Strength Training? More than just for athletes? Fountain of Youth? You decide!!:O)

Here is an Article I thought was interesting by a "Jennine Stein at the La Times" Enjoy reading!!!


Strength training has strong-armed its way beyond the realm of bodybuilding.

A growing body of research shows that working out with weights has health benefits beyond simply bulking up one's muscles and strengthening bones. Studies are finding that more lean muscle mass may allow kidney dialysis patients to live longer, give older people better cognitive function, reduce depression, boost good cholesterol, lessen the swelling and discomfort of lymphedema after breast cancer and help lower the risk of diabetes.

"Muscle is our largest metabolically active organ, and that's the backdrop that people usually forget," said Kent Adams, director of the exercise physiology lab at Cal State Monterey Bay. Strengthening the muscles "has a ripple effect throughout the body on things like metabolic syndrome and obesity."

Historically, strength training was limited to athletes, but in the last 20 years, its popularity has spread to the general public, said Jeffrey Potteiger, an exercise physiologist at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. "One can argue that if you don't do some resistance training through your lifespan, you're missing out on some benefits, especially as you get older or battle weight gain," he said.

When we hit middle age, muscle mass gradually diminishes by up to about 1% a year in a process called sarcopenia. Women also are in danger of losing bone mass as they age, especially after the onset of menopause. Some studies have shown that moderate to intense strength training not only builds skeletal muscle but increases bone density as well.

Strength training often takes a back seat to cardiovascular training, but it can benefit the heart in ways that its more popular cousin can't.

During cardio exercise, the heart loads up with blood and pumps it out to the rest of the body: As a result, Potteiger said, "the heart gets better and more efficient at pumping."

But during resistance training, muscles generate more force than they do during endurance exercises, and the heart is no exception, Potteiger said. During a strength workout, the heart's muscle tissue contracts forcefully to push the blood out. Like all muscles, stress causes small tears in the muscle fibers. When the body repairs those tears, muscles grow. The result is a stronger heart, not just one that's more efficient at pumping.

Another big advantage of working out with weights is improving glucose metabolism, which can reduce the risk of diabetes. Strength training boosts the number of proteins that take glucose out of the blood and transport it into the skeletal muscle, giving the muscles more energy and lowering overall blood-glucose levels.

"If you have uncontrolled glucose levels," Potteiger said, "that can lead to kidney damage, damage to the circulatory system and loss of eyesight."

The benefits don't end there. A 2010 study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology suggested that people on dialysis can benefit from building muscle. Researchers found that kidney dialysis patients who had the most lean muscle mass — a measurement derived from the circumference of the mid-arm muscle — were 37% less likely to die than the patients who had the least.

"This is something that has an impact on survival," said Dr. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, a principal researcher at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute and coauthor of the study. "It's not just about having more muscle and looking better — we're talking about life and death."

Even people who already have chronic kidney disease could benefit from strength workouts. Germany began to incorporate modified exercise equipment into dialysis treatment centers in 1995, and a 2004 study in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases examining that policy found that exercise may improve the efficiency of dialysis by increasing blood flow through the muscle and improving phosphate removal.

The brain may get a boost from the body's extra muscle as well. A 2010 study in Archives of Internal Medicine found that women ages 65 to 75 who did resistance training sessions once or twice a week over the course of a year improved their cognitive performance, while those who focused on balance and tone training declined slightly. One reason for the improvement, researchers believe, may be that strength training triggers the production of a protein beneficial for brain growth.

This study was triggered by another that looked at resistance training as a way to reduce the risk of falls in older people, said coauthor Teresa Liu-Ambrose, a researcher at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Hip Health and Mobility in Vancouver. As the study progressed, she said she noticed that participants "were able to take on new tasks, like taking the bus by themselves. They were able to prepare and plan for things and execute them."

Strength training could be easier for people with mobility problems who might find it easier to navigate a stationary weight than a moving treadmill.

"It's never too late to start," Adams said. "The benefits are great."

This one is for you Grandma!!! A little bit of the Island:O) Spanish Cod

Alright my beautiful friends!!! Try this recipe on for size!!

Spanish cod
3lbs cod
1 spanish onion
1/3 cup Cilantro
1tbs chopped garlic
1-2 large tomatoes/if you only have 1 then add some diced tomatoes(no salt added)
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt to taste
garlic powder to taste

Put onion, cilantro, garlic, tomatoes in food processor. Then use large flat pan ,like a paella pan, and add olive oil/pam to pan and heat. Once heated add the mixed ingredients and let simmer for about 1 to 2 minutes. Then add Cod. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until Cod is cooked enough to break apart. Break apart then lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. For a bit more intensity in taste add a drizzle of olive oil a minute before serving. That is it!!! So yummy. Now, for a twist the next day. Add a sliced egg/avocado/cilantro/onion/tomato/olive oil salad with it on top!! (so you put Spanish Cod on top of the salad.) Off the chain!! To bring down the fat count only use egg whites and replace pam whenever can to lighten up the recipe. Enjoy my friends!!!

Exercise of the day!!

I like to call these GI Janes!!! For all of my past clients out there you know what these are....LOL....my sinister laugh. Anyways, what you will need a a place to be able to do pullups and jump at the same time.
So, position your self under pullup bar do a burpee(with push up if can) then jump up into pull-up then jump back down into burpee and repeat. Do 3 sets of 5-10( I say 5-10 so you have room to improve) couple each set with 90 degree jump squats and hanging knee raises then you have one heck of a giant set!!! git it done. It looks like this


Giant set:
GI Jane: 3x5-10
90 degree angle jump squat( make sure not to fold/collapse at the hip when coming down into squat. Always want to protect the back)3x15
Hanging knee raises 3x12
Let me know how this works out for you? Would love your input. Make sure you post on this blog. Always remember!! Stay fit, Always have fu, and Stay focused!!! Be blessed my friends!!!

Yummy yummy in my tummy!!!

Alright. So, last night was Sam(my most amazing husband) and I had our first small group for church in our home. It was so much fun!! I love opening up my home and blessing people with what I love to do...which is cook and talk about Jesus!!! Anyways, I made this most amazing zucchini hummus!!! I thought I would share it with you!!

Zucchini hummus

-2 nice size zucchini's cut into four then grilled with olive oil/pam on george forman or what ever it is you use until done.
-chop zucchini(mind u I would advise to wait until it cooled off before handling) into small bits so it will be easy to put in food processor
-1/3 cup basil(I used a bit more for I LOVE LOVE LOVE Basil)
-1/3 cup flat leave parsely
-2 limes
1/4 cup water
-fresh chopped garlic(this is to taste)
-2/3 cup tahini(I used maranatha brand)
-sea salt to taste(I don't use very much)
-garlic powder to taste

Put it all together in a food processor or blender then BAM!! DONE!! It is so stinkin good! I had it served with organic white and blue corn tortillas and multi colored cauliflower and carrots!! It was a hit!! When you guys try this recipe comment on it on the blog. I would love to get feed back on the blog!! Always remember!!! Stay fit, Always have fun, and Stay focused!!!! Until next time my beautiful friends!!! Be blessed!!!

Live, Eat, Breath the Dream

HI friends!! Have a question for you. Ever get the feeling that you are not happy or you feel a bit depressed or snappy or maybe just a feeling of not being content? Unfortunately, I think we all have been there at some point in our life. And because we have been their or we are in the middle of that overwhelming feeling of anxiety, we need to just let it go. I know that sounds a lot easier than the act of doing. But, it is the only way we can move forward. I feel ,and I speak from experience, that we need to get alone with God or with whomever higher authoriy you look too, and just let him speak to our hearts. I have been doing this very thing for a while mind you and what he has spoken within me are "Live, Eat, Breath the dream"!!

What ever that dream may be. Whether it is being a great mommy and homemaker, or being a great student who does their very best, or a competitor gunning for that Pro card, or that aspiring Model trying to make it the industry, you need to give into what it is you are called to do!!! Hence, Live, Eat, Breath the the dream!!!

As I write these words it empowers me to Live, Eat, breath my own dreams!! Bascially saying I want to dive into the deep water and see where it takes me!!! A famous philospher once said:"you have to loss sight of the shore if you want to discover a new Land", That was me paraphrasing but I think you guys get the picture. Dont be afraid of being in a place where you feel uncomfortable. It is that place where you will see yourself grow and shine....that is how a dimond is made right? An uncomfortable place of heat, stress, and time. And look what it produces...something beautiful and flawless!!!

So, in the end dont stop short of what God has for you. Sometimes it is only a step away from being reality. I encourage you guys to let this week be a week of reflection and listening to God(your heart) and what he has to say about your journey. And when you do hear him....Hold on to those words and Live, Eat, Breath the Dream!!!! Be blessed my friends!!!

Lori Robins

Lori Robins

A little factoid that makes you go hummmmm...........

Q: If you grew up eating either of these or both I wonder if you knew the difference, would that of made u choose one or the other? And would it have made a difference in our overall physique and performance. So, I did a bit of research and noticed that most fitness and figure competitiors, as well as bodybuilders and endurance athletes, choose oatmeal as their steamy calente cereal of choice. So, the question is--Is there a differance between cream of wheat and oatmeal?

A: Ok. So here is the down low on these miracluous grains!! While oatmeal and cream of wheat are both hot cereals, and both are made from grains, their similarities end there. "For starters, as their names imply, cream of wheat is made from the grain, wheat, while oatmeal is made from the grain, oats. Furthermore, and this is really where their major differences come into play, cream of wheat is highly processed. Just like white bread, which also starts with wheat, cream of wheat is stripped of most of its fiber-filled bran and vitamin- and mineral-rich germ. The end result is mostly starchy endosperm. Of course, the cereal is later fortified with vitamins and minerals, but the real problem is that with the majority of the fiber gone, this starchy cereal is a fast-digesting carb. If you’re eating that for breakfast you won’t be burning as much fat throughout the day, or have as much energy, as research shows you will with a whole-grain, such as oatmeal. Oatmeal is not stripped of its fiber and therefore is a slow-digesting carb. Research shows that athletes who consume a slow-digesting carb for breakfast, burn more fat and have more energy throughout the day, as well as during exercise. Oatmeal also provides multiple health benefits. It has been shown in clinical studies to help lower cholesterol and it contains antioxidants, which have been shown to help reduce plaque formation on arteries."(Jim Stoppani, PhD)



So let's stick with yummy Hot oatmeal as your breakfast cereal of choice. However, if you want to get your cream of wheat fix, as research suggest--an optimal time to have some would be "immediately after workouts when the insulin boost this fast-carb provides will help to drive the carbs into your muscles and turn on the processes in muscle that boost recovery and growth".(Jim Stoppani, PhD) Or you can try cream of brown rice....sounds weird but oh so yummy!!!!!

Here’s the nutritional comparison of oatmeal and cream of wheat:

1 cup cooked oatmeal: 147 calories, 6 g protein, 25 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 2 g fat
1 cup cooked cream of wheat: 131 calories, 4 g protein, 28 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 0.5 g fat