Narado Powell CFT|CNS|CES
Narado Zeco Powell was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and as a child, he was underweight. When he moved to the United States at age 16, he was 5’11” and weighed 113 pounds. By age 18, he was inspired to learn more about fitness and nutrition and took a special interest in fitness. He spent 18 years educating himself by reading evidence based scientific articles, learning from mentors and trying different techniques. In 2018, he decided that he wanted to use his knowledge to help others.
Zeco carries 7 fitness and nutrition certifications from the International Sports Sciences Association. They include: 1. Certified Personal Trainer 2. Certified Nutrition Specialist 3. Corrective Exercise Specialist 4. Exercise Therapy Specialist 5. Transformation Specialist 6. DNA Based Trainer and 7. Weight Management Specialist. Having a large knowledge base allows him to work with a wide variety of clients. In addition, it allows him to design programs that are specific to his clients’ needs.
He shares his knowledge with others via several social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram. He is passionate about educating others and hopes to continue to learn, grow and adapt so that he can bring the most up to date and actionable content to his clients, followers and subscribers.
You can learn more about Zeco & his work on his weight management podcast, The Matter Over Mind Experience. Listen & subscribe on Spotify, Amazon, Google, Facebook or Apple Podcasts.
Dr. Berman is the R&D Advisor and Clinical Consultant for Neuronic, a next-generation photobiomodulation device.
Neuronic develops wellness devices that send out near-infrared light.
Clinical research has shown that near-infrared light positively impacts memory, movement and mood stability.
Neuronic develops wellness devices that send out near-infrared light. Clinical research has shown that near-infrared light positively impacts memory, movement and mood stability. Neuronic devotes 100% of profits to advancing the science and development of photobiomodulation through an ongoing program of basic science and applied clinical trials.
Katie Beecher, MS, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Medical and Emotional Intuitive with over thirty years of experience. Katie is featured in Goop, Kourtney Kardashian’s website Poosh and Miranda Kerr’s Kora Organics Blog and has taught a weeklong workshop at the Omega Institute. She has a unique way of working with clients, creating a detailed, individualized, physical, emotional, and spiritual report and symbolic painting, before ever seeing them, talking with them or seeing a photograph, using only their name and age.
Katie’s first book, Heal from Within: An Intuitive Guide to Wellness is published by St. Martin’s Press. Using practical tools and techniques Katie uses in her own medical and spiritual intuitive readings, the book teaches you to be your own medical intuitive using Katie’s revolutionary, step-by-step process for connecting to intuition and spirit, finding self-love and empowerment as well as how to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Heal from Within is filled with remarkable stories of healing from her years of experience as well as her own healing from bulimia, Lyme disease and depression.
Welcome to another weekend short of The Matter Over Mind Experience.
I am your host, Master Trainer & Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell
This weekend, I will talk about bread
Is eating bread really unhealthy? Or what kind of bread should we eat?
This may sound ridiculous, but you would not believe how many questions I get asking if I eat bread and what kind ?
I might answer that question for you at the end, so let’s begin
According to Healthline
Bread is high in carbs, low in micronutrients, and its gluten and antinutrient contents may cause issues for some people
Sound yikes!
The same article also says
Still, it’s often enriched with extra nutrients, and whole-grain or sprouted varieties may bestow several health benefits.
In moderation, bread can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet.
This is the reason why nutrition is so confusing
So, then we are back to square 1.
According to Medical News Today
The highly processed flour and additives in white, packaged bread can make it unhealthful.
Consuming too much white bread can contribute to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
So, we are back to yikes
So, I will explain types of bread that you can add to a healthy diet
Everything I say is general & do not make any dietary changes without speaking to a medical or dietary professional
You should consider removing bread from your diet if:
You are trying to lose weight
You have insulin resistance or diabetes
You have high blood pressure
You have serious stomach cramps
These types of bread are considered healthier according to Healthline
Sourdough
100% whole wheat
100% sprouted rye bread
Flax Bread
Oat Bread
In addition, if you will eat food that contain bread you either want to eat it before an intense workout or after a complete meal of fats, protein & vegetables for fiber
Before an intense workout as pre-workout carbs if needed or after a complete meal to help keep your blood sugar steady
You may want to take digestive enzymes prior to eating bread to promote better digestion
Here it is
Happy Weekend Fam!
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Angelica Ventrice is a High-Performance Mentor to Powerhouse Career-Driven Women who desire to up-level their Health, Rewire their relationship with food and Reclaim their bodies. She has been featured in Entrepreneur, Authority Magazine, Medium and MyFitnessPal.
Angelica has been coaching for 10+ years and initially started her journey as a Health Coach but transitioned to Business and Life Coaching as well over the last few years. To this day, she has helped over 700 women transform their bodies & minds while finding true alignment in their personal & professional lives. Her passion and expertise lies in Sustainable Nutrition, Body Transformation, Gut Health, & Mindset work.
The best way to contact her is @theangelicaventrice on Instagram.
Exercise is an important factor in sustained health & weight management. There are many physiological & psychological benefits to proper exercise. In this article, I will focus on aerobic vs anaerobic training. Some of the benefits overlap, but they both have some unique differences. For example, strength training is better for muscle strength & size while cardio is better for your cardiovascular system & lung capacity.
The Different Styles of Exercise
Let’s begin by listing some styles of exercise:
Yoga
Aerobic
HIIT
Strength Training
Cross Fit
Circuit Training
Plyometrics
Pilates
Each style has unique benefits that I will explain in future articles.
How To Calculate Your Max Heart Rate
There are different ways to define exercise intensity, but a universal acceptable way is based on a percentage of your max heart rate. Step 1 is figuring out your max heart rate. There are few ways to do so . The easiest method, but least accurate is 220-your age. These methods are more accurate 207-(.7*age) which is adjusted for people over 40 or 211 -(.64*age) which is adjusted for generally active people or 206-(.88*age) which is adjusted for women.
Here is an example based on a 40 year old for 211-(.64*40) leads to 211-25.6=185.4 Most fitness watches track your maximum heart rate so you do not have to concern yourself with the calculation.
Do two intervals, each four minutes long. During the intervals you should be too short of breath to talk. Intersperse each interval with three minutes of active rest.
Start the third interval, but two minutes in, increase your speed even further an run until you’re too exhausted to continue. Your HRmax will be the highest heart rate you reach. The heart will reach a plateau at which it cannot beat any faster, regardless of how much you increase the workload.
How To Define Exercise Intensity
Once, you know your max heart rate, the next step is understanding exercise intensity based on training within a certain percentage of your max heart rate. Low intensity workouts are generally done below 80% of your max heart rate. These are usually exercises that allow constant movement like walking, jogging, swimming & strength training. High Intensity workouts are done above 80% of your max heart rate. Some of these exercises are sprinting & high intensity training (HIIT).
The Benefits of Low vs High Intensity Training
As long as you don’t get out of breath, your body is using a large percentage of fat to power its movement. Since fat is denser than carbohydrates, it requires more oxygen to be broken down and burned for energy. This is called aerobic exercise.
During high intensity training, your heart rate will rise, you will need more energy and you won’t be able to take in enough oxygen to get this energy from fat anymore. This is when the body will start burning more carbs than fat to sustain the higher pace because they are easier and faster to break down. This is called anaerobic exercise.
The Drawbacks of Too Much Exercise
According to this PubMed article titled, The Goldilocks Zone for Exercise: Not Too Little, Not Too Much, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6139866/ “Many long-term endurance athletes have personal experience with orthopedic overuse injuries—stress fractures, patellar chondromalacia, Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, etc.” It goes on to say that “endurance athletes can also develop cardiac overuse injuries such as atrial fibrillation (AF), ventricular ectopy, severe bradycardia, coronary atherosclerosis, premature aging of the heart, fibrosis of the atrial and ventricular walls, and rarely even sudden cardiac death.” The article is explaining that even done in lower zones, excessive cardio an cause wear and tear on your body in many ways. Pay attention to the fact that this article mentions endurance athletes.
According to another PubMed article titled, How Much Exercise Is Too Much, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5153114/ “physical activity sometimes is accompanied by certain arrhythmias – premature beats or atrial fibrillation (AF). Less often such activity may result in life-threatening arrhythmias – specifically ventricular fibrillation.” This article also explains that there are times when too much exercise is just too much.
Another PubMed article, titled Exercise, Protein Metabolism, and Muscle Growth, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11255140/ , states that “Exercise has a profound effect on muscle growth, which can occur only if muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown; there must be a positive muscle protein balance.” Meaning that the amount & quality of the protein you eat is vital. If you eat & supplement with adequate protein then you can produce positive muscle protein balance, leading to lean muscle growth.
The Winning Formula
As described above there are benefits to both styles of training, however, many people focus on only 1 style of training. This leads to deficiencies in their training program. We need a healthy dose of both styles of training. The advice below will not apply to most athletes or anyone who trains for a particular competition.
The first thing to consider is how much do you train. I recommend strength training at the base of your program, especially for weight loss & building lean muscle. I generally recommend strength training, done in lower zones, at least 4 to 5 times per week.
I recommend high intensity about 2 times per week, 3 max. This will give you the benefits of anaerobic exercise. You can do high intensity as a separate session, i.e in the mornings or after a strength training session. In addition, your sessions can be short, i.e 10 minutes of intense rowing or a combination of jogging and sprinting.
The last item to consider is maintaining a positive net protein balance. This means eating adequate protein and supplementing as needed. This depends on factors such as style of training & activity level. Most healthy & active individuals can eat up to .75 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body-weight.
Two Things To Consider:
Add digestive enzymes to your protocol to give your body more protease to better break down protein along with other enzymes to improve digestion. Once per day with your largest meal of the day should be sufficient. Below a Amazon link to one of the best brands on the market. https://amzn.to/3oolngf
Supplement with Essential Amino Acids ( the building blocks of proteins, are compounds that play many critical roles in your body. ) & Creatine (a compound formed in protein metabolism and present in much living tissue. It is involved in the supply of energy for muscular contraction.) Adding these supplements during & post workout can boost muscle performance, strength, recovery & size while contributing to a positive net protein balance. Below is the link to one of the best on the market along with the discount code to save you 30%. https://aminoco.com/zecohealth
I use Perform to improve muscle endurance & performance & I use Heal for muscle recovery. Both products are formulated to improve muscle protein synthesis.
Dr. Diane is the co-founder of Medicine With Heart and Medicine With Heart Institute, with her business partner, Dr. Miles Nichols. Medicine With Heart is the clinical practice and the institute is a online certification school that trains practitioners around the world in functional medicine using the Medicine With Heart Method.
As a survivor of mold illness, Lyme Disease and chronic IBS symptoms, Dr. Diane Mueller is passionate about helping others restore their health and passion for life. Just like many of her patients, Dr. Diane struggled with chronic fatigue, extreme digestive dysfunction and chronic pain for many years with conventional medicine only offering mildly palliative treatments.
Dr. Diane’s journey to heal herself lead her to complete two doctorate degrees in holistic health care. She has a Doctorate degree in Naturopathic Medicine as well as a Doctorate degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In addition, she is certified in functional medicine.
Contact Information
Medicine With Heart 3333 S. Wadsworth BLVD D-160 Lakewood CO 80227 Phone: 720-722-1143 Fax: 720-722-1143 Email: service@medicinewithheart.com Website: https://medicinewithheart.com
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The dawn phenomenon, sometimes called the dawn effect, is an observed increase in blood sugar levels that takes place in the early-morning.
Let’s discuss why this may happen
Some researchers believe the natural overnight release of the so-called counter-regulatory hormones like growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon and epinephrine increase insulin resistance, causing blood sugar to rise.
This rise in morning blood glucose is abnormal.
The dawn effect therefore describes abnormally high early morning increases in blood glucose.
If you have persistently elevated blood sugar in the morning, checking your blood sugar once during the night, around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. for several nights in a row will help you and your doctor determine if you have the dawn phenomenon or if there’s another reason for an elevated morning blood sugar reading
The Dawn Phenomenon may not be the only explanation for high morning blood sugar
High morning blood sugar can be down to a variety of things, including insufficient insulin, incorrect medication dosage, carbohydrate snacks before bed and more.
Your doctor or healthcare professional will be able to help you to correct either the dawn phenomenon or alternative reasons for high blood glucose levels in the early morning.
They may suggest one of the following to help stabilize your morning blood sugar levels:
Adjusting insulin dosage
Adjusting medication dosage
Switching to different medication
Switching to an insulin with a different profile of activity
Welcome to another episode of The Matter Over Mind Experience
I am your host, Master Trainer & Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell
This episode is Q & A 3
I will answer questions from listeners & followers who emailed or sent me a DM
If you have questions about health, fitness & fat-loss, feel free to email me @ narado@zecohealth.com or DM on my IG @zecohealth
Let’s begin
Questions:
I am 18 & have been trying to build muscle & gain weight. My parents say I am skinny because of my age, but I will not accept that.
I eat a lot, but it still doesn’t work.
Someone in the gym asked this question
This is a good question, because when we talk about weight management, we mostly talk about weight loss, but some people struggle to gain weight as well
I will explain how I answered this question.
First, I explained that he needs to strength train at least 5 to 6 days per week & limit cardio
In addition, I explained that he wasn’t eating enough, primarily carbs and protein
I believe that most ppl with fast/healthy metabolism should eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight
In addition, carb cycling is beneficial
Eating carbs before a workout to power his muscles to improve strength & performance
A Whey protein shake post workout promotes recovery, muscle growth & can boost growth hormones.
In all cases a combination of proper diet and training is the key
This is a good start for most young people who struggle to gain weight
I crave sugars, but I am trying to lose weight. I try low carb diets, but at night I get carb cravings. I also do martial arts 5 days per week and sometimes my energy drops
This was another question from someone in the gym
This is a big mistake many people make who try to lose weight
They try to combine high intensity training with a low carb diet
Biologically, this doesn’t work
Unless you are in a constant case of ketosis or keto adapted, your body will prefer to use carbs to fuel any workout that passes or stay over the anaerobic zone
Simply put, carbs are our body’s preferred fuel source
So, once your body uses up it’s stored glycogen, you will crave carbs & sugars
Now, I limit cardio & high intensity for most of my clients who are sugar burners, but in his case, his does martial arts as a sport
My recommendations are to :
Carb cycle-
Eat carbs prior to training when his body can use it best
In fact, a healthy sport drink can be helpful, like Liquid-IV
Eat complete meals-
Fats, protein & fiber with complex carb as desert
Listen to my short on nutrition to keep your blood sugar steady
Keeping your blood sugar steady will limit cravings, promote fat oxidation & boost growth hormones
For us, in Seattle, our first over 70 degree day was June 20. Our first hot day (and only hot day) was June 27th. Yesterday it poured rain, but then in the afternoon it got warm which made the plants go crazy. Pollen dump. The plants have been sending out pollen like they have no other purpose (because they don’t, I get it) every second it’s sunny but since my allergies have flared up, my metabolism is at a standstill!!
No movement at all for more than 2 weeks. Ugh. Will this be my summer? I was making progress before it stopped raining. My “flex score” has gone down 19.7% in the last 3 weeks.
I used to struggle with pollen related allergies that caused asthma and now, it has been over three years that I am off all meds with no reactions. Just to give a little background.
Now, your immune system is your body’s main defense again pathogens & 75% of your immune system resides in your gut. So, we know that a healthy gut is vital to combat allergies.
The question is how do we strengthen our gut?
Well, just like everything else, it differs for each person & it may be best to work with a Gut Health Specialist, but generally speaking here are some things to consider:
1. Eliminate seed and inflammatory oils
2. Limit toxic exposure
3. Reduce stress
4. Improve sleep quality
5. Feed your good gut bacteria with oligosaccharides
These habits together can improve your microbiome
Good morning everyone, I’m fairly new to Lumen. I’m just starting my second week. I’ve had a hard time eating my macros, because I’m very used to low carb but also fairly low fat diet. The last two days I’ve been able to increase my healthy fat intake by quite a bit, but then just had blood drawn yesterday, and both my LDL and triglycerides are borderline high. Could there possibly be any connection between an increase in healthy fats to these levels showing up in my blood?
It seems to come down to your gut enzymes. Our bodies use amylase to break down carbs and lipase to break down fats.
Now, since you have been on low carb and low fat for an extended period of time, your body has diminished both enzymes. This inhibits proper digestion, hence why you have high levels of triglycerides in your blood. (Undigested particles)
Healthy fats don’t raise LDL though, chronic inflammation & unhealthy fats tend to do so, but the lack of adequate enzymes is connected though.
Now, this should change as your metabolism becomes more flexible. A flexible metabolism occurs when your body creates the right balance of digestive enzymes. For most people this happens through introducing your body to these macros via diet.
In your particular case, especially since you are concerned, you may want to work with a registered nutritionist or licensed dietitian.
You may also want to consider taking digestive enzymes in the beginning of your journey and a nutrition professional can look at your #s and make that determination.
I fast for 16 hrs from 8pm till noon, but need some coffee in the morning. Usually espresso, but I confess I need just a little something to take the bold edge off. 1/2 a Splenda and or splash of skim milk or unsweetened almond milk. Those total 15 calories or less but may be spiking my numbers up.
I constantly debate if it is best to try to fast through am or have a 200 calorie low carb & high protein breakfast. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
For men, fasting 14 to 16 hours daily is usually ideal. Break your fast with a high protein breakfast (breakfast being whenever you eat your first meal)
I also recommend eating some plants i.e green veggies, peppers or onions and scallions with breakfast ( improve gut health) . You can have some carbs with breakfast as well, but toward the end of your meal only.
BTW, you the Splenda and milk are breaking your fast.
I am Rishi Shonpal, also known as Dr Rishi or Sean Paul!
I am a General Practitioner, Root Cause Medicine Enthusiastic and the founder of Purpose Driven Medicine. I have worked as a doctor in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and refugee camps for over 10 years. I now lead a private consulting service and coachings service for individuals who want to improve their symptoms, and long-term disease management through evidence based medicine.
I studied and worked as a technology consultant in London before realising my passion in life. I help patients find their purpose and mission in life and help you become healthier and happier in the process. I believe that stress is the biggest carcinogenic and I help you explore ways to minimise this in a personalised manner. You will receive a comprehensive plan to get you going and ongoing 1-2-1 coaching to support you make a change until you achieve weight loss, better health and better overall wellbeing you deserve. I use health coaching and motivational counselling techniques alongside my medical expertise to achieve results.
Qualifications:
– Bachelor of Science (BSc) – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) – Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) – Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) – Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (DFRSH) – Opioid Treatment Accreditation Course (OTAC)
Apple cider vinegar has been used as a health tonic for thousands of years.
Research shows it has many health benefits, such as lowering blood sugar levels.
Adding apple cider vinegar to your diet also help you lose weight
Apple cider vinegar is made in a two-step fermentation process.
First, apples are cut or crushed and combined with yeast to convert their sugar into alcohol.
Second, bacteria is added to ferment the alcohol into acetic acid.
Acetic acid is the main active component of apple cider vinegar.
About 5–6% of apple cider vinegar consists of acetic acid.
It also contains water and trace amounts of other acids, such as malic acid
One tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar contains about three calories and virtually no carbs
Acetic Acid Has Various Benefits for Fat Loss
Acetic acid is a short-chain fatty acid that dissolves into acetate and hydrogen in your body.
Some animal studies suggest that the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar may promote weight loss in several ways:
Lowers blood sugar levels:
In one rat study, acetic acid improved the ability of the liver and muscles to take up sugar from the blood
Decreases insulin levels: In the same rat study, acetic acid also reduced the ratio of insulin to glucagon, which might favor fat burning
Improves metabolism: Another study in rats exposed to acetic acid showed an increase in the enzyme AMPK, which boosts fat burning and decreases fat and sugar production in the liver
Reduces fat storage: Treating obese, diabetic rats with acetic acid or acetate protected them from weight gain and increased the expression of genes that reduced belly fat storage and liver fat
Burns fat: A study in mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with acetic acid found a significant increase in the genes responsible for fat burning, which led to less body fat buildup
Suppresses appetite: Another study suggests acetate may suppress centers in your brain that control appetite, which can lead to reduced food intake
Although the results of animal studies look promising, research is needed in humans to confirm these effects
Apple Cider Vinegar Increases Fullness and Reduces Calorie Intake
Apple cider vinegar may promote fullness, which can decrease calorie intake
In one small study in 11 people, those who took vinegar with a high-carb meal had a 55% lower blood sugar response one hour after eating.
They also ended up consuming 200–275 fewer calories for the rest of the day.
In addition to its appetite-suppressing effects, apple cider vinegar has also been shown to slow the rate at which food leaves your stomach.
In another small study, taking apple cider vinegar with a starchy meal significantly slowed stomach emptying.
This led to increased feelings of fullness and lowered blood sugar and insulin levels
However, some people may have a condition that makes this effect harmful.
Gastroparesis, or delayed stomach emptying, is a common complication of type 1 diabetes. Timing insulin with food intake becomes problematic because it is difficult to predict how long it will take for blood sugar to rise after a meal.
Since apple cider vinegar has been shown to extend the time food stays in your stomach, taking it with meals could worsen gastroparesis.
It May Help You Lose Weight and Body Fat
Results from one human study indicate that apple cider vinegar has impressive effects on weight and body fat.
In this 12-week study, 144 obese Japanese adults consumed either 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vinegar, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vinegar or a placebo drink every day.
They were told to restrict their alcohol intake but otherwise continue their usual diet and activity throughout the study.
Those who consumed 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of vinegar per day had — on average — the following benefits:
Weight loss: 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg)
Decrease in body fat percentage: 0.7%
Decrease in waist circumference: 0.5 in (1.4 cm)
Decrease in triglycerides: 26%
This is what changed in those consuming 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vinegar per day:
Weight loss: 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg)
Decrease in body fat percentage: 0.9%
Decrease in waist circumference: 0.75 in (1.9 cm)
Decrease in triglycerides: 26%
The placebo group actually gained 0.9 lbs (0.4 kgs),
and their waist circumference slightly increased.
How to Add It to Your Diet
There are a few ways to include apple cider vinegar in your diet.
An easy method is to use it with olive oil as a salad dressing. It proves particularly tasty with leafy greens, cucumbers and tomatoes.
It can also be used for pickling vegetables, or you can simply mix it into water and drink it.
The amount of apple cider vinegar used for weight loss is 1–2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) per day, mixed with water.
It is best to spread this out into 2–3 doses throughout the day, and it may be best to drink it before meals.
Taking more than this isn’t recommended because of potentially harmful effects at higher dosages, such as drug interactions or the erosion of tooth enamel. It’s also best to start off with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) to see how you tolerate it.
Do not take more than 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, because taking too much at one sitting may cause nausea.
It’s important to mix it with water, as undiluted vinegar may burn the inside of your mouth and esophagus.
Although taking apple cider vinegar in tablet form may seem beneficial, it comes with potentially large risks.
In one instance, a woman suffered throat burns after an apple cider vinegar tablet became lodged in her esophagus
There it is.
Enjoy your weekend fam!
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