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Nutrition Therapy for Hypertension

Posted on by Posted in Nutrition Leave a comment

 

Hypertension is something that affects many Americans; 1 in 3 of us have it and yet many don’t even realize it. With the high prevalence of the disease and the fact that it is largely preventable, I thought it would be a good idea to make a post about it and how to effectively manage/treat it without drugs. Weight reduction, DASH diet (more on that below), sodium restriction, physical activity, and decreased alcohol intake are all effective in reducing blood pressure or preventing hypertension. What works even better is combining these interventions which is more effective than just doing one.

DASH Study

The prevalence of hypertension prompted a mass study of several large hospitals around the country back in 1992. The study evaluated blood pressure on three diet patterns: 1. control diet, which was similar to the traditional American diet, 2. diet high in fruits and vegetables, and 3. a DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Sodium intake, physical activity, and bodyweight remained constant among the three groups. The results showed that both test diets reduced blood pressure compared to the control. Specifically, the DASH protocol reduced the subjects systolic reading by 8 mmHg and the diastolic by 6 mmHg. It was stated that the DASH diet has effects similar to single-use drug therapy when it comes to lowering blood pressure.

DASH Eating Plan

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website, DASH is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. It is a flexible approach that recommends lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat free or low fat dairy, lean meats, and beans. It also recommends limiting foods that are high in saturated fat like fatty meats, full fat dairy products, and coconut oil. The amount of sugar containing foods like soda and sweets should also be limited. The amount of sodium intake per day should be 1500-2300 mg.

If you are interested in learning more about the DASH diet I would definitely check out this site to learn more and even see some sample meal plans to try.

Check out amazon for some good reading on the DASH diet:

 

Preventing/Reversing Hypertension

As with so many other conditions, it is totally possible to prevent or reverse hypertension through lifestyle modification. As I mentioned earlier, high blood pressure can be lowered by losing weight, following a DASH protocol, limiting sodium intake, physical activity, and decreased alcohol intake.

So start moving and eating right! If you don’t know where to start please send me a message, I would love to help out. I have many options available for you depending on your level of experience and goals. Don’t lose yourself; it’s never too late to get started on your path to healthy living. All it takes is determination and a smart plan and anything is possible-regardless of age, sex, fitness level, or current weight. Believe and achieve.

Click this link to fill out a form and get started today!

Otherwise, thank you guys for reading this article. I hope it has been of some help to you. If you liked this post be sure to share and subscribe to my newsletter-I truly appreciate the support and try my best to provide quality content. Talk to you guys soon!

How I Organize My Workouts Every Week

Posted on by Posted in Programming Leave a comment

https://youtu.be/kZ31uSsSvf8

 

What’s up guys, today I wanted to talk to you about how I plan my workouts for the week.

When I first got into fitness I was so confused. At first I followed whatever plan was in the latest Muscle & Fitness mag my step dad got in the mail. Boy was I naive. Of course, back then the internet wasn’t what it is today (back in my day… I remember having a CD player and VHS as a kid…goes to show my age boys and girls!).

Anyway, I have come a long way since then. Eventually I got more into programming and how to plan workouts through sources online. I’ve learned a lot in about 10 years of off and on training. Really, I’ve only been very consistent the last 2-3 years. And it has shown.

What I currently run now is not what I would do if I was just starting out. Actually, there are many things I would do over again if given the chance. But, my mistakes have taught me lessons and made me stronger in the process and for that I am thankful. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and make greater gains even quicker than I did. That is one of my hopes in sharing this with you.

So, I am going to show you what I do every week but that by no means is what you should do! If you are at a similar place in terms of time in the gym and goals then maybe something like this would work, but otherwise you’d be better off doing something else.

That said, maybe you can pick up on some of the things I do and incorporate it into your training. I often do this when I am exposed to new, good ideas-I’ll experiment. I think that is something we all should do in training and in life. Have a way of doing things but don’t be afraid to incorporate new ideas, grow, and evolve.

One of the ways I have evolved over the past year is doing SO much more cardio than I ever have, specifically running. I train for 5k runs now…for fun. To achieve goals that I never before thought possible. If you would have told me at the beginning of 2017 I’d be training to run I would have laughed my ass off, literally. Me, run? FOR FUN?! I was a lifter. But boy how things change, and for the better. I am in much better shape now and guess what? It has made me a better lifter!

So without further adieu, here is how I set up my current training on a weekly basis:

I break the week down as follows:

Monday: Intensity Upper Body Day + 10-15 mins conditioning

Tuesday: Purposeful Distance Run (typically 5-7 miles)

Wednesday: Intensity Lower Body Day + 10-15 mins conditioning

Thursday: Easy Distance Run/Bike Ride, around 1 hour

Friday: Volume Upper Body Day + 10-15 mins conditioning

Saturday: Volume Lower Body Day + 10-15 conditioning and speed run at track, time permitting

Sunday: Off, walk 30 mins

 

And there you have it. I have experimented a lot over the past few months but this seems to be the best fit for me given my goals and work schedule. I originally was doing a conjugate type program by Brian Alsruhe, a person I look up to on youtube. However, I have read before in Practical Programming For Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe about Intensity/Volume splits for intermediate lifters (which I am). I decided to sort of mesh parts of Brian’s plan with Rippetoe’s. I guess you could say it’s really my own, especially with all the added running. I’m liking it a lot so far. I’m getting faster and stronger so it must be working!

That’s it for the weekly breakdown. Maybe in a future post I’ll go over sets, reps, and progression on each day. But for now, that’s all I got!

If you enjoyed this post be sure to share it with your friends and family and of course enter your email on my site to get the latest updates.

Talk to you next time, peace.

 

 

Raspberry Chocolate Protein Bars

Posted on by Posted in Recipes Leave a comment

*Note: this recipe came from Jen at yummyhealthyeasy.com*

Christmas time this year I was looking for a quick, healthy recipe to make for my family this year. I took to google and looked up protein bar recipes. This is one that stood out to me as something different that I should try. So I did, and they turned out pretty good.

 

 

If you want to try to make these yourself here is the ingredient list:

  • ½ cup peanut or almond butter
  • ? cup blue agave or honey
  • 1 cup instant rolled oats
  • ¼ cup chocolate protein powder
  • ¼ cup flaxseed
  • ½ cup raspberries

 

and the directions:

  1. Mix peanut butter and agave or honey in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until a consistent, smooth texture.
  2. Take off heat and pour in oats, protein and flaxseed. Stir until totally combined. Finally, fold in raspberries.
  3. Spread into a (5×9 inch) loaf pan and press down so it’s a flat. Place in freezer for 1 hour.
  4. After an hour, take out bars from freezer and cut into long bars (or squares). Using wax or parchment paper to separate the bars, place in a plastic air-tight container in the refrigerator. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

 

Not too many people ate these; it’s tough to compete with pie and chocolate!

That’s ok though, more for me at home now…