Tag: staying healthy

Nutrients, Nutrition

Vitamin D

Miranda

This is probably one of my favourite vitamins and one I struggle with personally the most. Having tanned skin, spending most of my time working from home and having two genetic SNPs (polymorphisms) in my vit. D receptors means that often my levels are sub-optimal – even with supplementation!

In fact, the moment I stop supplementing my vitamin D levels drop to deficiency or even “severe deficiency” levels (yup, just did my blood test a couple of weeks ago after taking a break from supplements and, surprise-surprise, my levels were so low my doc told me to get a D injection asap).

But more than just being classified as “deficient”, when my levels are low I begin to feel really fatigued, my mood is low, I struggle to focus and my muscles feel achy with minimal exertion. Why does this sun vitamin have such wide-reaching effects? Simply because it is essential for so many bodily functions, including:

  • Calcium & phosphorus balance 
  • Bone health
  • Hormone health
  • Immune function
  • Cardiovascular function
  • Nervous system function
  • Cell differentiation (& cancer prevention)
  • Insulin production & glucose tolerance
  • Blood pressure regulation
  • Gene transcription & regulation of hundreds of genes*

*As you’ll find out in the Younger You book, vitamin D is a powerful DNA methylation adaptogen and an active demethylating nutrient, ensuring the right genes get turned on.

This fat-soluble vitamin is made in our skin and can be found in small amounts in:

  • Salmon
  • Mackerel
  • Sardines
  • Egg yolk

It’s best to assess vit. D status through a simple blood test and be aware that deficiency can produce profound signs & symptoms such as muscle & back pain, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, muscle cramps, achy bones & decreased bone density, insulin resistance & blood sugar imbalances, poor cognitive function, increased risk of infection (including viral infections), dysregulated & overactive immune function (autoimmunity) and the list can go on and on.

So do make sure you spend enough time out in the sun (15-30 mins will do) – it’s the quickest way to boost your vit. D levels!

References

  1. Lord R, Bralley J. Laboratory Evaluations For Integrative And Functional Medicine. Duluth, Ga: Genova Diagnostics; 2012.
  2. Higdon J. Vitamin A. Linus Pauling Institute. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-D. Published 2022. Accessed January 26, 2022.
Nutrition

The Dangers of Under and Over Eating

Miranda

Although it’s the holiday season there’s no rest for us here @inspiredbymiranda! This week we hear from industry veteran Kelvin Garner.

“I have been in the Fitness industry since 2006 and have travelled the world learning from the best in the industry. Over this time I have step by step generated my own system to provide world class results in body composition and transformations.

The step by step strict approach has lead me to being a leader in the industry across the Middle East. Since 2010 Pinnacle Performance was created by myself and built up each step of the way. I have implemented my systems with all my specialised coaches to ensure they are providing results at a high standard.”

 

    Our modern day way of life is leading the general population to the extremes. This is causing more and more health and nutrition problems. I rarely meet people these days that I can say live a standard normal life. We get various reasons given to us and I am sure you can relate to some of the reasons listed below:
  • Work is very stressful
  • Family stress
  • Relationships
  • Lack of sleep
  • Not enough time in the day
  • Kids take up all my time
  • No Energy
  • Mentally drained
  • No motivation
  • I am already slim so why do I need to bother
  • I have tried and nothing works
  • Food makes me fat

As modern society continues to develop and evolve we are also developing more and more health issues due to the poor quality foods we are eating on a day to day basis. One serious issue we are finding is that a large number of people are under eating daily which is actually leading them to serious illnesses such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, thyroid disfunction and other general hormonal imbalances.

On the other hand, there is the extreme case of over eating is which we see mainly in businessmen. It’s not always a daily thing but when it happens over business lunches and dinners which are normally 3 course meals including alcohol the extreme amount of calories really put the body under unneeded stress. Blood sugar levels will be at an all time high and the pancreas is put under so much stress to produce insulin to utilize the blood sugar. Unless you supplement with insulin your body is not able to naturally produce enough so the excess blood sugar will eventually be stored as fat.

So how can you avoid all of this? Here are my tips to ensure you eat enough (not more,  not less):

  • Do blood test to see if you have any of the common culprits which affect your physical wellbeing (e.g. A1C, Fasting Insulin, Fasting blood sugar, Thyroid, etc)
  • Start your day with protein and fat to ensure you can stabilize your blood sugar and not have a sudden drop (sugar crash)
  • Space out your meals evenly during the day
  • Don’t over eat at one meal so that you are too full to eat your next meal
  • Drink plenty of water during the day
  • Start with 4 meals per day and when you’re  consistent you can make small increments on the amounts or add a 5th meal
  • Eat 200g of vegetables with each meal
  • Remember consistency is the key and it’s a step by step process
  • Be mentally strong and remember your next meal is only 2-3 hours away

If you have any questions you can contact Kelvin on Kelvin@ppdxb.com

 

Motivation

A day in the life of…

Miranda

Many people ask me why I decided to do this fitness competition. They wonder why I put myself through strict food intake and training schedule. Why do I sacrifice certain things…

You see, to me it is not a sacrifice or a struggle. Is it hard at times? Yes, of course. But I see this as a personal challenge. I decided to challenge myself to be healthier, fitter and more confident (especially on stage). I challenged myself to get to know my body better and learn to appreciate it. And what is life without a bit of a challenge?

I do believe that in life we should always challenge ourselves to do better, learn new things and improve ourselves. Whether those challenges are ones which life throws at us (yes everyone has a struggle of some sorts) or whether they are ones we have consciously decided to set for ourselves, challenges are necessary for us to change and grow.

After the why’s come the how’s. How do I do what I do? How do I train? How do I prep my food? How do I keep going? Well let me take you through a typical training day.

My alarm goes off at 5.15am and I spend a few minutes wondering why am I doing this… Kidding! Although there are times when I do struggle to get out of bed so early I always remind myself of my goals and what I want to achieve. I have my first meal (out of 7) of the day and spend about 30 – 40 minutes stretching and practicing my stage routine. I then prepare my post-workout supplements and protein shake and get ready to hit the gym.

At 7am I meet my coach Adrianna and we start off our weight training session of the day. We are usually done by around 8am and after a short stretch, I get ready for work and take my post-workout shake.

I’m usually in the office by 9am and tend to stay there until… well until the work gets done or I get too tired – whichever comes first. Typically I would leave my desk between 7pm and 8pm, however there are days when I stay until 9.30pm. I have about 5 meals during my time in the office – a combination of protein and vegetables (with only the first meal having carbs).

Once I get home, I would prepare for the next day. Luckily I am currently using a meal prep company and rarely have to cook, however prior to this I would typically cook large batches on the weekend and freeze my meals (the only fresh meal back then was my evening tuna salad).

When all is set I have my last meal of the day in front of the telly or in bed with a book. I take my bedtime supplements and get ready for bed. I try to be in bed by 10pm, although if I have stayed late in the office I may not go to sleep until as late as 11.30pm.

So there you are – a typical day in my life. Not as hard as people would think, but not as exciting J I do however do spend some time on Tuesday nights with friends as my rest day is Wednesday and of course I make sure my weekends are packed with entertainment.

Do I have any regrets? No. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Do I miss anything? Well it’s all down to getting in to a routine… but I do miss freshly baked bread with butter (yup, on my list for next cheat meal!).

Can anyone do this? Of course! All you need is to find a motivating factor – something strong enough to pull you through the ups and downs of life (because there are always some obstacles on the way!) as you attempt to challenge yourself to be healthier and fitter.

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A good way to finding a strong driving force is asking yourself everyday if you can go to bed knowing that you have done your best. This is a trick shared by crossfit athlete Camille Le Blanc who I had the please of meeting last month here in Dubai. So tonight, when you go to bed ask youreslf – are you proud of your daily achievements?

Yours truly,

WW