Articles — AlaskaFit, LLC

How To Be A Social Butterfly Without Gaining Weight

Summer is here! Let the BBQ-ing begin! You love partying with friends and being a social butterfly with a packed calendar. You are also trying to lose weight, get in shape and improve your health.

Are the two desires mutually exclusive? The short answer is NO! You can absolutely go out and visit with friends (and you should) while you’re working on a healthier lifestyle. Your trainer will want you to watch yourself as you dine and even avoid wine, but you don’t have to become a shut-in as you work on a program. There are simple tips and tricks that can help you stay on track and still have the time of your life.

To lose weight and still paint the town red, consider:

Seeking support before you go out – Talk to your trainer, your spouse or the friends you intend to go out with and let them know you want to have a great time without suffering a weight-loss setback. Your trainer can motivate you before you head out and your spouse or friends can provide you with the support you need to say “no” in the heat of the moment.
Don’t skip meals before going out – Many people believe if they skip meals throughout the day, they can eat whatever they want while they are out on the town. While this sounds good in theory, it doesn’t work. Starve yourself until the evening and you’ll be more likely to eat anything that is available immediately upon arrival. Plus, you can slow down your metabolism, which is not good for weight loss. Instead of fasting and then binging, eat small, calorie-controlled meals and snacks leading up to a big event so you can enjoy a normal meal and even a treat while you are out.
Avoid the nibblers – If you’re at a dinner party, try to avoid the appetizers, especially if they are high in calories and fat. It is all too easy to let a bite of this and a bite of that add up to a whole lot of empty calories! Look for the fresh, crunchy veggies and save yourself for the salad and the main course instead.
Order wisely – If you’re eating out in a restaurant, take time to really consider the menu options. Go for an entrée that fits in best with the nutritional program you are following. Most restaurants have very healthy and very tasty alternatives to calorie-laden entrees. Remember ½ to 2/3 of your plate should be fruits/veggies, the rest is divided between lean protein and starch.
Be the designated driver – One of the worst things you can do while trying to lose weight or tone the body is to overdo on alcohol. Not only does the alcohol do its damage, but we tend to overeat when we’ve had a few, piling on calories with no concept of what we’re doing. If this is too much of a temptation, give yourself extra motivation to behave. Volunteer to be the designated driver and you’ll have two very good reasons to say no.

Going out on the town can be tricky when you are trying to drop pounds and get into shape. Restaurants and parties present a lot of temptations. You can stay focused if you plan ahead and formulate a game plan. Ask your trainer for additional advice on staying strong in the face of adversity.

About the Author
Ginny Grupp is the owner of AlaskaFit, LLC, Anchorage’s only Results Guaranteed fitness and nutrition business. If you’re ready to begin making life-long, real, healthy changes to you lifestyle, please call 783-1241 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness consultation (valued at $87).

If you’re not yet ready for our free consultation offer, please enjoy our free reports. Just click the link to the right and let us know where to send the information. Start making changes to your health and fitness right now!

To Stretch or To NOT Stretch, That’s the Question!

Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever worked with a trainer or other fitness pro, chances are you’ve been told to stretch and warm up before diving into cardio or weight training exercises. It’s also likely that you completely ignore this advice and just go ahead and jump into your workout. After all, your workout would go a whole lot faster if you didn’t have to waste precious time on the preliminaries, right?

Wrong! Like it or not, those preliminaries are important. Stretching is vital for helping prevent injuries during workouts. Fail to warm up and you can pull or tear muscles, sprain ankles and cause yourself a wide range of other problems you don’t want to face. The fact is this is a necessary step to help you keep your weight and fitness goals on track.

Please keep in mind that when I talk about stretching at the start of your workout, I do NOT mean holding a stretch for 20-30 seconds. I am talking about dynamic stretching. Rather than holding a stretch, you want to do a boot-camp-style warm-up. Butt-kickers, high knees, “Frankensteins,” “ice-skaters,” all of these will warm and gently stretch the muscles, while lubricating the joints and signal your cardio system it’s time to get moving. And you only need to do about 5-7 minutes of this before you get into the “meat” of your workout.

While it might not be as fun as jumping right into a run or big weights around, warming up does offer a number of benefits that go beyond prepping yourself to exercise. In addition to preventing injury and sparing yourself admonishment from your trainer, stretching can benefit you by:

• Lessening muscle tension – Stretching any time can help you lessen the tension in your muscles and help you relax. Learning how to stretch properly can prevent injuries and reduce your stress any time of the day. Stretching exercises do not have to be limited to the gym alone.

• Increasing your range of motion – This is important for helping prevent injuries during workouts, but it can also boost your overall flexibility all of the time.

• Boosting coordination – The more limber you are from stretching, the more likely it is your coordination will be spot on. Tight muscles can lead to rather awkward movements.

• Increasing circulation – Basic stretching exercises not only loosen the muscles, but they also get the blood flowing. This is important for laying the foundation for a good workout and it’s just good for the body generally.

• Boosting energy – When the blood starts flowing and the heart starts pumping, energy levels increase. Stretching can give you the energy you need to complete a workout routine. It can also be a great pick-me-up in the middle of a long day at work.

While you might not want to admit your trainer is right, stretching and warming up right before workouts is essential for a number of reasons. When you prime your body for a workout, you prevent injuries and better prepare yourself for going the distance in your routine. Plus, learning how to stretch safely can provide you a needed lift outside of the gym, too.

Why Interval Training Is Effective

Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever been to the gym, you’ve seen them…I know you have. The people who walk on a treadmill for 45 minutes to an hour, reading a magazine with their headphones on. They are always there and their body never changes.

If you’re one of them, it’s time to get more from your effort. Why spend hours at the gym when you can burn more calories in less time, look and feel better and get the body-changing results you really want?

How? Interval training. This precision workout can provide the calorie-burning push you’ve been lacking in your routine.

line

Understanding Interval Training. Interval training involves a precision workout that combines intense, but brief, bursts of activity with less intense physical measures. The idea is to blend an aerobic and anaerobic workout into a single training session to maximize caloric burn.

line

Let’s say a runner does great at 4 miles per hour on a treadmill, but starts to tire at 5 mph. An interval session might include a normal warm up period, several minutes of that runner working out at 4 mph and then a minute or two at 5 mph before the workout goes back down to the 4 mph range.

line

Essentially, an interval workout pushes the body farther, but not for extended periods of time. A short, but effective sprint in the case of the runner can maximize workout time and increase calorie burning.

Does It Work? The simple reality is interval training does work and can produce a number of benefits. While that 4 mph run does burn calories and helps maintain the body, that burst of energy expended during the one-minute run can increase the overall effectiveness of the same amount of workout time without overextending the body in the process.

line

The benefits of interval training include:

• Decreased chance of injury – It’s okay to push the body to its limits or near them, but not for too long. Interval training sessions help reduce the chance of injury and undo wear and tear because the burst of energy in the extreme range is very short and occurs after you are properly warmed up.

• More effective use of time – Where it might take 45 minutes to gain results running at a single pace, an interval training session can shave time off the routine. Basically, interval training makes for a more effective workout.

• Increases fat burning – Interval training sessions put the body to work in the fat-burning sense. Studies have shown that interval sessions improve efficiency of mitochondria. These are the energy centers in cells that use oxygen to help create energy. More efficient use of them can increase the fat-burning properties of a workout.

lin

Interval training is a great way to get a bigger bang out of your workout time. Talk to your boot camp instructor or personal trainer for tips on maximizing this type of workout. It’s not for everyone and you want to make sure you are working out appropriately for your fitness level and goals.

line

About the Author

Ginny Grupp is the owner of AlaskaFit, LLC, Alaska’s premier health and fitness business. For us, it’s not about getting into shape, it’s about getting into life!” If you’re ready to get into YOUR life, please call 907-783-1241 right now to receive a complimentary nutrition and fitness Consultation (valued at $87).

line

If you’re not yet ready for our free consultation offer, please click here to instantly download your choice of 6 free reports that will get you started on your health and fitness journey right now!

Eating Well on a Budget

Leave a Comment

Eating healthy, balanced meals is a great way to support a weight loss effort. It seems that it can be very costly to buy the right foods to assist the waistline. A trip to the grocery store will quickly reveal that buying fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat and other healthful choices can be a costly venture.

So, how can you eat right and still keep your budget in check?

Fortunately, there are some great ways to make sure you buy healthy foods without having to take out a loan in the process. Try these tips to save money on the groceries you need to support weight loss and health:

Find a produce stand – Just about every community has at least one produce stand or plays host to farmers’ markets on a regular basis. When possible, try to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from these places. Courtesy of their low overhead and fresh-from-the-farm products, the prices tend to be a whole lot lower than those found in the grocery store. While you’re likely to only get seasonal items by shopping this way, the savings can add up fast.
Buy in bulk – For items you know you’ll use a lot of and that can be preserved, consider buying in bulk. Large bags of whole grain rice, for example, can be stored in smaller bags and they’ll cost a whole lot less. And then there’s my favorite bulk bargain…Steel-Cut Oats. Buy them at the bulk section at Carr’s and they’re $1.09 per pound. Buy them at Fred Meyer, they’re $1.79 per pound. In the “fancy” bag with the marketing, they can be as much as $3.19 per pound.
Shop sales and use coupons – There are great savings to be had even in traditional grocery stores. They key is learning how to scout out sales and where to go to find good coupons. When possible, for example, use sales to stock up on lean meats and fish. Freeze items if you must to preserve the food – and your savings.
Learn to handle minor butchering work yourself – Buying a whole chicken and removing the skin, for example, is a lot cheaper than purchasing boneless, skinless breasts.
Grow your own, when possible – While not everyone has a green thumb, some fruits and vegetables can easily be grown at home. Most people can handle small herb gardens and things like peppers tend to grow quite well for just about anyone.
Plan ahead – Whenever possible, try to plan out meals a few days in advance. Use store sales and circulars to help with the planning. There is nothing more devastating to a budget than running to the store on a nightly basis to pick up ingredients.

It is possible to eat whole, healthy foods and keep a budget well in check. The trick lies in planning and learning how to stretch dollars. If you’re looking for other great ideas on meal planning for weight loss, be sure to attend our Boot Camp nutrition class or join us in March for our 8-week nutrition class.

About the Author

line

Creative Substitutions–The Key to Weight-Loss Success

Leave a Comment

When you’re trying to get into shape and lose weight, the foods you eat are critical for your success. You don’t, however, want to starve yourself and make meals boring. If you opt to try either of these approaches to shed pounds, your efforts are not likely to last long.

We can give you the best nutrition advice in the world, but it is up to you to make the right choices on a daily basis. One of the best ways to see this through is to learn how to make smarter, healthier substitutions for the foods you are craving. You can have your cake and eat it too (sort of), if you know how to tackle urges for particular foods with wiser selections.

line

The following are common cravings that don’t fit into most healthy diets and foods that can pinch hit quite well in their place:

Cheeseburgers – This staple of the fast-food American diet can pack in a ton of calories and derail and entire day’s worth of healthy eating. Still, it’s a craving that’s hard to put down. When only a burger will do, try going with a grilled turkey burger instead. Skip the cheese and you’ll have a tasty, leaner alternative to typical fast food.
Fries – With or without the burger, fries are a tempting treat. If you can’t say no, try going with baked sweet potato wedges instead. This alternative packs in the nutrients and offers a fresh taste alternative.
Instant oatmeal – No matter how you slice it, oatmeal is good for you. Check your label though. If your idea of oatmeal includes things like “maple flavor, apple cinnamon flavor” or other sugary flavors, you’ll want to make a switch. Instead of instant oatmeal, choose steel-cut for a better nutritional boost and for some flavor add a sprinkle of cinnamon, a teaspoon of peanut butter or a few drops of vanilla. Click here for our Vanilla Spice Oatmeal recipe.
Iceberg lettuce – Salads are the stereotypical diet food. Not all salads are as healthy as they could be. Iceberg lettuce, for example, offers no serious nutritional value. To boost the flavor and increase the nutrients offered, go with mixed greens instead.
Milkshakes or ice cream – Fighting back a sweet tooth is no laughing matter. If a creamy shake or cone happens to be on your mind, opt for yogurt, smoothies or fresh fruits instead.
Chocolate – As a fellow chocaholic, I feel your pain. I find that two things help me avoid this craving. The first is eating enough healthy calories throughout the day. The other is that if I’m going to give in and have chocolate, it’s GOT to BE GREAT! No mediocre M&M’s or Hershey’s chocolate. Have a single piece of rich, dark chocolate. Choosing the right chocolate will be much more satisfying and will keep you from eating that whole bag of M&M’s.
Chips – Salty snacks are hard to give up. There are ways around the cravings though. If you’ve got to have something salty and crunchy, consider munching on carrot or celery sticks with a very light dusting of salt. A little salt in your diet is perfectly okay. Just avoid pouring it on. Kale chips are a great substitution for greasy, processed chips. Click here for a super-simple recipe.

When you’re trying to lose weight, cravings can be a real problem. Learning how to compensate for the foods you want with healthier choices can help you stay on track. If you’re hankering for other foods that are considered unwise, drop us a line here at AlaskaFit…post a comment below or send an e-mail to Ginny@AlaskaFit.com.

About the Author

line

Resolutions? Here’s How to Make 2011 a Success!

Leave a Comment

Losing weight; it’s the quintessential New Year’s resolution. Chances are if you made the weight-loss resolution this year, you are scrambling right now trying to figure out how to make it stick – or maybe how to start it.Line

Relax! There are ways to make sure your promise to yourself is kept. You might need to take a step back and evaluate what you are doing to make it happen though.

Losing weight is a process that takes some dedication along the way. While it might require some work, it can also be a whole lot of fun if you approach it in the right way.

line

To make this year’s resolutions happen, follow these tips:

Reevaluate your goals – Depending on how you worded your resolution, you may need to reevaluate it and set realistic or short-term goals. If you said, “I’m going to lose 100 pounds this year,” are likely feeling overwhelmed already. Modifying that to, “I’m going to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable manner and keep working on it,” can be the difference between success and failure. Shoot for a pound or two a week in the short-term and keep that 100 pounds in the long-term and you won’t find yourself so overwhelmed!
Get help – Healthy, sustainable weight loss often requires the creation of a multi-pronged attack to make it happen. This means combining the right menu with the right workout plan. When the two combine correctly, you ensure the food going into your body is good for both your body and your weight loss goals. Ask your trainer, your boot camp instructor or contact us here at AlaskaFit (you can post a comment below) for assistance in formulating a realistic plan that you can actually follow.
Develop healthy habits – Habits are things you do without even thinking about them. Reaching for a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, for example, is a habit you may have developed over time. You can develop new, healthier habits if you work at it. Pick one thing at a time and keep doing it until you don’t even think about it any longer. You might want to exercise for 15 minutes before drinking that coffee or start bringing your lunch so you can resist fast-food temptations when you are away from home.
Have patience – A New Year’s resolution worth making will take some time to develop. Weight loss and getting into shape require a process that doesn’t produce results overnight (no matter what the infomercial gurus tell you). Work closely with your trainer and mark your short term goals as signs of your success.
Make it a family affair – Putting yourself on a path for weight loss will likely call for some changes in your every-day routine. It may also mean changes to your family’s routine or to routines you now share with your friends. Tell them what you’re doing and ask them for help. Things like let’s NOT have pizza on Friday can go a long way towards helping you to succeed.

If you’re ready to make this year’s resolution stick, you can do it! With persistence and a solid support team, including your trainer, your friends and your family this year can be a great one!

line

About the Author

line

Why Detox?

Leave a Comment

We are starting our Detox Program on Monday, January 2. For many of you, the
term Detox Meal Plan may be scary. Others may not understand just what a Detox is or
more importantly, why they should Detox at all.

The Alaska Cancer Care Alliance published an article by Markian Babij, ND, FABNO.

Dr. Babij is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at Avante Medical Center and leads
the New Norm Workshop on Nutrition for ACCA .

The article plainly tells the medical reasons for why Detoxing at least once a year
is a good idea. So, I thought I would share…Enjoy:

Annual Detoxification by Markian Babij, ND, FABNO

In the last fifty years our environment has

become increasingly more polluted. This has

resulted in greater toxic burden on all of us!

We clean our exterior, however often forget

about interior organs such as the liver, colon

and kidneys. With tens of thousands of new

chemicals introduced to our environment in the

past several decades we all have some level of

exposure. We rely on the liver to sort through

the myriad of chemicals that enter the body via

water, air, and the foods we eat.

Foods are contaminated with hormones and antibiotics

used for mass-market farming and many folks have been

on prescriptive medications for years.

The bottom line is that we cannot always control what

goes into our bodies, and detoxification programs are

designed to help reduce our overall toxic load.

In 420 BC, Hippocrates spoke of ―leaving drugs in the

chemists’ pot if you can cure the patient with food‖ and

I tend to agree with him, however, medications have come

a long way since that time and they are often necessary.

Our diet has become much more complicated since that time

and human physiology has not had sufficient time to adapt

to the varied ingredients in modern foods.

The goal of any detoxification process is to eliminate

the foods we have become addicted to, and provide the

body with a chance to rest from every day detoxification

tasks thereby promoting increased internal cleansing.

This internal scrub will allow for removal of stored

toxins with the added benefit of reminding us of how

great we can feel when we eat a whole foods diet.

There are many reasons for detoxification plans, some

wish to ease physical and emotional burdens, others

want to lose weight and some want to have a healthy

GI tract and liver.

The simple fact is we feel better after a detoxification

plan.

Why should we Detoxify?

Our gastrointestinal system is exposed to many endotoxins
which are constantly made within the body. In addition,
environmental toxins mentioned earlier place further
burden on our processes of elimination.

Tissues in the body, particularly fat and our digestive
tract endure accumulation of toxins and dysfunction
insidiously occurs.

I call the liver our powerhouse organ, because it sorts

through everything we eat and breathe, while maintaining

the following functions: glycogen (sugar) storage, decomposition

of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, hormone metabolism

and lipid distribution. It does all this and continues to take

a beating from our environment. This is the only organ capable

of natural regeneration of lost tissue; as little as 25% of a

liver can regenerate into a whole liver. A healthy liver will
result in improvement in these body functions.

Here are some indications for liver detoxification programs;

allergies, arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches, fatigue, heavy metal

accumulation in the tissues, digestive problems, cancer, chronic

constipation, skin afflictions, chronic infections, chronic fatigue

syndrome, chronic yeast infections, obesity, food addictions,

depression, anxiety, and autoimmune diseases.

You do not have to have any of these conditions to benefit from a

detoxification plan. Everyone will have some form of benefit with

an individualized detoxification plan.

What you can do on your own?

Exercise: we have always known how great exercise is for us!

Increased activity will help to decrease fatty liver, improve

metabolism and increase elimination through improved bowel functioning.

Skin brushing: vigorous brushing of the skin stimulates cell turnover

and frees up additional real estate for the liver to shunt toxins.

To take this a step further-apply a salt mixture with oil and coat

the body. Allow this to sit for about 20 minutes; this will create

a gradient that produces a sweat. The act of sweating helps to remove

toxins from the body.

Eat the right foods: choose organic when possible or eat wild game.

The majority of toxins are stored in the fat and therefore meats

and fats should be organic or wild. The water we drink accumulates,

be sure that the water you drink is clean (test kits for lead at most

local hardware stores, online, or water testing can be accomplished

at your local water treatment office).

Follow up with a health care provider and determine what your level of

risk is. What kind of work do you do? Are there additional exposures

at work, and if so have your physician work with you to augment liver

functioning with the appropriate supplements, or medications. This

is often the best way to start a detoxification program that is specific

to your particular needs.

Read up! The more information you have on the subject the easier the

detox program will be, and you will know what you are getting into!

If need be call and ask a health care provider, this is what we do!

Dr. Babij is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at Avante Medical Center

and leads the New Norm Workshop on Nutrition for ACCA that starts in February.

Stressed? Change up Your Diet and Exercise!

Leave a Comment

Feeling strung out? Having trouble sleeping? Snapping at the kids and spouse? It’s probably time to change your exercise and diet routine to combat the effects of stress.

While stress is a normal part of life and can actually be good for the body to an extent, too much stress over long periods of time can take a serious toll. The cumulative effects of stress are well documented and can include the development of such serious conditions as heart disease, which may lead to strokes or heart attacks.

If you’re ready to make a positive change and fight back, diet and exercise are good places to start. Working with a trainer, attending boot camp or even just visiting us for a free consultation, puts the power back in your hands. You can develop a plan to attack stress before it attacks you. Diet and exercise both are important components of a stress-reduction plan for many reasons.

Why Diet Matters

When the body is not properly fueled, it can become run down and have problems with the immune system. Improper diet can compound the effects of stress and give it a serious foothold for sidelining your life.

A well-balanced, healthy diet can give your body the fuel and nutrients it needs to take common daily stressors in stride. Being low in certain nutrients can make it harder for your body to process or handle stress.

To get the most out of a stress-combating diet, discuss a meal plan with your trainer or call us for more information about our Nutrition KickStart Program. In general, you will want to include low-fat, low-sodium foods. A diet that is rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, lean sources of protein and whole grains is typically beneficial. Moderating caffeine and sugar consumption will go a long way, too.

Exercise Works Out Stress

Exercise is one of the best ways to fight back against stress in daily life. The physical action required in cardiovascular and strength training can benefit the body and the immune system and help promote better sleeping habits. Exercise is also a great way to clear the mind and let go of pent up aggressions in a healthy manner (picturing the face of a boss or co-worker in your kickboxing class as you throw a punch is MUCH safer and healthier than internalizing or ignoring your anger).

If you haven’t exercised in a while, you will benefit from working with a trainer to develop a routine that’s healthy for you. Diving into a program blind can lead to injury, which may increase stress levels rather than reduce them.

Stress is a silent killer that can have short-term and long-term impacts on the mind and body. When changes are made to diet and exercise routines, a big difference in the effects can be felt almost immediately.

Reward Yourself!

Leave a Comment

You’ve been dieting, exercising and following your trainer’s recommendations to the letter. You’ve already hit your first milestone goal for weight loss and the second is fast approaching. Now is the time to celebrate your efforts and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Before you go overboard and “treat” yourself with food-related rewards, take a step back and consider alternative positive ways to reward yourself for sticking with the program. Rewards are great motivational tools, and they are well deserved if you have reached certain goals. You don’t, however, want to undo your accomplishments by choosing poorly and even tempting yourself to get back into old habits you’ve been trying to rid yourself of.

Rather than break with the program and splurge on a large pizza or decadent dessert that may leave you wanting for more, consider healthier, wiser alternatives. While you don’t necessarily have to say goodbye to occasional treats forever, now is probably not the best time to give in to temptation. When you have reached your ideal weight and have made healthier eating and exercise habits, then you might consider being “bad” once in a while.

Here’s a simple reward plan:

Set milestone markers – If you don’t have a milestone list for your weight loss or body toning program in place, talk to your trainer about creating one or create one on your own. You might count 5 or 10 pound losses as your markers as you strive to reach your ideal weight. Should you simply be trying to tone your body and strengthen your muscles, set milestones based on what you are able to do in the gym.
Set rewards for each marker achieved – Rewards given at milestones can give you something to look forward to and motivate you on those days when eating right and heading to the gym to work with a trainer are especially difficult. Considering an escalating scale of rewards by starting out small at your first milestone and working your way up to something you really want.
Brainstorm rewards that are meaningful to you – If at all possible, you don’t want your rewards to be food-related or break your exercise routine. Remember, to lose weight and keep it off, you want to make these lifestyle changes habit. With this in mind, food is not really a good reward to consider. Instead, brainstorm for healthy ideas that reward on a personal level. Consider small splurge purchases, massages (visit Karie Tieszen, she’s my favorite massage therapist in Anchorage), a day at a salon (have you been to Chez Ritz?) or even a chance to sleep in an extra hour on a lazy day off. For the final reward, plan to do something big. Maybe take a short vacation, buy a special outfit (Blush has a sale going on right now!) or go out for a night on the town. Whatever your choice, make it the carrot you dangle before yourself as you reach for each milestone goal.

Rewarding yourself for losing weight and getting into shape is a great way to keep going when the going gets tough. Just remember to select rewards that don’t undermine the positive strides you have made.

About the Author

Missing the Sun? This May Help!

3 Comments

Now that our rainy summer is turning into cooler, sunnier, autumn days, I thought I would take a moment to talk to you about your nutrition. Yes, I spend lots of time talking about health and fitness…it’s my job and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to share what I know. I’m honored and elated every day to get to do this.

Living in Alaska can be tough for a lot of reasons. It’s also the most rewarding place I’ve ever lived.

One aspect of living here that is near and dear to my heart is how we eat and how much nutrition we’re really getting from our food sources.

This summer, mother nature took another swipe at our Vitamin D levels. Anyone living in northern climates (and this includes you, my New York friends) has a high likelihood of having below-normal Vitamin D levels, regardless of how much time we spend in the sun.

After a long, sunny summer, we, in theory, have upped our levels a bit and are ready for the dark days of winter. After a long, rainy summer, like we had in Alaska, we don’t get much chance to naturally up our levels.

Why do you care?

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to everything from increased colds and flu to cancer, asthma, Alzheimer’s and Diabetes and depression.

This little inexpensive “vitamin” (it’s not technically a vitamin at all, but has its own classification. “Its metabolic product, calcitriol is a seconsteroid hormone that targets over 2,000 human genes”.1 )

As long ago as 1989, The Lancet reported that Vitamin D significantly reduced the growth of breast cancer cells in animal studies.

In 1998, Australian researchers concluded that “Vitamin D3 deficiency provides a compelling and parsimonious explanation for seasonal variations in mood.”1

Studies in 2008 and 2009 show that the higher your vitamin D levels are, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu and other respiratory infections. 2

Vitamin D is produced in our skin when it’s exposed to sunlight or we can get vitamin D through nutritional supplements and our food. What does this mean for us, here in Alaska? It means that the overwhelming majority of us have Vitamin D deficiencies.

Among my clients, these deficiencies have been severe, requiring therapeutic levels of supplementation, supervised by their doctors. And, while trips to Hawaii for some much-needed sunshine are fun, they will not take care of the deficiency.

Even in the summertime, when we have those wonderful, long sunshine-y days, the angle of the sun is not enough to trigger Vitamin D production. Keep in mind that sunburn or tanning does not have anything to do with your Vitamin D production.

So, what’s an Alaskan (or any other northern dewller) to do? Especially after a rainy, sun-starved summer? Start with talking to your doctor and getting your Vitamin D levels checked.

If you decide that supplementation is the way to go, don’t just go to COSTCO and pick up the cheapest Vitamin D supplement you can find.

Do you know what to look for in any vitamin? Here’s the top 3 things to look for in your vitamin and your vitamin company.
1. Longevity of the company: How long have they been in the supplement business?
2. They should have a spotless record of safety and efficacy: Have their products ever been subject to recall?
3. Studies of their specific products published in peer-reviewed journals: and not just that Vitamin D is good for you, we know that.
Has their brand and formulation of the Vitamin been studied? Have the study results been published in peer-reviewed, real, scientific journals?

Where can you find a supplement that has all of these criteria plus thousands of independent tests on their products? Shaklee is the only company that I know of that meets all of these criteria. They have just come out with a new Vitamin D product. Just like all Vitamin D supplements, it’s amazingly inexpensive and still has all of the good things that Shaklee products offer…maximum absorbency, 100% money-back guarantee, a 54+ year history in the industry. The pennies you spend on Vitamin D make it by far the world’s cheapest insurance policy. Order yours today and have it shipped right to your home.

You don’t even have to leave the house…unless it’s to get a little bit of sunshine and exercise, of course.

If you have any questions about Vitamin D or any other health and fitness question, post it below or give me a call at 783-1241.

To Your Health,
Ginny Grupp
“It’s not just about getting into shape, it’s about getting into life!”

1. www.VitaminDCouncil.org
2. www.Mercola.com

How To Be A Social Butterfly Without Gaining Weight

To Stretch or To NOT Stretch, That’s the Question!

Why Interval Training Is Effective

Eating Well on a Budget

Creative Substitutions–The Key to Weight-Loss Success

Resolutions? Here’s How to Make 2011 a Success!

Why Detox?

Annual Detoxification by Markian Babij, ND, FABNO

Why should we Detoxify?

Our gastrointestinal system is exposed to many endotoxins
which are constantly made within the body. In addition,
environmental toxins mentioned earlier place further
burden on our processes of elimination.

Tissues in the body, particularly fat and our digestive
tract endure accumulation of toxins and dysfunction
insidiously occurs.

Stressed? Change up Your Diet and Exercise!

Reward Yourself!

About the Author

Missing the Sun? This May Help!

Why do you care?

Groupon Click Here!

FREE Consultation

45 Pounds and a Welcome Home Celebration!

Join Our Newsletter Family!

30 Pounds, 7-Point Body Fat Change!

Are you following us?

Annual Detoxification by Markian Babij, ND, FABNO

Why should we Detoxify?

Our gastrointestinal system is exposed to many endotoxins which are constantly made within the body. In addition, environmental toxins mentioned earlier place further burden on our processes of elimination.

Tissues in the body, particularly fat and our digestive tract endure accumulation of toxins and dysfunction insidiously occurs.

About the Author

Why do you care?

Groupon Click Here!

FREE Consultation

45 Pounds and a Welcome Home Celebration!

Join Our Newsletter Family!

30 Pounds, 7-Point Body Fat Change!

Are you following us?

Our gastrointestinal system is exposed to many endotoxins
which are constantly made within the body. In addition,
environmental toxins mentioned earlier place further
burden on our processes of elimination.

Tissues in the body, particularly fat and our digestive
tract endure accumulation of toxins and dysfunction
insidiously occurs.