THIS WEEK:
- Body Architects Charity Golf Classic: Fantastic event raising funds for a cause we are very passionate about.
- This Weeks Tip: Nutrient Strategies for Optimizing Brain Health
- The BA Blender: Nuttin' Better Cookies
|
|
|
~ BODY ARCHITECTS CHARITY GOLF CLASSIC: A HUGE SUCESS! ~
|
|
|
All of us at Body Architects and the Alzheimer's Society want to thank everyone for the fantastic show of support. We are so very grateful for all the donations and participation, being our first annual, we were blown away with the support we received.
RBC, Body Architects, Craft Brewery, Champion Tattoo, Tom Cornwall, Chris Gower, Randy Kuzyk, John McLaughlin, Karen Mercier, Ellingson Equestrian, Dr. Allison Nowoselsky, Solutions, Cactus Club Cafe Jasper, Knots in Knead, Christenson & McLean, H-Hour Apparel.
|
|
We are proud to announce that do to the generosity of so many we were able to raise almost $3000! Though we are all big winners as this money will go to research that will help all mankind, we'd like to send out a big congratulations to the winning foursome!
- Mark Hanki
- Lyndon Will
- John Hanki
- Evan Will
Your names will forever be etched on the BA Charity Golf Classic chalice!
|
|
|
~ THIS WEEKS TIP: NUTRIENT STRATEGIES FOR BRAIN HEALTH OPTIMIZATION ~
|
|
|
Our Charity Golf Tournament wrapped up a couple weekends ago, and our efforts and funds were devoted to the Alzheimer's Society of Alberta with a focus on research and raising awareness surrounding Alzheimer's and Dementia. So it only seemed natural that I write on the topic of optimizing brain health and function.
Unfortunately for the vast majority of people, a solid understanding of what we can be doing to optimize this incredible organ fall terribly short. We just aren't taught these things. Unless you spend your free time pouring over scientific journals and deep diving into research papers and case studies, you just aren't fully aware of what boosts brain health, and what are brain health busters. So we will take a quick dive into both:
A) What common dietary habits are having terribly negative impact on your brain health.
B) What nutrient strategies to implement to support the brain
|
|
|
Now without geeking out on you to intensely, we can't talk about brain health without first beginning with the relationship your brain has with your gut. The brain is connected to the gut via the vagus nerve, and is referred to the gut-brain axis. The reality is, your brain is very heavily influenced by your food intake, and your gut performance is very heavily influenced by your brain function. When the gut is compromised from a poor diet, stress, bacterial imbalances, or other modalities, pro-inflammatory cytokines are released and can travel to the brain, resulting in neuroinflammation. This can manifest in many ways, including brain fog, mood disorders, anxiety, inability to concentrate, neurodegenerative disease, and more.
So it stands to reason that in taking care of the brain, it is absolutely crucial to care for the gut. Thats where beating the sh*t out of your gut with highly processed bad fats and sugars get your brain into a whole lot of trouble.
Processed, inflammatory fats are wreaking havoc on our brains.
Our whole bodily makeup is essentially fats. Our cell membranes for the most part are made up of fats we get from food. So take a minute to think of this important fact. Our whole cellular health status is dependant on what we put in our mouths. From cell wall permeability for nutrients, to how our cells send electrical signals, to our neurotransmitter levels are all dependent on the quality of fats you are getting in your diet (and of course the quantity of good fats as well).
So do your brain a favour and stay away from:
- Overheated, over pressured, vegetable oils
- PUFA's (polyunsaturated fats) such as canola, corn, sunflower oil
- Trans fats
The ugliest of truths for most North Americans is that the before mentioned toxic fats are in almost EVERY fast food restaurant, and the vast majority of comfort food serving restaurants people frequent.
Moral of the story - control the ingredients that go into you body by being the one to prepare them. Opt for:
- Monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia nut oil, etc.)
- Saturated fats (coconut oil, ghee, etc.)
- Fatty acids from wild-caught fish, algae, nuts, and seeds
Busting your brain with Glucose Spikes.
Now the other side of the coin from a fuel standpoint, is sugars, and this is where an important piece of the puzzle surrounding neurodegenerative diseases comes in. When brain cells are stimulated with sugar as their primary source of fuel, along with exposure to frequent fluctuations in blood glucose, they can cause chronic neuroinflammation, which leads to neuronal loss and progression in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
So it's a very good idea to stay away from:
- Excess sugar
- Refined carbohydrates
- Too many starchy foods
Now that's grounds for yet another pause and reflection.. lets do our brain a favour and opt for something better:
- Lower carbohydrate content overall (avoiding gluten is good practice)
- Slow-burning complex carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, yams, squash, etc.)
- Sweeteners with nutritional value (raw honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc.)
- Rock lotus extract + wild bitter melon with high-carb meals (Kion Lean)
Artificial sweeteners may seem like a good alternative to glucose-spiking sugar, but in fact, they have the exact opposite effect! Artificial sweeteners have actually been shown to alter the gut microbiota in a way that impairs glucose tolerance. In other words, by skipping the sugar and going for the Sweet ‘N Low, you are actually making your blood sugar response worse! And just to drive this idea home, people that consume more artificial sweeteners have worse metabolic health, larger waist-to-hip ratios, and greater fasting blood glucose.
Sweetener options:
- Raw honey
- Maple syrop
- Coconut sugar
- Monk Fruit
- Stevia
Now I can't just leave you without a quick breakdown of nutrients and supplements that have been proven to protect, and optimize the brain, so I'll list a few.
NUTRIENTS FOR THE BRAIN:
Fatty Acids (EPA, DHA, ALA, CLA)
Avocados
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Walnuts
Spirulina/Chlorella
Antioxidants & Anti-inflammatories
Organic coffee
Turmeric
Cacao
Bluberries
Rosemary
Broccoli
Minerals
Sea Salt
Trace liquid minerals
Colostrum
Fermented Foods & Prebiotics
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Kombucha
Jicama
Dandelion greens
Garlic
SUPPLEMENTS FOR THE BRAIN:
Glutathione or NAC
Activated Charcoal
Fish Oil
Essential Amino Acids
|
|
|
~ THE GOODS, NEWS AND UPDATES : TPI - IMPROVE YOUR BODY, IMPROVE YOUR GAME ~
|
|
|
 
What you get with your TPI Certified Training Session
Looking to add distance to your golf shots? Give yourself a chance at clearing the hazards off the tee? Or maybe get through back to back days of golf without your back, knee or shoulder flaring up? Our newly TPI Certified coach Cam can help!
Starting with a specialized golf specific movement assessment, we’ll take your body through all of the ranges of motion of a golf swing. We can discover which areas of your body may be hindering your golf swing and may keep you from your full potential. This can be from muscle tightness/weakness, lack of range of motion or lack of motor control. The tests are designed to help us determine which of these issues is at play. Based on your assessment results you’ll be given a “fitness handicap” on the certified TPI golf app that works similarly to a golf handicap and ranges between 0-40. Improving your golf handicap can result in improvements of your golf game, give you more consistency between shots or at least make your body feel better through a round. After results are in, coach Cam can create a detailed goal specific program that will immediately make impacts on your body and swing through exercises, stretches and warmup routines for pre-game limbering up. Continued testing will show areas of improvement and areas that may still be lacking.
More mobility and fluency in your movement = more distance. Working on making your body move efficiently and in proper sequence will add yardage between you and the ball. How much yardage depends on how well you follow the stretches, exercises and warmup routines that are designed to help you out!
As a trainer, I’m by no means able to show clients how to change their swing or what will fix certain swing issues or shot shape issues. Through the TPI training I have learnt swing analysis using the V1 sports app that allows me to draw lines over swing footage and see potential movement flaws, potential injury points in a swing and inefficiencies through movement of a swing. Between myself and a golf coach we can work together to fix these issues in a client’s swing and in turn, improve their golf game.
Soon to come is swing analysis, using a state of the art app Cam can show you where certain movements may be causing pain through the swing. Stay tuned for updates on this!
~ Coach Cam
|
|
|
|
~ THE BA BLENDER ~
Recipes for Performance & Longevity
|
|
|
What you'll need :
-
1 cup almond flour
-
3 Tbsp coconut flour
-
1/3 cup monk fruit granulated sweetener
-
1/2 tsp salt
-
1/4 tsp arrowroot starch
-
1/4 tsp baking soda
-
1/3 cup stevia or erythritol chocolate chips
-
1/4 cup coconut oil
-
1/4 cup nut butter, make sure it’s runny/not hard (we use the Costco nut butter blend with chia but could sub any other nut butter)
-
1 organic egg, cracked and whisked
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix dry ingredients until combined. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients until combined.
Then add wet to dry and combine to form a dough. Add chocolate chips if desired here.
Place dough in the freezer for 5-10 min to chill.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Portion out dough to approx 7-8 cookies, they won’t spread much when baking.
Bake for 14-15 min or until edges are golden.
Cool on baking rack then enjoy.
Why we love this:
- These delicious morsels are keto friendly!
- Arrowroot is a rich source of carbohydrates, vitamin B9, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus. It also has trace amounts of zinc and iron, as well as vitamin B1 and B6. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are also found in it in negligible amounts. In addition, it contains fibers and some proteins and lipids too.
- Coconut oil is high in healthy saturated fats that have different effects than most other fats in your diet. These fats can boost fat burning and provide your body and brain with quick energy. They also raise the good HDL cholesterol in your blood, which is linked to reduced heart disease risk.
Bottom line.... Eating healthy can be sooooo delicious!
~ Dr. Allison Nowoselsky
|
|
THANK YOU FOR READING!
We hope you've enjoyed this issue and we look forward to continuing the conversation in our next issue of The BA Buzz!
|
|
|
|
|
