Health Benefits of Onions

Onions are an amazing food, and their use in herbal medicine has spanned centuries.  Onions are a favorite of many chefs due to their aromatic properties and their ability to add flavors.  Onions come in many different varieties and are grown across the globe.  Onions are a member of the lily family, which also includes other foods such as leaks, chives, garlic and shallots.  I wanted to do a blog on the health benefits of onions, as they are one of my favorite foods, and because they have the ability to enhance health in some pretty amazing ways!

Onions are effective against some very harmful forms of bacteria including salmonella and E. coli due to their antimicrobial properties.  Onions have both anti-septic and antibacterial properties and have been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to treat bacterial infections.  Naturopathic practitioners often use onions to treat illnesses including coughs, colds, and asthma.

Studies have shown that onions can lower both cholesterol and blood pressure, similar to garlic (which again is in the same family as onions).  More research has been conducted on garlic in this area, yet studies conducted using onions have yielded similar results.  Both onions and garlic contain sulfides, which scientist report is the main property behind their ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Onions contain flavonoids which are important in cardiovascular health and can also reduce the risk of blood clotting.  Onions have a higher concentration of flavonoids in the outer layers, so it is recommended that you remove as few layers as possible for consumption in order to gain the most health benefits. 

Onions also have a relatively high fiber content.  Fiber is important in digestion and can also aid in weight management.  Onions are also high in both vitamins C and B6, and are a good natural source of iron.

Onions are linked to increases in bone density and are high in antioxidants.  The positive health benefits of antioxidants are well documented, as they have an ability to reduce the number of free radicals in our bodies, which can lead to disease and cellular death.  Onions, even when eaten in moderate amounts, have been linked to a marked decrease in risks of cancers including ovarian, colorectal and laryngeal types due to containing the flavonoid quercetin.

One area that I have become increasingly interested in is the research results linking onions to increased testosterone levels in males.  This can become a serious problem in males after the age of 30.  Low testosterone is linked to decrease sexual performance, loss of muscle mass and strength, hair loss, fatigue and other health issues.  A research study conducted at Tabriz University in Iran using rats found that fresh onion juice can raise testosterone levels by 300%.  This study linked onion juice to a reduction in a product in the body called malodialdehyde, which is the by-product of damage occurring from free radicals on unsaturated fatty acids.  The February 2009 issue of the journal Folia Morphologica also reports that onions have a positive effect on testosterone levels. 

If you aren’t already, start adding onions into your diet by including them on sandwiches, in salads, and other dishes you make in order to take advantage of these amazing health benefits!  Nutrition is paramount in living a healthy lifestyle and onions are a great ways ensure we are giving our body the nutrients it needs, as well as, a preventative means of avoiding serious health issues down the road.

In Wellness and Love,
Dr. Chris

Indoor Tri Recap

Ahh yes, the race recaps via the blogsphere!  Yesterday was my first indoor triathlon at the Rueter Family YMCA here in Ashe-vegas and I gotta say I had a boat-load of fun!  The race kicked off with a 15 minute pool swim, then a 45 minute spin class led by a spin instructor and lastly an outdoor 5k.  The swim went so-so for me. Nothing grand, but right where I figured it would be.  I completed 16.5 laps or around 825 yards in the 15 minute time span.  The spin class was really enjoyable and given me a whole new respect for cyclist that include regular attendence of these into their training routines.  The group energy was really bad-ass and I can totally see myself attending these ever-so-often at my gym.  The run was a blast.... didn't get that sub-20 minute goal I had for myelf...or even close for that matter.  I finished 4th overall (2nd male) on the run with a 24:40.  To be fair, there were only 18 participants so 4th overall isn't as awesome as it sounds I guess..... but everyone doesn't have to know that! Just all the training I am doing for this 70.3 and the fact that I didn't take any time off from training for the race maybe slowed me down a bit????  I can certainly say I don't feel like I had much more I could have given it, but being over 3 minutes slower than my fastest 5k was surprising.  Of course my fastest runs have been just that....runs and not du's or tri's.  Guess I shoulda thought of that before setting a run split goal....LOL!  Anyway what a nice way to start the season off.  The folks at the Asheville Tri Club were awesome.  The swag was incredible! Gave us gels, a glass mug, homemade pastries and free massages!  Can't beat that for $10!!!!  I also won a drawing for a $50 dollar gift certificate to a local running store, which totally blew me away!  Was just an awesome experience and totally got me stoked as I begin more tempo and speed workout for the duration of my 20 week 70.3 program! Nothing like a race to get ya fired up! Seriously if anyone reading this is in Asheville next March and looking for a great triathlon experience, you gotta do this!  It seriously was so much fun!  Sometimes we get so caught up in the competitive side of things, that we forget the real reason we do this thing called triathlon....to be healthy and have fun! 

Here's a pic of me in the pool awaiting the swim start (I am the one facing away, playing with my goggles on my head and have the big back/ shoulder tat:

 Ahhhh....May is gonna be here before I know it and my first long distance Tri is on May 20th!  And then my friends....it's GO time!  Next weekend we're headed to the 1st Annual Asheville Tattoo Fest!  Car shows, live music, tattoos, Pin Up contests, the artists from the TV show Ink Master are gonna be there doing tats!  Gonna be awesome I do believe, so can't wait for that!  Anyway hope all are well and Rock On Hommies!

What's Been Going On????

Training, training and more training....that's what's been going on in my life!  Still working this 20 week 70.3 plan in hopes that I can kick a lil' butt come May and my first long-course Tri!  At least I hope to finish with both lungs still intact.  Man speaking of lungs, I have been an ex-smoker now for 1 year and 4 months (couldn't resist patting myself on the back a bit)!  Hard to imagine that I smoked over a pack a day for some 15 odd years!   Looking back I never could picture myself not smkoing yet now I can't picture why I ever thought that it was a good idea!!!!????  It really bums me out sometimes when my legs want to keep going on training runs, yet my lungs are screaming at the top of their lungs to stop....wait do lungs have lungs????... well you know what I mean!  Anyhoo, where I am in terms of training time looks something like 2.5 to 3 hours of swimming time, roughly 20 miles of running per week, and 6 hours of bike training.  I am still hitting the weights at this point 4-5 times per week, yet limiting the amount of shoulder and leg workouts to no more than 1 time- every other week, just to add a little "muscle confusion" in there.  I feel exceptionally strong right now.  In fact the strongest I have felt since undergrad school...I won't mention how many years ago that was!!!!   Oh yeah...I also signed up for an Indoor Tri in a couple of weeks.  It's at a local YMCA and given the $10 fee, I couldn't pass an opportunity to compete and just see where I stack up against some of the local Tri-club members (they're hosting this event).  It is a 15 minute pool swim, 45 minute spin on a stationary spin-class bike, and then an outdoor 5k.  I really am anxious to see my 5k time in a sprint distance event.  I really feel strongly that I can push hard and break the Sub-20 minute mark on the run.  I haven't see then course layout so there might be a ton of hills given this is Asheville, NC, lol! Even so I really feel that I can have a 5k PR at this event.  Looking back at my last sprint race, I think I had a 21-22 minute 5k, but there were some brutal hills on the bike course and at the finish of he run at that one.  I have also certainly gained some fitness since last September as well, so it time to find out just how much I guess!

Man the weather here the last couple of days has been incredible!  Yesterday was almost 70 and sunny and earlier today it reached 61 degrees before rain showers sat in.  Of course tomorrow and Sunday are back in the 40's for highs, so that's a bummer.  That's been very typically this season...beautiful outside while I am inside at work and then rainy and cold when the weekend rolls around.  I did get a 5 mile run in today at my favorite park/greenway so that's exciting!  I have a 2 hour session with my bike trainer tonight...yip-peeeeeeeee!  Then an even longer ride tomorrow.... that's what happens when you skip a bike session last night, lol!  I'll push through them both and have a nice hour and a half run to look forward to on Sunday....in the low 40 degree weather (yuck). 

Some other things I have been up too include revamping my swim workouts drastically.  I gained a bit of inspiration from a guy at the pool that simply kills it in his swim workouts.  Well the dude looks totally familiar and I eventually put it all together.  You see dude rocks a blue XTERRA swim cap, which of course is the color given to the pros and like I had mentioned, looks like a fish in the pool swimming.  While watching a recap of 2010 XTERRA USA Championships on TV, holy crap...... there the dude is having a amateur profile bit!  Guys name is Shiloh Mielke and he's now a pro traithlete and has been an elite trail runner since college!  Here I am sharing the pool (and keep in mind the pool at the gym is only 3 lanes) with a pro triathlete... Not certain if he gained any inspiration from my swimming but....LOL!  Well since figuring out who he is, I of course haven't seen him since but will introduce myself next time I do.  With all that said, I have really been using drills as a way to improve my speed and technique.  I have started some bi-lateral breathing, but that part is still tough.  I am using my FINIS swim board and a pull buoy these days.  I have to say this makes the hour swim workouts much more tolerable!  I have also began using more focused "workouts" with specific sets and target paces.  Since converting in this manner several weeks ago, I can already see an increase in stamina, as well as speed.  Swimmings all about fluid technique and not raw power....despite what my macho side tells me.  I guess when you think about it, swimmings a pretty humbling sport in many ways....the skimpy suits, the fact that finesse and form mean speed, and managing to not curl up in a ball of embarrasment when you inhale water and leap up to standing mid-pool coughing!

Hope anyone reading is doing fantastic and taking life by the reins....so-to-speak anyway!  As I constantly remind myself, we can achieve any goal we make for ourselves as long as we want it badly enough, have the patience to do what necessary to achieve it, and are willing to work hard while on the journey to success.....

The Value of Progression

Wow, look at me bloggin 2 days in a row!  I sort of touched on progressive training in the last post, in regards to my 70.3 training plan, but I wanted to expand on that idea just a bit, to further explain how having a plan can be of immense benefit when training for a Tri-race. Once you begin racking up the mileage in all three disciplines, the danger of injury increases.  One way to offset the risks associated with overuse injuries is to gradually increase your mileage at a steady pace (progressively) over a period of weeks.  This is something that I have struggled with at times throughout my training days, and not just with triathlon.  I've added too much weight to the barbell when lifting weights, maybe tried to over-extend a posture in yoga, and even went with way-too-heavy of a ball in my bowling days.  The eventual outcome is always the same.....soreness and some degree of injury.  When I began doing endurance sports, my main focus was with running.  Like most I did the 5k, then the 10k, then worked up to a half-marathon distance, yet along the way I encountered tons of leg and knee pain.  Once I began to focus on triathlon training, the pain continued to my surprise....as I have read tons on how training for 3 different sports will actually increase fitness, yet reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries associated with single sport activities, because you are training within a different discipline each day.... typically.  Well, I discovered that running uses my knees, cycling uses my knees, and DARN IT I even feel my knees being taxed a bit in swimming!!!!  But what I didn't realize at the time is you can go too far, too fast.  Sounds simple and well, quite obvious yet we triathletes are a different breed of knuckle-heads!  You see we are all about going farther, and going faster while going farther!  A lot of triathletes try to push, push, push without giving the body an opportunity to heal properly.  I was driving this morning, and got this vision in my head (I had just come from the dentist and my gums were all puffy from the cleaning) and even though there is a bit of damage to the gums when they are scraped and cleaned.....uuhhh yuck......they regenerate and healthy growth occurs in TIME.  Now if I went back and had them cleaned again everyday, well that healing would never occur and if it did, it'd take forever!  Same thing happens to our muscles, tendon, ligaments, etc.  Exercise in essence damages these areas, yet when recovery takes place, healthy growth occurs.  We in the end gain muscular endurance and strength when we allow for healing. But the kicker is allowing that healing to take place before jumping back into the "saddle" and blistering through another intense workout. 

So basically, that brings me back to my point regarding progressive training.  All research I have evaluated since college (don't ask how long ago that was) is that a 10% increase in duration, intensity or distance per week is about the healthy limit.  Maybe those elite triathletes can push a bit beyond that percentage (maybe).  I have certainly been guilty of not adhering to that guideline and yes I have had horrific IT Band pains, behind the knee pains, and even lower back pain as a result.  Its funny how on a cardiovascular and muscular fitness level we can be capable of finishing a marathon, yet there are all those little connecting tissues and joints that cannot handle the stress of that distance without gradually acclimating to the demands of a marathon!  Knowing this going into a serious training routine for my upcoming 70.3 race, I searched for a plan that progressively worked me up to the point (and beyond) the demands of this race distance, using the 10% rule and having regular recovery weeks along the way where there is a 40% reduction in work load that week.  I also looked at it this way, I cannot afford to drop a couple hundred bucks to register for a race 5 months out, only to injure myself and wind up not being able to compete on race day!  Just some things to think about when trying to decide how far your long run or bike workout is gonna be this weekend!

So trust me I will always push, I will always be all out and wide open, yet as I get just a slight bit older....shut up......I think its important that I (and all of us) train smarter, as well as harder :)  I still want to be around beating those kids 10 years or more younger than me to the finish line!!!!

Wow It's Been Awhile!

Hard to believe that my last post was in November of last year....well I guess that kinda makes sense, given that most of us are so busy with the Holidays that we lose touch with many other things :)  Well the only "race" I have competed in since the last blog was the Gaston County Girls on the Run 5k with my daughte in December.  I gotta say this was another amazing experience for me personally.  My daughter really pushed and we finished this 5k almost 10 minutes faster than the previous one we did together in October and there were considerably more hills involved this time.  The Pre-race festivities were great, with live music, the Chik-Fil-A cow posing for photos and being in a really up-and-coming Chic town like Belmont, NC made for a great venue.  At the end of the race, all the girls received a nice medal, which really meant a lot to my daughter.  I can't say it enough how wonderful of a program that this is for young girls.  It totally builds confidence and self-esteem and the coaches discuss some of the common issues that our lil' girls will face heading into Middle School. 

The Holidays were amazing.  I have sooooo much to be thankful for, that its hard to even begin to list everything.  I just thank the universe first and foremost for family, health, a decent job and the opportunity to live in a healthy and beautiful city like Asheville, NC.  It really makes training outside wonderful and motivating!  The fam headed up the Penn. to be with the wifey's family and I was able to really get my running mojo back.  In the 5 days we were there, I logged close to 30 miles!  Not bad for me :)  It's totally rejuvenated my running spirit!

Training has ramped up as I am preparing for a pretty tough Half-Iron Distance Tri in May (The Beast of the East Half Steelman).  I must admit that I broke down and went with a 70.3 training program that seemed to fit my style to prep for this one.  I am in the 5th week of the program currently. I still throw in my "hard headed" style of balls-to-the-wall training, but I certainly see the benefit of progressive increases in both duration and distance in each of the 3 disciplines.  I still hit the weights hard 4-5 times per week and will continue the strength building type workouts until March, at which point I will focus more on muscle endurance (in terms of weight raining that is)= Higher reps, less weight sorta thing......  I am throwing in 3-4 yoga sessions per week and making a real effort to limit the sugars in my diet and making sure to drink a lot of H2O.  I also increased the protein in my diet, via a quality Whey Protein mix and I can tell I have added a nice amount of muscle thus far in the "off season" without adding any noticable fat.  I am trying to do some increased core strengthening stuff, plyometric based workouts from time-to-time, and jumping rope when I am bored, LOL!  Just keeping my body guessing, I suppose is the easiest way to look at it.  I really believe that variety does wonders in terms of keeping us motivated!  I couldn't imagine only doing runs, swims and bike rides.  The cross training, weights, and yoga are as important to me as the Tri-specific stuff.  Maybe I should call myself the Well Rounded Triathlete instead :)

Anyhoo, I am saving my pennies to purchase a wetsuit and found the one I want.  Should be getting that in the next couple of weeks and totally stoked about it!  If you haven't ever checked out the Wetsuit Outlet online, let me be the first to suggest it to you!  They've got Tri-items in addition to an amazing array of wetsuits!  I am also looking at buying some "aero" wheels for my bike.  I use the ""'s because the wheels are still 24 spoke, alloy wheels, but considerably better than what I currently have and I think they're gonna be a decent bang for my buck purchase to help shave a bit of time from my bike splits.

Here's a pic from the Girls on the Run 5k!!!!  Yes I had to carry the daughter's coat the last 2.5 miles of the 3.1 we completed that day!!!!

I reckon that's about it for the moment.  Wishing anyone reading this happy training and if you ain't rocking...you ain't living!!!!!