Top 5 Ways to Strengthen Your Bones on a Vegan Diet

strong-bones-on-a-vegan-diet

For ages the dairy industry did a killer (pun intended) job preventing people from thinking you cannot strengthen your bones on a vegan diet.

We heard it all the time growing up, “Finish your milk! You need it to grow strong bones.” And if you’re like me, I had to come up with ways to choke it down. I found that if I followed these steps I managed to get the job done. First I held my nose tight. Then I chugged the entire glass without breathing. Next, before taking a breath, I chased it with another drink like orange juice. Only then could I release my nose without gagging.

Well, times have changed and the cat is out of the bag. Dairy actually has been shown to have the opposite effect on bones than the USDA has led us to believe is true. Those on a plant-based diet actually have less of a risk for developing osteoporosis than dairy-drinkers.

So to help jump start you into a bone-healthy vegan diet plan, Kei Nishida gives us 5 awesome ways to promote strong bones with plant-based eating… Here they are:

Tofu and Soy ProductsTofu Tempeh Soy

Aside from calcium, protein is one of the most important ingredients in building strong bones and overall healthiness. Consider soy especially in forms like tofu which is high in protein and has so many other beneficial nutrients. With 10 grams of protein per serving as well as tons of calcium, tofu is a great way to fill your daily protein needs and keep your bones strong. This goes for other soy products like soy milk, too, with beans in general being a great way to eat your protein.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are packed with tons of great vitamins and minerals, many of which support bone health. While you can’t go wrong when choosing to add mushrooms to your food, whether they’re raw or cooked, one of the best varieties to use when looking to strengthen your bones is the shiitake mushroom.

Shiitake have the highest concentration of copper of any mushroom species, an essential element in creating the enzymes that help our bones, skin, joints, and blood vessels stay healthy and repair themselves. In fact, one serving of shiitake mushrooms provides about 65% of your daily recommended amount of copper while also being high in zinc, another key ingredient in building regulating your bones.

Broccolibroccoli for strong bones

As one of the best dark leafy greens you can eat, it’s no surprise broccoli is loaded with vitamins and minerals that assist in bone growth. A major source of vitamin K, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, eating broccoli is one of the best things you can do if you want healthy bones, teeth, and nails.

Vitamin K, especially, is important for bone health, as more and more research begins to suggest it may play a more crucial role in building strong bones than even calcium. Given that a single cup of broccoli supplies almost 300% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin K, it would be a good idea to eat plenty of it to ensure your bones stay in peak condition. It can also help prevent and treat bone diseases like osteoporosis, making it great for those looking to rebuild bone strength in addition to those preserving it.

Nettles

While it’s probably not your first choice when thinking of plants to increase the strength of your bones, the stinging nettle is a great source for tons of different nutrients related to bone health. Stinging nettles are natural sources of calcium and magnesium, key ingredients in healthy bone construction and bone metabolism regulation. Other key nutrients include boron and silica, as well as vitamins C, D, and K.

There are many ways to ingest it, too. Properly prepared stinging nettles can be a component in thick and hearty soups, fresh salads (after steaming), or potentially even used in teas. Just be careful when handling them raw, as their tiny needles can prick you and cause skin irritation.

Green-Tea-for strong bones

Japanese Green Tea

Green tea is one of the most popular drinks and flavors in Japan, and for good reason. Among its many health benefits include bone strengthening. Japanese green tea, as opposed to other types of tea, is especially good for bone health due to not being fermented or oxidized, as well as its high levels of polyphenols that help to reduce inflammation and bone breakdown, as well as normalize bone mineral makeup and assist with calcium uptake. It can also help to activate enzymes responsible for bone growth, overall making Japanese green tea one of the best bone strengtheners available.

As recommended by Doctor David B. Samadi, drinking three cups of green tea a day can help significantly reduce the likelihood of bone breaks and other injuries, as well as treat the symptoms of and potentially prevent the onset of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. If you happen to be worried about the caffeine content of green tea (as high amounts of caffeine can lessen bone density), there are decaffeinated green teas available for purchase.

Final Thoughts

These are only a few of the many plant-based bone strengtheners available for vegan consumers. If you want to ensure your body is running at maximum efficiency while keeping your bones healthy and strong, try any or all of these recommended items and see the results for yourself.

 

A New Twist on Resolutions for 2017

Ahhh, 2017! A new year is well underway. Many of us are filled with new hopes, new dreams, and new goals as we vow to attack this new year with more gusto and resolve than the years in the past.

One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight, eat healthier, and become more fit. Gyms are packed at the start of a new year as weight loss products hit a spike in sales. Everything is going so great as the excitement of getting to the new you electrifies the air…and then February comes. So what happens? What is the thing that makes so many of us fail so soon into the beginning of our goal to being healthier and more fit?

One thing I see over and over again is that the majority of people set a really hard generalized goal and after the first few moments of not being perfect, resolve themselves to being a failure and slide quietly back into their comfort zone of the way things were. There is nothing wrong with a hard goal. However, when you fail to specifically set the little steps required to reach that big goal, you set yourself up for a very very hard struggle. Wanting to lose 30 lbs is fantastic. That’s a hard goal. No one ever declared losing 30 lbs was an easy task. In order to get to the bottom of those 30lbs, you must map out a road to get you there. Part of that road MUST be leaving room for you to mess up.

There are many ways to go about losing weight. While there are some tactics that I strongly disagree with, like counting calories and measuring food, oh and starving yourself…that one is always a no no, I’m going to focus on the part of the journey so many people forget about when they first begin. Messing up. Not being perfect. Feeling like you are starting over and over again. When beginning a lifestyle change, or setting out on any goal, you MUST remember to give yourself permission to mess up, because at some point you will fall down.

Giving yourself permission to occasionally fail is not saying you should go about your goal half-assed. In fact, any goal you have I strongly encourage you to have a burning passion for. The more passion you have, the more energy and hard work you will commit to it. Get to the root of what gives you that passion. Why do you want to lose weight? To have a better sex life in your marriage? To feel more comfortable in your clothes? To have more energy to keep up with your crazy energy bound kids? To be more confident to walk into a room of strangers? To feel just plain better because you are tired of feeling sick and tired? All of the above? Determine in the beginning what makes you passionate about this goal, mark it in big bold letters high in the sky, set yourself on fire, and go!Picture

Now, as you roll onward with your fiery heart and banner set ablaze with determination, prepare yourself to fall down. Many, if not all, people fall their way to success. That multi-billion dollar owner of that cool thing you just saw on TV had about 50-100 previous cool ideas that was thought to be a success. That incredibly toned fitness model that you most likely could bounce a coin off her round little booty did skip the gym on one or more occasion and has been known to total a bag of tortilla chips from time to time. My incredibly handsome hardworking husband who started an new company that flourished in the first year worked his ass off, got discouraged on several occasions, and went months without getting any returns on leads. What is the common factor here? A burning passion coupled with permission to fail.

Failure doesn’t need to be a negative word if you don’t make it one. Failure is one of the most fantastic learning tools we have. In falling down, you learn how what not to do in order to avoid falling down again. This one may take a few spins around the merry-go-round, and thats ok. This is where open mindedness comes into play. If at first you don’t succeed and try try again is giving you a massive migraine, well try a different approach.

I thought for years tirelessly counting every last calorie that went into my body was the only way I could be thin. I tried, failed, tried again, failed again, got sick of trying, binged, tried, binged some more, tried again. After beating myself in the head for a few years (my stubbornness beaming through) I finally let go of the fact that this method was not working. In fact it was creating more damage by igniting obsessive compulsive behaviors. I finally let go and went down a different road. The passion was still there. I burned with the need to be healthy, feel good about myself, and not struggle with food (insert head slap for thinking counting every calories would get me to not struggle with food). However, I allowed myself to fall. I picked my butt back up, sometimes faster and stronger than others, and refused to lose site of the goal. I reworked some things, fine tuning methods as I went.

So many people fall, maybe get up a few more times, fall again, and quit. Giving yourself permission to fall from time to time is honoring the fact that you are human. It’s investing empathetic energy back into yourself for a change. This whole thing to better health is a journey. People often forget that the journey never ends. There is the journey to losing the weight. Then there is the journey to learning to maintain the weight. Then there is the journey to breaking those extra pesky small habits with food that are unhealthy. Then there is the journey to loving yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin. All of these things are tightly interwoven into each other without end. To make the most out of your journey, honor and respect your imperfections as a human being and embrace the event of falling down when it happens, so you can quickly pick yourself back up again.

Much love!
Lindsey

Fitness Exercises You Can Do With Kids During the Winter Months

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The winter months can present challenges when it comes to sticking to your exercise routine as well as keeping your kids active…

The new year may be here, but winter still has a few more weeks before it melts into spring. For most of us, winter calls to mind warm, cozy sweaters, nights cuddled up by the fire, and lots and lots of hot beverages. You know what tends to slip our minds during winter? Exercise and healthy eating. This can be tough for those of us trying to live a healthy lifestyle, particularly when we have children looking up to us.

In some ways, I understand our wintertime, couch potato tendencies. Who wants to spend time trying to convince themselves and their children to get some physical activity – especially when it’s cold outside! What’s more, our cupboards are usually crammed with holiday goodies co-workers gave us as gifts during the previous holiday season, tempting anyone who dares to trek through the kitchen. Who among us has the willpower to resist a tasty cookie and get a healthy snack instead? (Not me!)

Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks that not only get my son moving during the winter months, but actually help me keep fit too! They’ve become some of our favorite winter activities. Why not give a few a try to kick start 2017?

Walk in a Winter Wonderland

It’s a simple fact: every kid likes to play in the snow. So when you wake up to some clean, fresh powder, why not take advantage of it? Bundle up and take a walk so you both can enjoy the scenery. Make a snowman or have a snowball fight! Whatever you decide to do with your time in the snow, it will certainly be better than time spent in front of the TV.

Even if you live in a snow-free climate, you can still take advantage of the winter weather. Parks and hiking trails will be less populated in the winter, which means your family can have the place practically to yourselves! As long as you are dressed for the weather, there is no reason that you and your little ones shouldn’t enjoy some time in the wintry outdoors.

Marathon Your Meal Prep

If you’re living a healthy, vegan lifestyle, you probably already know the importance of meal prepping. Taking time to prepare healthy, plant-based meals and snacks can be a lifesaver during those busy workdays, when it seems like all you do is grab something as you head out the door again. But have you ever stopped to consider that meal prep could be a workout?

Get the whole family involved in your cooking! Chopping veggies (if you’re old enough to handle a knife, of course), running around the kitchen finding ingredients, and mixing things together can actually get your heart rate up and your muscles working – and if you don’t believe me, as anyone who’s ever baked something without an electric mixer!

At my house, we make meal prep an athletic event. We invent little competitions, like who can clean the counter the fastest (my favorite way to get my son to tidy up for me) and we make sure that everyone plays a part in getting ready for the week. It may not be as strenuous as running a marathon, but it’s leaps and bounds better than lying around all afternoon.

Reclaim Your Favorite Outdoor Games

Your parents may have told you not to play ball in the house, but you’re the parent now! Go ahead and try repurposing your favorite outdoor activities for a housebound group. Have wheelbarrow races around the living room. Compete to see who can hula hoop the longest. Practice your handstands or hacky sack skills. Find your favorite tunes and turn up the volume, gather the family, and take turns showing off your best moves.

Really, the key is that everyone is getting their blood flowing and their endorphins flowing. Not only will you find yourself getting some exercise, you will make amazing memories you’ll cherish for years. Fun-filled exercise like this can really help you shake off those winter blues and help create healthy habits you’ll keep all year!

The Veg Effect

The-Veg-Effect-Documentary

My friend and fellow fitness enthusiast Stic, of the hip hop duo Dead Prez, was recently featured in a documentary called “The Veg Effect”.

To watch this series visit https://vegeffect.com

This documentary follows 5 different individuals who have adopted, on various levels, a vegetarian diet and lifestyle.

On set with Stic during filming for The Veg Effect!

Stic is 100% veg and recently challenged himself to gain 20 lbs. of lean muscle on a whole food, plant-based diet, void of supplements, pills and powders – just straight up food! He did his strength training with me and his wife, and holistic nutritionist, Afya put together his nutrition plan and was a complete wizard in the kitchen. Because of this, and his dedication to the plan, he accomplished the 20 lb. gain in 2.5 months, one and a half months faster than his goal!

This eventually became our book, Eat Plants, Lift Iron which you can learn more about by clicking here!

Our story was a small part of he and his family’s feature in the Veg Effect documentary, and it was a huge honor to be invited to be part of it!

Doing some heavy bag work with Stic during filming for The Veg Effect!

Click here to check out Stic and the rest of the Veg Effect features!

About the Veg Effect from vegeffect.com:

“This isn’t some scare-you-into-a-rage film about the food industry. Or about regretting yesterday.

This is a documentary series about how we can change the world by answering one simple question: What are we going to eat today?

Directed by Alison Klayman (Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry) for MorningStar Farms®, the series follows 5 real stories, from real people with very different lives, each choosing to make a difference with their own personal way to veg.”

The documentary series is currently available on: vimeo, YouTube, dailymotion, amazon, iTunes, and EatingWell.
 

With my friend Stic after filming for The Veg Effect!

 
Stay Strong AND Healthy and find YOUR #waytoveg!
 
-Scott

Introduction to Qigong Part 2: Applications and Styles.

qigong

Now that we understand what qigong and qi actually are (if you have not read part one, do so HERE), we can begin to explore the various applications and styles of qigong.

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There are three primary reasons people practise qigong; medical, health, and to enhance martial arts training.

Medical qigong is one of the four main branches of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the focus on the practitioner helping their patient to correct imbalances and energy blockages through regulation of their qi. This enables the body to strengthen and regulate the internal organs, the nervous system and the immune system, relieve pain, regulate hormones, and strengthen and release deep-seated emotions and stress. (Click here for more on medical qigong.)

Martial qigong was most likely developed after the monks of the Shaolin Temple began practising the early forms of qigong attributed to Bodhidharma (Da Mo), the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle Tendon Changing Classic) and Xi Sui Jing (Marrow Cleansing Classic), were developed. Through the practise of these qigong forms the monks found that not only could they improve their health, they could increase the power of their martial art techniques. Since the origination of these two early qigong forms, many martial arts styles have developed their own qigong sets and many martial styles have been developed on qigong theory. (Click here for more on medical and martial qigong.)

Using qigong as a form of exercise for health and longevity is probably the most popular of the applications of qigong. The coupling of slow movements matched to natural breathing patterns allows for the practitioner to become totally engaged in the present moment which makes qigong a sort of moving meditation. This allows qigong to become an excellent form of holistic exercise developing the mind, body, and spirit.

There are thousands of styles of qigong exercise practised worldwide. Some of the styles I have been exposed to or practised are:

  • Zhan Zhuang Qigong
  • Little Nine Heaven Qigong Form
  • Chi Lel Qigong
  • Lamas Qigong
  • Dayan (Wild Goose) Qigong
  • Tai Chi Qigong 13 Form
  • Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi 18 Form
  • Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade)
  • Yi Jin Jing (Muscle Tendon Changing Classic)
  • Xi Sui Jing (Marrow Cleansing Classic)
  • Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing (Muscle Tendon Changing / Marrow Cleansing Classic)
  • Tai Gong By The Sea
  • Yin Yang Tai Gong

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My Shifu, Master Shi Deru, teaching his Tai Gong form to his students of the Shaolin Institute at our annual Qi Retreat in 2012. (Photo by Tom Kreutzer)

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The author practicing standing meditation. (Photo by Ben Kretz)

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Shifu Shi Deru connecting with Universal qi! (Photo by Tom Kreutzer)

What is the right style for you? Choose what application you are most attracted to. If you are interested in martial arts or are currently practising a martial art and want to add qigong, find a martial arts teacher who teaches qigong. The Yi Jin Jing is a great addition to martial arts practice. If your interest is in medical qigong due to a chronic illness or disease, you will need to find a specialist in Traditional Chinese Medicine to help you. If you are strictly interested in improving your health, a simple qigong form such as the Baduanjin would be a good choice. Do some research and ask around. Try a few different teachers until you find one that resonates well with you.

Regardless of the style of qigong you select to practise, all qigong styles share three common attributes:

  1. Regulation of the posture of relaxation.
  2. Regulation of the mind.
  3. Regulation of the breathing.

Personally, to compliment my Yang and Chen style Taiji practice, I have to come to favor the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing forms, as well as the Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing. I also find a lot of benefit in the Baduanjin and have learned a couple different ways to practise that form as well. I am very fortunate to have found a teacher of authentic Shaolin martial arts to learn from. My teacher (or Shifu), Shi Deru, is a 31st generation master from the Shaolin Temple in China and was a direct disciple of the last real spiritual Abbot of the temple, grandmaster Shi Suxi.

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The author practicing walking qigong in his favorite environment! (Photo by Tom Kreutzer)

I think it is more important to find a form, learn to perform it well, and practise it consistently then to learn many different forms that you never master nor practise with any regularity.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee

In part 3 of this blog series we will look at how to set up our qigong practice as well as other methods that enhance qigong.

In Health,

Scott

Introduction to Qigong Part 1: What is Qigong?

qigong

While I truly love lifting weights and physical training, I believe it is crucial to adopt and internal practice that focuses on health and restoration as well.

I am going to present a series of blogs over the next few weeks or months about the practice of qigong. I believe in a holistic approach to health and fitness and qigong, along with meditation and my study of the internal martial art Taijiquan, has become a staple in my practice.

In this first post I want to introduce you to qigong and provide some background on the practice.

PictureQigong (pronounced ‘chee gong’) is a form of exercise that is practiced by millions of people worldwide.

What is qi? Before we define qigong we need to define qi. Qi (sometimes spelled chi), according to Chinese philosophy, is the circulating life energy thought to be inherent in all things. Qigong can literally be translated to “energy work”.

It originated over 4,000 years ago in China with it’s roots in the Chinese meditative practice of xing qi (circulating qi) and the gymnastic breathing exercise of tao yin (guiding and pulling).

Many recent studies have shown qigong to improve the quality of life in cancer patients, fight depression, improve balance, improve blood pressure, and improve overall health. Despite these studies many scientists claim it is still too early to make any definitive claims due to the lack of larger, more well-designed studies to substantiate these claims.

While there may not be enough evidence to convince many modern scientists, much of the research is substantiating what many highly qualified qigong teachers and practitioners have already known and discovered through their own practice; that qigong has a very positive effect on health.

At the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston a team of scientists and researchers studied 96 women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. They found a significant reduction in depression in women who took 5 weekly classes of qigong compared with the control group that didn’t take any classes. Among those who were depressed at the start of the trial, fatigue was lessened and overall quality of life improved. (Click here to read more about this study.)

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Many people often confuse the practice of Taijiquan (or Tai Chi Chuan) with qigong. Taiji is an internal form of Kung Fu which incorporates mind-body principles into a martial art and exercise for health. In order for a practitioner to get the most out of their study of Taiji they need to have a very good understanding of qigong and know how to apply qigong principles to their martial art practice.

I sometimes think that when people pursue Taijiquan strictly for health benefits, what they are really after is qigong. Taiji takes many years of study and practice with a qualified teacher as the forms can be quite intricate and challenging to learn. There have been some simplified forms created to make Taiji practice more accessible, but to get the most out of Taiji it is best to approach it both as a martial art and health practice after learning the fundamentals of qigong.

On the other hand qigong can be very easy to learn and the student will begin to see the benefits much more quickly. If your goal is strictly health related without any interest in the martial arts, qigong will provide everything you need.

I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to qigong and in part two of this series we will look at the various applications and styles of the art.

 
Stay Strong AND Healthy!
 
Scott