FitFigures Magazine - Nicci Robinson aka Golden Fit Nic

just for fun 13

Word Find

See if you can find words related to the new year. (Answer key on p.50)

editorial 38

Donald Trump’s Most Vile Act of Racism

By Corey Andrew.

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Feature Story

Asia Brown-Johnson

By Sarah Flowers and Asia Monet Brown-Johnson

She’s known for reinventing the wheel and empowering others to be their best selves.

Asia Monet is a strong, compassionate, confident leader, with an enthusiastic outlook on life. With her hunger for growth, Asia Monet is an expert fitness professional, with the passion of empowering women to feel confident in their own skin! She aims to promote self-love, mental strength, and authenticity within herself as well as others. Originally from Long Beach, California, she’s as “SoCal” as it gets. Until she started her own fitness journey back in college, she had reached a very low point in her life. It never occurred to her that starting her own business was an option, she was losing family members to preventable diseases and illnesses. Along with the stress of school and the depression that stemmed from constant family trauma, she was drained. Being

overweight and lethargic as she was finishing her degree in Exercise Science and Kinesiology she decided that she needed to be an example. An example to change the fitness and entertainment industry. As she began her fitness transformation both mentally and physically, people around her started to notice as well. People of all ages started asking her “how are you doing it!”, “you look like a completely different person!” or simply “I need your help!”. She was meeting her own personal goals for confidence, self-esteem and fitness, it became clear that this was something that she loved. As she watched the demand for her services grow, Asia Monet Fitness (AM Fitness) was born.

She started at a low point in her life, but turned that pain into something massive and beautiful.

Men and women transforming not only their

bodies, but their habits and mental state as well.

Asia Monet Fitness (AM Fitness) is about 360 degrees of wellness. A full continuous circle of mind, body, and spirit because she believes that you can’t have one without the other. She cultivates a garden, an environment for growth so those that join her can have a real opportunity to thrive. That’s what she strives to show people, the REAL hard work, discipline, and consistency one needs to be successful in their journey. Asia Monet Fitness (AM Fitness) sets a foundation for every participant that encourages them to bridge the gap from where they started their 360 transformation.

AM Fitness is committed to helping others who seek a positive and permanent change focusing in areas of physical, mental and financial growth. Asia Monet Fitness (AM Fitness) is an online fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness training service. She teaches clients the importance of mindfulness and how it connects to them physically. She received her bachelors of science from Norfolk State University with honors in Exercise Science and Kinesiology. She’s also NASM certified in personal training and nutritional coaching. She specializes in real, authentic, long-term transformations. She helps those she works with reclaim the power in their lives. We live in a society where the “real” may not be as real as it seems on the surface.

With constant access to the media and internet it is easy to get pulled into false realities and fake results. Asia Monet creates individual plans for cultivating wellness and health. It’s so much bigger than just going to the gym and working out, it’s about being human, functional, mindful, and grateful. With her training programs she creates individualized programs based on the clients’ specific needs. Whether that’s crafting a fitness program, organizing shopping lists to spark better eating habits, or mindfulness programs which are filled with creating daily affirmations, journaling prompts, or creating a goal. Asia Monet is prepared to help with sticking to said goals and then rewarding yourself for achieving the goal.

Without them there is no Asia Monet Fitness so thank you.” What sets Asia Monet Fitness apart is her transparent and authentic way of training.

There’s no easy way, there are no shortcuts. She focuses on the science, the why and how we got to where you are and rebuild with positivity

“I am proud of every single client that I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I’m proud of their successes, it reminds me that I chose the right path in helping others! My clients are the reason for my success!

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and strength. She shows individuals that it is truly a lifestyle change that needs to happen, and she prepares them for what’s to come. At AM Fitness she believes it is extremely important to hold her clients accountable for their actions and the consequences for them. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, you get out what you put in. This is no Instagram “easy weight loss” program, this is a Life program. Your life and mindset will change with AM Fitness not just your body!

Many of her clients have attributed their success to her consistency and belief in true holistic change.

Her in depth focus on mental health is extremely motivational to those she works with. It is essential to understand the reason why some things work and some do not, to really understand the reason that you need this training. There are so many mental health issues that center around weight, food, and overall self-care. Working from the inside out so that way her clients feel as good as they look to ensure the longevity of this full transformation. She understands that everybody and every body is not the same, these plans are intensely individualized because she takes the time to dig deep. Her clients value the time she FitFigures Winter/Spring 2021 12

takes truly getting to know them, and understanding their needs. There are no judgements, she’s not here to judge you for being human. She believes in being a role model for her clients, transparency and communication is key. A plant based vegan diet is just not a realistic option for everybody, Keto is not a one size fits all diet. She is here to help you unlearn any preconceived notions that you may have about dieting and weight loss, or the fitness community as a whole. Asia Monet is all about staying positive and being the best you possible, whatever that looks and feels like for you specifically. Asia’s goal is to make sure everyone feels good in their body, and discover a new form of positive energy so strong it radiates positivity with every step you take. Starting the business from the ground up and putting so much of herself into this company is inspiring to say the least. Her current goals are to continue changing people’s lives and to take her company all over the country. She aspires to be the go to when it comes to all around health and wellness. Asia Monet Fitness is a life changing experience that will last and effect the way you go about your day to day for the rest of your life. With these programs any and all can make a positive transformation.

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Why You Should Strength Train

By Matt Weik

Have you been thinking about strength training for years but simply never started?

You’re not alone. Many out there have good intentions of implementing a strength training program but for whatever reason, find an excuse as to why they haven’t. But not today!

In this article, we will break down many of the benefits associated with making strength training a priority to help you take action and improve your life.

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Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories. Enhance your quality of life Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities.

- Mayo Clinic

Increase Weight Loss One of the most common misconceptions of strength training is that women will get big and bulky. While this can be true for men due to their high testosterone levels, this is not the case for women. Besides, adding strength training to your workout routine (on top of cardio) can drastically help you drop unwanted body fat.

Here’s the exciting part that not many people fully understand or realize, and that is strength training can help you lose weight. The great thing about lean muscle tissue is that it’s always in need of energy and fuel to function.

Not only that, but when you strength train, you’re breaking down the muscle fibers, which then need to be rebuilt so they can come back bigger and stronger. This also takes energy, which burns calories.

Ladies, the words “bigger” and “stronger” above may be an eyebrow-raiser, but adding a little muscle will only improve your overall physique while also helping increase your strength, which leads us into our next benefit.

Improve Strength At the end of the day, improving your strength helps everyone. Your strength tends to decrease as you age because your lean muscle mass also decreases (which is our next topic of discussion). To maintain your strength, you need to exercise with weights.

When your strength declines, you may find daily activities more challenging – so much so that you may need to ask

for help on tasks you could generally handle on your own. If your strength decreases without your intervention, it could cause your freedom and independence to become compromised, and you may need to depend more on others for help.

Conclusion While you don’t need to look like a Greek God or Goddess to see and notice a difference through strength training, you can absolutely notice changes to your overall health, weight, strength, and physique.

By adding a minimum of two strength training sessions to your weekly exercise program, you can achieve phenomenal results. Work with a weight you can manage and be consistent with your strength training workouts. While nothing will happen overnight, you can improve many aspects of your life with persistence and consistency.

Your bones are your foundation. Without a solid foundation, movement can be compromised. Add that into the equation that fractures could cause you to become sedentary and even bedridden, which can have some adverse effects on your health.

Stay active, make sure you incorporate strength training into your exercise routine and help keep your bones strong and healthy.

Maintain Lean Muscle Tissue Tying in what we just spoke about, when you lose lean muscle tissue, you are more likely to see your strength disappear too – they go hand-in-hand. Through strength training, you have the ability to maintain the lean muscle tissue you have, which can help keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders which leads us back to #1 on our list (notice a theme here of how necessary strength training is and how it covers many aspects of your overall health and life?).

Support Bone Health An area not many people consider when it comes to their longevity is bone health. As you age, your risk for developing bone fractures and osteoporosis increases. To combat this issue, strength training can be utilized.

Create an Aesthetic Physique What is the number one reason people exercise? To look good. Sure, it could be considered a vain reason, but it’s the truth.

Some people don’t have the confidence they desire because they are insecure about the way they look. Through strength training, they have the ability to better manage their weight, body fat, and how their body looks (from a shape standpoint).

Creating an aesthetically pleasing physique can help build the confidence someone needs to go out and achieve the goals they want in life. If someone shelters themselves because they have low self-esteem, they will tend to back away from achieving their goals. Don’t allow this to be you. Simply adding strength training into your weekly routine can help change and improve your life.

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Drink More Wine 10 Health Benefits of Wine, According to Science

By Wine Tourism in Portugal

Wine has undergone intensive studies over the years and it has been proven to be an effective elixir. Who says a man needs a fountain of youth to live a long life? Pour yourself a glass of wine and bottle up some surprising benefits. We gathered some interesting facts and curiosities about how wine can impact your health. Take it lightly, get to know your beverage of choice and drink with moderation.

Drink it, slowly as it was grown in the vineyards and produced, with love and care.

The wine has undergone numerous studies that have found various connections between improving the quality of life and its consumption. In ancient times, due to the scarcity of water, the wine has become an essential need in life rather than a luxury, so it came to symbolize sustenance and life. Even in the earliest of times, wine has proven its worth when it comes to sustaining life. Up to now, there are still on-going researches on why wine is considered as one of the most powerful elixirs known to man.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that can be found most especially in red wines. It is a powerful antioxidant that can be found in grape skin and red grape juice.

Antioxidants help the body fight off free radicals that can damage our cells and organs.

However, the first thing to realize is that the quantity matters and most of the studies show the results in glasses per day or week.

Anyhow, saving it all during a week to binge over the weekend has been shown to be associated with zero health benefits. So our advice is that you savor every sip, feel every texture and scent of your wine.

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Let’s start...

1. Drinking Wine Supports Longevity of Life

Studies show that resveratrol promotes health and longevity by increasing the activity of a protein called sirtuins. Sirtuins are responsible for protecting the body against diseases of aging.

Several studies have suggested that alcohol consumption, particularly wines, have shown health benefits that lead to longer life spans. Nonetheless,

these studies emphasize that positive benefits only come with moderate consumption.

Key Takeaway: If you want to protect your body against diseases of aging, consuming a moderate amount of wine gives positive health benefits that may lead to long life.

2. Drinking Wine Helps Keep Our Hearts Healthy Since ancient times, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have become a known, life-threatening problem for the world.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), up to the present time, many people are still dying annually from CVD than from any other diseases and it has been the number 1 cause of mortality and morbidity all around the globe.

Many researchers have shown that the intake of polyphenols is associated with a reduced risk of CVD. Wines contain polyphenols which can be actively found in flavonoids that also have putative antioxidant properties.

These polyphenols once again are called resveratrol which may help protect the lining of the blood vessel in the heart. Consuming 1 to 2 drinks per day (4 to 8 ounces) may reduce the risk of CVDs. Drinking wine may help in decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) also known as bad cholesterol which may cause artery damage while increasing the body’s high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which also known as good cholesterol which may reduce the risk for heart disease. Moreover, wine prevents the formation of blood clots.

Key Takeaway: Drinking 4 to 8 ounces of wine per day may lower the risk of having CVD because of the polyphenols that it contains.

3. The Nutrients In Wine Can Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease People growing always have the fear of losing all their precious memories. Some believe it is inevitable, however, there are hundreds of ways that one can prevent it. One of these methods is by drinking wine.

Dementia is a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental process that is gradually taking place during old age. Studies show that wine consumption can reduce the risk of having dementia which often leads to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a developing mental deterioration that can occur as one aged. Again, resveratrol found in wines helps in keeping blood vessels open, so that the essential supply of oxygen and glucose can move freely to the brain to keep it alive and working.

Key Takeaway: Resveratrol which can be found on wine keeps the blood vessels free from blockages that can affect brain functions in retaining memories.

Wine is a very effective elixir.

4. Drinking Wine Can Keep Depression At Bay Depression has been a common but serious disorder for some people because it can affect how you feel, think and handle everyday activities. This may sound contradictory, as most people know that alcohol consumption can worsen one’s depression or anxiety. In spite of that, drinking a glass of wine per week can turn into a depression-fighting depressant.

A seven-year study conducted by PREDIMED analyzed 5,500 individuals of light to moderate drinkers and found that individuals who drank two to seven glasses of wine in a week were less prone to depression than non-drinkers.

Again, this is about drinking in moderation because on the same study those who drank heavy alcoholic beverages were more prone to depression.

Key Takeaway: Enjoying two to seven glasses of wine in a week maybe your remedy for depression.

5. Drinking Wine Can Give You Healthier Skin High levels of antioxidants in wine, when applied directly to the skin can inhibit the growth of acne-causing bacteria and are beneficial in maintaining healthy skin.

Antioxidants rejuvenate the skin, increase skin elasticity and keep the skin bright and glowing.

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circulation that can prevent wrinkle formation and skin aging.

However, when one drinks in excess, it makes hormone flow lose its balance and may cause skin dehydration and aggravate the chances of acne.

Key Takeaway: Wine contains antioxidants and polyphenols that are essential to keep the skin healthy.

6. Drinking Wine Can Help Prevent Obesity There is a difference between overweight and obesity. Overweight refers to an excess amount of body weight that may come from muscles, bone, fat and water. Obesity, on the other hand, refers to excessive amounts of body fat.

susceptibility to bone fracture.

One or two glasses of wine per day can protect women from thinning bones. It appears that modest consumption of wine bridges the imbalance between the dissolving old bone and the poor production of new bone that can lead to osteoporosis in older women.

Key Takeaway: Osteoporosis can be lessened through modest consumption of wine in older women.

9. Wine Can Protect Our Teeth Against Dental Plaque

Based on Global Health Observatory (GHO) data, at least 2.8 million people in the world die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.

Wine may help prevent dental caries by inhibiting the growth of certain bacteria found in oral biofilm according to researches done by American Chemical Society. Wine can slow down the growth of bacteria that can cause cavities.

Wine, specifically white wine, contains the antioxidant called epicatechin, quercetin, and resveratrol. These antioxidants can lower levels of cholesterol and may also support weight loss by burning belly fats and by decreasing inflammation commonly associated with obesity.

Polyphenols, wine, and grape seed extract can slow down the growth of bacteria responsible for the formation of plaque and tooth decay. Though red wine can help reduce these bacteria optimal oral health still results from daily dental hygiene.

Key Takeaway: White wine promotes weight loss by burning belly fat and by decreasing anti-inflammatory properties.

7. Drinking Wine Helps Boost Your Body’s Defenses

Brushing, flossing and regular visits to the dentist are still the best recommendations, but including wine into your diet can increase your defenses against dozens of possible teeth and gum diseases.

Daily consumption of wine can boost the immune system according to researchers. Ethanol, the chemical component of alcoholic beverages and wine as well helps boost the potency of vaccinations.

Key Takeaway: Wine can inhibit the growth of bacteria that can cause tooth decay. Nonetheless, daily dental hygiene routine is still the best way to protect our teeth from decaying.

Drinking wine in moderation can help develop immunity that can fight against 200 viruses. Wine contains high levels of antioxidants in the form of flavonoids which can combat strongly against viruses.

10. Drinking Wine Can Improve Our Eyesight

As proof, red wine can help cure the symptoms of flu and cold.

The polyphenol resveratrol can prevent viruses from multiplying once they have entered the body’s system.

Key Takeaway: Daily consumption of wine helps boost the immune system as it contains a high level of antioxidants which fight against viruses.

8. Drinking Wine Strengthens The Bones

Ophthalmologist, Milind Pande, from Vision Surgery, says that the resveratrol which can be found in wine may be beneficial to the eyes. Resveratrol prevents agerelated deterioration of eye muscles. One of these agerelated deteriorations of eye muscles is called Macular Degeneration.

Macular Degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss and is considered an incurable eye disease. This is the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, which is called the macula, which records the images we see.

Past researchers have associated moderate wine drinking with improved bone density. As human age, bones are becoming thinner and weaker. New studies show that drinking wine in moderation may help reduce the risk of having osteoporosis.

The macula is the one responsible for your ability to read, recognize, and see objects in fine detail. Resveratrol which can be found in wine and grapes prevent the growth of blood vessel in the eyes that can lead to macular degeneration.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is most common to women after they have reached the menopausal stage. Osteoporosis makes the bone brittle and more fragile with increased

Key Takeaway: Wine can prevent age-related deterioration of eye muscles. So, say goodbye to carrots and drink up your wine for better eye health.

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Cathartic Anxiety Taking Care of A Loved One

By Dionne D. Frazier

According to Webster dictionary, Catharsis is a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension. And anxiety is mentally distressing concern or interest. Now imagine those two feelings merged together as one complete feeling. Yeah, I know it sounds a bit like you’re all over the place and yes, I was. I never thought I could feel both at the same time until it happened. I want to share my personal story of my experience with cathartic anxiety.

I currently reside in South Carolina, but originally from up north, Springfield, MA. Good ole New England. I left there many years ago, 2006 to be exact. When I left, I left my dear Mother and Father and one year after I left my dad passed away. It’s been 13 years and my beautiful mother, Paulette is still with me. As long as I’ve been on this earth my mother has never needed anyone to take care of her. If you know my mom, she is sassy, spry and full of spunk. You would never know that she was in her 70’s. As an adult you try to prepare yourself for that moment when you think to yourself, one day my mom will need me to take care of her. Well thank God she’s not there yet, but recently she had to have knee surgery. Thankfully, I was able to take off work for three weeks to make sure she would be ok and wait on her hand and foot. I have two brothers who helped out but to be honest there’s just nothing like a daughter taking care of her mother. Yes, sons can do it as well but in my FitFigures Winter/Spring 2021 20

situation I’m the better option.

Going in I knew she would have a very tough week so I “prepared” myself mentally, or at least I thought I did.

During that week I noticed that I broke out all over my chest. I have a skin condition called Psoriasis, which flares up whenever I’m stressed out. Not because she was bothersome but the mere fact that for the first time in my life I seen my mother helpless and I was the only one that could help her. That really did something to me. I tried not to let my mother see the stress but like the old saying goes, “mama knows”. And I expressed to her that it wasn’t her fault. And it will NEVER be her fault.

But while I was unconsciously stressing out, my mental was having a party with anxiety and as crazy as that sounds it was also cathartic. Taking care of my mother gave me a sense of purification and calmness because I’M ABLE to take care of her.

My mother endured a rough three weeks but each week got better and better but I can’t help but think, ‘what happens when she can no longer do for herself?’

That day could possibly come and if and when it does I’ll be the one she can count on. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this with a loved one but there’s something special, although stressful, and calming caring for someone you love, especially a parent. I call it cathartic anxiety.

Don’t Give Up On Black Love 5 Reasons Why It’s Important

By Tia Muhammad, BS

Love is love they say. But black love, that’s some other type of magic. When it comes to black couples in America, we haven’t always had the best reputation or success. With black men being the #1 incarcerated race and gender in America, and leading the race in deaths by violence, it comes as no surprise why black couples are the least likely to stay together. Furthermore, I haven’t seen enough information on how black love works and why black marriage is important.

So, I gathered my best recollection of when I saw black love at its best. Here are 5 reasons why black love is important: To me black love is phenomenal. No one “gets you” like your own. I say that because, as a black woman in America, there are certain trails and experiences that you come upon that are engrained in you forever. Whether it was the time someone followed you around a fancy boutique or the time you were talked down to by someone who was seemingly more “well-off” than you, there’s an understanding of common ground that only the two of you can relate to.

History Is Being Made The stigma of generational trauma from the time of slavery has always taken a toll on black love. From men not being able to protect their wives from slave owners to the women not being able to truly show affection in public during those times, black love is much more than what you see on the surface. You’re making history every time you stand side by side, every time you walk hand in hand, and every time you both stand up in the face of opposition. Your love for one another and being able to openly express that is history being made.

The Odds Are Beat With all the statistics set out against the sanction of black couples, the bond creates something telling. Sticking it out through the tough times and holding the love strong is what makes black love special. You’re changing the course of all the odds stacked up against you by letting your love reflect your pride, strength, and courage together.

A Legacy Lives On As stated before, love is love. You can’t help who you love or where that love will come from, whether they’re of the same race or not. However, there is something to the point of allowing your legacy to live on. A legacy is more than wealth, status, or passed down emblems. A legacy of experiences, heritage, and pride is just as important.

Passing down a legacy of tradition from generation to generation is engrained in the black community and shines even brighter with black love.

The Reflection Moves Others The strength of love is contagious. Black love is even more infectious, and seeing it uplifts others to seek the same.

Prominent figures like Barack and Michelle Obama reflect not only black love but it does an important job of mirroring to the world what black couples hold most valuable to them: Respect, friendship, kindness, trust, support, and strength.

Making moves together and taking pride in this kind of love is something magical and just might give encouragement to another that finding and keeping black love is possible.

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Continued growth of fibroids can cause pelvic pain and worsen abnormal bleeding and lead to anemia.

Fibroid Nightmare

How uterine fibroids feel to a patient… who’s also a doctor

By Mohita Kumar, M.D.

A SILENT AGONY All the symptoms were there: menstrual pain and heavy bleeding. Fatigue. Anemia. But Mohita Kumar had become accustomed to a rocky “time of the month”…every month.

“You think that’s just the way you are,” she says.

One day, Kumar’s boss took one look at her ghostly-white complexion and told her, “You need to go home. You don’t look right.”

Kumar followed her boss’s advice. When she arrived home, she collapsed onto the floor and passed out. A few hours later, she woke up, light-headed, and knew the time had come to talk with her OB/GYN about her bleeding and other symptoms.

Her doctor ordered an ultrasound and that’s when the diagnosis came: uterine fibroids – non-cancerous masses of uterine tissue that made her normal menstruation a nightmare.

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What surprised Kumar the most was that she had missed it: Kumar, herself, is a physician.

“I think doctors can be some of the most noncompliant patients in the world,” says Kumar, a physician and AbbVie researcher. Also, she admits she loves her work and doesn’t like taking time away for extra doctor’s visits.

But she believes there’s another reason she underestimated the problem.

“You’re told by your mom and your aunts, ‘Oh, this is normal,’” she explains. “You come to believe this is just what having a period is like. So you don’t make a big deal about it. And women don’t talk about their periods, in general.”

The cost of silence Made of muscular uterine tissue, uterine fibroids can form within or outside the uterus. They can be smaller than a pea or larger than a full-term baby. Women can also have one uterine fibroid or multiple fibroids at one time. Every woman’s case is unique.

Kumar has noticed some myths that patients have been told: • It’s “just” a heavy period, nothing serious.

• Since it runs in the family, there’s nothing you can do about it.

• Doesn’t everyone have period issues like this?

• If I get pregnant, it will get rid of my uterine fibroids.

• Just have a hysterectomy after your kids are born. You’ll be fine.

“While it’s true that uterine fibroids could be hereditary, it’s not true that women have to suffer in silence,” Kumar says. “And a hysterectomy is not the only treatment option.”

“There are other choices, like medication or certain procedures,” Kumar says. “You don’t have to endure this until after your kids are born.”

Uterine fibroids can be a major health issue.

Kumar says her period has lasted up to 19 days.

She drinks 2 gallons of water every day, a habit that started as a way to keep her blood pressure up.

• Anemia is a constant concern for Kumar, due to

her heavy menstrual bleeding. Heavy periods lead to a greater loss of red blood cells, which deliver oxygen throughout the body. Without enough oxygen, the body suffers, leading to the potential for issues such as weakness, fatigue, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, irritability and headaches.

Sateria Venable, founder of The Fibroid Foundation, a nationwide advocacy group for uterine fibroid patients, had such severe problems with fibroid-related anemia that her doctor warned her she could pass out while driving.

“That was an eye-opener for me,” she says. Before treatment, Venable’s hemoglobin fell as low as 5.6 milligrams per deciliter; the normal level is at least 12 mg for women.

The impact on everyday life Uterine fibroids also can make it tough to live life normally. Kumar has heard shocking stories from patients.

“Many women carry a backpack full of super tampons, pads and a change of clothing,” she says. “Many say their bleeding and pain keeps them in bed several days every month or forces them to miss work.”

Kumar is no stranger to challenges like these. She has had to plan around social events like weddings or parties. If she’s traveling during her period, she carriers a backpack of her own full of sanitary supplies and black leggings. “You never know when you’re going to stand up and have a gush of blood,” she says.

Too many women endure these symptoms without seeking help, Kumar says.

“As a society, we need to teach our daughters, friends, family about what’s normal and what’s not,” she says. “You’re not supposed to experience heavy periods consistently.”

Be your best advocate Kumar says it’s critical for patients to be an advocate for themselves and discuss their symptoms and the impact they have on their lives openly with their doctors without being embarrassed.

“If I were treating women with uterine fibroids, I would want them to be proactive in a conversation,” she says. “I would want them to tell me about the symptoms they’re having, and how fibroids are affecting their lives.”

“Patients should also prepare and bring a list of questions for their doctor to help guide the conversation and make sure their concerns are being addressed,” says Kumar. “It is important that patients have meaningful conversations with their doctor where both sides are engaged, so that when, or if, treatment is considered, everyone feels confident in the treatment approach.”

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She adds that there is reason for hope. Researchers are looking at many potential mechanisms that may lead to uterine fibroids. Kumar says hormonal therapy has helped with her symptoms, but new treatment options are also being developed and made available.

“We are doing a much better job today treating uterine fibroid symptoms with medication than we have done in the past,” Kumar says. “Some of our most exciting research focuses on reducing heavy menstrual bleeding in uterine fibroids patients.”

Kumar mentions other studies focusing on topics such as: •

• • •

Genetic risk factors (for example, why fibroids occur more often in AfricanAmerican women than in Caucasian women) Angiogenesis – the creation of blood vessels that “feed” fibroids Signaling pathways involved in the creation and growth of fibroids Environmental factors and how they may influence the development of uterine fibroids

“I was at a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences conference recently on uterine fibroids, and I was blown away by all of the studies going on worldwide,” Kumar says.

More uterine fibroid patients are coming forward to share their stories, as well. Venable says when she started The Fibroid Foundation in 2012, she worked alone. “Now we have 26,000 members in 48 countries,” she says.

“That makes me hopeful,” she says. “When I started out this work, I thought, “I thought, ‘Who’s going to listen to you?’ It turned out to be a lot of people.”

Kumar advises women with symptoms to see a physician immediately, and not to be afraid to be open about their situation.

“You’re not being dramatic or exaggerating when you say, ‘I’m bleeding a lot,’” she says. “Heavy menstrual bleeding is defined by the impact it has on your quality of life. If it bothers you, then the physician should be listening.”

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Fit Kitchen

Vacation Anyone?

By Dionne Davis-Frazier

k is it just me or is anyone else ready to pack a bag and hop on the next plane to Jamaica? Whew, what a whirlwind of a year! For those of us who love to travel, it’s been a very challenging year to say the least. Vacation is a must in my life. I love to travel but 2020 wasn’t having it. Even though airline prices are the best right now, no one or I should say many of us are hesitant to get on a plane right now no matter how cheap an airline ticket.

Vacation is so important to me because it’s a time to reflect, shut your brain off and just relax, relate, release without a care in the world. For so many of us, vacation is necessary for our mental health. A number of studies have shown that taking time away from the job can have physical and psychological health benefits. People who take vacations have lower stress, less risk of heart disease, a better outlook on life, and more motivation to achieve goals. It reminds me of a New Year…let’s hit the reset button.

I don’t know if any of your friends have gone on vacation during this pandemic but I’ve seen some of my social media friends hanging out in Mexico, having a blast. But I wonder to myself, if they really are having a blast. I don’t think I’d be able to with this COVID-19

hanging around, having to be cautious about the whole six feet apart, wearing your mask every time you leave your hotel room, etc. I’d rather stay home.

I’ve been on a few short weekend getaways just for my mental stability but I will honestly say that I am well overdue. Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog? Well that’s pretty much my 2020 in a nutshell. Everyday seems to be the same thing over and over. But for those who are daring and fearless, travel and enjoy yourself. Just remember to stay safe at all times. For now, I choose to stay home and wait to see if there’s any relief in the traveling world. I don’t want to get stuck in another country for 14 days just because I’m COVID positive.

That could be a nightmare in itself because you’re responsible for all expenses and two weeks is a long time.

So if you’re like me, take short distance car trips just for a different scenery. You’ll be surprised at what a little weekend getaway can do for you. Get a massage, have a few drinks and great food and enjoy yourself. I’m personally not big on crowds, but even more so now so a weekend trip with hubby or alone is just what the Doctor ordered for me to stay sane and effective. Be safe and enjoy life because life is too short.

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golden fit nic

By Dionne Davis-Frazier Photography by Darnell Porter

Nicci Robinson, aka Golden FitNic has been killing the fitness industry with her hardcore, beast mode workouts for some time now. She leaves it all at the gym! Originally from Lewisville, TX about 22 miles from Dallas, Nicci works a full time job but still finds time to sustain a healthy and fit lifestyle.

I couldn’t help but notice her and she has been my #WCW on more than one occasion. She’s a Personal Trainer, as well as a Fit Body app trainer with a 12 week Strong program (see back cover). I encourage you to check it out. You won’t be disappointed. I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicci via Zoom and here’s what she had to say...

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Consistency is a driving factor. As long as you’re consistent in adopting a healthier lifestyle then you’ll start seeing the changes.

F2: As a beautiful Black and Fit woman what has been the biggest challenge in your life that has built your confidence into the woman you are today?

see me as Nicci. And that’s one thing I love and I guess that’s why I’m so private because I still want to have some sense of normality while I’m being just Nicci.

NR: I’ve had many challenges throughout the year but I’d say the biggest challenge has been my own inner demons. I’ve always had this mindset that, it could just be from growing up, there was always the expectation of being a certain way.

Really just not knowing who I was and trying to find out who I was. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself. Even in my 20’s I would allow individuals to treat me however they wanted to treat me. I really didn’t have a backbone. And it wasn’t really until I got into fitness and lifting….that’s why I’m such an advocate for women lifting. It builds your outer physique but it also builds who you are. You feel stronger, not just on the outside but inwardly as well. Again, my biggest challenge was myself. Learning how to love myself and tell myself, ‘You can do whatever you put your mind to.’

And that took years for me to learn.

F2: Of all the people in your life, who are the top 2 people that you go to for guidance and why?

F2: So how and when did you become so popular on social media platform and how has it affected you?

NR: I’m just Nicci, I’m just me. Honestly, I was just working out and it was my friend Nicole who told me I should get on IG. She had her own fitness platform, so I was like why not.

And I just started posting workouts and what I was doing and didn’t realize was that I made an impact on so many people.

I’m very grateful for it and humble. What’s more inspiring for me and why I keep going is when I receive messages from people who say, ‘because I watched your video I’ve lost 30 lbs, or 50 lbs, you kept me motivated to keep going.’ And I’m just like wow, because it wasn’t something I was expecting.

All glory goes to God! If I can impact anybody to adopt a healthier life or let someone know if I can do it, she can do it.

F2: What do you do, besides exercise on a daily basis that keeps you grounded and discipline?

NR: I’m such a simple person in my day to day life. I’m at home reading. I love to read. I’m a home body. When that beast mode comes out, that’s just in the gym. I’m either doing chores, reading or watching TV or working on business projects. That’s really it.

F2: So when you are home, just doing Nicci…do you have a close knit family that you communicate with?

Do you have that close network that you talk to all the time to keep you grounded?

NR: Absolutely, I have my close friends and family members.

Honestly, I’m such a private person just in general. I do have people who are in my life that don’t see Golden FitNic, they

NR: I’d definitely say my best friend Mary. She and I have been friends since high school. I go to her for guidance because she’s a licensed Clinical Therapist. She’s someone who knows how to be a best friend and knows how to be a Therapist. I’ve got the best of both worlds. And the other, I’d say is my mom. She’s a good listener. She can give her opinion but she’s like let me listen to hear what’s going on. I’m here for you regardless. And we’re good.

F2: As a Black woman, what are your thoughts on the topic of Black Lives Matter?

NR: That’s hard, especially with the verdict of Breonna Taylor case. There’s so many people who are emotional and rightfully so. I feel like my mindset is, I’ve become a bit numb just because of understanding the climate and country that we live in. I have friends who don’t live in America who I have to explain to them; I understand racial injustice happens all over the world but it’s a different plight when you’re Black in America. But I believe we are a people who stand strong, especially black women in the midst of adversity. And I love that we can all come together and have one voice. As a collective there’s still a lot of work to do but as long as we can still keep a level head, be firm in our beliefs, our goals then we will prevail. We’ve always faced injustice, we just have to be strong.

F2: What’s your message or advice to women who want to get into fitness and they struggle with nutrition or working out?

NR: I think first and foremost, you have to figure out why you want to do it. If it’s because you’re looking at someone on social media and saying, ‘I want a body like them’, then that’s not really attainable. You’re gonna fall off. So when I got started, I just wanted to be the best version of me. And I always tell women in general if you have the mindset of ‘I just want to see how far I can go’ or ‘how strong I can get’, ‘how healthy I can be’ then that’s more of a staple. You’ll definitely see longevity within that. As far as getting started, there’s so much information out there but just start little by little. You don’t have to change your diet overnight. If you’re someone who drinks juices and sodas and junk food. Maybe keep the junk food but don’t drink juice or soda, drink water. Consistency is a driving factor. As long as you’re consistent in adopting a healthier lifestyle then you’ll start seeing the changes.

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FUN FACTS: What’s one thing on your wish list that you haven’t done yet?

What’s your favorite cheat meal?

Name your favorite fitness influencers in your life.

Who makes you laugh every time you’re in their presence?

I want to go to Jerusalem.

A huge cheeseburger with bacon and everything on it with waffle fries and a root beer float.

Lita Lewis, Massy Arias

My friend Misha, just being around her. If I’m sad and I get around her it’s like a full turnaround. She knows how to make me laugh.

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Golden Fit Nic FitBody App Trainer

Follow Nicci on IG: @nicci_robinson

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bye 2020, hello 2021

By Dionne Davis-Frazier

re we there yet? I guess by the time this issue comes out we’ll be there…2021 that is. I couldn’t hardly wait until 2021 got here. I’m just an optimist at heart and believe that 2021 just has to be better than 2020. One great thing to look forward to is the orange guy being removed from the White House. That’s enough to celebrate in itself. However, is this the end of COVID-19 era? Probably not, but can we go outside and play without a mask yet? That’s also another probably not.

How long will this last? Will we have to wear masks every day for the rest of our lives? 2020 will never be forgotten. It will remain in the memory portion of our brains for a lifetime because we’ve all been impacted in some shape or form. Whether it was good, bad, ugly or indifferent we’ll never forget.

What we’ve known as normalcy no longer exists. It all started with Kobe from my memory bank. What was your first tragic memory of 2020? We probably will all have something different that stands out. Then in March, out of nowhere the world pretty much shut down because of COVID-19. All of a sudden, we were working from home, home schooling, turning garages into gyms, having church on television or Facebook watch parties. So much has changed in one year. The deaths were insurmountable. I’ve never seen or heard of so many people dying in one year in my entire life.

For some, it’s been a year of death, depression and unemployment and others it’s been of great success and accomplishments. You may have experienced a little of both. If you haven’t been affected by 2020 please give me a call so I can drink whatever it is you’re drinking.

I have no other choice but to expect a great 2021 because that’s what I expect every year but we know that every year has its ups and downs. It’s the mind that controls the body so I choose to believe and hope for the very best in MY life. The only thing I can control is my mindset. I plan to live my best life, as I always do. I plan to be the best version of me. 2020 although challenging has taught me so much about myself and what I’m capable of. How strong I am in certain areas and how weak I am in others which means I need to work on those areas to become stronger and wiser.

A new year is upon us and 2021 is the reset to our lives that we may need to get us to the next level. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

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Handling Stress Over 40

By Adriana Morrison, NASM-CPT,CES, FNS

here are times in life where it takes your breath away, leaving you craving time to stand still. There are also moments in life where you find yourself being tested from every angle possible. Whether it’s career, finances, marriage, family, life-altering moments and all things in between, we can expect to experience our stress levels rise and fall at any given moment.

Throw in a worldwide pandemic, and you’ve got the makings of a roller coaster ride for stress. We can agree that stress levels impact our emotional state of well-being, so what happens if we are over 40 years of age and feel the weight of the world on our shoulders?

Over 40 is more than a milestone in life. (And a milestone not to fear!) It’s more than just age. If you are between the ages of 4065, you’ve have reached middle adulthood, and this age range lies between young adulthood and old age. It is a life stage in which self-actualization occurs for many. Many people 40+ have gained extensive experience in their personal relationships, established a foothold in their career, some have undergone complete career makeovers, and there is a level of excitement that 40 somethings often exhibit about where they are in life. Others in

this life period perceive this stage in life as being on a crossroad.

Canadian psychoanalyst Elliott Jaques coined the term “midlife crisis” in 1965, referring to this age period where some people face perceived limitations, restricted possibilities and mortality.

There are inevitable physical changes that we go through in this time period. We know our bodies begin to change. Our hair begins to thin and gray, our eyesight changes, we likely experience aches and pains that weren’t there before.

According to National Institute of Health studies, after age 30 muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade. For women, the menopause transition typically begins between the ages of 45-55, and the hormonal changes have a significant effect on the body. We may not have the level of energy that we remembered having in our 20s. This reality for some often leads to mixed feelings towards growing older, increased anxiety and making decisions based on emotions.

Stress places a profound impact on the body. In 2017, research data collected by the American Institute of Stress rated the top 7 causes of stress to be job pressure, money, health, relationships, poor nutrition, media overload

and sleep deprivation. COVID-19 changed everything in 2020.

Research gathered by the American Psychological Association (APA) revealed nearly 2 of 3 adults (65%) said the current amount of certainty they are experiencing causes them stress, with 60% saying the issues they are facing are overwhelming. Three out of four adults claim the future of our nation is a signification source of stress.

How does stress show up in our bodies? It shows up as fatigue, muscle tension or pain, change in sex drive, restlessness, anxiety, depression, sleeping problems, irritability. These can lead to changes in behavior if we let it.

Social withdrawal, alcohol or drug misuse, anger outbursts and eating disorders are several examples of this. Now take the physiological changes we undergo in our 40s and beyond and you’ve got an amplified situation that needs your attention. The key to keeping the destructive behaviors from happening is having a plan to handle stress. The good news is that we can use effective tools to handle stress and take care of the mind, body and spirit while navigating this time period. Below are useful, practical methods to begin decreasing stress levels that will have a positive impact on your FitFigures Winter/Spring 2021 33

health.

Stress-relieving Mind:

Methods

for

the

1. Deep Breathing Exercises. We can use this approach immediately. Start by finding a quiet space without any distraction.

Close your eyes. Focus on taking slow deep breaths, keeping your hands on your belly, drawing your breath by using your diaphragm. Keep your shoulders relaxed and elevate your ribcage. Slowly inhale and exhale. Aim for 10 deep breaths at a time.

2. Practice Meditation Techniques. Listen to meditation sounds, close your eyes, find a quiet place, settle into a seated or lying position. Simply allow the breath to flow without trying to control it and breathe naturally.

3. Simply listen to relaxing music. It’s amazing how powerful music can be!

Stress-relieving Body:

Methods

for

the

1. Consume an abundance of healthy foods (fruits and vegetables). Now is the time to arm your body with the nutrients that will nourish your cells and give your immune system a big boost.

2. Avoid fast food and junk food. There is a high correlation between chronic diseases and foods not considered nutritious. This is a profound way to turn back the clock on aging, by giving the body what it needs and avoid consuming the items that are unhealthy.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis. This is key to getting those endorphins going, which in turn help to trigger positive feelings in the body, not to mention bringing stress levels down, slowing down the gradual rate of muscle loss when we age and increase bone density.

Stress-relieving Methods for the Soul: 1. Take care of your needs first. Do not put yourself last. Listen to the little signs the body gives you and honor those needs.

Taking care of yourself allows you to be present for your to-do list and creates the opportunity to be there for others in the long run.

2. Do not ignore your gut feelings. Gut feelings never lie. Dial in to what you are noticing as FitFigures Winter/Spring 2021 34

Meditation techniques can help alleviate stress.

a response your body is giving and be willing to look at your options to handle your stress.

Do you need to step away from a situation? Are you able to verbalize your concerns?

Can you pause to gather your thoughts proactively?

Doing nothing is a choice for matters that needs attention.

Give yourself permission to handle a situation to the best of your ability that promotes positivity and take action as needed.

3. Utilize and apply selfdevelopment tactics. Listen to motivational messages, read self-development books (or listen to audiobooks), be open to attending webinars that promote tools to help you grow. Learn and apply the skills that challenge you to create greater self-awareness and always be a student of life’s learning lessons.

We can’t avoid all stress in life.

What we can do is learn to better manage and accept the idea that with the right tools and approach to stress, we can minimize the potentially harming effects stress tends to impose on our lives. As we learn to handle stress in more effective ways, we have the ability to up level our quality of life while redefining what it means to get older. We can’t avoid getting older.

We can choose to embrace our health and not allow stress to get in the way. After all, the best is truly yet to come.

Adriana Morrison is an online fitness and nutrition coach. She is a 19 year veteran of the fitness industry, an empowerment speaker and is also in her 40s.

You can find her on IG: @ adrianaamorrison

Fit King

Florida Favorite exercise: Pull ups and push-ups IG: @BlackRaw

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Joey Rosado @islandboiphotography

Black Raw

Fit Queen

Micki Freeman

Photography by Damon of NOMAD Images

Arizona Favorite exercise: Combat, MMA Training and legs IG: @anotherdamnleo

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Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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“Donald Trump’s Most Vile Act of Racism: The 2020 Election”

By Corey Andrew

t has been over two months since Election Day. Donald Trump – the orange menace lost, and Joseph Biden was declared the new President-Elect. Trump’s undeniable defeat at the polls is permanent despite his laughable attempts to overturn the voters’ will. Poetic justice is on full display as Trump’s loss is of his own doing.

He has nobody to blame but himself as his severely miscalculated strategy to suppress the black vote backfired. In pathetic desperation to secure a second term, at all costs, a month before the election, Trump reverted to Jim Crow-esque tactics, removing mailboxes from black neighborhoods and ordering postal services to be reduced to a snail’s pace in heavily democratic territories.

Trump has a long history of racism. He and his father were found to have violated the Fair Housing Act in 1975 for denying black people apartments on Trump properties based on skin color. Fast forward to 2020, Trump’s blatant acts of voter suppression are brazen and widespread with assistance from a national network of allied, likeminded Republican leaders who for example, prior to Election Day, shuttered thousands of polling centers in urban districts within their states. Mostly, this action inconvenienced people of color, many of whom had limited resources to travel to newly designated

voting locations miles away. It was all by design to disenfranchise black voters and quiet their voices. It did not work.

Trump getting re-elected relied heavily upon a smear campaign against mail-in and absentee ballots.

It was an attempt to strip away people’s faith and confidence in our voting process. Inadvertently though, he dissuaded his own supporters from voting by mail. On the contrary, great African American leaders across the country, namely the incomparable Stacy Abrams, registered a historic number of black people to vote in the 2020 election and take advantage of the legally sanctioned mail-in option - a safety measure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reignited African American voting demographic turned out in record numbers to vote for Biden/Harris, sealing Trump’s fate as the biggest loser of 2020. As for the Biden/Harris victory, it is historic. Kamala Harris checks four very distinct boxes; the first woman, the

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Rom Matibag on Unsplash

first woman of color, the first woman of Afro-Caribbean and South AsianIndian heritage to be chosen as Vice President-Elect. That pisses off many people, namely Trump, who has now attempted to overturn the election results with more than 35 dismissed court claims of voter fraudulence.

Whereas this could be easily dismissed as sour grapes or being a sore loser we’re talking about Donald Trump, so obviously, there is something far more sinister at play.

Let’s begin with this – the territories where Trump is attempting to nullify, discard, or invalidate votes are urban cities with large African American populations. Cities in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia are at the forefront of Trump’s baseless and insulting voter fraud claims.

As reported recently by NBC News, “In each of the states where the Trump team has challenged the election FitFigures Winter/Spring 2021 40

outcome, or Republican members of boards of election have hesitated to certify results, there has been a consistent theme: The problem areas, the places where they have expressed nonspecific wrongdoing and fraud, without clear evidence, have significant Black populations.

in this country by the KKK, and white supremacists, just for attempting to exercise the right to vote. I implore you to know more than just the name “Medgar Evers” and learn about the devastating betrayal he endured by a fellow American countryman over the color of his skin.

Philadelphia is 42.3 percent Black, Detroit is 78.6 percent Black and nearly 52 percent of Atlanta residents are Black. The challenges to these votes tap a rich and productive vein of voter suppression. Now, as Trump and his supporters continue to lob unsupported claims of voting irregularities and fraud, they appear to be reviving a tradition of Black voter exclusion in the United States.”

Evers, a staunch proponent of civil rights, was also an American war veteran. In World War II, Evers was a participant in the Normandy invasion, helping America secure one of the most historic victories ever in battle.

Still, he later was assassinated here at home by a white, Mississippi-born racist –Byron De La Beckwith. De La Beckwith sought to stop Evers’ growing success in the early 1960s, registering black citizens to vote.

Twice in the 1960s, two all-white juries failed to convict Byron De La Beckwith, and he went free. Justice was served, however. Decades later, the case got reopened in 1994, and an ethnically diverse jury, examining all the same

For any African American not incensed by these vile attempts to relive the past of rampant voter suppression, I urge you to research and learn about the intimidation, fear, and murder inflicted upon black people

Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

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Let us also not forget the notorious 1964 case of three slain civil rights workers (Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney.) The three young activists were murdered in a joint conspiracy between the Mississippi police and The KKK. Think of how deeply rooted voter suppression is in our history; the cops and the Klan once locked arms openly to murderously silence us. African Americans must remain vigilant and persistent in our response to Trump or anyone attempting to suppress our voting power in these modern times.

To see how race-driven, voter suppression has reared its head once again in this election, look no further than a recent lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton is bizarrely suing the four battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, where overwhelmingly the black vote delivered a Biden victory. The suit requests that the Supreme Court throw out all the votes from those states and allow the Republicans FitFigures Winter/Spring 2021 42

to replace each states’ electors (presumably with Trump lackeys) who will officially reject Biden’s win. At this stage, Republicans such as Paxton are no longer even trying to hide their blatant racism and disdain for African American voters.

Add to that, now, Eighteen states, including Arizona, have joined Texas’ moronic lawsuit to throw millions of black voters’ legal votes in the trash. It is a desperate but audacious attempt at an election coup to keep Donald Trump in office. Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia have all made it clear that for them, the black voting electorate means nothing.

We are witnessing racists’ meltdown; many white leaders clinging to a crumbling power structure of oppression and voter suppression that they masterfully got away with for centuries. However, now, those suppressors face the realization that those brown people – the very same brown people they have worked hard to disenfranchise, have been awakened and reminded of their

power.

The expression, “The hands that once picked cotton, can now pick the president,” is not to be taken lightly.

We have proven with the election of Biden/Harris that when we unify, we can legally elect and remove presidents and change our local leadership.

Trump and other white nationalist politicians who align themselves with racist ideology are ushering in America’s day of reckoning with its unresolved past. To them, Trump’s defeat is unfathomable because their reliable system of voter intimidation, manipulation, and gerrymandering has been fool-proof since inception – until now.

So, to all the Trump supporters who want to be of assistance to their marmalade messiah, rather than wasting your time trying to help him overturn a free and fair election, make yourself more useful ...and perhaps help him pack. January 20th will be here before you know it. h/t: https://www.nbcnews.com/ news/nbcblk/how-trump-slegal-battles-overturn-electionundermine-black-vote-n1248866

René DeAnda on Unsplash

evidence from thirty years prior, found Byron De La Beckwith guilty of murder.

The still-proud white supremacist at 73 years old got sentenced to life in prison.

other conditions, such as BPH. Diet and lifestyle modifications have also been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer development and progression, and can help men with prostate cancer live longer and better lives.

To understand how to prevent prostate cancer, one must first understand what causes it. There are four major factors that influence one’s risk for developing prostate cancer.

The average age at diagnosis of prostate cancer in the United States is 69 years.

Prostate Cancer Prevention

Age: The average age at diagnosis of prostate cancer in the United States is 69 years and after that age the chance of developing prostate cancer becomes more common than any other cancer in men or women.

Race: African-Americans are more likely to develop prostate cancer and have more than twice the risk of dying from it. Conversely, Asian men who live in Asia have the lowest risk; however when they migrate to the west, their risk increases.

he ultimate goal is to prevent men from developing prostate cancer. Although significant progress has been made and genetic and environmental risk factors for prostate cancer have been identified, the evidence is not strong enough for conclusive recommendations on prostate cancer prevention.

Family history: A man with a father or brother who developed prostate cancer has a twofold-increased risk for developing it. This risk is further increased if the cancer was diagnosed at a younger age (less than 55 years of age) or affected three or more family members. You should discuss with your Doctor if you have a family history of not only prostate cancer, but also breast cancer, colon cancer, or pancreatic cancer.

Given that prostate cancer feeds on testosterone and DHT (dihydrotestosterone), there have been multiple large studies trying to lower DHT in men to prevent prostate cancer. These studies have investigated finasteride and dutasteride, which lower DHT levels and are often used to treat men with the noncancerous condition BPH, have shown that these drugs may reduce the chances that a man will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial was one of the largest prostate cancer trials ever and involved more than 18,000 men followed for over a decade.

This study showed that finasteride therapy reduced the risk that a man would be diagnosed with prostate cancer by 25%. The study did find a slightly higher rate of aggressive prostate cancers in men who took finasteride, which other studies have suggested may be due to artifact or greater ability to find more aggressive cancers due to a smaller prostate size (ie if you put 12 biopsy needs into a small prostate it is more likely to find cancer than if you put the 12 biopsies in a large prostate). Given that this agent is well tolerated, current recommendations call for a discussion about the risks and benefits of these agents in the prevention of prostate cancer and for treatment of

Where you live: The risk of developing prostate cancer for men who live in rural China is 2% and for men in the United States is 17%. When Chinese men move to the western culture, their risk increases substantially; men who live north of 40 degrees latitude (north of Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, and Provo, Utah) have the highest risk for dying from prostate cancer of any men in the United States – this effect appears to be mediated by inadequate sunlight during three months of the year which reduces vitamin D levels.

Extracted from pcf.org

T

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Unfortunately, the factors above are difficult or impossible to change, however, there are many things that men can do to reduce or delay their risk of developing prostate cancer. Why is prostate cancer so common in the Western culture and much less so in Asia, and why when Asian men migrate to western countries the risk of prostate cancer increases over time? We believe the major risk factor is diet – foods that produce oxidative damage to DNA. What can you do about it to prevent or delay the onset of the disease?

Top 10 Considerations for Preventing Prostate Cancer [1] Eat fewer calories and exercise more so that you maintain a healthy weight.

[2] Try to keep the amount of fat you get from red meat and dairy products to a minimum.

[3] Watch your calcium intake. Do not take supplemental doses far above the recommended daily allowance. Some calcium is OK, but avoid taking more than 1,200 mg per day.

[4] Eat more fish – evidence from several studies suggest that fish can help protect against prostate cancer because they have “good fat,” particularly omega-3 fatty acids. Avoid trans fatty acids (for example, in margarine).

[5] Incorporate cooked tomatoes (prepared with olive oil), which may be beneficial, and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower) into many of your weekly meals. Soy-based foods and green tea are also potential dietary components that may be helpful.

[6] Avoid smoking for many reasons. Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.

[7] Seek medical treatment for stress, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and depression. Treating these conditions may save your life and will improve your survivorship with prostate cancer.

[8] Avoid over-supplementation with megavitamins. While a multivitamin is not likely to be harmful, you probably don’t need it if you follow a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and healthy oils. Ask your doctor about herbal supplements as some may harm you or interfere with treatment.

[9] Relax and enjoy life. Reducing stress in the workplace and home will improve your survivorship and lead to a longer, happier life.

[10] For men 45 or older (40 or older for African American men or those with a family history of prostate cancer), discuss the risks and benefits of screening with a PSA test and, if indicated, a rectal examination, with your doctor.

1 in 9

AMERICAN MEN WILL GET PROSTATE CANCER DURING HIS LIFETIME -zerocancer.org

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Intermittent Fasting…

Does It Work?

By Harvey Hahn, MD, FACC

The big three areas of healthy living are diet, exercise, and sleep. One, currently popular dietary technique that integrates all 3 of these areas is intermittent fasting.

So what is intermittent fasting and what are the benefits?

This is a program where you restrict your calories based on time. Fasting also does not mean total lack of food, it can just mean a reduction of food/calories taken in as in the amount or type of food (eg. only high fiber, whole foods before lunch). Also water and coffee are typically not counted in most fasting programs.

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Ways Of Intermittent Fasting There are almost unlimited ways to do this, but here are the most common ways: 1. Alternate day fast.

Total fast from food 2-3 days a wk or every other day.

2. 5:2. Eat normally 5 days a week, but cut down calories to 500 (for women) or 600 (for men) 2 days a week.

Typically these are set days such as Tuesday and Thursday, but it can be tailored to each individual need.

3. Time restricted eating or feeding. The best

example of this is 16:8 which is where you eat, or feed, for only 8 hour a day and fast for the other 16 hours.

the target goal of 500-600 depending on gender.

There is also data that shows that even fasting 5 days a month leads to health benefits. That would be about 1 day week! Also many people will build up to 16 hours fasting not just start there. An example would be to start off fasting for 12 hours and feeding 12 hours a day for several weeks and then decreasing the feeding time by 2 hours.

For the 5:2 plan you could cut down to 1500 calories on your fasting days for several weeks then to 1000 calories, and then finally to

So we know what intermittent fasting is, but why would we want to do it?

Low level stressors activate our cellular survival systems priming them for when we need them the most. There are 2 examples that help to explain this concept.

One is the old saying that ‘whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger’.

That’s basically true.

If you can survive a stressor, you’ll know what to expect and be better prepared mentally and physically

What Ever Doesn’t Kill You…

for it next time. The other great example is exercise.

Exercise is a low level stressor that allows us to tolerate and withstand a similar stressor the next time, getting stronger as a result.

David Sinclair, PhD who is a longevity researcher and expert at Harvard, and author of the book Lifespan states that there are 4 major things that impact longevity: 1) calorie restriction is the most robust, 2) then food quality, 3) then exercise, and finally 4) cold exposure. As you can see 3 of the 4 factors are low level stressors. Also he doesn’t do intermittent fasting, he just typically skips lunch as a method of calorie restriction.

Intermittent fasting induces a host of cellular changes.

It increases cell survival, it enhances metabolic pathways (better glucose and cholesterol maintenance), increase mitochondrial function and energy production, and increases the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which improves brain function.

The other stimuli that induces the production of BDNF is exercise. For a more thorough review of that research consider reading the book Spark by Dr. John Ratey.

The concept of intermittent and low level stress is important. If you do not allow a time of recovery then there will be limited or no benefit. Think about

fasting all the time. Do you know what that’s called?

It’s called starvation. Think about cold exposure.

Intermittent cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue which burns calories to keep you warmer. Too much cold exposure leads to frost bite and tissue damage. Now to exercise.

When you exercise you break down muscle and stress joints and ligaments.

Almost all the gains come during recovery when your bodies DNA are in recovery mode and can transcribe proteins that lead to not only muscle recovery, but to muscle growth.

Finally, lets explore chronic emotional stress. We have all seen, or even experienced the destruction that goes along with chronic stress from a terrible job, family illness, money worries, etc. Those constant (not intermittent) stressor lead to the breakdown of the human mind, body, and spirit. While low level stress typically aids in focus and concentration.

A Scientific Study Confirms The Benefits The most recent and most interesting study of intermittent fasting was recently published in January 2020 by Wilkinson et al in Cell Metabolism.

They studied a group of people who had metabolic syndrome and who were already on blood pressure and cholesterol medications and had them eat for only 10 hours a day (or fast for 14

hours a day). The subjects could pick whatever times of the day to eat during as long as it was continuous.

In 3 months the subjects lost weight, lost fat, decreased their waist circumference, lowered their blood pressures, lowered their bad cholesterol levels (LDL), lowered their hemoglobin A1c levels (a measure of diabetic control), and slightly increased their sleep length. What was most impressive about this study is that they did not alter the quality of their dietsthey were asked to keep eating the same things they typically ate. They also were not started on any type of new exercise program. The only difference is when they ate!

Intermittent Fasting Is A Method Of Calorie Restriction…

So Is Sleep.

Remember that intermittent fasting is a method of calorie restriction.

The people in this study ate about 10% less food than they did before the study. If you stuff the same amount of food in during a shorter time interval its very unlikely that you will get any of the benefits mentioned above!

What is the easiest way to fast? Sleep! Think about it. Even when you sleep you’re are burning caloriesour resting metabolic rate.

The more you sleep, the longer you are fasting, and the more calories you are burning! Just based on that concept alone we should all want to sleep more, but do

we? About 1/3 of Americans do not get enough sleep. A good sleep duration is 6-9 hours. Less, and more, are associated with increased cardiovascular events and death.

Some feel that the longer they stay up, the more calories they will burn, but what studies have found is that the longer you stay up the more calories you take in! When you stay up you tend to snack, which leads to more calorie intake (not restriction). Also you eat more the next day. Not just because your will power is used up from the night before, but because poor sleep activates your reward centers and tired people often seek out more fatty, comfort type foods. This is a triple whammy: poor sleep, eating more calories, and eating worse quality foods. You’ll probably be too tired to exercise as well.

Shoot for 6 to 9 hours of sleep total, including naps.

Sleep has a U shaped response curve. Too little and too much sleep are not good for you. Find your sleep sweet spot.

Now finally to exercise. How does intermittent fasting relate to exercise?

The first thing is that you can’t outrun a bad diet. It will take about 30-45 minutes on a treadmill to work off a can of Coke. We just don’t have that type of time.

The Metabolic Factor In a recent study they

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measured the metabolic rates of contestants from the TV show ‘The Biggest Loser’ they found that as they lost weight their metabolic rate dropped tremendously. Of the contestants they followed every one of them, except the one that underwent gastric bypass surgery regained all their weight. One person had cut back his diet to 800 calories a day and was still gaining weight! It’s hard to imagine a more frustrating and depressing situation than that.

Why did that happen. At the ranch their job was to lose weight. They had a professional chef cook them a healthy 1800 calorie a day diet. They had personal trainers help them exercise for hours a day. To me that sounds like the ultimate vacation! As they lost weight and mass they didn’t need to use as much energy to move around and run their bodies (their resting metabolic rate dropped). Also they had lost mostly fat, but didn’t build excess muscle which is metabolically more active than fat. Finally, they moved back home from the ranch and back to real life with jobs, stress, prepping their own meals, and exercising on their own.

When you lose weight your body also tries to maintain it’s weight as much as possible-the process is called homeostasis. As you reduce your calories your body will invoke every mechanism it can to save those calories for a rainy day. The same thing happens with exercise.

What do you call running on a treadmill in the fat burning zone for 30 min everyday? ‘The road to nowhere!’ We all say that we want to lose weight, but to be more specific we want to lose fat, and less frequently acknowledged we want to build muscle.

Our glycogen stores are typically sufficient to get us to 90-120 mins of aerobic exercise. That means that we will have very little fat burning until that time.

Exercise is great, but to really make a dent into our fat stores simple cardio is not the best way.

Another problem is that energy/calories burned does NOT happen in a linear relationship with exercise time. An extremely well done study showed that calorie burn would plateau the longer you exercised.

Similar to what the body does when it faces dieting. It tries to save every calorie it can. This has been called the ‘constrained’ energy theory. So what happens in exercise is that you actually do come face to face with the law of diminishing returns.

So is there a way that we can more easily tap into fat without running for 2 hours a day? Yes there is and no it’s not the keto diet.

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A ketogenic diet provides 99% of calories from fat and only 1% from carbohydrates.

The Problem With Keto I know many have had success with the keto diet to lose weight, but there are some significant issues that you should be aware of, and honest about, as there is an easier way to become ketotic.

The keto diet as you know tries to get you into a state of ketosis so that you burn more fat and lose more weight. To do that you have to eat a diet high in fat and very low in carbs and low in proteins as well. The main reason people lose weight on the keto diet early on is that for every molecule of carbohydrate absorbed by your GI tract it take 4 molecules of water to transport it across our gut wall. There is a big water weight loss at the start. Even more importantly is that with the SAD diet (standard American diet) 50-60% is highly processed carbs and getting rid of them will lead to weight loss regardless of if you are ketotic or not.

That brings us the main problem with the keto diet.

Most people on the diet never bother to check if they are ketotic. That’s a good thing as most would find that they are not. If you are not achieving the stated goal of your plan then why would you continue to do it? If you really believe in the ketosis hypothesis then there is another method that more reliably induces a state of ketosis. That method is intermittent fasting.

So why is keto so popular? Like all diet fads, its new, trendy, and cool. To make money each new plan has to be different to distinguish themselves from the competition. It’s hard to sell your program if you focus on what’s similar to other plans. “Eat less carbs” is different from Atkin’s or paleo where you

There is also data that shows that even fasting 5 days a month leads to health benefits.

eat more meat, which would be too similar to keto.

Focusing on less carbs and becoming ketoic sells better.

So does intermittent fasting deliver on enhanced fat burning?

It does. With or without exercise it leads to more fat loss. Also when you exercise in a fasted state you pull more from fat, both in cardio or resistance exercise. Now if you are used to having fuel before you exercise this will take some time to adapt especially since carbs are the best fuel for all types of exercise. All of the world’s best endurance athletes use carbs to fuel themselves. Take Eliud Kipchoge the world marathon record holder and the first and only man to run 26.2 miles in under 2 hours. On his runs he drinks a high carb drink that is more concentrated than the typical sports drink.

Also if you want to build muscle, which is more metabolically active than fat, then you’ll want to eat protein, which is also limited in the keto diet.

Concept Of EPOC To be complete we need to mention the concept of EPOC. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. Basically this is the ‘Holy Grail’ of exercise-the ‘after burn’. Once you stop exercising your metabolic rate starts going down back to your resting levels. Can you keep it up? There are two ways that we will mention, but not go into detail here.

The first is HIIT-high intensity interval training.

4-5 rounds of HIIT (about 2.5 minutes of hard work in a 20-25 minute exercise session) burns more calories, fat, and increased your metabolic rate more than 45 minutes of steady state running. The other method is resistance training. Weight, rubber bands, or body weight exercises increase your metabolic rate for about 24-48 hours after you stop.

What About Hormones?

Finally hunger hormones. Not only does your body slow down your metabolism and try and save fat as you diet and exercise, it also produces hormones that make your brain feel hungry. Even after 1 year of stable weight loss people still had elevated levels of hormones like ghrelin which stimulate your brain to make you want to eat! Fighting against being hormonally and biochemically hungry can take up all of your willpower.

In Conclusion Interestingly enough intermittent fasting does 2 things to help in this regard. One it shrinks your stomach so it’s easier to get that full feeling which signals your brain to stop eating. Also over time fasting increasing leptin production which is an anti-hunger hormone which tells our brain that it does not need to eat!

In summary, intermittent fasting is simple, easy to do, adaptable to your lifestyle. It helps you lose weight, but more importantly helps you lose fat while helping lower your blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and cholesterol levels. It primes your epigenetic survival systems to help you live longer. Also it’s only program that can be used with ANY diet program out there and where sleeping counts as a bonus! Experiment with different fasting programs and see what works for you.

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