In a recent article by Alex Hutchinson in The Globe and Mail, the topic in question was what burns more calories - longer workouts at a moderate intensity or shorter workouts at maximal intensity?

Although both methods benefit the cardiovascular system, prevent muscle and bone loss, and of course burn calories, only one forces your body to continue burning calories even after you have finished your workout. At the very beginning of any workout, your body relies on its anaerobic system, which does not use oxygen for energy production. This means that you are burning more energy than your oxygen consumption provides. However, unless we push our bodies to continue to exercise at an intensity that is too high for oxygen to be present, they will quickly switch to using our aerobic system. This system relies on oxygen for energy production, which means the body cannot reach and then surpass the lactate threshold. It is only once the body is deprived of adequate oxygen that the lactate threshold is surpassed, at which point our bodies can burn extra calories both during and after a workout. Essentially, we are want to encourage our bodies to reach a state of metabolic damage so that they must burn extra calories in the repairing process.

The lactate threshold not only applies to cardiovascular workouts, but also to weight workouts. The key is reaching maximal exhaustion in whatever physical activity you put your body through - that is when we feel "the burn," therefore that is when we expend the most calories.

Avoid injury by giving your body the breaks it needs. However, when you are at the gym lifting weights, or out for a run, be sure to push yourself. Reach exhaustion often. That is when you will see the most gains. Don't ever think that you don't have time for a decent workout - the effort you put into it is what really counts.

Here are a few anaerobic workout ideas for maximal calorie-burn:
Hockey
Boxing
Ramp tests (choose a high yet maintainable intensity, and increase the incline on the treadmill every 3 minutes until complete burnout; can also be done on a cycle trainer)
Intervals (alternate between running (e.g. for 2 minutes) at intense speeds with walking / jogging (e.g. for 1 minute) at lower speeds
Pull-ups / chest press / curls / clean-and-jerks to complete exhaustion
Pyramid exercises (e.g. 10 medicine ball slams & 10 push-ups, 9 medicine ball slams & 9 push-ups...down to 1 of each)

Mental illness affects one in every five youth, currently the most disabling group of disorders in the world. Whether it's for anxiety, depression, ADHD, or schizophrenia, many medical professionals turn to prescribing psychotropic drugs to children very early in their treatment plan. There is emerging research showing the impact of complimenting traditional treatments with nutrition, exercise, diet, and vitamins. These interventions have far fewer side effects, and they minimize the likelihood of liver damage and pharmacological dependence in adulthood. Although psychotropic drugs can provide symptom relief, it is often accompanied by negative behavioural changes, dizziness, weight gain, and/or increased risk of addiction and suicide. If you could prevent this from happening in our children, wouldn't you?

Dr. Abram Hoffer, MD PhD has pioneered over 40 years of clinical practice and research in the concept of Orthomolecular Medicine (OM). OM "aims to restore the optimum environment of the body by correcting imbalances or deficiencies based on individual biochemistry, using substances natural to the body such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements and fatty acids." 
An example of Orthomolecular Medicine is the Feingold diet for the management of ADHD. The Feingold diet involves eliminating foods that contain artificial colours and flavours, as well as salicylate-containing foods such as apricots, teas, and berries. Approximately 70% of the children Dr. Feingold worked with showed major improvements, and about 50% of those children did not need any other intervention to keep their symptoms at bay. Furthermore, those that required the use of both stimulant medication and diet required a lower dose than expected in almost all cases.

The International Schizophrenia Foundation (ISF) has promoted vitamin and nutrient intervention for over 40 years to reduce the symptoms of mental illness, as well as the side-effects from psychotropic drugs. The ISF launched its newest education network, Mindful to provide parents of children afflicted by mental illness with information about nutrition, diet and lifestyle. Mindful also connects them with practitioners who use orthomolecular medicine techniques in their practice. 

For more information on Mindful, click here. 

We were lucky to have a few mild days in October, and in November so far. Once the upcoming winter days arrive with a vengeance, nothing says warm and cozy better than a big bowl of hearty homemade soup. Particularly one with curry powder to increase circulation, and garlic and onions to help fight off colds and flus. 
This recipe, borrowed from Holistic Nutritionist and Health Expert Joy McCarthy's Joyous Health, is simply delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 head green cabbage
1 Tbsp (15 mL) coconut oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 in (0.5 cm) cubes
2 Tbsp (30 mL) curry powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups (500 mL) cooked or canned organic chickpeas
5 cups (1.25 L) vegetable broth (Make sure your broth does NOT contain MSG).
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut milk or almond milk
Squirt of fresh lime
Fresh cilantro, chopped, as garnish but use as much as you wish. Joy and I are both cilantro fanatics! You can use parsley if you don’t like cilantro.

Remove any ragged outer leaves from cabbage, then core and slice into pencil-thin ribbons. Put oil in large, heavy-bottomed pot and warm over medium heat. Add sweet potato cubes, cover with lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 7 minutes.

Uncover; stir in curry powder, garlic, onion, and chickpeas; and cook another 2 minutes. Pour broth over vegetables and stir in salt. Bring to simmer and stir in cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage softens, about 2 minutes. Remove soup from heat, let cool slightly otherwise milk will curdle — then stir in coconut or almond milk, and ladle into serving bowls. Toss in a large handful of cilantro and squirt with fresh lime juice. Serves 8.

www.joyoushealth.ca

An estimated 500,000 Canadians are plagued by Alzheimer's disease or dementia, roughly 50,000 of them under the age of 60. The projected incidence of Alzheimer's disease by 2015 in Toronto alone is 44,269 people. What if there was a way to slow the progression of this disease by a simple edition to one's daily diet?  

Dr. Mary Newport, M.D., who runs a neonatology ward in Tampa Florida, tried her hand at improving her husband Steve's Alzheimer's symptoms by adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to his daily diet. Dr. Newport classifies Alzheimer's disease as diabetes of the brain. She explains that over time, the Alzheimer's brain becomes less sensitive to insulin. This insensitivity prevents these brain cells from accepting glucose (their primary fuel), causing them to eventually die. 

Ketones are an alternative fuel that do not require insulin to be taken up, and are therefore easily accepted by brain cells. Ketones are metabolized in the liver after the consumption of medium-chain triglycerides, which are found in coconut oil.
 
The clock test, where patients are asked to draw a clock, is commonly used to assess cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Two weeks after Dr. Newport had been giving Steve coconut oil daily, remarkable improvements were seen in his clock drawing when compared to his baseline drawing. Three weeks later, the difference was uncanny. Dr. Newport also reported both physical and emotional improvements in Steve's behaviour. Many family members of those afflicted with this devastating disease have written to Dr. Newport since the publication of her book 'Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was A Cure?', sharing their positive experiences following their implementation of this same dietary treatment. 

Coconut oil has also shown improvements in Parkinson's disease, ALS, Autism, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, and Dementia. It has natural antibiotic and antiviral properties, and it raises our good cholesterol, known as HDL. HDL can also be increased by regular exercise and consumption of fish oil. 
It is very important to use pure coconut oil, and that it is free from hydrogenated oils of any kind.

Take the next 5 minutes to hear more about Steve Newport's miraculous story: