Friday, December 30, 2011

See Inside Your Body. Info on Live Blood Cell Analysis - Jan 15

WHAT IS LIVE BLOOD CELL ANALYSIS?


Live Blood Cell Analysis (LBCA) involves magnifying a single drop of blood to 1500 times under a microscope. The image is then fed to a monitor to allow for easier viewing and analysis. Due to a special darkfield condenser very fine structures are visible. Blood is taken from a tiny finger prick.



Disease Development

Cells are the building blocks to all of our tissues and organs and our lives depend upon their health. Cells “bath” in the blood where they receive oxygen and nutrients. The blood is also responsible for carrying waste away from the cells for elimination.



Cells can become malnourished, injured and “sick.” Toxins from sources such as processed food, pesticides, various chemicals etc. can damage cells and congest the blood. In order to maintain optimal health and prevent disease we must keep the blood clean and flowing. Cellular damage and breakdown leads to degenerative disease.



What can be detected in Live Blood Cell Analysis?

LBCA will show the state of your cells and blood and will give you a clear picture of your overall health. You will see the impact of diet and lifestyle choices. Often, it will help to uncover early signs of serious health imbalances long before symptoms are felt.



Signs of the following can be observed;



• Certain nutrition deficiencies, especially Vitamin C

• Digestive disorders, bowel toxicity, dehydration, malabsorption

• Parasites and Candida Yeast

• Organ stresses such as liver and adrenal exhaustion

• Heavy Metals and Chemicals

• Acidity

• Health and efficiency of red and white blood cells


Suggestions will be made to bring your body back into balance.

 
Live Blood Cell Microscopy is performed by Anna Midolo who is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, Registered Nutritional Consultant and Certified Live Blood Cell Microscopist. 
 
 Appointments are available every 30 minutes from 11am until 3:30pm. Cost is $85 plus HST. Please email info@liveinmotion.ca to reserve your time slot or for more information.

Monday, December 26, 2011

New Year's Resolutions Don't Work. Start Finding Real Solutions Now

I personally believe that most New Year's Resolutions are BS. Resolutions are usually fueled by desperation, guilt and a busy mind. When we set a New Years resolution it gives our brain a chance to say "It will be ok later." The typical events of the holidays can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety. Our minds want to alleviate those feelings, hence the resolution.

The issue is that none of the obstacles that prevent people from getting lean and healthy have been solved. A new Years Resolution will not solve scheduling issues, lack of long term focus, lack of clear goals, lack of fitness and nutrition knowledge or motivation problems.

The first step is to sit down and clarify your goals on paper. Don't write "I want to be healthy." Write out specifics and start coming up with some real solutions.

Our programs are designed to help you make a serious lifestyle change with some effort and determination on your part...


  • Winter Boot Camp 2 x per week on Mon/Weds @ 7pm. Add another workout later in the week and you are headed in the right direction. Jan 11 start date. Cost effective and all you need to do is show up and be ready to work.
  • Yoga for Stress Release, Flexibility, Blood Flow and many other benefits. Tues evenings
  • Nutritional Cooking Classes. This is a skill that most people need to learn. Our classes teach you real life recipes that you can use as staples every week for health and fat loss. Last Saturday of every month at 11am or privately in your home.
  • Men's Weight Loss Programs. Serious weight loss for guys that are committed to making a change.
  • Live Blood Cell Analysis. Want to look inside your body? See a tiny blood sample magnified on a TV screen to see your state of health. Well worth it and often leads to increased motivation. Booking for Sunday, Jan 15.

If you are serious about making a change in 2012 contact me at jason@liveinmotion.ca for more info.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Make Stress Management a Priority through Yoga - Registration Has Started

Most people we come across in everyday life are struggling with stress management. When your mind races, constantly thinking of tasks to be done it leads to the release of stress hormones which cause weight gain. More than ever, calming the mind needs to become part of your arsenal to become lean and healthy.

Why not consider Yoga? Think of the benefits - deep breathing, pulling O2 into the body, flexibility, blood flow, injury prevention, better frame of mind.....the list goes on.

Our Yoga classes are designed to help you accomplish all of the above in a cost effective manner and a positive environment....

Start Date: January 17 for 8 Weeks
Day: Tuesdays
Time: 7 to 8pm
Location: Clarington Wellness Path in Bowmanville
Cost: $84.75 taxes incl.

Contact me at lisa@liveinmotion.ca for details or to register. Room is available for 8-10 participants. Spots are filling quick so please contact me ASAP if interested. Thank you.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Unique Upcoming Programs for 2012! Real Results!

I'm not a fan of all the ridiculous hype used in the Fitness industry. I constantly see phrases such as "Lose those Holiday pounds!" or "Burn off those Christmas calories!" Honestly, phrases like these annoy the hell out of me.

What I am a fan of is REAL RESULTS! Making a lifestyle change is hard work - plain and simple. Human beings have a very difficult time changing habits. It takes commitment and focus but the results are worth it. Sometimes we need to get out of our own way.

We've designed our upcoming 2012 programs with RESULTS in mind. We feel if a client is going to pay good money then they deserve a professionally run, results orientated program.

Our newest addition is our Intensive Men's Weight Loss Program. I'm looking for 6 men in Clarington that want to focus hard on dropping serious weight in 2012. Here's what you get....

  • 18 Sessions of Boot Camp. Mon/Weds @ 7pm. Serious fat burning sessions. No gimmicks
  • A workout program for other training days.
  • 4 Group Nutrition Sessions. These are designed to help you break through mental barriers that keep you in your old lifestyle and for other group members to push and support each other.
  • 2 Group Cooking Lessons - Everyday Meals for Fat Loss and Tasty Snacks for Fat Loss
  • Unlimited Phone and Email Support
Cost is $399 if registed by January 4th - Save $40. Start date is January 11.
If you are serious about making a change contact me at jason@liveinmotion.ca or 905-439-8401

More upcoming programs to follow...

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Why Raw Sprouts May be the Riskiest Food in Your Grocery Store

Source: 
Everybody knows that undercooked ground beef is risky. But there is one innocent looking food that is probably riskier: Raw sprouts. Mike Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia has been quoted as saying "I consider sprouts to be among the most risky foods sold at retail".

How could this be? How could innocent crunchy, juicy, delicious sprouts, full of nutrients and beneficial compounds, be dangerous? Because they are grown differently than any other vegetable, in an environment practically ideal for bacteria.


Let's get a close look at the problem and consider solutions.
In June 2011 vegetable sprouts from Germany contaminated with bacteria killed more than 30 people and sickened more than 3,000, and the outbreak has still not run its course.
2011-06-10-sprouts.jpgThe survivors had more than tummy aches. Many of their kidneys shut down, many have anemia, many were hospitalized, many were near death, and there almost certainly were thousands more who never reported their illness and just gutted it out at home.

In Germany it was Escherichia coli O104:H4 on the sprouts. Sometimes it is Escherichia coli O157:H7, sometimes it is Listeria, sometimes it is Bacillus cereus, but most often it is Salmonella on sprouts. Tangy tasty radish sprouts also caused one of the world's largest food-borne illness outbreaks in Japan in 1996, sickening about 10,000 people (that we know of), many of them children. In the US there have been at about 40 sproutbreaks since 1990 according to Bill Marler, a personal injury attorney who specializes in food-borne illness.

Mark Bittman of the New York Times
interviewed Dr. David Acheson, an MD who was the chief medical officer in Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA. He said "only 5% of food-borne illness is linked to big outbreaks 95% is sporadic". He told me Bittman that there are 1.5 million cases of salmonella in the US each year, and few are linked to outbreaks. Marler and Doyle and the Center for Disease Control and other safety experts only know when there is an "outbreak", when many people get sick and when they go to a doctor and when their doctor does the right tests and then reports the results to the authorities.

Some probably thought they had the "24-hour flu". Well there is no such flu. Look it up in WebMD. Zero hits. If you had the flop sweats and were on the toilet for a day or three, you probably had a food-borne illness caused by something you ate perhaps as long as a week ago. That's one of the reasons it takes so long to trace the cause of an outbreak.

FDA says "If you purchase a sandwich or salad at a restaurant or delicatessen, check to make sure that raw sprouts have not been added".


What makes sprouts risky

Sprouts are seeds that have just begun to grow, usually less than a week old. Inside every seed is a "germ", a sort of a baby plant, waiting for water and warmth to germinate. This is not a bad germ. It is part of the seed. Sprouts are easy to grow, and many people do it at home, you just soak the seeds in warm water until the germ is awakened, then rinse the seeds daily keeping them wet, and preferably warm and dark. So how do they turn into high risk disease vectors?

Alfalfa is a grass, that grows just like your lawn, but in a big field, and when you don't cut it, it produces lovely lavender flowers that eventually are fertilized and go to seed. The plant reproduces itself by developing scores of new seeds per plant, and each seed contains the germ of another alfalfa plant. But the seeds can be contaminated right there in the field and it is pretty hard to prevent it.

The sources of contamination are myriad. Critters are a strong possibility. Birds flying over, rabbits munching on the green shoots, deer grazing in the field, raccoons, field mice, rats, even feral hogs can poop in the fields and it is impossible to prevent them. Heck, sometimes farm workers are the source. I know we want perfectly safe food for our children, but as long as food is grown outdoors it is impossible to prevent unwanted intruders.

Another possible source of pathogens is water. Rain is pretty safe, but irrigation may not be. Lakes, streams, and wells can host the bad guys easily. They can come from improperly treated human waste in sewage or seepage from septic tanks. It can come from runoff from livestock pastures, where rainwater mixes with manure and drains into the water supply. It can come from fertilizer made from manure that has not been properly pasteurized. And it is hard to pasteurize manure. Manure, of course, is the fertilizer of choice for organic farmers, so organic seeds may, in fact, be more risky than others.

It can be amplified in water tanks or hoses where the bacteria can continue to reproduce. The problem is greater in areas that have less control over pollution such as third world countries that sell to the US market.

Once the bugs are on the seed and in the seed, yes, they can get down into the seed where they cannot be washed away, they can survive in a dormant state for weeks. They can even get down past the shell and into the germ. Then the seeds are harvested, mixed together in hoppers, and thus the seeds of a single plant that had bird poop on it can be distributed widely among millions of clean seeds. They are often then bagged in cloth, and stored in warehouses or sent overseas in the holds of ships where mice and rats have a chance to do their business on the seeds

So why aren't things like celery seeds used in our potato salad dangerous? Because the microbial load, which means the number of microbes, is usually very small on seeds. Even if you ingest them, there are usually not enough, and they don't grow fast enough in our gut to do us any harm. Many spice companies, knowing that they sell a product that is easily contaminated, treat their seeds and leaves with a special grade of radiation that sterilizes the product.

The problem is when the microbial load gets heavy. When microbes reproduce in a lab, they can double in 20 minutes, so within a few hours they can reach a deadly level. And that's why sprouts are uniquely dangerous when compared to other vegetables. Sprouts are grown indoors in a warm room. The seeds are soaked in water for up to 12 hours. The seeds can absorb up to three times its weight in water in this first phases. The seeds and water are stirred often to make sure they are all soaking properly, so if there are unwanted bacteria in the soup, they are spread among the whole mass. Warm water speeds the germination of the seed. The problem is, warm water also awakens the dormant bacteria.

Sprouting systems are essentially incubators, and it is very hard to prevent microbes from growing. They've tried chlorinated water and other purifying systems with only limited success. The problem is that the bad guys get down past the surface into the flesh of the seed. Germs get into the germ in a manner of speaking. A solution may yet be found, and believe me, people in the sprout biz have tried just about everything.
Finally, the wet sprouts are bagged and shipped to stores. They are chilled to keep them from growing too large, and that inhibits both the sprouts and bacteria. But it doesn't kill them. If the truck's AC is on the fritz, if they sit on the loading dock a while, or if they sit outdoors at the farmer's market too long, things can start growing again. A food safety scientist I know calls the packaging a "culture chamber". According to the scientists at FDA "Rinsing sprouts first will not remove bacteria". And before you know it, people are falling face down in their salads.

Admittedly German authorities never found the smoking gun. All the contaminated sprouts had been eaten or destroyed by the time they got to the organic farm that probably grew them, but epidemiological research showed that it is highly likely that all the victims had eaten sprouts. Regardless, it doesn't diminish the fact that sprouts are risky, especially to children, the elderly, and the immune compromised.

Growing at home is only slightly safer

It is easy and fun to grow sprouts at home and there are scores of companies that sell kits. But the risk is only slightly less. You can start with an impressive range of tasty seeds. The first catalog I found offered this enticing array in their customer favorites list: Adzukis, alfalfa, almonds, amaranth, arugula, barley, broccoli, clover, cress, dill, fenugreek, garbanzos, garlic, groats, kamut, lentils, millet, mung beans, oats, peanuts, peas, pumpkins, quinoa, radish, rye, sesame, spelt, sunflower, and wheat. There are many more options.
But the procedure is the same: Soak, rinse, grow. The home sprouter is subject to the same concerns as the commercial operation: Contaminated seeds, ideal growing conditions for both sprouts and their unsavory passengers. And the risk isn't much lower if you buy from an organic farmer right around the corner whose kids go to school with yours and they are always immaculately groomed. In 1987, Harmon et al recovered Bacillus cereus from 57% of commercially sold alfalfa, mung bean, and wheat seeds.

The only reduction in risk is that you usually are growing small batches, so there is a slightly smaller chance that there will be a bad seed or three.

How big is the risk?

Some say that the risk is much less than eating burgers, but that's because we eat so much more hamburger than sprouts. And most of that is cooked properly. Nobody knows the odds for sure, but I'll guess that it is probably less than driving your car, and probably more than eating eating raw burger.
If this number of deaths and illnesses were caused by terrorists, governments and the populace would be willing to spare no expense to cure the problem. But many people who love sprouts seem to be in denial, touting their taste and health benefits, and as I have learned in writing about the subject, they are having difficulty understanding the real risk.

Whose fault is it and what can be done?

E-coli is more common in cattle than in sprouts. There are dozens of strains, and most are harmless, but some glom onto your intestines and grow and produce toxins. There are some, like Dr. David Katz, who want to place blame on the meat industry for this. But remember, runoff from livestock is only one potential source of the bug. Bambi, Porky, Bugs, Tweetie, Mickey & Minnie, and other cute little critters who refuse to use sanitary stations to do their business can easily be the source.
Marler told Bittman that "Maybe somewhere in the far distant past, before we started feeding grain to cows, these shiga toxins weren't in cows. And maybe because of a higher acid content in the gut these bugs evolved to become pathogenic. There isn't a lot of good science on this, and there have been studies that have gone either way in whether feeding grass to cows will create a lower level of pathogenic E. coli in their guts. What you can say is that cows fed DDGS [Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles from ethanol production] may have a higher level than cows that weren't fed them. If you're anti-CAFO [Concentrated Animal Feeding

Operations commonly called "factory farms"] and anti-corn subsidies, you jump from that study to 'get rid of this and you get rid of e-coli,' and it would be great if things were that simple but they're not."
But attacking the meat industry is not likely to solve the problem. We are not going to be able to ban meat or significantly reduce consumption. People love to eat meat and will not likely give it up in significant numbers. In fact, the trend is going the other way as meat consumption is rising around the world.

That cow has left the barn. E-coli is in the soil, and water. It likely has been there a long time, and it will not go away in the visible future.

The alternative to CAFOs is to grow livestock free in pastures where they can eat grass. But the all poop. We can't put cattle in diapers. And the microbial populations in that manure gets into the water table, rivers, streams, lakes, and wells.

Some try to blame big ag like ConAgra, ADM, or Monsanto, but the sad fact is that many of the sprout growers are small family operations. I fear they are in an endangered industry.

The FDA, which regulates sprouts, and the USDA which regulates meat, can mandate more controls on pollution and inspections. Marler proposes that sprouts be given the raw milk treatment: Have the Feds make them illegal for interstate commerce. Of course this will not keep them out of intrastate commerce or home growing, but it would go a long way to protecting the public. Not likely in this political climate where mandates are a dirty word, even if they save lives. Just before Republicans took control of the House, the Obama administration got a new Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 through that will help with more funds for inspections, but Republicans want it repealed. Even so, the strain found in Germany is not on the wanted list in the US, and hardly anybody tests for it.

Another possibility is that groceries will stop selling sprouts. In May 2010, tainted alfalfa sprouts were sold by Walmart and 22 people got sick. Walmart should take the lead and remove sprouts from the shelves the same as they would remove risky toys.

Irradiation will clean them up, but surveys show the public clearly doesn't like the concept of irradiation, and, despite the fact that it is approved in more than 40 countries, there are some who argue it is dangerous, or that it alters the flavor and nutrition.

The one solution that is foolproof: Throughly cook your sprouts. Cooking kills the bad guys.

Will you still eat raw sprouts?

Now you have the facts. Still want to eat raw sprouts? Serve them to grandma and the kids? In the words of Dirty Harry "You've got to ask yourself one question. 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you punk?"

 

Friday, October 14, 2011

What is Wrong with Grains?

As you probably know, we’ve been eating grains, refined or whole, only since the beginning of agriculture some 10 000 years ago. The problem is that our genes where formed about 2 million years ago and haven’t changed much since then, nor did our digestive systems. Eating structurally and chemically different foods is therefore more often than not asking for problems. Grains are miles away from what our bodies should be processing.

In fact, grains aren’t really a good thing for any mammal. We’re better off leaving them to the birds, who have a system adapted to them.

The problem is that our food system is so skewed in the wrong direction that everybody now thinks that grains, especially whole grains, are healthy and nutritious. Grains, a food group that we didn’t eat for 97% of our human existence are now at the bottom of the USDA food pyramid with a recommended 6 to 11 servings per day. This is amazingly wrong!


Corn

Be aware that the reason why governments pushed grains in the first place where economical. They are cheap to produce (although not without environmental costs), they can be stored for much longer and they can be sold overseas much more easily. In fact, it’s now one of the few things that the US successfully sells overseas, so I wouldn’t count on them to stop promoting them as the healthiest thing around. Sad but true!
Now on to why exactly grains are probably one of the worst mistakes human kind made.


High carbohydrate intake and elevated insulin

Whole wheat bread

Chronically elevated insulin levels is indeed the number one problem we now have as a society. In a few words, blood sugar as to stay between a very narrow range, otherwise you would die. Insulin’s main job is to lower blood sugar levels after you consume any form of sugar or carbohydrate (they’re converted to sugar anyway). When insulin as to deal with so much sugar that it doesn’t know what to do with it anymore, it stores it as fat. Also, when insulin is always high, inflammation begins and cells become resistant to insulin, so your pancreas as to produce even more of it. When your cells have become resistant to insulin, you’ve become diabetic. This is the new epidemic of westernized countries that we also call the metabolic syndrome.
Guess what, the main food source of carbohydrate in out diet are grains (wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, rice…). Breads ans pastas are mostly made of wheat. Without grains, people wouldn’t get fat and wouldn’t have high insulin levels. Try to get 300g, US’s recommended daily intake of carbs, with vegetables and fruits. You’ll have to eat buckets of them.

Bread, cookies, cakes, crackers, rice, pasta, pastries and breakfast cereals are all staples and consumed at almost every meal by almost everybody. This leads to a high carbohydrate load at every meal and this is why people get hungry all the time and have so much fluctuation in their energy levels (blood sugar levels are unstable).

Your grand-mother knew that potatoes and pastas are fattening, maybe we should listen to her wise words.
Don’t worry, replacing carbs by fat sources will not kill you. For all human evolution, we’ve been eating animal meat and fat with some vegetables, fruits and nuts in the mix and yet observations demonstrate that caveman was lean, strong and healthy.


Gluten, lectins and phytates, three poisons you can live without

Muffin

Living organisms all develop ways to protect themselves against preys and invaders. It’s the basis of our survival mechanisms. Animals can usually run or attack, but plants have to find another way. In fact, most plants contain some form of toxins so animals can’t eat too much of them before getting sick.
The only part of a plant that want s to be eaten are fruits, and this is not without a purpose. Fruits contain seeds that we and other animals can’t digest so we evacuate them elsewhere and help propagate the plant to new horizons. It’s a fair partnership after all. It’s not by accident that plants produce fruits, it takes up most of its resources do to so.

Grains are not different from most plants and in certain regards they’re much worse. Grains are the offsprings of soon to become grasses so they need even more protection in the beginning to ensure other species stay far away. Other then that, they also contain toxins that inhibit their own growth until they have what they need to grow (soil and water).


Gluten

Bagel

Gluten is, arguably, the worst offender. You can find gluten in wheat, rye and barley. Don’t forget that wheat is absolutely everywhere today. You probably already know that those who have Celiac disease can’t have even a tiny bit of it or else they’re in for big trouble.

What you might not know though is that 30% of the population have noticeable amounts of antigiadin in their stools. Antigiadin are antibodies secreted when the body sees giadin, one of gluten’s constituent, as an intruder. Having the antibody in your stools means that your body is actively fighting an intruder and that you already have a low level of chronic inflammation, the source of all modern diseases.

Gluten also has this weird ability to mimic certain proteins and to make its way into your cells, then wreaking havoc and making you develop autoimmune diseases where the body attacks itself (Chron’s disease is an example).


Lectins

Lectins are other toxins present in all grains that cause their load of problems. First, they damage the gut lining and a damaged gut lining is an inflamed gut lining that will have difficulty absorbing nutrients. This also leads the way to colon cancer. Lectins also causes leptin resistance, which means that your hunger signal is suppressed and that you’ll be hungry even when your body has had more than enough calories.


Phytates

Corn farming

This other set of toxins, also found in lesser quantities in nuts and seeds, bind to nutrients and robs them from your body. You can then think twice when you think that eating grains will feed you loads of nutrients. Phytates make a good job of making them less bio-available. All this list of nutrients on a bag of sliced bread is only a small proportion of what your body will really be able to get.

Do you think that grains can beat any vegetable or fruit nutrition wise or that you’ll find some nutrients only in them? The answer is NO!


Conclusion

I sincerely hope that this article helped shed some light on the problems caused by this group of food that is so popular.
Of all the habits that you can develop, dropping the grains off your diet is probably the one that will pay off the most.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Recipe: Portobello burgers

Source
I am sticking with the theme of quick and easy recipes as this good weather continues. The other night I hosted some friends and we were all really in the mood to be outside. When this happens, I almost always resort to the BBQ. The menu called for simple beef hamburgers atop a lightly seasoned Portabello mushroom. Tomatoes and avocado were the perfect toppers, along with a spiced mustard. I will especially enjoy making this meal again later in the season when the vegetables from my garden are ready. I completed the meal with a side of mashed sweet potatoes, which just so happens to be a recipe I posted not too long ago.

Whenever I am making hamburgers, I make sure that the ground beef is not too lean. Reason being, I do not like to season the meat too much, so the more fat on the meat, the more flavor. That being said, by no means do you have to limit your seasoning. Pretty much anything goes! I will share with you what I did; however, feel free to add your own twist.

In the recipe, I didn’t specify any specific topping to use with those burgers, but the reason is to let you choose what you prefer and what you have available. Almost anything goes. A good homemade condiment like ketchup or mustard is a great choice, so is a homemade mayonnaise. As for the vegetables, tomatoes, lettuce and avocados are great. I also personally really like a sliced, crunchy and naturally fermented dill pickle.

Portobello burger recipe

Serves 4 to 6

Burger on the grill 

Ingredients for the hamburgers

Makes 6 to 8 patties
  • 3lbs of ground beef (not too lean ifyou want a very flavorful patty);
  • 3 eggs;
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced;
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Ingredients for the portobello mushrooms

  • 6-8 large Portabello mushroons;
  • A few tablespoons of olive oil (the amount will depend on how large your mushrooms are, so start with a little and add more as needed);
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced;
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation for the hamburgers

  1. Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the eggs. Combine until the eggs are evenly mixed through.
  2. Mix in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Form 6 to 8 patties that are slightly smaller than the mushroom caps so they can fit on top once cooked.
  4. Place on a preheated grill and cook each side for about 5-7 minutes (the time it takes will depend on the temperature of your grill. I cooked them at medium-low for approximately this time).

Preparation for the portobello mushrooms

  1. Rinse the mushrooms and pat them dry.
  2. Remove the mushroom stems. The reason for this is because you want your mushroom cap to take the form of the hamburger bun. Do not discard, they can be great for many other recipes, or you can grill them along with the caps.
  3. Coat the caps in olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Do not let the oil penetrate for long, as you will notice the mushrooms will start to get soggy.
  4. Place on the preheated grill and cook on each side for about 5-7 minutes.
Now all there is left to do is stack your patty on top of your mushroom and add any toppings you desire. There you have it! The complete Paleo hamburger. Enjoy!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Recipe: Green Chicken Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a curry made with roasted chicken and a red or orange sauce. This recipe differs from the traditional tikka masala in its use of a paste made with fresh cilantro and mint for a green chicken masala. Similarly to the traditional tikka masala though, the combination of Indian spices give a nice and spicy taste to this dish, something not too much unlike other curries.

It should not be confused with chicken marsala, which is an Italian dish made with mushrooms and marsala wine. A great Italian chicken marsala recipe can be found in the cookbook.

This recipe calls for quite a few ingredients, but is really quick and simple to prepare. It should take no more than 30 minutes from start to finish to prepare. Of course, you can substitute the chicken thighs with pork or beef for an equally great result. Beef should give the dish an even bolder taste. Choose tender cuts of meat since the meat cooks quickly, contrary to a stew where the meat cooks slowly and tougher cuts can be used.

  • 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces;
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk;
  • 1 onion, finely chopped;
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice;
  • 1/2 cup water or chicken stock;
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced;
  • 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves;
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves;
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped coarsely;
  • 1 1/2 tsp turmeric;
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon;
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom;
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves;
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil or clarified butter;
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

  1. Heat a large skillet over a medium heat and add the onion with the cooking fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
  2. Add the chicken thighs as well as the turmeric to the skillet and continue cooking, still while stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place the lemon juice, water or stock, cilantro, mint, jalapeño and garlic in a blender or food processor and process to obtain a smooth puree.
  4. After the chicken has cooked for about 7 minutes, add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Cook for another minute.
  5. Pour in the coconut milk, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the herb puree.
  6. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is well cooked and tender.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Choosing and cooking meat The butcher shop

Source

Lets not kid ourselves, one of the nicest things about the Paleo diet is the fact that we can eat unlimited amounts of meat. Red meat, fatty meat, anything will do as long as it has been fed and treated properly. Like so many others following the conventional wisdom way of thinking, I use to think that high quantity of fatty red meat would cause a quantity of problems latter in life.

I’ve now learned better and know that meat and fat is not what’s causing all the deseases we’ve burduned with today or else how would we’ve thrived for millions of years as a specie eating mostly game meat and vegetables.

Now, I think conventional wisdom has moved us so far off red meat that we don’t know how to choose a good cut or how to prepare it anymore.
When starting out with the Paleo diet, I was only agile with simple cuts of chicken and pork. I now know better and I’m not shy to buy cuts of meat that need roasting, stewing, poaching, braising or grilling. So much flavors are available to us, it’s a shame to eat the same things over and over again.
As a rule of thumb, the parts of an animal that move the most will require the longest and slowest cooking. Those will reward you though with a deep flavor and melt in the mouth meat when cooked properly. On an animal like a pork, a lamb or a beef, those parts are usually the shins and the shoulders.
Try to choose your meat with the bone still in as the bone will render great flavor and nutrients when cooked slowly in a liquid with meat attached to it. If you grill or roast meat with the bone, you can then use those bones to make delicious stock.

How to choose great meat from your butcher

When choosing meat at your butcher’s, other than how it was fed (choose naturally fed and grass fed) or treated (choose free-range and antibiotic free), also look at the meat your buying and look for cuts that look dry, have a deep red to purplish color and are marbled with fat with an extra creamy fat layer on top. Of course, with pork or chicken, it won’t be marbled, but good cuts of pork should have a good layer of fat on the exterior (exception made for lean cuts like the tenderloin). The more fat a cut of meat has, the more moisture it will hold when cooked. You’ll want to choose meat that look dry because wet meat often hasn’t been hung long enough and will lose most of its juices in the cooking process. Hanging an animal makes the muscle fibers break down and the meat gets more tender.

The different cooking methods

For almost all cooking methods, it’s best to have your meat at room temperature before cooking it so it cooks faster and more evenly. Also, most cooking temperatures given in recipes are based on room temperature cuts of meat, so you’ll have more accurate results if you start this way.

Roasting

Great method for tender cuts of meat like racks of lamb, pork loin, poultry or beef ribs, rump and sirloin roasts. You basically put your meat in a hot oven (about 425 F) for the first 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to around 350 F for the rest of the cooking process making sure to baste the meat from time to time. Tender red meat can be underdone to your taste, but chicken and pork should be well cooked through.

 

Slow-roasting

Basically the same method as roasting, but with an oven at a lower 300 F to 325 F and for a longer period of time. This method is very well suited for cuts that are a bit too tough for regular roasting like lamb and pork shoulder and pork belly.

 

Pot-roasting

A method that is suitable for the same cuts of meat has slow-roasting. You brown your meat in a pot on all sides (this helps keep the juices inside the meat) and then put the pot with the meat in the oven to roast and add a liquid like stock halfway through the cooking process. You can also add red wine in place of the stock if you allow it in your diet. You can baste the meat with the liquid is often as you want.

 

Pan-roasting

A bit like pot-roasting, but for tender cuts of meat and without a liquid. This method is well-suited for cuts that are tender, but are still too thick to simply fry like a steak. You brown the meat on all sides in a pan and then put it in the oven for the rest of the cooking process.

 

Frying and stir-frying

Those two methods are probably the most used methods and are well suited for all kinds of tender cuts of meat like chicken breasts, steaks, chops, ribs and tenderloins.

For frying, you heat up a pan to a medium-high heat and then put some kind of healthy fat (coconut oil, ghee or other animal saturated fat that won’t burn) on the meat or in the pan and cook the meat while turning every now and then until cooked through.
For stir-frying, you cut your tender piece of meat in thin slices and put them in a sizzling hot wok with a fat that’s heat resistant and then stir non stop until your meat is cooked.


Grilling

What’s better than grilling a tender piece of meat during the summer time outside on the grill with friends and family? Simply sear your meat on the hot part of the grill and then let the rest of the cooking process happen on a medium-hot part of the grill. Make sure your piece if meat is well browned before turning so it doesn’t stick and turn it with tongs so the meat doesn’t get pierced which would make the juices run out of the meat.


Poaching

A good way to cook tender meat like fish and chicken, poaching will also produce a delicious stock that can be used for the sauce that will go with the final dish. You can poach whole chickens and whole fishes and the rule is to have a tight lid that will cook even the parts that are outside the liquid with the steam it produces. Keep the temperatures low and make sure that the liquid is no more than simmering.


Stewing and braising

This method is used for tougher cuts of meat like shoulders, shins or beef brisket and will produce a very flavorful and tender end product when done properly. Simply put your meat and a liquid like stock or water on the stove top, in the oven or in a crock-pot. Add tough vegetables (onions, carrots and celery are a good aromatic combination), herbs and spices and let cook at a low temperature until the meat is fork tender.
With braising, you usually use a whole cut of meat instead of having it cut in small pieces and you don’t cover the meat entirely with the liquid letting the steam between the lid and the liquid do to rest.


 

 

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Labour Day – Do We Leave The Summer Fitness Behind?

Good Morning Everyone! Happy Saturday! We did a guest post over at Vallarta Escapes here is what we had to say :)

Each year we try something new to get ourselves out of our fitness rut so this year I decided to dig a little more into the various ways to retrain my body after injury and decided that a bootcamp of sorts is the best way for me to challenge myself . I’ve asked my latest clients who run their own bootcamps in Mexico (and soon to be other Caribbean destinations) away from their home back in Ontario, Canada.
Here is what Lisa and Jason, owners of Live in Motion ( www.liveinmotion.ca ) had to tell me in my learning curve about bootcamps at destination

“boot camp”
“Boot camps are a wonderful way to participate in group activity as a single person, with friends or even family members. Creating just the right atmosphere for any type of client!! This is also a great way for someone to meet new people with the same interests from other parts of the world.  Boot camps offer a variety of training techniques including building the aerobic and anaerobic system! This is done through some very short sprints, stair climbing, speed and agility exercises as well sometimes through trails in the local forest or along the beach front! For some it’s about building up their cardiovascular system to enhance a sport or even work on building up strength so the participant doesn’t feel out of breath walking up a flight of stairs or even carrying their groceries from the car! WHAT a great way to spend time doing something you enjoy while receiving the benefits of exercise!

Sessions also offer muscle endurance, strength and flexibility.  Some participants report strength gains in their abdominal muscles, legs, back and even report a newly found tight BUTT!!! Let’s not forget weight loss!! Many boot campers brag how much weight they have lost and how their energy levels have improved. Participating in a week long camp will allow the individual to improve or continue their ability to train in a safe monitored environment while enjoying the beautiful scenery of Mexico! 


Boot camp sessions can take place in or out doors depending on the environment! Participants love the outdoors because they get to enjoy the fresh air, the beautiful city and the scenery at the beach.

Over all it changes the atmosphere of a work out that is constantly done inside all winter or in stuffy gyms!!


Traveling, learning new things, taking part in group exercise and yoga, eating right and coming home with a newly rejuvenated body is the perfect gift you can give yourself.   “


So this year don’t let the winter season take away the blast of results you can get from a bootcamp! Try taking part in one at a destination and soak in the sun and all the healthy goodness!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

7 Reasons to Try Interval Training

Source

Interval training is the ultimate fitness mashup, blending the speeds of both the tortoise and the hare. The benefits of this workout — pushing your pace, then slowing down to recover just so you can push your pace again — will certainly motivate you to play with your speed. If you haven't already added them to your cardio workouts, here are seven benefits of interval training.

Whittle your middle

While cardio exercise is necessary to lose fat all over your body, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity interval training targets your waistline. Adding bursts of speed can help you lose stubborn abdominal fat, which is a boon for bikini season and your overall health. Having a waist size over 35 inches if you're a woman puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and some cancers. Curious how your middle measures up? Check your waist-to-hip ratio here.

Got a need for speed?

The most obvious benefit, but still worth noting, is interval training will make you faster. Picking up your pace when training with intervals helps to increase your speed whether you run, bike, or swim. If you're working towards a personal record for an upcoming race, don't skip your speed work. Here are interval workouts for biking, swimming, and running. Triathlon anyone?

Keep reading to learn five more reasons to kick it up a notch.

Up your after burn

Interval training increases the after-burn effect. This means that post-exercise, your body burns more calories, even at rest or sleep, after doing intervals than after doing a steady paced workout. Science suggests to maximize this effect, you should alternate between three minutes of speed with three-minute recovery, or slow bouts, for 30 to 60 minutes — after warming up of course.

Save time

No doubt about it, interval training is efficient. Pushing your cardiovascular system by adding intervals means you burn more calories in less time. By alternating between fast and slow, you can workout harder and longer, than if you were just pushing your max speed. Efficient intervals mean you can spend less time at the gym and more time in the sauna.

Go longer

Even though interval workouts might be shorter than your other workouts, this form of exercise will increase your endurance. Long runs and rides will be easier if interval training is part of your regular exercise routine. Another bonus is that climbing hills will feel easier too.

Decrease Your Resting Heart Rate

The fewer times your heart beats per minute, the less wear and tear there is on the mechanics of the organ. Interval training makes your heart more efficient so it pumps more blood with each beat, reducing the number of beats per minute.

Interval Training Works With All Forms of Cardio

Intervals may not be for everyone — it's best to have a strong cardio base before pushing yourself with intervals. And interval training doesn't have to mean sprinting. Use the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to moderate your speed and effort. However, intervals can be done with every kind of cardio. You can play with your speed on the elliptical and the rowing machine. I like to think the walk/run programs are an introduction to intervals.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Back to Basics Series Part V : Recommended Product

Basic Anti-oxidant support is something often overlooked. Due to the stresses of the modern world, we
recommend a strong anti-oxidant product that will help combat the barrage of toxins we face every day.

Nanoreds is a superfood fruit and vegetable powder with the emphasis on the fruits more than vegetables in taste, visual appeal and phytonutrient spectrum. Nanoreds is an awesome new supplement that we recommend as it tastes great, has high antioxidant value and mixes readily.

Added benefits are:
  1. It promotes proper ph levels in your body. Exercise, certain foods and stress are linked to increased acidity in your blood. The closer your blood ph is to 7.2-7.4 the better your body can fight off disease.
  2. Increasing your intake of antioxidants will increase your ability to detoxify environmental toxins. Free Radicals are being created all of the time in our bodies. If you increase your amount of antioxidants, you increase your bodies natural defense mechanisms and detoxification processes.
  3. It is 70% organic and 30 % wildly grown, which is one of the best ratios on the market.
Nanoreds is a flexible product that can be used post workout, during your workout with ice, or even to make popsicles!

Nanoreds is available through Live in Motion info@liveinmotion.ca

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Back to Basics Series Part lV : Health & Nutrition Tips

Nutrition Tip

People often skip the “basic” rules of nutrition in search of advanced principles that will provide results.
It is crucial that you fuel your body every 2.5 – 3 hours for maximum benefits. Eating breakfast at 7am and not eating again until 12 or 1pm is MUCH too long for your body to go without food.

Try establishing the pattern of eating every 2-3 hours with your current foods and then start implementing better choices into those time slots.

Contact us if you need help implementing the basic rules of nutrition. You need a solid foundation of basic principles in order to see results!!

Chef’s Healthy Tip

In keeping with our theme of basic nutrition principles – it’s all about the prep! Eating every 2.5-3 hours requires preparation. There is no getting around it, prep is hard work and it takes commitment to make sure your proper foods are prepared for the day.

Here are some basic tips for prepping your healthy food…
  • try barbecuing your meats in large enough batches to last 3 days, on Sundays and either Wednesday or Thursday
  • clean and chop vegetables and store in containers
  • divide raw nuts and seeds into containers so they are ready to take on the road
  • try our recipes for healthy peanut butter protein bars and nutrient dense fudge
  • master 2 healthy recipes until you can do them without consulting a book and then move onto 2 more
  • pre mix your salads into containers that are ready to take
  • pre mix olive oil/vinegar and herb dressings into mason jars so they are ready to take

Master the art of prepping and everything else will become easier

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Back to Basics Series Part lll - Recipe of the Month

Once again, continuing with our theme to master the basics, we recommend a breakfast that is high protein, low carbohydrate and moderate in healthy fats.

This was our recipe back in our January 2009 Newsletter. We decided to re-use it as breakfast recipes are still our number one request. You can make a batch of these and store for up to 3 days for a quick, high energy breakfast.

Mini Turkey Sausage & Mushroom Quiche
These crust-less mini quiches are like portable omelets that can be made in advance for those pressed for time in the mornings. Try combining a few of these with a handful of raw nuts for a great breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing & crumbled into small pieces (preferably organic sausages)
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • ¼cup sliced scallions
  • ¼cup shredded cheese (preferably organic)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup 1% milk


 1) Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with coconut oil. (suitable for high heat)

2) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.

3) Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.

4) Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 mins. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Back to Basics Series Part ll

Sticking with our theme of basics….

Almost every nutrition consultation we do reveals a protein intake that is much too low. Most people are downright shocked when we suggest how much protein they should consume. Remember, the human body is designed to consume “high” amounts of quality protein.

When people increase protein intake, they generally see;
· fat loss
· increased energy levels
· more stable blood sugar
· improved mood
· better sleep
· quicker recovery after workouts
· increased metabolic rate

The problem for most people is that consuming protein is inconvenient. After all, we are mostly talking about meat as a protein source. If this is an issue for you, consider a high quality protein supplement. We currently recommend Sun Warrior Protein as our preferred brand. We shy away from brands that use artificial sweeteners as they are linked with a variety of health issues.

Sun Warrior is available in Natural, Vanilla and Chocolate Flavors for $65 per bag through Live in Motion.

Jason & Lisa
FHP / CPTN-CPT / CSEP-CPT /
Registered Yoga Instructor /Certified Holistic Nutritionist (Hons)/Holistic Chef / HLC Level 1 / Biosignature Practitioner

Jason: jason@liveinmotion.ca
Lisa: lisa@liveinmotion.ca

www.liveinmotion.ca

Monday, August 15, 2011

Back to Basics Series

Good Morning Everyone, How was your weekend?

We though that we would make the next couple of posts all about getting back to the “basics” of healthy living. Get everyone back on page one (those who have gotten a little lost along the way)

As with anything, we need to build a foundation of knowledge and habits.
Much of what we do centers around helping clients change their overall lifestyle from “unhealthy” to “healthy.” One of the first steps is to create some very basic lifestyle changes.
Think for a minute about the constant barrage of unhealthy factors we encounter everyday – pollution, poor drinking water, stressful work and commuting environments, pesticides, chemicals in soap, shampoo, make-up and toothpaste, junk food, a constant flow of negative media coverage and radiation from electronic gadgets.

Why not do something good for yourself? Try making one or two BASIC lifestyle changes until they become a habit. Then add one or two more. Over the course of a year, think about the positive effects that these changes can have on a physical, mental and emotional level.

Here are some suggested changes……
  • buy a water filtration unit
  • improve sleep patterns by going to bed and waking at the same time every day
  • take 10 minutes each evening for deep breathing
  • drink lemon water first thing in the morning to alkalinize your bloodstream
  • cut your alcohol intake by 50%
  • add Celtic salt to your meals to increase trace minerals
  • cut out late night carbohydrates
  • use coconut oil for high heat cooking
  • increase fiber
  • use a greens drink
  • challenge yourself to learn more about nutrition and the body
  • try yoga
  • do a full body detox
  • stay away from negative media before bed (The news!)
  • commit yourself to a fitness program

After all, most people have everything to gain and nothing to lose by making basic lifestyle changes.
Contact us if you need help in creating a healthier lifestyle. Our job is to “Overhaul your unhealthy lifestyle”

Jason & Lisa
FHP / CPTN-CPT / CSEP-CPT /
Registered Yoga Instructor /Certified Holistic Nutritionist (Hons)/Holistic Chef / HLC Level 1 / Biosignature Practitioner

Jason: jason@liveinmotion.ca
Lisa: lisa@liveinmotion.ca

www.liveinmotion.ca July/ August 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Is All Butter Created Equal?

The embrace (some might say exaltation) of butter is, in some respects, what sets the Primal eating plan apart from strict paleo. It is essentially pure animal fat with only minor traces of dairy proteins and sugars remaining, and for that reason I consider it a worthwhile staple. But, to answer the question posed in the title, not all butter is created equal. Most of us are in agreement that the nutritional content of the animal’s flesh depends on the content of its diet, and the same goes for butter.

We’ve covered similar ground with other foods – olive oil, cheese, chocolate, to name a few – but butter’s special. A quick glance around the forum and other online paleo/Primal/real food communities reveals that people are mad for butter. Perhaps it’s because we’re subject to a steady barrage of anti-butter propaganda from day one on this earth; perhaps it’s due to the fact that the stuff tastes like heaven and goes with nearly everything. Whatever the reason, butter knowledge is important.

Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed

The eternal battle rages on. While the grass-fed camp may be outnumbered, they are plucky, pugnacious fighters with superior armament, training, and tactics. Once they finish off grain-fed butter in Spartans-at-Thermopylae fashion, I expect them to make short work of margarine. Here’s why it’s so lopsided:


Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Content

CLA is a funny fatty acid. It’s actually a trans-fat, but it’s a good, naturally occurring one. Instead of a group of candle wax makers creating trans-fats in industrial vats by hydrogenating cottonseed oil into disgusting, technically edible faux-butter, the special digestive systems of grass-fed ruminants produce CLA internally. The resulting trans-fat – which has been linked to superior heart health, suppression of tumors, reduced belly fat (although in pigs, I’m not sure that’s what we’re after!), and greater fat loss in the obese and overweight – pops up in the flesh and dairy of the animal. As far as cows go, pasture feeding leads to dairy CLA levels 3-5 times that of grain-fed cattle (PDF).


Winner: Grass-fed Butter

Vitamin Content

We’re drawn to colorful things, especially foods. Bright berries, verdant greens, multicolored fruits and peppers – these are the naturally occurring foods with the most phytonutrients. In fact, the actual dyes responsible for providing color to vegetation, like the blue in blueberry, are also usually antioxidants. Funny how that works out, eh? The same is true for butter. You ever notice how grass-fed butter actually looks like butter? It’s a deep yellow, sometimes bordering on orange, whereas grain-fed butter is white and waxy. It’s yellow because it has more carotene (think carrot, think orange) and Vitamin A. It’s got more carotene because it comes from cows that eat fresh vegetation rich in the stuff. From pasture to ruminant to digestive tract to butterfat to butter to you. Grain-fed? From the study I just linked, even back in 1933 they understood that “the oil cakes and cereals in common use are incapable of bringing about this result” of yellow, vitamin-rich butter.

Vitamin K2, in case you weren’t aware, appears to reduce, prevent, or even counteract arterial plaque, and it helps the body use calcium correctly and effectively. Vitamin K2 is another vital component of grass-fed butter. As Dr. Weston Price observed, only cows subsisting on fresh green grass produced butter imbued with significant levels of the all-important “Activator X,” which most people agree is vitamin K2. Cow stomach fermentation turns K1 (found in leafy greens, like kale, chard, spinach, and, yes, leaves of grass) into K2, which then shows up in the dairy fat. How much Vitamin K1 do you think there is in corn? Not much at all (PDF).


Winner: Grass-fed Butter

Fatty Acid Composition

Whether it’s grass-fed or grain-fed, butter is rich in saturated (about 2/3) and monounsaturated (just under 1/3) fat. The rest is polyunsaturated, but this is where grass-fed and grain-fed really differ. Cows raised on pasture produce milk fat with an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of 1. Yes, equal amounts. A balance. Grain-fed cows, on the other hand, produce a ratio tilted heavily toward omega 6. It’s true that we’re talking about relatively miniscule amounts of polyunsaturated fats here, but I prefer the balanced ratio. And if you’re putting away as much butter as I can, those insignificant amounts of omega 6 can begin to add up.


Winner: Grass-fed Butter

Flavor

Flavor is usually a subjective determination. What tastes better is entirely a matter of personal opinion, right? Not in the case of butter. Grass-fed butter tastes objectively better using any parameter. Creaminess? Smooth, yellow grass-fed butter can be eaten and enjoyed like candy. Richness? Grain-fed is weak and insipid in comparison. Mouth feel? Grass-fed coats the interior (in a pleasant way), while grain-fed comes off as watery and unnatural.


Winner: Grass-fed Butter

All that said, grain-fed butter is still a better option than conventional cooking fats, like vegetable oil or margarine. I still request restaurant food to be cooked in butter, completely aware that it’s probably white as a ghost and totally grain-fed. The saturated fat in regular butter isn’t any less stable.

Grass-fed isn’t as tough to find as you might think
, though. And even if it’s more expensive, it’s still cheaper than shelling out the dough for exclusively grass-fed meat. In fact, for those of you who can’t regularly eat pastured meat, eating lean cuts of conventional meat cooked in a quality grass-fed butter is a great compromise.


Watch out for these brands near you:

A favorite, fairly easy-to-find brand is Kerrygold, an Irish dairy whose cows are all pastured and whose butter is incredible. I get mine for $2.69 at Trader Joe’s, but I’ve seen it in basic and specialty grocery stores, too (albeit for slightly higher prices). Look for the silver foil (unsalted) and gold foil (salted) packages.
Anchor butter is another tasty one. It hails from New Zealand, land of reliably grass-fed lamb, and I’ve seen it at Whole Foods for a reasonable price. If you can’t find it there, you could always order online in bulk. Just freeze the extras.

Organic Valley
has a seasonal pastured, cultured, salted butter that usually appears in spring, which is when the grass is at its greenest. I’ve had it a few times. It’s good and a bit tangy, and it comes in a green foil package. Skip the regular Organic Valley stuff, which gets some grain.

Check farmers’ markets.
If you’ve got a dairy stall, you’ve probably got access to good butter. Talk to the producers about the cows’ diet.

Terminology

Learn the slang that’ll help you blend in with the cool kids at the next Weston A. Price Foundation meet-up.

What is cultured butter?

Cultured butter is traditionally made from fermented, or soured, cream. It’s not actually the butterfat that ferments, but rather the trace amounts of lactose sugars present. Nowadays, though, most commercial cultured butter is “cultured” by the incorporation of bacterial cultures. “European style” butter is cultured butter.

What is “sweet butter”?

Historically, sweet cream butter came from fresh cream, rather than soured or fermented cream. Relative to cultured butter, it’s rather “sweet.” These days, it’s often just another way to describe unsalted butter. Sweet butter is better for cooking, as most recipes assume the use of unsalted butter. Also, since salt is a preservative, sweet butter tends to be fresher (since it has to be, having no preservatives).

What is clarified butter?

Heat butter until it melts, let it cool and settle, then skim off the top layer of whey protein and pour off the butterfat, leaving the casein proteins on the bottom – you’ve got clarified butter.

What about ghee?

Ghee is basically pure butterfat, rendered down and stricken of all lactose and dairy proteins. It’s ultra-clarified butter in that it reaches a temperature high enough to cook off the water and brown the milk solids, which imparts a nutty flavor to the finished product. Properly made, ghee can stay on the counter for about a year without going bad. If you’ve got one, check your local Indian grocer. They’ll have huge tubs of intensely yellow ghee for sale. Is it all grass-fed? I’ve no idea, and the rich color isn’t a reliable indicator since the color could come from the browned milk solids. Anyone know for sure?

There are clear winners and losers in life. Grass-fed butter wins handily and grain-fed loses. There’s not much more to say other than get out there and find yourself a decent source of grass-fed butter!

Monday, July 11, 2011

**DATE CHANGE** Live In Motion is going to Mexico this October Puerto Vallarta Fitness Getaway

We apologize for re-posting the same article on our fitness getaway to Puerto Vallarta this fall but we are very excited about this and want to make sure everyone is aware of this fantastic opportunity! Please read below and click on the link at the end of the post to get more information.  If you need to contact us for more information or to BOOK your trip with us please email us at info@liveinmotion.ca

Puerto Vallarta Fitness Getaway
**DATE CHANGE** October 7th - October 14th, 2011



A vacation like you’ve never experienced before! Boot Camp on the beach, Yoga overlooking the ocean, nutritious meals and much more!

If you are interested at all please let us know. 


Your Fitness and Health Getaway includes:
  • 7 days/7 nights in a beautiful Italian style villa
  • Nutritious meals prepared by a Holistic Chef
  • Morning walks on the beach
  • Boot Camp style training on the beach
  • Lots of free time to wander the city and enjoy the culture
  • Freedom to participate as much or as little as you please2 organized adventure tours
  • 2 spa treatments (massage, pedicure, manicure or facial)
  • 1 special outing including a gourmet meal

For more details about this fantastic vacation click here: http://www.liveinmotion.ca/mexicanbootcamp.html

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Recipe: Fish Chowder With Dill

This hearty soup is excellent for arthritis. Turnip makes a sweet, tasty broth with twice the vitamin C of potato. Tablespoon for tablespoon, dill is richer in calcium than cream.

Ingredients:
1-2 Cups Fish or Veggie Stock
1 Cup Onion - diced
4 Stalks Celery and Leaves – Finely Chopped
1 Cup Turnip – peeled and diced small
1 Tbsp Brown Rice Flour
7.5 Ounces Fish of your choice
1 Cup Peas – frozen
1 Tbsp Each – unsalted butter and crispy kelp or dulse flakes
1/2 Tsp Each – Tabasco Sauce and Ocean Salt
2 Cloves of garlic - minced
1 Cup Half and half Cream
4 Tbsp Fresh Dill – finely chopped
Dash Cayenne pepper

1) Combine first four ingredients. On medium heat, in a soup pot, heat stock with onion, celery and turnip. Cover and steam until soft.

2) In a small dish, add a little cold water to flour. Stir into soup pot. Bring soup to just boiling, then reduce heat. Add fish, peas, butter, crispy kelp and Tabasco sauce. Stir until heated through (5 min). Turn off heat and stir while adding salt, cayenne, garlic and cream.

3) Serve Immediately. If not serving immediately, remove from heat and cover, to prevent cream from curdling. Use low slow heat to reheat. Garnish with a tablespoon of fresh dill.

Source: Cooking with Herbs and Spices by Lori Nichols-Davies.

Monday, July 4, 2011

How losing sleep can make you gain weight

We've always stressed to our clients the importance of overall lifestlye factors such as proper sleep and stress management for maintaining a healthy weight. Check out this quick article to see the effect that just one night of poor sleep has on your metabolism.
Source -ca.shine.yahoo.com


A recent study that appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that loss of sleep can lead to weight gain, partially due to a slowed metabolism.
The really interesting part of the article is this one: "The team found that even a single night of missed sleep slowed the volunteers' metabolisms the next morning, reducing their bodies' energy expenditure for tasks like breathing and digestion by five to 20 percent, compared with the morning after a good night's sleep."

It used to be thought that missing out on sleep caused fewer calories to be burned simply because people were tired the next day and didn't want to move around as much, but according to this admittedly small study, it's decreasing the caloric burn of breathing and digestion. That's not "just because I'm tired;" that's a core metabolic decrease due to decreased sleep.

It's interesting, and reinforces the importance of getting a good night's sleep, but more on that in a moment. I think the real issue with not being properly rested and its effect on weight is the voluntary effect it has, rather than involuntary such as a somewhat-decreased metabolism. I mentioned that if you're tired, you don't want to move around much, and this can include things like skipping workouts. If you slept well and are bursting with energy, jobs get done, weights get lifting, paths get run on, and bicycles get ridden. Not so if you're exhausted.


Even more important is the effect on ingestive behavior, meaning what you eat. Focusing on healthy eating requires using your brain and your will to make the right choices. If you're tired, you're more likely to make bad, calorically dense food choices.

And here is an interesting thing about sleep that might help lower your stress: it's okay for it to be broken up. It turns out that broken sleep is the norm, but we've somehow got the idea that we're supposed to be sleeping eight hours straight every night. If we wake up in the middle of the night, it stresses us out and we can't fall back asleep, and that is a problem.

However, knowing that a brief waking period after a few hours of sleep is perfectly normal can help lower your stress about it and prevent your brain going into overdrive with thoughts of "why can't I sleep? What's wrong with me?"

So the next time you wake up in the middle of the night try thinking, This is totally normal; I do it. I'll fall back asleep soon. And it will increase the likelihood that you do.

Monday, June 27, 2011

**DATE CHANGE** Live In Motion is going to Mexico this October

Puerto Vallarta Fitness Getaway
**DATE CHANGE** October 7th - October 14th, 2011



A vacation like you’ve never experienced before! Boot Camp on the beach, Yoga overlooking the ocean, nutritious meals and much more! 

If you are interested at all please let us know. 


Your Fitness and Health Getaway includes:
  • 7 days/7 nights in a beautiful Italian style villa
  • Nutritious meals prepared by a Holistic Chef
  • Morning walks on the beach
  • Boot Camp style training on the beach
  • Lots of free time to wander the city and enjoy the culture
  • Freedom to participate as much or as little as you please2 organized adventure tours
  • 2 spa treatments (massage, pedicure, manicure or facial)
  • 1 special outing including a gourmet meal

For more details about this fantastic vacation click here: http://www.liveinmotion.ca/mexicanbootcamp.html

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Client Testimonial

This story is yet another example of what can be accomplished in a short period of time. While we have always stressed that fitness and health are a lifestyle, there is always something to be said for getting focused and hitting a short term goal. When Brenda and I started talking about training together for a short and intense period of time, the first thing she mentioned was that everyone around her was “constantly finding excuses to not work on their fitness and health.” One of her goals was to inspire others with her accomplishments. Based on comments from friends and family she has accomplished this and more. Despite limitations from asthma and arthritis, she was able to make big improvements in just 4 quick weeks.

Many thanks to Brenda for her efforts and determination. Thank you for the testimonial…

Background History - My name is Brenda Andringa Age 49 Diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 17 and diagnosed with asthma and allergies at the age of 37.

I walk marathons to keep the arthritis at bay and also because of my asthma I cannot run.

I really wanted to do the Live In Motion Spring/ Summer Boot Camp as I had some inches I wanted to lose. For the first time in my life, I was thinking I had limitations because of my asthma and Boot Camp may not be something I was able to do. The word “limitation” really started to bother me and I started thinking of how when I couldn’t run marathons I modified my goal and walked marathons. Maybe I could modify Boot Camp to meet my needs and still have the fun workout I wanted. I sent an email to Jason and asked if he was up for the challenge where he could modify a personal 4 week Boot Camp for me so I could lose the inches and still keep breathing.

Jason was up for the challenge and together we were able in just one short month (with 12 Boot Camp sessions) to make my limitations disappear. Jason was able to customize the Boot Camp by replacing the running with different types of fun cardio bursting exercises that kept me breathing all through the session and for the rest of the day. I was able to sleep better and not wake up with asthma attacks. I was able to lose inches and drop a dress size, make my friends envious and feel great about my accomplishments!

As an added bonus Jason also changed up my nutrient intake and eating patterns without counting calories and I was able to lose body fat as well. Jason kept me motivated and constantly challenged and encouraged me - he always wanted to hear how I felt and if I was having difficulties so he could make things better for me.

Live In Motion believes in what they are doing in the fitness industry and this comes across in how they have treated me as a client. I would recommend Jason and Lisa to anyone who feels that they have limitations. You will soon learn that Fitness is for everyone. There are no limitations, only modifications. Thank you Jason for believing in me and helping me meet my fitness goals.

Sincerely, Brenda

Tale of the Tape – 4 Weeks of Hard Work Aug 13/09 Sept 8/09
Weight: 132 lbs 124 lbs
Shoulders: 39.5” 38”
Chest: 36.5” 35”
Waist: 31.25” 29.25”
Hips: 37.5” 36.5