Month: November 2017

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes: An Interview with Clinical Hypnotherapist Hayden Sutherland

This week’s podcast episode features an interview with Hayden Sutherland – owner of Essential Balance Holistic Wellness Center.

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Right off the bat Nick and Hayden talk about one of their shared interests, Tony Robbins, who Hayden had just seen live in a seminar that he vowed made him a better person for his family and clients. Both Nick and Hayden encouraged people to check out the Netflix documentary on Tony Robbins called “I’m Not Your Guru.”

Hayden, who is a former pharmacist, said he quickly found out that he was just managing symptoms, not curing causes, so he went searching for a better way. His search led him to holistic/eastern medicines, which he calls “traditional” medicine as opposed to “alternative” medicine. He created and set up the Essential Balance Holistic Wellness Center to have the best practitioners across multiple traditional medicine modalities (hypnotherapy, chiropractic, massage, yoga, acupuncture, etc) in one place.

Hypnotherapy, which is Hayden’s area of expertise, is used to help tap into the unconscious to change a belief that may be causing a negative health impact (smoking, eating disorders, depression, etc). In the most basic summary, hypnotherapy is no more than intense guided meditation. It helps people get over plateaus and blockages by focusing on changing insidious habits that bypass what you consciously know and think and tap into what you believe and feel unconsciously!

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One of the groups Hayden treats is service men and women who suffer from PTSD. He describes how he uses primarily conversational hypnotherapy, though he does also specialize in the more well know “trance” methods.

Towards the end of the interview Hayden shared his belief that if you want to change your life you have to change your mindset by changing your physiology, your focus and your language. Be sure to listen to the whole interview for more!

Learn more about Hayden and his center by visiting essentialbalancetampa.com. I encourage you to contact Hayden by phone 813-928-9850 or email hayden@essentialbalancetampa.com to get a free consultation.

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Be sure to visit our sponsors website, hempcoffeeexchange.com, to stock up on sustainable super coffee for the holidays. Don’t forget to use the promo code “ATF” to get 20% off your order. Thanks again for all the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2&i=1000395303435

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/an-interview-with-clinical

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/an-interview-with-clinical-hypnotherapist-hayden-sutherland

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: Answering Health Questions From Listeners

We’re jumping into the Addicted to Fitness time machine for this week’s episode and heading back to the days when the podcast was known as the ETT Wrap Show. As you’ll hear, this throwback show features our past cohost, Tyler Knox. He also made an appearance on a more recent ATF podcast discussing how being a new dad affects your fitness (click here to listen), and given my current situation, a lot of what he mentioned is coming true in my life.

Tyler and I kickoff this old school episode giving our respective training recaps. I discuss a recent 4 mile run Shannon & I did on the the Tampa Riverwalk which is a nearly 3 mile walkway that snakes its way through downtown Tampa. Tyler on the other hand recounts the scuba diving he had to do for his job. Most people think of scuba diving as a recreational activity you do while on vacation in the Caribbean, which it can be, but when you do it several hours a day and have to perform specific tasks underwater, it can be very physically demanding.

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Former ATF cohost Tyler Know just lying around

After our training recaps, we give a thorough UFC update. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for recent UFC news, this throwback episode won’t satisfy you. BUT, it’s still interesting to look back and hear about Cris Cyborg signing with the UFC and Jon Jones trying to make one of his many comebacks. If you are looking for the most up to date UFC news, I’d recommend checking out MMAFighting.com.

We do get into some evergreen health topics including tips to perform a “proper” squat. I put proper in quotations because, as you’ll hear, different physiologies create different squatting mechanics. We also answer a few interesting health questions from listeners including how many grams of protein a person should eat per day? Make sure you listen to hear the answer because it can vary depending on your fitness goals.

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I love looking back on these throwback episodes, not only to see how we have progressed as podcast, but also to see how the topics we’ve discussed have evolved. I hope you all enjoy these time capsule episodes as much as I do. If you do, we’d really appreciate it if you gave us a rating and review in iTunes (link) or on the Addicted to Fitness Facebook page (link).

We’ve got a lot of great podcasts lined up for you all, including an interview with a hypnotherapist. You’ll definitely want to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t done so already, and please rate, review and share Addicted to Fitness with anyone and everyone.

Don’t forget to visit our sponsors website, hempcoffeeexchange.com, to stock up on sustainable super coffee for the holidays. Make sure you use the promo code “ATF” to get 20% off your order. Thanks again for all the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-vault-answering-health-questions-from-listeners/id1121420986?i=1000395026764&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/from-the-vault-answering

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-answering-health-questions-from-listeners

 

Thanksgiving Edition What’s on the Menu & Weekend Workout

Earlier this year I wrote about the recent rise in popularity of the sweet potato. I attributed the 80% increase in consumption of sweet potatoes in the U.S. between 2000 – 2014 (source) to the emergence of the Paleo Diet. Before the Paleo diet even made it into modern-day vernacular, sweet potatoes were a regular Thanksgiving Day staple, even though they were often referred to by another name.

Multiple varieties of sweet potatoes have been grown in the United States since colonial times. In order to differentiate the different types, farmers used the term “yam” which was derived from the name of a root vegetable native to Africa that closely resembled the sweet potato. This was the start of the culinary name game and eventually led to the USDA including “sweet potato” on the label of yams sold in the US (source).

If you really want to include yams in your Thanksgiving, you’ll have to hit up the international supermarkets. It may be worth the trip because real yams do have some nutritional advantages over their starchy doppelgänger.

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When compared to 1/2 cup of peeled and boiled sweet potatoes, yams contain:

  • Less sugars but more carbs
  • More fiber but less sodium
  • More potassium but FAR less vitamin A (source)

Ultimately, if you’re looking for foods lower on the glycemic index, you’ll want to seek out true yams. That may be a good idea on Thanksgiving considering Americans consume an average of 3000 calories during Thanksgiving dinner alone (source).

A few tricks you can utilize to avoid holiday binge eating include chewing your food more thoroughly, putting your fork down between bites, not going back for seconds and completing the following workout before sitting down for your Turkey day feast.

11-18 ETT weekend workout

This workout focuses on your core, which is another reason you’ll want to complete it BEFORE you eat dinner on Thanksgiving. I recommend performing the following exercises in superset format, which requires you to complete a desired number of repetitions for 3 separate exercises in succession.

Supersets allow you to up the intensity of your workout in a shorter period of time. A shorter, more intense workout will give you more time to spend with friends and family. Just make sure you warmup and modify the workout to match your fitness level.

Let us know in the comment section below if you completed this or any pre-holiday workout. ENJOY & HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Macros Game

Autumn is in full swing, the Halloween candy has been devoured, and signs advertising turkeys are posted in pretty much every grocery store window in America. Yes, it is almost Thanksgiving time! Which is why this week, we’re bringing you the return of our Thanksgiving Marcos Game where Nick and I face off in a battle of nutrition knowledge (kind of) and deductive reasoning.

But first, we highlight training notes for the week and share a tip for your holiday eating this year.

Let’s start with Nick’s training. He’s been enjoying a surprising aspect of his position teaching classes at Title Boxing & Kickboxing; he gets to meet a wide range of individuals, including a YMCA sports director and a science professor at our Alma Mater (University of Tampa). The feedback from those taking has class have been flowing in and it’s been really positive. Meanwhile, the ETT tribe has also added some new members recently in addition to welcoming back some returning folks.

Finally, Nick hinted that we’ll soon have some exciting information to share about a new program geared towards moms that Nick will be launching soon at Tampa Strength. More to come on that in a future episode, so stay tuned!

I, meanwhile, missed the mark on my training targets this past week due to some increased time demands from our baby girl. However, I did manage to get on the Peloton for a couple rides and incorporate some short yoga and circuit training workouts in addition to the daily walks/trips with the little one and our dog. Any activity is good!

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Now, we’ve talked about some holiday eating tips in the past (check out that episode here), but this year, we’re bringing you something new! And it all goes back to a very simple instruction that you probably heard from your parents growing up – Chew your food.

I discovered an interesting story in a book that we’ve had on our shelves for some time, that described the importance of chewing and cited a story from a book by Lino Stanchich, Power Eating Program: You Are How You Eat. The story was about Lino’s father, Antonio, who was a concentration camp survivor.

Hear the whole story in our podcast, but the quick summary is that Antonio and his two friends who practiced chewing their water (yes their water) survived the labor camp amidst starvation conditions, while the 29 other people in that camp did not. Chewing the water gave them more energy! The very act of chewing impacted their ability to survive with so little food.

Once Antonio was free and home, he tested the impact of chewing on his food (once up to 300 times per bite!) and found that chewing a bite of food (150 times per bite was the sweet spot he discovered) had tremendous results on his energy. Official studies have also detailed how important chewing your food is, primarily because properly chewing your food allows the rest of your digestive system to do their own jobs, versus taking extra energy to do the job of breaking down food. This is why you feel so tired after large Thanksgiving meals – you likely didn’t chew your food and your digestive system was having to do overtime to digest that monster meal!

So this year, take a page out of Antonio’s book (or rather his son, Lino’s) and really chew  each bite of your holiday meal. You don’t have to aim for 150 bites, but set a reasonable goal of 12 or 20 – just to try – and see if you feel more satisfied and have more energy by the end of your meal. It truly comes down to enjoying each and every bite. You’ll likely consume less food too, which your waistline will appreciate.

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Next we break into our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Macros Game! (Test your knowledge and hear how we scored on the first game in this previous episode.)

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Macros Game, it is a nutritional trivia game that requires the contestants to guess the macro nutrient (fat, protein or carbohydrate specifically) when given its amount in a serving of a certain food.

This time around, Nick and I test each other’s nutritional knowledge on foods like bone-in ham, mash potatoes, apple pie, and more items you’ll probably see on your Thanksgiving table. Listen to the podcast to see whether I was able to maintain my winning streak or if Nick broke through with the win.

Also, make sure you play along and send us your scores. If  you get a perfect score we’ll share it on all our social channels with a special shout out post!

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As we conclude, we have to share a special congrats to our sponsors at The Hemp & Coffee Exchange for closing on their first brick-and-mortar store location. More details on that announcement to come soon.

For those who don’t live in the Tampa Bay Area, you can still enjoy their sustainable super-coffee by visiting hempcoffeeexchange.com, and using the code “ATF” at checkout to get 20% off your order. It makes an incredible gift for the coffee-lovers in your life!

As always, please take a minute (seriously, it’s that fast) to rate and review the podcast in iTunes and on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page.

Connect with us via email (elementaltampa@gmail.com) and on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter).

Links to this week’s episode:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-annual-thanksgiving-day-macros-game/id1121420986?i=1000394733610&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/2nd-annual-thanksgiving-day

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/2nd-annual-thanksgiving-day-macros-game

What’s on the Menu Could Help You Complete Your Weekend Workout

I have a lot of hidden talents, but one I’m ready to admit to today may leave some of you scratching your heads.

I’m a Scent DJ.

You read that right, a Scent DJ.

I discovered this talent recently while Shannon was in labor at the hospital. We brought our essential oil diffuser with the hope of creating a more relaxed atmosphere during labor, delivery and recovery. During the 3 days that we were there, we received multiple compliments and inquires about the scents I was using. I was a maestro of the essential oils and that’s when Shannon bestowed me with the title of Scent DJ, which is also known in the professional world as an aromatherapist.

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The broad definition of aromatherapy is the use of aroma to enhance the feeling of well-being. As unusual as it may sound, the use of specific scents is one of the oldest forms of medicine. Over time, people have discovered that certain scents help treat certain ailments and/or enhance specific bodily functions.

Rosemary oil is a scent I “spin” on a regular basis and the potential health benefits it can provide should have you running to your nearest apothecary store. Below is a short list of potential benefits associated with using rosemary oil

  • Cancer fighting abilities: rosemary oil contains a chemical called carnosol, which studies have shown selectively kills cancer cells while leaving non-cancer cells unharmed (source)
  • Prevents hair loss: a 2015 study demonstrated that rosemary oil was as effective as the active ingredient in Rogaine in protecting against hair loss in patients with androgenetic alopecia (source)
  • Improves cognitive function: a 2012 study documented that test subjects displayed improved performance, speed and accuracy on cognitive tests when exposed to rosemary oil aroma (source)

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One such cognitive function that can be enhanced by rosemary oil aroma is exercise, which is why I strongly encourage you to fill your nostrils with the scent of rosemary before you perform this boxing centric weekend workout.

Head to the ETT YouTube channel (link) if you need further instruction on the jab + power hook and/or power uppercut + lead hook hand combinations. I recommend performing the workout in interval format (30 sec work/30 sec rest) for 12-20 minutes. Don’t forget to warmup and modify the workout to match your fitness level.

If you complete this or any weekend workout, please let us know in the comment section below OR send us a pic/video of you doing the workout on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). ENJOY!

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Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Apple Watch Review & Childhood Obesity

Welcome back!

Nick and I have been making progress on our training, bit by bit. We kick off this week’s podcast episode with a recap on what we’ve been doing.

Nick has been finding his Title Boxing classes to be a built in workout, which has been good since time between work and parenting has been somewhat limited.

He also gets into what he’s doing in his diet – intermittent fasting (phase two – which includes a 10 hour eating window and 14 hour fast). He’s already lost five pounds, which he wasn’t expecting, thinking he didn’t have that much weight to loose.  The point was never to loose weight, but rather to attempt to eliminate precursors of detrimental health conditions like insulin resistance and cancer. You can read more about his previous blog post on intermittent fasting and its benefits here.

I meanwhile, have been focusing on childcare, which is a workout in itself, but have already dropped over 20 pounds off my pregnancy weight (mostly due to breastfeeding). My available time to workout is about 30 minutes, so whatever I choose to do (Peloton bike or yoga usually) must fit in that window.

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We’re big fans of our Peloton Cycle

My cardio is the area that I have seen the most need for improvement. My goal for training has not been to loose weight though, but rather just to continue to combat postpartum anxiety and depression.

Our first main topic of the episode is a review of the new Series 3 of the Apple Watch.

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Now, if you’ve been listening for a while, you might recall my review of the Fitbit Charge 2 earlier this year (listen to that ATF episode here) in which I stated that it was a test on whether I would like a fitness tracker and heart rate monitor at all. I wasn’t ready at that time to invest in anything more.

Well, I decided recently that I was ready for a smart watch, as the actual watch functionality was something that I really missed. With the latest release of the Apple Watch, Series 3, I felt it was finally time to make the move.

So first, a quick introduction to what I got!

I purchased the Series 3 – 38MM Apple Watch with GPS and the gold aluminum case, along with the Pink Sand Sport Band.

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The specs include:

  • Gold aluminum case
  • Built-in GPS and GLONASS
  • Faster dual-core processor
  • W2 chip
  • Barometric altimeter
  • Capacity 8GB1
  • Heart rate sensor
  • Accelerometer and gyroscope
  • Water resistant 50 meters
  • Ion-X strengthened glass
  • Composite back
  • Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz)
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Up to 18 hours of battery life
  • watchOS 4
In terms of the look and comfort, the 38mm size is great for my wrist size, as is the band, which fits even my smaller wrists surprisingly well. Plus the band is made of high performance fluoroelastomer that will stand up to my heavier use. The ability to customize the look by switching out the bands is the icing on the cake!
One of the best parts of this watch, is the watch face/s. Not only do they actually show up when I look at my watch (the Fitbit was not as sensitive) but the multiple, customizable faces that you can switch between and manage on your iPhone via the Apple Watch app, are crystal clear and very convenient.
Another key strength of this device is the integration with the iPhone, which is truly amazing. Everything is customized and controlled/setup through the iPhone via an app. It even has some of the same functionality (flashlight, talk to text, Siri, reminders, sound controls, etc.) to the iPhone.
Some of my favorite apps/programs include:
  • Heart Rate Monitor is pretty accurate and can run ongoing or in the background, depending how you’re using it (will drain battery life if using it to track an activity).
  • Activity – Set goals and get reminders. All of which integrate into the Health App on your iPhone
  • Workout – Quickly select a workout for tracking purposes. All metrics integrate into the Health App on your iPhone
  • Weather – Pretty straight forward, but seeing it on your watch at a glance is remarkably helpful
  • Timer & Stop Watch – Again, straight forward, but handy for a variety of instances
  • Maps – Would probably be good when you’re walking around and need to find something. Just takes a little time to get the directions on your watch.
  • Messages – Not particularly health focused, but is a simplified version of the Messages app in your phone. The talk-to-type tech is surprisingly accurate and makes it all that much easier to respond to texts without having to get your phone.
Finally, the magnetic charger sits in my bathroom and is super easy to lay the watch on. The fact it’s the basic charging cube cord makes it easy to interchange with other cords in my house (which are everywhere since we have so many apple products!).
The popularity of the Apple Watch means it’s been appearing on the wrists of people of all ages, including teens and kids! The question of whether these younger age groups are truly using these gadgets for fitness is somewhat questionable given our next topic… childhood obesity rates.
Nick came across this article in Time magazine recently that cited a study in a medical periodical, about how the BMI (ratio of weight & height) indicates that childhood obesity has risen 10 times worldwide over the last 40 years. [Insert gasp here]
The study reported dramatic increases in childhood obesity in African and Asian countries especially, which have historically had low obesity rates. This was a surprise to us. Additionally, in several countries where childhood obesity rates were already high (including the U.S.), the rates have plateaued, however, the researchers believe it is more due to coincidence and not policy action.

 

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A related article Nick recently saw from the Washington Post (link) stated non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease (cirrhosis of the liver) is the fastest growing reason for liver transplants among young adults in the U.S.. This disease can be caused by obesity, hypertension and diabetes (i.e. high intake of sugar and grains IMO). One researcher in the article stated that they had a patient develop this condition at age 13.

It should be noted that the number of liver transplants due to non-alcohol related cirrhosis is small, but what is alarming is the dramatic increase in its prevalence over the last 10 years.

All in all, it’s an alarming study, reinforcing how important food and health education is among our youth!

As we wrap up, we encourage you to please visit our sponsor hempcoffeeexchange.com and use the code ‘ATF’ to get 20% off at checkout!

Reach out to us on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) or send us and email at elementaltampa@gmail.com.

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-watch-review-a-childhood-obesity/id1121420986?i=1000394456914&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/apple-watch-review-a-childhood

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/apple-watch-review-a-childhood-obesity

What’s On The Menu is this Weekend’s Workout

I didn’t get my weekly “What’s on the Menu” post done for its normal Thursday post date, but I still wanted to share it with you. Read about my experience with intermittent fasting then enjoy another effective weekend workout.

I was first introduced to the idea of fasting during my formative years in Catholic elementary school. Every Friday during Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter), all Catholics were encouraged to fast during the day and then finish the day with a “meatless” dinner. Thankfully the Bible didn’t consider seafood meat, which meant I enjoyed a lot of McDonald’s fish sandwiches and pizza for dinner during Lent.

I’ll admit that my dedication to daylight fasting during Lent was spotty at best and, as devoted to Catholicism as my parents were and still are, they didn’t send my brother and I to school without lunches.  I was extremely grateful to them at the time, but with what I know now, periodic fasting could have been extremely beneficial.

The origins of fasting date back to ancient Greece and it’s inclusion in numerous religious doctrine make it one of the oldest weight loss/control methods. Even though its been used for several millennia, the extent of fasting’s metabolic benefits are just starting to be discovered (source).

One of my go-to sources for the latest health research, Dr. Rhoda Patrick, has been promoting the benefits of intermittent fasting, which she refers to as time restricted eating, for some time now. The basic concept is that you have an eating window everyday that syncs up to your natural circadian rhythm. The research suggests that the most metabolic benefits occur with a eating window of no more than 12 hours and, unlike my Lenten fasts, occurs during the day (source).

Studies have shown that adherence to this way of eating may save you from a number of the leading causes of death. Several recent discoveries about the death-defying benefits of intermittent fasting include:

  • Every other day fasting found to reduce obesity and insulin resistance by changing gut bacteria (source)
  • An 11-hour eating window associated with a significant reduction in breast cancer risk & reduction in recurrence (source)
  • Frequent fasting has been shown to reduce the insulin-like grown factor 1 (IGF1) which has been show to proliferate the growth of cancer cells (source)

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I’ve been partaking in time restricted eating for the past 3 weeks and I’ll admit it’s pretty tough for someone like me. I have a very active job and some days I leave the house before 7am and don’t return till 8pm. Thankfully I’ve been very good at packing a lunch full of nutritious and satiating foods that help me get enough fuel in during my eating window.

Even though I started my current intermittent fasting plan with no desire to lose weight, I’ve lost nearly 5 lbs in 3 weeks. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but when you’re 5’11” and 160, losing 5 lbs without really trying is pretty significant. As great as the weight loss is, I’m more excited by the possibility that this way of eating can help me prolong my life.

Another way to prolong your life is with regular exercise, which is why you should try the weekend workout featured below. This workout includes several variations of one of the most beneficial exercise there is, the squat.

Squats are considered a compound exercise, which means they are multi-joint movements that require the use of various muscle groups. Try to knockout these various forms of the squat and make sure you let us know in the comment section below or on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) how you feel the next day. Don’t forget to warmup and modify the workout to match your fitness level. ENJOY!

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