How to get your bonus ebook

Follow this link to the download page.

Once there, you'll need the password "newyear" minus the quotes to access the download page.

When you reach the download page, click on the link to open your ebook.

Adobe Acrobat Reader will open the file, if you have Acrobat Reader installed on your machine.

If you wish to save the file for later viewing, right click on the link, and select Save Target As... from the pop up menu. Navigate to a place on your hard drive, and save the file.

I hope you enjoy the ebook.

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Nutrition: Eat Fat, Improve Your Cholesterol Levels and Your Heart

Most people are now aware of the importance of omega-3s in the diet. Omega-3s are a special type of protective fat the body cannot manufacture. What you may not know is that walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. A quarter-cup serving provides 90.8% of the daily value for these essential fats.

Omega-3s provide many potential health benefits ranging from improved cardiovascular function, to anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. In addition, walnuts contain an antioxidant compound called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties.

For four weeks, 21 men and women with high cholesterol followed either a regular, low-calorie Mediterranean diet or one in which walnuts were substituted for about one-third of the calories supplied by olives, and other monounsaturated fats. Then, for a second four weeks, they switched over to the diet they had not followed.

Not only did the walnut diet significantly reduce total cholesterol (a drop that ranged from 4.4 to 7.4%) and LDL (bad) cholesterol (a drop ranging from 6.4 to 10%), but walnuts were also found to increase the elasticity of the arteries by 64%, and to reduce levels of vascular cell adhesion molecules, a key player in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

The research showed that the drop in cholesterol correlated with increases in blood levels of alpha-linolenic acid, a key essential fatty acid from which omega 3 fats can be derived, and gamma-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E. Walnuts are uniquely rich in both of these nutrients, which have shown heart protective benefits in other studies.

The Food and Drug Administration has recently cleared the health claim that "eating 1.5 ounces per day of walnuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease." "This is the first time a whole food, not its isolated components, has shown this beneficial effect on vascular health," said Emilio Ros, who led the study at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona.

Circulation, April 2004 (Circulation. 2004;109:1609-1614.)

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Q&A: Should I do interval training before weights?

No. If you do that, not only will you will be too tired to perform your strength training well enough to make maximum changes in your body, but you'll use up the glycogen that your muscles require leaving them without fuel. Then your body will begin to attack it's own muscle tissue in an effort to get what it needs.

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Tailored Fitness Research:
Are Exercise Balls Effective Tools for Training Trunk Extensors?

Recent research from the University of Waterloo suggests that when healthy yo*ung adults perform exercises on an exercise ball they receive no additional training benefit when compared to performing trunk training exercises without an exercise ball.

Researchers recorded the EMG activity from seven sites (rectus abdominus, external/internal obliques, latissimus dorsi, thoracic/lumbar erector spinae, and the multifidus) while eight subjects performed various trunk extensor exercises on an exercise ball or mat. A total of three exercise (back extension, contralateral arm/leg extension exercise (sometimes called birddog) and single leg extension exercises) tasks were performed by each subject on the exercise ball and mat. A reference task in which the participant had to hold a 10 — kg mass while flexing the trunk at 60 ° was also performed.

The results of the study demonstrated that the contraction of the trunk flexor and extensor muscles was reduced by up to 30% when the exercises were performed on the exercise ball. Interestingly, there were no differenced between the percent co-activation of the trunk extensors when performing the back extension exercise on the exercise ball or exercise mat. Conversely, greater trunk extensor activation was noted when the contra lateral and single leg extension exercise was performed on the exercise mat. Additionally, it was noted that the exercises performed on the exercise mat resulted in greater EMG activation patterns in the rectus abdominus and external obliques.

Based upon this data the researchers concluded that the use of exercise balls in the training of healthy adults, such as athletes are not warranted. Conversely, these exercises may be useful in rehabilitation settings, because they reduce overall lower back loading. In conclusion it appears that the use of an exercise ball by athletes does not offer any additional training benefit.

Drake DM, Fischer SL, Brown SHH, Callaghen JP. (2006). Do exercise balls provide a training advantage for trunk extension exercises? A biomechanical evaluation. Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, 29(5): 354 — 362.

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Tailored Fitness Recipe: Baby Greens with Pears, Walnuts and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

This recipe serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 pomegranate
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice* or orange juice
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
sugar to taste
salt to taste
8 cups mixed baby greens, such as spinach, arugula and mesclun
1 ripe Bosc pear, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, toasted

Cooking Instructions
1. Cut the pomegranate in half crosswise. Hold one half at a time over a bowl and tap it with a wooden spoon while the kernels fall into the bowl. Discard the pomegranate shells and remove any membranes that fell out with the kernels.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the raspberry vinegar, pomegranate juice, olive oil, sugar and salt together. Add half of the pomegranate kernels to the vinaigrette mixture and set aside. (The vinaigrette may be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

3. Place the greens in a large salad bowl and toss them with the vinagrette. Divide the greens among 4 salad plates and garnish each plate with the pear slices, walnuts and remaining pomegranate kernels.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 123
Total Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Protein 3 g
Total Carbohydrate 17 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sodium 49 mg
Percent Calories from Fat 42%
Percent Calories from Protein 8%
Percent Calories from Carbohydrate 50%

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Tailored Fitness Move: Stability Ball Rollout

The stability ball rollout is a great way to challenge your abs without having to flex the spine. Here's the Stability Ball Rollout. ______________________________________________________________
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