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May 2014 at Fitness Transform Studio

In General by Mikki ReillyLeave a Comment

My schedule has been full sharing my passion for livng a Paleo lifesyle. I met and engaged with students at a book signing on the picturesque Santa Barbara City College campus, and led my inaugural class at SBCC on the benefits of “going Paleo.”

What is the Paleo Diet?

In General, Nutrition, Primal Lifestyle by Mikki ReillyLeave a Comment

For most of our evolutionary history, we were hunter/gatherers; we hunted animals, fished, and gathered plants for food. So our ancestors of the Paleolithic era ate a diet of whole foods found in nature, like wild game, fish, vegetables, wild fruits, eggs and nuts.

I Wrote a Book!!

In General by Mikki ReillyLeave a Comment

I finished writing my book! It took me about nine months, but it’s finally done. I’m excited to give you a sneak preview of the contents and will let you know as soon as it is available to buy. The title is Your Primal Body: Lean, Fit and Pain-free at Any Age. The premise is that you have a birthright …

The Egg Controversy

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For decades the US government has been advising us to avoid eggs, along with butter, whole milk and cheese because they claim that these foods are high in cholesterol and therefore increase your risk for heart disease. Recently these guidelines have changed and they now advise us to eat one egg a day. “Evidence suggests that one egg (i.e. egg yolk) per day does not result in increased blood cholesterol levels, nor does it increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people,” according to the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

But what they should have said is, eat as many eggs as you like because cholesterol in foods does not lead to heart disease. In this recent post to Spacedoc.net, Dr Malcolm Kendrick and Dr Duane Graveline explain the way cholesterol works in the body…

Lifting Weights Builds New Brain Cells

In General, Movement by Mikki Reilly1 Comment

We all know that endurance/aerobic activity improves cognitive function by increasing bloodflow to the brain. But what about resistance training? Most of the research on exercise and brain function to date has focused on low-intensity aerobics, such as long distance running and cycling. But a recent article in the New York Times, sheds light on two exciting new studies involving the effects of weightlifting on the creation of new brain cells–neurogenesis.

Flexibility vs Mobility

In General, Primal Lifestyle by Mikki ReillyLeave a Comment

There seems to be a bit of confusion around the concepts of flexibility and mobility. So let’s begin with a couple of definitions. Flexibility is the ability to flex, extend, or circumduct a joint through its intended full range of motion. So we’re talking about the length of the tissues, nothing more. Mobility, or joint mobility, is the ability to …

Flexibility: the Benefits

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If the idea of having supple muscles and smooth, fluid movements – movements that convey youth and health, regardless of age – sounds appealing, then add flexibility training into your life, if you haven’t done so already, so that you may begin to enjoy the many benefits. Flexibility is defined as the measure of a joints movement through a normal …

Inside the Fitness Studio

In General, Movement by Mikki Reilly2 Comments

Thinking about getting in shape? If you’re interested in working one on one with a personal trainer the small niche fitness boutiques located in and around Santa Barbara provide an abundance of choices both in the environment and training approaches featured in the different facilities. Recently I visited a number of these studios, looking for a new place to train …

Challenge Your Balance

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Let’s face it everything these days is about balance from diets to exercise right down to balancing opposing muscle groups. But the type of balance we’ll discuss in this article is more fundamental. It’s the human function we depend on every day of our lives to get out of bed, to walk, or to play just about any sport – …

The Secret To Fat Loss: Intervals!

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If you’re one of the many people struggling to keep up in the fast-paced world of cell phones, pagers, and laptops, with little time left for fitness, then intervals may be just what you’re looking for… For years, we’ve all heard if you want to lose fat you need to spend endless hours on a treadmill or riding a bike. …

Stress Reduction Techniques

In General, Primal Lifestyle by Mikki Reilly1 Comment

Meditation Meditation is one of the most popular forms of physical and mental relaxation. Some forms of meditation are based on religious beliefs, while others focus solely on breathing and relaxation. The meditative state involves a deep centering; a quieting of the mind, emotions and body. This state can be reached through a daily structured practice, or through an unstructured …

Stress, Cortisol and Weight Gain

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Despite the abundance of information on diet and exercise in the media, Americans are continuing to get fatter. According to a recent analysis, an estimated 30 percent of adults – over 60 million – are obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, and, an estimated 65 percent of adults are overweight or obese, defined …

More on Exercise And Weight Loss

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I am posting a comment my client Alan made in response to my last post because he illustrated the point I was making… that exercise plus nutrition works outstandingly well for weight loss. Here’s what Alan had to say: This is a pretty loaded topic for me. I’ve lost 90 lbs since I decided to lose weight. The first 40 …

Exercise and Weight Loss In The News

In General, Movement by Mikki Reilly3 Comments

Time Magazine’s cover story this week is titled “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” I think Gary Taubes first wrote about this in a book I read called Good Calories, Bad Calories . Here’s an excerpt on this topic from an article Taubes wrote in New York Magazine: The one thing that might be said about exercise with certainty is …

Low Carb Diets And LDL

In General, Nutrition by Mikki Reilly1 Comment

In my previous post, I wrote about a recent study which compared the effects of a very low-carbohydrate, high-saturated-fat diet with a low-fat diet to evaluate long-term weight loss over a one-year period. The outcome of the study was that the low-carb group lost more weight and had greater decreases in triglycerides and HDL cholesterol, which is all good. But …

Long Term Study Compared Low Carb With Low Fat Diet

In General, Nutrition by Mikki Reilly1 Comment

A new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, compared the effects of a very low-carbohydrate, high-saturated-fat diet (LC) with a low-fat (LF) diet to evaluate long-term weight loss over a one-year period. One hundred eighteen dieters with abdominal obesity and at least one additional metabolic syndrome risk were randomly assigned to either the LC diet (4% carbohydrate, …

Get Moving For Health In May

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May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. This year, Fitness Transform joins the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to challenge Americans to get moving for health and to get active and fit during May Month. According to Melissa Johnson, executive director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which started National Physical Activity and Sports …

The High Protein Diet And Kidney Damage

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I was reading a post by Dr Eades recently, where he was examining a study which showed that high-dose thiamin (vitamin B1) may be an effective treatment for diabetic nephropathy, when I came across an interesting response to a comment. The commenter was talking about how his friends and family give him a lot of grief about his high protein …

Humans Have Brown Fat

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Researchers have found that adult humans also have brown fat (previously thought only to be present in infants and animals) which burns fat and produces heat. The significance is that if scientists can find a way to activate this fat, it could open the door to new treatments for obesity. For more information, check out this NY Times article….