Fit 203: Coenzyme Q10(CoQ10), The ABCs of Motivation, Free Workout and log

The amazing benefits of Coenzyme Q10, Learn the ABCs of motivation,(part 1 of 4), Download the Exercise Routine, Workout Guide and log for Sculpt Cycle#14 Body Fat Blast from Fitness Makeover Program and Clubfit members only section!

MOTIVATION
You may have seen The ABCs of MOTIVATION on my twitter feed or facebook page, if not, here we go with more detail! This is part one of four!

How do you get motivation? Well, it can come from many sources, both positive and negative. Isn’t the idea behind motivation self improvement? You’re usually motivated to do something that makes your life better, right?

Although there are many reasons to change your habits, or focus on self development, pain seems to be a consistent motivator. For example:

Failing grades make a student realize that study habits need to change.
Humiliation gives us the push to speak up and fight for yourself to save you from the next embarrassment.
A bitter experience
A friend’s tragic story
A great movie
An inspiring book
Pain.

Extreme pain, emotional or physical may sometimes be the reason why people initiate change.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? In the next four podcasts, I’ll explain the complete A-Z collection of ways to get motivated and stay motivated in a positive way! Let’s start with A to F.

A – Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B – Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C- Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D -Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E-Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F-Family and Friends are life’s greatest treasures. Don’t lose sight of them!

NUTRITION
The amazing benefits of Coenzyme Q10!
Note: Always check with your doctor before adding any supplements to your program. Some supplements can contraindicate certain medications.

Antioxidants are substances, often vitamins and minerals, which are important in the fight against the damaging results of free radicals. Free radical damage has been linked to heart disease, coronary artery disease, and peripheral vascular disease to name just a few.
Antioxidants work by binding with the free radical molecules, naturally produced in the body through metabolism and energy production. Because the antioxidants bind to the free radicals they do not allow these molecules to do further damage to cells.

Coenzyme Q10 is one of those antioxidants important in the function of the heart muscle. It is produced by the body and necessary for the basic functioning of many cells. Researchers now believe that these levels will decrease with age and will also be particularly low in individuals who have certain chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, cancer and diabetes.

CoQ10 was originally discovered in 1957. It is also found to be beneficial in a surprising number of health problems. Almost every cell in the human body contains this coenzyme. The majority of it is stored in the mitochondria of the cells where energy is produced. Because the heart and liver contain the most mitochondria per cell they also have the greatest amount of CoQ10.

Benefits:
CoQ10 helps significantly the following conditions:

Periodontal disease:
One health condition which this coenzyme appears to help significantly is periodontal disease, which has also been linked to a deficiency of Coenzyme Q10. Researchers, using double blind studies, have found that people with periodontal disease who were given supplementation would achieve better results than those who were given a placebo.

Congestive heart failure:
Coenzyme Q 10 is also used in instances when individuals are suffering from congestive heart failure. In this condition, the heart is unable to pump efficiently which slows the amount of blood to and from the lungs and the rest of the body. The body has a few temporary solutions to maintain pumping power:

the heart can enlarge
it can beat faster or
the ventricular walls can become thicker

CoQ10 allows the body to more effectively produce power and energy so that the heart can work more efficiently. That way the heart doesn’t have to revert to those dangerous temporary solutions.

Parkinson’s disease:
Early studies using CoQ10 with individuals who have Parkinson’s disease have been positive. The theory is that CoQ10 may slow down the rate of functional decline in individuals who are suffering from Parkinson’s disease. In previous studies researchers found that individuals who suffered with Parkinson’s disease had reduced levels of coenzyme Q 10 and that this substance can protect the area of the brain that is damaged in Parkinson’s disease.

[Phase 2 studies out of the University of California, School of Medicine is working with 80 different Parkinson patients at 10 different centers across the United States to determine the efficacy, efficiency and safety of coenzyme Q 10.]

Blood pressure:
Several new clinical studies involving small numbers of people have suggested that supplementation with Coenzyme Q 10 may lower blood pressure. Research subjects found it took between four and 12 weeks before any beneficial effect was observed.

Diabetes:
Research is also being done to evaluate the effectiveness of CoQ10 in individuals who suffer from diabetes. In a recent study of people with diabetes, 200 mg two times a day were given to diabetics who subsequently showed no hypoglycemic response. Coenzyme Q 10 has been shown to affect a sudden and dramatic drop in blood sugar which can be dangerous to the diabetic.

Cancer and Chemo
Several more studies have been done that suggests the enzyme may help prevent heart damage done to individuals who are undergoing chemotherapy using adriamycin or other athracycline medications. Studies of women who have breast cancer also suggest that in addition to conventional treatments coenzyme Q 10 may shrink tumors and reduce the pain associated with the condition. In these particular studies the experiences of the patients could not be attributed only to coenzyme Q 10 because other additional antioxidants were used, including vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium. The possibility exists that coenzyme Q 10, working in conjunction with these other antioxidants, is what produced the results.

More new preliminary clinical studies suggest CoQ10 has some beneficial effects for and can be used in conjunction with treatment to help:

Alzheimer’s disease
Increase sperm motility
Reduce the damage done from stroke
Boost athletic performance
Enhance the physical activity in individuals who suffer from chronic fatigue syndromes
Improve the exercise tolerance in individuals who have muscular dystrophy

Sources of CoQ10
Coenzyme Q 10 is found primarily in fish and meat. While your body is able to produce some of it, the remainder must be synthesized from the foods that you eat or supplementation. The highest amount is found in sardines and mackerel. The richest sources of vegetable CoQ10 are found in spinach, broccoli, peanuts and whole grains. Of course, In order to enjoy the benefits from the vegetable sources, consume them as raw, fresh and unprocessed.

Deficiency causes:
Coenzyme Q 10 can become deficient when individuals take specific types of medications, such as statin drugs to lower cholesterol, and oral hypoglycemic drugs to reduce blood sugar. Both types of medications can inhibit the production of the coenzyme and cause serious complications unless a Co Q 10 supplement is introduced back in to the diet.

Possible drug interactions and side effects
Using coenzyme Q 10 as supplementation from outside of your normal food/dietary sources, does comes with some possible drug interactions. As always, Prior to initiating any supplementation purchased at a health food store or over the Internet you should check with your health care provider and pharmacist in order to determine that there are no drug interactions.

Some of the drugs which are known to have side effects include several of the chemotherapy medications, blood pressure lowering medications, blood thinning medications and beta-blockers.

Be safe and smart! Always ask your doctor, pharmacist or health care professional before beginning any new diet, supplementation or workout program!

TRAINING
You can download a copy of the exercise routine, guide and log that is Sculpt Cycle 14. This is part of the Fitness Makeover Program and is usually only available for ClubFit members!

Some info on Sculpt Cycle 14. See, the entire Fitness Makeover Program is divided into what I call “cycles,” you may call it routines or programs. Either way, it is a program you complete for 2-4 weeks before moving on to the next cycle.

Workouts are only good until your body adapts to them. Hence, the need for cycles! Workout logs help you compare your progress when and if you repeat that cycle at a future date.

Download the workout here: Sculpt Cycle 14 Download link. Click directly on link or right click and select “Save Link As” to download the file.

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