Mix one teaspoon of sage leaves (known as nature’s sleep helper), one tablespoon of rosemary leaves (known as nature’s tranquilizer), and one ounce of dry peppermint leaves (known as nature’s digestion aid).

Mix everything and keep in an airtight container (like Tupperware). Boil water and use one heaping teaspoon of mixture to one cup of boiling water.

Allow mixture to sit for about one minute in the cup of hot water and strain into fresh new cup. Add honey to sweeten and drink with small sips. Talk about relaxing mind and body ‘au natural’.

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Answer…try doing it a little differently.

Let’s look at the multi-station machine and how you can use the low- and high-pulley cable and turn it into for a great biceps and triceps workout just by changing how you do them.

Low-Pulley Cable Curl (Biceps):

A curl is a curl is a curl, right? Not so fast. Try this:

The closer you are to the low pulley, the harder the initial pull and subsequent tension throughout the movement.

Likewise, if you stand away from the pulley, the same weight will feel lighter.

High-Pulley Cable Pressdown (Triceps):

Nothing to triceps pressdowns, right? You grab a bar or rope and keep your arms tucked in to your side and press the bar/rope down and then let it come up.

You can make it more effective and here’s how:

Regardless of what bar or rope you use, place your body close enough to the weight stack so that the cable travels in a direct vertical line — not at an angle — throughout the range of motion. Try it and see if you can’t feel the difference.

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• Tri This for Good Results

Not scientists who are studying the effects of exercise at helping us strengthen and improve our bodies.

One of the studies, published in the journal The Physician and Sportsmedicine, looked at 40 runners, cyclists and swimmers who trained 4-5 times per week, whose ages ranged from 40 to 81, and they found little change in the musculature, even for athletes in their 70s and 80s. In fact, the older athletes were nearly as strong as those athletes who were in their 50s.

And there’s more…

Scientists from the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging looked at the muscle tissue and motor density of older competitive runners (those in their 60s) and found the leg muscles of the older athletes had nearly as many muscle motor units as those who were 25-years old and active.

The good news is that men and women don’t have to lose muscle function and mass as they grow older, as exercise holds back the aging process and can reverse the negative effects from inactivity.

The researchers agree that exercise is powerful and the benefits from it are waiting for anyone to enjoy—no matter what their age and when they start.

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Polls

Previous Question of the Month:

Where do you get most of the information you’re looking for when it comes to nutrition and exercise?

Answer options: Websites, Magazines, Books, Trainer or Friend

The Results:

 Websites  60%, Magazines 16%, Books 15%, Trainer or Friend 8%

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• Question of the Month

Lateral lunge thrusts are excellent for developing and strengthening basic motor patterns, as well as inner thigh flexibility.

Since there is no equipment needed to perform it, you can do this bodyweight conditioning exercise at home, in the gym, or anywhere you’d like. For even more intensity, try holding dumbbells in each hand as you perform the movement.

Here’s how to do the exercise.

Stand with your feet at shoulder width and hold your hands relaxed in front of you.

Step one foot out to your side about 16 to 20 inches and in a controlled manner descend slowly.

Push back up to the starting position while thrusting your arms straight overhead.

Repeat with the alternate leg and do a set of 10-15 reps for each leg.

To get the most from the exercise, be sure to keep both feet flat on the ground while performing the movement and don’t let your chest drop. Always perform a good warm-up before doing any exercise or stretch.

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Since 1988, over 180,000 students have joined our mission to create a stronger, healthier world—people just like you. We’re thrilled to be a part of their personal and professional success and stand ready to help you any way we can!

Oscar Rodriguez

ISSA – CFT, MTV “Made” Trainer, Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, NFHS Certified Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, High School Wrestling Coach (Hoover High School)

My history begins in beautiful Miami, Florida. Sport and Fitness was a way of life from an early age. I joined every sport I could find. From Karate to Wrestling. I tried them all and found success in any sport I choose.

In high school it became apparent that I would have to choose one sport and devote all my time in order to be the best. I chose Wrestling. In my school of Christopher Columbus High School, I achieved many accolades for my performance in school and in sport. This was noticed by Michigan State University where I was accepted as a student and welcomed in the wrestling team.

In college I was able to volunteer to coach a youth wrestling program. I helped each child to perfect their wrestling technique and give them motivation to train for success. The children were so happy to have someone to help and that’s when I knew I wanted to be a coach/trainer.

I was very passionate in serving my country, so after college I joined the U.S. Navy and made my family proud. I was deployed to the Persian Gulf on the USS Nimitz where I worked tirelessly to achieve the mission at hand. It was quite an experience. While serving my country, I saw myself again in a position to help. My fellow sailors would approach me with fitness questions and I would answer to the best of my knowledge. Eventually, this lead to me being a Physical Fitness Leader in my command where I designed the workouts and lead the group exercise. That was my final clue.

The Navy brought me to beautiful San Diego and after my enlistment was over, I decided to stay and become a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Trainer and Youth Wrestling coach. With hard work and dedication, I achieved my ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer certification and Crossfit Level 1 Trainer Certification, and a NFHS Certified Coach Certification. I quickly searched for a job doing what I knew to be my goal in life and found it at UrbanBody Gym. I was in paradise. Everyday I got to impact someone’s life in a positive way through fitness and the knowledge I gained from the ISSA CFT course, military experience and sport experience. I quickly achieved a top trainer status training a total of 300+ clients. I devised my unique workouts and routines as Oscarcises and put my clients on the new lifestyle to improve their life. Why stop at just training when there are many other factors in fitness. I truly wanted to change each person’s life one by one. Along side my Personal Training, I volunteered at Hoover High School as a Wrestling Coach and Strength & Conditioning Coach. It was a small passion of mine to return to the wrestling room and help young students achieve success just like when I was in college.

With my positive reputation, ISSA CFT Certification, and success of Oscarcise I was offered an opportunity to be a trainer on the hit MTV show “Made” (episode airs April 30th 2012). My client was a 17 year old teenager, Mary, with aspirations of being Made into an actress. From day one, I knew that I was the perfect trainer for her. With my Oscarcise Program I helped motivate her into achieving a new self worth. The word “can’t” escaped from her vocabulary. I put her through some tough workouts to increase her anaerobic endurance and strength. My goal was to keep each workout new and interesting but always focusing on our goal to a healthier life through proper training and nutrition guidance. Mary made great improvements both physically and mentally. She had a new outlook in life and understood the meaning of hard work, which can be applied to her pursuit of being an actress. She was a major success.

While filming with MTV I was also training for my own fitness goal. I wanted to participate in the NPC San Diego Classic. This was my first show and I was very committed in my training. Having the experience of bodybuilding meant more to me than the award. On the day of the competition I was very satisfied in my diet, weight training, and competition preparation and walked out of there 3rd Place in the Men’s Light Heavyweight Division. It was far better than I could ever imagine.

After helping Mary and many more in the gym, I decided to help others online and started Oscarcise.com. With my website, I am able to offer clients the Oscarcise lifestyle  via online personal training, nutrition coaching with personalized meal plans, instructional videos of my personal exercises, and of course my coaching and motivation. I also offer local group classes also known as bootcamps. I want to reach out to my community and the far ends of the world and help people truly succeed in their quest for a healthier life. Everyday I wake up satisfied knowing that I made a positive impact in my clients’ lives and help them realize their goals.

When I see my future and the future of others, I see hope and happiness but only when in pursuit of what really matters to each of us.

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There’s good news if you’ve been thinking of becoming a personal trainer or advancing your fitness education.

The U.S. Department of Education released the findings of a meta-analysis conducted by its Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development that confirms what we at the ISSA have known for years:

“On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”

Over the last several years, online education has gained tremendous momentum. A study by the Sloan Consortium found more than 4 million students were taking at least one course online. And that number is increasing each year by double-digit percentages.

And there’s a good reason.

Actually, LOTS of them…

Online Education Benefit #1:
Flexibility that Fits Your Life

The Department of Education Report notes that the ability for students to use their time in a flexible manner boosted online education’s popularity.

Online Education Benefit #2:
You Will Learn More, Quicker

Because you are studying when it’s the best time for you, you simply will learn more, retain more, and do so much quicker.

Online Education Benefit #3:
You Save Time AND Money

By studying anytime you choose wherever you are, the cost savings in time, travel and money can be tremendous.

Online Education Benefit #4:
Access to World-Class Education Wherever You Are

With online education, you get world-class education anywhere your computer is.

Online Education Benefit #5:
Help and Be Helped by Others Just Like You

Imagine sharing fitness and nutrition ideas with your new friends in the UK or Japan. You can, anytime you want, with online education.

Online Education Benefit #6:
Online Education is Now and the Wave of the Future

The days of having to go to a “location” to get a world-class education are over. Online education is the way the brightest and most successful students will learn anything they desire, whenever and wherever they desire that knowledge.

Online Education Benefit #7:
Unlimited Opportunities to Learn and Grow

With online education, your knowledge base can greatly multiply, at your own pace, and in the way that works best for your schedule and life.

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• Walnuts: Studies have found that when walnuts make up approximately 20% of a diet, they lowered bad (LDL) cholesterol by 12%. Almonds did a similar thing and in just four weeks. Walnuts can also keep those blood vessels healthy.
• Oat-based foods like Oat Bran and Oatmeal: Contains a soluble fiber (also found in psyllium, brussel sprouts, prunes, pears, kidney beans, apples and barley) that lowers bad (LDLs) cholesterol by helping reduce the body’s absorption of cholesterol from its intestines. This gel-like fiber attaches to bile (that carries cholesterol) and then excretes it out of the body. About 10 grams of soluble fiber each day can lower cholesterol by about five percent. Shoot for getting 1 1/2 to 2 cups of oatmeal per day.
• Plant Stanols & Sterols: Start eating more things in your diet that include these plant substances. Why? Because their structure is very similar to cholesterol and they can help block intestinal cholesterol absorption. You’ll find them in orange juice and margarines and they can help lower LDLs by more than 10 percent.

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Last Months Results

The Question:

If you could create your own certification course (fitness, nutrition, or any other specialty) what would it be?

Your responses were great! We are taking all of them into consideration as we decide on future course offerings. Your responses ranged widely and included:  Plant Based Nutrition, Training for Skateboarding, How to Train for Bodybuilding Competitions,  Training for Mixed Martial Arts, and many more.

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And for years, scientists wondered what fueled our brain’s demand (specifically, the neurons in our brain) for nutrients during the period of exercise. Scientists had long believed that the brain relied only on glucose that it received from the bloodstream.

New research, published in The Journal of Physiology, reveals how the brain keeps itself fueled and ready for exercise.

Japanese scientists at the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Neuroscience at the University of Tsukuba gathered two groups of adult male rats and had one group begin a treadmill running program, while the other group remained inactive for the same period of time each day on non-moving treadmills. The researchers’ goal was to find out how much levels of brain glycogen changed during and after exercise.

Among their findings was that prolonged exercise significantly lowered the brain’s stores of energy, and that the losses were especially noticeable in certain areas of the brain, like the frontal cortex and the hippocampus (involved in memory, thinking and mechanics of moving).

They then observed what happened to animals after just one workout and also what happened after four weeks of moderate-to-high-intensity running that was regularly performed.

After one workout on the treadmill, the animals were allowed to feed and rest while their brain glycogen levels were studied.

Scientists found that the food headed straight for the animals’ brains, as levels of glycogen were not only restored to what they had been before the workout, but had soared beyond that level, increasing as much as 60 percent.

However, that wasn’t what happened for the animals that did continue to exercise.

In the rats that regularly ran over the four-week period, the overcompensation became the animals’ new normal, with their baseline levels of glycogen showing substantial increases compared with the sedentary animals.

And while scientists are still unable to accurately study the effects of brain glycogen in humans, a well-fueled brain is potentially one that can sustain exercise longer and that piece of fruit, energy bar or carb replacement drink you’ve been having after a hard workout, may be just what your brain is asking for.

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