Optimum Bodies Blog

As we know, it is important to keep hydrated – especially before, during and after exercise.  This refreshing recipe brings water to life and helps fight bloating.

Directions & Ingredients

• Fill a jug with water (about 8 cups)
• Thinly slice and peel one medium cucumber
• Thinly slice one medium lemon
• One teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• A few stalks of celery
• 12 spearmint leaves

Combine all ingredients with the water, let the flavors marinate with each other.

The goal is to drink one jug by the end of each day.

We’ve been eating more vegetarian meals lately, in an effort to have a more alkaline (anti-inflammatory) diet. I had a craving for stuffed peppers the other day, and came up with the following tasty concoction:

Ingredients:

• 4 red peppers – halved lengthwise and seeds removed (keep the stems on if you can)
• 4 – 5 ripe tomatoes (diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tbls dried oregano
• olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

Pre-heat your oven to 375. Cut the peppers in half lengthtwise, try to keep the stems on (for presentation purposes, plus they help the peppers keep their shape). Place peppers cut side up in a glass baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients together and fill the peppers. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for approximately 50 minutes.  We had these with brown rice and they were absolutely delish! Next time I may add some fresh basil and kalamata olives.. There are so many possibilities with this recipe.

Do you have a clean recipe you want to share? Send it to us at recipes@optimumbodies.com.

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

As a snack, appetizer or side serving of your daily greens, kale chips are healthy and delicious!

Kale which is a form of cabbage is an excellent source of calcium, iron, vitamin a and c and chlorophyll.

Ingredients:

-1 bunch of kale (stems removed and leaves torn into roughly 2-inch pieces

-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil

-1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

-1/4 cup of sesame seeds

-pinch of salt, or any other seasonings you would like

Directions:

-heat oven to 200 degrees

-in a large bowl (or large ziploc bag) drizzle kale with oil, lemon juice and sesame seeds.  toss until evenly coated.

-transfer to baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes! Flip half way through.

Kale chips should be dry and crisp, remove from heat and let them cool completely.  Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Do you have a clean recipe you want to share? Send it to us at recipes@optimumbodies.com.

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

I can definitely see this becoming a family favourite at our house. If you haven’t tried bison – this is a great first buffalo recipe for you!

BISON MEATLOAF

1 tablespoon salad oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound ground buffalo
1 large egg
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (2 slices ezekiel)
1/8 cup milk
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Chili sauce
For topping -
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/4cup Chili sauce

1. In 10″ skillet over medium heat, in hot salad oil, cook celery and onion until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix ground buffalo, egg, bread crumbs, milk, horseradish, salt, chili sauce, and cooked onion mixture. Form into a loaf and place in non stick loaf pan (about 5 x 9). Bake meat loaf 45 minutes.

3. In small bowl, mix mustard and remaining chili sauce. Spread mixture over top of loaf; bake 15 minutes longer.

Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Do you have a clean recipe you want to share? Send it to us at recipes@optimumbodies.com.

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

It’s leg day today!

Here’s a quick leg workout you can get through in a half hour.

Complete these exercises in order – one set of each is one complete circut. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between circuts. Start out with 2 to 3 times through, building up to 5 or 6.

• “Hellified Lunges” – 12 (hellified lunges are one set of double walking lunges, one set of single walking lunges and one set of squats)
• Stiff Legged Dumbbell Deadlifts – 12
• Sumo Squats with barbell – 12
• Jump Split Lunges – 24
• Single Leg Weighted Calf Raise – 24/side

You’ll definitely feel a burn after the hellified lunges.  If you don’t – you aren’t lifting heavy enough!

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

Here’s a yummy healthy(ish) treat that you can enjoy on your cheat (treat) day.  Plus it’s nut free (there is some coconut that you could leave out) so it’s safe for all the nut free schools.

Birdseed cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ cup whole rolled oats
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup raisins
¾ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup flax seeds
¾ cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• Add oats, coconut, raisins, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
• In separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
• Add flour mixture 1 cup at a time and stir until combined.
• Spoon tablespoons of dough 2” apart on ungreased baking sheet.
• Dip fork into water and gently press down to flatten cookie. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cookies cool 2 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely

Yield: Approximately 4 dozen

Do you have a clean recipe you want to share? Send it to us at recipes@optimumbodies.com.

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

I recently came across a news story featuring the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on female babies from prenatal exposure to BPA. A study was conducted following 400 mothers who had elevated levels of exposure to BPA during pregnancy. The study found that girls exposed to the higher levels of BPAs in their mother’s wombs showed more anxious behavior, hyperactivity and symptoms of depression at age 3.

BPA is an organic chemical compound commonly used in making Polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Do not be fooled by the word organic it simply means contains a carbon. We all remember when BPA was in the news for its presence in baby bottles. Canada has in fact banned BPA in baby bottles and other baby products. I can remember looking on the bottom of all my own plastic bottles to make sure they were not the “dirty kind”. You should always try to use glass and if you are going to use a plastic bottle avoid bottles containing a 3, 6 (other chemicals) or 7 (BPA) written on the bottom of the bottle.  Plastics with a 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 are unlikely to contain BPA.

As I thought about the news article I wondered how the women in this study were exposed to BPA. I know I never come in contact with it. So I started to do a little research. Was I ever wrong! BPA is found in some surprising places and I’m willing to bet you were exposed to it this week, if not today. In fact statistics Canada recently released a report that 94% of Canadians had measureable BPA traces in their urine.

Health Canada says it is dangerous to consume more than 25 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. But levels even lower than that may be too much. Researchers found mice given 1 microgram per kilogram of body weight showed adverse reproductive and carcinogenic effects.

So where is all the BPA hiding? You may find some of the sources surprising. I know I did. Receipts for example are a big contributor to BPA exposure. If you have been to a grocery store, movie or made a purchase lately then you have been exposed.

“One study found that touching a receipt for five seconds with a single fingertip wiped off up to 23 micrograms of bisphenol A (BPA). The chemical could then find its way onto food and be ingested. The amount wiped off increases tenfold when all fingers contact the paper and “by an order of magnitude,” scientists say, when the paper is crumpled in one’s palm”.

This type of paper is called thermal paper and contains BPA. If you scratch your receipt and it leaves a mark it is thermal paper. Can you image how much exposure your local grocery clerk is getting on a daily basis!

Food and beverage containers account for the majority of our daily exposure as it is used in food and beverage packaging. Pizza boxes made from recycled cardboard, wine and beer (fermented in BPA-resin lined vats), pop cans and canned foods are all common sources of BPA exposure.  Most cans contain BPA in the lining of the cans.

Another source is recycled products. This is also tied back to thermal paper. Thermal paper gets recycled and turns up in napkins, toilet paper etc. These products are in turn recycled and reintroduce BPA into the environment. It is estimated that in Canada and the US receipts contribute 33.5 tons of BPA to the environment each year. Recycled products should not be mixed with biological waste or general recycling.

Water is yet another contributor to BPA exposure. Elevated levels of xenoestrogens from BPA contamination have been found in ecosystems near landfills.

Finally, some dental sealants and composite materials used to fill cavities may release bisphenol-A and related chemicals. It is possible that children may be exposed to bisphenol-A from the application of these dental materials.

So remember keep your contact with receipts to a minimum, choose fresh foods over canned and packaged,  avoid fast foods and their packaging, choose glass over plastic and think twice about the type of recycled products that you use in your home.

Sources of BPA

• Grocery and movie theater receipts (thermal paper).
• Recycled cardboards (eg pizza boxes) and paper.
• Toilet Paper from recycled content.
• Canned foods and beverages.
• Plastic Bottles with the numbers 3, 6 or 7 on the bottom.
• Reusing disposable bottles.
• Heating food in plastic containers.
• Water supply sources near contaminated landfills.

Statistics and Facts

• In Canada and US 33.5 tons of receipts containing BPA are introduced to the environment each year.
• 91% of Canadians show traces of BPA in their urine.
• Just 3 Days of eating fresh foods and avoiding plastics and cans can reduce the toxic load on the body by up to 50%.
• On average 0.2 micrograms of BPA are ingested with each soft drink.
• Many countries still use BPA based plastic baby bottles.

Dirty Effects of BPA

• Anxiety, depression and/or hyperactivity in female (age 2 -3) exposed in utero.
• Endocrine disruptor with estrogenic effects (that means elevated fat around the thighs for women and upper chest for men).
• May block testosterone synthesis (that means lack of muscle tone in men and women).
• Increased obesity and related diseases
• Neurological disruption
• Dopamine disruption resulting in attention deficits and heightened sensitivity to drugs of abuse
• Thyroid disruption
• Suppression DNA methylation
• Increased risk of heart disease
• Male sexual dysfunction

Ways to avoid BPA exposure

• Avoid heating plastic containers (microwaves, dishwashers).
• Avoid canned foods. Fresh or frozen are better. If you do use canned foods keep them in a cool place.
• Avoid toilet paper made from recycled paper.
• Do not recycle thermal paper.
• Limit contact to thermal paper and do not let your children handle receipts.
• Do not use plastic water bottles.
• Do not use dental sealants on children’s baby teeth.
• Store foods in glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers.

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

Whether you are a guy looking at putting on size or a woman looking to get toned you need to create the right environment for building lean muscle. You can lose all the weight you like but if you do not put on lean muscle you end up being skinny-fat. Not necessarily the best look, especially if you want to see things like cellulite decrease or disappear. I’ve put together this step by step guide to get you on the right track to building a lean muscular body.

Step 1. Train hard!! Really HARD! That’s right – you have to put in superior effort to get superior results. Every workout you do should leave you feeling like you gave it your all.

Step 2. You need to train regularly. You need to be engaging in challenging workouts 3-4X per week to see superior results. When training to put on lean muscle mass there are many different approaches that. One approach is to split your routine into body part specific days (for example Chest/Back on Monday, Shoulders/Arms on Wednesday and Legs/Abs on Friday). Or you can do full-body training days performing between 1-2 exercises for each body part. This works especially well for those new to exercise or those who have not worked out for a long time. Workouts should not last longer than 60 minutes in duration. A more advanced style workout like 8 x 8s is a superior way for developing lean muscle mass. I will cover this in a later  article

Step 3. Muscle repair and building takes place when the body is at rest. So be sure to get your 7-8 hours of shut eye.

Step 4. Supplements such as Glutamine, Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), Creatine, Beta-alanine, Zinc and Glycine are just a few that can work wonders for putting on lean muscle mass. Supplements make an incredible difference in lean mass gains for those who are training hard.

Step  5. Increase your calorie intake by 5-10% above your maintenance level (the amount of calories you are able to consume without losing or gaining weight). A simple formula for calculating your daily calories is to take your body weight and multiply it by 18-20 calories. Calories should still come from clean eating. Keep in mind if you are overweight this formula will lead to too many calories being consumed. Those who are overweight should focus on reducing body fat before focusing on building lean muscle mass.

Step 6. Post workout shakes are a must and as a general guide should contain 1 gram of carbs/per lbs of body weight and .25 grams of protein/per lbs of body weight. Make sure to have your shake within ½ hour of your workout. I also recommend consuming BCAAs during your workout. In addition for improved performance on days when feeling 5 grams of glutamine just prior to your workout can work wonders for improved energy.  

Step 7. Portion your ratio of carbohydrates/proteins/fats as follows: 40% carbs, 40-50% protein, 10-15% fats. This will vary slightly from individual to individual.

Step 8. Try to eat 6-7 meals per day. Squeezing in the extra meal will go a long way in building lean muscle mass.

Step 9. Make sure you are having protein with every meal throughout the day. Saving up your protein consumption for a big meal at the end of the day is pointless since our bodies can only synthesis a certain amount of protein at one time.

Step 10. To put on mass eating just before bed is a great way to gain weight. Just look at Sumo wrestlers. They tend to go most of the day without much food intake and then consume a massive amount of calories before bed. For those of you looking to lose weight you may want to drop the Sumo way of eating.

Step 11. Track your progress. Things that are measured improve. Make sure that there is progress with every workout. Progress can be in the form of achieving an extra rep or two or increasing the weight from your previous workout.

Step 12 . Water, water, water! Yes – water intake is absolutely crucial to your success. If you are dehydrated during your workouts performance will suffer and you will be short changing your results.

And as a final note if you are someone who has a really hard time putting on weight and you tend to take stimulants you need to get off them. This includes things like nicotine and caffeine. Your metabolism is already super-charged so throwing gasoline on the fire so to speak will work against you.

If you are interested in purchasing a custom exercise program that will provide you the structure and guidance to get the most out of your workout at home or at the gym contact me at 905-231-2234 or email me at info@optimumbodies.com. Optimum Bodies Fitness and Personal Training is the leading provider for personal training in Ajax and Pickering. If you are looking for a personal trainer in Ajax or Pickering we are conveniently located and the only professional personal training studio in Pickering Village. Give us a try today.

In Good Health,

James

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

With the weather getting colder and everyone feeling all those summer beers and maragaritas around their waistline we figured it would be a great time to post our Slow Cooker Bison Stew Recipe. Warm up with this energy packed meal. Bison is fast becoming a super food due to its high protein and low fat content. It’s actually lower in cholesterol and fat than chicken breast. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1.5-2.0 lbs of bison stewing meat
• 2 table spoons of oat flour
• 14oz of canned tomatoes
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 container of diced celery and onion
• 2 cups of chopped carrots
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• Ground pepper
• ½ tsp. Oregano
• 4 Bay leaves

Directions

• In a bowl coat the bison in oat flour shaking off the excess (set aside)
• Slice sweet potatoes into cubes (skin on) and place in cooker
• Add container of celery and onions
• Add sliced carrots
• Add bison
• Pour tomatoes (and juice) over the bison
• Add vegetable broth
• Add seasoning
• Cook for 6-8 hours on low

Do you have a clean recipe you want to share? Send it to us at recipes@optimumbodies.com.

Optimum Bodies Personal Training & Wellness Studio
619 Kingston Road West, Ajax ON
905-231-2234
www.optimumbodies.ca

It’s no easy feat to balance life when you are trying to make big changes to yourself. In the past few years I have experienced many different aspects of this firsthand.
In the beginning it is the constant stress and fear of slipping up. This is the stage when you need to count every calorie you consume and weigh every portion of food. This is when you have to avoid all situations that could set you up for failure in any way. It’s like walking a tightrope each time you open your mouth.
Next comes that failure. I think that everyone who has ever made any drastic changes to their weight and life will agree that at some point we all have some level of failure. Mine was Christmas of last year when I gained back 16 lbs of the weight lost. I had just become comfortable with myself and felt like it was OK to stop thinking about it because I had accomplished so much and thought I deserved a reward break.
Then you come to coping and acceptance of your life and the routines you have established over the time. With this you are OK with allowing yourself some freedom to live life without being weighed down with the guilt or without fear of returning to your old patterns. I am at this point now and let me tell you it is a great feeling.
Not everyone in your life is going to understand what you are doing. Some people may actually resent you for it, others will understand it but not fully support it. This is when I am thankful I am at the stage I am. Case in point would be this past weekend with terrific friends but not so terrific food choices. I can now respect that not everyone around me is going to want to eat just egg whites, veggies and chicken and that’s OK. It is also OK to allow myself some indulgences in moderation.
These days I find that I am perceiving food in an entirely different light. When I hear that someone had a snack of a Big Mac my brain thinks about that in a new view. Once I would have been right on board with a quick “snack” like this, then in phase 2 I would have analyzed the food choice and called my friend out on that bad decision. Now I can respect that its not my decision to make and that I should remember that rather than being quick to judge that not so many years ago I would have done the same.
Would I eat a big mac as a snack now? Not a chance.
Would I eat a big mac as a cheat meal? Its quite possible I would do it.
The point is that you have to find a balance in life and put things in perspective. You are not defined by your weight, nor is it the only thing that validates your existence (although at times it feels that way) but when you first make these drastic changes its easy to feel this way. The good news is that with time and persistence you will learn a great deal more about yourself. This weekend I learned that rather than stressing about bacon, eggs and pancakes consumed for breakfast on 2 days I should focus on the positives of my days. I know now that I can get lost in the beauty of green trees and sparkling lake water with a silly grin on my face as I launch into a morning jog. I have learned that I can run and play with my children with unbounded energy and soak in the memories. I am learning a balance between my diet, my exercise and my life and reinventing myself each day at a time.

Taking it one day and one step at a time,

Natasha