Stacey Greenberg, a freelance writer here in Memphis, decided to join Memphis Adventure Boot Camp. She lived to tell about it and has written an article in the January ‘10 issue of Memphis Parent Magazine. Check out her experiences here: http://www.memphisparent.com/2010/01/workout-warriors/. Also, check out her amazing, award-winning blogs at http://diningwithmonkeys.com/.

Memphis Adventure Boot Camp is the premier fitness offering for the women of Memphis. Get the complete package of fitness while doing it with other likeminded women. Memphis ABC meets for 4-weeks at a time all year long. You have nothing to lose but fat and you have your new body to gain!

Many foods come naturally equipped with immune boosting and antiviral qualities and the good news is these foods can be easily incorporated into your daily menus. Here are some suggestions:

1. Choose foods rich in Vitamin C: Since we cannot store vitamin C in our bodies, we need to consume it regularly. We should be eating 5-6 servings daily of fruits and vegetables which are rich in this vital vitamin. Such foods include bell peppers (especially red), cabbage, broccoli, leafy greens, kiwi fruit, citrus fruits, and berries. Consider making a smoothie for breakfast using banana, orange juice and organic frozen blueberries. Or just add thawed blueberries to your granola or yogurt. Peel and slice a kiwi or an orange to have with your toast. Other ideas include sautéing spinach with garlic in olive oil for dinner or make festive fajitas with chicken and brightly colored peppers. These are all easy ways to increase your consumption of vitamin C, a natural immune system enhancer.

2. Eat more garlic and onions: Garlic is a highly esteemed vegetable to many cultures around the world and for good reason. In fact, its use as a vegetable and as a medicine dates back to 5000 BC. Garlic certainly adds wonderful flavor to food, but it also has a positive effect on the immune system. It is rich in phytonutrients which are known for their antibiotic and antiviral properties. Garlic’s medicinal benefit is most potent when used raw so consider adding it to salad dressings for this use. However, garlic still offers benefits when cooked so use it generously in stir frys, soups, and casseroles. Top crusty bread with roasted garlic instead of butter. Similarly, onions enjoy a long history with their cultivation dating back to 3200 BC. Clearly onions are the most universal seasoning used today. The flavonoids in onions actually work with vitamin C to help kill harmful bacteria. It’s hard to find a savory recipe that doesn’t use onions but consider making a soothing and delicious pot of onion soup or include onions with slow roasted winter vegetables.

3. Eat brightly colored fruits and vegetables: While nutritionists tout the health benefits of beta carotene, its conversion into vitamin A in the body has immune boosting qualities as well. Fortunately foods rich in the nutrients are readily available in the fall and winter months including winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. Additional sources include cooked spinach, apricots, and mangoes. Instead of a russet potato, substitute a delicious sweet potato. Just that simple change increases antioxidants significantly and also provides more vitamin C and trace minerals. Use that can of pumpkin puree in your pantry to make pumpkin bread. Make a pot of carrot ginger soup. Fish are also good sources of vitamin A including halibut, wild caught salmon, and cod. Evidence suggests the nutrients in these foods can prevent or lessen the severity of certain infections.

4. Drink tea: And in particular, drink green tea. Studies have shown that drinking green tea can enhance the immune system because it has a high concentration of polyphenols, known for their antioxidant properties. Green tea is also less processed than black tea. And finally, enjoying a hot cup of tea forces you to slow down and relax and this is always a benefit to your immune system.

While each of us usually get a cold or two each year, it’s important to know that our diets and habits do impact our health. Get plenty of sleep, stay away from highly processed foods and include some of the healthy foods included above and you are on your way to a healthy flu season and healthy year ahead.

Be Better!

I don’t have time. My Memphis Adventure Boot Camp for Women meets at 5:30 a.m. I consider it the “no excuse” time.

Working with Dexter is too expensive. Answer #1: Maybe it is, but my new assistant Anna Langston has learned the same synergistic approach of the Power of 5 to be an extremely effective and lower cost option for you. Schedule the sessions in a way you can afford. Answer #2: My Memphis Adventure Boot Camp for Women is only $14.95 a session so you can’t tell me that I am too expensive to work with.

I don’t exercise during the times you don’t meet with me. OK, Memphis Adventure Boot Camp for Women meets 5X a week so you don’t have to think about any of that anymore!

The eating part is where I have the most trouble. We all do! I am in the final stages of working with a person who will offer a 5-meal or 3-meal option that is supportive of the Power of 5 fitness approach. Definitely be looking for that in the very near future.

I don’t have enough time to eat five to six meals a day. See above. Also, I have found a super-excellent option from Dr. Fred Hatfield. His meal replacement squares taste SOOO EXCELLENT! I have an account set up through the website, so you will need to use my trainer code when checking out. It’s 114330.  Here is the direct link to these awesome bars. http://drsquat.com/propower/supplements/meal-replacement-squares He has other products I will review in the upcoming months.

Exercise isn’t fun. Memphis Adventure Boot Camp, myself, and Anna all specialize in making sure you get what you need in exercise. You never know what you are going to get in a one-on-one session or Memphis Adventure Boot Camp!

I don’t have support at home. OK, then look elsewhere. There’s nothing like having 49 other women and me   giving you the support you need to get through the week! On a one-on-one level, we get to the root of your issues and work to find the best way to help you to be inspired and encouraged throughout the week!

I think that almost wraps all the excuses up. You now know I am here to help Memphis become fit, healthy, and reverse disease.

Be Better,

Dexter

Best for Fitness?

I was recently taken aback by a client’s statement. While discussing the option of reopening a permanent location, she informed me that when people go into a fitness studio, they have a minimum expectation of exercise equipment. However, as fitness knowledge has advanced we have learned that stationary equipment is not only unnecessary but can be a hindrance.

In the 1970s, Nautilus came out with their first exercise line of machinery. The intention was to use each piece of equipment for a specific type of training called HIT (High Intensity Training). The cams on the machine allowed bodybuilders to hold the static position safely. So, an example of HIT training using Nautilus equipment is the leg extension. You can extend the leg while sitting and hold that position statically for a period of time. Also, Nautilus figured out that they could make a profit by selling a whole line of equipment to gyms. This would, theoretically, allow clients who go to the gym exercise “safely” without the fear of dropping weights or getting injured.

The pinnacle of success for exercise machines occurred from the 1980s thru the 1990s. Every gym had to have at least one line of equipment in order to be considered a proper gym. However, around 2000, fitness experts began to come out and criticize the sole use of exercise machines. They had three main concerns: active injury, passive injury, and limited ability.

Since the machines are “stuck” using the same exact motion every time there is an increased chance for overuse injuries. Imagine a biceps curl machine moving up and down only. This could create an injury similar to tennis elbow since the tennis player must perfect the same exact stroke every time.

Because the person must sit in order to use the machine, the core muscles of the body are not activated (at least not very much!). The best example is the upright, seated chest press machine. The person pushes the weight in front of their chest while having a fairly relaxed core. The sitting position deactivates the hip flexors (the muscles in the front of the hips) and abdominal muscles. If the person is rounding their back, this can increase the chance for injury as well.

Life is full of movement and muscle isolation alone is not functional. Functional training is simply exercising in a way the body was meant to move, not force your body into unnatural positions. Machines can only work a few body parts at a time. When a person uses more functional equipment like dumbbells, bands, kettle-bells, etc. they are able to imitate real life movements and work on the kinetic chain of movement.

You can visualize the kinetic chain this way: imagine you want to lift a box and put it on a shelf above you. This requires you to reach above your head. You pick up the item from the floor and your legs and core are activated in order for you to lift. As you move to stand upright, muscle activation changes from your legs and core to your upper body and arms. When you begin to place the item over your head, the shoulder, arm, and core muscles are activated in order to allow you to complete your lift. This movement simply cannot be replicated with traditional resistance machines.

The observation of the obvious limitations in resistance machines has created a paradigm shift in the way we think of health and fitness. A return to “old school” techniques arose and post-modern functional training emerged. The beautiful thing about functional training is that you need very little equipment in order to achieve outstanding results. This equipment can be considered “low technology” because they are simple pieces of equipment, very similar to what the Greeks and Spartans might have used when preparing for battle or the Olympic games. Dumbbells, tires, jump ropes, stability balls, rubber tubing or ropes are really all a person needs to get into the best shape of their life! Plus, they are all easily stored or transported.

The paradigm shift takes the emphasis away from the machines and puts it towards the knowledge of functional movement. However, returning to my concerned client, since the masses have been exposed to the “machine era” of fitness they have been conditioned to think that only the machine will give them the desired result. I am here to tell you it is not the machine that will give you the desired result. All you need is simply the correct knowledge to transform your body and health! If you only have some free weights that challenge your body, you have the ability to do great things.

Be Better,

Dexter