THIRTEEN VITAMINS

There are thirteen vitamins that your body needs. A, C, D, E, K and eight different B-vitamins.
here's a rundown of what they are and what they do!!

Vitamin A:

• (Beta Carotene) promotes growth of body tissues. Good for healthy hair and maintaining smooth skin. promotes eyesight health. Aids in bone and teeth formation

Vitamin B:

• B1 (Thiamin): Keeps the nervous system healthy and promotes normal growth of body tissues. Aids in digestion of carbohydrates.
• B2 (Riboflavin):Maintains good vision and healhy skin hair and nails. assists in formation of antibodies and red blood cells. aids in carbohydrate fat and protein metabolism.
• B3 (Niacin): Reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. Maintains healthy skin, tounge and digestive system. Improves blood circulation and increases energy.
• B5 (pantothenic acid): Fortifies white blood cells and helps the body's resitance to stress.
• B6 (Pyridoxine): Plays a role in preventing heart disease . Aids in the production and breakdown of amino acids. Supports the central nervous system.
• B12 (cyanocobalamin): prevents aneamia by regenerting red blood cells. Need to be present for the formation of new cells to occur. May help in the prevention of diseases such as Alzheimers. Aids in matabolism of carbohydrates fats and protein.
• Folic Acid: Folic acid (folinic acid, folacin, pteroylglutamic acid) is essential for the synthesis of adenine and thymine, two of the four nucleic acids that make up our genes, DNA and chromosomes. It is also required for the proper metabolism of the essential amino acid methionine that is found primarily in animal proteins. A folic acid deficiency has been clearly linked to an elevated level of homocysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid. High homocysteine levels, in turn, have been linked to cardiovascular disease and a host of other undesirable conditions.

Vitamin C:

• Also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. Unlike most mammals, humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C. Therefore, we must obtain vitamin C through our diet. Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone.

Vitamin D:

• Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin.

• Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, and sunscreen affect UV ray exposure and vitamin D synthesis. For example, sunlight exposure from November through February is insufficient to produce significant vitamin D synthesis in the skin.
  

• Complete cloud cover halves the energy of UV rays, and shade reduces it by 60%. Industrial pollution, which increases shade, also decreases sun exposure and may contribute to the development of rickets in individuals with insufficient dietary intake of vitamin D.

Vitamin E:

• Vitamin E is the term used for a group of fat-soluble antioxidants, which act in the body to protect against cell damage. Vitamin E exists in eight different forms. Each form has its own biological activity, which is the measure of potency in the body. Alpha-tocopherol is the name of the most active form of vitamin E in humans. It is also a powerful biological antioxidant. Vitamin E is also thought to play a role in maintaining the body's immune system and other body processes.

Vitamin K:

• Vitamin K is known as the clotting vitamin, because without it blood would not clot. Some studies indicate that it helps in maintaining strong bones in the elderly.

• Vitamin K is found in cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, cereals, soybeans, and other vegetables. Vitamin K is also made by the bacteria that line the gastrointestinal tract.

sources:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/vitam_e.html
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/folate.html
http://health.howstuffworks.com/vitamin-b.htm
http://www.answers.com/topic/vitamin?cat=health
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!






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Gunter Schlierkamp special cut Mr O 2002

Everybody's favourite bodybuilder. WARNING! This is a seriously big dude!
When I was training at Gold's gym, Venice, I used to see him working out with his trainer Charles Glass. Gunter is taking some time out from bodybuilding and may possibly be turning his head towards the movies. He already had a small role in the comedy Beer Fest (You may well have not heard of it......)

What's So Good About Apples?

Eating fresh apples is always good for you, but to get the full nutritional benefits associated with eating apples you should eat at least one fresh apple every day.

Some of the benefits to the body of regularly consuming apples includes; Lower blood cholesterol, improved bowel function, reduced risk of stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes, cancer, heart disease and asthma.

The typical nutritional breakdown of a medium sized apple can be seen on the left. http://www.bestapples.com/healthy/index.html)

An apple is a great low calorie snack and although it does contain sugar this is in a natural un-refined form. This can actually help to maintain steady blood sugar levels and prevent future sugar cravings.

Apples are a good source of dietary fibre which is good news for those watching their weight as this aids digestion and promotes fat loss.

For more info visit:
http://www.bestapples.com/healthy/index.html

THE FIT SPOT ARRIVES IN CANADA

Hi!
I've been unable to update this blog for quite some time. After the easter break I was so in demand to get people in shape for summer, that I did not have a moment to myself!! This was good as it meant I could save up for my trip to Vancouver which is where I am now!

We spent a week in LA with a couple of visits to Gold's gym Venice. It was really weird to see that all the pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger had been removed. Many people go to visit the Mecca because it was where he, and the likes of Lou Ferrignou used to train. It also didn't seem to have as as much of a happening vibe as it did when we were there the previous summer. I guess that is what happens when the big corporations take over and erode what makes a place unique.

Gold's is becoming just another big chain of gyms. It's sad because gym's used to be set up and run by people with a passion for fitness and now they're being taken over by people with a passion for money and who would probably never dream of having a workout!! It shows in the gyms now and in the people who work in them, trainers included! I hope things turn around in time!!

Anyway enough of my ranting! I'm loving Vancouver, I've got my bike and am getting the know the city. Still need a place to live and some people to train!! Once a bit more settled I hope to get back to more regular updates!! A big thanks to all who have stopped by to have a look and left comments!

Lenda Murray....is the greatest

Again, not to everybody's taste, but as an athlete she is unquestionably the greatest female bodybuilder of all time. One of the few able to combine muscularity and size with beauty and femininity. This is a body created by years of sweat, hard work and plenty of sacrifice. This is why it's sooo soooooo frustrating when women worry they will look like this after a few weeks of lifting medium sized dumbells. Very few women could achieve this even if they tried as very few have the genetics. Lenda Murray retired after 2003 and was the last popular female bodybuilder as in the last five years or so, female bodybuilders have come to be considered far too masculine to be appealing even to supporters of the sport.

ULTIMATE ABS WORKOUT!

Hysterical laughter is a great way to stimulate your core muscles!!
It's not boring!
No expensive equipment is needed!
No complicated technique!
You can do it any time, and anywhere!
You can do it every day!
Endorphins are released!
All you need is something funny............

Thirteen things about 'SYNERGY'

Thirteen Things about SYNERGY

1. We work in Synergy!

2. There are 3 of us, one is a girl one is a boy and one is a bear!

3. Synergy means behaviour of whole systems unpredicted by the behaviour of their parts taken separately.

4. (Syn-er-gy) the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

5. We have discovered that if you do enough star jumps, you become a star.


6. Exercise and good nutrition work in synergy to BUILD a healthy, strong body and mind, ready to take on ANYTHING that may come your way!!

7. Synergy comes from the Greek word 'synergia' meaning joint work and cooperative action.

8. Synergy is when the result is greater than the sum of the parts.

9. Synergy have travelled all over the world and will be heading to Vancouver, Canada is 6 weeks time. The bear gets free plane tickets, but the girl and the boy have to pay!

10. We train 6 days a weeks, eat 6 meals a day and drink 3L - 4L of water per day. It's not always easy but the results are well worth it!!

11. We want to help as many people as we can to lead a healthy lifestyle and pursue their personal best. We are constantly seeking to learn more ourselves, for ourselves and to pass on to others.

12. The girl is the 'Trainer' and main author, the boy is her partner and 'the big dog' who co-writes this blog and is also a trainer and the bear is the 'poster boy!' The Fit Spot is the name of the blog and SYNERGY is the name of the team.

13. Our favourite gym is Gold's Gym, Venice Beach , California where our heroes used to train!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!






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View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Cory Everson

By todays Ms Olympia standards she would be considered far too small to compete. She is probably my favourite female bodybuilder of all time. very muscular yet still maintains feminity. Not to everyones taste I'm sure but it keeps me motivated to workout! Not sure about the dance routine, but hey...she won 6 times!
J.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome!

SUMMER IS COMING!!!!!!! Part 2!!

So! We have established that one must drink plenty of water the next thing to tackle is the food!

Food needs to be your friend and not something you are constantly trying to battle with. I'm going to assume that your goal is to lose a little body fat and achieve some muscle definition (this is what I assume clients mean when they ask about 'toning up').

As mentioned in my 'Golden Rules' the key is to eat frequently, i.e. every three hours commencing within 1 hour of waking. Breakfast and the second meal (call it brunch is you like!) are the key's to revving up your metabolism. If your go for long periods i.e. longer than 4 hours without eating, your body assumes that this is the start of a famine and begins it's highly irritating defence mechanism of storing fat! This would be great if we lived in caves and jungles and had to chase our food with sticks, however we need to let the body know that there is plenty of food available! Once the body is confident that there are nutrient rich foods coming in ON A REGULAR BASIS, then your body will relinquish those fat stores and let you use them for fuel!

3 REASONS TO EAT FREQUENTLY!!!!

1. Eating burns calories!
the process of digestion requires energy, so the more you do it, the more energy you use. This is especially true if you consume foods which are more difficult to break down such as protein and complex high fibre carbohydrates. Simple sugars like sweets, white bread, cakes etc. are easily digested and use less energy to break down so this on top of the fact that they are high in calories make them foods to avoid.

2. If the body is regularly fed then it is more willing to release fat as it is not then worrying about the possibility of a famine. If you regularly go for long periods without eating your metabolism slows right down making long term fat loss harder and increasing the likelihood of future weight gain.

3. If you eat every 3 hours, then the chances are you won't feel hungry. You are more likely to make a detrimental food choice if you allow yourself to become too hungry. The reason for this is that the body begins to feel deprived of nutrients, so it then craves a quick fix....sugar! This is the reason office workers often head for the vending machine at 11am and at 3pm. Tradition has taught us to eat 3 meals per day but people tend to end up craving the wrong types of food in between the meals set by 'society'!! Therefore, if you plan to eat 3 hours after breakfast and 3 hours after lunch then you will combat the cravings and will be more likely to make sensible food choices!! I speak from experience here as I used to be one of the biggest chocolate consumers on the planet so if I can be converted, anyone can!!


Great! So the good news is that you get to eat frequently throughout the day, however eating 6 pizzas a day probably isn't going to be the way forward if your goal is to improve your shape.

You quite literally are what you eat! your body uses protein from food to build and repair skin hair, muscles, bones, nails, teeth etc. Therefore if you eat a lot of junk, then your body will be built and repaired from a lot of junk, and you will feel like a lot of junk and probably end up looking like a lot of junk somewhere down the line!!

The key is to include so much healthy, nutrient rich whole food in your diet that you end up having little or no room left for junk (Stop saving room for dessert!!)!! The advantage of this approach or attitude is that good diet stops being an issue of avoiding the things that you think you like. Eventually you end up forgetting about the foods which have a negative impact on your body. When you have been eating healthy for a considerable amount of time (4 weeks or more), and then eat some junk food it often tastes nowhere near as good as you thought, and often makes you fell nauseous after eating it!!!

My suggested Banned Foods List
McDonald's, BK, KFC, Pizza Hut, pretty much most takeout!!
Sweets (Candy to US & Canada), Chocolate, Cakes, Ice cream and similar!!
White bread!
Biscuits (Cookies to US & Canada)
Crisps (Chips US & Canada ha ha!)
Ready meals!
Cheese and cream!
Pretty much anything high in sugar, saturated fat, starch or heavily processed!

My suggested Approved Foods List
Carbohydrates____________ ..... Protein
Sweet potatoes_______________ ...... Eggs
Potatoes____________________ ..... Chicken
Oats _______________________..... Lean red meat
Brown rice __________________ ...... Fish
Rye bread___________________ ..... Seeds, nuts, pulses
Fruit & veg__________________ ...... Soy


The food list usually raises many questions such as: 'what about yoghurt??' 'what about alcohol??' 'what about cottage cheese????' 'what about chocolate with raisins in it, does that count as fruit????????' 'The approved list looks so boring, will I die of food boredom??
So please go ahead and ask me, and when I have a good bunch of questions I will publish SUMMER IS COMING!!!!!!! Part 3.
which will go into more detail based on the questions I get!!

Enjoy your healthy eating and water drinking!!

SUMMER IS COMING!!!! Part 1

Summer is only 6 weeks away and many will be looking to lose weight,'tone up' or both!!

To achieve this successfully you need an effective training programme alongside a nutritious balanced diet!

Proper nutrition will account for 60-70% of your success in terms of achieving the shape you desire and therefore will be discussed first!!

The first piece of advice I always give is to make sure you drink plenty of water, at least 2-3 litres of water per day!


WHY DRINK THAT MUCH WATER???

The human body typically consists of 60-75% water and it is responsible for removing waste and moving nutrients around the body. It also keeps your body at the correct temperature. Typically you can tell whether you are drinking enough water by the colour of your urine, if it's dark you need more, if it's light to clear then you are probably drinking enough!

Thirst is your body telling you that you need to rehydrate, though some suggest that by the time you get thirsty you are already in a state of dehydration so try to have water with you all the time and drink when ever you can. Try to drink your daily water intake by 6pm so that you are not having to get up in the night to go to the loo!!!

Your need for water is second only to your need for oxygen!! It serves as a building material and muscle cells happen to have one of the highest water contents 70% (Your brain is 75% water). Water lubricates your joints which is helpful to the engaging in high impact exercise e.g. running, aerobics classes etc.

Water removes heat from the body so will lead to less fatigue in any intense cardiovascular or strength programme. Water plays an important role when trying to reduce unwanted fat and it is essential to drink lots of water in order to burn fat efficiently. Restricting your water intake causes your body to retain more water and this can wreak havoc in a dieters mind when they mistake the extra fluid retention for an increase in body fat.

Not getting enough water can also promote fat retention. Due to its role in removal of waste and transportation of nutrients, the body can interpret a lack of water as a major stress. The body often responds to this by implementing it's defence mechanisms and preserving its stores of fat and water reducing one's ability to achieve that toned and defined look.

Golden Rules

1. Drink at least 2-3 litres of water every day.

2. Eat every 3 hours while you are awake, starting within 1 hour of waking.

3. Eat protein with every meal.

4. Eliminate processed food from your diet.

5. Get 6-8 hours of sleep every day.

6. Engage in cardiovascular exercise (60-70% max heart rate) at least
3 times per week.

7. Train with resistance at least twice per week.

8. Ensure that you take in enough of all essential vitamins and minerals.

(Lots of vegetables and fruit and a good multivitamin)

9. Ensure that you consume enough essential fatty acids (EFA's).

10. Do not smoke (at all) or over indulge on alcohol, caffeine, sugar or any drug legal or otherwise.