Eating For Your Blood Type

Hi y'all!
I was asked about "the Blood Type Diet" yesterday by a friend. I have heard about this diet before, but haven't read into it. I decided to take some time to look into the Blood Type Diet and write a simplified explanation of it here.
This diet was created by Peter J. D'Adamo, a naturopath. He believes that the foods we eat have chemical reactions with our blood. The idea behind this diet is that different foods with react with your blood type, and if you eat a diet "for your blood type" your body will digest the foods more efficiently. More benefits Mr D'Adamo believes will happen as a result of his diet are weight loss, increased energy, and disease prevention.

Here's what D'Adamo recommends for each type: (Provided via WebMD)

"Type O blood: A high-protein diet heavy on lean meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and light on grains, beans, and dairy. D'Adamo also recommends various supplements to help with tummy troubles and other issues he says people with type O tend to have.

Type A blood: A meat-free diet based on fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains -- ideally, organic and fresh, because D'Adamo says people with type A blood have a sensitive immune system.

Type B blood: Avoid corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts, and sesame seeds.  Chicken is also problematic, D'Adamo says. He encourages eating green vegetables, eggs, certain meats, and low-fat dairy.

Type AB blood: Foods to focus on include tofu, seafood, dairy, and green vegetables. He says people with type AB blood tend to have low stomach acid. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoked or cured meats."

There hasn't been much research on the actual effectiveness of this diet in terms of weight loss. One study (The only one published anyhow) has evaluated the Blood Type Diet. Their results found that people with certain blood types received a cholesterol-lowering benefit from eating a low-fat diet. However their research it didn't support that the Blood Type Diet works for weight loss.

KRegan's thoughts:

Holy cow! I've been eating according to my blood type for a while now! My blood is type O and I eat a lot of proteins and vegetables and I watch my grain in-take. I realized several months back that I am sensitive to lactose so I have pretty much eliminated it from my diet. Oh, and yes I have suffered from awful tummy-troubles for years. Through dietary changes like eliminating dairy, I have been to prevent my stomach problems.

In my opinion, the Blood Type Diet has me pegged. Right. On. The. Nose. There might be something to the Blood Type Diet after all.

Im curious though, has anyone else been eating according to their blood type? Anyone willing to try it out for 2 weeks to see if it works for them?

For an additional article about this, Men's Fitness magazine has a great article here. (According to them I'm a leader and should avoid dairy. Well duh Men's Fitness. LOL)

Why truBarre can improve your body.

3 Reasons why you should consider truBarre:
1) Isometric muscle contraction
2) No joint impact
3) Increased Proprioception

I remember hearing about "Barre" a few years ago.  Honestly, it took me a while to figure out that people weren't actually going to a bar. (Barre is pronounced "Bar") Phrases like "Ballerina workout" and "really hard" were common responses when I asked just what Barre was. I'll be honest, I wrote Barre off as a possible workout for me. I am not a ballerina and I certainly do not look like a ballerina, and I just couldn't fathom the value of going to a "ballerina workout".
I changed my mind Spring of 2014. I recently moved to the Seattle area (previously mentioned) and I didn't know much about my neighborhood and I certainly didn't know anyone in my neighborhood, so I decided I would meet people through fitness. I found a Groupon to a local Pilates studio, The Union Method and purchased it. It was an incredible value; something like 10 classes for $30. Killer, right?!
Let me back track a minute and remind you all that I previously mentioned that I developed "runner's knee" at the beginning of the year. [Sad face] I went to Physical Therapy and got a series of strengthening exercises and stretches to help "fix" my knee. It might surprise you to read that I was NOT good at consistently doing these exercises. (Okay, that might not be surprising.) Realistically, it is tough to keep a consistent routine. I think most everyone struggles with this. My struggle was doing these leg strengthening exercises consistently. I remember thinking, "Jeeze, when will I be able to run again?!" (At this point I was able to run a max of 1 mile before it became uncomfortable.)
Fast forward to my first class at The Union Method in Kirkland, WA. It's Sunday morning and I joined about 8 other women in a room with mirrors and [obviously] bar railings along the walls. The instructor was very friendly and welcoming, but she warned me that the point of a truBarre class is to fatigue the muscles. (Me: Uhhhh...what?) Roughly 60 minutes later, I was fatigued. My legs were burning my abs were stiff. I was in love.

So what is Barre?
The Barre Method was developed by Lotte Berk. After suffering a back injury, Lotte decided to combine ballet barre routines with rehabilitative therapy. The result was the Barre Method.
The Union Method teaches a "spin off" from the original called "truBarre". TruBarre is a mix of pilates and classic barre techniques. The focus of these classes is on form, alignment, and posture; All the while having NO IMPACT on the body's joints. (Might come in handy for people with injuries, huh?) What it also does is increase strength through isometric muscle contraction.

What is isometric muscle contraction?
This is where a muscle "fires" (activates) but does not move over a joint. i.e.: the muscles generates force without changing length.

We've likely ALL seen the benefits of workouts containing isometric muscle contractions. Ie.: Think yoga.... and think of Adam Levine's sexy body pleasing physique. 

Can isometric workouts really work for me?
Short answer: Yes. I believe everyone should incorporate isometrics into their normal exercise routine. An article by T Nation stated, "One of the most important benefits of isometric action training is that it’s the contraction regimen that leads to the greatest activation level." (Sounds promising huh?) well, T Nation continues on with an awesome explanation of how isometric exercises help to improve the body over time; "What this tells us is that isometric training can improve our capacity to recruit motor units during a maximal contraction. In the long run, this improved neural drive could greatly increase one’s strength production potential!" (Love the enthusiasm T Nation) So let me break this down for you one more time. Isometric exercise activates your muscle but does not move around the joint. (No movement!) Over time, isometric exercise makes you stronger by training your body to better recruit your muscles. Personally, I have seen some muscle gains, but I want to note that research says that isometric exercise won't give you bulky muscle growth. (I've never met a yogi that gained his bulging biceps by doing yoga sever hours a day.) You likely won't develop huge muscles doing isometrics, but you WILL gain muscle. (And more muscle mass leads to metabolic change. You like eating right??) Isometric exercises are AMAZING for training stabilization in muscles! Let me repeat that again...Isometric exercises are AMAZING for training stabilization in muscles! Stabilizing your core makes sense of course, because you want to protect and support your back. But I love that through truBarre I am much more stable on my feet and arms. 

What is proprioception?
Wikipedia says proprioception is, "the sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement." I like to simplify this by explaining that it is being aware of your extremities and their position/orientation. For me, the isometric exercises contained within a truBarre routine have increased my proprioception. In my everyday life I am now able to correct little movements and positions. I can FEEL the difference because I am more aware. I'll give you an example. The other day I was out running (Yay!) and I started to feel discomfort in my knee. I immediately took stock of where my knee was positioned during the foot fall... Nope, that wasn't it. Then I realized that it was my foot; I was allowing my arch to fall into "flat foot status". Knowing this, I was able to correct my foot, raise my arch, and continue my run without knee discomfort. It is so important for me to explain that I've never been able to feel my foot pronate before, but by increasing my proprioception [through regular isometric exercise] I can now make corrections to my posture and alignment through my body's cues. 

Guess what? I'm a Personal Trainer now!

Yes, I got certified. I'm doing this the right way. I got certified through NASM in June, 2014. (Side note: It has been too long since I last blogged.) Now that I've moved to Seattle, Washington I am working at a local gym here. (Yay!)

Let's fill you in on some things that have happened to me since my Triathlon...
* I ran my first half marathon. The Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas!

I earned that sweet medal!

* I ran another half marathon.... The Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland!

* Completed the ISSA Sports Nutrition certification. I'm not just playing around anymore. (TeeHee)

* We moved to Seattle! 

* I tried some new workouts

I tried aerial yoga at Knotty Yoga in Redmond, WA.

* I fell in love with Barre workouts...

Oh Barre... How I love thee...

* Got certified in Person Training

Somewhere between my last half marathon event and my aerial yoga adventure I developed a bad case of runner's knee. I went to Physical therapy to treat it and prevent future occurrences. I learned what I could but ultimately stopped going because guess what? It is expensive. However, with my fancy-shmancy PT certification I now know a LOT more about treating cases like mine through functional training. Barre training has come in real handy for this. There is zero impact during the workouts AND I do many of the same strengthening (and stabilizing) exercises that the Physical Therapist recommended to me. Guess what? I am slowly building back my mileage. Progress is progress and I am happy for it.
Welp, there are the major events that have happened since I last blogged. It's been a roller coaster! I am glad my path led me here. Here, being my current status in life. I am feeling pretty positive about my life. Though Here could have also referred to Seattle, because Seattle is pretty darn cool.
Signing off.... Your Personal Trainer AND Nutritionist (& friend) KRegan.

Keep your head high and a smile on your face.

Tinfoilman Triathlon

After resting for two days I [finally] have enough energy to update my blog about my triathlon experience.
My morning started around 4 A.M.. I got up, ate some breakfast, did my morning rituals, and got my gear together. The transition area opened up at 5 A.M. and it was already filling up when I got there at 5:30.

 The temperature was already 80 degrees when I got to the event course. I knew at that point that it would be a hot hot run. I thought, "Oh well, you better run that 3 miles fast to get it over with." We found out beforehand that this triathlon was sold out; completely full. It was fun to be in that crowd. I could feel everyones' excitement and anxious nerves.

The pool the the University of Arizona welcomed us all.

My nervous smile.

 I was really happy that I didn't have to wait too long to start the swimming event. The event coordinators planned this all out so it went really fast and smooth. Like my hot pink tri suit? I was the only person in hot pink and it made it so much easier for my cheerleaders friends and family to find me.

 I knew the swim would be a challenge for me. I mean, I had two months to learn to swim freestyle and then learn to swim for 750 meters. Around 300 yards I had a moment in the water where I thought to myself, "Holy crap, what did you sign up for?" Honestly, the idea that I would need to swim 750 meters and then jump on my bike and ride for 12 miles and then run for three miles, seemed impossible. I knew this triathlon would challenge me, but I wasn't anticipating the mind F***. Right after my doubts started plaguing my mind, I pushed them away and continued on.
During the swim I was passed by three people. While I could have been upset about being passed, I was enjoying swimming in the other racers' bubbles. Silly, huh? I actually ended up passing a swimmer that passed me. It was a small moment of triumph and retribution. I finished my swim in 18:21.

At the transition from swim to bike. This is me walking my bike to the starting line. 

 The bike event was my worst. It took me 52 mins to finish 12 miles. Blah! Not impressed with that performance. I remember getting on the bike after the 750 meter swim and being super hungry. I probably should have eaten a little something 30 mins before my swim. I immediately downed a GU gel with some caffeine in it. I needed a little pick-me-up. Some of the biking course was on a mile stretch of crappy road. It was full of cracks, pot holes, dips, and fill-ins. I had to slow down and be careful while navigating this road. Admittedly, I am not the strongest biker so I needed to be careful.

 I was so looking forward to the running portion of this triathlon. Running is my strongest sport by far and I was soooooo ready to get to an event that I am comfortable with. Not surprisingly, by the time I tied on my running shoes I was feeling tired. The last leg of this race took every ounce of my will power.

 But I was able to cross the finish line with a smile on my face. I was so happy. There are no words to describe how much relief I felt seeing "FINISH" in the distance. I suddenly forgot all my discomfort and had complete tunnel vision. Seeing finish, I knew I had done it. I completed my triathlon.

What a relief! I am still so proud of myself. I finished the run in 33 mins. My over-all race time was 1:44:51. I was 13th in my age group. Being 26 years old, I was competing in one of the larger age groups. I am happy with my finish. Not too shabby for my first triathlon.

7 miler and California vacation

I'm back!!!
I've been back for over a week now. Last week I was super busy with training, preparing for my triathlon, cleaning up my house post-vacation, and taking my final exam for my Sports Nutrition Certification.

Before I went to California I ran in the Hotshot 7.25 mile trail run. It was a charity run put on by a local event coordinator in honor of the Hot Shot firemen that died fighting the Yarnel wildfire in Arizona. Some of the proceeds from the event went to the Hot Shots charity.

 Cool tech-T huh? It's really nice. I love when event coordinators give out nice tech-T's. This shirt is actually pretty flattering on too.

 My best friend (of a ba-zillion years) ran this event with me. She is also training for a half marathon and was happy to up her mileage during a race. This race was hosted at Colossal Cave mountain park South of Tucson, AZ in Vail. It was gorgeous weather; cool and overcast. It was wonderful! The event coordinators explained that the course was on paved roads and trails, but in actuality it was more of a trail-run than anything. It was so much fun! It was a blast running up and down mountains!

 Above are my race stats. I thoroughly enjoyed this course. My splits were really uneven, but that was due to the course terrain and weather (it started raining and made conditions slippery). There were a lot of legit AZ athletes at this event. Speaking to people, I found out that local people were bumming out over the Summer and how few events there were this Summer. I'm guessing people were itching to get out and race again, so they signed up for this small event to take care of the "race bug". It really is an addiction all its own. I have it and I love it. Overall, I really enjoyed this event and I will sign up again next year if they put it on again.

My husband and I went on a week-long vacation in San Diego, CA the very next day. It was so nice to see the ocean again. I've missed it terribly. Once there, the first thing we did was head to the beach.

The weather was a little warmer than the norm for CA, but being from Arizona the warmer weather was PERFECT. I loved it! Derek and I were very active on our trip. We put an extra 40 miles on our Strava activity logs. Pretty impressive I think.

 We discovered this cool local path that goes directly to the Oceanside Harbor/beach. We hopped on our bikes for a long ride to the beach. It was gorgeous out (perfect weather) and the path was flat. It was easy to just crank it down to the beach! How cool is that?

Pure elation that we made it to the Ocean.

Beach Squirrel! 

The rest of our trip was relaxing and fun. We spent lots of time with our friends/family/loved ones. Our last run was spent in Balboa Park. I read that it has some of the best running trails in the San Diego area. We were spoiled by the mild San Diego weather; we were able to sleep in until 9 A.M. and then get ready without rushing. There was really no need to wake up early to beat the heat because it never got too hot for us to run. Fabulous!

The gorgeous rose garden in Balboa Park. I had way too much fun running circles through these roses.

Posing in front of a beautiful fountain. Like my compression socks?

 Balboa Park was huge! We ran a 10K across that park and didn't even make a dent in it. There are so many different parts and sections to the park. We went from running through courtyards, to perfectly manicured lawns, to standard park-scapes, to city streets, to trail runs, to rose gardens, and back to the museum courtyards.
I had the best time in California. It was the best trip I've taken out to the west coast. I love how active my husband and I were. I felt great, the weather was fabulous, and it was great to see my loved ones.

Kregan's running preferences

Good morning!
I am up bright dark and early for a 7.25 mile race through the Colossal Cave park in Tucson, AZ. It's the Hotshot's Run to Remember. I am running this event for charity. Some of the proceeds go to the families of the Hotshots that died in the Yarnell, AZ wildfire earlier this year. I am happy to participate in this run. I am SUPER excited for the route; it's on a mix of paved and rocky terrain!
So right now I am relaxing on my couch, eating oatmeal and drinking my coffee. It's the process every runner must go through; put something inside your body while waiting to have something removed from your body. (You know what I'm talking about.)  While I'm waiting for the show to start [wink] I will post this quick blog.

I came across this questionnaire on another blog and I thought I would fill it out and post MY answers for my readers.... I know there are one or two of you. Just in case you are interested...

1. Who is your running shoe twin? Skinny Runner! She turned me onto the mizuno waveriders. I love them!
2. When do you pause your watch on a run? I have yet to pause my watch while on a run. I do two things: I start it and I stop it. I want ALL the data!
3. What is worse – being called a jogger or hearing someone call a 5K a “marathon”? I HATE the word "jogger". I think it diminishes all the effort and hard work you put into your run. Even if it isn't the fastest run, I will refer to it as a "slow run", NEVER a "jog".
4. What is your preferred running shorts inseam length? I've noticed that I like my running shorts to have a longer inseam. I get less chaffing that way. Yes I am thin, but my thighs still touch. No inner-thigh gap for this runner! (and it's fine with me)
5. Spitting when you run – gross or necessary or neither? I spit sometimes. I started chewing gum and it's helped with dry mouth and I no longer have a bad urge to clear out my mouth.
6. What is more exciting randomly seeing a friend on a run, or hitting a goal pace/workout? I would be excited to see a friend. I like to see my loved ones being active.
7. What has been your worst running injury (something that happened on a run orsomething caused by running)? Nothing yet. I've been REALLY careful about preventing injuries. Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself. [knock on wood]
8. What is your perfect running temp? Anything in the 70s.
9. Do you follow a running plan or make your own? I like to make my own. I blaze my own trail.
10. Preference – treadmill, road, groomed trail, or technical trail? I prefer a road and groomed trail. Technical trails can be fun in moderation because I don't want to roll an ankle. I absolutely hate running on treadmills. I tried to run on one the other day and only made it through a half mile. Treadmills make me unhappy.

Happy [belated] Labor Day!!

Hello all!
Last week was a fun and relaxing week in our household. I kept up my running, biking, swimming, and T25. Gosh, that sounds like a lot! It probably is...
Wednesday I had a lazy morning and decided to try on bikinis to pick some to take with me to San Diego. Trying them on I saw how some new muscles and some abs peeking through!

My husband decided to put my bikini-picture next to my "Before" picture so I can see how much progress I've made. It is hard to see your own progress when you are looking in the mirror everyday. Seeing these two pictures side-by-side really opened my eyes. I really have made progress!

Friday I decided to wake up early and enjoy a run. The weather was overcast 75 degrees with 70% humidity. Sounds like it would be hot, huh? Nope, it was perfect! I love cloudy days.

This app says I ran 4.9 miles, but I'm counting it as 5 miles. Also, I am pretty sure I burned more calories than 467, especially since the first 1.5 miles is uphill. Oh well. I finished off my Friday with my T25 workouts. I'm still enjoying them!

Saturday I ran some errands but mostly I just relaxed around my house. I was really tired and not really up for doing much, not to mention it was my rest day. My only rest day. Oh, but I did give myself a manicure. I tried out some at-home gel nails. I used Nutra Nail Gel Perfect at home kit in "Ruby Slippers". The process of painting my nails was a little tedious, but the results are really pretty! 

Pictures taken by Dempsey.

 That evening my husband and I met up with my mother and stepfather at the Sonoran Desert Museum for a night tour. It was a lot of fun and we saw a lot. A lot of desert animals become more active at dusk/night (and dawn) so it was a great opportunity to see these creatures moving around. My stepfather, Dempsey, and Derek brought their fancy SLR digital cameras and captured some great photos. The Desert Museum was also hosting some photography classes that evening so we sat in on a free Night Photography class. It was actually really fun and informative. For the first time I could really tell how much Derek knows about photography. It's a hobby of his and has been for years now.



Sunday we decided to host a BBQ at our house that evening so Derek and I teamed up to clean up our house. Remember that sports-stuff disaster I was blogging about last week? It's ALL cleaned up. Bikes are put away and even the spin bike was put back in Derek's office/gym area.
I went on a short run that morning and it was BAD. No overcast skies to keep me cool, even though it was still in the 70s. The sun just sucked my energy out of me like a syphon. Blah! My pace was a bit slower than previous 3 milers, but hey, ANY run is a good run. In spite of the bad run, I was still happy to have gotten out and got some exercise.
Derek and his buddies decided to golf that afternoon [like crazy people] so Derek spent his Sunday afternoon in the hot AZ sun on the golf course. I took my butt to the gym to swim some laps. 1000 yards later, I was reading my book poolside and enjoying the sunny weather. I took it easy on that swim. I didn't push my pace. I focused on my form, breathing, and relaxing in the water. Yes, I am still working on relaxing in the water. Hey, you're face down in the water people! It can be stressful at times.
Our BBQ went well. We served steak, turkey burgers, chips with salsa and guacamole, and my low-fat potato salad. Oh! And we grilled up some veggies too. The BBQ was fun and it was great catching up with friends.
Monday was LABOR DAY! Derek and I were a bit lazy, but we still took our Boo Bear on a walk.

"Mmmmmmm grass..."

He loves playing in tall grass. Our little guy walked a total of 1.25 miles! That's a long way for a little chihuahua. When I got home I relaxed some more. Derek needed a nap (AZ sun got to him). I worked around my house and jumped on the spin bike for 45 minutes of HIIT. Halfway through my workout THIS GUY showed up at our house:

Winston got to have a slumber party with Louie (AKA: Boo Bear) last night. Winston's house had some water damage to it and he needed to be out of the house so the restoration people could fix the issues. He's a big dog, especially compared to my chihuahua, but he is incredibly sweet. Louie and Winnie are best friends. They've been snuggling and napping, and enjoying chewy-bones together. Merlin the cat doesn't like him much; he's been holed up in our room for the last 20+ hours. I've never seen my cat so puffed up! I told him that if he's going to have his tail all puffed-up he could at least dust my room for me. Merlin must have understood me because I got a scathing look in return. [laugh]