Are you ready to hit the slopes? Avoid the rough recovery after that first time in the powder this year by getting in double black diamond shape. Lower body and core strength are of prime importance to skiers and snowboarders. You want your muscles and joints to be able to withstand the wear and tear you put on your body with tight turns, jumps, landings, falls, etc. Below are some great exercises you can do to help ensure that you can make run after run without wearing out.
Low in Iron, Try Some of These
Many people in the pacific northwest, especially women, tend to have low iron levels, which often leads to anemia. This can lead to feeling low in energy and fatigued. Some people resort to buying iron supplement pills or in severe cases having their doctor give them an injection. Below is some more detailed information on the importance of iron to the body, and possible symptoms that someone low in iron might display. There is also a list of some of the animal and vegetarian sources of iron that you can add into your diet right away to get your iron levels back up to optimum levels.
Dietary Sources of Iron
Iron is essential to all body cells. Iron functions primarily as a carrier of oxygen in the body, both as a part of hemoglobin in the blood and of myoglobin in the muscles. Iron deficiency anemia occurs when there is not enough iron in the red blood cells. This is a common problem often caused by pregnancy, blood loss, a diet low in iron or poor absorption of iron by the body. There are a variety of possible symptoms of iron deficiency including:
lack of energy or tiredness
extreme fatigue and feeling of weakness
pale skin
light headedness
headache
pale skin on the lining of the eyes, the inner mouth and the nails
rapid and forceful heartbeat
low blood pressure with position change from sitting to standing up
finger nails that become thin, brittle and white – they may grow abnormally and get a spoon-shaped appearance
tongue may become sore, smooth and reddened
decrease in appetite
shortness of breath during exercise
brittle hair
reduction in immunity and increased vulnerability to infection
a strong desire to eat nonfoods such as ice, paint or dirt (a condition called Pica)
disturbed sleep
abdominal pain
Because the typical symptoms of iron deficiency have many causes, diagnosis by a blood test is needed to confirm the presence of iron deficiency anemia.
If your blood iron level is low, your health care provider may refer you to a dietitian to discuss a dietary increase in iron-rich foods. He or she may also recommend a multivitamin pill or prescribe an iron supplement. Although iron is found in a variety of different foods and supplements, its availability to the body varies significantly. In general, iron is not readily absorbed by the body. Availability is partially determined by whether the iron is found in the form of HEME or NON-HEME iron.
HEME iron is found only in meat, fish and poultry and is absorbed much more easily than NON-HEME iron, which is found primarily in fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts and grain products.
The following factors will increase the iron absorption from non-heme foods:
A good source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – i.e., oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries, eaten with a NON-HEME food
A HEME and NON-HEME food eaten together
A NON-HEME food cooked in an iron pot, such as a cast iron skillet
The following factors will decrease non-heme iron absorption:
Large amounts of tea or coffee consumed with a meal (the polyphenols bind the iron).
Excess consumption of high fiber foods or bran supplements (the phytates in such foods inhibit absorption).
High intake of calcium – take your calcium supplement at a different time from your iron supplement.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron for non-vegetarian pre-menopausal women is 18 mg/day. The RDA for non-vegetarian men and post-menopausal women is 8 mg/day. Because of iron absorption issues in a healthful, high-fiber vegetarian diet, the RDAs for vegetarians are higher – 14 mg/day for vegetarian men and 33 mg/day for vegetarian women. The upper level of intake should not exceed 45mg/day.
HEME IRON SOURCES
Food Source Serving Size (oz.) / Iron (mg)
Beef, liver 3.0 7.5
Beef, corned 3.0 2.5
Beef, lean ground; 10% fat 3.0 3.9
*Beef, round 3.0 4.6
*Beef, chuck 3.0 3.2
*Beef, flank 3.0 4.3
Chicken, breast w/out bone 3.0 0.9
Chicken, leg w/bone 2.0 0.7
Chicken, liver 3.0 7.3
Chicken, thigh w/ bone 2.3 1.2
Cod, broiled 3.0 0.8
Flounder, baked 3.0 1.2
*Pork, lean ham 3.0 1.9
*Pork, loin chop 3.0 3.5
Salmon, pink canned 3.0 0.7
Shrimp, 10 – 2 1/2 inch 1.1 0.5
Tuna, canned in water 3.5 1.0
Turkey, dark meat 3.0 2.0
Turkey, white meat 3.0 1.2
*Lean, trimmed of separable fat
NON-HEME FOOD SOURCES
Food Source Serving Size Iron (mg)
Almonds, raw 10 – 12 each 0.7
Apricots, dried, med.-size 10 each 1.7
Bagel 1 whole 1.5
Baked beans, canned 1/2 cup 2.0
Bread, white 2 slices 1.4
Bread, whole wheat 2 slices 1.7
Broccoli, cooked 1/2 cup 0.6
Broccoli, raw 1 stalk 1.1
Dates 10 each 1.6
Kidney beans 1/2 cup 3.0
Lima beans 1/2 cup 1.8
Macaroni, enriched, cooked 1 cup 1.9
Molasses, blackstrap 1 tbsp. 2.3
Peas, frozen and prepared 1/2 cup 1.3
Prune juice 1/2 cup 1.5
Raisins, not packed 1/4 cup 1.0
Rice, brown, cooked 1 cup 1.0
Rice, white enriched, cooked 1 cup 1.8
Spaghetti, enriched, cooked 1 cup 1.6
Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup 2.0
Vitamin supplements varies varies
Redmond Man Finds Great Success With Bellevue Personal Fitness Training
Austin C. of Redmond has been doing personal fitness training with Darren at Define Fitness Studio of Bellevue, for about 4 months now. When Austin first started, he had very little workout experience, and no real prior sports background. When he first started he could barely do 1 pullup, and about 15 pushups. His energy and endurance was so low that he also tended to get dizzy and nauseous by the end of the workout for the first week or two. After 120 days of hard work, consistency, and determination, Austin can now do over 50 pushups, and over 20 pullups. He can also do a very respectable amount of pullups and pushups while wearing a 40 LB vest. Austin had also always struggled to put on muscle or weight. Since joining Define Fitness Studio and going through the boot camp and crossfit type training here, Austin has gained over 10 lbs of lean solid muscle, as well as lowered his body fat by 5%. All of us at Define Fitness Studio are very proud of Austin and what he’s accomplished. Watch the video below to see him in action, and the results of all his hard work.
If any of you out there are in the same boat, you’ve never felt athletic or in shape, you’ve never looked the way you want, you’ve never tested your physical and mental limits, then get off your butt, come on in to Define Fitness Studio, and let us help you evolve and transform yourself over the next 90 to 120 days. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
Kirkland Bride Gets into Amazing Shape with Bellevue Personal Training
One of the most high pressure deadlines you can face is making sure all your wedding preparations are complete by the big day. Looking and feeling your best can be one of the most pressing demands on a woman’s mind leading up to the wedding day as well as the honeymoon. Fitting into the wedding dress, having the wedding photos taken, everybody watching you walk down the aisle, going to a tropical honeymoon destination and strolling the beach in a bikini, all these are huge motivations for a woman to get the body of her dreams.
23 year old Carmen W. of Kirkland, Washington did this by enlisting the help of a personal fitness trainer experienced with helping brides slim down and tone up for their wedding day. With the help of Bellevue Fitness Guru, Janelle Miller, Carmen was able to lose over 25 lbs in about 4 months. Carmen was smart by not waiting until the last minute to get into personal training. She started working out on her own at first, but 4 months prior to her wedding realized she needed the extra help of a certified personal trainer to get better results.
Janelle was able to guide Carmen to the better body she always wanted by boosting her metabolism utilizing heavy strength training, as well as metabolic conditioning workouts such as fast paced circuit training and high intensity interval cardio and strength workouts. Janelle also helped get Carmen on track with a better nutrition program to give her the energy she needed to workout hard and fuel her new revved up metabolism. See what Carmen has to say about her experience at Define Fitness Studio in her own words.
The trainers at Define Fitness Studio often have to get women to reprogram the way they think about exercise and nutrition. Many women as well as many men, think that to lose body fat you have to starve yourself or completely cut out certain nutrients such as fat or carbs. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Many women also fear lifting heavy weights because they think they will develop the physique of a large body builder. This is also an unjustified fear. Dumbells, barbells, and kettlebells can be a woman’s best friend with the proper workout program. Many people also think they have to spend hours and hours each week doing boring, tedious, steady state cardio. Janelle Miller and the other trainers at Define Fitness Studio can show you how to get better results in less time by using shorter, higher intensity workouts, and proper nutrition.
So if you or anyone you know is getting married and wants to slim down and tone up for the big day, then get started at least 4 to 6 months early, and do it the right way and get the professional help of a qualified personal fitness trainer. At Define Fitness Studio of Bellevue, you can work with expert personal trainers such as Janelle Miller, and with an average rate of $25 per session it is affordable enough to get the help you need every step of the way until your big day.
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