probiotic food if you’re taking an antibiotic.
  • Whole foods are better for gut health than processed food. Whole foods tend to have more fiber. Organic food is also healthier because it doesn’t have chemicals that can prove toxic to your body and gut health.
  • Good gut health can help you lose weight. Studies show that the good bacteria influence how foods are digested, can reduce inflammation that contributes to weight gain and trigger the production of chemicals that increase the satiety hormone so you eat less.
  • While sugar isn’t good for gut health, neither are artificial sweeteners. They reduce the beneficial bacteria in the intestines, which can cause diarrhea. Trans fats and unhealthy fats also are bad for gut health.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
Is Dairy Good For You?

Is Dairy Good For You?

Published by on February 10, 2021 | Leave a response

Some of my personal training clients at One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA, ask many questions about a healthy diet, which is important for good health. One reoccurring question is whether dairy is good for you and a healthy option. There’s a lot of controversy, which leads to one “expert” touting the benefits of dairy, while another demonizes it.

There’s many different types of dairy.

Not all dairy products are the same. Some dairy from grass-fed cows is better for you than the dairy from the factory farms. Some people tout the benefits of raw milk over pasteurized milk, while history shows that it has more potential for diseases, such as listeria, a disease that has a 30% mortality rate and found more often in raw milk. You also have low-fat, no fat and full fat options. You certainly wouldn’t class ice cream as being as healthy as plain milk, either. There’s also dairy, such as yogurt, that has added benefits.

Do you feel bloated and gassy after eating dairy?

If you bloat up like a balloon and have gas that could be weaponized, you may be lactose intolerant. Lactose is a milk sugar and it’s digested in the small intestine with an enzyme called lactase. If you don’t have enough enzymes to digest it, it goes to the large colon where it ferments and causes bloating, diarrhea, gas, cramping, nausea and in some cases frequent colds and skin rashes. According to some theories, the frequent colds come from acid reflux caused by the lactose intolerance.

Milk is a good source of nutrition.

There are also benefits of milk, particularly nutritional content. It offers 18 of the 22 essential nutrients and is high in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc. It’s high in protein and contains vitamins A, B-12, B-6, E, K, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and folate. It can improve blood sugar levels and may be good for teeth and bones.

  • Lactose intolerance tends to occur as people age and is more prevalent in some races and nationalities. East Asians are between 90-100% lactose intolerant, which native Americans 80-100%, Central Asians 80%, African Americans 75%, Africans, 70-90%, Indian 70%, Southern French 65% and etc.
  • Full fat milk and milk products, such as yogurt, help make you feel full and stay full longer. That makes full fat Greek yogurt a good option for weight loss. Avoid low fat types, since they often add sugar to improve flavor.
  • One study, called the Nurses Health Study, shows it might actually increase the potential for fracture by 50% and that all countries with low rates of osteoporosis also have low milk consumption. Other studies show it helped improve bone and dental health.
  • Milk from cows that are grass fed has benefits that make it heart healthy. There’s also more healthy fat and nutrients in the milk.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?

How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?

Published by on January 25, 2021 | Leave a response

At One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA, we focus on eating healthy and working out. When you’re eating health, especially when you’re trying to build muscle tissue, you need extra protein, but how much protein do you need? Before going into that, let’s look at what protein actually does for the body. Protein is made of amino acids and when digested, breaks down to the original amino acids. These amino acids are necessary for various biological reactions in the form of enzymes. They’re also part of the hormonal system, provide energy, build connective tissue, maintain the body’s pH, are part of the immune system, help balance fluid, store nutrients and help build body tissue.

There are various diets that modify the amount of protein you consume.

Diets are often divided into the macronutrients, with the most common suggesting 45 to 65 percent of calories eaten should be from carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent of those calories from protein and the rest, 20 to 35 percent from fat. Increasing the protein in your diet can actually help you lose weight, since it keeps you full longer, so you don’t eat as much. The Dietary Reference Intake—DRI—suggest that 0.36 grams per pound of body weight is necessary.

The amount you need is also determined by sex and activity level.

Besides using body weight, your sex and how active you are makes a difference in the amount of protein you need. Men need more protein than women, since they have more muscle mass. Sedentary people need less protein than active people and far less protein than athletes or extremely active non-athletes. While the required daily allowance of protein comes to approximately 10% of the total daily calories and the American public consumes about 16%, most professionals are now leaning toward a higher amount, especially in seniors, to help preserve muscle strength and keep the body leaner.

Some diets, like the keto diet, include more protein than the average American diet.

Low carb, high protein diets like the keto diet has most the calories—75%—derived from fat, with 20% of the calories from protein and only 5% from carbs may help the body in a number of ways. It can be heart healthy and help you lose weight, but not because of the protein per se, but because of fewer carbs. You can get too much protein, which can affect your kidneys, increased risk of cancer, problems with liver functioning, bone disorders and artery disease.

  • It’s considered unhealthy to eat too much protein over a long period. Too much protein would be about 0.9 grams per pound of body weight for the average person. That’s quite a bit when you consider a 16-oz rib eye has 7 grams of protein.
  • If you’re going on a high protein diet, always consult your doctor first to make sure it’s a healthy option for you. Most studies show that eating as much as 3 grams of kilogram of body weight are dangerous for healthy individuals.
  • The quality of the protein you eat is also important. Salmon, beans and yogurt are better for you than getting all your protein from red meat.
  • Eating protein not only makes you feel fuller longer, it also makes your metabolism higher. Consuming a form of protein with a sugary treat can also help stabilize your blood sugar and keep it stable longer.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
How Often Should I Do Cardio A Week?

How Often Should I Do Cardio A Week?

Published by on January 10, 2021 | Leave a response

If you’re just starting to workout and have heard that cardio burns tons of calories, you’ve heard right. It does. However, cardio is also good for your heart and it is recommended you do it five days a week. The amount of time you spend doing varies by the intensity of your activity. If you’re doing moderate cardio you need at least 150 minutes a week and intense cardio requires only 75 minutes. How do you tell the difference? If you can comfortably talk, but not sing while you’re working out, you’re doing moderate-intensity. If you can only say a few words without gasping for breath, it’s high intensity.

How often should you do cardio?

Most people recommend at lest three times a week if you’re doing high intensity cardio. You also need strength training and flexibility training, too. One way to include all three is to use kettlebells or opt for classes in kickboxing or other sports. Kickboxing builds strength, while also giving you a good flexibility and cardio workout.

One way to make your cardio more effective and interesting is to make it a HIIT workout.

What’s HIIT? It stands for high intensity interval training. It’s a way of exercising that gives the most cardio benefit. You can use it with any type of exercise, even walking. HIIT involves doing an exercise at top intensity for a short time, then switching to a moderate recovery intensity for as long or longer, then back to high intensity. It’s versatile enough to use with your weightlifting workout or just keep it strictly for cardio.

Our workouts before kickboxing will build your cardio endurance.

Jumping rope, jumping jacks, knee-ups and squats into front kicks or jump front kicks work your cardiovascular system. Just running up and down the stairs can be a grueling cardio workout. That’s why coaches often have players do it. Riding a stationary bike or real bike at top speed will definitely give you a cardio workout that burns calories. When you vary the speed, as in a HIIT workout, you’ll burn even more than you do at a steady state pace.

  • While cardio burns tons of calories, it burns calories from both lean muscle tissue and fat. You’re better off incorporating cardio with strength training to maintain muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism.
  • If you have joint problems, do cardio in water. It’s easy on the joints and still improves your endurance. Kettlebell swings, mountain climbers and battle ropes are also easy on the joints.
  • There’s no rule that says you can’t do more cardio than 150 minutes a week. In fact, that’s a minimum. Increase your daily activity by walking more, taking the stairs and participating in activities like dancing that are fun, while boosting your endurance.
  • You’ll love the workout you get with kickboxing. While you’re doing strength-building, flexibility training and cardio, you don’t even realize it because it’s so much fun. Come in and try it. You’ll love it and that means you’ll be more apt to stick with it.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
Are Pre-Workouts Worth It?

Are Pre-Workouts Worth It?

Published by on December 23, 2020 | Leave a response

Everything you do makes a difference when you’re trying to get into shape. What you eat, how often you workout and the type of workout you do all affect your progress, just as how much sleep you get does. Whether you’re considering your main meals, your snacks or what you consume before a workout and after is important. The latest craze has been the use of pre-workouts. Are they really beneficial or are you wasting your money? Are there any negative effects? These are all good questions to ask.

What is a pre-workout?

Pre-workouts are a relatively new product that’s promoted as the best combination of carbs and protein to consume before you workout. It contains both the micro and the macro nutrients, plus calories, to provide the energy you need to have the best possible workout to build muscle tissue faster and speed the process to reach your goals. You can get the same benefits from using a combination of food, like a peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread at a far less expensive price.

You’re paying for convenience and ease.

For years, trainers have encouraged clients to eat a combination of carbs and protein about a half hour to an hour before working out. It helps improve your workout. Some foods are easy to use, like plain yogurt and berries. While most of the benefit of a pre-workout that’s pre-made is that it’s simply easier. However, some do contain vitamins and other ingredients, such as caffeine.

If you have a physical condition, watch the ingredients.

For those who are lactose intolerant, don’t get a pre-workout whose source of protein is a milk solid or other dairy. You don’t want to face a tough workout with a belly full of gas or explosive diarrhea. That definitely won’t improve your performance. People with IBS need to avoid supplements that have carnitine, creatine, artificial sweeteners and inulin.

  • If you choose to use a commercial pre-workout, read the label. While some contain beneficial additives like B-vitamins, others contain sugar to improve the flavor and/or chemicals as preservatives. Choose wisely.
  • If you’re set on buying or trying a pre-workout, consider getting ones that offer something extra, such as nitric oxide that boosts the production of nitric acid or creatine to help build muscle tissue.
  • Be careful when you buy pre-workouts. They’re not regulated by the FDA. Check the label for a certification that says it’s approved by the NSF or Informed-Choice third party group to ensure it contains what the label says.
  • People with high blood pressure or a rapid heart rate need to be careful to avoid products with caffeine or creatine. They both increase your heart rate and blood pressure, plus they also can cause dehydration and an upset stomach.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club!

Posted in
Can You Use Kettlebells With A Bad Back?

Can You Use Kettlebells With A Bad Back?

Published by on December 10, 2020 | Leave a response

I always get a lot of questions at One Love Fit Club in Chino, CA, about the benefits and drawbacks of specific exercises for a variety of physical limitations. One specific question recently was what types of exercises were good for a bad back, and whether kettlebells could be used if you have back problems. Just like any type of exercise, it depends on how you use the kettlebells and the training you have. When I work clients in personal training, I modify all workouts to ensure they address specific needs, whether it’s building up back muscles without exacerbating pain. The same is true with kettlebells. Some workouts can’t be done if you have a back injury, while others, when done correctly can help build the muscles to relieve pain.

Learn the right technique for a start.

No matter what exercise you do, form counts. The same is true for kettlebells. Exercise, no matter what type it is, increases circulation and that helps heal muscle tissue and builds strength to prevent future pain. It’s the reason you do active recovery after working out too hard at the gym, where every muscle in your body burns. The body has an amazing ability to heal itself and exercise can help.

No matter what type of move you use with kettlebells, it’s all about form.

You’ll exacerbate pain if your technique is poor. For instance, if you have lower back pain, it will get worse if let the kettlebell pull you forward and feel your weight mostly on your toes, then adjust that move by yanking it out of that position. You need to use a relaxed position and let the kettlebell flow naturally with your body.

When you do functional training with kettlebells, you’ll strengthen your spine.

You’ll build all types of function strength, power and endurance, while increasing flexibility with the right kettlebell workout. Kettlebell workouts also strengthen your core, which is good for the back. As it builds strength, it also builds flexibility, which you need for a healthier back. The exercises work the larger muscle groups to build strength, so smaller muscles don’t have to take over, which make them more prone to injury.

  • Kettlebell training help your muscles work in synergy. Your muscles work together as one during a kettlebell workout, which transfers to daily life to provide functional fitness and prevent further injury.
  • Just like any type of exercise, when you workout with kettlebells, if you have a bad back, start out light and don’t push yourself. Trying to do too much before you strengthen the back muscles or learn the proper technique, can make things worse.
  • Before you start kettlebell workouts, I’d recommend some personal training to first strengthen the back. For instance, something as simple as wall push-ups can help relieve pain and build the muscles of the back.
  • If you’re suffering from back pain, first check with your health care provider before starting any exercise program. If you have the okay, then personal training can help you build the strength to eliminate most back pain.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club!

Posted in
Which Workouts Go Together?

Which Workouts Go Together?

Published by on November 20, 2020 | Leave a response

Are you confused about which workouts go together? If you join us at One Love Fit Club in kickboxing classes, you wouldn’t have to be. Kickboxing gives a total body workout that’s different every session. For those who prefer more traditional training or want to supplement their kickboxing, identifying the types of workouts that go together is important. You’ll get maximum benefit when you plan the workout right.

You can pair your cardio with your strength training by using HIIT workouts.

What is HIIT? It stands for high intensity interval training. It’s a way you do exercises that varies the intensity from high, driving your heart rate up, for a short time, from ten seconds to a few minutes, then gear down to a recovery intensity that allows your heart rate to slow a bit. You can combine this type of exercise with weight lifting or strength building exercises, to get both cardio and strength exercises at the same time.

Exercise the right muscle groups together to build strength.

Pairing complementary muscle groups will help you build more muscles by activating more muscle fibers. Eventually that will lead to more muscles and more strength. You shouldn’t exercise two major muscle groups in the same workout. As an example, if you work out your legs, chest or the back at the same time, you’ll drain your energy. You may get a good workout on the first muscle group, but be too exhausted to work the other group. Remember, you aren’t just working the major muscle group, you’re also working other muscles, too. If you do a chest press, you’ll work the chest, but also the triceps and shoulders.

Divide strength training into three days.

If you want to maximize your strength training, divide up your strength building workout into three days. Consider doing one day of back exercises that also focus on your biceps and abs. Skip a day, then do the chest, combined with shoulders and triceps. Skip another day and then work on legs doing hamstring, quads and calves. You’ll get the maximum strength-building benefit from your workout by doing it that way.

  • Do compound moves when you workout. Compound moves work several muscle groups at once. Squat, bench press and deadlifts are all compound exercises. Compound exercises that also compound two moves into one, such as a lunge with a bicep curl.
  • No matter how you do your workout, aim to do strength training on all muscle groups at least once a week. If you’re doing exercises that work your full body, you’ll know all the groups have been worked.
  • No matter what your strength building workout, don’t forget to warm up first. Warm up exercises can include anything from jumping jacks or jumping rope to arm swings. Cool down at the end of each exercise session. It can be as simple as walking around for five minutes.
  • Rather than trying to put together the perfect exercise program for you, why not use the expertise of our personal trainers at One Love Fitness Club, who create individual programs based on your goals and needs.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
Elliptical Workouts Vs. Treadmill

Elliptical Workouts Vs. Treadmill

Published by on November 10, 2020 | Leave a response

At One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA, we try to improve people’s fitness and also their knowledge of fitness and different types of exercises and fitness machines. One question that seems to be on the mind of clients is that if there were a competition for the best fitness machine that was elliptical workouts vs. treadmill, which one would win. First, both will give you a good cardio workout and both are far better than doing nothing. With that being said, let’s look at the differences.

What’s an elliptical machine?

If you’ve never used an elliptical trainer, sometimes called a cross trainer, it’s a device that lets you do several types of exercises. You can use it for walking, climbing, running and even for upper body exercise if it offers moving upper body parts. It provides a low impact way to workout, so it’s good for preventing injuries. Just like treadmills, they provide weight-bearing training to help maintain bone density.

Treadmills offer the advantage of strengthening your bones more than elliptical machines.

The treadmill is another classic cardio machine that people still love and look forward to using. It’s particularly good for runners who often choose it above all other types of machines in the gym. You can change the incline of your run to make it harder. While it offers more of an impact to help strengthen your bones, that can be a negative as well, since the impact can take its toll on your joints.

Which should you choose?

Consider the elliptical machine if you’re recovering from an injury or have problems with your knees or ankles. People with those situations will definitely benefit. If you’re like most people, without any special needs, why not opt for both. Getting exercise is all about mixing it up and working your body in different ways. Use a treadmill on some days and the elliptical on others for your cardio workout.

  • If you choose to use a treadmill, the best type to use to mimic the actual act of running is the non-motorized type. Your feet drag the belt backward as you push off and go forward, which is more like running outdoors.
  • While the elliptical machine may provide total body exercise as you get a great cardio workout, it also does much of the work for you, so you burn fewer calories.
  • You get less of a core rotation on an elliptical if you’re hanging onto the handles than you would on a treadmill swinging your arms. Since a small amount of the weight is put onto the railing as you do, you get less of a workout on your legs, too.
  • People have been debating which is best, the elliptical or the treadmill, for ages. The best one is the one you use and the one that’s best for your body and situation.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
Should I Mix Up My Workouts?

Should I Mix Up My Workouts?

Published by on October 21, 2020 | Leave a response

I have clients that come to One Love Fit Club in Chino Hills, CA, who ask, “Why do you provide so many different types of exercise? Is it important to mix up my workouts?” The answer is simple. Yes, it’s important and there are many good reasons to add variety to your exercise program. First, variety helps prevent boredom. If you’re going to the gym and just going through the motions because you’ve done the workout a thousand times, you’re not doing yourself a favor. You’ll actually be less motivated and not work as hard as you should to get the maximum benefits.

Plateauing can occur when you do the same workout repeatedly.

If you have been losing weight and reaching your goals, then suddenly all the progress stopped, it could be that you plateaued. When you don’t change your workout, your body becomes more efficient, meaning it burns fewer calories. That can cause a stall in your weight loss progress, which is a plateau. Varying your workout will help you get the maximum benefit from every hour you spend at the gym.

You need all types of workouts to be truly healthy.

Varying your workout should include all types of exercises. You need flexibility training, strength training, endurance training and training for balance. If you have hours of cardio, but neglect strength training, you won’t build more muscle tissue. In fact, it can actually slow the progress of weight loss, by burning lean muscle tissue. Muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does, so the more you have, the more calories you’ll burn.

Varying your workout ensures you work all muscles in all directions.

Few workouts, except with activities like kickboxing, work muscles on all planes or provide a total body workout. Most exercises focus on specific muscle groups, but don’t always work all the muscles in the group. By switching your workout or spending a few days doing alternative exercise, you’ll work all the muscles in your body on a variety of planes. It’s one reason kickboxing is so good. You don’t continuously move the same muscles.

  • Not only does varying your workout prevent boredom, it can make working out fun. People love kickboxing and often forget they’re really exercising, since it’s a sport with loads of challenge.
  • Doing the same workout repeatedly can result in injuries. Overuse injuries can be prevented by mixing things up and avoiding using the same muscles, joints and ligaments repeatedly.
  • Learning a new exercise can actually boost brain health. It helps prevent memory loss, keeps neurons firing better and develops new neural paths.
  • If you’re used to working out alone or running by yourself, maybe it’s time to get a little more social. Switching up your workout to include activities where you make new friends, adds a new aspect to fitness and can boost your motivation.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in
Exercise Can Help With Mental Health?

Exercise Can Help With Mental Health?

Published by on October 10, 2020 | Leave a response

There’s a side benefit of exercise, besides making you healthier and your body look great, exercise can help with mental health. Besides being fun, kickboxing can lift your mood physiologically. It burns off the hormones of stress and that alone can clear your mind and make you feel better. Stress hormones make changes to your body that prepare you for running or fighting. If you don’t do either, those changes remain, keeping you in a constant state of gut wrenching anxiety.

Many studies show that exercise provide an aid when you have depression or anxiety.

Not only is there interest in the topic of exercise for emotional health, many therapists are using it as an adjunct therapy for people suffering from anxiety or depression. It not only eliminates the stress hormones, it also stimulates the brain to create hormones that make you feel good. Most studies show that for anxiety and depression, getting moderate exercise just a few times a week improves the condition. It can even help eliminate the need for medication.

You’ll sleep better and sounder when you workout regularly.

If you’ve ever had a problem sleeping or burned the candle at both ends, you know how fuzzy brained you feel. Sometimes, the problem isn’t lack of sleep, but lack of quality sleep. Not only does exercise help you go to sleep faster, it also improves the quality of sleep you get. Both of those can interfere with your thought processes. Exercise can help you sleep and quality sleep can improve your mental functioning.

Working out builds brain power in other ways.

Studies show that exercise is good for your mental functioning. It increases cognitive abilities. Some studies are using exercise to help brain disease, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. It’s one reason daily exercise is so good for you as you age. Several studies show that cardio or endurance training helps with neurogenesis, which is the creation of new brain cells. It strengthens the hippocampus, also and that improves your memory.

  • Poor posture makes you look less confident. Try an experiment sometime. First, sit up straight and note how you feel, then slump and do the same. You’ll feel the difference and that difference affects how you act, look and feel.
  • Exercise increases your heart rate, which not only improves circulation, also stimulates the production of neurohormones that improve your mood and boosts your cognitive functioning.
  • Have you ever watched people waiting at a hospital for the outcome of a serious surgery on a loved one? Many tend to pace. It’s a way to help relieve anxiety. If you’re under stress, try doing exercise or simply running up and down stairs. It can take your mind off the problem and help you feel better.
  • Learning new skills can build new neural pathways in the brain and helps the brain work faster. Being social also helps. It’s one reason kickboxing is so good for both the body and the brain.

For more information, contact us today at One Love Fit Club

Posted in