Dietary changes

• Eliminate grains (i.e. bread, pasta, rice, cereal)
• Eliminate starchy carbohydrates (potatoes and corn)
• Eliminate or minimize alcohol
• Eliminate foods to which you may have potential or known food allergies.  Many of us do not even know we have a food allergy.  It is so easy to drop pounds if you know which foods are toxic to your body.  We now offer a Food Allergy Test, which tests for 93 foods and candida albicans and helps explain those chronic symptoms, like gas, bloating, migraines, fatigue, IBS, depression and more!
• After your workout, eat a meal with quality protein within 30 minutes
• Plan meals and eat smaller, more frequent meals

Exercise changes

• Exercise early in the morning in a fasting state to capitalize on low insulin levels and higher growth hormone levels
• Focus workouts on high intensity interval training to reach maximum heart rates 3 days per week
  • Example 1: Tabata Protocol
    • Warm up
    • 8 intervals of 20 seconds all out intensity with 10 seconds rest in between
    • Cool down
    • Example 2: Max heart rate intervals
      • Warm up
      • Increase intensity to achieve max heart rate
      • Slightly decrease intensity for 60-90 seconds
      • Attack to achieve max heart rate 3 or 4 consecutive times
      • Cool down

This will keep your calorie burning metabolism going for several hours.

See you at the beach and remember your sunscreen!

-Brian Miles, MD

The first line of defense is avoiding offending allergens. Since the weather is heating up and the sun is shining, many of us love a nice, relaxing outdoor workout. The only problem is that the pollen is at an all-time high during this time of year.  Wondering how you can achieve your outdoor jog without getting bogged down with allergies?

Prevention. If you can’t resist your outdoor workout regime, try working out later in the afternoon.  Many plants release pollen early in the morning, usually not long after dawn. Since pollen travels when it’s warm, dry, and breezy, pollen counts often peak around noon, especially in urban areas. If it’s a particularly windy day, avoid the outdoors as much as possible.

Allergies are known to trigger inflammatory response.  Many therapies offered at Cenegenics Carolinas can help significantly reduce inflammation, such as a proper nutrition plan, a customized exercise regime, and hormone optimization.

Treatment. Plan ahead. If you know you have seasonal allergies start taking a non-sedating antihistamine on a regular basis prior to or just at the onset of any symptoms.

Warning. If you suffer from exercise-induced asthma, exercising outside with pollen can be dangerous. Inhaling pollen can further irritate your lungs and can increase wheezing, breathing difficulties, and coughing.

If you want to learn how Cenegenics Carolinas can help, call us at (843) 577-8484 to speak to one of our expert age management physicians.

If you are low on time and equipment, you can still get your fitness fix! All this simple solution requires is your body weight, four minutes, and the ground.

Try 20 squat jumps with a 10-second rest period and repeat 6-7 times.

Doing this quick and easy workout 2-3 times per week will help you achieve your fitness goals, even in a time crunch.

After six workouts, try doing 30 squat jumps with a 15-second rest period.

For more tips and ideas, please call us at (843) 577-8484 or email Dr. Mickey Barber at mbarber@cenegenics-carolinas.com.

It’s that time of the year again. Hopefully you are recovering well from your Thanksgiving weekend and the first big holiday of the season. Until New Years, you are likely to be inundated with holiday parties, stress, and lots of yummy foods (that love your waistline).

So, how do you battle the nasty effects?  There are TONS of methods for battling the holiday bulge, but the most effective include:

• Exercise
• Sticking with your normal diet
• Using a dessert plate exclusively while eating at parties (Just don’t use it exclusively for desserts!)
• Limiting your alcohol intake

Exercise is the absolute best way to avoid gaining holiday weight. Even with a cramped holiday schedule, it’s vital to make time for your workouts. Studies show that even being sedentary for a mere 30 minutes during the day is enough to increase your risk of obesity.

Try to find creative ways to mix some exercise in throughout the day. You don’t have run miles or lift at the gym to reap the benefits. If equal volume is accumulated at an equal intensity, from a fitness and weight loss aspect, doing your workout at one time or spreading it throughout the day makes little to no difference.

When you get an extra five minutes, do some push-ups, lunges, body squats or go for a brisk walk. For those that work at a desk, try walking around the office every 30 minutes and doing a few body weight squats. Taking short breaks throughout the day will do wonders for your waistline, as well as help you focus, be more energized, and be more productive.

For more tips and ideas, please call us at (843) 577-8484 or email Dr. Mickey Barber at mbarber@cenegenics-carolinas.com.

There are many statistics about New Year’s Resolutions – most of them point to an alarming failure rate.

How will you avoid becoming a statistic?

This month, join us as we proactively strive to accomplish our New Year’s Resolutions. Whether your resolution is to lose weight, work out more, eat healthier, etc., you will be well on your way to achieving your goals by January if you start NOW!

Accomplishing your resolutions requires guidelines and an implementation plan. The holiday season is full of opportunities to set realistic goals.  Use these tips to help get you started today:

• Avoid overeating at holiday parties. Use a dessert plate to help control your portions.  
• Take advantage of your time off.  Plan your time wisely to include some physical activity throughout each day.
• Make it a family affair. Include your family in your resolution; they will help encourage you to meet your goals.
• Keep a journal. Keep a record of your progress to help analyze and change your behavior in order to meet your goals.

For more tips and ideas, please call us at (843) 577-8484 or email Dr. Mickey Barber at mbarber@cenegenics-carolinas.com.

Zinc and magnesium are two very important minerals for hormone production. As it turns out, most foods that we consider aphrodisiacs are actually high in one or both of these minerals.  For example, oysters are nature’s highest source of zinc, while dark chocolate is a good source of both zinc and magnesium.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to get enough of these minerals from diet alone. Six medium wild oysters have enough zinc for the average person’s daily intake (six farm-raised oysters actually have half of that content). However, most other foods don’t even come close to meeting the recommended daily intake. (Plus, who is going to eat six wild oysters every day??) On the other hand, pumpkin seeds are nature’s best source of magnesium, but it takes ¾ cup of pumpkin seeds per day for the average sedentary male to get enough magnesium for the day.

Active people need even more of these minerals, especially magnesium. In fact, studies show that most active males are deficient in both minerals, which slows testosterone production, muscle gains and fat loss. Zinc and magnesium are both vital parts of other basic bodily functions as well, from metabolism to muscle contraction and relaxation.

If you are not already supplementing for these minerals with the comprehensive multivitamin formula, or another good independent source for each, I highly recommend you do so. Please call our office to learn more about these supplements.

For more tips and ideas, please call us at (843) 577-8484 or email Dr. Mickey Barber at mbarber@cenegenics-carolinas.com.

At some point, I’m sure you have heard that you can only absorb about 25 grams of protein in one meal.  So is it true? Recently, I decided to find the original research and to my surprise, I discovered that there was no original research. I went as far back as the database allowed (the 70′s), and there was nothing.

Through my research, I learned that typically, long acting and slow digesting proteins (such as animal meat and casein from dairy) work better for overall nitrogen balance and muscle growth than short acting proteins (like whey). The exception for this is in the elderly, which is most likely attributable to poor gut health.

Although there is some evidence for research suggesting that the fast proteins (like whey) work better post workout for increased muscle and strength, generally, the slower digesting proteins have more impact.  Why? Because, as with all recovery, most activity happens while you sleep.

Example: If you have a 30-gram whey protein shake after a workout, your body only sustains blood protein levels for about 2 hours. Your average protein source (i.e. chicken, fish, beef, etc…) will sustain blood protein levels for up to 8 hours because they release into your blood slower and require more work to breakdown.

So, there is some validity to this myth, because eating protein throughout the day will yield better blood protein levels, thus better results. But, from an absorption stand point, this is absolutely a myth. If you have a healthy gut, and eat 80 grams of protein in one sitting, there is nothing scientific to suggest that you will not digest and absorb all 80 grams.

For more tips and ideas, please call us at (843) 577-8484 or email Dr. Mickey Barber at mbarber@cenegenics-carolinas.com.

To build the best home gym, first determine what your needs are by considering:

• Your training goals
• Space limitations
• Your budget
• Versatility
• Quality
• Ease of use
• Maintenance needs

Based on these needs, here are some suggestions for both the minimum equipment required, as well as some extras for your ideal home gym.

The minimal home gym should start with a good set of adjustable dumbbells and a multi-bench; Bowflex and Powerblock offer quality products. I also recommend you purchase an adjustable step up box, like one from Power Systems.

In my opinion, Sorinex offers the best products for your ideal home gym. Their equipment is ultra-durable, ultra-versatile, easy to use, and a great value. Start with their Base Camp Rack – Uber package, which offers enough accessories for your safety as well as unlimited variety for you and a few friends.

For cardio options, Woodway makes some of the best treadmills (all treadmills use a zero stretch Slat Belt tested to be the “ideal” softness/firmness for reduced shock while maintaining normal mechanics). First Degree Fitness offers the E-720 Fluid Cycle that can be used as a recumbent bike for an upperbody cycle. For an Elliptical, I recommend Octane Fitness. Their ellipticals offer improved stride biomechanics over most of the industry, which yields a more comfortable movement.

For more tips and ideas, please call us at (843) 577-8484 or email Dr. Mickey Barber at mbarber@cenegenics-carolinas.com.