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This month I want to tell you a bit about coconut oil. Coconut oil has been given quite the bad reputation over the last 10 years because of its high saturated fat content. What people are not learning about coconut oil is that although it is high in saturated fats, it is a unique type of fat that possesses many health benefits. Coconut oil is not something to be feared – in fact, it should be revered!

Coconut oil is composed of almost 90% saturated fat. But what makes the saturated fat in coconut oil different than that in butter or animal fat is the size. It is composed of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA) also known as Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT). Almost all the other fatty acids in our diet, whether saturated or unsaturated, come from Long Chain Fatty Acids (LCFA). And size matters when it comes to Fatty Acids. Most fat that we consume, whether it be saturated MCFA’s are very different than LCFA in the way that our body understands, metabolizes and utilizes them. MCFA’s do not have a negative effect on your cholesterol. They help protect you against the heart disease, lower your risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.

But the benefits of coconut oil don’t stop there! Coconut contains Lauric Acid, Capric Acid and Caprylic Acid. These components of Coconut Oil are responsible for it immune strengthening properties. In the body, Lauric Acid is converted into Monolaurin. Monolaurin aids in fighting with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes and influenza. It can also help fighting bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

In addition to all of this, coconut oil has also been found to help aid digestion, healing infections and wounds, promote good skin and health hair and even aid in weight loss.

You can add a tablespoon of coconut oil to your smoothy, use it as a lotion on your dry hands, use it instead of oil or butter to cook with or even make chocolate with it! Try this FANTASTIC chocolate featuring our friend, coconut oil!

Healthy Three Ingredient Chocolate Bars
(From www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com)

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melted)

1/4 cup agave or use NuNatural vanilla stevia drops (I use 10-40 drops depending on how sweet you want it)

optional: extracts, cocoa nibs, or other add-ins like nuts, nut butters etc

Method:
Combine coconut oil with agave or stevia drops. Stir, then add cocoa powder (and add 3-4 T water or nondairy milk if using stevia.). Stir stir stir! Stir until it gets thick. Pour into any flat container (or candy molds or smush between layers of wax paper or in ziploc bags). Fridge or freeze until solid.

One of the keys to a healthy body is it flexibility. We tend to think of flexibility as the body’s ability to stretch or lengthen, but flexibility is just as much about being able to flex (aka shorten) a muscle as it is about lengthening. Why is this important? Because the ability of muscle to lengthen and shorten directly affects your ability to move. When your body is unable to move properly, it will create new (and often dysfunctional) ways to move and this leads to injury.

I have helped more people get rid of back pain than I can count. The solution (almost 100% of the time) is a combination of getting some of their muscles to lengthen better (usually the hip flexors) AND getting some of their muscles to contract better (usually the glutes)! Imagine being able to manage, or even get rid of your back pain by doing just two things.

The technique that I use accomplish these fantastic results with my clients is Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching. Ki-Hara is a type of flexibility training that simultaneous lengthens and strengthens your muscles. What? It sounds too good to be true! Well folks, it is as great as it sounds. Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching can actually give you a better body because it teaches your muscles HOW TO WORK properly. And a muscle that knows how to work properly will respond to exercise BETTER than a muscle that is dysfunctional. For example, if a client comes in and “wants to have a rock hard bum” then I teach them how to properly resistance stretch the muscles in the glutes and hips. Once the mobility and activation in these muscles improve, then we start to specifically train those muscles and BAM! Instant bum lift.

I have included video links for the top 5 stretches I teach people in order to stretch themselves into a better body. I suggest performing 4 strength training repetitions and then 4 resistance stretching repetitions per side on with all of these stretches. Do not worry about performing the movements aerobically like they demonstrate in the second half of the video.

1) Quad at the Wall : www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXskTp98KRA

This stretch is fantastic for opening up the muscles in the front of the thigh.

2) Central Hamstring : www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Ie7P5nH9I&feature=related

Anyone that suffers from tight hamstring, lower back or who cannot touch their toes needs to try this stetch!

3) Outer Thigh and Glutes : www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZEFg8fOqeE&feature=relmfu

For those of you who sit all day, this is a great stretch to give life back to your hips and glutes.

4) Shoulders and Traps : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMD_2RDVCqU&feature=related

If you have shoulder problems, or you spent lots of time at a computer try this stretch.

5) Tricep, Lats and Obliques: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9vtHFjp2V4&feature=related

Many people, men especially, have poor flexibly in the Lats which makes it hard for them to overhead movements properly. This stretch will solve that problem in no time flat!

If you would like to learn more about Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching, join us on April 14th from 9-12pm for a self stretching course.

The cost is $150 plus GST. Call 403 238 0001 to register!!!

Come join Kelsey and Nathan for a weekend of education on our very favorite flexibility technique.

This is a VERY HANDS ON class. No prior training experience required. We will go over 16 self-stretches, 16 assisted stretches, mashing, and problem-solving. Limited space available.

We would highly advise getting the Resistance Stretching with Dara Torres DVD and flash cards before class -
everything else you will receive there. (Full Color Manual, Flexibility Profile, and Trainers Only DVD)

Wear comfortable clothes, bring water, a light snack, and a yoga mat (if you have one).

This is also a great class to take with a friend/spouse/partner, etc.

The cost is $500 plus GST.

To register: Call 403 238 0001 or e-mail ac.htlaehainetsnull@niltiac

Stenia Health and High Performance will be hosting the FIRST Level 1 Ki-Hara Course taught by Kelsey Andries and Nathan Bodewitz, the ONLY Master Trainers and Instructor in Canada!

In this course you will learn basic mashing techniques, Ki-Hara theory, 16 Self Stretches, 16 Assisted Stretches and Problem Solving. This is a hands on class so be prepared to work, and get worked on!

The course runs from 10am-5pm on September 24th and 25th. The cost is $500 plus GST. Register by calling 403 238-0001.

This course is eligible for 4.0 CEC’s from CanFit Pro and 1.2 CEU’s or 12 contact hours though NSCA.

Last month we had Tina Dubois from Living Barefoot come down to Stenia and test both the Curve and the Desmo treadmills. They tested 20 treadmills across the City for temperature increase, belt texture and deck suspension….and guess what, the Woodway’ came out on top (I keep telling everyone how great they are, and now there is proof!)

Read the full review.

We are hosting our next Ki-Hara Self Stretch workshop on Saturday April 2nd from 1-5pm. The cost is $150 plus GST and you can sign up by calling 403 238 0001.

See you there!

Most people who run have a strong heel strike when their feet contact the ground. This pattern feels very natural to us because this is how we walk. Although this may feel the most comfortable and natural, in reality, it is not an efficient running pattern. When running with a heel strike, the foot lands way out in front of centre of mass of the body. This causes the runner to sit back on their hips, which effectively pulls the runner lower into the ground. This pull downward translates into heavy running. Furthermore, when you have a heavy heel strike out in front of your center of mass it causes an actual braking action. You are actually applying force into the ground in a way that opposes forward progress and puts a lot of stress on the body. A perfect example is to think about Fred Flintstone stopping his foot powered car. In order to do so his heels are in the ground out in front of him.

A more efficient pattern is to land on the forefoot. Forefoot landing eliminates the braking action caused by the heel and the movement becomes more efficient and easier on the body. Runners also want to be tall while running. This places the centre of mass directly under the hips. A runner’s hips should be up, pushing forward (with pelvis tilted), rather than sitting back. One way to help you get into this position is landing more mid-foot or flat foot rather than on the heel.

I always tell my clients and athletes to think about running “tall and light” and to pretend that there is a string coming out of the top the head like a marionette. I then tell them to think about running on their toes and most people will end up landing on the mid-foot, right where they want to be.

All that being said, running solely on the toes is also not natural and an inefficient movement. If you are landing only on your actual toes then you don’t get the full ankle dorsi flexion and planter flexion that you need to propel the body forward efficiently. You will end up tiptoeing around nowhere fast.

There is a happy medium between heel and toe contact that needs to be found to help you become an efficient runner. When you find that sweet spot, you will be able to run farther and faster, all while reducing the stress on the body.

Get in to Stenia for a workout like this one so you can be ready to shred powder after the first big dump of snow! Click the link to see Nate rock it in the gym then on the slopes.

Click here to see the video!

Check out the sweet spread on Stenia Health and High Performance and Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching featured in the Calgary Herald on Thursday August 26, 2010.

‘The Fit Guy’ Pete Estabrooks reviews Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching.

Check out Kelsey’s article in Impact Magazine on the Trek Dirt Series which first appeared in the 2010 July-August Summer Sports Issue of IMPACT Magazine.

Table Tops Aren’t Just for Kitchens
Crash courses such as the Trek Dirt Series can unite a couple’s sporting interests for the good of their relationship

www.impactmagazine.ca/tabletops-arent-just-for-kitchens.html