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nutrition, supplements Permalink

What causes bloating after meals?

Clients often complain about bloating and gas after meals. Sometimes it could be eating foods that you are intolerant to, such as gluten, dairy, soy, eggs or nightshades. If you’ve been free of those allergens, sometimes it could just be low digestive capacity; not enough enzymes to break down the foods.

Common factors that causes bloating

  1. Stress: there are two branches of the nervous system, “fight or flight” and “rest and digest”. Chronic stress leads an imbalance in the nervous system, favouring of the “fight or flight” branch, demonstrating symptoms such as reflux, spasm, cramping, gas and bloating.
  2. Side effects of prescription drugs: NSAIDs, antibiotics, diuretics, acid-blocking drugs all induce IBS-like symptoms.
  3. Insufficient HCl and digestive enzymes by the body.

 

The first step to digestion starts when food enters your mouth. You voluntarily chew and grind the food into slush as your salivary glands release amylase to break down carbohydrates. The process is completely involuntary right after you swallow your food, but don’t sweat, you can still debloat and heal low stomach acid and enzymes with these foods and supplements.

 

Foods and Digestive Enzymes to Improve Digestion

  1. Apple Cider Vinegar: the acidity will safely lower the pH in your stomach and prevent candida overgrowth.
  2. Probiotics: Intestinal bacterial provides digestive, immune and metabolic support.
  3. HCl Supplement: HCl breaks down protein molecules and acts as a defense against pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, yeast and viruses. Sufficient HCl is required to absorb essential nutrients, such as calcium, iron, vitamin C, B12, beta-carotene, magnesium, zinc, chromium, copper, vanadium, selenium and maganese.
  4. Digestive Enzymes: Digestive enzymes break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates into amino acids, fatty acids and sugars to be absorbed by the body.

 

Need help correcting your digestion issues? You may also want to learn about Metabolic Analysis, a method to we use determine the right foods and supplements for your body type or contact our Coaches to help you get started.

 

 exercise, program design Permalink

How to build strength and muscle fast: eccentric vs. concentric training

Many people do not focus on the tempo of each repetition. They lower the weight as fast as they pick the weight up and fail to understand that muscles must be stimulated under a specific time under tension to elicit muscle hypertrophy.

There are three types of muscle contractions in a movement:

1. Eccentric contraction is lengthening of a muscle, also known as “breaking” or lowering the weight.
2. Isometric contraction is when the muscle develops tension while its length remains unchanged.
3. Concentric contraction is shortening of the muscle, also known as lifting the weight.

For example, in a squat, when you descend, you are producing force eccentrically, when you’re at the bottom, you hold (may) it isometrically, and you would ascend concentrically.

Between these three contractions, eccentric loading causes more muscle soreness and gain in muscle mass. During the concentric movement, there is more friction due to overlap in muscle fibres. In eccentric movement, your muscle fibres tries to hang on to decelerate, resulting microtrauma in the muscle.

How to incorporate eccentric training

Studies suggest that protein synthesis is greatest after eccentric-enhanced lifting. For example, a simple way to build more muscle is to use a longer tempo for the eccentric motion (4 to 6 seconds) with an explosive or 1-second concentric motion. For example, in a squat, you would descend for 4 seconds, no pause at the bottom and ascend for 1 second for a 4010 tempo. Eccentric-enhanced phase (such as one with longer time under tension) will cause the most muscle damage.

If you would like to gain muscle mass and strength, defy gravity. You should always lower the weight in a controlled fashion and follow a prescribed tempo (a specific number of seconds to lift and lower the weight).

If you don’t change anything in your weight training program besides the eccentric loading, you will see gains. Need help creating an effective training program? Get a free consultation here.

 

 nutrition, supplements Permalink

Top 5 Supplements For Fat Loss

The best source of nutrients is a healthy, balanced diet comprised of fresh, whole foods and an abundance leafy green vegetables. However, people who strive to eat a healthy diet can sometimes fail to consume optimal levels of essential nutrients due to deficiency in soils and long transport and shelf life in our grocery foods. These nutritional deficiencies can cause a wide range of ailments such as chronic inflammation and muscle pain. Nutritional supplements when taken appropriately can be beneficial to almost everyone. Optimal levels of the nutrients below is essential for fat loss.

Here are the top 5 supplements we recommend:

  1. High quality fish oil
    EPA is responsible for reducing inflammation and DHA is responsible for brain function. Research suggests omega-3s improve cardiovascular function and normalizing triglycerides.
  1. Vitamin D3
    Vitamin D3 is a hormone made from cholesterol, responsible for gene transcription. There are Vitamin D receptors in 30 different tissues, notably immune cells. Vitamin D3 supplementation has been shown to improve immune system and lower the risk of depression.
  1. Zinc
    Zinc acts as an antioxidant and is responsible for normalizing testosterone and growth hormone levels, improve male and female fertility, healthy insulin action and regulates dopamine (an energizing neurotransmitter that gives you drive and focus).
  1. Magnesium
    Magnesium is a mineral that is a cofactor in over 300 different enzymes, and is responsible for cell regulation, cardiovascular function, glucose sensitivity and muscle repair. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to improve sleep and inflammatory markers.
  1. Multivitamin
    Trace mineral and elements supports hepatic detoxification. Excess toxins that are not removed by the liver are stored in fat cells.

Choosing the right supplement

Not all supplements are created equally. Avoid “No Name” brands and look for active forms of vitamins. Many poor quality supplements are made with incomplete, inactive forms or even soy fillers–you get what you pay for!

If you wish to improve your health with supplements on top of nutritious, wholesome meals, make sure you choose:

  • High quality active forms
  • Made without fillers (Note: some fillers are used as a stabilizing agent. Make sure you check!)
  • Third party tested

Unsure how to select supplements for what your body needs? Schedule an assessment and learn more about how you may be nutrient deficient and how we can help.

 exercise, nutrition Permalink

What is Metabolic Analysis?

 

At KX, we rely on Metabolic Analysis to measure our client’s success. Our clients lose on average of 0.5-1% body fat per week with customized exercise and nutritional programs.

Metabolic Analysis is used to assess body fat in specific areas of the body to determine how fat stores relate to hormonal imbalances

Many individuals’ stubborn problem areas are caused by imbalances in their body biochemistry, notably hormones. Metabolic Analysis, developed by world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin, is a method of assessing body fat percentage using 12 body fat sites that can quickly and accurately test using a quality calliper. The main difference between underwater weighing, electrical impedance and Metabolic Analysis, is that Metabolic can precisely determine the amount per millimetre of fat for each fat sites.

Most clients store excessive fat in just one area, while other people may have several different areas. Using this data, our Metabolic Practitioner will set out an individualized protocol of diet, exercise and supplementation to resolve this issue. For example if caliper test reveals an excessive amount of fat on the client’s lower thighs, relative to other sites, this suggests there might be a problem with high estrogen levels. If fat is stored in the lower back, the problem may be insulin levels.

 

Use Metabolic Analysis to customize exercise and nutritional protocols

Here at Kx, we use Metabolic Analysis to monitor clients’ progress. We use this tool to identify their baseline before they start any exercise or nutritional protocol. Reassessments are scheduled biweekly to ensure monitor progress and to implement new changes to speed up the rate of fat loss.

For more information, schedule an appointment with one of our practitioners.

 nutrition Permalink

Five Steps To Get Out of Your Turkey Slump

1. Avoid sugar (processed and unprocessed), dairy, soy, gluten, and eggs. These foods are common allergens and can be inflammatory to your gut. Most people have found improvements in their gut health, mood and mental clarity when they cut out these foods from their diet.

2. Drink your food and chew your water. Your mouth is the first and last voluntary digestion that happens in your body. When food particles are too large, food molecules can irritate your gut lining. After you swallow, everything is involuntary until it comes out. Amylase, an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down sugar, is released when you put food in your mouth. Get the most out of chewing and be mindful of your food.

3. Supplement with betaine HCl. Offensive-smelling stool, frequent meal related burping, meal-related bloating, general flatulence, and/or a history of eczema can be symptoms of HCl deficiency, also known as hypochlorhydria. Contrary to common belief, heartburn, GERD and acid reflux are all symptoms of hypochlorhydria. Digestive acid are extremely crucial in absorbing B6, B12, iron, calcium, zinc, protein; just to name a few. Start with 200mg of HCl, taken during meals with protein. If you don’t feel a burning sensation in your stomach, increase to 400mg, 600mg and so on. If you feel the burn, decrease the dosage by 200mg.

4. Supplement with curcumin. Curcumin, a plant derivative from tumeric, is a powerful anti-inflammatory that benefits and detoxifies excess estrogens. Based on early cell culture and animal research, clinical trials indicate curcumin may have potential as a therapeutic agent in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, arthritis, and as well as certain types of cancer.

5. Eat dark meat, fats, and vegetables for breakfast (or every meal). Most of our clients come to us eating oatmeal and fruit breakfast, or even worse, nothing at all. By not eating breakfast, you spike your cortisol and insulin. Meat and nuts are most important in the morning as dark meat contains tyrosine that is a precursor to dopamine (responsible for making you feel happy) and nuts contain choline that is a precursor to acetylcholine (responsible for mental clarity).