Top 5 in 2010…

In a quest to continue to find more ways to optimize my health in 2010, I want to share with you my resolutions for the new year. I have found a passion for promoting good nutrition and forming positive health habits in myself and sharing with others what I discover.

There is a lot of advise out there and a lot to filter through what is best for you. Most of the advise has its merrits and the quacks are usually pretty easy to spot. To begin my top five, I will share with you what I have found to be the most useful blogs, newsletters, websites, etc and ones I will continue to use in 2010:
1) Precision Nutrition – a complete nutrition system proven to produce results and can fit into any lifestyle. Want to know more — contact me at Kristen McByrde
2) Dragon Door – You’ve come to the right place. Dragon Door is the world leader in all things kettlebell—and all things performance-related.
3) Rachel Cosgrove & Alwyn Cosgrove – Fit Female Body Breakthrough / Fitness Training & Athletic Performance
4) The Weston A. Price Foundation – The Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies.
5) Mercola – A Natural Health Newsletter whose goal is to educate you and create an awareness that allows you to make smart and natural health choices toward your deepest vibrant health and wellbeing.

Next are my top five rules to a making a Nutrient Friendly Kitchen:
1) Grass Fed Beef – Quite simply put “You are what your Burger (or any meat for that matter) eats” If you are are eating grain fed meats then, you are eating animals that have been “fattend up”. This means that the Fatty Acid profile in less than optimal. Grassfed beef has an 3:1 omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, where trainfed beef has a 17:1 omega 6 to omega 3 ration. Hello Obesity!
2) Protien Shakes – consuming protien shakes post workout is the best time to to replenish what you have depleted from your body during your workout. I am not talking about consuming a sports drink here. Directly following your workout your body is ready use the calories of a quality protien shake in a positive way restoring your depleted energy levels.
3) Go to your local farmers market – learning to eat fruits and vegetables that are in season and organic from your locals famers market will open your tastebuds to new and exciting foods. This will not only force you to eat whole foods in their natural state (meaning not processed foods), but supports and sustains your local community. Get to know your local farmers. The farmers market is not only a place to buy fruits and vegetables, but you can also purchase grassfed beef, free range eggs and raw milk.
4) Supplements – Consume a Green Drink every day. Reccommended products inlcude (Greens+, and NanoGreens). A green drink is not only rich in vitamins and minerals, but phytonutrients. Phytonutrietns have many benefits such as have more energy, strong bones, detoxification, slow signs of aging and lower risk of cancer diabetes and heart disease and many more. Secondly, take Omega 3 vitamins Daily, our western diet is laden with Omega 6 fatty acids and using an Omega 3 supplmentation can help balance out your fatty acid ratios.
5) Raw Milk – notes regarding Raw Milk from www.realmilk.com. Please note that this website recommends Real Milk–that is, milk that is full-fat, unprocessed, and from pasture-fed cows. We do NOT recommend consumption of raw milk from conventional confinement dairies or dairies which produce milk intended for pasteurization. Nor do we recommend the consumption of lowfat or skim raw milk–there are important protective factors in the butterfat. Real Milk, that is, raw whole milk from grass-fed cows (fed pasture, hay and silage), produced under clean conditions and promptly refrigerated, contains many anti-microbial and immune-supporting components. Know your farmer!

In making my lists, I tried to stear away from a “don’t” or “can’t” have mentality. I do not think that telling people lists of things they cannot eat will help in making positive changes in their life. There are not really any foods that we should not eat, just different times as which we should eat those foods. Everyone should get the opportunity to enjoy your favorite “sinful” foods and we all know what they are, there is one more point I do want to make. Beware for the following marketing myths that companies do to try to make their products more attracive, and trust me it’s not to promote your health, but to appeal to your psycology to rationalize eating those foods you know are processed. AND to make them more money. Remember if a product is more than 3 times removed from its original source, it should not have a permanent place in your kitchen. I will reiterate that there are no wrong foods, just wrong times to eat those foods. Rule of Thumb: If you stick to a healthy way of eating 90% of the time, breaking the rules only 10% of the time, this would be considered successful. Do you want to know “the rules” or know how to keep track of your 90%, 10% rule of thumb contact me at Kristen McBryde.

Now finally for my last list of Top 5 Exercises:
1) Kettlebell Swings
2) Kettlebell Turkish Get-ups
3) Kettlebell Goblet Squats
4) Kettlebell Snatch
5) Bodyweight Exercies
Seem a little biased, well mabye a little… Check out our website at Tennessee Kettlebell to learn more about Kettlebells and how they can make a positive change in your life. I guarantee, kettlebells will help you Move Better, Feel Better, Look Better! For more information about Kettlebells contact a local RKC or CK-FMS instructor in your area.

Be Strong & Be Well!
HD