Best Fish Oil

In my time in school as a physical therapy student I had the pleasure of sitting in on a lecture by Dr. Jose Antonio, who is a supplement specialist, author, and Chief Executive Officer of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. After the lecture on sports supplements I asked him a question about the number one supplement he would recommend for everyone and his answer was “Fish Oil” with the additional advice of taking it right before you go to bed. The reason for this is because your body is less likely to use it as a fuel when your metabolism is at its lowest during sleep. This allows for maximal benefit from the fish oil.

Now, years later, I have done a lot more research about the incredible benefits from taking fish oil as a supplement. I have listed a few of the benefits below, but there are so many more.

• Decrease high blood pressure
• Decrease risk for cardiovascular disease
• Decrease inflammation
• Reduced risk for prostate cancer
• Reduction of free radicals
• Managing high cholesterol
• Protection of cognitive function with aging
• Maintenance of skin, hair, and joints

Unfortunately fish oil, like all other supplements, is not a regulated substance by the FDA (yes, I am fully aware of the flaws and problems of the FDA). This results in companies putting together cheap and in-effective sources of fish oil and selling them to you without any information about the source. This has resulted in recent findings of heavy metals like mercury to be found in cheap fish oils. You get what you pay for. So when you buy that 90 day supply of fish oil from Walmart for $15, its probably not the best source.

The good news is that there is research about which fish oils are more effective and have higher absorption. Krill oil has been shown to be one of the most effective fish oils with a significantly higher absorption rate than most other sources of fish oil. Additionally, because of the lifespan of krill, there is no heavy metal accumulation in the bodies of the krill. What is even better is that it is a very renewable resource. Check out this site for more benefits of and information on krill oil. http://www.neptunebiotech.com/products/nko.

Now, there are a number of companies that have taken advantage of using krill oil as a marketable source of fish oil. The company that I have chosen to use is called Prograde (http://totalnutrition.getprograde.com/essential-fatty-acid.html). The reason I chose them is because the company was created and is run by fitness professionals that were tired of the pharmaceutical and supplement industry marketing false products with no research behind them.

I personally have met and spoken with the head of Prograde Research and Development and know for a fact that they have high quality supplements, one of which is their EFA Icon krill oil supplement.

This is just my personal recommendation because I know that Prograde offers some of the best quality supplements that are all backed with research, but if you can find equal or better for cheaper, go for it!

Cheers to your health,

Lynk

Body Weight Cardio Circuit

Ok, so this is a body weight cardio circuit that is pretty liking to leave you gasping for air if you do it right and will take you anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on your level. The goal is to go through the circuit of exercises below 5x. Start at 20% of your max speed for the first round and each round after that you increase your speed by 20% (round 2 = 40%, round 3 = 60%, and so on).

High Knees – 10x – Hike your knees up through your core by pulling up and in through your abs.
Butt Kickers – 10x – Pull through you hamstrings and try to keep your knees under you as opposed to bringing the knee forward to bent it.
Jumping Jacks – 10x – I think this one is self explanatory, but just for an added workload try keeping your core tight as if you are ripping your arms away from your body and trying to stop it with your abs.
Lunges – 5x each side – We all know what these are and if not click here.
Squat Thrust – 10x – Keep your core tight when you kick your legs back to avoid low back injury.
Star Jumps – 10x – Squat down to the floor with knees and feet together and your arms crossed in front, then explode up into a jump with your arms up and out and your legs apart like a star. You can modify this to just come up onto your toes instead of jumping, but still bursting up in an explosive fashion. Be sure to keep your core tight as if you are ripping your arms and legs away from your abs.
Karaoke Step (cross over step) – 5 steps to each side – I learned it as grape vine step, but neither really makes sense to me.
Side Gallop with Arm Swipe – 5 steps to each side – The arm swipe is done by keeping your arms parallel with the ground out in front and then squeezing your shoulders together and moving your arms out to the side as you perform the side gallop.
Mountain Climbers – 10x – Keep your core tight and draw your legs up through your abs. Try to avoid as much vertical movement as possible and focus on pulling the legs straight forward under you.
Burpees – 10x - One of the best body weight exercises on the planet! Check out this video for 300 burpees. Notice the guy on the left and how his hips drop down when he lands in the push up position. Avoid this through keeping the core tight as you kick the legs back. The missing part in this video that really kills is the vertical jump when you come into standing after the push up. If you have the space you can also perform a horizontal jump like this!

You can also change the order of the exercises and do the set up backwards to mix them up for a different experience. Enjoy!

Cheers to your health,

Lynk

PS: For a FREE Body Weight Gauntlet by Craig Ballantyne click here!

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Here Are 3 Reasons YOU Need To Know About Diaphragmatic Breathing

1. Low Back Pain
2. Improve Fat Loss
3. Heal Injuries Faster

What is the Diaphragm and what does it do?

• The diaphragm is a muscle that separates you heart and lungs from you other internal organs and is the primary muscle responsible for proper breathing.
• It attaches to the inside of your ribs and spine and moves toward the center of your body where it attaches to a tendon.
• As you breath in, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward to allow for your lungs to expand in your chest cavity and take a a full breath.
• As you breath out the diaphragm relaxes and moves back up to the starting position.

Why is it important to practice diaphragmatic breathing?

• Relaxes the entire body and nervous system, where tensions and anxieties are held
• Relaxes the heart, reducing blood pressure
• Increases oxygen levels to our cells
• Supports process of detoxification
• Assists with digestion
• Helps to reduce back pain by stabilizing the spine and core
• Expand the working capacity of respiratory system
• Enhance left and right brain interaction
• Balances the level of acidity and carbon dioxide of blood
• Clarity of Thought
• Focus/Awareness

How does this improve fat loss and healing time

• Improving the strength of the diaphragm assists with maintaining appropriate position of the spine and ribs.
• Maintaining appropriate position of all of your joints is critical for having a higher metabolism
• Higher oxygen levels in the body allow for a greater amount to be available for all activities including exercise.
• Without higher levels of oxygen your capacity for exercise will be limited as so will your results
• Your body runs on two things, oxygen and glucose. If you take out one you can forget about burning those extra calories for weight loss.
• Increased oxygen levels provide more oxygen for healing injuries because without oxygen injuries will take a much longer time to heal.
• Lastly, stress reduction that occurs with diaphragmatic breathing lowers stress hormones in the body that impede both healing of injuries and fat loss.

How to perform diaphragmatic breathing

• Sit in a relaxed and comfortable position that is slightly reclined.
• Place one hand on your stomach between your solar plexus and your belly button.
• Place your other hand at the top of your chest.
• Slowly breath in through your nose and into the hand that is on your stomach. Try to keep the hand on your chest relatively still. You stomach should expand as you breath in.
• Once you have take a full breath in, slowly breath out through pursed lips like breathing through a coffee straw. As you breath out, gently draw your stomach in as if you are zipping up a tight pair of jeans.
• Repeat 10x, at least 10x/day.

As you improve your awareness of the diaphragm you will be able perform this exercise without the use of your hands and in a variety of positions. Also, by incorporating diaphragmatic breathing into your rest during exercise you can improve the quality and decrease the time of your rest periods.

Hope everyone found this information to be helpful!

Cheers to your health,

Lynk

Awesome Immune System Boosting Article

Hey, it’s Lynk. I’ve got two quick updates for you today from my partners over at Prograde.

1) Yes, it’s true, they are launching Prograde Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) next week! I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as they’re available because they’re most likely going to sell out real fast!

2) Here’s a really cool research based article on BCAAs and Immune System Boosting.

http://totalnutrition.getprograde.com/immune-system-booster.html

Enjoy!

Lynk

PS – Oh, in case you missed this one on Tuesday. Here’s another cool article on BCAAs and fat loss:

http://totalnutrition.getprograde.com/bcaas-and-dieting.html

A Secret Supplement For a Flatter Belly

I’ve been telling you forever that there are NO shortcuts.

Now, I can’t say for certain, but there’s a good, good chance you’ve been down the “magic pill and potion” road before.

Hey, don’t feel bad, most people have.

And with all the deceptive marketing and lies those companies tell you, well, it can be easy to believe them.

Look, you know as well as I do that exercise and proper nutrition are the way to go.

But as my partners over at Prograde Nutrition show you in this article, there are ways to supplement that can really make a difference with your results.

Bottom line: If you’re serious about that dream body you need to devour this article ASAP:

http://totalnutrition.getprograde.com/bcaas-and-dieting.html

Yours in health,

Lynk

PS – Again, there are NO shortcuts, but there is SCIENCE behind the worthwhile supplements. Be sure to read this article to see for yourself:

http://totalnutrition.getprograde.com/bcaas-and-dieting.html