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Kathie Ingram Owen ⁽⁴³⁹⁾ Red Level Author

Kathie Ingram Owen

Positive Profits

Do You Really Need a Multi-Vitamin?

Posted Friday, May 16, 2008 (1 year 189 days ago.) Viewed 190 times.

Do you really need a multivitamin and mineral supplement? Do supplements have any real benefit?

These are two questions we are asked on a daily basis at Any Body Fitness. While there are many variables involved such as past medical conditions, allergies, and other issues that need to be addressed by a medical professional before taking any supplements, the below list provides an answer for many common supplements and what they are reported to do for the body.

This is by no means a complete listing of all the vitamins and minerals that you would need to supplement your diet. This is simply an interesting list of the responsibilities of some of the vitamins and minerals.

-Vitamin A Vision, bone formation, cell membranes, and reproductive function.
-Vitamin B1 Energy production.
-Vitamin B2 Vision and cells.

-Vitamin B3 Cardiovascular system and serum cholesterol.

-Vitamin B5 Energy production and helps you handle stressful situations more easily.

-Vitamin B6 Mental clarity and immune system.

-Vitamin B12 Nerve structure and red blood cells.

-Vitamin C Joints, tissues, bones, blood vessels, as well as your body's immune.

-Vitamin D3 Healthy bones and calcium absorption.

-Calcium Nerves, tissues, cells and energy production. Also helps prevent bone loss.

-Magnesium Cardiovascular system, blood pressure, and energy production.

-Potassium Water balance, pH levels and energy production.

-Iodine Energy production, skin, nerves, and energy production.

-Zinc Immune function, joints, and tissues.

-Copper Nervous system and cell respiration.

For more information about these supplements and others, visit www.cdc.gov or www.nih.gov.

Please note that Any Body Fitness now sells Advocare products. Start shopping now!

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5 Ways to Get in Shape for the Summer

Posted Sunday, May 04, 2008 (1 year 201 days ago.) Viewed 101 times.

The first days of spring means the sun is coming out and it's time to reveal those abdominal muscles, shoulders, and arms.

For some it's a good thing, and for others there is some room for improvement. We asked the experts at the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) to tell us the 5 most powerful ways to get in shape, and stay in shape, for the upcoming summer months.

If you haven't heard of the ISSA, they are the organization that literally teaches the nation's top personal trainers how to get their clients into shape. Below is what the Technical support staff of the trainers to the personal trainers told us on how to get ready for the coming summer months:

#1. Exercise every day

– Old research said you must exercise 30 minutes a day, but the latest experts suggest this just isn't enough. What do you need to get in the best shape of your life? 60 minutes of vigorous exercise, daily.

#2. Eat 5-7 small meals per day

– Yes, you heard that right! Small frequent meals throughout the day not only levels out your blood sugar, decreasing the lows you may experience throughout the day, but eating sensibly, and often, will provide your muscles and body with the appropriate nutrition you need to get you through your entire day.

#3. Reduce your calories by 300 per day (if over daily amount)

– There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So if you cut your calories by 300 per day, times 30 days in a month, that is a 9000 calorie deficit -- approximately 2 ½ half pounds. Combine this with exercise and you are virtually guaranteed to win the fight against the fat covering up your sexy abdominal section.

#4. Consult a personal trainer

– Let's face it; personal trainers know their stuff. They train, study, and devote themselves to being a better health and fitness expert everyday. They work out everyday, eat smart, and are right in the middle of several teams of experts. If you just booked one session to ensure you are on the right track, your body will thank you for it. Not to mention your significant other.

#5. Lift weights with little to no rest between sets

– Here's the fun part. The goal here is to increase your heart rate, get vigorous exercise, and above all else, stay moving! And lifting weights is one of the best ways to do it. Not only does properly lifting weights strengthen your musculoskeletal system and help keep your bones together, but a strength training program is key in developing a sexy, strong, physically attractive body. And by not resting in between sets, you will keep your heart rate up, telling your body to burn that bodyfat!

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Some Surprising Milk Tips

Posted Monday, January 07, 2008 (1 year 319 days ago.) Viewed 135 times.

Sit down and be ready to learn some very fascinating things about milk. It really does a body good and can benefit you in ways that you may have never realized. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the following facts and now include milk in my daily diet.

#1. Milk hydrates better than water or sports drinks! According to a report from the British Journal of Nutrition. They did a study that compared milk, water or Powerade and found that the milk drinkers retained 69% fluid. In contrast water drinkers retained 36% and Powerade drinkers at 38%. The milk drinkers were almost 50% higher. The study concluded that the sodium and potassium in milk may help cells retain water better. Don't confuse this with unwanted water retention though. You really want this type of water retention after exercise (and even stress) because it enables your body to use these nutrients needed to recover.

#2. Milk contains protein and protein helps you curb your appetite. If you feel really hungry drink a glass of milk and you may just find it will curb your appetite.

#3. Milk is a great post workout tool. Not only because of fact #1 but also because milk contains a great mix of carbs and high quality protein, as well as vitamins and minerals in a super blend. Research indicates that milk has all the essential qualities needed as a post-exercise pickup. Be sure to drink your milk 30 minutes after your workout for optimum results.

#4. An expert on milk said that chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles.

So to replenish your body successfully, you don't really need all those fancy sport drinks because milk works just fine. In order to keep fat and calories to a minimum be sure to drink skim milk. And if you are like me and your palate can not take regular milk opt for chocolate milk instead (low fat of course).

Here's to your health! Kathie

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Nutrition Rules Everyone Needs to Know

Posted Friday, December 28, 2007 (1 year 329 days ago.) Viewed 31 times.

There are some simple truths about diet and exercise that you may not know. Some of these simple truths are overlooked. I did my research and my Certified Fitness Trainer handbook through ISSA gives 5 rules for performance Nutrition. These 5 rules apply to everyone, sedentary or active, young or old, in or out of shape. Get out your pen and paper and jot these rules down as you will need them on a daily basis and apply them to your healthy lifestyle. I know I do!

Rule One: Eat at least 5 times a day. Two to three meals a day simply is not enough. Two of these 5 meals can be called snacks but these snacks need to contain the proper amount of nutrients and sufficient calories to get you to the next meal. Please see Rule Two (below). There are 3 important reasons for doing this. They are:
1.) Your blood sugar and insulin levels will remain under control so your energy levels will remain under control.

2.) You will get protein in small amounts throughout the day to support growth and recovery. Plus protein will keep your appetite suppressed so you won't feel as hungry between meals.

3.) And most importantly, body fat will not be stored but used as a source of energy. We like that!

But if you under eat, your body will naturally go into "famine" mode which means your body will store that fat in preparation for the next "famine" mode.

Rule Two: In planning your daily meals/snacks a caloric ratio of approximately 1 part fats, 2 parts protein, 3 parts carbohydrates. This rule applies to the average person and is a good place to start. You will see in Rule Three (below) how this applies to athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Depending on energy expenditure during the next 3 hours following a meal you may need more or less carbohydrates for energy. Low carbohydrate diets are not very good because you need carbohydrates for energy. Key is consume healthy carbohydrates. Keep your carbohydrates primarily low glycemic index carbohydrates - those that are converted to blood sugar slowly, so you can control your insulin levels. Do not eliminate fats from your diet as they are needed for energy too. It is wise to eat healthy fats called unsaturated fats like canola oil or olive oil. And keep your saturated fats - from animal sources - low.

Rule Three: Every time you sit down to eat, ask yourself, "What am I going to be doing for the next 3 hours of my life?" If it is sitting at your desk working then consume fewer carbohydrate foods. If it is training, eat more carbohydrates. Remember that pre-workout meals should consist of foods that are low glycemic carbohydrates because they convert to blood sugar slowly.

Rule Four: You cannot lose fat quickly and efficiently unless you are on a negative calorie balance diet. That means taking in fewer calories than you expend daily. Want to know your calorie intake for your size? Please read my article titled "How many calories do you need to consume to lose weight?" This article is on Searchwarp. In that article you will find the formula for calculating your caloric intake according to your weight and daily activity. A zig-zag diet is the best kind of diet because you consume more calories on days you exercise because you work those off and on days you do not exercise you consume fewer calories because you do not work those off. For example our 200 pound male who wants to lose weight will consume 3,420 calories on high activity days and 3,213 calories on days he is not so active.

Rule Five: Take an additional supplemental daily vitamin because it is almost impossible to get all the nutrients your body needs to remain healthy and active from food alone, especially if you are on a negative calorie diet.

Other rules consist of the following:

1.) Drink plenty of clean (filtered) water throughout the day. Eight 8 oz. glasses per day is recommended but try to drink more. Remember water helps eliminate toxins and fat is a toxin.

2.) Abstain from drugs, particularly alcohol and tobacco. Consuming alcohol and use of tobacco limits your ability to achieve your fitness or sports performance goals.

Got questions? You can find articles and me at www.anybodyfitnesstexas.com

Have a healthy day! Kathie