BQUICK

BQuick Speed Camp to be held on June 27th

2009-06-22T14:09:00.001-05:00

BQuick Athletic Development is proud to announce a 1 day Speed Camp

Where: The camp will be held at the Madisonville Rec Field on Pine St. (2 blocks south of Badeaux's in Madisonville, on the right hand side)

When: June 27, 2009, From 9am-12pm.

Ages: 6 and up

Description: This camp will focus on the basics of speed and performance enhancement, movement training and proper form and technique as it relates to sprinting and changing direction.
The camp will begin with dynamic flexibility (flexibility in motion) and speed drills, which are the foundation of the remaining training techniques that will also be taught at the camp. These training techniques include, plyometrics, neuromuscular training to assist in kinesthetic awareness and proprioception (knowing where their growing bodies are in space), speed drills and fitness games to improve efficiency of movement in any and all directions. We will finish with static flexibility, core work, and will also speak to the kids about proper nutrition and fueling their bodies properly.

Things to Bring: water/sports drink, snack, cleats/tennis shoes, change of clothes, and a positive attitude!

Cost: $25 by June 13, $35 after June 13, walk up registration welcome.

Registration Form for BQuick Speed Camp

Inspiration

2009-03-30T11:09:00.000-05:00

There are plenty of people in this world who wish they were blessed with the ability that we all have, as well as the passion, heart, determination, desire, and focus. Some are blind, some paralyzed, some who have degenerative diseases. Realizing this, what we get to do is and will always be a blessing. Live every moment like it was your last. If you left this earth tomorrow, what would you want people to say about you? "he/she was going to do the Ironman, but the training was too much", or "he/she pushed so hard and worked their behind off to realize their dream, at least they always gave 100% and went down with a fight, kicking a screaming". Who do you want to be? There will always be adversity in life: in our personal lives as well as training. It's how we respond to that adversity that makes us who we are, and helps us realize who we were called to be on this earth. Happy training, get your behind out there and finish, and when you look in the mirror at night you can look at yourself and be proud, knowing that you gave your heart and soul, along with everything else you have to realize your goals and dreams as well as helping others to realize the same thing in themselves, we all feed off of one another! TRAIN HARD AND SMART!

BQuick

Health in its many forms and TOTAL HEALTH....

2009-03-02T13:51:00.001-06:00

In order to understand total health, we need to understand all of its components. There are several types of health that make up the overall healthy person as a whole. They include: metal health, emotional health, spiritual health, and physical health. All of these factors affect and can affect the other. Think about the physiological effects on the body from a single thought! Our heart rate can go up, breathing rate can increase and change, or if it's a relaxing thought, our heart rates and blood pressure may drop. It is important to keep all of these things in perspective when analyzing where your total health is at this point. Just step back and say: where am I emotionally right now? mentally? spiritually? physically? What you do or don't do in each one of these will effect the other.

BQuick

Fiji Water and Electrolytes

2009-03-02T13:45:00.001-06:00

Fiji water actually has a nice amount of two very important electrolytes: calcium and magnesium. Remember, calcium controls musculature contraction (among many other vital functions of the body), and magnesium controls muscular release (among many other vital functions of the body). Fiji also has several other vitamins and minerals in it. We hear a lot about women needing calcium and magnesium, but men need just as much! So, beside Fiji's great, crisp, clean taste, it provides some essential electrolytes, vitamins and minerals! Enjoy a great Fiji water today!

BQuick

Women's Health Magazine talks abouts the importance of Metabolic Testing

2009-02-02T09:31:00.014-06:00

Numbers You Can Trust
For a foxy figure faster, count on these weight-loss formulas
Blake Miller

We don't know who coined the phrase "Numbers don't lie," but we'll bet they never counted a calorie. And if you've ever tried using math to manage the digits on your bathroom scale, you know that most diet equations don't add up. We wondered whether any of the roughly 338,000 Google hits for "weight loss formula" can actually help you look good in that black latex cat suit this Halloween. Here's the lowdown on three basics:

Daily Caloric Requirement (DCR)

Translation The math is pretty simple: Eat 500 fewer calories a day than your body requires and you'll drop a pound a week. But most online calculators (and even the pen-and-paper variety) are only 82 percent accurate (even less so if you're obese, sick, or an ethnic minority), according to the American Dietetic Association. And, says Mary Hartley, a registered nutritionist for about.com, the results can be flawed because the equation isn't tailored to the individual and because many people misjudge their fitness level. Plus, if you lose 10 pounds or more, you'll have to do the math again.

Salvation Let sites like caloriecount.about.com, mayoclinic.com, or mypyramid.gov do the work for you. All factor in activity level and are backed by health pros.

Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)

Translation While DCR calculates calorie input (how much you need to eat), the Resting Metabolic Rate tabulates calorie output (how much you burn doing absolutely nothing). Unfortunately, the ADA says the accuracy of these formulas is 45 to 80 percent (and again, they're less accurate if you're obese).

Salvation Skip the formula and get tested by a pro; you can do this at many gyms (members pay about $50). You'll have to sit and breathe into a scubalike plastic tube while a computer records how much oxygen you inhale and how much carbon dioxide you exhale. After 12 minutes of fun, you get a printout showing you (with 95 percent accuracy) how much you burn at rest and how many cals you can consume and still ditch your saddlebags.

VO2 Max

Translation This test, often used by athletes who train for grueling events, can also be useful for noncompetitors looking to lose weight, because the result helps pinpoint a target heart rate for fat burn. The formula is nearly 100 percent accurate, as long as you don't flub the test, which requires you to run or bike at top speed, typically for 12 to 14 minutes, while wearing a gas-mask-like apparatus that measures your oxygen intake. An ill-fitting mask (it should seal around your mouth) or not reaching your peak speed on the treadmill can skew the results.

Salvation Search at vo2max testing.net for places that provide the test, which costs about $120. The test will tell you the amount of calories you burn in different heart-rate zones. Once you get your results, invest in a heart rate monitor--either one that straps around your chest (the most effective) or a watch (like the MioMotiva)--to keep tabs on your ticker as you work out within your ideal fat-blasting range.

For more information about Metabolic Testing or to schedule a test please feel free to contact me.

Beautiful Day!

2009-02-01T14:43:00.003-06:00

If you are reading this then that means that you were blessed to wake up and take a breath. When you look outside and feel the weather, you'll then realize that you were blessed with a beautiful day to enjoy since you are alive and well! Go out and take a walk, a bike ride, shoot some hoops, kick a soccer ball, run, swim, or anything you'd like to enjoy this amazing day while being active (which will only help you to enjoy the day more because of a flood of endorphins!).

BQuick

More Nutrition Facts from John Faciane

2009-01-20T22:09:00.001-06:00

Coach John has sent us some great new nutrition facts, that's right, COACH JOHN!!!! John is now coaching and training with us and has been doing a great job because of how passionate he is and his love for people and helping them in their quest for health, wellness, fitness and performance!!!! THANKS COACH JOHN!!!!

Here are those facts:
Scientists aren't exactly saying that wine, chocolate and tea make you smarter-but those flavonoid-rich foods were associated with better performance on a battery of cognitive tests in a new Norwegian study. Researchers tested 2,031 older adults, ages 70 to 74, and compared scores to subjects' self-reported food consumption. Those who consumed all three-wine, chocolate and tea-had significantly better average cognitive-test scores and the lowest likelihood of poor test performance. The association with better cognitive performance was strongest for wine and modestly weaker for chocolate.-Journal of Nutrition

Even if you don't have diabetes, lowering your blood-glucose levels may be good for your brain. Columbia University scientists report that higher levels of blood glucose are associated with dysfunction in an area of the brain's hippocampus; dysfunction in this part of the brain with normal aging is known to contribute to cognitive decline. The MRI-scan study of 240 dementia-free adults age 65 and older included both diabetics and non-diabetics. Negative effects on the brain could be seen even when blood sugar was only moderately elevated. "We have a behavioral recommendation-physical exercise," said researchers, noting that exercise improves glucose regulation.-Annals of Neurology

Happy Holidays!!!

2008-12-27T14:55:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays!!!! Continue on your path to health and wellness during the holiday season! Stay disciplined to eat right, stay active, and live right! Be an example and role model for others at parties and family get-togethers, and do the right things and don't let others negatively influence you! Don't let yourself slide now, and, if you were planning on starting the 1st of the year, why not get a jump start on everyone and for yourself, your health, longevity, vitality, mortality, and quality of life! Call, message, or email us for help with any questions in the health, wellness, fitness, and performance fields! Happy Holidays!!!

Gym is Closed.....20 minute Holiday no-gym needed workout

Super-set Exercises Grouped Together

*Warm-up 5-10 minutes by jogging, riding a bike, jumping rope, etc--something to get the heart moving and the blood pumping, followed by....

*Squats or Jump-squats x 20
*Toe Touches (standing, keep eyes up back straight) x 20*Push Ups (wide Close or shoulder stance) x 20
*Push Ups (wide Close or shoulder stance) x 20
*Pull ups or Down Dog Push Ups x 20

*Toe Up/Calf Raise
*Bag Bicep Curl x 20 (put clothes or any other objects in duffel bag)

*Bag Overhead Tricep Extension x 20
*Bag Upright Row

Core--all exercises 15-30 reps
*Crunches
*leg lifts
*Russian twist
*Superman's

You're done! For the experienced athlete or fitness aficionado, this may only take you 10-15 minutes. Try not to rest too much between sets and stay continuous for as long as possible to get a cardio workout as well!

BQuick

Holiday Parties

2008-12-23T13:22:00.001-06:00

Everyone makes so many excuses this time of year about going to parties, and they can't stick to their diets and nutrition plans because there is "nothing good to eat" at parties. Most of the time this is a false statement. There is always something healthy you can eat. Smoked Salmon, Vegetables, some cheeses, fruit, salad, finger sandwiches on wheat (turkey, chicken salad), etc. Some parties actually have good gourmet food. Either way, there are always healthy choices when at a party or eating out, but the people going to them don't always make the healthiest choices! Eat well, be merry!

Cline Jenkins
This is one of my hardest working clients and we should all look up to him! Cline works so much harder than you always ask him to, doing extra reps, sets, sprints, etc.! He has had a couple setbacks: having surgery on both shoulders, one about 3.5-4 months ago now. None of that has stopped Cline. As soon as he was given the release from the Doc for PT he started back with us, and did his PT as well as he continued to work towards his fitness goals, never letting his injury slow him down! Most people today would have used that injury as a crutch to NOT exercise, whereas he used it as fuel for his fitness fire! Ever since I have known him he has been passionate and driven towards achieving every goal he has and will not stop until he achieves them! He is the definition of drive, commitment, passion, heart, desire, and hard work and we should all learn some positive lessons from him and his positive attitude and outlook not only on life, but also achieving our goals! Cline's shoulder is a lot better because of his hard work, both in strength and Range of Motion (flexibility), and it's because of his commitment, hard work, time and effort! Cline reminds us all that success is always preceded by hard work! He is the definition of this and I know he will continue to work towards his goals each and every day! Take a lesson from Cline and his commitment: don't be lazy! There are a lot of people in the world a lot less fortunate than you are! God has blessed a lot of you with the gift of health, and Cline teaches us that even if you do have an injury, there are still things you can do and there is still work to be done! Continue working hard, and if you are not sure if you should undertake an exercise program, give us a call and consult with professionals about how to go about doing things the right way!

Burn It Off!!!!

2008-12-16T17:39:00.001-06:00

This is the time of year that people say, "oh...I feel horrible because I at or drank too much during the holidays, but, I swear I'm going to start training the 1st of the year!" Tons of people say this, but more than 80% of people who have new year's resolutions never even make it into their tennis shoes to start, or start and drop out quickly. Instead of waiting, get started now, and here are a few tips to keep you on track:

1.) Do something that you actually like doing, instead of doing something you dread or hate. If you used to play soccer and enjoy it, enroll in a soccer league. If you like to play hacky sack (footbag), then start by doing that. Exercising does not require that you be miserable while doing it. Believe it or not, doing something you love by going out and playing basketball or ping pong etc., is still exercise because you are moving! Movement is the key to a great quality of life! If you do not move, it will tear down your body on a cellular lever!

2.) Keep a journal for your diet and you exercise. Putting everything down in written form will help you to actually see what you are eating and what you are doing. This will allow you to see if you need to pick it up physically, and also what you are eating when and how much water you take in per day.

3.) Write down at least 3 goals and place them on your bathroom mirror so you at least see them when you wake up and before you go to bed everyday. How do we know what we are striving for without goals? Also, don't write down broad goals, ie, I want to lose weight. Be more specific, ie, I would like to lose 6 pounds in 3 weeks. Be realistic with your Goals so you are not let down!
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to train or for us to set up a customized, individually specific program for you!
Happy Holidays!
BQuick

More Benefits of Red Wine

2008-12-07T13:22:00.001-06:00

Yet another great fact(s) about red wine from John Faciane:

"Everyone has enzymes that repair DNA as it gets damaged due to oxidative stress and other factors, but as we get older these enzymes slow down and stop working. When the enzymes stop functioning properly, we get cancer, age, and/or die. Compounds in red wine have been found to keep these enzymes working perfectly for much, much longer than they otherwise would, which results in increased lifespan! The researchers actually said that this compound has been proven to increase lifespan in animal test subjects. Yet another reason for you to enjoy a glass of red wine!"

The antioxidant capacity of 5-7oz of wine per day is what helps to protect and preserve DNA in the same way that fruits and vegetables work to protect our DNA and anti-oxidize free radicals (realize it says 5-7oz per day, not 50-70oz, that means one glass!). As you start to drink 9oz and over, the antioxidant capacity drops significantly and it can actually become a detriment to your body and mind. My next blog will be about antioxidants and how they work to combat free radicals because we hear the term antioxidant all of the time, but very rarely is it ever explained so you can understand it. If you are over 21, drink a glass of red wine per day!

Fruits and Veggies for Cancer Prevention and Childhood Cancer Prevention

2008-11-26T14:00:00.002-06:00

As I have always stated, fruits and vegetables should be staples in your daily diet regime. They are great to include in meals, or compound them with other food sources for a meal (ex: fruit mixed in with yogurt and granola for breakfast, banana in your whole grain cereal, a banana with almond, peanut, sunflower or cashew butter, raisins and wheat germ, or an apple prepared the same way, etc.). Fruits and veggies are always great snacks as well and are easy to pick up and go with when leaving your house in the morning, or if you're like me, flying out of the door! Bottom line: eating fruits and vegetables will allow you to get tons of antioxidants into your body to help ward off cancer, and as the research has shown in some cases, will also allow some childhood cancer cells to be alleviated and destroyed. The text in quotation comes from a former athlete I've trained named John Fasciane. John is a great man, and is in his Junior year at LSU right now in Kinesiology and Nutrition. He is going to be a great coach, mentor, and nutritionist! John also sent over the information on white, green and black tea, and its effectiveness in buffering the mercury from fish out of your body when eating fish and drinking tea together. Hopefully you will see John's name more and more on our blogs, and one day, on staff with us!

"Researchers have found a new reason for why people who eat the most fruits and veggies are less likely to get cancer. They found that a fragment released by pectin, in all fruits and vegetables, binds to a specific protein that plays a significant role in all the stages of cancer progression. The pectin suppresses the protein's ability to progress the cancer.

Strawberries, blueberries, and grapes contain some compounds that not only prevent cancer but also compounds that have been observed killing cells of childhood cancer! The phytochemicals in the fruits caused the mitochondria of the cancer cells to stop producing energy, and without energy the cancer cells died. One of the pytochemicals mentioned was reservatrol so wine might help too if this is the case for all cancers."

Since kids cannot obviously drink wine, there are some reservatrol supplements out there now that you can buy over the counter. In addition to purchasing a reservatrol supplement, make sure to incorporate at least 1-3 servings of both fruits and veggies every day!

Training Tips:

2008-11-23T16:21:00.001-06:00

Here are a few tips if you are implementing an exercise program into your life or if you have already been at it for a while:

1.) Ease into things: If you have not trained in a while, make sure to ease your way into it, especially the older you get (because as we age our growth hormone levels lower, which impairs our ability to recover as fast). A great example is my father. He will lay off of exercise and running for a year or two, then go out to the track thinking he is in world class condition like Usain Bolt! He will go out and try to run 2 400's, 2 300's, 2 200's, and 2 100's on the first day. This is why he came back the last time with a torn hamstring which was black and blue from his knee to his glute up the back of his leg. Ease into it for better results later in your program. Build a great, solid base and you will thank yourself later.

2.) Make sure that your program is well balanced with all of these things: Diet, Cardiovascular Training, Strength Training, Flexibility Training, and Education.

3.) Diet: this is the most important aspect of your regime. you get out of your body what you put into it. I know people who cycle 150 miles per week, weight train, run and swim several miles per week and are still obese. They wonder why, and the first thing I always ask people is, "what is your diet like?". Then they smirk, roll their eyes and before they say anything I know they eat whatever they want whenever they want it. This will simply not work. Diet alone can change someone's body composition tremendously even without exercise. Don't take that the wrong way, i firmly believe in exercise but am trying to explain how important diet is! Eat right--lean and clean always! No excuses, such as, "I am always eating out". There are always alternatives and things you can eat that are great for you while at restaurants: fish, vegetables, lean meats, etc. Eat well always and reap the benefits, both in body and mind. Nourish your, body, your brain, and all functions of the body by ingesting the RIGHT things! Yesterday, i saw a young girl I know who has hypothyroidism, standing by a cotton candy station at an all sports fair. She ate some until it was gone, then put more on her stick and slammed it. Her mom said nothing to her! OOOOOOhhhhhhh, that heats me up, but, i threw in my two cents and told her how bad it was for her. The cotton candy man didn't think that was a good comment to throw out amongst all the other kids too, so I had to explain myself to him.

4.) Cardiovascular Training: the heart is the most important and underlying muscle in the body that supplies the rest of the body's musculature, organs, etc., with blood, fuel, and much, much more. We need a healthy blend of working both energy systems and its corresponding musculature. This can be achieved by incorporating 1-2 days per week of continuous, aerobic training, holding a nice consistent pace on cardio of your choice (60-80% of heart rate max). Second, we need a good 1-2 days of tempo work, where you hold that nice consistent pace, but increase your intensity every so often to increase your heart rate, then return to the consistent pace, then repeat. The last 1-2 days should be spent at a higher heart rate for a certain duration of time (80-90% of heart rate max), or you can sprint several times until you achieve and reach your heart rate max. Doing all of these things will ensure you are burning a healthy blend of protein, fats, and carbohydrates for fuel.

5.) Strength Training: will help to increase your metabolism not only during training, but throughout the day as well. Strength training helps us to get stronger and sculpt our bodies. It also has several other benefits: injury prevention, bone density, strengthening the tendons, joints, ligaments and overall musculature of the body, etc. Core work/Core Training is also included in this and is also one of the most important aspects of your strength training. Every movement in your body is initiated from your spine and its surrounding musculature (CORE), which is why it's so very important to train the CORE in its entirety.

6.) Flexibility Training: for health, vitality, and longevity. This will help you to recover from the others demands that you place upon your body. It will limit the chance for injury, and, the longer your muscles are, the more force they can generate. I call this the rubber band principle: the more you stretch out a rubber band, the more force it will generate, which is the same as your musculature. There is also a core element to the flexibility training when doing yoga and pilates. Dynamic Flexibility (flexibility in motion) can be done before exercise or moving, or simply as another form of flexibility work for variation.

7.) Education: educate yourself on all of the previous things so that you too can make informed decisions at they relate to your health, wellness, and fitness goals. Education is empowerment.

8.) Variation: vary what you do within each of these components. From changing what you eat, to changing strength training routines, this will help ensure that you do not hit plateaus (sticking points in your progress), and will also help to cut down on boredom since you will always be changing it up and doing something new and exciting.

9.) It's not a bad idea to hire someone to help you with this: hire someone to give you a little help with all of these components. Let a health and fitness professional guide you in you journey, lending a helpful ear and a helpful hand in what you are doing, making sure you are doing things safe and the right way. We can provide internet coaching, 1 on 1 training, group training, program design and implementation (where we design a program specifically for you and implement this program with you, making sure you understand each and every aspect of it. Even if you hire someone for 1 hour per week or month, it will help you in all of your health and fitness endeavors.

Give me a call, shoot me a message here, or email me for help with any and all of the above.

Brandt Quick

504 451 5391
bquick@bquickfitness.com

Eat an Avocado Today

2008-11-09T18:56:00.002-06:00

Eat an avocado today for several reasons: great for your heart and cardiovascular system because of all the great fats in avocados, they also have tons of fiber which is needed in our diets to aid in digestion, they have tons of vitamins and minerals which are great for your skin as well as the rest of the body, vitamin K, the electrolyte potassium, folate, vitamin b6, and vitamin c.

Eat the avocado plain, on a salad, or with some olive oil and red wine vinegar for an even more heart-healthy snack, eat an avocado today! I am going to mix mine with my egg whites and turkey bacon this morning, we call this a bacado omelette!

Two Healthy Sunday Snacks

2008-11-02T13:07:00.006-06:00

This is easy. Ingredients you will need (although not limited to just these, be creative): strawberries, blueberries, apple, orange, raspberries, plums, pears, and bananas. Chop each of these up into bite size pieces and mix together. You can also top this with cottage cheese or fresh yogurt (which has lactobacillus acidophilus that promotes great intestinal flora and aids in digestion and overall internal health).

Another healthy Sunday snack, ingredients you will need: Avocados, Tomatoes, Cucumbers. Chop all of these up into bite sized pieces, mix with olive oil and red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and enjoy for a heart healthy snack! Avocados and olive oil both have great fats! All of the roughage has a great fiber content and vitamins and minerals! you will feel like a million bucks after eating this one!

Enjoy and have a beautiful Sunday!

BQuick

TRICK OR TREAT

2008-10-29T14:21:00.001-05:00

This Halloween, we are not giving out the traditional candy for trick or treaters or our athletes and clients (not that we ever did). However, this year, we are making a special treat for athletes, clients and trick or treaters that will actually give them some great fuel for their minds and bodies at such a pivotal time in their growth and development.

What we are giving them will include per one cup: 8g good fats (mono- and poly- unsaturated fats), 3g saturated fat (which will come from the milk chocolate in the m&m's), 2mg cholesterol (from milk chocolate), 28g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 17g sugar (mainly from milk chocolate and the fruit), 4g protein.

Obviously, as you can see, if you pick out the m&m's, it will be a lot healthier! This power-packed treat has all of the essentials of growth, development, and fuel for the mind and body! Nuts are one of the best and healthiest snacks that you can put in your body. They encompass good fats, carbs, protein and fiber. Dry fruit will give us fiber, good sugars, and vitamins and minerals that are essential to our life. Cheerios give us great carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. This well rounded snack also has 4g of protein to help rebuild and repair our tissues that we break down through activity! All of this is making me hungry! I wish everyone was serving treats like this door to door, I would actually go trick or treating! TRICK OR TREAT, I'm opting for the TREAT!

Another Awesome Fact About Tea:

2008-10-22T11:30:00.002-05:00

Tea, when drunk with fish (especially sushi) that may have some mercury contamination, blocks up to 92% of the mercury from being absorbed into the blood! The reason is that the catechins in the tea react with mercury to form a substance that cannot be absorbed by the body. White, Green and Black tea were shown to have the same results. That being said, always drink tea when eating fish!

Artichokes for Lowering Cholesterol and Digestive Health

2008-10-22T10:37:00.004-05:00

The globe artichoke is one of the oldest known cultivated vegetables, originating from Ethiopia, with Italy currently being the world’s largest producer.

It was valued in ancient Greece and Rome as a digestive aid, available only to the wealthy due to its scarcity.

It was the French and Spanish explorers who fist brought artichokes to the shores of the United States, and today virtually all of the globe artichokes grown in the US are produced in Castroville, California.

Health Benefits of Artichokes

Nutrients
Globe artichokes are an excellent source of dietary fiber, magnesium, and the trace mineral chromium. They are a very good source of vitamin C, folic acid, biotin, and the trace mineral manganese. They are a good source of niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin A, and potassium.

Cholesterol
There have been numerous studies on artichoke extract ever since European scientists first discovered cynarin's ability to lower cholesterol in the 1970's. Caffeoylquinic acids, such as cynarin are the active ingredients in artichokes that lower cholesterol, with higher concentrations in the leaves. A 6 week double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of 143 patients has demonstrated without a doubt to the effectiveness of artichoke leaf extract for lowering cholesterol. The decrease of total cholesterol in the group that received the extract was 18.5% compared to 8.6% in for the placebo group. LDL-cholesterol decrease in the AE group was 22.9% and 6.3% for placebo. LDL/HDL ratio showed a decrease of 20.2% in the AE group and 7.2% in the placebo group.. A compound found in artichoke called luteolinis is also believed to assist with reducing cholesterol.
Artichoke extract is available here..

Irritable bowel syndrome
In a trial involving 208 adults, results provide support for the notion that artichoke leaf extract has potential value in relieving IBS symptoms.

Indigestion
In a double-blind trial, 247 patients with dyspepsia (digestive problems) were treated with artichoke leaf extract, and the results demonstrated an improvement in their dyspeptic symptoms. Dyspepsia is often attributed to insufficient flow of bile from the gallbladder, and there is evidence that artichoke leaf has the ability to stimulate this flow.

Diabetes
The carbohydrate in artichokes is in the form of inulin, which has been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels in diabetics. The artichokes must be fresh, as the inulin will eventually convert to other sugars as the artichoke ages.

Hangovers
Contrary to what some would like to believe, a study demonstrated the ineffectiveness of artichoke extract in the cure of alcohol-induced hangovers.

http://www.elements4health.com

Great Breakfast Tips

2008-10-19T14:30:00.001-05:00

Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day, along with your snacks throughout the day and other meals. The reason breakfast is so important is this: when we wake up in the morning (depending on how much sleep we had, and the last time we ate before going to bed) our glycogen stores deplete after 8 hours (this may happen a little later or sooner for others, depending on your individual metabolism). This means that all of the carbohydrates that we have stored in our liver and our musculature is depleted. Our brain needs sugar (carbohydrates) to function and keep the rest of our autonomic (parasympathetic) nervous system functioning properly and efficiently. Once our glycogen stores are depleted, our body will first go to muscle tissue to break down for sugar for the brain. We work very hard to build this tissue and maintain it, so why would you want your body to eat it away? This is why it is essential to eat as close to opening you eyes in the morning as possible. This will ensure that your brain and body have fuel to function. Make sure that you eat well-balanced, and this will ensure that your brain and body are functioning optimally!
Secondly, what do you think will happen within your body if you omit breakfast from your life and if you are one of those people who do not eat until mid-morning or lunch? As soon as you do eat, your body will store a lot of it as fat. Why? Because you tricked your body into not knowing when the next time it is that you are going to feed it because you have gone so long without eating, therefore, your body must store some of this fuel as fat, to be used as a reserve of energy if you do not eat for another long, extended period of time. EAT BREAKFAST! If you do not eat breakfast now, however start to, you may even end up seeing yourself lose a few pounds! Remember, eat often throughout the day, the volume of how much you eat depends on your goals: getting leaner, losing weight, or gaining weight.

The following article is something I've found, and has a few good tips in it for you:

Make Time for Breakfast
Start the day with a healthy meal

(HealthDay News) -- Your mother probably urged you to eat a healthy breakfast, noting it was the day's most important meal.

She was right, says the Nemours Foundation, which offers these suggestions on how to refuel your kids to begin their day:

* Keep your kitchen full of healthy, quick and easy breakfast choices.
* If morning time is at a premium, try to prepare for breakfast the night before. Set out dishes, prepare and cut up food, etc.
* Wake your family 10 minutes earlier than usual to allow time for breakfast.
* Encourage your child to help decide what to have for breakfast. The child can even help prepare it.
* Have on-the-go breakfast options ready for mornings when you're running late, including fresh fruit, yogurt, trail mix, and individual boxes of cereal.
* Pack a nutritious snack for your child if he or she isn't hungry first thing in the morning.

-- Diana Kohnle

Over Training: A couple questions to ask yourself.....

2008-10-17T19:10:00.001-05:00

Here is a question that I had received from a friend and colleague about a problem she was having and my response to her. If you are having any issues like this, take a step back and answer a couple of these questions:

"Maybe you can offer some advice, through all my Ironman training, all of a sudden I am getting a cramp or muscle spasm in my left hamstring. Any idea's? Overuse?? It is not all of the time, it can cramp even when I am just sitting here."

When is the last time you took a week completely off? A couple days? A day? If you cannot remember when, you are definitely over training. Do you take vitamin E? Vitamin E directly correlates to the hamstrings. If you are taking too much or not enough that could be a problem. What about electrolytes, sodium/potassium, and calcium/magnesium? These all need to be kept in balance and if they are off, that could be contributing to the problem. What do you refuel with? Have you had a massage lately? When is your race? If you can answer a few of these questions I can give you some more specific recommendations. I hope it feels better!

Former Cross-Country Champ, 68, Nabs Mugger

2008-10-16T13:43:00.001-05:00

One more reason to stay in shape...

"Three teen aged thieves in Britain got more than they bargained for. The boys snatched a purse from Janet Lane while she sat on a park bench. But what first looked like an easy theft quickly became a high-speed pursuit. Lane took off after them, eventually catching one of the boys by the collar. The thieves didn't count on their 68-year-old victim being a high school cross-country champion who had never given up running." Morning Edition, October 15, 2008, npr.org

Step It Up

2008-10-14T19:26:00.002-05:00

Make sure you have a strong mind, heart, have a lot of passion, drive and determination for whatever it is your goals are or what you are going after. I see so many people or kids/athletes who say they have a goal or want something, but are not willing to put in the time, hard work, and effort that needs to precede those goals to make them happen. If we were perfect and everything was given to us, there would be nothing to work for. We would already be perfect at everything we do and would not need to go to school, get jobs and exercise because we would all be lean, mean working machines!
It seems as though only a handful of today's youth population have been raised the correct way to understand that nothing is achieved without hard work preceding it, unless of course, your parents and/or those around you GIVE you everything. These people are what we call SOFT! Take responsibility for your goals, and your hard work and effort getting to and exceeding them with all of your passion, heart, drive determination and desire, so that we can change this lazy, SOFT epidemic that is infiltrating our country and it's youth! BE A LEADER IN EVERYTHING YOU DO BY LEADING BY EXAMPLE!

Why Training is Great for Our Immune System!

2008-10-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

When we train, our bodies rip our tissues (musculature, tendons, ligaments, etc.) apart (in a good way) because of the specific demand that we place upon them through training (resistance/weight training, cardiovascular training, speed agility conditioning work, flexibility and core training). When these tissues are broken down, it is the job of our immune systems to go back in there and rebuild and repair those tissues to adapt to the specific demands that we place upon them: ie., to be stronger, faster, more flexible, jump higher, etc.

We strengthen and refine our immune systems just as we strengthen and refine the rest of our bodies and minds! However, we need to listen to our bodies. Sometimes when you may feel like you are getting sick (which hopefully never happens, but if it does....), do not train or do not train hard. If you do, you are asking a lot of your immune system and it will not be able to completely fight off what it may be trying to if you are placing excess demand upon it because of training hard at the same time. Be smart, listen to your body, and continue to train when you are 100% healthy for a stronger, more durable immune system!

REST

2008-10-12T17:15:00.004-05:00

Rest is one of the most overlooked, most important parts of a training program. Our bodies adapt to the demands placed upon them when we rest. There are a couple forms of rest: complete rest and active rest and recovery. Complete rest is when we just do that, REST. Lying around, hardly moving, and allowing our bodies to adapt to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual demands placed upon them. Last week was exam week for most students, and as you know this can take a toll on you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually if you are praying very hard for the ability to study longer and asking to be guided through the process of studying and taking the tests! This mental, emotional, and spiritual stress and tension can lead to physical exhaustion when it's all said and done. Complete rest days are to be taken advantage of with: Epsom salt baths, whirlpool therapy, contrast (hot/cold) therapies, dry saunas, steam rooms, ice/heat, floating around in a pool, massage, laughter, light stretching and deep breathing with an emphatic emphasis on deep breathing.

Active rest and recovery is when we do light, gentle yoga, light blood flow workouts to flush out the metabolic waste from our tissues, light swimming, eating the right foods for recovery (pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain, which is a natural anti-inflammatory) and any activity or sport that we deem fun and enjoyable.
Please do not ignore this very important component of your training program as it is one of the most important. Schedule your rest days accordingly, just like you plan your weekly workouts! Please let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns and have a great day! SMILE! It's contagious

Difference in Musculature and Energy Systems

2008-10-08T13:42:00.001-05:00

While training a baseball team recently, we were testing them on their verticals and broad jumps (standing long jumps). During the testing, they were all excited and wanted to see where one of our coaches and myself could jump to in both events. I told them that i would once they were finished and so did Scott Cook, who is one of our great coaches. To my disappointment, I only jumped a 32 in my vertical, and 8 ft 10 in in my broad jump. The reason this disappoints me is because when I tried out for the NFL, I jumped a 36 in the vertical and a 9ft 8in in the broad jump. However, I know that the training that I have been doing for triathlons for over a year now which is endurance based, is not conducive to sprinting (ie running a faster 40yd or 60yd dash, jumping higher, and overall being more explosive in general) but is all about the pace. The training I have been doing is working my aerobic system, thus training the type I (slow twitch) musculature of the body. I do still do sprints, jumps, etc., but I am doing more endurance training so I am now starting to see the effects of this training on my other explosive movements where my anaerobic system, type IIa and IIx (fast twitch muscle fibers) are being affected. I never thought I would ever run a half marathon, do triathlons, or bike 150 miles for that matter, but i am enjoying it thoroughly. The reason is because it is a big challenge for me because my entire life I have been an anaerobic athlete and have never asked this much of, or have I placed this much demand on, my aerobic system. I am going to finish off this half Ironman in New Orleans in April 2009 very strong, continuing to work my aerobic system more, then I am going to train my anaerobic system more and get back to heavier lifting like I used to. I am a firm believer in variation, and need to get more anaerobic training back into my life. I am still going to do triathlons though, but not do as much crazy training for them as I have been over the past year. I needed to build a solid aerobic base and foundation, and now that I have done that, the sprint triathlons will not be as hard to train for. Whatever your goals, continue to push forward with everything you have and you will not disappoint yourself!

Two Week Triathlon Training Schedule

2008-10-07T14:12:00.001-05:00

Week of October 6th 2008

Monday: AT Run: warm up for 10 to 15 minutes light running in your warmup zone to get your motor running, then get your HR up to AT and keep it there for as long as you can. If you feel like you need to back down, back down to AB, then get back up to AT and hold for as long as possible. Cooldown in your warmup zone for 5-15 minutes after finishing. Stretch and breath if time permits.

Tuesday:Get on your bike. Forget Spin. You do need some real time on your real bike. Try to ride for at least an hour if not more. Stay at you AB, but periodically get up and sprint as long as you can, then get back to the saddle and back to AB.

Wednesday:Swim. Swim as many laps as you can in a row after swimming 6 laps easy for a warmup. Again, please let me know what this # is. Even if you burn out before, try to swim and finish at least 36 laps (1/2 mile). Also, let me know how long this takes you.

Thursday: Tempo run---stay at AB, then burst to AT as many times as possible.

Friday: Get on your bike or spin. find your most efficient gear, stay consistent, and hammer down on the pedals at a consistent speed, please let me know what that speed is.

Saturday: swim for recovery and distance. swim as long as you can at an easy pace that allows you to stay continuous. let me know where you get to. lift, core, yoga.

Try to get at least 2-3 lifts in per week and core and calves everyday.

Week of October 13th 2008
There is a Duathlon on Sunday the 19th in Mandeville for any one who is interested.

Monday: Brick Training--ride at or right above your AB on the bike or in spin for 30-45 minutes, then get off and try to run for 20-30 minutes (whatever time permits for you) at or right above your AB as well. If you are feeling great and want to push it a little (HR), go ahead but let me know what you do.

Tuesday: Swim as many laps as you can in a row, time permitting after warming up. You are not going for speed here, rather distance. If you have to stop after a certain #, fine, but rest and then see how many more you can do in a row, with a cooldown after. Core and weights if you can.

Wednesday: Same as Monday. If you did not pick up your intensity above AB on Monday, do it today, push it pretty good and let me know what HR you get to above your AB.

Thursday: Spin or bike for 45 min-1 hr doing some tempo work which a traditional spin class should do for you with the hills. Stay consistently around your AB then sprint to AT and hold for as long as you can, then back off and repeat. Core and weights if possible.

Friday: recovery swim. swim 3 easy laps and 1 fast 1 for a much time as you can before heading up to do core and weights, giving yourself enough time for these two things.

Saturday: your choice---probably a good day to get on the bike or swim, take Sunday off, next week will be a down week with less intensity.

Keep eating right and staying true to your cause. remember to eat early and often.

Do men seem to lose weight faster than women do?

2008-10-02T06:00:00.003-05:00

This was a recently asked question by a lot of women who are frustrated by their husbands or any other male in their lives losing weight a lot faster than themselves. Men have more of a particular hormone called testosterone, which promotes lean mass and tissue, decreases body fat, and has many other health benefits and detriments as well. Women obviously have more estrogen as the main hormone in their bodies, which promotes adipose (fat) tissue, leads to diseases, sicknesses and cancers (in excess amounts), and also obviously has a lot of good things associated with it including helping the female to maintain homeostasis (balance) in order to reproduce and have children. Men also have estrogen but not a lot of it, while women also have low amounts of testosterone. These two hormones keep a certain balance within both male and females and change as the other hormone changes. One way to decrease the amount of estrogen present in the cells, is to drink soy milk or ingest some sort of soy products, due to the fact that soy isoflavones are the only other thing beside estrogen itself that can bind to an estrogen receptor site, thus allowing the excess estrogen in the body to be eliminated via excretion through the excretory systems of the body (sweat, urine, feces).

Do not always look at the scale as this is one of the most common mistakes. Look at the way your clothes fit and the way you feel. When starting an exercise program, especially with resistance training, you will actually see the scale go up because you will be gaining muscle and losing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are gaining muscle and losing weight at the same rate, you are going to see the scale go up. This frustrates a lot of people, but you want to gain lean tissue because it is going to increase your metabolism and you will eventually see the turnover (which is different for different people) where you will start losing pounds, although you may gain a few good pounds first. Although you won't burn a ton of calories while you are doing the resistance training, your body's metabolic furnace will continue to burn those calories for you later and throughout the day. Men can jump start and lose weight a little faster, but stay consistent and true to your routine, and you will see over time that you too can change you body and feel and look a lot better than before! Always be your hardest critic, but keeping these things in mind so you don't get frustrated, and most importantly, stay focused and consistent on your goals! Make sure you set goals, because without them what are you working towards!

Movement is the Key to Life: Good and Bad Stress (eustress and distress)

2008-10-01T15:11:00.001-05:00

Movement is the key to life. From an evolutionary perspective, our bodies are meant and programmed to move. Our bodies are like machines and we are animals by nature. We have 4 necessities: food, sleep, going to the restroom, and moving around to do all this.

Back in prehistoric times, man had to migrate from place to place, catch or hunt for his food, and fight or flee their predators. This "fight or flight" response is programmed into our bodies from the beginning. We can either fight or flee our predator, what happens? Our bodies release adrenaline (epinephrine and nor-epinephrine) from the adrenal glands which sit atop the kidneys. When this happens there is an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, strength, speed, agility, and focus. People have been known to perform incredible feats of strength under stress where their or someone else's life is in danger. This flight or flight adrenal response is brought on by stress. Our daily stress is no longer like that of our ancestors. Our stress now comes in the form of being yelled at by our boss, teacher or coach, or having things to do for work backed up, or having family problems. There are two different kinds of stress: eustress (good stress: exercise, laughter, carefree things—hobbies, meditation.) Distress (bad stress: boss or someone yelling at us, etc.). To deal with distress on a daily basis, it is important to include eustress in your life, especially in the form of movement, to help us deal with those distresses. Here's why: When we exercise or get our heart rate up by placing a good stress on our bodies, it causes the body to release adrenaline to support what you're doing. We can determine our physical fitness levels by a lot of different methods, but one of the best is seeing how fast your heart rate can come down after it has gone up to a certain % of your max heart rate (the formula for max heart rate is 220-age+-7). The faster the heart rate drops the better conditional that person and their heart is. This is the reason that placing eustress on the body helps our body to be more capable of handling distress because almost the same physiological response happens in the body. THE BODY IS MEANT TO MOVE! MOVEMENT IS THE KEY TO LIFE, LONGEVITY AND VITALITY!

Meal Recommendations for Younger Athletes

2008-09-29T22:47:00.001-05:00

My sister-in-law Mindy asked me what her son Wyatt (age 4) should eat before an early morning soccer game.

Parents should keep in mind that many kids practice in the evening, but end up playing morning games on weekends, and their bodies and metabolisms may not be used to trying to digest food and move around at the same time. A lot of times, this leaves younger athletes "dizzy", or "feeling weak and lightheaded". Try to remember at all times, it is very important to keep everything in balance. That being said, we always need a great mixture of proteins, fats and carbohydrates to properly fuel our bodies and the appropriate energy systems that correspond with certain musculature of the body that is used at different times throughout both practice and games, depending on intensity levels. Here are some examples of pre and during competition meals for morning games (but is not limited to):

1.) Banana topped with almond butter (or peanut, cashew, sunflower butter) and wheat germ.

2.) Celery topped with nut butter and raisins (call it ants on a log and they'll love it)!

3.) Boiled Egg, 2 or 3, with 1 or 2 pieces of wheat toast with honey.

4.) Oatmeal or grits (not too much), smoothie.

5.) Granola (dry) or with soymilk because it does not have lactose and has a broad range of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbs, and electrolytes.

6.) During a game, athletes can eat a piece or half of a piece of fruit during the half or while taking a break on the bench.

7.) Hammer HEED is a great product to use to prevent cramping and get extra electrolytes, let me know if you need this. NEVER LET YOUR CHILD DRINK GATORADE or POWERAID. THE SIMPLE SUGARS WILL ACTUALLY BE A DETRIMENT AND WILL DEHYDRATE THEM MORE.

Stay away from milk due to the sugars in it. Milk tends to sit in the gut a little longer and is released over time rather than being used immediately by the body for fuel. It is one of the most common substances that you see for the second time out of an athlete on the field (meaning they puked)! However, chocolate milk is a great post game recovery shake!

Please feel free to send me any questions you may have regarding these meal recommendations. Good luck, fuel them right and they'll get the most out of their performance!

Deep Ujiyah (Yoga) Breaths

2008-09-16T07:50:00.001-05:00

During this time of stress and uncertainty in our lives with the hurricanes (and everyday life if you are not affected by the storms), take a step back and take at least 5-10 deep belly breaths as many times per day as you can. If you ever look at a newborn baby while they are sleeping or lying on their backs, you will see that as they inhale their belly rises away form their spine and the floor, and as they exhale, their belly button moves toward the spine and floor. As we grow and develop and get enveloped into everyday human life, we lose this natural belly breathing. Notice when you get in a stressful situation what happens: your breathing will start to shallow and hyperventilation occurs. This is not optimal for performance. Performance in life or in anything that you do. Why? By filling the lungs to capacity on a inhale, several things happen: 1.) Our lungs are lengthened (if we inhale until we can fit no more air in the lungs) which helps to improve the amount of oxygen you can consume in a minute, which, if improved will improve your VO2max and how efficient of an athlete/active person you can be because you fitness levels and thresholds will improve as well. 2.) By filling the lungs and fitting this excess oxygen into the lungs and body, this excess oxygen will help us to be more efficient and recover quicker because that oxygen works to nourish every cell, tissue, and organ of the body. This happens because the fuels that we put in our bodies are transported by the amount of oxygen that we can consume, so, if we can consume more oxygen, our fuels will be delivered more efficiently and more often to the places in the body that need them, both during exercise and at rest. 3.) Finally, when stretching and doing yoga, our breath can help us to lengthen our tendons, ligaments, and musculature more and allow us into positions that would not otherwise be possible for us unless we were inhaling to the capacity of the lungs which will help us create a greater capacity for our lungs. By emptying the lungs completely on a exhale, several things happen: 1.) We release toxins from the body through our expiration, in the form of CO2 and other metabolic waste. 2.) We allow the body to internally decrease space so that we can move through different ranges of motion when doing yoga, stretching and even doing core exercises and other activities. 3.) by detoxifying the body we allow the body to be more efficient in everything from cognitive function, to neuromuscular impulses, to muscular contraction, and a decrease of free radicals in the body which are the agents that cause disease, sickness, and cancer. This detoxification can also help in many other areas as well.

Theses full, deep breaths, when combined with a full inhale and exhale help to relax the mind and body, no matter where or what situation you are in. Even in stressful situations be mindful of your breath and what it's doing and always come back to those deep ujiyah breaths. The physiology behind the full, complete, deep breath is this in addition to all of the aforementioned: when we inhale, our diaphragm drops to facilitate the oxygen moving into the body. It does this to allow your body to take in as much oxygen as possible. When this happens, all of our organs drops to the lowest possible place in our bodies allowing our body to be nourished by that oxygen. When we exhale, our diaphragm is pulled in and up as high into the ribcage as possible (keep in mind the diaphragm is a muscle). When this happens our pelvic floor, or perineum, is lifted and all of our organs lift. If we exhale to the point where we have to almost gasp for our next inhale, our organs are squeezed, and rung out like a wet rag, releasing those unwanted toxins from where they are being held. So, with a full complete breath, our breath will work as a pumping mechanism used to nourish all the tissues of the body (inhale) and rid the body of all of the toxins (exhale). Try to get in at least 5-10 long, deep, ujiyah breaths everyday!

Taking Things for Granted

2008-09-15T17:20:00.001-05:00

Many a time in our lives, we take things for granted without even realizing it. There are people in this world with degenerative diseases, limb problems, blindness, internal disorders, hearing issues, etc., etc. For those people, life is a little more difficult for the ADL's (activities of daily living, ie. walking, seeing, hearing, getting around, carrying out basic life functions such as eating, breathing, etc.) than most. Most of us who are in "good health" simply take things for granted that we have it so good, and most would dispute that, saying that they have many problems, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. I say look at the positive things in your life. Look at all that God has blessed you with. Food and shelter, a great family, the ability to carry out ADL's with no problems or issues. There is a blind boy at Covington Hgih School who walks the track periodically as I am training the baseball and football teams. I tell the kids on that team that he should be an inspiration for them every time they are feeling sorry for themselves. He is out there trying his best to get himself better and keep himself in shape and to improve his quality of life as much as the good Lord will allow him too, although he may never regain his sight. When you are feeling sorry for yourself, think of this boy. Think of Adam Bender, the little boy who plays baseball on one leg (look on my website for a short video on him), or think of the boy who is handicapped and his dad carries him throughout each and every triathlon that he does, because it brings his handicapped son great joy and peace. Thank God everyday for waking you up for your first breath and for those things that you are blessed with day in and day out, and if you ever feel sorry for yourself think of those less fortunate or who are in worse situations than you, keep your head up, and keep moving forward in a positive direction, most importantly, love life and enjoy the people and experiences with which you share. with one another! Be an inspiration to someone else!

Variation and Balance

2008-09-15T10:18:00.001-05:00

These are two key components of the BQAD training system and programs. We use this variation and balance throughout all of the individual components to health and fitness that we use (ie. Strength, speed, flexibility, and nutrition), and also integrate all of these individual components to achieve overall balance in our lives. For example, when devising a strength regimen, we must make sure that the entire body is balanced by working all of the different muscle groups equally (we can also balance the body even further by working through specific "planes of motion" as well). The same can be done in a speed setting by working the 3 specific systems of the body (aerobic—type I muscle fibers—slow twitch, anaerobic alactic—type IIa muscle fibers—hybrid fibers mixed between fast and slow twitch, anaerobic glycolytic—type IIx muscle fibers—fast twitch). Also, the body can be balanced in the flexibility component, by lengthening as well as strengthening all areas of the body equally. Nutrition needs to be well balanced through good proteins (lean), fats (mono- and polyunsaturated), and carbohydrates (good simple and complex). There also needs to be a balance in the core of the body as well by working not only the abdominals, but also the transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, spinal erectors, quadratus lumborum, psoas minor, and all of the muscles of the pelvis (hips). By balancing all of these individual things, one can then integrate all of these things to balance the body as a whole.

Variation in training is one of the keys to achieving this balance. People often do the same thing over and over and over again in their fitness regimens. This repetition creates sticking points, or plateaus where these people see their strength or cardiovascular conditioning stick in the same spot, or even decrease due to the same demand placed on the musculature involved constantly. This happens because our muscles have memory, and eventually end up knowing the exact demand that will be placed upon it on a daily or weekly basis. When this happens, people gain those few pounds back, or decrease in strength due to the fact that the same demand is placed upon the muscles, or muscular systems involved. Remember, the body will adapt to any demand placed upon it. Demand a lot of different things out of your body, not just one or two.

These to things are vital to the BQAD program(s) and go hand in hand with one another. Variation and balance are included daily and hourly for everything that we do, stand for, and provide to our clients, both young and older alike.

Drink Tea

2008-08-30T10:05:00.001-05:00

Sometime today try to drink some tea. Tea has incredible antioxidant capacity because of the phenols and polyphenols in it. White tea has the most antioxidants, followed by green, then black (which all come from the same plant, just picked at different times). Herbal teas also have a lot of antioxidants including red tea (Rooibos), blue eyes, blueberry, lavender, peppermint, and chamomile just to name a few. Teas that you would get at restaurants are good to, just processed more so not as good. Also, try to stay away from those "pre-made" green teas with artificial sweeteners in them. Good tea brands that come pre-made in a bottle are: Honest Tea and Teas' Tea just to name a couple. Have a great day and make sure to drink your tea!

This Week's Triathlon Training:

2008-08-24T13:23:00.001-05:00

Monday: Swim 50-72 laps continuous if possible, starting at a slow warm up pace and gradually picking it up so that the last 10-30, you are getting it pretty good. Lift, Core and stretch.

Tuesday: spin or get on the bike and go hard. Stay at AB, then ramp up to AT (big hills) and hold it for as long as possible, then back down to AB, then repeat, time permitting, get off of the bike or spin bike and run a hard 2-4 miles at least at AB, but preferably between AB and AT, closer to AT, which will be hard getting of the bike, push through and get yourself better!

Wednesday: Swim 50 same style, then core and stretch, lift if possible

Thursday: get on the bike or spin bike, warm up in your warm-up zone for 10-15 minutes, put it on your best, most efficient gear, and ride hard consistently for about an hour, lift core and stretch after if you have time

Friday:swim 48, you can use some training toys if you'd like for this, buoys, fins, paddles, kick board for 36 laps, then do 6, 50yd sprints (there and back) to finish off. core, lift, stretch

Saturday: Go hard on the bike for 20-45 miles, trying to ride some hills if you can get out to the country somewhere. After finishing, get off the bike and run 2 at as good of a pace as you can between AB and or at AT.

Lifting: remember that next week we'll be tapering, so try to get some good lifting in--not heavy, heavy weight but a medium/medium heavy lift in the beginning of the week and lightening up a little toward the end of the week with a more fast paced circuit type workout maybe on the clock if you can. Have a great week, and let me know if you have any questions! Let's all smoke the Cajun Man!

Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

2008-08-19T16:34:00.001-05:00

Article from That's Fit

I stopped at the farmer's market this morning and several booths had beets for sale. I debated about buying some to make a borscht. (Which I love, but I was quite certain it would be a complete miss with my son.) According to Planet Green, I should have just tried juicing beets.

Researchers have found that drinking 500ml of beet root juice daily can have a positive impact on blood pressure. Not only is beet root high in antioxidants, it also contains dietary nitrates which benefit blood pressure. Researchers found that the blood pressure of study subjects dropped just one hour after drinking beet root juice, with the most benefit showing three to four hours after drinking the juice.

Want another idea on what to do with beets? Debra has some ideas for cooking beets with the greens.

Posted: Aug 14th 2008 4:00PM by Maggie Vink

A Few of My Perfect Meals:

2008-08-17T14:03:00.009-05:00

1.) Egg whites scrambled with olive oil, grits/wheat toast/oatmeal, 1 avocado (can be mixed in with eggs), turkey bacon and/or seared turkey breast, and fruit of your choice.

2.) Sushi or sashimi made with BROWN RICE if they use rice. Edamame (soybeans), miso or clear soup, bean sprout salad. (favorite sushi restaurant on the Northshore is Megumi) Order Lulu's Special, tell them Brandt sent you.

3.) Chicken Breast(s), sweet potatoes, and another veggie of your choice, ex: broccoli, green beans, carrots, beets, squash, brussel sprouts, etc..

4.) Lean steak, buffalo, ostrich, antelope, elk (some have limited availability based on where you live and/or shop. New (red) potatoes, and veggies of your choice.

5.) Grilled fish, brown rice or wheat pasta with some olive oil and light parmesan cheese.

Check out my website for Nutritional Advice.

Please email me directly with any questions about your diet or nutritional consultation.

Pain

2008-08-17T13:45:00.002-05:00

In one of my books, "The Breath of God", Swami Chetanananda illustrates and writes as one of his journal entries that "Pain is God's Love". Nothing could be closer to the truth. Pain is a reminder that we are human beings. Without it, all of us would be perfect and would already be at our greatest potential. Think about it: many of the experiences that we learn from are painful experiences. When we think of pain, we think of primarily physical pain. Although that is one type, what about the emotional, spiritual, and mental pain that we may experience as a result of many different situations. These pains also help us to grow and become who we are, and are a sign of God's love toward us. Without these "pains" or tension in our life, we may not have learned the lessons we were supposed to, or helped a friend in need, and ultimately, would not have learned and become who we are supposed to become as part of God's ultimate plan. Doing what I do, I see a lot of each of these pains everyday. Not only do I see the physical pains, but while people are moving, sweating, and hurting physically, all of their mental, emotional and spiritual pains are expressed and dealt with. As coaches, trainers, and health wellness and fitness professionals, we also become psychologists in a way, who lend an open ear to our clients, young and old alike, when they do open up and spill a lot of these pains and tensions to us.

Tension

2008-08-17T13:33:00.001-05:00

Swami Chetanananda also talks about how tension is just crystallized energy. Think about it, tension is crystallized energy, what does this mean? Tensions in our life are usually things that we hold on to, and do not let them go or have resolve by communicating them to someone or simply to pray or meditate on that particular tension until it is released. Just like pain (tension is pain in a way just not the ideal pain we think of), tension can manifest itself in several forms: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Examples of this include: Mental--being stressed out about school, work, performance etc., and holding on to that tension instead of resolving it or letting it go. Physical--having tightness, or tension, in the joints, musculature, or intestines. Sometimes one tension or tensions can lead to others. There is usually a way to resolve these tensions without using prescription drugs, or the infamous ibuprofen. Yoga, Pilate's, hot/cold contrast therapies, Epsom Salt baths and other treatment modalities (which are all natural) can be used to treat and help alleviate your physical tensions. Emotional--sometimes we have strong emotional tensions and turmoil, which usually starts itself out as a mental tension of some sort. This mental tensions cascades into emotional tensions. Just like mental tensions, if we reflect, pray and/or meditate on the certain tension and letting it go, we usually realize that its not that important to hold on to and there are more important things in life that we should shift our focus to, to get away from that tension, such as, family, friends, what we love doing, helping others in need etc. Spiritual--people have spiritual tensions in many ways. Sometimes situations arise that make individuals question their faith. Remember, pain is God's love. Life is not always going to be easy. I tell our athletes, if we were already perfect, we would have nothing to work on or shoot for, and life would be boring. We are impermanent beings. What does that mean? We will all die someday. Death is a part of life. It will come for us sooner than others, and sooner than we would like for some of our friends and family, and is something that we do not talk about a lot because we want to believe that we'll live forever and we are never going to die. Let's be real, and truthful though. A lot of people question their faith at these trying times and gives rise to spiritual tension. Others question their religion, and religious practices of others etc. Many people ask for God's help with several things, but how much do you take a step back, sit in silence, and listen to God? Try that, and not just for 30 seconds. Sit in silence and breath for at least 10 solid minutes, with an objective mind. As a thought arises, recognize that thought but don't hold onto it,let it go and let another arise or if there are no thoughts that's fine too. Do not look at your thoughts subjectively and analyze them, simply recognize them and then let them go. Hopefully this will help you with some tensions in your life! Have a great, tension free day!

College Bound Athletes

2008-08-15T01:07:00.001-05:00

While working last week, I received a text from an athlete that has trained with us in the past, Jerry Mitchell. He informed me that he has been offered a full scholarship to The University of Arkansas. He still has his senior year to play for Mandeville High School, which I told him, should be the most important thing in his life right now. I am so excited for him and love what I do so much! These are the times and experiences that make all of my 15-18 hour days worth it, helping these young men and women achieve their goals of earning a scholarship to college, or even getting drafted into pro athletics. Another one of our athletes, Beau Dickenson, received a call on Thursday of last week and was invited as one of the 105 select athletes that can attend 2 a days with the University of Southern Mississippi. He worked his butt off all summer to get ready to play college football, and he deserves every opportunity that he gets. He only played one year of High School Football at Holy Cross, and 4 years of soccer.
To name a few others, Maddie Commander, Theo Hooker, Christine Walters, Eric Hymel, and Morgan Springer have all received college scholarships. I couldn't be prouder!

Weekly Triathlon Training Schedule

2008-08-12T17:38:00.004-05:00

Tuesday: spin easy at AB (aerobic base)

Wednesday: light, easy .5 mile swim, core, stretch/yoga/lift

Thursday: light 2 mile run at AB, you can do some tempo work here if you're feeling good, increase intensity by running at an incline or increasing speed until you reach or get close to AT(anaerobic threshold), then take it back down, STAY AT AB UNLESS YOU ARE FEELING UP TO TEMPO

Friday: light .5 mile swim, lift/core/yoga

Saturday: 7am spin, just do the class and push, followed by a light swim of your choice on distance.

Sunday: rest and take an Epsom Salt bath to help you to recover quicker

Upset Stomach?

2008-08-04T13:31:00.001-05:00

Try drinking peppermint, lavender, or chamomile tea. Also yogurt, because of a good intestinal flora called lactobacillus acidophilus, which you can also purchase in the store as a supplement as well. It's found naturally in cottage cheese and yogurt though and aids in digestion. Ginger root is also great for aiding the digestive process and is served with sushi, and it also sold at the store in root form and can also be purchased in nutrition stores as a supplement as well. Essential Oils can also be used: next time you are sick, or just want to settle your stomach and sleep like a baby, run lavender and/or peppermint essential oils all over you feet, top and bottom. I hope this helps with any of your stomach ailments!

Supplemental recommendations for any person/athlete needing to gain lean mass:

2008-07-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

Life Essentials Multi Vitamin--for a solid foundation, to make sure you get all the basics, essentials, and phytonutrients into your diet

Juice + Fruits and Vegetables--to ensure that you are getting all of your fruits, vegetable and their nutrients, this is actually fruit packed into pill form (or gummies), tons of antioxidants, fiber

Opti Pro APS--weight gainer with whey protein and complex carbohydrates

Opti Pro M--leaner protein to be mixed with the APS with electrolytes, flax-seed meal, digestive enzymes and soy and whey protein

HMB--amino acid protein breakdown suppressor to stop your body from eating your muscle tissue for fuel, and helps to rebuild tissues that are broken down

ZMA--taken before bed, zinc and mono-methionine and magnesium help your body to get more restful sleep, where you can grow and gain lean tissue

OptiATP--creatine complex to help maximize your gains and give you more fuel for extra few reps for strength and size

L-Glutamine--most abundant free form amino acid in the body, used to rebuild tissue through neural impulses and cognition

L-Arginine--amino acid vasodilator to ensure all of the extra nutrients you are taking in will be delivered properly and used more to help you build

Pycnogenol--incredible antioxidant that has 50x more antioxidant capacity of green tea to help protect your cells which we break down a lot as athletes

Alpha Lipoic Acid--incredible antioxidant that helps the body to use any and all nutrients to the best of its ability and protects the cells

My Tweet Cloud

2008-07-20T09:03:00.000-05:00

My Sunfish Triathlon Results

2008-07-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

SEX DIV
MALE CLYDESDALE
PLACE PLC NAME AGE RANK TIME #1 RANK TIME MPH #2 RANK TIME PACE TIME CITY STATE
3 59 Brandt Quick 27 9 11:45 1:13 3 48:26 20.8 1:00 5 26:30 8:47 1:28:53 MADISONVILLE LA

Circadian Rhythm

2008-07-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

Our body "clocks" are set to the sun. We are not nocturnal animals, rather, we thrive during the day. Our peak hormonal production time is around 8am. If we get an adequate amount of rest and sleep at night, these hormones will be at peak production, during the peak times and will stay at that peak longer. The less rest we get, the least likely we are to peak and stay there for a great duration of time. In the evening, when the sun starts to go down, we get drowsy because of a hormone that is released into our bloodstream called melatonin. Melatonin makes us drowsy and tired.
Listen to your body at this time, and go to sleep! If we get to bed before 11pm, our adrenal hormones (epinephrine and nor-epinephrine) can recharge fully. They recharge between the hours of 11pm and 1am. We use adrenaline all day everyday in some capacity or another. Just walking and talking requires both of these hormones, not just physical, strenuous exercise and stressors! Get to bed before 11pm!
If we get an adequate amount of rest, and we get exposure to sunlight before 9am, we will set our bodies up to naturally produce more performance and life-enhancing hormones, most notably growth hormone, which then works to increase every other hormone in the body as well.
Set your Circadian Rhythm the right way, and reap the benefits of living a healthier, more energetic lifestyle and perform better in all aspects of life!

My Triathlon Training Schedule for This Week

2008-07-08T05:01:00.000-05:00

Tuesday: Cycle with the group from Franco's that rolls at 5:50am, they will ride 20 miles. Its an out and back route, I'll probable link up with them too and run a brick after for a couple miles. Before you hook up with the group, swim for 45 minutes. Do a 10 lap easy warm up, continuous if possible. get a kickboard and do that for 12 laps. If you have fins, swim freestyle with fins for 12 laps, put a buoy in between your thighs and swim 12 laps. remember, try to stay continuous between blocks. Then, if you can, since you will be good and warm, swim 24 straight laps. Let me know how you do, and don't miss your ride! You'll be back to the club by 7am, DO IT! I'll see you out there!

Wednesday: Go on the golf course in Beau Chene for a run in the dark and watching the sun come up, get in as much time as you can, stay at AB, and toy with moving up to AT a few times, if you feel great there, stay there for as long as possible and repeat as many times as you can.

Thursday: Swim 36 laps at a comfortable perfect technique pace, lift, yoga/flexibility/YOGA if you can, CORE EVERYDAY (to work the core, think: front back lower upper, rotational, sides)!

Friday: Spin until you can't, just go with the teachers lead, then go outside and get a 25 minute AT run in. I promise this will not be fun, but you get to take a well deserved break, just DO IT with that in mind!

Weekend: Try to stay active, but take a couple days off to let your body compensate for what you've been doing lately. Try to get something in while on vacation, just one day, your choice, keep doing core and stretch for at LEAST 10-20 minutes per day, taking long deep breaths while doing so.

KEEP ALL THOSE TIMES YOU WERE IN A BAD MOOD AFTER THE TRIATHLONS INSTEAD OF ENJOYING YOURSELF SO THAT WHEN WE DO THE NEXT ONE YOU CAN PARTY YOUR ASS OFF BECAUSE YOU'VE ATTAINED YOUR GOALS AND WORKED YOUR ASS OFF! KEEP PUSHING, STAY STRONG, BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT!

Passion

2008-06-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

Have Passion for what you do: If you do not love what you do then why are you doing it? If we love what we do that shines through our work, and if we do not, just the opposite. Love what you do and live life with passion, train with passion, work with passion for what you love and believe in! Be passionate about the steps to achieving your goals, dreams, and aspirations, and you will be successful in achieving them!

Week 4 Triathlon Training:

2008-06-30T10:07:00.000-05:00

Monday: Swim easy warm up laps and gradually increase you pace to a comfortable one for as many as you can consistently. If you feel good and would like to do some sprints at the end, definitely do that but let me know how many laps you are up to in a row, lift and core

Tuesday: Ride or spin. Don't kill yourself here, stay around your AB, but you can get up and sprint or do a hill or two when you feel up to it. Lift and core.

Wednesday: Easy 2-6 mile run at or around comfortable AB pace, lift and core.

Thursday: Swim 12-18 laps freestyle, the 12-18 laps with a buoy in between you legs

Friday: Do the 4 on the 4th race at Hubie Gallagher Park in Covington and try to PR (personal record) in it

Saturday: off or yoga

Week 3 Triathlon Training

2008-06-23T15:38:00.001-05:00

Monday: Brick Training--ride at or right above your AB on the bike or in spin for 30-45 minutes, then get off and try to run for 20-30 minutes (whatever time permits for you) at or right above your AB as well. If you are feeling great and want to push it a little (HR), go ahead but let me know what you do.

Tuesday: Swim as many laps as you can in a row, time permitting after warming up. You are not going for speed here, rather distance. If you have to stop after a certain #, fine, but rest and then see how many more you can do in a row, with a cooldown after. Core and weights if you can.

Wednesday: Same as Monday. If you did not pick up your intensity above AB on Monday, do it today, push it pretty good and let me know what HR you get to above your AB.

Thursday: Spin or bike for 45 min-1 hr doing some tempo work which a traditional spin class should do for you with the hills. Stay consistently around your AB then sprint to AT and hold for as long as you can, then back off and repeat. Core and weights if possible.

Friday: recovery swim. swim 3 easy laps and 1 fast 1 for a much time as you can before heading up to do core and weights, giving yourself enough time for these two things.

Saturday: your choice---probably a good day to get on the bike or swim, take sunday off, next week will be a down week with less intensity.

Free Radicals and Antioxidants

2008-06-16T08:18:00.000-05:00

Free radicals are generated when and extra oxygen molecule sneaks into one or more cells in the body. These free radicals that are generated eat up our cells, cause damage, disease, cancers, and a plethora of other horrible things as well. This is where antioxidants can help you tremendously. Everyone always tells you that you need more antioxidants in your diets and supplements, but they very rarely tell you why. You need the antioxidants to antioxidize the extra oxygen molecules (free radicals) that sneak into your cells to cause damage. Of course you can get tons of antioxidants through your diet: berries, fruits and veggies, tea, fish, just to name a few. Also, there are some supplemental antioxidant superpowers, and the three most notable are: Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Pycnogenol, and Melatonin. There are also plenty other foods and supplements that are also antioxidants.

Move Your Body to Reduce Stress

2008-06-15T11:22:00.005-05:00

Our Bodies are Made to Move. Exercise is the best way to prevent health issues and disease. It seems as though after several, several years people are starting to see this. From an evolutionary perspective, our bodies are made to move, and if we do not, the body will generate free radicals that eventually (and sooner rather than later for some) create and cause disease, cancer, illness, etc. The flight or fight response is still ingrained in our bodies from the beginning of time. Although our stressors are not running from dinosaurs and fighting prey for food for the family, we still do have our share of stress. Bosses yelling at us, kids yelling and screaming or getting bad grades, a peer that tries to make life miserable for you.....this is all called distress, or bad stress.
Eustress is good stress and examples are laughter, exercise, etc. Both kinds of stress give us an adrenaline response, some greater than others, and with that comes a higher heart rate and cortisol levels.
Here's the question: when our heart rate does go up, how long does it take after that stressful situation to go back down to a resting level? This is one of the things that tells us how fit we are, how fast our heart can recover after going up to a much higher heart rate. Exercise is a way to ensure that our stress responses and recovery are great, thus lowering our risk for several diseases and cancers, and overall free radical generation.

Polar Body Age Experience

2008-06-15T11:18:00.003-05:00

Polar also has a machine which calculates your BodyAge after doing a few assessments, and asking a few questions about your diet. If you are 40, but live right and healthy, you may have a BodyAge of 30 years old for example. After performing all of the tests, the BodyAge machine will give you report on your overall fitness level and how more cardiovascular exercise will help this and other factors such as cholesterol, lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, etc. It will also give you a report on the answers to your diet and nutrition questions that were answered, and tell you what to eat more of, but more importantly, why. It also will give you reports on flexibility and strength training and why these two things will help complete and balance out your fitness regime of training program.
If you actually have one of the Polar Watch models with a few more functions, you can actually dock your watch on the bodyage machine. It reads all of your previous workouts and gives you a report and a BodyAge, but it will also program your watch for what you need to be doing, day to day, week to week, and month to month. This is not only a valuable tool for members of your club and individuals, but also for the health club because it will allow the health club to create a database of their clients as it relates to their health and fitness, not just their address, phone #'s and credit card info. Now you are giving them a tangible way to see how exercise will effect them in a positive way. Another thing the BodyAge experience will do is the reports for individuals can be emailed to their doctors so that they may see what their patients are doing and what their fitness levels and diets are like, and what else they do.

Sun Salutation

2008-06-10T06:01:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most basic forms of yoga. It is movement with every half of a breath, and will help to increase lung capacity, flexibility, suppleness and pliability of the spine, increase cerebrospinal fluid production, and promotes a great overall feeling of well-being!

Sun Salutation: Start in a standing position with your hands by your side and take about 5 deep breaths in and out through the nose, remember that the breath is the most important part of stretching and yoga, try to stretch your lungs with every inhale, and exhale until there is absolutely no more air in your lungs. Inhale arms up overhead, exhale bend forward, inhale halfway up flat back, exhale hands to the floor, step back to push up position, big inhale then exhale to hover, inhale up dog, exhale down dog, exhale walk feet to hands, inhale halfway up flat back, exhale palms to floor, inhale arms up overhead, repeat as many times as tolerated, REMEMBER THAT YOUR BREATH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS FLEXIBILITY AND RECOVERY WORK! I have had several clients come to me with back pain for various reasons. This is the prescription that I give and teach them to do every morning in order to take some of the tension out of their backs. Even if you do not have back pain now, do this as what I call prehab, so you never have to go to rehab!

1 Week Triathlon Workout

2008-06-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a workout for the week that I wrote for a client trying to improve before doing his next tri. I tested him toward the end of last week.

Monday: AB Run--go out for a run for as long as you can at your AB, stay at AB (aerobic base). If you have time, do some core strength and stability work.

Tuesday: Spin--this workout will probably be a tempo type workout. gauge you intensity by the class and instructor, but when she tells you to crank up the wheel, crank it up good. you want to stay consistent around AB when spinning and try to get close to or above AT/LT when climbing.

Wednesday: Swim and Lift--warm up easy, then try to swim as many laps as you can in a row. let me know what that # is. After tiring out, swim some 25's. Sprint across the pool, then rest until recovered enough to do another. Try to do a full body circuit. If you need ideas or would like to train with us, come on up at 6am to the SP room.

Thursday: Tempo Run--just like your pickups, stay around AB, then burst until you hit AT, hold for 1 minute, drop back down to AB.

Friday: Swim and Spin: swim from 4:45-5:20am, do an easy warm up pace swim and see how many laps you can do in a row, remember, easy easy pace. Spin: after getting your legs warm, crank up the wheel and go. This will mimic a triathlon setting, keeping a consistent wheel for a certain duration hammering down on the pedals.

Saturday: Lift and Yoga

Make sure you do corework 6 days per week regardless of everything else you're doing. your body is an extension of your core and every movement is initiated or energy is transferred through the center of the body. Having a strong core will ease up where tension and force is applied to the rest of the body, thus making you stronger overall and decreasing your chance for injury (which, triathletes and endurance athletes in general seem to live hurt because that's all they do is swim bike run and they don't do anything to stay balanced, ie lifting and doing lateral movements, and yoga for recovery and regeneration of broken down tissues.. Please keep me posted on how you feel and let me know what you thin!,

Supplemental Recommendations to Lose Body Fat

2008-06-08T09:00:00.003-05:00

Supplemental Recommendations that were done for a client looking to increase energy on a daily basis and to get rid of a last little bit of adipose tissue (BODY FAT):

GABA, DMAE----these things work on cognitive function and promote a great mood and well-being, they also work to improve neurotransmission. I, and others, use these as a remedy for ADD or ADHD, instead of Adderrall, Ritalin, etc.---these are great and are definitely are worth a shot, I take them every day of my life and love them and what they do for me on a daily basis.

Fish Oils--work in conjunction with GABA and DMAE. Full of rich Omega 3's and 6's. These have incredible benefits for the body in a lot of different capacities. If you eat a lot of fish you do not need to take this in supplement form.

Multivitamin would also be great to keep you balanced and fueled properly if you do not already take one.

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)--incredible antioxidant, one of the best, along with the next few that I list. ALA helps our livers to assimilate and breakdown proteins, carbohydrates, and fats more efficiently.

Pycnogenol---a French Maritime Pine Tree Bark with antioxidant capacities outdoing green tea by 50%

Melatonin--a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that regulates our light/dark cycles and circadian rhythm. For more restful sleep if you have broken sleep right now, this is an incredible antioxidant. You can also just take it when you know you have some time to rest on the weekends and know you need more recovery.

CLA--good fats that take the place of your bad fats in the body. Incredible non-stimulant fat burner that is great for you heart and cardiovascular system. CLA decreases existing adipose tissue and inhibits any new fat storage.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine--an amino acid that acts as a powerful fat-burning catalyst

Opti-Pro M--if you do not take this already, this will help you to rebuild, repair, and regenerate your muscle tissue and prevent breakdown of muscle tissue and storing of fat. Has several great things in it: soy/whey protein, electrolytes, fiber, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals, amino acids, good fats, flaxseed meal, and good carbs from maltodextrin and the soy content.

Metabolic Testing--we can test your resting metabolic rate to determine exactly how many calories you burn per day at rest, and adjust your diet and exercise according to you specific weight loss goals and aspirations. We can also do an EMR (exercise metabolic rate) on you to determine aerobic base, lactate threshold, and VO2max. Then, we can design certain workouts and zones for you to stay in while you are doing your cardio workouts without us to be more specific for your goals. We can also get you a polar watch to allow you to track your calories and your heart rate and zones while training.

Rest--make sure you are getting at least one full day of complete physical rest per week. On this day, you can stretch and breathe, but nothing too much. Your body needs this time to regenerate and if you do not give it that rest time, your body will store more adipose tissue because you are at a caloric deficit.

Alcohol--one glass of wine or a beer per day is ok, but realize that anything over this will cause adipose tissue storage and will not allow you to recover and feel energized the way that you would like to.

Tea--has great antioxidant capacities from the phenols and polyphenols in them. White tea has the most with less caffeine, green is the 2nd best with a little more caffeine, and black is in the same family but has more caffeine. There are also herbal teas with no caffeine and antioxidant capacities as well: Rooibos (Red Tea), Peppermint, Lavender, Blue Eyes, etc.

Just let me know if you need any of these things and I will be glad to get them for you!

100%

2008-05-18T15:03:00.003-05:00

Why give less that 100% in anything that you do? Why show up to train and go through the motions? You're not going to get anything out of that, or very little at most. I tell our athletes, kids, and clients all the time, if you train at 50%, then that's what you'll compete at, and you're only going to get better at going half-speed, not full speed. In essence, you'll only get 50% better. Then I tell them that if they get a job, and give anything less than 100% what happens? They'll be fired for not doing their job. Start practicing GREAT, not good or poor habits now so that 100% is programmed into you for the rest of your life in anything that you do: whether an athletic event, taking an exam, putting together a proposal, training, etc. Give everything that you have and then some to reap the benefits of anything that you're doing. You'll be able to look at yourself in the mirror, and know that you gave everything you had with no regrets. If you give less than 100% you'll have regrets and you'll always wonder, what if i would have given 100% effort in what I was doing at that time? Where would I be now? Have no regrets, give 100% at everything you do, and you won't!

Vasodilation and Vasoconstriction

2008-05-18T15:01:00.003-05:00

These may not be words that you hear everyday of your life, but they may come up from time to time. Vasoconstriction is the constriction of the vessels of the body: blood vessels, arteries, arterioles, capillaries, veins, etc. Vasoconstriction happens and can be induced by the following: cold temperatures in the atmosphere or water, from drinking caffeine or taking some kind of stimulant, etc. Vasodilation is just the opposite. It's the dilation of the vessels of the body, when our vessels expand and look like they're full with blood. This can been seen when someone looks very "vascular" and their veins stick out from their bodies. Vasodilation can be induced by the following: eating nuts--any kind, hot temperatures via water or atmospheric heat, taking L-Arginine, an amino acid, and more blood flow to an area from muscular contractions--ex: doing bicep curls will cause more blood to flow to that specific area, thus, causing vasodilation. Lately, people have been supplementing with NOS products (nitric oxide delivery systems). These products do promote vasodilation, yes, but also promote inflammation. So, you'll be very vascular and have more of a chance for injury. The theory is that with more vasodilation, more of the ingested nutrients can be delivered straight into the cells for fuel and to rebuild muscle tissue after breaking it down in a workout. Instead of taking these products, and leaving yourself with a chance or chances of being injured, simply eat nuts or supplement with l-arginine, a safe, proven, effective amino acid that will produce the same effects. L-Arginine is the active, natural ingredient in nuts that promotes the vasodilation! Eat more nuts!

Rest

2008-05-11T23:33:00.003-05:00

The most overlooked, most important part of any training program. What most athletes don't realize, is that rest is essential to adapting to the specific demands that you place on your body. when we train, we tear down our muscle fibers and other tissues of the body. It is the responsibility of our immune system to go back and "clean up" those tissues, to repair them to be bigger faster stronger leaner, etc. If we never rest and continue to break our bodies down, what do you think will happen? 2 things: you will get sick, and/or you will injure yourself badly. If you rest for at least a day or two out of your training week, watch and see how you take off with your gains and goals. If you don't rest, at some point, you're going to get sick or injured, it's just a matter of time. So, to have a much better response to stress, a stronger immune system, larger and leaner muscles, stronger and faster muscles, more explosiveness and force production, REST. There is also something called active rest or active recovery work, such as: yoga/pilates, playing ping pong, leisurely swimming (not swimming 2 miles!), any other fun and enjoyable games where you are not going all out, 100% (which most of us athletes have a problem doing). I recently had an athlete (last Thursday) at a speed session black out several times and almost pass out. She said she had been eating often and her diet was good. I told her to sit out from that point on and gave her some food, but she snuck back into the group when we were doing 300 yd shuttles. Halfway through the first one, she blacked out and fell down. I asked her what she was doing back in and she threw a temper tantrum because she just couldn't figure out why this was happening. I asked her when her last day of rest was, and she had to think about it for more than 15 seconds, so before she had a chance to answer, I told her that was the problem and she needed to take a week off and just do yoga and then go home and read some good, interesting books. Do not overtrain yourself, get your rest, and reap the benefits!

Full Body Workout 2

2008-05-10T11:43:00.002-05:00

QF Ladder Drills

Crunch Extension Crunches 1x15

Superman's 1x15

Side Plank Hip-Ups 1x15 each side

Band single Leg Barbell Squat 3x8-12 each leg

Split Jumps3x8

Cord Slide Paw3x15

DB Bench Hold Ups3x8 (3=1)

MB Chest Pass3x10

Cable Hold Down Rows3x8 (3=1)

DB Hammer Curl3x8

DB OH Tri Extension3x8

DB Bent Reverse Fly3x8

Core: Single leg leg lifts x 25 each leg, frog crunch x 25, Windshield Wipers x 15 each way, Russian Twist x 50, Single Leg Hip ups x 25 each leg, wide legged hypers x 25, twisting hypers x 100 twists.

Full Body Workout

2008-05-08T01:38:00.003-05:00

Stability Ball 1 Arm DB Bench--3-4 setsx6-25 reps

Stab. Ball 1 Arm DB Row--3-4x6-25

3 Angle Lunge--3-4x6-12 each leg

1 Arm/1 Leg RDL--3-4x6-25

Ice Skater Jumps--3-4x6-30

DB In and Out Delts--3-4x6-20

Arnold Curl--3-4x6-20

DB Pullover Press--3-4x6-20

Body Weight, Bar, or DB Toe Up to Calf Raise (3 angles--toes in, out, straight)--3-6x15-30

Stab. Ball Down Dog --3-4x15-30

Hatfield Back Extension--3-4x15-30

Twisting Plate Raise--3-4x15-30

Sets with less reps would be done with heavier weight. You should try to go up in weight every set, so you're challenged by your last two to three reps. Sets with more reps should be done with less weight, but you should still go up a little each set.

Let Your Legs Be Your Engine

2008-05-08T01:16:00.003-05:00

Where do you work? Where do you go to school? Is it safe? If you live within 10 miles of work, play, school, or wherever you may roam on a daily basis, why not walk, ride a bike, take your ripstick, scooter (leg powered), NOTHING WITH A MOTOR, REMEMBER YOUR LEGS ARE THE MOTOR!, unicycle, upper body cycle, etc! Europeans use this age-old, cave man form of simplistic, yet effective travel and they are some of the healthiest human beings on the planet with long life expectancies! Their diet is also stellar as well!
Main point: use your body and mind more! Doing this prevents many things: parkinsons, alzeimers, high blood pressure, high bad (LDL) cholesterol, high cortisol levels, obesity, artherosclerosis, and the list goes on and on.............to find out more contact BQuick Fitness!

Essential Oils

2008-05-06T01:23:00.000-05:00

Go to your local health food store or marketplace and ask where the essentials oils are. There are many types, but most are all natural, plant derived oils. They can help with many things: nervousness, nausea, muscle soreness, bruising, trauma,strains and sprains,, dizziness, concentration, healing, breathing, etc. Some examples are: lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, chamomile, lemongrass, grapefruit, tangerine, frankincense, myrrh, sage, and many others!

Epsom Salt Baths

2008-05-04T13:45:00.002-05:00

Everyone should take epson salt baths! the reason being, is because epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. The magnesium soaks into our bodies, and is great for minor, strains, sprains and overall repearation of the tissues of the body and overall recovery! A bag can be purchased at your local drugstore or grocery store, and will only cost you maybe $5-$6 for a giant bag. Your instructions are easy too: fill up your bathtub to whatever temperature your heart desires, then sprinkle in as much epsom salts as you'd like. If you'd like to spice it up even more, put some essentials oils in too, such as: lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, and any others that you may like! Please read into the Electrolytes section of the blog, to find out why magnesium is so good for you and your mind and body! Coming up next........Essential Oils and their benefits!

Massage: Why should you get a massage?

2008-05-03T16:41:00.006-05:00

Massages are great for relieving stress: physical, mental, and emotional! On a physical level, the more active we are, the more passive things we need in our lives, such as massage. Our lives are so active on a daily basis, whether we exercise or not, life is simply busy! Massage works to eliminate "metabolic waste" or all of the junk and byproducts of all those muscular contractions and releases and all of the chemical reactions that take place in our bodies on a daily basis. By drinking tons of water after massages, we work to get rid of this metabolic waste that can cause problems if left over in the body.
Mentally, taking the time to allow your body and mind to be in a passive state, where you're not necessarily "in control", is a great thing. Most of us simply do not like to "let go" of what's going on in our lives to take the time for ourselves which is so important for health, vitality, and longevity.
Emotionally, massage helps us as well because it helps us to get away and detach from what's going on in our lives to just focus on ourselves. Massage also helps us to be more mindful of what's going on with our bodies, so we can take care of ourselves and not allow hot spots to lead to more debilitating injuries. Get a massage!

Fruits and Their Antioxidant Capacities

2008-04-30T00:30:00.004-05:00

Gac, pomegranate, and acai' are some of the most potent along with blueberries raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, dark chocolate is a beast, and 2 blocks (not the entire bar) has more antioxidants than 2 giant bowls of blueberries.....tomatoes--incredible superfruit, avocados--
WOW, tons of great fats (mono and polyunsaturated--great fuel for anyone's mind and body), oranges and apples and their families---great vitamin c of course, but also potassium, a key electrolyte that sometimes gets overlooked due to all of our salt intake from salts hidden in restaurant and processed foods. we have to live balanced. balance you electrolytes....always sodium with potassium and always calcium with magnesium. more salt means more water in your cells, more potassium, less water. calcium controls muscular contraction along with many other things and magnesium controls muscular release along with many other things.

Everyday take 10 deep breaths (at least): inhale until your lungs feel like they can fit no more air, then inhale a little more until you cant, then release the air until you almost have for that next long deep inhale.....as you inhale allow your belly button to rise away from your spine, and as you exhale, pull your belly button towards your spine and up. this will help to cleanse and detoxify your body, supply your body with more oxygen making you feel incredible with tons of benefits, it will decrease your heart rate and blood pressure..make sure you sit with great posture, your spine straight and long, this will also help to stimulate cerebrospinal fluid, which lubricates our spine and the spaces between our brain.

Tip of the Day: Eat Pineapple

2008-04-29T07:25:00.005-05:00

Pineapple contains a natural anti inflammatory called bromelain. instead of picking up the bottle of Advil, Tylenol, or Aleve, pick up a pineapple and eat it for great anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Pineapple also has a lot of fiber and also fructose, which is a good sugar!

Hydration: Our bodies are 66% water, so continue to hydrate yourself from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to sleep! Try to stick with just water, or water and juice, but make sure the juice has pulp and/or fiber. Dehydration can cause a lot of bad things, cramps, dizziness, fatigue and can even lead to heat exhaustion in extreme conditions. We need water in our bodies for intercommunication between our cells, the lining of our joints (synovial fluid), and our brain and spine (cerebrospinal fluid).

Flora-Bama's Mullet Man Triathlon - Results

2008-04-28T19:39:00.006-05:00

Brandt Quick #824

Madisonville, La Age: 27 Gender: M

Distance	Short
Clock Time	1:37:14
Overall Place	92 / 393
Gender Place	74 / 280
Division Place	14 / 39
Sextotal	218
Divtotal	39
Swimplace	128
Swimtime	12:53
Bikeplace	50
Biketime	50:47
Runplace	124
Runtime	33:35

That's Fit

2008-04-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

Kids are starving for sleep

Seventy-six percent of parents say they'd change something about their kids' sleep habits if they could. Makes sense since 69 percent of kids under 10 experience sleep problems a few times per week. And 14 percent of school-age kids wake in the night and need some kind of attention. Parents of such sleep deprived kids are two percent more likely to be sleep deprived themselves. Only 47 percent of school age kids get enough sleep. Clearly, kids are starving for sleep. Just like adults.

What should mom and dad do to help soothe their sleepy ones? Warm milk won't help -- consider it an old wives tale -- and neither will walnuts, turkey, strawberries, or salmon. There's just not enough tryptophan in these foods to cause drowsiness. Try these strategies instead.

Make sure your kids get 30 to 60 minutes per day of outdoor play.

Give your little ones a gentle massage before bed.

Talk to a pediatrician about the nutritional supplement melatonin for short-term use.

What do you do to help your children sleep?

Posted: Apr 24th 2008 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson

Target Zone Exercise

2008-04-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

Polar USA

Target Zone Exercise

The most effective way to reach your fitness goal is to exercise in your target heart rate zone. There is a target zone that's right for each day's workout. For example, if you want to improve aerobic fitness you need to be working at 70-80% of your maxHR, for 40-60 minutes per day, 3 to 4 times per week. Without this information, you would get on a treadmill and not know how hard or how long you should be exercising. In most cases you may be going too easy or too hard. There are 3 key target zones that help you achieve specific goals.

60-70% Lose Weight or Recover
70-80% Improve Aerobic Fitness
80+ % Increase Athletic Performance

To calculate your 3 key target zones, we use a formula that factors in your morning resting heart rate (MRHR). This will help personalize the numbers not only for your age, but also your fitness level.

Morning Resting Heart Rate (MRHR)
Use your Polar heart rate monitor to take your heart rate for three mornings in a row before getting up from bed. Take the average of those numbers:

Morning 1# + Morning 2# + Morning 3# = (X)
(X) Divided by 3 = Morning Resting HR (MRHR)

Improving Overall Fitness:

For first time exercisers, have your physician perform a stress test to determine your maxHR along with your target zones specific to your goal. This is especially important if you are just starting an exercise program or have not exercised for a prolonged period of time.

If you have reached a plateau, you should begin to alter the frequency, intensity and duration of your workouts. The body is smart and adapts to routine. If you follow the same program, and have done so for a while, you may have stopped seeing results. Variety is the key. Focus on different workouts, at different target zones, on different days while adjusting your workout time.

For Example:

Have a recovery day where you go longer at an easier pace than you usually do (60-70% maxHR)
While doing your normal (70-80% maxHR) exercises be creative. Monday use the treadmill, Wednesday take a cardio kickboxing class, Friday play a game of tennis. A range of different exercises will not only help you mix up your workouts, but it will also keep motivated and challenged.
Do an interval workout where you pick up your speed (at or above 80% of maxHR) for one minute, slow down for three minutes (65% maxHR) and repeat again for 30 - 60 minutes. You can incorporate this into most cardio activities. This is a fun way to add variety to your exercise while burning more calories.

These are the kinds of workouts that will help you improve and reach your fitness goals. Whether you're in good cardio shape, or you've reached a plateau and can't seem to lose any more weight, alter the intensity, time and frequency of your exercises. Now that you have a heart rate monitor and you know your target zones, you can use any activity to get an effective workout. Just let your Polar monitor guide you.

Electrolytes

2007-11-27T11:26:00.001-06:00

Electrolytes: sodium/potassium, calcium/magnesium. Having the right balance of these 4 things is imperative to safe, effective living and training. Sodium and Potassium control the amount of water present in every cell (which is needed for chemical and electrical transportation in the body). Sodium controls how much water is imported into the cell(s), potassium controls the amount of water exported from the cell(s). A healthy balance of these two things in the body will yield a healthy balance of the water inherent in every cell, organ, and tissue of the body. Calcium and Magnesium control the contraction and release of our muscles. Calcium controls muscle contraction, everything from lifting objects, running, using the bathroom, etc. Magnesium controls the release of the muscle fibers form contraction. If you flex a muscle, then release it, magnesium controls that release and relaxation.

Why get tested for VO2max

2007-11-27T11:23:00.000-06:00

Why get tested for VO2max/EMR (aerobic base and anaerobic threshold, Exercise Metabolic Rate) and RMR (resting metabolic rate)? By testing these two things, we can see where our bodies are from a scientific perspective, in respect to how many calories we burn at rest (RMR), and also where we are most efficient at using our fuels (fats and carbohydrates) during exercise (VO2max/EMR). By using these two things, we can adjust our diet to gain/lose/manage our weight, and we can use our heart rate as a parameter in training, to train the appropriate system(s) of the body to achieve any and all goals and aspirations that we may have regarding performance and or weight gain/loss/management.

By determining RMR, we can see how many calories our bodies burn at rest. This will be our basal metabolic rate, or, how many calories our bodies burn per day, to carry out the jobs and responsibilities of the autonomic (parasympathetic) nervous system (i.e. heartbeat, lung/respiratory function, vital organ function-kidneys, liver, brain to name a couple). Once we find this out, we can adjust the amount of calories that we take in on a daily basis to gain, lose or manage weight. We can also adjust our diet, as well as take in to account the calories we lose through exercise (if you do). This test is not just for people who are active and exercise, but also for those who do not exercise who would like to see where their metabolism is, and then from there can just adjust diet, or incorporate exercise into their lives, or both. We have a consultation after the test to discuss these possible options.

By determining VO2max/EMR, we can see at what heart rate we reach our Aerobic Base, and at what heart rate we reach our Anaerobic Threshold. We can either do a max test (this is where we completely exhaust both the aerobic and anaerobic systems of the body), or a sub max test (this would be for the de-conditioned person looking to start an exercise program). Both tests will give us great indicators of what heart rates we need to train at to produce specific adaptations in the three inherent systems of the body: the aerobic system (Slow Twitch Type I muscle fibers), anaerobic glycolitic (Fast Twitch Type IIa muscle fibers), and anaerobic CP (Fast Twitch Type IIx muscle fibers). All of these muscular systems, and their limits, are determined by the heart. Every person is different, and therefore, will have different limiting factors. Different people will have different aerobic bases and anaerobic thresholds, and their different training programs should reflect these differences appropriately.

Please contact me to get your test(s) done today!!!

Sports Performance Programs : Franco's Athletic Club

2007-11-07T16:56:00.000-06:00

Sports Performance Programs : Franco's Athletic Club: "Home » Sports Performance » Sports Performance Programs Start Training Today! The performance academy offers the most comprehensive, well balanced training program around. Athletes will improve their explosiveness, speed, strength flexibility and stabilty through various training methods. » Lifting for explosive strength & power » Speed » Agility and Conditioning work on the field and in the pool » Yoga/Pilates for flexibility and core strength/stability"

Sports Performance Programs : Franco's Athletic Club

2007-11-07T16:53:00.000-06:00

Sports Performance Programs : Franco's Athletic Club

VO2 max

2007-10-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

VO2 max : "VO2 max is the maximum capacity to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise. (The derivation is V̇ - volume per time, O2 - oxygen, max - maximum). It is also called maximal oxygen consumption or maximal oxygen uptake. It is also known as aerobic capacity, which reflects the physical fitness of a person. Expressed either as an absolute rate in litres of oxygen per minute (l/min) or as a relative rate in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute (ml/kg/min), the latter expression is often used to compare the performance of endurance sports athletes. A less size-biased measure is to divide by \sqrt[3]{mass^2} rather than mass."

Measuring VO₂ max

Accurately measuring VO₂ max involves a physical effort sufficient in duration and intensity to fully tax the aerobic energy system. In general clinical and athletic testing, this usually involves a graded exercise test (either on a treadmill or on a cycle ergometer) in which exercise intensity is progressively increased while measuring ventilation and oxygen and carbon dioxide concentration of the inhaled and exhaled air. V̇O₂ max is reached when oxygen consumption remains at steady state despite an increase in workload.

[edit] Fick Equation

VO₂ max is properly defined by the Fick Equation:

V O 2 m a x = Q (C a O 2 - C v O 2)

where Q is the cardiac output of the heart, CaO₂ is the arterial oxygen content, and CvO₂ is the venous oxygen content.

[edit] Cooper test

Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper conducted a study for the United States Air Force in the late 1960s. One of the results of this was the Cooper test in which the distance covered running in 12 minutes is measured. An approximate estimate for VO₂ max (in ml/min/kg) is:

where d₁₂ is distance (in metres) covered in 12 minutes. There also exist several other reliable tests and VO₂ max calculators to estimate VO₂ max.

[edit] VO₂ max Levels

VO₂ max varies considerably in the population. The average young untrained male will have a VO₂ max of approximately 3.5 litres/minute and 45 ml/min/kg.^[1] The average young untrained female will score a VO₂ max of approximately 2.0 litres/minute and 38 ml/min/kg.^{[citation needed]} These scores can improve with training and decrease with age, though the degree of trainability also varies very widely.^[2]^[3]

In sports where endurance is an important component in performance, such as cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing and running, world class athletes typically have high VO₂ maximums. World class male athletes, cyclists and cross-country skiers typically exceed 80 ml/kg/min and a rare few may exceed 90 ml/kg/min for men and 70 ml/kg/min for women. Three time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond is reported to have had a VO₂ max of 92.5 at his peak - one of the highest ever recorded, while cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie measured at an astounding 96 ml/kg/min.^[4] It should also be noted that Dæhlie's result was achieved out of season and that physiologist Erlend Hem who was responsible for the testing stated that he would not discount the possibility of the skier passing 100 ml/kg/min at his absolute peak. By comparison a competitive club athlete might achieve a VO₂ max of around 70 ml/kg/min.^[1] World class rowers are physically very large endurance athletes and typically do not score as high on a per weight basis, but often score exceptionally high in absolute terms. Male rowers typically score VO₂ maximums over 6 litres/minute, and some exceptional individuals have exceeded 8 l/min.

To put this into perspective, thoroughbred horses have a VO₂ max of around 180 ml/min/kg. Siberian dogs running in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race sled race have VO₂ values as high as 240 ml/min/kg.^[5]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Resting Metabolic Rate Calculator

2007-10-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

Resting Metabolic Rate Calculator

SPARQ Featured Stories » Covington H.S.: Lions on the Prowl in Louisiana | SPARQ Training

2007-10-24T23:48:00.000-05:00

SPARQ Featured Stories » Covington H.S.: Lions on the Prowl in Louisiana | SPARQ Training

The Athlete

2007-10-24T14:43:00.001-05:00

A local up and coming exercise guru, Brandt Quick is quickly beginning to make a name for himself. Specialized in the areas of speed, agility, conditioning, weight lifting, yoga and Pilates, Quick is geared at providing a comprehensive blend of fitness careers. Having worked with four year olds all the way up to pro level athletes, his program is well-balanced and much recognized. Peaked in athleticism and excellence, Brandt Quick is helping clients everywhere reach their desired health goals.

Nike Sparq : Big Day in the Big Easy

2007-10-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

One of the trainers helping at the event was owner and president of BQuick Athletic Development, Brandt Quick. He pointed out that the SPARQ tests that were done today are “all things that are going to be looked at from the time you are in high school, through college, and into your pro career if they end up having the opportunity to do that.” By coming to SPARQ events “kids understand how they can improve, as they are educated on how they can get to the next level.”

SPARQ Featured Stories » Big Day in the Big Easy | SPARQ Training

BQUICK

BQuick Speed Camp to be held on June 27th

Inspiration

Health in its many forms and TOTAL HEALTH....

Fiji Water and Electrolytes

Women's Health Magazine talks abouts the importance of Metabolic Testing

Beautiful Day!

More Nutrition Facts from John Faciane

Happy Holidays!!!

Holiday Parties

Burn It Off!!!!

More Benefits of Red Wine

Fruits and Veggies for Cancer Prevention and Childhood Cancer Prevention

Training Tips:

Eat an Avocado Today

Two Healthy Sunday Snacks

TRICK OR TREAT

Another Awesome Fact About Tea:

Artichokes for Lowering Cholesterol and Digestive Health

Great Breakfast Tips

Over Training: A couple questions to ask yourself.....

Former Cross-Country Champ, 68, Nabs Mugger

Step It Up

Why Training is Great for Our Immune System!

REST

Difference in Musculature and Energy Systems

Two Week Triathlon Training Schedule

Do men seem to lose weight faster than women do?

Movement is the Key to Life: Good and Bad Stress (eustress and distress)

Meal Recommendations for Younger Athletes

Deep Ujiyah (Yoga) Breaths

Taking Things for Granted

Variation and Balance

Drink Tea

This Week's Triathlon Training:

Beet Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

A Few of My Perfect Meals:

Pain

Tension

College Bound Athletes

Weekly Triathlon Training Schedule

Upset Stomach?

Supplemental recommendations for any person/athlete needing to gain lean mass:

My Tweet Cloud

My Sunfish Triathlon Results

Circadian Rhythm

My Triathlon Training Schedule for This Week

Passion

Week 4 Triathlon Training:

Week 3 Triathlon Training

Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Move Your Body to Reduce Stress

Polar Body Age Experience

Sun Salutation

1 Week Triathlon Workout

Supplemental Recommendations to Lose Body Fat

100%

Vasodilation and Vasoconstriction

Rest

Full Body Workout 2

Full Body Workout

Let Your Legs Be Your Engine

Essential Oils

Epsom Salt Baths

Massage: Why should you get a massage?

Fruits and Their Antioxidant Capacities

Tip of the Day: Eat Pineapple

Flora-Bama's Mullet Man Triathlon - Results

Brandt Quick #824

That's Fit

Target Zone Exercise

Electrolytes

Why get tested for VO2max

Sports Performance Programs : Franco's Athletic Club

Sports Performance Programs : Franco's Athletic Club

VO2 max

Measuring VO2 max

[edit] Fick Equation

[edit] Cooper test

[edit] VO2 max Levels

Measuring VO₂ max

[edit] VO₂ max Levels