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Muscle: The Organ of Longevity, a Broken Brain Podcast

August 22nd, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

We use our muscles every day, from our brain to our quads, for the smallest and the biggest tasks. Muscles make up an impressive 45% of our body mass. Did you know that muscle is an endocrine organ and regulates metabolism? Did you know that using your muscles can actually help reduce systemic inflammation?

Today on The Broken Brain Podcast, Functional Medicine practitioner Dr. Gabrielle Lyon joins our host, Dhru Purohit, to talk about muscles and optimizing our body composition by eating protein, strength training, and more. Dr. Lyon specializes in muscle-centric medicine and works with her patients to fine-tune metabolism, balance hormones, and transform body composition.

If you want to learn all about protein, and what it can do for your muscles, how it can increase your energy, and increase your longevity, I hope you’ll tune in to our podcast.

In this episode, we dive into:

Muscle: The organ of longevity (2:18)
Obesogenic sarcopenia—what does that mean? (5:08)
Brain and muscle health in the aging (8:13)
Importance of maintaining muscle (10:18)
Everything you need to know about protein (13:21)
Sources of protein (15:58)
Plant-based protein (18:04)
Dr. Lyon’s personal daily diet (20:18)
Aging healthfully (25:26)
Building muscle—where to start? (27:51)
How do I prioritize protein correctly in my daily diet? (32:55)
Dr. Lyon’s favorite protein supplements (36:06)
How can the right protein change my life? (37:43)

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD

New Studio Location Announced: Bigger and Better!

August 15th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

We Are Moving!

DBM Strength Training is moving, our new address is 
6809 Cascade Rd SE, Suite A, GR, MI 49546
Northeast Corner of Cascade Village Centre
(Cascade Rd SE at 28th St. SE), next to Heffron Farms

We are excited to offer;
more space, more windows, and possibly a shower facility.

We will be at the east end of Cascade Village Centre, next door to Heffron Farms and across from Starbucks.

Yes, you read that correctly – Starbucks!

The new studio space will be completed by Monday, August 27th. All classes and sessions from that date on will be in the new building.

 

 

 

CLASS SCHEDULE REMINDER:

Tuesday & Thursday 6 pm |  Saturday 10:30 am | 30 minutes, $10, drop-ins welcome!

We suggest our clients have 1-2 personal training sessions per week by appointment, We also offer group classes at $10 each and find they are a great way to supplement your training sessions.

CLIENT REFERRAL PROGRAM:

For each new client who trains a minimum of 3 months with DBM, the referring client receives a $100 credit on their DBM account. *Be sure to introduce us to your referral prior to their training.

Berries & Cream Smoothie

August 8th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients:
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

  • Add ingredients into a blender.
  • Blend. Server and enjoy.

Nutritional Analysis:
calories 225, fat 14g, protein 6g, sodium 211 mg, sugar 5 gram

Creamy Fennel Kale Chicken Salad

August 8th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

INGREDIENTS
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced

2 medium fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced

1/4 cup avocado oil

Dash black pepper

5 cups curly kale, chopped

1 lb. organic chicken breast cutlets, skinless

1/2 cup organic, low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup almond yogurt, unsweetened

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F.

  • On a baking sheet, place prepared fennel and leeks.
  • Toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons avocado oil, Himalayan salt, and a dash of black pepper.
  • In a separate bowl, massage kale with 1 tablespoon avocado oil, a dash of salt and pepper, and set the kale aside.
  • Bake fennel and leeks for 40 minutes and add kale to the baking sheet for the last 10-12 minutes of baking.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large pan, over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until lightly cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  • In a small bowl, mix almond yogurt, chicken broth, and mustard and pour on top of chicken.
  • Add the roasted vegetables to pan and continue to heat for 3 minutes, then enjoy!

Nutritional analysis per serving
calories 338 • fat 19g • carbohydrates 18g • sugar 7g • protein 26g

Importance of Proper Form When Strength Training

August 8th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

I am a stickler on proper form!

In both my classes and sessions, you will hear me correcting my clients form as needed. You’ll see me demonstrating proper form, you’ll even occasionally hear me tell a client to drop down a “click” in their weight to maintain proper form.

This article from the NFPT blog explains why proper form is so important.

I’m sure we’ve all witnessed it before, and we may even be guilty of doing this ourselves – improper form and technique when attempting to lift heavy.

Sure, the only way to increase muscle mass is by lifting heavy but what’s the point if you’re going to have sloppy form? Not only can we potentially cause injury to ourselves or clients with improper form, but we’re not working the intended muscle groups with improper form either. When strength training any area of your body, having proper form and technique is crucial to make sure you’re working the intended muscle groups that you want to develop and grow.

There are several factors that play important roles when strength training.

Prevent Injury

One of the most important reasons to maintain proper form during weight lifting exercises is to prevent injury. When we lift a heavy weight, this can cause the body to become misaligned, and that can place your tendons, muscles, and joints in positions that can potentially cause strains or tears. Rule of thumb here is to lower the weight if you have to sway your body in order to lift the weight. You want to avoid lifting by swaying your back to gain momentum.

It is always better to lift lighter weights with proper form than to lift heavy weight with sloppy form.

For example, if you’re performing bicep curls with dumbbells, and you have to swing your whole body into the exercise to lift the weight- then this is a sign that the weight is too heavy and you should find a lighter weighted dumbbell.

Muscle Targeting

Proper form also ensures correct muscle targeting. Going back to the bicep curls, if we’re swinging our whole body into the intended bicep curl movement, chances are that our bicep is not getting worked, and you’re working more of your shoulder girdles and core. By doing this you can potentially cause injury to the intended muscle that you are trying to work and strain other areas in the body that aren’t intended to be worked, with the example of bicep curls.

Proper Breathing Techniques

One area I’d like to discuss also is breathing. Proper form helps to ensure proper breathing techniques during our reps and sets. This is essential for weight training exercises because it helps to generate more force and reduce the chance of heart problems, aneurysms and severe increases in blood pressure. When you use the correct form you will be able to breathe the air in easier, and you will be able to focus on the exercise at hand with much greater detail. Rule of thumb here is to inhale just before the positive (lift) and exhale after the negative (lowering the weight) and keep this pace for each rep of each set.

Everyone likes to use heavyweight in the gym, but in order for us to lift the maximum weight, our muscles need to be in the ideal position to generate force. When movements become unaligned, muscles are placed at awkward angles decreasing functionality. By maintaining proper form you will be able to lift heavier that will be noticed with visible results in a shorter timeframe.

Pitfalls to avoid when replenishing fluids this summer

August 8th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

What to Drink When You’re Dehydrated

Staying hydrated regulates body temperature, allows your heart to work more efficiently, prevents headaches and muscle fatigue, aids digestion, and even boosts your mood. But in the heat of summer, it’s easy to become dehydrated without realizing it.

You might be tempted to try one of the many sports drinks or flavored waters on supermarket shelves, thinking they’re a step up from plain old H₂0.

What’s the truth? Consumers Report’s nutri­tion­ists took a closer look at the types of hydration drinks on the market. Here’s their verdict.

Sports Drinks
These were originally developed for hard-core athletes to replenish electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, that are lost in sweat, plus carbohydrates that muscles use for fuel. “The average exerciser needs to replace water, not electrolytes,” says Amy Keating, R.D., a CR nutritionist.

Worse, sports drinks could offset the calorie-burning benefits of exercise. “A person who weighs 150 pounds will burn around 150 calories in 30 minutes of brisk walking, but sports drinks can have about 100 calories in 16 ounces,” Keating says. Zero-calorie and low-calorie sports drinks might not have any sugar (or as much) but may have artificial sweeteners. And both types might have artificial colors or other added ingredients.

Water With Added Vitamins
There’s no need to replenish vitamins just because it’s hot out or you went for a run. And if you drink a lot of these, you run the risk of overloading on vitamins, especially if you take a multivitamin and/or eat vitamin-fortified foods, such as certain cereals. Also, read labels; some products are full of sugars.

Plant Waters
Labeling on certain coconut, maple, cactus, and other trendy plant waters suggests that these drinks are more hydrating than water or a more natural alternative to sports drinks. There’s not much truth to the hydration claims, but they are lower in sugars. Coconut water has about 40 to 65 calories and 9 to 14 grams of sugars in 8 ounces; cactus and maple have about 25 calories and 5 grams of sugars in 8 ounces.

Ice Tea
Brewed tea has negligible calories and contains antioxidants that may improve heart health and lower the risk of cognitive decline and type 2 diabetes.

But when it comes in a bottle, tea might not have any of these benefits. Many bottled ice teas are nutritionally on a par with soda—containing loads of sugars. Diet ice teas will be low in sugars and calories, but they may have artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucralose.

Instead, look for ice teas labeled “unsweetened.” “You can add stevia and get far fewer sugars than in many presweetened versions,” Keating says.

If you want antioxidants, brew up a pitcher. “Bottled teas are very low in antioxidants compared to freshly brewed tea,” says Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Scranton, whose lab has analyzed a variety of teas. But the antioxidants dissipate over time. “We found that once brewed, the antioxidant content went down about 10 percent a day,” Vinson says. So don’t make a bigger batch than you can drink in a day or two.

Homemade Alternatives
Do-it-yourself flavored waters are a healthy and tasty alternative to bottled drinks. Start with a large pitcher of ice water and add sliced fruit. Or try the idea below from Chad Luethje, executive chef at the Red Mountain Resort in southwest Utah.

Ginger-Peach Cooler
Add 2 quartered peaches (or another stone fruit) and about 2 inches of peeled ginger root, thinly sliced. Fill a pitcher with water and stir gently. Add fresh lemon verbena leaves or lemongrass stalks, if desired.

By Consumer Reports

 

Fresh Green Bean Salad

August 6th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

Salad:
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1 bunch radishes, chopped
3 cucumbers, chopped

Dressing:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook beans in boiling water until bright green and slightly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain green beans and plunge into ice water until cold; drain.
Toss green beans, radishes, and cucumbers together in a large bowl.
Whisk olive oil and vinegar together in a small bowl until the oil emulsifies into the vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Courtesy of © 2018 Allrecipes.com

The Best Workout Ever, According to Science

August 6th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

It seems like every other week there is a new study touting the best way to work out.

Since my clients are reading these, I like to check them out too. Imagine my smile when I read a “top 10” article and found that several of our “DBM” moves were included.

1. Dumbbell Front Squats
Set your feet hip-to-shoulder-width apart. Holding dumbbells above your shoulders, elbows bent and close to your sides, inhale as you sit back deeply while keeping your chest high, into a squat. Exhale and press the floor away to come back to stand.

2. Dumbbell Shoulder Presses
Start with the dumbbells in your hands, fingers facing forward, just above your shoulders by your ears. Soften your knees. Inhale, then exhale as you press the ‘bells above your head, together but not touching. Resist the weight as you bring them back down.

3. Bentover Rows
Begin bending down by sending your hips back so your torso is hinged at the waist; lightly bend your knees. Let the weights hang in front of your legs, fingers facing them, but don’t allow your shoulders to droop forward. Inhale, then exhale as you row the barbell up, pulling your shoulder blades together at the top. Slowly lower it back to start.

4. Dumbbell Squats 
With dumbbells on your shoulders, squat slowly to the floor. Exhale as you push up to standing. Repeat, slowly down, pushing up and breathing throughout.

6. Wide-Grip Pull-ups (assisted if needed)
On a bar or assisted pullup machine, place your hands so they are each 6-8 inches beyond your shoulder width, fingers facing away from you. Inhale, then exhale as you pull your body up, chin above the bar. Inhale as you lower down with control.

Read the complete Men’s Journal article here

Why strength training is important for all student athletes

August 6th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

Strength training has become such an integral part of an athlete’s training regimen over the past several decades that you would assume it is universally accepted as standard operating procedure.

However, there still appears to be a fairly large contingent of well-meaning coaches who are recipients of push-back regarding strength training’s efficacy and overall benefits. Whether the concerns stem from uninformed parents/guardians, misguided coaches or athletic directors, or antiquated gender stereotyping and misconceptions, strength training still receives a bad rap in some small, restricted circles.

If you are a strength training advocate, and facing the friction of any of the scenarios mentioned above, here are some evidence-based, documented, tried-and-true facts on why strength training should be a mainstay for all athletes — male and female — in every sport.

Think of them as the “magnificent seven” reasons to strength train.

1. It helps reduce the incidence or severity of injury
2. Improvements in overall flexibility
3. Healthy, efficient body composition
4. Increased resting metabolism
5. Packing the power
6. Increased bone mineral density
7. Improved glucose metabolism

Strength training is, unquestionably, one of the most effective avenues available to us for enhancing numerous aspects of physical health and performance-related variables. In addition to the positive physical outcomes mentioned, there also is evidence of mental health benefits including decreased symptoms of depression, increased self-esteem and self-concept, and improved cognitive capabilities.

With all of those key ingredients to athletic success and an improved quality of life in place, the case for engaging in a safely administered, comprehensive, year-round, progressive strength training program is on rock-solid footing.

Read the complete article by Ken Mannie here.

The Hidden Mental and Physical Benefits of Exercise

July 26th, 2018 by Debbie Martilotta

As You Work Out…
Your lungs are getting stronger. When you do cardio, your brain sends signals to them to help you breathe faster and deeper, delivering extra oxygen to your muscles.

Your motivation is at its peak. Thanks to a flood of endorphins, which trigger the classic runner’s high, you feel psyched and energized.

You’re fighting flab. During typical cardio exercise, your body taps mainly fat for fuel.

FIT TIP: Push yourself to go harder. The more intensely you do aerobic activity and the longer you do it, the more efficiently your body uses oxygen, and this boosts its fat-blasting power throughout your workout.

Within One Hour of Exercise…
You’re protecting yourself against colds, flu, you name it. Exercise elevates your level of immunoglobulins, which are proteins that help bolster your immune system and ward off infection. “Every sweat session you do can help strengthen your immune function for about 24 hours,” says Cedric Bryant, PhD, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise.

You’re feeling zen. Mood-enhancing chemicals, like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, flood your brain for a couple of hours post-exercise and for up to a day if you’ve competed in an endurance event, like a marathon. Stress? What stress?

You’re blasting calories, even at rest. For every 100 calories, you burn during your workout, you can expect to burn 15 calories after.

FIT TIP: To turbo-charge your calorie-incinerating quotient, strength-train at least twice a week. It will charge your metabolism so that you’ll continue to burn calories for up to 38 hours, according to a study from Ohio University in Athens.

Post-Workout Benefits

Within One Day of Exercise…
You’re adding lean muscle. If you did a strength-training routine, your muscles are now starting to rebuild themselves and repair the microscopic tears that come with lifting weights. Preliminary research shows that women respond to and recover from resistance training faster than men.

Your heart is healthier. One sweat session lowers your blood pressure for up to 16 hours.

FIT TIP: A vigorous workout is especially heart smart.

You’re a quick study. You’re super alert and focused post-exercise. That’s because a good workout increases the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain.

Within One Week of Regular Exercise…
Your risk of diabetes goes down. The more you work out, the greater your sensitivity to insulin. That, in turn, lowers your blood sugar levels, reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Your VO2 max, a measure of your endurance and aerobic fitness, has already increased by about 5 percent.  You can go a little harder and longer than you could before.

FIT TIP: Step up your routine and your results will be even better. Plus, you can burn more belly fat by doing intervals rather than keeping a steady pace.

You’re slimmer. Cutting 500 calories a day through exercise and diet will help you drop one pound a week.

Long-Term Benefits of Exercise
You’re getting stronger. Those fifteen-pound weights don’t feel quite as heavy, because your muscular endurance is starting to increase. Ten reps is no longer a struggle.

You’re blasting belly fat. After four weeks of regular workouts, your body is ditching flab and gaining muscle. Overweight people who took part in a four-week program of moderate aerobic exercise in an Australian study reduced ab fat by 12 percent.

FIT TIP: To trim your tummy, do fewer crunches and more planks: Begin on all fours, hands under shoulders, knees under hips, then lower forearms to floor and extend legs straight behind you, balancing on toes. Keeping abs engaged and back flat, butt slightly raised, hold for 30 seconds; do 10 reps three or four times a week.

You’ve got more brainpower. Working out activates growth-stimulating proteins in the brain that may help form new cells there.

FIT TIP: The more challenging your workout, the stronger your mental muscle. Aim for 30 minutes of vigorous cardio at least three days a week.

Within One Year of Regular Exercise…
Working out is way easier. “Your endurance and aerobic fitness can increase by up to 25 percent after eight to 12 weeks of regular training,” Gordon says. “In a year your endurance can more than double.”

Your heart rate is lower. Thanks to regular workouts, your heart is pumping more efficiently. For instance, if your initial resting heart rate was 80 beats a minute, it will have dropped to 70 or lower. The less work your heart has to do, the healthier you’ll be.

You’re a fat-melting machine. Your cells are now superefficient at breaking down fat and using it as fuel. That means you’re zapping more flab 24-7.

You’ve cut your cancer risk. In a study of more than 14,800 women, those who had the highest levels of aerobic fitness were 55 percent less likely to die from breast cancer than those who were sedentary. Women considered moderately fit had about a 33 percent lower risk of developing the disease. Exercise may also help protect against endometrial, lung, and ovarian cancer, researchers say.

You’re adding years to your life.
Fitness buffs have better telomeres, the DNA that bookends our chromosomes and protects them from damage, which can slow the aging process, studies show.

You feel fantastic. Just four months of exercise is as good as prescription meds at boosting mood and reducing depression, according to a study at Duke University. Keep it up and not only will your life be longer, it will be happier, too!

Courtesy of Fitness Magazine