Tampa Bay

What’s on the Menu

Taking a little different approach to this week’s look at what’s on my menu. Instead of highlighting a healthy food item, I’m going to tell you about a healthy endeavor that Elemental Training Tampa (ETT) will be offering this week. On Saturday, November 19th, ETT will be bringing our free monthly group workouts to the Seminole Heights neighborhood. Shannon and I are residents of Seminole Heights and we thought what better way to give back to the community we love so much than helping people improve their fitness.  The workout will incorporate basic punching & kicking techniques with complimentary strength building exercises to help you start your weekend off right. No experience is required and exercise modifications will be provided for all fitness levels. As if the workout wasn’t enticing enough, each participant will receive a 15% discount at one of Seminole Heights best coffee “shops” Spaddy’s Coffee Co. We will also be collecting non-perishable food items for ETT’s annual food drive for Metropolitan Ministries. All the details about the workout can be found on our Facebook event page. If you live in and around Seminole Heights, please come out and see what ETT has to offer. You won’t be disappointed.

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Dairy: I have nipples, can you milk me?

This week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast kicks off with Shannon and I recapping the most recent ETT group workout. We’ve been offering free group workouts since the inception of ETT and have used several different venues with varied experiences. After this month’s group workout, I believed we’ve found our go-to venue. The Tampa Riverwalk is a nearly 3 mile walkway that snakes its way through downtown Tampa. ETT has used it the last few months for our group workouts which consist of a run, stair climb and striking exercises. After hearing feedback from several workout participants, I believe we’ll be hosting our group workouts there from now on.

 

After reminiscing about the workout, Shannon and I dive into the main topic of this week’s episode, DAIRY. The benefits of this food group seem to be frequently contested. Some people claim we’re not evolved enough to digest dairy. Others advocate the consumption of fermented dairy products, like yogurt, is key to maintaining proper gut health. What’s the truth? We discuss our relationship with dairy and review an article from Self magazine that describes several key points about human’s ability to digest dairy products. Sticking with the dairy theme, I go on a rant about a flavored milk product that will certainly make you cringe. I won’t give too much away because I want you to listen to the rant, but I will say that any chance of TruMoo being a sponsor of this podcast in the future is pretty much zero. Sorry I’m not sorry.

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Check out the nutritional facts of this product

We love sharing the most up to date health and fitness information with you all. Not only do we want to educate ourselves but we also want to educate others in order to reverse some of the unhealthy trends we as humans are currently experiencing. By rating, reviewing or sharing the podcast, you will help us distribute that information to more people. You keep helping us grow and we’ll keep searching for ways to lead healthier lives. Thanks again for your support and stay healthy this week folks!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2#episodeGuid=ba0d1d6e7f17b650159edae59a92b899

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/dairy-ive-got-nipples-can-you-milk-me

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Image created with screen grab from “Meet the Parents” trailer

What’s on the Menu

I have to admit that I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s. They don’t always have the widest selection of groceries, but the price of their quality items (organic, grass-fed, etc.) is hard to beat. One of those quality items that I’ve sorta already professed my love for is avocado oil. Yes, if I had to choose between an actual avocado and avocado oil, I’d choose an avocado all day. The actual fruit has way more macro and micronutrients. However, as someone who’s trying to be more fat-fueled opposed to carb-fueled, avocado oil is a healthy addition to my fat sources. The consumption of monounsaturated fats, which this oil is high in, has been linked to lowering the risk for certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes (source). Looks like I’ve found a new salad dressing.

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From the Vault: An Interview with Author L.A. Jennings, PhD

This week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast features a great interview I did a few months ago with a fitness & health professional who happens to be a very close friend of Shannon and I. Dr. L.A. Jennings received her PhD in literary studies from the University of Denver in 2013 and has contributed numerous articles to Fightland, a section on vice.com dedicated to combat sports. She is also the author of She’s A Knockout! A History of Women in Fighting Sports which MMA journalist Jack Slack called “The most complete history of women in the fight game that you will find.” In addition to being a fantastic author, L.A. owns a MMA gym called Train. Fight. Win. in Denver, Colorado with her husband Mike. TFW is where I first meant L.A. and I’m proud to say we’ve been good friends every since.

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L.A. and I doing some mittwork

In this episode, L.A. and I discuss her book, past and present female fighters and how the image of women in the ring and in the gym has evolved. We also talk about the effect current UFC fighter Cris Cyborg (who is headlining the upcoming UFC card in Brazil) is having on the expansion of the women’s division in the UFC. After hearing this interview, you may be surprised by the role women have played in combat sports throughout history. I know I was.

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Pic created with image courtesy of LiquidSteelPhotogs

Do yourself a favor and check out all of Dr. LA’s literary pieces (links above) and if you’re in Denver, stop by Train. Fight. Win. for an awesome MMA/fitness class. Interviewing professionals like LA is one of the main reasons I started this podcast. I’m currently lining up our next interview, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, we’re still looking for a few more reviews to get rated on iTunes so do us a solid and give us a review and when you share this episode, tell your friend to do the same. Thanks in advance and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-vault-interview-author/id1121420986?i=1000375468392&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-an-interview-with-author-la-jennings-phd

The Return of the Macros Game

In my opinion, we have a lot of silly holidays in the United states, but Labor Day is not one of them. Labor Day is a celebration of the decades of hard work American laborers put forth to make the United States an economic powerhouse. Hopefully you get to enjoy a paid holiday thanks to all that manual labor, and what better way to spend your holiday than listening to a new episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. NOW THAT’S A SEGUE!

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We kick off this week’s episode talking about the recent weather event we had to deal with. Hurricane Hermine screwed with several ETT personal training sessions, but luckily we were able to complete most of them without incident. We also discussed my new favorite Peloton cycle instructor Jessica King (pictured above) and get into a pair of nauseating smoothie stories. The smoothie stories are especially troubling because one deals with people catching Hepatitis A from contaminated fruit sold at a national smoothie chain. We go into more detail in the episode but if you’re looking for more information about this story check out this news article from the CDC.

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Last but certainly not least, everyone’s favorite nutritional trivia game makes it’s long awaited return to the podcast. That’s right! The Macros Game is back, and we’ve got a special Labor Day edition for you. Shannon quizzes me on the macronutrient content of several Labor Day cookout staples. Make sure you play along at home and send us your scores. In addition to your scores, we would really appreciate you all giving us a rating and/or review on iTunes. Help us spread the good word of fitness and share the podcast with anyone and everyone. We appreciate the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-return-of-the-macros-game/id1121420986?i=1000374926964&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/the-return-of-the-macros-game

 

What’s on the Menu

This week’s edition of #whatiatewednesday focuses on the importance of bacteria. I imagine that when most people think of bacteria, they think of something dirty like the bathroom door handle or the floor of a fast food restaurant. The strains of bacteria I’m referring to are contained within our bodies and our food. Maintaining the appropriate amounts and types of certain bacteria within our gut can affect our mood, cognitive function and longevity (source). One dietary source of “good” bacteria that I pack in my lunch everyday is greek yogurt. I combine 1 cup of full fat Greek yogurt (20g of protein + beneficial strains of bacteria) with blueberries (antioxidants + phytonutrients) and ground flaxseed (omega 3 fatty acids) to create a nutrient dense mini meal that satisfies all the macronutrient categories and helps me maintain a healthy gut.

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Bone Broth, Plant Protein & Meal Prep

Guess who’s back, back again. Shannon’s back, tell a friend.

Sorry about that blatant and tacky rip off of the great Marshall Mathers, I’m just excited about Shannon’s return to the Addicted to Fitness podcast. She returns just in time to help me review a pair of beef related food products. I try a cup of beef bone broth, procured from Growing Rootz (a Tampa natural & organic food purveyor), while Shannon sips on a fruit and veggie smoothie containing Great Lakes beef collagen protein powder. We analyze the nutritional benefits of both products and let you know whether or not they’d be a good addition to your daily diet. After talking a whole lot of bull (get it), we go to the other end of the spectrum and discuss our favorite plant based protein sources. In addition to our preferred plant proteins, we list off a ton of favs given to us by listeners on Facebook and Twitter. Last but not least, we dive into our weekly ritual of meal prep. Shannon describes what we do every Sunday to help us maintain our nutritious diet day in and day out and we recommend a company that will help eliminate some of the burden of meal planning & grocery shopping.

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I’m happy to report that after only two episodes this month, we have already surpassed the download numbers for June and July. That means you’re listening and more importantly you’re sharing the podcast. You can’t imagine how much that means to us. We deeply appreciate your support. If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a rating and/or review on your preferred podcast app (an iTunes rating/review would be especially awesome). Thanks again and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bone-broth-plant-protein-meal/id1121420986?i=1000374410575&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/bone-broth-plant-protein-meal-prep

From the Vault: Obesity is Beneficial to your Health?!

Not only is Shannon still recovering from her persistent cold but I’m smart enough not to make her podcast on her birthday, which was yesterday. Even though I gave her another week off I didn’t want to rob you all of her soothing voice, which is why I reached back into the ETT Wrap Show vault and pulled out Shannon’s podcast debut for this week’s episode. In addition to Shannon’s lovely voice, you’ll hear us discuss my personal weight loss story, mauy thai with Duane “Bang” Ludwig and a ridiculous news article that explains the “benefits” of being obese.

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I’m truly grateful for all the great feedback we’ve been receiving about the Addicted to Fitness podcast. We have a ton of great podcast topics in the hopper, but we’d still love to have your input on what we should address on a future episode. Also, we still need a few more reviews to get rated on iTunes so do us a solid and give us a review and when you share this episode, tell your friend to do the same. Thanks peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-vault-obesity-is-beneficial/id1121420986?i=1000374139966&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com