Author: CoachJoe

Magnesium regulates blood sugar levels and blood pressure, helps bones stay strong, aids muscle and nerve function, and is involved in energy production.   It may also help support emotional balance.

Magnesium has been dubbed the “anti-stress” mineral because it relaxes skeletal muscles as well as the smooth muscles of blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract.

Magnesium is found in many foods.  However, much of the mineral can be lost through food processing and refining.  The level of Magnesium found in produce is the amount of magnesium in soils where food is grown.  According to the USDA, nearly a third of Americans don’t get the recommended amount of this mineral.

Studies point to magnesium’s efficacy for treating muscle and nerve pain as well as its ability to reduce cramping.  Other research has found that magnesium promotes muscle strength in male athletes.

Good sources of magnesium are brown rice, almonds, swiss chard and shredded wheat.

-Wegmans Nature’s Marketplace, September 2016

Optimal health starts with a solid foundation. Start by ensuring your body gets the proper vitamins and nutrients it needs. The Optimal Wellness Kit contains three essential supplements – Isotonix® Multivitamin, Isotonix Activated B-Complex and Heart Health Essential Omega III with Vitamin E – that will help you promote long-term health and optimal nutrition.

There is no substitute for a healthy, well-balanced diet; however, in today’s fast-paced lifestyles, it is important to ensure the body is getting the fuel it needs. Isotonix Multivitamincontains 100 percent or more of the daily value of most essential vitamins and minerals to complement your existing diet. Isotonix Multivitamin supplements dietary deficiencies and helps maintain normal metabolic functioning. Isotonix Multivitamin is a great supplement choice for all adults, growing teenagers and pre-menopausal women. And thanks to the revolutionary Isotonix delivery system, nutrients are allowed to pass directly into the small intestine and be rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. With Isotonix products, little nutritive value is lost, making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient while delivering maximum results.

The Optimal Wellness Kit also includes Isotonix Activated B Complex to keep your energy high and help promote your cardiovascular health. Isotonix Activated B Complex delivers metabolically active forms of several vitamins and minerals, which are important because traditional forms of vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid found in most other B complex products must undergo chemical changes in order to be utilized by the body. Several factors, including age and nutritional status, may decrease the body’s ability to activate these vitamins. By providing the metabolically active forms of these vitamins in isotonic form, you can be certain that your body is getting the vital nutrients it needs quickly and effectively.*

A vitamin B complex is a mixture of the eight essential B vitamins that play a critical role in metabolism at the cellular level. B vitamins are important for hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body. B vitamin deficiency can lead to fatigue and lethargy, which is why B complex supplements are excellent energy boosters and anti-stress formulas.*

Finally, Heart Health Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E is a superior product due to a number of factors. The best fish are used to produce a clean and safe product that is rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It also contains 3,000 mg of fish oil where most other commercial products contain a third of the total fish oil contained in Heart Health Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E. Heart Health Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E comes from small fish where other competitive products use large fish which are more likely to accumulate toxins. Heart Health Essential Omega III Fish Oil with Vitamin E provides a high quality, high purity product with significant percentages of the health promoting EPA and DHA.

You may think you are in good shape, but can you:

1.  Swim 500 yards using breast stroke and/or side stroke in 12:30, rest for 10 minutes, then
2. Do 42 pushups in two minutes, rest for two minutes, then
3. Do 50 situps in two minutes, rest for two minutes, then
4. Do eight pull-ups, rest for 10 minutes, then
5. Run 1.5 miles wearing boots and pants in 11:30

If you can, consider this: those are just the requirements to get into Navy SEAL training – before the actual training begins!

Be brave, be strong, and never falter in the face of adversity.

-Coach Joe

I picked up a Total Gym unit for $20 bucks. And certainly, at that price, I was very hesitant, but I figured it much have some value. Here’s what I’ve found:

1. The unit is very well constructed. It was very easy to set up after moving it to my basement. Material quality is good and all moving parts have quality bearings. I don’t feel any hesitation in the sliding or rotating of parts.

2. The unit is very easy to use and comes with a stack of cards with pictures and instructions. I found them easy to read and understand. They are separated by muscle group that they work.

3. If your goal is to be a body builder, I don’t think this unit is for you. However, at settings above three (goes up to 6), the unit gives me a serious workout, which can be done in a matter of 15 – 20 minutes. I get pumped and stay pumped.

4. One negative point is that not all body groups are at the same strength level, which means you may find yourself constantly changing the level of difficulty. But, I will also say that this is less work than moving plates on/off a workout bar at the local heath club.

5. The unit that I picked up is the XLS model. The unit is very expensive selling any where from $800 to $1200 new. I would not have paid that much I can tell you. That’s a lot of months at a health club were I have access to all kinds of other things to do. Other models are offered, which cost less.

I am not advocating for, or against, this Total Gym unit. I like it and find that it has a place in my workout program. It has a small foot print, is easy to use, and supplements my workout routine nicely. If you look hard enough you can find a deal. Well, back to my workout!

People who drink sugary beverages every day tend to accumulate more deep belly fat over time, new research suggests.  The study, of over 1000 adults, found that those who downed at least one sugar-sweetened drink a day had a bigger increase in deep abdominal fat over the next six years.  Researchers said the results are concerning because that type fat – known as visceral fat – surrounds a number of vital organs and is particularly unhealthy.  “Visceral fat is the kind that’s closely associated with the risks of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” said Alice Lichtenstein, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.  The findings, published Jan 11 in the journal Circulation, are far from the first to connect sugary drinks to health consequences.  Past research has already found that people who consume a lot of sugary drinks tend to have higher rates of diabetes and heart disease.  I have had great success reducing visceral fat using CLA, conjugated linoleic acid.   It’s easy to take, works great, and I love the results.

-Coach Joe