Superfood is a term we hear and see often, but what is a superfood and where does the term come from? I sought out to answer this question after seeing this term used over and over again to describe things that I would call food… Not “Superfood,” just food. Foods like Blueberries, Almonds, Brussel Sprouts, Apples, Avocado’s and Pumpkin. All of these foods I ate growing up and we called them things like; nuts, fruits and vegetables. While it’s not as glamorous as “Superfood,” these foods I ate as a kid had the same health benefits. So back to the question what is a “Superfood?”

I tried to find out exactly when the term Superfood was first used and found conflicting results, some of the online resources stated that the term might have been used as early as the 1800’s but after a few minutes of looking (20 to be precise) I gave up and decided it wasn’t necessarily important to know when the term was first used but more importantly how it is being used today. The term “Superfood” is used to describe a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being. That definition is rather the opposite of what I would think a super food is. I would say a “Super Food’ would clean your room or give you the ability to fly after eating it but that’s just me, a fitness blogger desperately trying to find a way to make this blog post more interesting… How am I doing by the way? Are you enjoying this so far?

I wanted to take a look at these “Superfoods” a little closer and see what makes them so super. The first thing I did was search online blogs and websites to find which foods are most commonly being called “Super.” I found that a lot of the same foods were appearing in these blogs and websites and when I looked at their individual nutritional values I found that they all had a mixture of vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats. These are things that I refer to and consider essential, as they are essential to living. We need all of these things to live a healthy life and our body depends on them to perform. These essentials are found in different concentrations in these foods, some had more than others, and others had all or just some. However, these foods all have something to offer in the way of essential nutrition.

I found that the term “Superfood” is somewhat misleading and has been banned in some countries, “The new EU legislation will ban the use of the term superfood unless it is accompanied by a specific authorized health claim that explains to consumers why the product is good for their health.”

Furthermore, the term “Superfood” is not used by dieticians and nutritionists but as term used by marketers to help sell and promote certain foods and products.

Ultimately I think the term “Superfood” is synonyms with “nutrient dense,” meaning that the food has essentials to a healthy lifestyle and body. Food is good and the best foods are ones are organic whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans and meats.

Below is a list of the most common “Superfoods” I found and what they contain in the way of essential nutrition.

Almonds – Healthy Fats, Protein, calcium and Iron.

Apples – Vitamins A, C, Calcium and Iron

Avocado – Healthy Fats, Vitamin C & Fiber, Minerals.

Bananas – Potassium & other Minerals.

Beets – Vitamins A, B & C and Potassium.

Blueberries – Vitamin C, K and Fiber

Cabbage – Vitamin A, C, Calcium and Iron.

Cauliflower – Vitamin C

Chia – fiber Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids.

Dates – Carbs & Fiber.

Edamame – Protein & fiber.

Eggs – Protein, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and Cholesterol.

Black Beans – Fiber & Protein

Jalapenos – Vitamin A & C.

Lemon – Vitamin C.

Pumpkin – Vitamin A, Potassium.

Quinoa – Protein, Fiber & Iron.

Salmon – Protein Omega 3 & 6.

Resources:

http://www.livescience.com/34693-superfoods.html

http://greatist.com/health/superfoods-a-to-z

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6252390.stm

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember - Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

Today we talk about a few events and non-profit organizations that are helping people live a healthier happier life fueled by fitness.

Yoga is used by many people as a way to lose weight, get strong and achieve flexibility but there is an organization out there that has realized how powerful yoga is in helping people reduce stress and deal with traumatic and difficult situations. We talk with two Veterans who have used yoga when dealing with the stress and hardships a military lifestyle brings. Imagine being able to use yoga to deal with PTSD and learn how to deal with the symptoms of PTSD in a way that puts the veteran in a position to focus their energy on being mindful and not to mention yoga is a great way to build strength!     

Veterans Yoga Project offers free yoga to veterans in an effort to help them deal with the unique stress they are enduring. Veterans Yoga Project is an educational and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of military veterans. Working in partnership with veterans, active-duty military personnel, student veteran’s organizations, and other non-profit organizations, Veterans Yoga Project supports recovery and promotes resilience among veterans, their families, and their communities. They have many special events and ongoing yoga classes; you can find them here: http://www.veteransyogaproject.org/find-a-class.html

The Paralympics takes place one week after the Olympics and features some of the best athletes who have overcome a major physical disability. These athletes train harder and competition is fierce! On the show we talk with Kevin who is a Paralympic hopeful and learn just how hard he’s training and what he will be looking to achieve in training for the upcoming Paralympics.   

The United States Association of Blind Athletes is hosting “Breakfast with Champions.” During this event you will hear from 3 Paralympians who all won medals in the 2016 Rio Paralympics and have brought those medals for you to see up close in person. You will be able to meet these athletes and ask them questions if you’d like! The breakfast is Friday November 4th at the Olympic Training Center from 7:30-9:00 A.M. You can purchase tickets here: http://usaba.org/index.php/sports/calendar-details/breakfast_with_champions_fundraiser/

Here we are in mid-October and I’m thinking about Halloween, it’s on a Monday this year, which means bars and clubs downtown will have all weekend to celebrate scantily clad women who are claiming to be a “kitten” while wearing a bra and mini skirt, I’ve owned a few cats and they don’t wear bra’s but who am I to judge a cats clothing choices. Also we can’t forget the shirtless men who dress up as a cop, I’ve never run into a cop wearing an open faced vest with his rock hard abs and tight booty shorts however if that’s what our law officers really had to wear I imagine I would get in trouble a lot more often…

I bring up Halloween because from here on out its holiday after holiday, family gatherings and office parties. All this leads up to the biggest day of the year for personal trainers, gyms, supplement companies and those involved in the fitness industry, New Year’s Eve! Well, New Year’s Eve isn’t the actual day that the fitness industry is looking forward to but what it brings, new year’s resolutions. Along with the holidays and office parties usually comes a few extra pounds and people will be looking for a fresh start.

I was hoping that as I write this some very clever and witty collection of words would come to me so I could finally introduce my point, but alas… I have nothing… so here it is. Here are a few things you need to know about the fitness industry and trainers:

1.The fitness industry is seasonal and January is one of the busiest months for new members. They’re betting you make a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get in shape. Right now as we speak there are trainers out there developing their plans and to target you in 2017, it happens every year and this year will be no different. Somewhere there is a trainer or gym owner trying to come up with a super clever name for their “New Year New You” resolution program. A program that was designed specifically for you to get you “Bikini ready,” or “High School Skinny.” I personally was chubby in High school so that gimmick doesn’t work on me, and honestly, the reason I’m writing this is because I’m tired of seeing the same gimmicks year after year and I am hoping that the fitness industry will step up its game this year.

2. There are companies and trainers out there that develop specialized fitness programs just for this purpose and then they sell those programs to other gym owners and trainers so some of these workouts are standardized cookie cutter programs that haven’t been personalized to fit your specific needs. Now sometimes they work and honestly most programs do but I wanted to point out that these programs are available to you without going through a gym or trainer and be purchased for a significant discount. Trainers and gyms mark up the price and sell them to many individuals at a time. I’m not trashing gyms, this is how most business works, and in all honesty you pay for a gym or trainer not for the actual workouts for more so for the accountability.
3. The barrier for entry is very low. There are multiple nationally recognized personal training certification available and all one needs to do is purchase the at home, self-study materials which usually consist of a large text book, a study guide and some DVD’s. Once the person believes they are ready they then go to a secure testing facility and complete a written exam and “voila,” The industry has another trainer. All this costs less than a $1000 and can be completed in a few months depending on how fast the person can study the materials.

None of these are necessarily good or bad they just are and it’s important to know these things when signing up for a gym and purchasing personal training. Here are a few more things to consider when signing up.

1. Experience – How long has the trainer been in business and what type of training do they specialize in? When looking for a trainer see how many years they have been practicing along with how many happy customers they have. If you’re comfortable I would suggest asking to speak with some of their current clients to get some honest feedback.
2. Specialization – There are different types of trainers that have specialized services and depending on your current physical state you may need someone with a very specific tool set. If you have any current health problems, you might want to seek a niche specific trainer. Other might want to achieve specific goals such as powerlifting or bodybuilding so you would need a trainer that specializes in those areas.
3. Sincerity – Does the trainer have a true passion for what they’re doing or is this just a job to them. It’s not a bad thing to have a job that you don’t necessarily care about but when it comes to something like personal training it’s nice to know that the person working with you actually cares. This is something that is a little harder to judge but if you trust your gut you’ll probably be ok.     
4. Listening skills – This means that when you tell your trainer what your goals are and what you want to achieve out of training they take what you’re saying and put it into a specific exercise program for you. It’s easy for trainers to develop a “one size fits all program” and give it to everyone regardless of the specific goals for each person. You want a program that fits your needs and personality, if you hate burpees and don’t want to do them your trainer should respect that and give you exercise that are enjoyable and make sense for your goals.
5. Safe – There are certain movements and exercises that might not be good for you and your trainer should create a safe environment for you. Many clients have had surgery or injuries which will affect certain moves and the trainer needs to be aware of any injuries and should adjust the programming appropriately.
6. Teacher – Anytime your trainer tells you to do something they should also tell you why and more specifically why it will help you achieve your specific goals. This will ensure that you are getting the most out of your training and you will also be able to develop a philosophy about different aspects of training and how it pertains to you.         

This is a new training and exercise system that uses cooling, compression and interval training to maximize the users efforts. This is a low impact and relatively low intensity way for people to get the same great benefits of a high intensity workout.

The system works by compressing and cooling the body at the same time. When compressing the muscle the Vasper System traps the lactic acid in the muscle causing an instant muscle burn much more quickly than traditional training and exercise. This starts an anabolic hormonal response in the body to produce growth hormones, testosterone, DHEA and endorphin’s. The user gets these positive results without the negative effects of the wear and tear that a high intensity workout puts the body through which allows the user to rest and recovery.

We have an interview with one of the reps for the company Chloe.

https://youtu.be/ECRdsbWFtUE 

Here are a few more tips on getting the most out of your training.

Plan what you’re going to do – You don’t have to overdo this but having a general idea of what you want to achieve will be super helpful. Right now were trying to be more mobile and work on corrective movements so I think it would be helpful if we walked you through a few different programs and how you can get the most benefits.  

Time is your friend - First off no matter what you’re doing you’re going to get better over time. With this in mind remember you don’t need to always be switching up your workouts, do your program for a few weeks to make sure you get the most out of it. In a lot of programs you’ll have the same 3-5 workouts that you do for about 4-8 weeks depending on the specific goal.

Let’s look at a bodybuilder’s workout plan. A typical plan would be 5 days a week and each day will be a different body part of specific movement, below is a schedule we’ve put together as an example:

Monday  (Chest Day) – Bench Press, Skull Crushers, Push-ups, Tricep Press.

Tuesday (Back Day) – Pull-ups, Bent Over row, Seated Row, Lat Pull down.

Wednesday (Leg Day) – Back Squat, Alternating Lunge, Leg Press, Leg Extension.

Thursday (Rest Day) – Rest days are typically no lifting but possibly some light cardio such as walking.

Friday (Shoulder Day) – Military Press, Lateral Raises, Front Raises, Bent Over Fly’s,

Saturday (Bi’s, Tri’s and Accessories) – Bicep Curls, Tricep Kickbacks, Hammer Curls, Shoulder Shrugs.

Sunday (Rest) Rest and recovery.

Don’t waste your time – Unless you use the gym as your social time, and some people really enjoy hanging out at the gym, get in and get out! Exercising doesn’t have to take a long time, you can get a really great workout in 10 minutes. If you tighten up your rest breaks and don’t get distracted by your phone or other people in the gym you’ll be able to knock out multiple sets and reps quickly. 

Maximize your efforts - This is tied in with not wasting your time, when performing an exercise/movement really focus on what you’re trying to achieve with the movement. If you’re lifting weights to target a specific muscle for muscle growth really focus on feeling the burn in that muscle and controlling the movement. If you’re doing yoga or a corrective exercise really focus on stretching the targeted muscle. The mind and body should always be working together to achieve whatever goal you’re aiming for, to sum it up don’t just go in the gym and flop your body around. Focus on why you’re there and get it done.

https://youtu.be/T8nOriFSkac

Movement of the Week “Bug-UP” this is a move I actually made up and it’s a combination of a “v-up” and a “Dead Bug.” This is an ab exercise and it’s very challenging, the way you have to control the move is going to maximize your results and minimize your efforts. Here’s how you do the move; first lay on the floor on your back, extend your legs and lift your arms above your head. Now tilt your hips posteriorly, so that your back is flat on the ground, now lift your arms and legs off the ground a few inches, hold for a second and lower your arms and legs back down to the ground without letting your lower back come off of the floor. During this move you will have to focus very hard on keeping your back flat on the ground and it should really challenge you to use your abdominal muscles. Try a few reps and rest then try a few sets. It’s really simple and it will help develop those abs and it will also help with anyone who suffers from a posterior tilt in the hips. 

Jon Anderson is a shoe expert and tells us how shoes can affect us and what we need to consider when purchasing shoes. Also, some of our favorite exercises. 

Follow Jon and get more info at his website: RedLegRunners.com