Dangers of Parabens

Parabens. It sounds like the name of a garbage collection company doesn’t it? What you may not be aware is that parabens are more a part of your world than realize, and its unfortunately not a good thing. What exactly are parabens and where do you find them? Lets start with where do you find them. Parabens can be found in personal lubricants, shampoos, commercial moisturizers, cleansing gels, shaving gels, topical pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, and possibly used in food additives.

So with that being what exactly are parabens? Simply put parabens are chemicals used as preservative. They are used to fight bacteria and fungus, are widely available, and cost very little to manufacture and use. Nearly all of the parabens used as preservatives are man-made and not naturally occurring. Because so many products we use contain some form of parabens, it can be difficult to avoid them.

No why are parabens bad? Before I answer this question, please note that there have been studies on both sides of the argument about whether parabens are bad or safe. In my opinion, because of the number of studies done regarding its dangers, I tend to avoid products with parabens. Essentially, similar to Bisphenol A found in plastics, parabens appear to mimic the hormone estrogen in the body. For those who have read many of my past tips, you will note that I often say that no one needs excess estrogen as this leads to a host of health issues such as breast cancer, fibroids, cysts, infertility, low libido, depression, weight gain, irregular menstrual cycle, and the list goes on. Researchers have found parabens in breast tumors and believe there is a relationship between the two. In addition, in the July 2002 issue of the Archives of Toxicology, Dr. S. Oishi of the Department of Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Research Laboratory of Public Health reported that exposure of newborn male mammals to butylparaben “adversely affects the secretion of testosterone and the function of the male reproductive system.” FYI Researchers are still not sure how and why parabens might affect development and growth of both babies and adults.

So how do we avoid parabens and other harsh chemicals? For starters I would suggest reading labels more carefully and try to avoid products with these 10 chemicals:

1) DEA (diethanolamine)
2) Parabens Of Any Kind
3) BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
4) Propylene Glycol
5) Triclosan
6) Bisphenol A
7) Polyethylene
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
9) 1,4-dioxane
10) Butyl Cellosolve

There are also some great companies that have signed an agreement called The Compact For Safe Cosmetics, which is a coalition effort to protect the health of consumers and workers by securing the reforms necessary to eliminate dangerous chemicals from cosmetics and personal care products. Some of these companies are Suki’s Naturals, Avalon Organics, Weleda, Tom’s of Maine, Aubrey Organics, Dr. Bronner’s, Burts Bees, California Baby, Dr.Hauschka, Terressentials, Badger, Nature’s Gate, JASON, Kiss My Face, Pangea.

I hope you found this information useful. As always stay fit and well family.

Naturally Boosting Testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone found in both males and females. As we age, testosterone production slows down and the body has a decrease in the amount of free testosterone that is available in the bloodstream. This can cause us to lose muscle mass, gain weight, have a lowered sex drive, clinical depression, and a host of other issues. However, do note that there are several ways to increase your testosterone levels naturally, which in turn can help you look and feel better as we you age. Below you can find 5 ways to naturally increase your testosterone levels.

1) Lift Heavy & Basic
Incorporate basic movements that involve several muscle groups in your training routine. Great compound movements are barbell squats, dead lifts, and military presses. These basic core exercises have been shown to play an important role in testosterone levels. Make sure to train with high intensity for short periods of time. Your overall weight training workout should not last longer than 60 minutes. Train hard and get out of the gym to let your muscles recuperate and grow!

2) Sleep Well
If you are not getting enough sleep the body is not recuperating well, which causes less testosterone and more corticosteroids to be released. FYI corticosteroids like cortisol are in fact catabolic hormones meaning they use up muscle tissue to provide the brain and the heart with energy. Sleep has a tremendous impact on testosterone levels. Your testosterone levels can plummet 40% down by having poor sleep quality. Focus on getting 8-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal rest and recuperation.

3) Watch The Alcohol
I know it is easier said than done. But did you know that alcohol has the property to inhibit your ability to remove estrogen from the blood stream by acting as a central nervous system depressant and also by decreasing zinc levels. Alcohol should be avoided when trying to increase testosterone levels. FYI healthy normal men, consuming reasonable amounts of alcoholic drink, experience a 20% drop in their serum levels of testosterone, in women its worse, since they already have higher levels of estrogen.

4) Eat More Fat
Fats are used by the body create cholesterol, which is one of the ingredients used to make hormones such as testosterone. Be sure to consume the right amount of polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 fish oil), saturated fats found in organic meats such as beef, chicken, turkey, and monounsaturated fats found in avocados, nuts seeds, olives and other plant sources.

5) Don't Over Train
Always allow your body to recuperate adequately between your workout sessions. If you don't, your circulating testosterone levels can plunge by as much as 40 PERCENT as was discovered by studies performed at the University of North Carolina. The symptoms of over training are easy to diagnose: irritability, insomnia, muscle shrinkage and an overall feeling of fatigue. To avoid over training, make sure you rest at least 48 hours between muscle groups and sleep a full 8-9 hours per night.

Stay fit and well family.

Why women should lift weights

I hear it all the time. "I don't want to lift too much weights, I am going to look like a man." "I prefer doing cardio." If this sounds like you, it could not be any further from the truth, primarily because of two hormones, testosterone and estrogen. Both hormones are produced naturally in the ovaries. Testosterone has several functions, but lets focus on one task, which is assisting the body in muscular development. Estrogen also has several functions such as regulating menstrual cycle. But estrogen can also contribute to stubborn fat deposits primarily in the breasts, hips and thigh regions (the dreaded saddle bags).

Now here is the kicker, women have about 1/7 the amount of testosterone that men do, so the female body cannot naturally develop large man-like muscles, have a deep voice, etc. But as it relates to estrogen, women produce way more than men. So what does this mean? Unless you are loading up on testosterone, and estrogen blockers, the chance of looking like a linebacker may not be so realistic.

With all that said, why should women lift weights? Well, when you lift weights your muscles naturally become more dense. When your muscles become more dense, your bones produce more Collagen. What is Collagen and why is that a good thing? Collagen is a fibrous protein which provides the bones with strength and flexibility. By the way during that time of the month when you have your lady business, your body looses some Collagen. So essentially training your body to produce more Collagen is important simply because you will have a denser and stronger bone structure. Strong bones in turn help to prevent osteoporosis s(thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time). You've seen her, the elderly woman who walks with a hunch; you guess it, primarily caused by osteoporosis.

Not enough to get you starting to lifting more weights? Well how about this. Ever notice that woman in the gym with the nice broad shoulders, and strong pretty arms and legs? You know her, the one you hate because she spends half the time you do working out, but you could only wish to have her body. How does she do it? SHE LIFTS WEIGHTS!! Which as I mentioned helps to develop your muscles. By the way its true, the more developed muscle mass you have, the more effectively the body burns calories even at rest. Essentially, muscle is a metabolic tissue and can burn calories for up to 15 hours following weight training.

Of course you can loose weight by doing a whole bunch of cardio. But guess what? You have no muscle mass. So one twinkie puts that weight right back on, while the fit lady you quietly envy, has had three twinkies, and not gain a single pound. Unfair isn't it.

So every once in a while I say to women, step out of that Zumba class, get of that spin bike, and to quote a good friend of mine, "train insane or remain the same.'

Is It Ok For A Fitness Instructor To Be Overweight?

During my soccer career, one of the most inspiring coaches I ever had, was obese. He had a magnetic type of personality that would make you want to jump off bridges for him. But during training he could barely get around the field. So basically my two cents is that its more about the individual and their personality than their outward appearance. If they can inspire you to new heights with just their oratory skills, I say amen to that. With that being said, when my wife, Chikondi Mseka, and I created KooYah Fitness, we made a conscious decision to follow a healthy lifestyle, one that our clients would want to aspire to.

What yours point of view on this matter? Be honest :)