Get Fit Series! & Fashletics Giveaway!

Today is the first in a series of weekly fitness/nutrition and healthy posts! I want to open this post introducing what this series means and what I hope for it.  I get lots of e-mails asking me what my exercise routine is, and what works for me.  I thought it would be really fun to share one workout move every week with you guys and hear back what works for you and what doesn't.  I do not claim to have an ideal body, and I am currently spending this summer getting to my ideal/toned body.  I am hoping we can do this together and see results together!  Every once in a while you will see notes from the doctor in blue italics.  These are little tips from my husband, a DPT (doctor of physical therapy) reminding us to keep our posture correct, or things we can do to prevent injuries.  Thanks husband for keeping us safe while we get our swoll on.  Now, let's witness the fitness and get started!

Let's begin with the first workout move of the week to tighten the core while simultaneously strengthening the shoulders! (Every week I will start with a workout and then move onto nutrition). 

STAIRSTEP PLANKS!

From starting position, lowering both arms and then returning to the original upright position counts as 1.
Add three sets of 10 to your regular routine to see amazing core results in as little as 2 weeks!

ADJUSTMENTS

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You can take the adjust down or adjust up to advanced depending on where you are at in your level of fitness. I have found regular planks to change my stomach area.  More than that?  It makes running so much easier (or any cardio for that matter) when you stabilize your core!  That means longer workouts, easier runs and more calories burned!   Again, do three sets of ten (for the advanced move that means ten on each side, no slacking!) 

Notes from the doctor: If you are going to do the advanced version of this move be sure to choose a         weight that isn't too heavy.  You shouldn't have to struggle to rotate and press the weight into a fly.            

You don't want to damage your rotator cuff and end up not being able to work out at all!  -J. Slater, DPT 

NUTRITION 101

Every week we will be talking about one aspect of nutrition.  I am starting out with a pretty heavy post about enriched wheat/flour/sugar vs. whole wheat and natural.  Most weeks will not be this in depth and "preachy" but I feel like this is one real reason a lot of us carry on that extra weight around our midsections when we could so easily swap and drop the pounds faster and do our bodies some good in the meantime!  

Swap for WHOLE WHEAT!

I know in food magazines and on health shows were hear all about whole wheat and whole grains versus white flour and white pasta.  Have you ever really researched the reasons behind this though? I mean, really dug deep to find out what exactly refined white flour is and how it is made?  Last summer I took the time to do some research and what I found out really disturbed me, and because of it I choose whole wheat flour, breads, rices and pastas at all cost.  I want to share some of that information with you because if you want to take control of your health you have to know the facts.

Commercial wheat producers start with wheat seed soaked in pesticides. The pesticide is an anti-fungi spray and as the wheat begins to grow it is sprayed with a hormone called cycocel to encourage growth. You can try and google that word but you won't find much information on it-- its used on almost all wheat that heads to enriched flour producing mills, however. At some point, the wheat harvest is brought in and the grain (or berries) is stored in a barrel coated with anti-bug pesticides. If any bugs are found, farmers will fumigate the warehouse.  From this grain, commercial refined white flour (and pastas) are manufactured. Doesn't sound pretty so far does it?   Keep going.

It is important to know that a kernel of wheat is formed of three layers: the bran, the germ and the endosperm.  The bran is the outside layer and contains most of the fiber.  We know that fiber is important for digestion but it also fills our stomachs up preventing over-eating.  The germ contains the most nutrients  and healthy fats.  The endosperm is the middle layer which contains all the starches.  You get the most benefit when the kernel is eaten as a whole, where all the nutrients are ingested and do their job.  However, in mass producing flour mills, being efficient and producing the most flour is the most important thing.  That means that instead of hand grinding and maintaining ALL of the nutrients, high-speed, high-temperature steel rollers are employed.  The rollers remove the bran and germ leaving only the starchy endosperm. The result is that an overwhelming majority of the good stuff is gone, and what HAS been left has most likely been destroyed or damaged by the intense heat of the steel rollers.

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. 

The now nutrition-less powder gets a nice bath in chlorine gas.  The chlorine oxide serves as a whitening agent.  See, back in the day, flour was allowed to age over time improving the gluten (thus improving baking quality) but now days, manufacturers want to push product out faster to increase profits.  This chemical bath mimics the aging process with a disturbing lack of concern at the amount of chemicals added to stuff we ingest. 

According to Jim Bair, Vice President of the North American Millers Association:

“Today, the US milling industry produces about 140 million pounds of flour each day, so there is no way to store the flour to allow it to age naturally. Plus, there is a shelf life issue.”

So, Jim... basically you don't have time to do it right because you want to make your money?  Nice...
It should be noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies chlorine gas as a flour-bleaching, aging and oxidizing agent that is a powerful irritant, dangerous to inhale, and even lethal. 

 So: so far you know that the wheat is sprayed with chemicals, stripped of nutrients and then doused in a highly lethal chemical bath. Even worse (yes, it is still not over yet),  the chlorine gas converts an additive called xanthine into a toxic substance called alloxan.  The alloxan is an unintended by-product of the chlorine gas.  What is alloxan? It is a toxin that destroys pancreatic islet cells, resulting in diabetes.  IN FACT, alloxin is specifically used in research labs to induce diabetes in rats and mice for research purposes. 

After all of this, some synthetic (that means, more non-natural, manufactured junk) vitamins and minerals are mixed into the flour and it is now called "enriched".  These synthetic vitamins are made from petroleum, elemental ores, bacteria, fungi, and ferrous iron, which is created from sulfate refined out of high sulfur crude oil.Next time you are buying bread flip the back over and look at the first ingredient, if it says ENRICHED you can bet that the bread has been through the process I just mentioned. It sort of makes your stomach turn, doesn't it?  The video below is one of the ONLY videos I could find touring a flour mill. The bleaching process is never mentioned in this video, however the narrator says at one point "the flour will now go to another room and later it gets enriched with vitamins!"  How lovely to leave out the part that most people just don't take the time to research and figure out. 

Now that you know how enriched white flour is made, you will understand a little better why choosing whole wheat is not even in the same boat as far as health benefits go.  The enriched flour is used to make everything from pasta, bagels, wraps, cereals to cookies, breads and sweets.

And finally, A GIVEAWAY!

Working out can be hard work and sometimes all it takes is something as simple as cute workout gear to get you motivated and that is exactly what this week's giveaway is all about!  An essential part of working out is using weights to get toned and strong.  Many girls think lifting weight will make their arms bigger or make them bulky but that is not the case (we will talk more about this another week). Fashletics celebrates getting strong and loving to lift with their fantastic line!  They have graciously offered to give one winner a Fashletics tank in tahiti blue (what I am wearing below), watermelon or black! 

Ready to enter?!  

Just follow the steps below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Over & Out,

A

p.s. since this is the first series I would love your feedback.

did you like this?

what do you want more of, less of?

were there enough pictures for you to  replicate the workout move?

would you like me to include a healthy recipe every week?

let me know!  I want you to get the most out of this!

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