Healthy & Fit Magazine March 2021

Healthy & Fit MARCH 2021 HEALTHYFITMAG.COM

MAGAZINE

SPECIAL

Push

through

pain?? pain Our experts weigh in !

Sugar danger

Michael Uren This trainer uses workouts to push himself physically and mentally

How to build muscle Spring vibes

It can do a lot of harm

TRY IT! RUN FOR THE HOUSE • MARCH 26-28

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IN THIS ISSUE

MARCH 2021

Contents MARCH 2021 | VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 12

Editorial P10

Pandemic teeth? New reports on how COVID affects your teeth

P12

Building muscle Want to get stronger? Then check out this guide to muscle growth

P14

Gym is the perfect escape East Lansing’s Michael Uren is dedicated to his workouts

P16

Sneaky sugars Avoiding sugar is tricky, but helpful when trying to be healthy

P18

Perky ears, happy feet Movement makes a great reading partner

P20

Rethink your sugar Would sugar by any other name taste as sweet?

P21

Are you safe? Does a normal stress test mean you are safe from a heart attack?

P22

Dealing with pain Know when to push through and when to seek help

P24

Raising your vibrational energy Give power to that little voice inside your head

P26

Seasonal change New attitudes can make a world of difference

P29

How to get more sleep Finding the recommended eight hours is easier said than done

P30

Spring forward Time for a fresh new start

P31

Run where your feet take you Now, two ways to run at the 2021 Run for the House

Teeth | P10

Pain | P22

Contact us

Have an idea for a story? Please contact us at 517.599.5169. We look forward to speaking with you!

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Spring | P30

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ABOUT US

MARCH 2021

Our contributors

Justin Grinnell, BS, CSCS

Justin is the owner of State of Fitness in East Lansing. He is also a certified nutrition coach. Reach him at 517.708.8828.

Cheryl Lindemann

Cheryl is a collection development specialist at Capital Area District Libraries, and a cohost of the Reader’s Roundtable Podcast.

Arika Hundt-Cole June 2017 cover

Tom Matt

Tom Matt is the host of the “Tom Matt Show,” a radio talk show syndicated in Michigan on the Michigan Talk Network.

Molly Nevins. BS Kinesiology, ACSM HSF Molly is a long-time contributor to Healthy & Fit Magazine. Check out her Facebook page at: facebook.com/molly.fit

Kimberly Whitfield

Kimberly is the owner of Kimberly Inspiring Beauty in Strength. Visit her on the web at kwinspires.com for a list of her classes.

Laurie DeBruin

Laurie is the owner of Chrysalis Reflexology Hypnosis & Enrichment Center. Reach her at (517) 648.1980.

WE NEED YOU!

COLUMNS FIT FEATURES SUCCESS! Healthy & Fit Magazine is looking for individuals who would like to be featured in our magazine. If you are interested, we’d like to hear from you. Contact us at healthyfitmag.com.

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Social distancing is the most effective tool we have for slowing the spread of the coronavirus. And that means staying home, if you can.

Work from home. Play at home. Stay at home.

If you must go out, keep your social distance—six feet, or two arm-lengths apart. Young. Elderly. In between.

It’s going to take every one of us. If home really is where the heart is, listen to yours and do the life-saving thing.

Visit coronavirus.gov for the latest tips and information from the CDC.

#AloneTogether

PUBLISHER

BY TIM KISSMAN

Pandemic living: How’s your health?

I

s anyone else addicted to their fitness tracker? For me, it’s the Apple Watch. Since I’ve started eating and working out more frequently, I’m obsessed with closing my exercise ring. For those who don’t have the watch, there’s a move ring, exercise ring and a stand ring. Closing all three takes plenty of work, depending on your day.

I better get moving!

Early in the pandemic, when everything was shut down, it was easy. Remember those days? Literally nothing else to do? Summer came, then it was a bit trickier because things opened up a bit and, of course, we had some nice weather.

To complete the exercise ring, I need to get thirty minutes of active calories. Easy. To advance the move ring, I need about an hour’s worth of movement calories, not quite as easy to achieve, but not hard by any stretch. Just walk around for about an hour.

The stand ring is a bit tricker. I need to be standing for a couple minutes or so during each of 12 hours of the day.

The stand ring sounds like the easiest ring to move, but it isn’t!

Working in the office, I have to interrupt my concentration, get up and move each hour. On a lazy day, or if I’m reading a book, you guessed it – get up and move each hour. Relaxing on the couch does not move the stand ring.

Lately, though, this has become an all-consuming goal: Fill the rings. My two brothers and I follow each other’s progress on the watch. Of course, as the eldest brother, I feel it is my job to fill the rings — all of them — before they do. Luckily, I’m an early riser and get my initial workout in before breakfast. Then, if I don’t have the rings filled, I have plenty of time to add another quick workout.

With travel volleyball and with more businesses opening up, it’s not always an early morning cut-and-dried workout. If you’re really a ring filling freak like me, you have to get creative and find non-conventional locations for a walk or workout. Steps in the convention center between games. Workout apps in the hotel, in any space you can find, especially if the workout machines there aren’t working. I’ve even walked staircases to fill those rings.

But, with all my madness, I’m getting healthier. I’ve been eating well and the workouts help balance any unhealthy decisions I’m making. I’m getting stronger and I have a lot of energy. I’m feeling great. Thank you rings.

With spring coming, find your rings to fill. Come up with a goal and get to it. If you have little brothers, it’s good to have a goal and when you fill all of the rings before they do, let them know via text.

That’s something else you can do on the Apple Watch.

Enjoy the issue!

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Healthy & Fit

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FITNESS

BY DR. ERIC EBY

Pandemic teeth?

New reports on how COVID affects your teeth

I

t has been approximately one year since the entire globe has been dealing with COVID-19. Everyone has been directly affected whether it be illness, family loss, work changes, and/or a plethora of medical problems associated with the viral infection.

It’s been well established by the medical community, throughout the pandemic, that COVID-19 mainly affects the lungs. Symptoms include fever, fatigue and breathing problems.

Some patients have reported hair loss, COVID toes, rashes, and blood clots.

Currently, there have been more anecdotal reports coming in that the virus is affecting the oral health of many patients after being diagnosed or during their recovery. These reports include changes in gum tissue, sudden discoloration of teeth, teeth simply breaking, and teeth spontaneously falling out without any bleeding.

Much research needs to be done to confirm these reports but, when looking at the internal anatomy of teeth, this makes sense considering the corona-

virus directly affects the blood vessels within your entire body including teeth and jaws.

Your teeth and gum tissues are highly vascular and require ample blood flow to stay healthy, free of inflammation and infection. Any changes to these vessels can wreak havoc on a once healthy mouth.

There is also information being discovered that your mouth may help harbor the virus by attaching to ACE2 receptors. The other place these receptors are plentiful includes your lungs and other parts of the respiratory system.

Much of these not-so-common and unusual symptoms have been reported on the Facebook page, Survivor Corps HQ, which more than 115,000 people have joined. If you would like more information about these less common symptoms be sure to check it out!

Why your mouth is so important to your health

Dr. Eric L. Eby, D.D.S., M.A.G.D. His interests include crown and bridge, implant dentistry, and sleep apnea.

To learn more, please visit: www.dreby.com

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FITNESS

BY JUSTIN GRINNELL

Building muscle Want to get stronger? Then check out this guide to muscle growth

W

hat should you do to help increase muscle, since there are so many ways to do it?

Well, let’s take a look at some different principles that work across the board and can be implemented into almost anyone’s training program without too much confusion.

Train muscle groups more often Repeated bouts of resistance exercise (on a target muscle) and protein ingestion trigger an anabolic response and growth. In other words, train your muscle groups more often. Hit the biggest muscles in your body two to three times per week to increase protein synthesis and build muscle.

A study by Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM.et al. used a circuit training protocol of 12 sets in 31 minutes. EPOC was elevated significantly for 38 hours post workout. Thirty-eight hours is a significant time frame for metabolism to be elevated. If you trained from 9 to 10 am on Monday morning — you’re still burning more calories (without training) at midnight on Tuesday.

In my experience, FREQUENT full body training in a superset, tri-set or circuit format (with noncompeting exercises) in a rep range that generates lactic acid (and pushing the lactic acid threshold or LAT) seems to create the biggest metabolic demand. Training legs (hinge, squat), back (pull) and chest/ shoulders (push) will burn more calories and elevate metabolism more than an isolated approach training one of them.

The rep range that seems to work best is the 5-12 hypertrophy range. Going higher will work just as well with a less trained population.

Explosive rep speed Lift each rep explosively to muscle fiber recruitment. By moving weights as fast and as hard as possible, you’ll recruit more muscle fibers and maximize nervous system recruitment for greater performance.

During my bodybuilding years and even beyond, I utilized a slow eccentric phase (lowering the weight), a slight pause, a moderate speed concentric phase (raising the weight), and another pause. In other words, a somewhat slow, controlled rep speed was what I

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performed and preached. There is some significant research that the eccentric phase of the repetition is where you are the strongest and cause the most muscular tissue breakdown. But some studies show that lifting weights faster, especially on the concentric phase, can produce more muscle growth by recruiting more muscle fibers.

So, instead of always worrying about controlling the movement, lift the weights a little faster.

Take a break between sets This one may not apply to everyone, but it does apply to my adult clientele. Most powerlifters and Olympic lifters have to rest ample amounts between sets to let their nervous system recover. This is essential for them to recover enough to lift a heavy weight for say 1-4 reps. Their goal is not to build muscle but to rather

increase strength and power.

College students, or the old-school bodybuilding buff, simply rest too much due to either scrolling through Instagram, or because they just don’t feel like working hard.

The rest of the population, in my experience, need to rest a little more.

Fat loss and general fitness clients tend to move from one lifting exercise to the next too fast because they either just want to get it done, do more work in less time, or feel that the faster they move, the more calories and fat they will burn.

Unfortunately, this does not result in building muscle.

In order to build muscle, you need proper time under tension and sufficient weight. To accomplish this properly, you need to let ATP regenerate. Now, this does not mean you need 2-3 minutes

continued on page 28

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COVER

Gym is the perfect escape East Lansing’s Michael Uren is dedicated to his workouts

T

he gym is the perfect escape for Michael Uren, 27, of East Lansing.

Uren is a trainer at State of Fitness in East Lansing. “Fitness, to me, is a way of life. It provides daily motivation and makes everyday life easier.

I have more energy, it’s easier to bring up the groceries and my feet don’t hurt when I’m standing all day.

“Fitness allows me to be able to enjoy all facets of life without feeling restricted and that’s true freedom. I have no idea what I would do if I couldn’t work out. I always think I’d probably go crazy.”

The pandemic has been a challenge, but he’s adapted well.

“The pandemic had a significant effect on my workout routine,” he said.

“I had to adjust from working out in the gym to working out at home. Switching from heavy compound lifts like the squat and deadlift, to bodyweight exercises was a fun but challenging change.

I had to find new ways to stimulate muscle growth without weights and, as a trainer, I enjoyed the challenge. I went from heavy loads to prioritizing time under tension, really emphasizing the eccentric portion of lifts.”

Uren said he alternates his workouts every day, trying to keep his routines fresh.

“My workout is different every day, but all revolve around heavy compound movements while addressing current imbalances,” he said. “When I’m working out with a client, I strive to correct muscle imbalances while also programming for progression. If you build a house on a bad foundation it will eventually crack.

It is important to fix what is broken or lacking so you have longevity in your lifting career.”

It pays to have a healthy diet when working out. Uren sticks to the basics and makes sure he eats in moderation.

“My diet is nothing special; sticking to the basics is what it’s all about,” he said. “Trying out different fad diets has never been my thing,” he said. “They can work for some people but why limit your food options? My diet consists of lean protein sources, complex carbs, and healthy fats. I try to stick to the 80/20 rule (80 percent clean, 20 percent dirty) when it comes to food choices.

Consistency with nutrition is what truly matters: eat well the majority of the time and fit in treats when you want

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them. It’s important to have a healthy relationship with food.”

He said the healthy relationship makes it easier for days when you may not make the best choices.

“It’s important to give yourself options and to be able to fit in the foods that you enjoy. That is part of creating a successful dieting strategy,” he said.

“I love pizza and the occasional social drink. I just plan for these meals and adjust macros/diet accordingly. If you sneak in your favorite foods on a recurring basis the desire to cheat on your diet goes away.”

His advice to those looking to get

healthy and fit: Find a trainer and put in the work.

“When it comes to fitness, my greatest advice would be to find a knowledgeable and supportive trainer,” he said. “My second piece of advice would be to just stay consistent and not take too much on at once. Have a singular goal that is realistically attainable and come up with a plan or hire someone to do it for you. Once you obtain that goal then take on more. Fitness is all about the long game. Health isn’t achieved overnight so be patient and stay consistent. You will reach your goals if you stay true to that philosophy.”

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HEALTH

BY MOLLY NEVINS

Sneaky sugars Avoiding sugar is tricky, but helpful when trying to be healthy

W

hy should we try to avoid sugar? It is pretty common knowledge that it can wreak havoc on your waistline. The implications for your health extend far beyond that. From your heart to your skin, let’s explore all the ways that excess sugar affects your body.

Heart Disease: Diets that are high in sugar lead to increased risk for obesity, inflammation, high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. All of those are risks for heart disease.

Type 2 Diabetes: Obesity is the biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and obesity is linked to high sugar consumption. Long term high sugar consumption can also create insulin resistance in the body, which can lead to diabetes.

Skin: Processed sweets have a high glycemic index and raise blood sugar levels. Spiked blood sugar and insulin levels trigger responses in the body such as inflammation and oil production which can lead to acne.

Mental health: Processed foods, which are often high in refined carbohydrates and sugars, have been associated with an increased risk of depression.

A high-sugar diet can also drain your energy.

If a product has a lot of sugar, which our body breaks down quickly, but no other nutrients that are slow digesting, it messes with your blood sugar.

You’ll get a quick energy burst from those carbohydrates and then a blood sugar dip when they are depleted. Most of us have experienced that “crash.” Blood sugar swings like this will really affect your energy levels.

So where are these sugars in the things we are consuming? It is pretty common knowledge that soda is high in sugar, but sugar is sneaky and hides in much less obvious products as well.

It’s suggested that women should not consume more than 24 grams of added sugar per day, 36 for men.

Now this varies based on what risk factors or health conditions the individual has, and striving for less is always best.

Check out some sneaky sources of sugar: 20 oz. Gatorade - 34g sugar

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1 Clif bar (Chocolate peanut butter builder’s) -21g sugar ½ Cup of Prego Sauce - 10g sugar 1 Gatorade whey protein bar - 29g sugar 1 Chobani strawberry greek yogurt - 19g sugar 1 tbsp Coffeemate French Vanilla creamer - 5g sugar

Let’s say you start your day with a coffee with 2 tbsp of french vanilla creamer (honestly, if you don’t measure it’s probably more than that). You are running late so you grab a clif bar for breakfast. Your morning snack includes a chobani strawberry yogurt. You have already had 50 grams of sugar, before lunch! You’re not drinking soda, you’re not snacking on candy. It can be easy to miss these sneaky sugars and accidentally sabotage your health. Whole, unrefined carbohydrates such as oats, whole grain

bread, brown rice, legumes, fruit and vegetables are your best source for natural sugars that are paired with fiber. For breakfast on the go, try a banana, apple or hard boiled egg instead of a bar. When choosing your yogurt, be sure to get one without added sugars. Oikos Triple Zero strawberry yogurt has 7g compared to the 19g. When choosing your bread, look for one with higher fiber and lower added sugars. Little swaps every day can add up quickly.

Molly Nevins, ACSM HSF, is a longtime contributor to Healthy & Fit Magazine. Check out her Facebook page at: facebook.com/molly.fit

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MIND

BY KARON WALTER

Perky ears, happy feet Movement makes a great reading partner

I

f you have kids in your life, you already know how important it is to read to them. But some kids miss out on the benefits of this experience because they dislike sitting still for a story.

My nephew Emmett used to find books boring. Then my family discovered that if we let him move around while we read aloud to him, he not only listened to the story, he could repeat everything that had happened!

Emmett’s favorite books were the kind that encouraged him to do a physical activity while reading. A favorite one was From Head to Toe by Eric Carle,

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where the animal on each page moves a body part and asks the reader to join in. When he got a little older, he loved We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. Readers are prompted to take the book along with them while they search their surroundings for bears!

Now Emmett is a bright, active 7-year old who loves to read. His reading skills have been a huge help in communication, motor skills, and comprehension, making him a star in his current class! I believe this success is the result of being read to when he was very young, and of choosing the kind of stories that engaged him.

Find a treasure trove of stories for the children in your life at the library. You can browse our online catalog, or call any branch for great recommendations. Get started today at cadl.org.

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HEALTH

BY DR. SUSAN MAPLES

Rethink your sugar Would sugar by any other name taste as sweet?

W

e all have a sweet tooth, and whether you get your fix by eating an apple or slamming your favorite 20 oz. soda makes a difference! It’s partly about the quality of the sweetener and partly about the quantity and velocity with which it hits the bloodstream.

Consuming sugar in absence of its natural antidote (plant fiber) is not as healthy. Fiber slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, allowing your insulin pump to respond optimally.

That results in lower fat storage, suppressed appetite and reduced diabetes risk. For the same reasons, eating whole foods is far superior to juice or even smoothies, where you drink a freight of blended fruits/veggies/seeds/nuts much faster than if you chewed them all first.

But what about sweetened commercial foods? The kind of sweetener makes a difference. First, fructose has a negative impact on the liver. That’s why our country’s massive influx of high

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fructose corn syrup (doubling the fructose over table sugar) isn’t working out so well.

Dr. Robert Lustig, author of Fat Chance suggests that 60% of today’s youth have Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

Before suggesting sugar alternatives, let me express my passionate opinion about added sweetness in general. If you continually feed your sweet tooth, no matter what the sweetener, you will have a much harder time appreciating the more subtle sweet and deliciousness of whole foods. Cut the added sugar and your brain will adaptively begin to prefer the flavors of your favorite fruits and veggies, while your body reduces your fat storage.

Regarding taste, Sucrose (table sugar) is our gold standard and the zero calorie Non-Nutritive Sweetners (NNS) can’t compete, including Aspartame (Equil, Nutrasweet), Saccharin (Sweet-nSow) or Sucralose (Splenda). After tons of research there is little evidence that any of these cause toxicities when consumed in reasonable amounts.

Yet there are a handful of recent studies showing they might result in gut dysbiosis, insulin resistance or increased appetite. Many patients ask me about Stevia, which tastes good and seems safe, but has been studied far less than Aspartame. Warning: Just because something is “naturally occurring” doesn’t necessarily make it safe.

Alcohol sugars such as Erythritol, Sorbitol and Xylitol are not considered NNSs because they have some calorie count, though each have some advantages. I frequently recommend Xylitol for my cavity-prone patients, because unlike any other sugar, it inhibits our cavity-causing bacteria to excrete acid.

Two good-tasting and promising sweeteners on our forefront are Monk Fruit (from the luohan guo plant) and Allulose, the mirror image of the fructose molecule but behaves opposite, metabolically. Allulose is fully absorbed (so it has no GI effect), fully excreted by the kidneys and drags blood glucose with it, actually lowering your insulin resistance.

I hope this small article on a vast subject whets your appetite to keep learning together.

Dr. Susan Maples is a dentist in Holt. She is also a speaker, health educator and author of Blabbermouth. Learn more at drsusanmaples.com. or call (517) 694.0353.

Are you safe?

HEALTH

Does a normal stress test mean you are safe from a heart attack?

E

ach of us has 60,000 miles of circulation with our arteries, veins and capillaries supplying blood to every organ in our body, and our heart needing to beat 35 million times a year. In politics the debate is often about improving infrastructure, but for each of us it should start with our own critical circulation infrastructure.

How can we know that our arteries are clean?

Although we can do blood tests that can help us identify some of the risk, many people go on to have a heart event with seemingly normal risk. Of those, 40 percent have sudden death and their first symptom was the only and last one. Stress tests can be helpful but they are only sensitive to tighter blockages, and many people don’t show symptoms.

A heart attack can occur from even a 40 percent blockage that suddenly ruptures.

Newer technologies, such as measuring the thickness of the carotid arteries in the neck by ultrasound, have emerged to detect pre-clinical changes in the arteries.

Called CIMT (Carotid Intima-Medial Thickness Test), it can give us a safe and cost-effective clue that more is

happening than we even realize. The scan is non-invasive, takes about 10 minutes and is performed by a sonographer. There is no preparation needed for the test and there is no radiation or injections involved in the scan. Also, there is no need to disrobe.

The test detects not just calcific (hard) plaques but the more subtle soft plaques in the carotid arteries (the arteries of the neck). Studies have shown that the presence of carotid plaque correlates very well with coronary plaque (plaque in the heart arteries). The easy access to the carotid arteries in the neck therefore make this test a very useful tool to indirectly assess the heart arteries.

The images can help guide options for treatment and can be rechecked for improvement at a later date. This gives us a way to more accurately look at our risk of heart disease, stroke and heart events.

Dr. Alicia Williams, D.O. is a Board Certified Cardiologist at The Center for Optimal Health. Reach her at (517) 324.9400 or at www. cfohealth.com.

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HEALTH

BY NICK VANBOGELEN

Dealing with pain Know when to push through and when to seek help

N

o Pain. No Gain. While this expression can motivate athletes to push past a mental roadblock, it’s not always easy or the right answer.

Whether you are trying to win a marathon or playing on a recreation league team, as an athlete, pain is something you assume you’re going to have to live with, but you don’t.

When an athlete experiences pain, we often see a progression from denial to anger, and then to hope when we are able to help decrease pain by changing a few movement patterns. As coaches and clinicians, we want to help athletes understand their pain so we can address the root issue and alleviate it.

Understanding pain is the first step in overcoming it. Pain is an electrochemical signal that, when sent to the brain, indicates that something is different. The brain then has to interpret that signal to create a response.

Think about getting a piece of popcorn stuck in your tooth. That small little kernel can be so annoying and

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seem so painful. How can such a little thing overwhelm all thought? Our brain interprets it as a threat that needs to be dealt with, so it devotes a large amount of space, or neurons, until the threat is eliminated.

Now imagine you have knee pain from being active non-stop for weeks.

Your brain continuously devotes those neurons to the threat, but then you’re told to either ignore and keep going or rest it for two weeks. In either case, you have not done anything to eliminate the threat, so how is it going to get better?

There will be times when rest is appropriate and times when you’ll have to temporarily live with pain, but you also need to work towards eliminating the threat or the root cause of that pain so you can eventually be pain-free. In general, with no treatment, muscles take about two to four weeks to heal, ligaments about four to six weeks, and bones generally heal at four weeks.

There are many interventions that can be done during those healing weeks to lessen the pain and ensure

that function is completely back to normal once the structure is fully healed. Interventions can also focus on addressing the threat and why the structure was damaged in the first place.

To do this you may need to develop a team around yourself - including various professionals such as doctors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and coaches - all working together to help you in your recovery process. Be honest with these people as you partner with them to work toward wellness and eliminating that threat of “popcorn stuck in your teeth.”

Nick VanBogelen (CSCS, AT, ATC, PN1) currently works with student-athletes to enhance their athletic performance and reduce their risk of injury at the ORS Performance Training Center in Leslie, 517-878-6180.

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Raising your vibrational energy Give power to that little voice inside your head

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have found, as an author and writer, that I tend to lean towards inspirational, self-love well-being topics when I sit down to write. We lead complex lives in today’s world. Selflove often takes the back seat, quite often the trunk!

In all the articles that I have written for this fabulous magazine this past year, self-love has poured over the pages. Pulling at our heartstrings, we strive for deep devotion for our true being. We read articles, watch videos, buy books, and listen to podcasts.

We post questions on social media for anyone to hear our little voice crying for guidance. Our innate being strives for oneness, to leave behind the emptiness in our hearts. We forget that we are pure light beings made of perfect loving energy. Our hearts already know how to be full. After all, we were born Chrysalis ad.pdf 1 10/25/19 that way.

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11:52 AM

• REFLEXOLOGY • USUI HOLY FIRE REIKI • HEALING RETREATS •

ADULT DANCE • ENERGY CLASSES

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BY LAURIE DEBRUIN

chrysalis

Laurie DeBruin 2380 Science Parkway • Suite 108 • Okemos, MI 48864 517.648.1980 • chrysalisreflexology@gmail.com

BO DY STRE TCH AND M INDF ULNE SS

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MIND

• HYPNOSIS FOR HEALING • GROUP HYPNOSIS • MEDITATION •

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The other day when I was studying up on working with Angelic Guides, I received a ping in my messenger box.

I glanced at the page that I just clicked, similar to noting the page number before putting a book down. The section that I was about to read was devoted to raising your vibrational energy for optimal health.

Therefore, opening your heart and mind to any possibilities in life.

I clicked over to the message and low and behold it was a question on how one would go about raising their vibrational energy. The sender essentially stated that she had been hearing that term thrown around but did not truly know what it meant. That right there was a serendipitous moment. Or was it? Even though it is referred to as “New Thought,” the Law of Attraction first appeared in 1877 where essentially like attracts like.

Thoughts are energy, brain waves.

The thoughts that you think, the words your mind produces are all electrical impulses. These impulses can even be measured. Science at its finest. Dr. Marcus Raichle from the Washington University School of Medicine presented research data that the brain accounts for 20 percent of the body’s energy use a

Happy people like to have fun with other happy people, just as an angry person at work wants to vent with another angry employee. day, roughly 320 calories, just to think.

Positive thoughts, words and actions will not only encourage a healthier mindset throughout the day, but also attract like-minded beings and events. Brain waves can synchronize with similar brave waves. Hence the term, “being on the same wavelength.”

Happy people like to have fun with other happy people, just as an angry person at work wants to vent with another angry employee. Raising your vibrational level begins with those positive thoughts.

You will notice those old and worn-out feelings will begin to fall off. Acquaintances that seemed to bring your spirits down will slowly distance themselves. Law of Attraction. Raising your vibrational level

will lead to a greater level of personal power, peace, love, and physical health.

Focusing on those word patterns and thoughts is a fabulous kick start.

Thus, in here lies your first article on how to raise your vibration to reflect your big bad awesome self. In the upcoming months, I will share with you additional ways to rejuvenate and vibrate higher.

Your once little voice will be heard loud and clear in its all-mighty perfection. I will be your guide. We will gently share in raising your vibrational energy for you to achieve the abundance that you were rightfully given at birth.

Think of it like filling your personal gas tank. Instead of self-love going into the trunk, place it where it matters most, the front seat. Your heart and mind will thank you for it.

Laurie DeBruin CCH,CRR is the owner of Chrysalis Reflexology Hypnosis & Enrichment Center.

Reach her at (517) 648.1980.

LUPINI CONSTRUCTION FOR ALL YOUR CERAMIC AND PORCELAIN TILE NEEDS WE SPECIALIZE IN BATHROOM REMODELING CALL US TODAY!

(517) 712-9387 www.healthyfitmag.com

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GENERATION ‘US’

BY TOM MATT

Seasonal change

New attitudes can make a world of difference

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pring is almost here, hallelujah!

One of my favorite seasons, spring is symbolic of renewal and growth.

One of the best ways to usher in the spirit of spring is through the practice of gratitude – of being grateful for what we have.

I plan on ramping up my exercise of gratitude by committing, in small and daily steps, to thoughts and actions that focus on reflecting on positivity.

Spring is the perfect season for nurturing a rebirth attitude. Sandy

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom ~Marcel Proust and I look forward to seeing the bulbs that we planted together last fall. I am grateful that we enjoy doing this type of work together. Grateful that we take the opportunity that life gives us to share.

I try to begin each day as soon as I wake to reflect, stretch, and get moving. In this way I change my own energies by focusing my strength on what is right in our lives, and the world.

It works and I hope you consider doing this as well.

Extending gratitude and wishing all good things to other people deepens the practice and lays the groundwork for multiplying its benefits.

By practicing gratitude, especially in difficult times, we can increase the probability that not only is our day and life going to improve, others lives may as well. Gratitude magnifies the law of attraction and is a powerful antidote to negative feelings.

There will be signs of rejuvenation and brighter days ahead. All around us there exists growth and rebirth. We just need to slow down enough to stop, breathe deeply, and take them in for a moment and trust that Mother

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Nature is in control.

Try these for yourself: • Reflect upon people who have

made an indelible print on your life.

• Say “Thank You” to others more often.

• Take time, regularly, for short walks.

• Send a note to someone out of

the blue.

By the way, Sandy and I planted

over 400 bulbs last fall. It is going to be a wonderful spring!

Tom Matt is the host of the “Tom Matt Show,” a radio talk show syndicated in Michigan on the Michigan Talk Network. He can be heard locally Saturday mornings on the ‘Big Talker’ WJIM 1240 AM. For more info please visit wwwtommattshow.

Visit our new website:

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FITNESS Building muscle (continued from page 12) between sets. Instead, try this example: • Dumbbell Bench Press x 10 reps • Rest 60-seconds • 1-Arm Bent Over Row x 10 reps • Rest 60-seconds • Repeat You can also dial back rest periods by performing exercises in-between sets of heavy/explosive exercises with mobility and stability work, and include agonist/antagonist supersets.

Progressive overload Training with high focus, and progressively adding weight to the bar or bells will create the anabolic response necessary for growth. This is one of the oldest tried and true methods to build muscle that lifters have been using for years.

The simplest way to gain muscle is to do a little more each time you lift.

Now, it is unrealistic to think that you can lift more weight each time you work out. You can increase progressive overload by increasing reps with a certain weight, add more sets, and even include a new or extra exercise in your workout. In short, don’t do the same

exercise with the same weight and same reps each time you work out. You need to push just a little extra in about 70-80% of your workouts.

Utilize the big movements If you want to increase muscle growth (in my opinion, this should be everyone) you need to perform compound movements. Using small dumbbells, weak resistance bands, along with doing just isolation work like bicep curls and lateral raises won’t get the job done. This means dominating the big, multi-joint movement patterns is the meat and potatoes of training. Use squat, deadlift, press, and pull variations (chin-ups, rows) that best suit your training goals, switching between moves within those movement patterns.

people just don’t have enough time to devote to exercise. Three days a week is a reasonable goal that people can fit into their lifestyle. It is also enough strength training volume to produce some significant benefits regardless of age and experience.

Working multiple muscle groups in a full-body strength training fashion is shown to increase growth hormone. The increase occurs at a larger rate compared to traditional bodybuilding-type workouts where only 1 or 2 muscle groups are worked at a time. The more muscle worked, the more neural and physiological demand, thus increasing the metabolic rate and burning more calories. The bottom line is: most people want to lose body fat and be more fit. Three full-body strength training routines a week is the perfect combination for the majority of the population.

Perform full-body strength training If I had to pick one method, I would choose full-body strength training, implementing a well-designed fullbody strength training routine 3-days a week. The majority of the population would benefit most from this method.

The first reason is the time factor. Most

Justin Grinnell is the owner of State of Fitness in East Lansing. He is also a certified nutrition coach. Reach him at 517.708.8828.

WE NEED YOU! COLUMNS

FIT FEATURES SUCCESS! Healthy & Fit Magazine is looking for individuals who would like to be featured in the magazine. If you are interested, we’d like to hear from you. Contact us at tim@healthyandfitmagazine.com or use our Contact Us page at healthyandfitmagazine.com.

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(517) 393-1900

www.culliganlansing.com 3460 Dunckel Rd. Lansing MI 48911

SLEEP

How to get more sleep

Finding the recommended eight hours is easier said than done.

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t’s no secret that finding time for the recommended eight hours of sleep is easier said than done.

More often than not, your time asleep is limited by your busy schedule.

If you are lucky enough to squeeze in a full eight hours of shuteye, you are still not guaranteed to wake up feeling refreshed.

While some responsibilities are hard to shake, setting yourself up with the right routine can vastly improve your quality of sleep and combat the issues keeping you up at night:

Lighten up If it’s never light in your bedroom, you may be confusing your body’s circadian clock. The circadian clock regulates how alert you are due to the light and darkness in an environment. If you keep your bedroom dark during the day or use black-out curtains, this can act as a signal to your body that it should be asleep.

Swap out your curtains for a lighter

color or keep your shades partially open –natural sunlight in your room can help you wake up in the morning.

Out with the old Approximately half (49 percent) of Americans have had their mattress for five years or more and while people struggle with sleep for a variety of reasons, your mattress could be keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep.

A quality mattress can give you the support you need to wake up feeling refreshed.

Tune out Everyone’s guilty of binge-watching their favorite TV shows from time to time. While you may satisfy your curiosity by catching the ending of your favorite series, you may not be so happy when you wake up groggy after staying up too late.

Set an alarm for 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep and when the alarm goes off turn off your TV and

get ready for bed. Limiting screen time before you fall asleep can also avoid disrupting your body’s level of melatonin, which controls sleep cycles.

If you snooze, you lose Hitting the snooze button even once in the morning can make you feel groggy throughout the day. By hitting snooze, you are prompting your body to start another stage in your sleep cycle without giving it enough time to fully recover.

Try downloading an app with a smart alarm to make sure that you are waking up during a lighter stage of your sleep cycle.

Cut the caffeine While there is nothing quite like coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up, having caffeine after 2 p.m. can impact both your sleep quality and quantity.

Instead of having a cup after lunch, take your coffee break earlier in the day or consider switching to decaf.

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HEALTH

BY KIMBERLY WHITFIELD

Spring forward Time for a fresh new start

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arch is a great time to create fresh new beginnings and fulfill goals and dreams. Whether it’s starting a new well-being regimen, pursuing new hobbies, or preparing for a fresh new start, now is the time to get started! Often times, we’re ready to spring forward, but feel a bit uneasy about doing so.

If you find yourself in this situation, here are a few helpful tips:

A healthier you This is a good time to take small steps to build healthier habits. I have found that the best way to get started is to set small attainable goals. For example, if you want to get moving, don’t wait.

Schedule a 5 minute walk today, and a 10 minute walk the following. Each day

“The beautiful Spring came and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” ~Harriet Ann Jacobs add an additional 5 minutes. Over time, you will find that your walks will become part of your daily routine, and before you know it, your five minute walk will have become a 60 minute walk.

Something new As children, we are experts at finding hobbies. We play sports, take dance and music lessons, and even learn new languages. However, on the path to adulthood, we stop trying new things and spend less time pursuing personal activities. Hobbies have been known to make us feel good, while allowing us the opportunity to meet new friends. If you are considering a hobby, start thinking about what makes you happy and what you enjoy doing. Next, find an accountability partner and set up a time to discuss similar interests, and the goal(s).

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Fresh new start This is a wonderful time to change up your routine and dream a little! To get started, try reading a book on transforming your life. More specifically, focus on how to transform a certain area of your being. Finally, contact your local library for recently published books/ suggestions and schedule a contactless pick-up for today!

Kimberly Whitfield is the owner of Kimberly Inspiring Beauty in Strength, a fitness instructor at Go Workout Fitness Center and Trinity A.M.E. Church; a bodybuilder, and a public speaker. Visit her on the web at kwinspires.com for a list of her classes.

BY GRETCHEN MORSE

MIND

Run where your feet take you Now two ways to run at the 2021 Run for the House

T

his time last year, the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan was geared up to celebrate their 20th anniversary with a new course and schedule of events for the 2020 Run for the House. Unfortunately, the House cancelled that race in order to ensure the health and safety of their community. This year, the Run will take place anywhere jogger’s feet will take them, with a three-day virtual race and open course options, on March 26-28, 2021.

“At the Ronald McDonald House, it’s our job to care for families during some of the hardest times in their lives — and the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t an exception,” said Carolyn Hurst, executive director of the Ronald Mc-

Donald House of Mid-Michigan. “That’s why last year, we decided to cancel our usual, in-person Run.” The 2021 Run for the House has two race options for participants to choose from: a virtual, run anywhere option and an open course at Michigan State Federal Credit Union’s Headquarters in East Lansing.

The open course offers runners the opportunity to run their chosen 5K or 10K at a pre-marked course.

Runners will choose a “corral” or timeframe they’d like to run sometime over the three-day race period.

Each corral is capped at 50 participants to keep participants safe and socially distanced.

Those who select the virtual

race option can run any time over the three-day period.

Registration for the Run for the House event is open now through the race dates on RunSignUp. Participants must register before March 14, 2021 if they’d like a race t-shirt and packet delivered to their home for race day. Use the code “EmergentBioSolutions” for half off your packet shipping cost!

For more information and registration details for the Run for the House event, visit https://www. rmhmm.org/about/events/2021run-the-house. For more information about the RMHMM visit www.rmhmm. org.

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Celebrating 75 years

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Jamie enjoys assessing and analyzing the needs of our clients and working with them to get the best coverage for the best price. Her passion for helping people, along with her many years of experience makes Jamie someone that our customers rely on.

As a customer service representative, Karri works with our clients to ensure that they understand the insurance process. Her professional background in underwriting and project management within the insurance industry helps her tailor coverage to customers’ needs.

Jamie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Albion College and has also attained her CISR designation in the course of her insurance studies. Jamie and her husband David are Eaton Rapids residents and have two girls in the Eaton Rapids School district.

Karri is a graduate of Olivet College with a degree in business (focus on Insurance). She also holds an MBA from DeVos Graduate School. As a 25-year insurance professional, Karri possesses the ability to break down insurance and make it understandable for our clients. She is very committed to ongoing professional development and holds multiple insurance designations, including CPCU, INS, AINS, API. Karri and her husband, Mark, are Eaton Rapids natives and raise their family of five on their farm outside of town. Karri is proud to bring the same intensity and enthusiasm to her insurance work that her family does to their farm.

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Rick Acker Owner

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