If you tuned in today to my livestream workout then you probably heard a lot about Turmeric (Olena). We covered the great anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidant properties of the root but I wanted to share a blog post that I wrote a while ago which goes deeper into the benefits. Read on and share!
......Before I began to study Turmeric the image that always popped into my head about the herb is yellow curry. Turmeric is the rooted herb, cousin to garlic, that gives curry its yellow and reddish color. But as i began to read about the product, I was amazed with its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. As a brain guy I was also encouraged by the studies which found that Turmeric and Curcumin greatly influence your cognitive behavior.
So I continued to study.. Here are a few things that I found.
First let me begin with a topic that is near and dear to me. Inflammation. This natural process for fighting off disease is quickly becoming the root cause of most disease processes that kill Americans every year.
See... Inflammation occurs when you cut yourself or if you get some gnarly bacteria in your body. This kind is good. The body rushes white blood cells and all the natural ingredients for healing to the site and shit is handled. BUT... Chronic Inflammation from inflamed gut lining, swollen organs and damaged blood vessels.. the problems caused by a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle; well this type of inflammation kills quickly and is generically labeled as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, Coronary Artery Disease... the list goes on and on.
Turemeric and its active ingredient Curcumin are one of most powerful anti-inflammatories in nature. While the Curcumin level of whole Turmeric is rather low; as a supplement, the Curcumin is isolated and the levels are highly elevated. This means that instead of eating and snorting Turmeric with each meal, you can find a good supplement capsule and get the desired effect.
Next, I will expound upon the brain enhancing properties of this herb. Remember Human Growth Hormone? The stuff that every pro baseball player seemed to be taking a few years ago. Remember the effects it had on the body? Well.... Turmeric and Curcumin are Brain Growth Hormone! No, I'm not kidding.
This powerful herb has been shown to activate Brain Derived Neuro-tropic Factor (BDNF) which drives our cognitive function within the Hippocampus. For a while now, brain scientists have seen that brain and neurological diseases have been linked to low levels of the BDNF; Alzheimers and Dementia being two big ones. Interestingly, Curcumin and Turmeric supplementation have been shown to increase neuronal development and actually make you smarter. Crazy right.
Finally. There are certain things that can enhance the effects of the herb like, taking it with black pepper, and eating Turmeric with a high fat meal to increase absorption. But focus first on getting more of this goodness all up in ya!!
New Chapter Supplements, Wildfood.co powder, and others are a very high quality herb supplement. By keeping the herb free of chemicals and pesticides you are ensured that it is not only 'non-GMO' but also processed in a very 'organic' way. So at your leisure, check out Turmeric as a supplement and begin to find recipes to cook it with.
Let nature fight the fight for you. Add Turmeric to your diet and let the healing begin!
3/30
Baseline:
2X :30 @ Each
-Jumping Jacks
-Arm Circles
-Piked Handstand push Ups
-High Knees
-Squats
**Break Class out into pairs and go over each KB movement . And Rope Climb Scaled Options.
8 mins...
WOD:
Partner WOD:
(Break up the reps as needed) (all movements with same KB)
100 Goblet Squat
90 Single Arm Swings
80 Overhead Lunges
70 Press
60 Push Up and Walk Over
50 Front Rack Lateral Lunge
40 Russian Twist
30 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
20 Thruster
10 Swing
***Perform 2 Rope Climbs in between each exercise
3/31
Baseline:
20@ each
Banded Good Mornings
Banded Hip Activation
Banded Squats
Banded Pull Aparts
Banded Row
3X
10 Bent Over Row
10 Romanian Deadlift
***increasing weight each round
WOD:
In 14 Minutes,
2 K Row,
Then AMRAP
50 Double Unders
15 Deadlift 185/135
