Fitness Newsletter                                                  May 2009

In this issue:

• Leander/Cedar Park Boot Camps...
• It Pays To Take Your Vitamins
• Health Briefs
• 12-Week Amazing Body Challenge Participant UPDATE
• Nutrition Tracking Sheets
• Fruits & Veggies: Colors of the Rainbow
• Health Quiz
• Recipe: Spicy Chicken Creole

American Medical Association Encourages Adults To Supplement Diet

Multivitamin supplements help our bodies stay healthy and young, as well as help ward off diseases. While the many benefits of multivitamin supplements have been known for years, they're just now beginning to gain the level of public awareness they deserve. After 20 years, the American Medical Association (AMA) has completely reversed its anti-vitamin stance and now encourages all adults to supplement daily with a multiple vitamin.

A landmark review of 38 years of scientific evidence by Harvard researchers, Dr. Robert Fletcher and Dr. Kathleen Fairfield, convinced the conservative Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) to rewrite its policy guidelines regarding the use of vitamin supplements. In two reports published in the June 19, 2002 edition of JAMA, the authors conclude that the current North American diet, while sufficient to prevent vitamin deficiency diseases (i.e., scurvy and pellagra), is inadequate to support the need for optimal health.

The study’s authors examined several nutrients, including vitamins A3, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, folic acid, and several of carotenoids. Among their conclusions, they note:

• Folic acid, Vitamin B6 and B12 are required for proper homocystein metabolism, and low levels of the vitamins are associated with increased risk of heart disease;
• Inadequate folic acid status increases the risk of neural tube defects and some cancers;
• Vitamin D is associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis and fracture, when taken with calcium;
• Inadequate vitamin B12 is associated with anemia and neurological disorders;
• Low levels of the carotenoids appear to increase the risk of breast, prostate and lung cancer;
• Inadequate vitamin C is associated with increased cancer risk;
• Low vitamin A status is associated with vision disorders and impaired immune functions.

In a striking departure from JAMA’s anti-vitamin stance of the last 20 years, the authors conclude that, given today’s diet, daily supplementation with a multiple vitamin is a prudent preventive measure against chronic disease. The researchers base their guidance on the fact that more than 80 percent of the American population does not consume anywhere near the five per day servings of fruits and vegetables required for optimal health.

Adding Quality Supplements To Your Diet

Multivitamins "fill in the gap" left by the poor nutritional value of many of the foods we eat. In order for the human body to function effectively and efficiently, it needs a daily supply of several important nutrients. The daily stress of fatty foods, pollution, and germs deplete the body of these essential nutrients. It's up to us to replace them. We can do this by eating healthy, nutritious meals and taking quality nutritional supplements. 

For this exact reason, Austin Adventure Boot Camp has decided to partner with USANA Health Sciences. USANA’s supplemental products consistently rank at the top of the industry according to the independent “NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.” According to the guide, USANA “products represent the best of the best within the stand-alone products category - having attained an unsurpassed five star rating, having demonstrated compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), and having been verified through independent laboratory analysis that what is on the label is in the bottle.”

You have already taken the right step toward optimal health by joining Austin Adventure Boot Camp; why not help yourself get even closer to the optimal you by focusing on the inside as well? For more information about vitamin and mineral supplementation, visit the USANA website.

We are now 7 weeks into our 12-Week Amazing Body Challenge, and so far 25 women have really stepped up their game! These women have committed themselves to 12-weeks of rigorous exercise both at boot camp and own their own. They have vowed to eat healthy and make better food choices. They have changed their mindset and their attitudes. And it shows! Our current leader has lost 16 lbs -- that's over 2 lbs/week!!! It’s sure to be an exciting race to the finish…

Each of the 12-week challenge participants have been using our nutrition tracking sheets to monitor and record their daily food and water consumption. Here's what our top 5 women, who have all lost over 12 lbs each so far, have to say about their success:

• "What's been helping me the most is using the fat burner nutrition tracker.  I love it!" 
• "Focusing on the nutrition tracker has made it easier to shift the way I think about food.  Instead of eating desserts or junk food because I'm stressed-out, sad, tired, celebrating etc., I look at the food tracker sheet and I try to think of food as fuel that I need for health and to have energy." 
• "I have just been very rigorous on only eating what I’m supposed to eat."
• "I've been cutting out the junk and sticking to the nutrition plan."
• "I prioritize getting in my protein servings, my veggies, and my fruit each day."
• "I do my best to eat five to six times every day."
• "In the morning I plan out my meals for the day and then I pack everything I will need to eat until I get home. I can resist temptation easier if I know what I'm going to eat and I have it right there for me."
• "What hasn't worked for me is not sticking to my food plan on weekends. I lost the most amount of weight in the weeks that I ate five to six meals every day -- skipping meals did not help shed any pounds."

Nutrition Tracking Sheets              In order to maximize your success and achieve your specific fitness goals while at Austin Adventure Boot Camp, it's critical to have a proper nutrition plan. Eating for success and optimal health is not just something that you should do while at Austin Adventure Boot Camp in order to achieve your best results, it's something that you should do for a lifetime. The Austin Adventure Boot Camp nutrition tracking sheet is designed to give you an easy to follow path to the perfect you! Our NEW nutrition tracking sheets will be available for all full-time campers who register for our upcoming camps! Get Yours! Register Now!

Everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are good for us, but few of us get the recommended amount each day. They come in a variety of colors and we should eat as many colors as possible to get all the health benefits.

• Red fruits and vegetables: strawberries, watermelon, tomatoes, red peppers.
• Orange fruits and vegetables: mango, peaches, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin.
• Yellow fruits and vegetables: pineapple, star fruit, summer squash, corn.
• Green fruits and vegetables: kiwi, grapes, honeydew melon, peas, beans, spinach, broccoli,
• Blue/purple fruits and vegetables: blueberries, grapes, prunes, eggplant, beets.
• White fruits and vegetables: bananas, pears, garlic, onions.

Aspartame turns into formaldehyde in your body.
            Answer: TRUE!

- Aspartame breaks down into phenylalanine (which can affect people with phenylketonuria), aspartate, and methanol. Methanol is broken down further by the liver into formaldehyde and formic acid, both toxic. It is presumed that the toxic effects of methanol and its byproducts are caused by prolonged exposure. Again, it is believed that the amount of methanol exposure and the length of time that methanol is in the body make aspartame reasonably harmless in small doses. However, some warn that a cumulative effect of aspartame consumption may exist, which could cause long-term health problems.

We suggest that you try Stevia instead. A plant-based sweetener, stevia is currently only available as a supplement. It has been used as a sweetener and additive in other countries, including Japan, for years with no harmful effects reported.

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray as needed
• 4 medium chicken breast halves, skinned, boned, and cut into 1" strips
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup low-sodium chili sauce
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Spray a deep skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat pan over high heat.
• Cook chicken in hot skillet, stirring for 3-5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Reduce heat.
• Add tomatoes and their juice, low-sodium chili sauce, green pepper, celery, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, and salt.
• Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Serve over hot cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Nutritional Info :

• Serving size: 1.5 cup
• Fat: 4.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
• Protein: 33.3 g
• Calories: 255.4