Berry Power: Keep your joints and muscles ready for action

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Benefits of Berries

It’s hard to beat the colors, flavors, and amazing health benefits of berries! Whether you favor cranberries, strawberries, bilberries, or even Saskatoon berries, these little powerhouses can help keep your muscles and joints ready for action. Here are four reasons to add berries to your spring menu.

  1. Muscle recovery. Researchers at Massey University in New Zealand found that athletes who drank a blueberry smoothie before and after exercising needed less time for their muscles to recover.[1] It turns out that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of blueberries helps restore muscle strength faster, making back to back training sessions easier.*
  2. Maintain Healthy Joints . Thanks to their high seed count, raspberries provide 461 mg of joint-friendly omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids per cup.[2] Polyphenols in other berries, including Saskatoons, cherries, and blueberries, can help support healthy joint function.*
  3. Muscle cramps. When your diet is low in potassium, calcium, or magnesium, you’re more susceptible to muscle cramps. A regular dose of berries can help prevent such cramps by replenishing key minerals. For example, one cup of blackberries delivers 233 mg of potassium, 29 mg of magnesium, and 42 mg of calcium.2
  4. Oxidative stress. Whether it’s due to intense bouts of exercise, your environment, or natural aging, your cells deal with oxidative stress every day. Thankfully berries are loaded with antioxidants that help protect your muscles, joints, and many other tissues from the unstable free radicals that cause oxidative stress.*

Add berries and PGX® Granules to your next smoothie for a filling nutrient rich treat! Leave your muscle and joint-friendly tips in the comments section below.

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* This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

[1] McLeay, Yanita et al. “Effects of New Zealand Blueberry Consumption Recovery from Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 9.19 (2012): Web. 15 April 2015. [2] USDA. “National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 27.” Agricultural Research Service. Web. 15 April 2015.

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5 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight Over Winter

5 Healthy Ways to Lose Weight Over Winter from PGXIf the winter marks the time of year where you’re more likely to stay indoors and drink hot chocolate by the fire rather than exercise, it might be time to learn to love snowshoeing, overhaul your diet, and borrow a dog. Read on for 5 healthy ways to lose weight over winter.

1. Make Exercise Fun!

Many of us find it difficult to exercise for exercise’s sake, meaning that over the cooler months we pack on the pounds, lose some of our fitness, and feel more sluggish and unhealthy.

Rather than concentrating on what the weighing scale says, focus on having fun and staying active and soon you’ll stop seeing your skis as a guilt-trip and start seeing them as your passport to fun! All it takes is a little change of mindset, so to avoid unhealthy weight gain and stay healthy and fit over winter, how about:

  • Exercising to socialise! Start a snowshoeing or cross-country skiing club with friends old and new!
  • Finding out of the way hot-springs that you have to hike into – the perfect reward for your efforts!
  • Getting the right equipment – if you have gear that’s a pain to use, you won’t use it, so invest in your success!
  • Signing up as a volunteer dog-walker at your local shelter – or taking your friends’ pups on hikes if you can’t commit full-time to an animal companion
  • Checking out your local community centre for badminton, tennis, squash, swimming or indoor volleyball opportunities – you’ll be in great shape for beach volleyball!

Of course, it’s not all about exercise, especially as it can be tempting to indulge in warming comfort foods in winter. Pies, puddings, and other hearty fare typically contain an excess of calories from simple carbohydrates and fats and, added to the excess alcohol and treats that you’re likely to consume over the festive period, this can see you starting out the new year with a few more pounds than you might like.

2. Try Plant Proteins

One great way to stay in shape over winter is to try plant proteins. Vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes and seeds are all great sources of protein and, unlike meat and dairy, plant proteins are accompanied by fibre, phytonutrients and healthy fats, in addition to essential vitamins and minerals.

Some great choices include:

  • Quinoa – 8g of protein per cup, excellent added to salads and baked goods
  • Buckwheat – 6g of protein per cup, a great substitute for regular flour
  • Hempseed – 10g of protein per 2 tbsps, great for salads, yoghurts, cookies, and smoothies
  • Chia seed – 4g of protein per 2 tbsps, add to salads, smoothies and desserts
  • Rice and beans – 7g of protein per cup
  • Spirulina – 4g of protein per tbsp, add to smoothies and energy bars

3. Know Your Nuts

Many weight-loss articles say to eat nuts as a health snack, but there are so many types of nut available and they can have wildly different calorie counts.

For example, 200 calories equals:

  • 8 walnuts
  • 10 macadamia nuts
  • 10 pecans
  • 22 cashews
  • 22 peanuts
  • 29 almonds
  • 62 pistachios

So, when you’re snacking on nuts, mix it up so you get a good intake of nutrients from a variety of nuts, but don’t go overboard on calories.

4. Substitute High Calorie for Low Calorie, Nutrient Dense Foods

Cutting calories can quickly lead to a cut in essential nutrients, so it pays to learn some handy substitutions that mean you’re still getting the vitamins and minerals you need but without the surplus energy.

Some great nutritious replacements to consider include:

  • Cacao nibs for chocolate chips
  • Chia seeds for butter in baking – 2-3 tbsps chia soaked in a cup of water for 15 mins can replace a cup of butter
  • Mashed banana (1 cup) for a cup of oil or butter
  • 1 cup pureed avocado for 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce for 1 cup sugar (ideal for oatmeal cookies, just reduce the rest of the liquid by about a 1/4 cup)

5. Increase Fibre and Water Intake

Our wintertime food cravings are often the result of dehydration as many of us forget to drink enough water over the cooler months. Staying hydrated with herbal teas, mulled apple juice (in moderation), and warm water with lemon slices can help take the edge off hunger as well as help keep metabolism working nicely.

Along with drinking enough water, a good intake of fibre can also help combat food cravings. To help you feel full while cutting calories increase your fibre intake by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, pulses, legumes, and whole grains. You can also add PGX to your morning oatmeal or cereal, as well as in soups and stews, or simply mix it with a glass of water or juice and you’ll get that same satisfied feeling of fullness but with significantly fewer calories.

*Remember to drink additional water (8 fl. oz.) after ingesting PGX. If you are taking medications, take one hour prior to or two hours after taking PGX.

 

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PGX FitBit Flex Giveaway!

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There’s no falling away from your 2015 health and fitness goals when you have a FitBit® Flex tracking your progress throughout the day and night. Activity level, distance travelled, calories burned, sleep patterns, and goals are all monitored and synced to your smartphone or tablet where your stats are easy to see and hard to ignore.

Why track your goals?

Studies show that setting a fitness goal and then receiving feedback on how close you are to that goal makes you more likely to achieve it.[1]

Why track sleep patterns?

Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain. A recent study found that people who sleep fewer than 7 hours per night have a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than people who sleep 7-9 hours per night.[2]

To make your 2015 health and fitness goals easier to meet (or exceed), we’re giving away over 100 FitBit Flex wristbands – one every day. You can enter daily to boost your odds of winning. Fill out your name and email address on the contest entry form for a chance to win.

Good luck!

 

References:

[1] Wack, S. R., Kimberly A. Crosland and Raymond G. Miltenberger. “Using Goal Setting and Feedback to Increase Weekly Running Distance.” Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 47.1 (2014): 181-185. Web. 21 December 2014.
[2] Ford, E.S. et al. “Sleep Duration and Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference among US Adults.” Journal of Obesity 22.2 (2014): 598-607. Print.

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Don’t Hibernate: Stay Active This Winter

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The human body is designed to move. But what if it’s too cold and dark for your usual run or bike ride? Don’t stress, there are many superb options for staying active in this winter!

  • The Gym: No matter what your level of fitness is, the gym is a one-stop-shop for fitting your cardio, strength training, stretching, and abs workouts into one outing. The key is finding a gym with a comfortable, upbeat atmosphere that motivates you to keep coming back.
  • Indoor Pool: Freestyle swimming at a slow pace burns approximately 510 calories per hour.[1] But that’s not all you can do at the pool. Mix it up with aquatic aerobics classes, water jogging or fast-pace intervals using a kickboard. And once you’re done, treat yourself to a warm-up in the hot tub.
  • home_exercise_equipment-20141211Yoga: The poses and deep breathing exercises of yoga not only improve posture, flexibility and muscle tone, but can also boost your mood and mental focus.[2] On those extra cold winter days, try heating-up with a session hot yoga.
  • Home: When you’re too busy to get out, keep active at home. A few simple items, such as a jump rope, free weights, yoga mat, or exercise ball, can go a long way to keeping your heart rate up and muscles toned. Or get outside and build a snowman if you have snow on the ground!

What’s your favorite way to exercise? Let us know.

 

References:

[1] CDC. “Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011. Web. 23 November 2014.

[2] Agarwal, Shashi. “Evidence Based Medical Benefits of Yoga.” Indian Journal of Science 2.3 (2013): 1-4. Print.

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Train Like an Olympian

5 tips on how to train like an Olympic athlete.

Although standing on the Olympic podium may seem like a dream fit for only the world’s most elite athletes, there’s no reason why we can’t all take notice of how they train and find inspiration for our own fitness goals and workouts.

Below, find motivation from our top five favourite tips on how to train like an olympic athlete, inspired by an article shared by Men’s Fitness. Read the full Men’s Fitness article here.

  1. Fuel your body: Eat well and stay hydrated. For extra help in preventing sugar cravings and overeating, try adding PGX to your diet.
  2. Rest: Downtime and getting enough sleep are just as important as training. Don’t work your body too hard without giving it the proper rest it deserves.
  3. Warm-up: Be sure to warm-up your body properly and leave time in your workout for a proper cool down and recovery.
  4. Believe in yourself: Mentally prepare yourself for your goals. Write them down; find inspiration and don’t allow yourself to give up.
  5. Early bird gets the worm: Schedule your workouts for the beginning of the day before you can get too tired or distracted.

 

 

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Exercise & Heart #Health

How exercise can help support your heart health.

This February, we are focusing on Heart Month in more ways than one: with healthy eating (read our latest Heart Health Tasty Tuesday recipe) and healthy habits, such as exercising regularly.

We all know that being active is a part of a healthy lifestyle. But did you know that regular aerobic exercise can strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system and improve heart failure symptoms?

Aerobic exercise can be as simple as taking a 30 minute walk or jog, or as complex as hitting the gym and engaging in multiple exercises, such as jumping rope, using the stationary bike and the rowing machine. No matter which exercises you decide to do, however, it’s important that you commit to doing them at least three times a week in order to reap the maximum health benefits.

If you’re just getting started, try taking your dog for a walk or ask a friend to go on a leisurely bike ride with you. It’s best to begin slowly and increase the level of difficultly and the length of the exercise as you go along; this will prevent feelings of frustration and you’ll be more likely to stick with your new routine!

PGX Tip: Try fuelling up with a PGX protein shake before you begin your exercise.

 

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