Moss Tae Kwon Do

Water: hydration for health and weight loss
By Gay Poe (nutritionist and advisor for UBC)

What are the benefits of drinking more water? As a whole, we are made up of 70% water. Muscles that are hydrated look more toned because they are made of 70% water. Not drinking enough water is similar to depriving that less-than vibrant plant you water every few weeks. The plant will survive, but at what expense.

Other benefits to drinking water include:
• Helps digest food
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces constipation
• Lessens Asthma
• Eases Depression
• Metabolizes fat
• Supports healthy hair and nails
• Carries more blood and oxygen to your face
• Eases irritability
• Regulates body temperature so you don’t get too cold or too hot
• Suppresses appetite
• Prevents water retention
• Reduces stress

There are so many aches and pains that most people attribute to being old, sick or tired, when in all actually, it’s probably just a case of dehydration. What about those painful joints that we complain about? Water works as a lubricant. The two opposing surfaces (for example, the femur and the tibia at the knee) will glide freely and minimize friction damage, causing less pain.

Metabolism and You
By Gay Poe (nutritionist & UBC advisor)

1. Eat Whole Grains (especially Oats):
The B vitamins are the biggest contributors to the metabolism. Where are B vitamins located in grains? On the outside part of the grain so when you eat enriched grains, you aren’t getting any of the very necessary B Vitamins. Vitamin B will give you more energy and increased metabolism.
2. Eat berries, berries, berries:
Berries will rev up your metabolism and have a whole load of other health benefits.
3. Breakfast is the key:
You have to get your body out of ‘starvation’ mode and let it know that it’s going to consistently get fed or otherwise it’s going to start storing fat, not burning fat.
4. Strength training is as much a key to weight loss as kickboxing (cardio). By adding strength training to you workouts you increase you lean muscle and increase the size of you fat burning engine.
5. You have to eat within 45 minutes two hours after strength training.
6. You need to get sufficient sleep. If not, a hormone called Grehlin will become stimulated and this is the hormone that signals hunger. We don’t want that hormone! If you’ve reached a plateau, it’s most likely from the misinformation regarding nutrition.