“Antioxidants will cure all your health problems!”

“Antioxidants will give you tons of energy!”

“Antioxidants will solve all global problems!”

Okay, I made up the last one. If you’ve read health media, like I have, you are familiar with the craze over antioxidants. While I will show you that antioxidants, such as blueberries, make an excellent addition to your diet, they don’t do as much as the fanatics say they do.

The blueberries … they love you.  No really, they do (unlike sugar).

First, let’s demarcate a few statistical variables (oh gosh, math!). When researchers study antioxidants they may miss stating something important to their audience that their audience definitely needs to know -- the difference between antioxidant supplements and antioxidant foods. Our bodies have co-existed with foods for thousands of years; they have not co-existed with supplements. This means that studies about antioxidant supplements should be disregarded because we’re interested in changing our diets, not adding pills to our pill-popping regimes.

The Harvard School of Public Health pummeled the antioxidant craze: "The studies so far are inconclusive, but generally don't provide strong evidence that antioxidant supplements have a substantial impact on disease. But keep in mind that most of the trials conducted up to now have had fundamental limitations due to their relatively short duration and having been conducted in persons with existing disease" (emphasis mine). Ouch.

However, we’re talking supplements vs. foods because we want to eat antioxidants. Any differences there? The NIH performed a study and looked at the differences between a diet high in antioxidants versus antioxidant supplements. The results: “Although observational studies suggest that eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower risk for many chronic diseases, there is limited evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements to prevent disease.” Foods high in antioxidants – such as fruits and vegetables – produced benefits against chronic diseases. However, the antioxidant supplements have little evidence in their favor.

We know that foods high in antioxidants prevent and help with chronic diseases over supplements. Now, we just need to find the right foods to add to our healthy diet. Thankfully WebMD gives us a ranking with the top five foods containing antioxidants being:

1. Small red bean

2. Wild blueberries (watch out, they’re hard to capture)

3. Red kidney bean

4. Pinto bean

5. Blueberries

Wild blueberries -- the ones that refused to take Ritalin.

Phew. That’s a lot of research for one article, but now we know that our antioxidant foods do contribute to our health. And in some cases, antioxidant foods are much cheaper than antioxidant supplements – so we’re also saving money while living a healthier life. Talk about a win-win.

Love fills the air annually in February while couples celebrate a day of red that would make the most devout communist blush. Many couples enjoy a relaxing evening together with sugary sweets, a romance movie, and possibly an exchange of gifts. Their smiles, gazes and kisses are exchanged among rose petals, scented candles and romantic music.

And then there are those of us who are active. Movies, sweets and candles don’t entice us. So how can you and your active significant other enjoy this holiday while keeping your endorphins happy?

The Gym Is Your Playground

When Hannah and I were a couple, one early morning we went to the gym from 2 AM to 4 AM. One employee worked in the early morning as darkness peered through the well-lit windows. On occasion a car would drive by with its lights on, a person might appear from across the street, but the gym remained empty at such early hours. Of course, that didn’t bother us. Hannah and I treated the gym like our own personal playground: we ran backwards on treadmills (more challenging than it sounds), we played a mutated version of dodge ball – throwing ab-balls at each other while ducking behind gym equipment, and tried to out-stretch each other in unusual positions. The result was one of the most fun dates we ever experienced, even though we never expected it to be.

"The early bird gets the...endorphin blast."

To be fair, we lucked out in a way that morning. The one employee was nowhere to be found when we left. Had he caught our late night rendezvous, he might have stopped our fun.

Late Night Dancing

After spending several hours with some friends, Tiffany and I drove home worn out from a loud evening at a college party. We were driving by a park and I had a sudden idea. I stopped my truck, convincing her to walk with me to the park's swing set. Instead of walking to it, as soon as we were on the grass, I took her hands and began dancing. She looked straight at me and asked, “What are you doing?”

Spontaneous dancing: the anaerobic aphrodisiac

No reply was necessary as I took her hand and spun her. She laughed and I laughed as we both started dancing randomly. At the time, we didn’t know how to dance at all, and our moves embarrassed us for over an hour (imagine how fun it would be if you actually knew how to dance). You may think that you’re out of energy for the evening, but when that moment comes, you know you have to do something spontaneous. Why? Because it will be one of the most memorable moments in your life and you only get so many of those.

I Just Came To…Play Tennis

The greatest date of all time no matter the time? Tennis. Before I dated her, everyone told me that Natalie was the shyest girl they had ever known. Being one fascinated by superlatives, I asked her out, and immediately recognized the challenge – this girl made reticence seem loquacious. However, I relied on my favorite date of all – tennis, and sure enough, after an hour of tennis, she talked with ease. She didn’t feel shy, she felt uncomfortable. Why?  Tennis creates comfort because it challenges you physically and makes conversation seem much easier.

"Martin, we're not playing tennis in these clothes, are we?"

Tennis also offers an easy opportunity to be playful. After Natalie and I finished our game, I told her that we were going to create a mini band. I flipped over my racket and pretended to be a guitarist. She joined in and we sang some of our favorite songs while strumming our rackets. Action, challenge and spontaneity: what more could you ask for on a date?

When all your friends gather to tell you their Valentine story, you know that you’ll shock them all with a unique, yet action-packed Valentine's Day adventure. And action is the missing spice in some people’s life – make sure it’s in yours this Valentine’s Day.

We have all experienced bad relationships from time to time. We may have ended the relationship. We may have opened the relationship and met others. We may have even taken a brief break to stimulate fondness through absence. While we recognize these as good ideas for relationships, we seldom apply the same ideas in food. We eat bad food. We eat healthy food. We eat diverse food. But, no matter what, we’re always eating.

Enter an ancient idea that’s catching on – fasting.

I know, fasting sounds like some religious practice where we wear white clothes, brag to all our friends about our sacrifice, and awaken our deep inner soul. But some people fast only for sake of health benefits – and this has grown in popularity in the fitness community. You don’t have to be spiritual to fast.

"I will give up food and drink, but not the ocean and yoga."

A few years ago, I stumbled across a new idea that I had heard from a few fitness buddies: intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting involves taking a break from food for an extended period of time. The major benefit of intermittent fasting they mentioned? Increased insulin sensitivity (now, you may not see how that’s great, but when your body is sensitive to insulin, you stay younger for longer, you lose fat easier, and you can build muscle easier than if you experience insulin resistance).

But that’s not it. Some of the research regarding intermittent fasting shows other results on top of increased sensitivity to insulin:

1. Reduction in blood pressure (cardiovascular benefits)

2. Reduction of oxidative stress to DNA (reducing DNA damage)

3. Increased lifespan

4. Resistance of neuron damage

5. Low rates of kidney disease

Think about it: not eating food for a day can provide you with these (and more benefits). In some cases, fitness individuals decide to go without food for twenty-hours, and then eat for their remaining four hours. What these various methods have in common is an extended time without food so that the body can focus on other things.

So how does this all work?

So how has intermittent fasting worked? When I have been consistent with it I have noticed benefits of increased mental focus (no food distraction), easy weight loss, and strength and endurance gains at the gym. My major problem with intermittent fasting has been consistency – something that I need to improve.

How do I intermittent fast? I follow the protocol from several of my friends: I stop eating at 5 PM on day one and fast through day two until 5 PM. I psychologically benefit from this method as it never “feels” like I am fasting (day one I am eating until 5 PM, and on day two I’m not eating until 5 PM, which is a full 24 hour fast). Other methods exist, but whatever method you choose, do one that’s easy for you to handle.

If these benefits sound good to you, it’s time to tell food, “Hey, we need to take a break.” Trust me, it’s for the good of both of you.

I dread going to the gym almost every single day. Although this may seem silly, I feel like the whole world notices when I don’t have mascara on, my ponytail is off center, and I’m sweating from everywhere but my ears. That’s why I was ecstatic when I found POP Pilates vidoes! Spunky and enthusiastic Pilates instructor, Cassey Ho, takes you through quick, easy to follow workouts that target different areas of the body that can be done on their own, or combined for a total body workout session. The best part – she’s on Youtube!

Cassey’s videos feature some upbeat pop songs that help make the workouts a bit more enticing and a lot more bearable. She incorporates Pilates, cardio, stretches and even healthy diet tips, into easily accessible and achievable workout videos. Some of the exercises may seem challenging, but lucky for you, you’re in the privacy of your own home, so there’s really no harm in trying! Aside from the comfortable seclusion and the perk that Youtube is free, another advantage to these videos is that you can fit them in to your own personal schedule. 15 minutes is most likely not enough time to drive to and from the 1 hour yoga class at your local gym, but it’s definitely enough time to watch a “Bikini Bootcamp” or “Muffin Top Meltdown” video, and feel good about getting exercise in each day. The videos are organized, dynamic and catered to each individual at any level. You will enjoy Cassey’s relaxed, easygoing style and appreciate the professionalism in her expertise.

Check out her Youtube Channel - Blogilates Workouts.

Get strong and good luck!

People pack the gym for their New Years’ Resolutions.  They want to lose weight.  They want to tone their body.  They want to become healthier.  But you and I know a secret they don’t: most of them will fail.

We don’t fail with our resolutions because we don’t try.  The truth is that we often give it our all when we attempt resolutions.  But we fail to consider something very important, especially when we consider health: in order to become more fit, we need more energy.  And achieving big New Years’ Resolutions requires tons of energy, which is why most of us fail.

Instead of aiming for the stars and attempting fifty arduous resolutions, let’s only change one thing about our life that will create a huge impact and give us momentum to achieve all our other fitness goals in the long run.

Twelve years ago I stood at almost six feet and weighed ten pounds above the century mark.  People suggested a fitness program to help me gain weight, but I lacked the energy to begin a fitness program.  The idea of eating a lot of food also drained me as I disliked eating – it took too much energy and effort.  However, almost forty percent of my daily calorie intake came from sugar, whether it was through sodas, treats or some form of desserts.  In other words, I didn’t like eating food if it didn’t come with a lot of sugar and the energy bursts from sugar were great, though they quickly subsided.

Thankfully, an older man suggested that I stop eating sugar for food intake and try to eat only whole foods to see if it helped me gain weight.  I agreed to try his method for one month only.  Although whole foods did not increase my weight immediately, it did something else that shocked me and provides an excellent example of how one simple goal can result in major changes.

Without sugar in my diet, I had a ton of energy.  I started working out two days a week.  A month later, I increased my workout program to four days a week.  By the end of the year, I was working out six days a week.  The workout program and whole food also helped me gain weight after a few months, which had been a major encumbrance to my health.  I also didn’t visit the doctor once that year for flu, allergies or a cold.  Little did I know at the time that I wouldn’t visit the doctor again even for these ailments for the next twelve years (currently).

After a month, I forgot the taste of the popular sugar sodas that I had consumed.  Once the sugar addiction was broken, I found it easy to forgo any sugar that was offered to me (such as desserts, treats or sodas).  I found that water offered a simple, yet fulfilling taste, and began to notice that simple foods were sweeter than I imagined.  For instance, many people describe blueberries as “tart,” but when you don’t consume sugar, blueberries are quite sweet.  So is grapefruit.  So are tomatoes.  In fact, I found that each vegetable had a taste that I had never experienced.

I can’t write it enough: sugar is an enemy.  Sugar sucks your energy by giving you a quick high.  Sugar blinds your taste buds from sensing the variety life offers.  And the worst part, sugar tempts you to keep coming back to it for solutions to the problems that it creates.  When you dump sugar, you’ll find that all those other resolutions become easier to do.  But do yourself a favor and try only this one resolution for the next three months and watch how everything else in your life becomes easier.

Last of all, say this to yourself everyday (or post it some place where you’ll see it every day): one simple action compounded over time equals a success greater than you can imagine.