ATC Personal Trainer

GRAIN POWERSimple carbs such as white rice and potatoes lack the fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals of more complex grains. Why not choose side dishes that are not only more interesting but can also lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, improve gut health and boost energy levels, among other benefits? The alternative isn’t just brown rice. BARLEY: Subtly sweet and chewy, this rice like grain holds up well in fresh or cooked dishes. CARBS: 22g FIBER: 3g PROTEIN: 2g BEST IN: Salads, Korean dishes or paired with cooked mushrooms and bitter greens such as escarole. Flavor Boost: Toss with thyme or other fresh herbs before serving.SPELT: This ancient grain has a nutty and sweet flavor similar to whole wheat. CARBS: 26g FIBER: 4g PROTEIN: 5g BEST IN: Pilafs with mushrooms and onions, or bread.FARRO: With a nice chew, this ancient grain is texturally pleasing and has a strong cashew flavor, with hints of cinnamon. CARBS: 26g FIBER: 3.5g PROTEIN: 4g BEST IN: Pilafs, salads, steamed with kale and squash, or cooked risotto-style with Parmesan. Flavor Boost: Add aromatics like ginger, garlic or scallions while cooking.BULGUR: Often used in Middle Eastern cooking especially Turkish cuisine, it has a popcorn like scent when cooked. CARBS: 17g FIBER: 4g PROTEIN: 3g BEST IN: Pilafs with fresh herbs or onions and garlic, or subbed for rice in soups. Flavor Boost: Mix grains to create new tastes.QUINOA: Unlike most grains, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential proteins needed for building muscle. It’s also gluten free. Rinse before cooking to remove the bitter outer germ. CARBS: 20g FIBER: 3g PROTEIN: 4g BEST IN: Salads, stir-fries and pilafs, with fresh herbs, shallots and garlic. *All nutrition info is for 1 serving.

5 FITNESS TRENDS
Fitness technology is booming, and with all the different devices and apps out there, it can be hard to keep up with the latest offerings. With holiday gifts and new year’s resolutions in mind, here are some things to know about tech trends to help you achieve your fitness and wellness goals.

Mindfulness and meditation: It’s becoming more apparent that mindfulness improves mental health and overall well-being. There are apps that can guide you through mindfulness techniques, breathing exercises and meditation practices to enhance your mood and mental state. For many people, being able to access affordable support and skills to help battle stress and anxiety at the touch of a button is life changing.

Tracking health metrics: This isn’t a new concept, but what we track and how definitely is. Smart devices work with apps to monitor and record calories burned and consumed, heart rate, metabolic rate, sleep quality, GPS location, even what type of macronutrients you’re burning and how efficiently you’re using them. You can take this information to your health care provider to show trends over time and get a better sense of what does and doesn’t work for you. Also, seeing changes in data can be extremely motivating.

Finding community: Being accountable to someone else should be motivating too, and can drive consistency. Community forums in apps are becoming more popular, helping provide a sense of belonging. Tracking your progress can also create friendly competition and keep you on a course for your fitness goals. By providing you with a digital team, apps provide a community for you even if you don’t have one at home.

Assessing body changes: Body scanners can measure a variety of things, including weight, fat, muscle mass, bone density and hydration. They vary in accuracy, price point and convenience. Gold standards like DEXA scanners are the most accurate on the market, but they’re expensive and time consuming. Many gyms have bioelectrical impedance analysis machines that can measure body fat and lean tissue, but they can be inconsistent because they are based on hydration levels. New is the use of body scanners via apps, which capture a 3D body visualization that assesses changes in your body’s measurements to track your progress.

Getting versatile: One of the biggest changes in fitness tech is the adaptability of products. With the sheer volume of content and platforms, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which apps to use for what, making it desirable to find a one stop shop for all your wellness needs. Compatibility among activity trackers and smart devices has also increased, giving consumers access to the most convenient products and data on the market all in one place instead of toggling between several apps.

INTERMITTENT FASTINGIntermittent fasting is growing in popularity. For those unfamiliar with the practice, intermittent fasting is when a person purposefully fasts for most of the day and takes in calories only within a specific block of time. Typically the fast lasts between 12 and 16 hours.The history. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn’t have the modern luxuries of grocery stores, refrigerators or easy access to food. As a result, humans have evolved to be able to function without food for extended periods of time. Fasting has also been practiced for centuries for religious or spiritual reasons.The benefits according to the National Institute on Aging, fasting improves biomarkers of disease, reduces oxidative stress, and preserves learning and memory functioning. High insulin levels are often the culprit for diabetes and obesity. Between meals, insulin levels will go down and fat cells can then release stored sugars to be used as energy. We lose weight and improve our health if insulin levels fall. The idea of intermittent fasting is to allow the levels to go down far and long enough that we begin to burn off our fat stores.The timing. Our metabolisms have adapted to a daytime food, nighttime sleep schedule. Late-night eating is linked to a higher risk of obesity and diabetes. While studies show fasting to be effective, it’s often hard for people to follow. It’s important to find a schedule that works with your lifestyle for it to be effective and sustainable, especially when combined with a plant-based diet. Many find eating between noon and 8 p.m. works best.The start. If you usually eat breakfast, this may be a challenge for you. In time, your body will adapt and the feeling of hunger will subside. When fasting you can have caffeine, which acts as an appetite suppressant. Stay away from creamers, sugar or other calories in your coffee or tea; those calories will break your fast. Stick to an all natural zero calorie sweetener like stevia or monk fruit.The secret. Drink plenty of water. Often when we feel hungry, or body is confusing it with thirst. Consuming water first thing in the morning will help alleviate hunger pangs and flush out your system from overnight.

ARE PLANT MILKS RIGHT FOR YOU?Have you noticed the growing number of beverages in your grocery store’s dairy case? These milks don’t contain dairy at all; instead, they are made from plant foods such as coconut, almonds, cashews, oats, soy and rice. We’re often told that dairy products are the best source of calcium and vitamin D, which support strong bones and healthy teeth. So why all these new options?For some, the answer simply comes down to personal preference. However, there are also considerable health concerns driving this nondairy trend. An estimated 30 million American adults cannot digest lactose, the natural sugar found in dairy products. These people experience gas, diarrhea or bloating after consuming cow’s milk. And approximately 6 million Americans, predominantly children, are allergic to cow’s milk, a condition that can require emergency medical treatment. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine asserts that the saturated fat found in cow’s milk can increase the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Additionally, based on ethical and environmental concerns, some Americans opt to avoid animal products in favor of a vegan lifestyle.However, other people simply prefer the taste, creaminess and versatility of cow’s milk. Like plant milk, it comes in a variety of flavors and fat contents. Lactose-free options and supplemental enzymes are also available for those who are lactose intolerant. These are easy to find at convenience and grocery stores. They can also be a more economical choice, with some plant milks costing twice as much.Regardless of which milk you prefer, it is always important to read labels. Plant milks are made by soaking the chosen nut, bean or grain, grinding that material with water, and then adding flavorings, nutrients and often sugar. This means some milks are high in sugar, or lack the amounts of calcium, vitamin D, protein and vitamin B12 that make dairy so valuable. Look for plant milk that is fortified with at least 250mg calcium and 2.5mcg vitamin D. Also, choose unsweetened options, preferably with less than 12 grams of sugar per cup.

THE DANGERS OF SUGARY DRINKS
From designer sodas and fresh-pressed juices to bubble teas and chocolaty frappes, we have more options to suck through a straw than ever before. Creative non alcoholic drinks are all the rage, often matching the latest cocktails in their complexity. Consider the Spring Fling, offered at Utah-based Swig, one of the new “old fashioned” soda shops popping up of late. It’s made with Dr. Pepper, vanilla, strawberry puree and coconut cream.
But this isn’t a healthy trend. Guzzling sugary beverages of any kind puts you at greater risk for weight gain, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Drinking calories is not natural. It was never part of a human being’s evolution. In fact, sipping down sugary drinks may be more harmful to your health than chowing down on a candy bar.
A typical healthy person has about 5 grams of glucose, a form of sugar, circulating in his or her blood. A 20-ounce bottle of cola contains 65 grams of sugar, five times as much as a typical glazed doughnut. When you drink a sugary beverage, it enters your bloodstream and raises your glucose levels very quickly, far faster than if you took in the same number of calories from a solid food. When your body suddenly has more blood sugar than it can use for energy, it converts this excess glucose into body fat. Worse, even though sugary beverages are loaded with calories, your brain doesn’t recognize drinks as food. Calories in liquid form do not really produce satiety. So even as it floods you with sugar, a soda won’t trigger the hormones that tell you to stop eating.
The belief that certain drinks are healthy can cause people to forget about their sugar content. A great example of this is store bought orange juice. It’s an ultra processed food and has as much sugar as soda. And, for some people, it can cause the same sugar spikes. Same goes for sweetened coffees, fruit smoothies or sports drinks, which can contain 34 grams of sugar in a 20 ounce bottle. The American Heart Association recommends adults consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women (9 teaspoons, or 36 grams, for men). And that includes all the sugars snuck into the breads, sauces and prepared foods you eat.
If the threat of diabetes and obesity weren’t scary enough, long-term consumption of sweet beverages may also increase your risk of dying from heart disease and certain cancers. Harvard researchers found sipping drinks sweetened with sugar to be associated with a moderately higher risk of breast cancer or colon cancer. They also discovered that for every additional sugary drink a person consumed, on average, per day, the risk of dying from heart disease increased by 10 percent.
How does your favorite drink compare?
• 18-ounce sports drink: 31 grams sugar
• 18-ounce smoothie: 36 grams sugar
• 18-ounce sweet tea: 44 grams sugar
• 18-ounce cola: 59 grams sugar
• 18-ounce lemonade: 60 grams sugar

5 Ways To Cut Back
A sugary beverage now and then is ok as a treat. But on a regular basis, the sugar rush is far too rapid for our bodies to handle.
1. Swap sparkling water of sugary soda. Calorie-free seltzers come in an array of flavors.
2. Brew your own iced tea. Chill a pot of tea, then add just a touch of sweetener if you want.
3. Flavor up your H2O. Sliced fruit or calorie-free powders or drops add zing to plain water.
4. Snack on fruit. Replace juices with whole fruits, especially citrus fruits and berries.
5. Don’t drink away stress. If you need an energy rush, consider physical mental exercise.

THE TRUTH ABOUT SUGAR
It’s no secret that sugar is detrimental to our health. It increases blood pressure, spikes inflammation and promotes cavities. It negatively affects our health in other ways, too:
➢ Too much sugar can cause insulin resistance, believed to be a leading cause of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and other conditions.
➢ Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells. Insulin is one of the key hormones in regulating this sort of growth. For this reason, many scientists believe that having constantly elevated insulin levels (a consequence of sugar consumption) can contribute to cancer.
➢ Sugar contributes to obesity in both adults and children. Over 5-% of Americans are overweight.
➢ According to the Journal of American Medical Association, a sugar laden diet may raise your risk of dying of heart disease even if you aren’t overweight. The effects of sugar go beyond weight management.
Added sugars vs. natural sugars: There is a significant difference between natural sugars and added sugars. Natural sugar (fructose) is often found in fruits like berries. Not only is fructose not harmful, these foods generally include added benefits like antioxidants and fiber.
Added sugars are found in processed foods like bread and cereals. Added sugars or sweeteners can include natural sugars such as white sugar, brown sugar and honey, as well as other caloric sweeteners that are chemically manufactured, such as high-fructose corn syrup. Consumption not only increases your daily sugar count, but the processing of these foods often reduces or eliminates key nutrients.
How much sugar is too much? It is inevitable that we will consume some sugar daily. Our goal should be to limit added sugars and our overall amount consumed. For adults, USDA dietary guidelines recommend limiting added sugar to 5% to 15% of total calories consumed. For example, a 1,500 calorie diet should be limited to 19 to 56 grams of added sugar, a 2,000 calorie diet to 25 to 75 grams of added sugar and a 2,500 calorie diet to 31 to 94 grams of added sugar.
How much sugar is found in common coffees, breakfast items, and other popular beverages and foods? Here’s a sampling:
Starbucks Venti Vanilla Latte, 79g sugar
Starbucks Venti Iced Mocha, 43g sugar
Starbucks Venti Iced Vanilla Latte, 41g sugar
32 oz. Gatorade, 21g sugar per serving, 2.5 servings per bottle
20 oz. Coke, 65g sugar
Strawberry Yoplait yogurt, 18g of sugar
Fage Greek Yogurt with Honey, 29g sugar
Fruity Pebbles, 9g sugar
Honey Nut Cheerios, 9,sugar
Spaghetti sauce, 10g sugar

MEET THE GREENS
Try adding one or more of these to your plate.
1. Watercress: Often overlooked as just a garnish, it has a pleasant, slightly spicy, tangy flavor. Good for your bones, with more than 100% of your daily vitamin K needs per cup. Add it to sandwiches, toss it with a light dressing and enjoy as a salad, or blend it into a pesto or dip.
2. Beet Greens: The tops of red or golden beets are delicious and tender, with a mildly sweet flavor. Especially high in fiber, iron, and vitamin K. Chop them up to enjoy raw in a salad or smoothie, or braise or sauté them.
3. Lacinato Kale: Also known as dinosaur (dino) or Tuscan kale, this variety is sweeter and tenderer than other kales. One of the most nutrient dense foods, with impressive levels of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as heart-healthy antioxidants. Massage it for a salad, braise it, add to soups, or make chips by chopping it into pieces, drizzling it with oil and then baking.
4. Arugula: A cousin of broccoli and kale, with tender leaves and a distinctive peppery bite. Arugula has very high levels of cancer fighting chemicals. Use it as a base for salads, or fold it into pasta or eggs (cooking it mellows out the flavor).
5. Bok Choy: A cabbage native to China that’s mild and crunchy. Like kale, it’s a cruciferous vegetable. It contains compounds that may have anticancer benefits, as well as selenium, an essential mineral with antioxidant, heart, and brain health benefits. Bok Choy works well in stir-fries and soups, and can also be oven roasted or grilled.
6. Swiss Chard: Slightly bitter when raw and milder when cooked. Some chard, known as rainbow chard, has vibrantly colored stalks. It is especially high in vitamin A; with more than twice your daily needs per serving. It’s also rich in minerals like potassium. You can enjoy both the stems and leaves, though the stems may take longer to cook) so separate them and start them in the pan first).

GREENS
Greens pack a huge punch when it comes to nutrients. They have tons of vitamins (like A, B, C, and K), minerals (such as iron, calcium, and magnesium), and phytonutrients, all while having few calories.
Thanks to their high levels of foliate and magnesium, dark leafy greens, including spinach, kale, and others are especially good for your heart. They’re also rich in vegetable nitrates, a compound linked with lower rates of a range of diseases. In fact, a study published in 2021 in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that consuming a cup of raw nitrate-rich leafy greens each day was associated with lower blood pressure, fewer strokes, and up to 26 percent lower risk of developing peripheral artery disease. The high fiber content of greens can also improve your cholesterol levels. Fiber binds to dietary cholesterol in the gut and is then excreted. This may help to lower LDL levels for some people. Other compounds in greens may work to keep cholesterol from accumulating in blood vessels as well.
Greens are also loaded with antioxidants such as vitamins A and C. Along with the greens’ high fiber levels; these antioxidants may reduce your cancer risk (just two to three servings a week may slash your risk of stomach, breast, and skin cancer). They also give your immune system a boost.
And, greens just make you feel great. Think of greens as straight energy. My clients who add more of them (or even a greens powder) to their routines are able to avoid that mid afternoon slump. They’ll also help you optimize your digestion, thanks to their fiber and a sugar that feeds the good bacteria in your micro biome. And, greens may slow cognitive decline, keeping your brain sharper as you age.
To get the max benefits, start with at least ½ cup cooked or a cup raw per day, and work your way up to a cup cooked or 2cups raw daily. Swapping out your usual salad base for dark leafy greens, blending them into smoothies, and scrambling them with eggs are all easy ways to work them into your routine.

GO NUTS FOR HEALTH
Rather than snacking on chips, try cashews and other nuts. Eating just 2 ounces of nuts daily can lower levels of the harmful type of cholesterol (LDL) by up to 5%. In fact, a 2019 study found that those with type 2 diabetes who devoted 10% of their daily calories to cashews had a lower ratio of LDL to HDL (the good kind of cholesterol) levels than those who didn’t eat any cashews.
Another study revealed that eating peanuts and tree nuts twice a week and walnuts once a week was associated with a 13% to 19% reduced risk of any form of cardiovascular disease, and a 15% to 23% lower risk of coronary heart disease.

THE POWER OF SLEEP
People in their 50’s and 60’s who sleep six or fewer hours per night could be at higher risk of developing dementia, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing a new study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
For their study, researchers examined survey data for some 8,000 adults in Britain spanning 25 years. That data was based on participants’ personal sleep logs and sleep tracking devices they agreed to wear. Researchers then linked that information with dementia diagnoses from the health records system.
Even after controlling for cardiac, metabolic and mental health issues, researchers found that 50 year olds who were sleeping six hours or less a night had a 22% higher risk of developing dementia later in life, according to the Journal, and 60 year olds were 37% more likely to develop the disorder as compared with people who slept seven or more hours each night.
Even though we can’t say sleep duration has a causal impact on dementia, it would be a good to encourage good sleep hygiene. Recommendations are that people turn off mobile devices at least a half hour before bedtime, and develop a daytime exercise routine to help their bodies fall asleep and stay asleep for the needed number of hours.
People should make sure they are exposed to natural light during daytime hours and have dinner an hour or more before bedtime, as the digestive process can interfere with sleep.

WOMEN’S HEALTH
Fitness and nutrition don’t just play a role in weight management. They are critical in preventing disease and injury. Many of the top 10 health concerns that affect women are preventable and can be treated through a good diet and increased physical activity. They include:
Diabetes and obesity: Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic affecting nearly 26 million Americans, roughly half of them women. Those with type 2 diabetes are often obese. The combination of these conditions increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Stroke: Nearly 60% of stroke deaths occur in women. For warning signs, remember the acronym FAST (Face drooping, Arm weakness or numbness, Speech problems, Time to call 911). The sooner you seek treatment, the more brain function you can save.
Osteopenia and osteoporosis: Half of all women will experience osteoporosis, which starts long before problems are noticed. The earlier you start protecting your bones, the better. Women’s bone mass peaks by 30, making the childhood and teenage years key for bone building. Prevent osteoporosis by getting enough calcium and vitamin D, and increasing skeletal strength with weight bearing exercises.
Depression: It’s almost twice as likely to affect women as men. Counseling will help most people, but you can also help yourself by committing to exercise and spending time with loved ones.
Most of these health issues can be addressed with proper nutrition and regular exercise. Here are some strategies:
Nutrition: Plan, and then prepare your food at home. Restaurant dishes contain more calories, fat and sugar, while pre-packaged foods load up on refined ingredients. Consider adding a supplement to your diet to ensure you’re getting all your vitamins and minerals, like calcium and vitamin D.
Fitness: Weight-bearing and resistance training can help promote weight loss by building lean muscle mass, which increases your metabolic rate. Increasing movement and cardio activity can help strengthen the heart as well as aid in weight loss. Movement also increases endorphins, which trigger a positive feeling in the body. There is a clear link between exercise and battling depression.

Drink to Your Health?
You’ve heard it over and over again: A little alcohol is actually good for you. But the link isn’t that straight forward. Here’s what you need to know.
Pouring yourself a glass of red wine with a healthy meal can feel pretty virtuous. After all, it’s part of the Mediterranean diet, and good for you, right? But as scientists learn about alcohol’s impact on various aspects of health, more research casts doubt on the idea that any amount is healthy. While there may be some benefits to moderate drinking, many experts say they are outweighed by an increase in other health risks. Alcohol may be good for your heart, the jury is still out on that, but it is clearly not good for cancer risk. And when it comes to other areas of health, the picture is less than perfectly clear.
Your Heart: Some studies find that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of dying from heart disease than nondrinkers, though there are many factors, such as education levels or health history that may explain this difference, say experts. One such recent study of more than 18,000 initially healthy older adults, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, found that those who drank moderately were less likely to have a cardiovascular event than those who abstained.
For healthy people, drinking moderation (typically defined as one drink per day, max, for women) may help the heart in several ways. In low amounts, it increases the force with which you heart can pump blood, making the organ more effective. Alcohol also relaxes your blood vessels, decreasing blood pressure. And it increases compounds in you blood called antithrombotic factors, which reduce your risk of blood clots and therefore strokes. Red wine may have the added benefit of antioxidants such as resveratrol, which may help lower levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol) and increase HDL (the good kind). But at high intake levels (more than three drinks in a day, or seven in a week) or with regular binge drinking (for women, having four or more drinks in a two-hour sitting once a month or more), alcohol can cause heart issues. Heavy use can lead to your heart’s muscle cells dying off and being replaced with stiffer tissues that aren’t able to contract. As a result, the heart may become less efficient and more prone to arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, enlargement, and failure.
Your Brain: Alcohol acts on your brain in a few ways. It works as a sedative by impacting signaling. It can also act as a stimulant, by working on neurotransmitters. And when your liver breaks down alcohol, it produces acetate as a by-product, which your brain burns for energy along with glucose (instead of only glucose, its main fuel). Your brain adapts to these changes, and when the alcohol is all processed, it shifts back. Over time, this cycling back and fourth can cause damage.
There is some research that points to a potentially protective benefit of light drinking, but the relationship is still not fully understood. Scientists don’t know exactly what level of drinking is safe for the brain. But regularly drinking enough to push your blood alcohol concentration above the legal driving limit of 0.08 percent is likely damaging. Researchers have found that the brains of alcoholics show degeneration similar to what’s seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
Your Bones: Maintaining bone mass becomes challenging once you hit menopause, as the rate of bone remodeling (where bone breaks down and rebuilds itself) accelerates. But alcohol may actually slow down that process, which is why research finds that drinking in moderation is associated with higher bone density after menopause. Drinking heavily, however, can have a number of negative effects on your skeleton, and is associated with lower bone density and a higher risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
The Cancer Consideration: Drinking raises your risk of at least seven different cancers: cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, breast, and colon. It’s a pretty linear relationship: The more you drink, the higher your risk.
There are a few ways that alcohol increases cancer risk. Your body converts it into acetaldehyde; when this likely carcinogenic compound sits on tissues in your throat and esophagus, it damages them. This is especially true in smokers. Heavy drinking can lead to liver cirrhosis, raising the risk of liver cancer. Alcohol also raises your blood levels of estrogen, which may increase breast cancer risk. And it interferes with the metabolism of foliate, a B vitamin that helps with DNA repair; researchers think this may play a role in both colon and breast cancer.
With breast cancer, having about a drink a day or less raises relative risk by 4 percent, about one to three drinks a day by 23 percent, and about four or more by 61 percent, according to a 2015 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Cancer. Yet, this connection gets little attention. One study found that only 25 percent of women ages 15 to 44 knew about the relationship