Tag Archives: heart health

Heart Healthy Foods to Favor

by Chelsea Garcia, MEd, ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist

It can be hard to know what foods to favor when trying to eat healthier to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, triglyceride levels, etc. If your doctor has told you to eat less salt that’s great, but how much are we talking? The following are some more specific guidelines from the American Heart Association on what types of food you should be eating to keep your heart healthy!

 Make sure to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. The more color the better! You should eat a range of fruits and veggies so your plate looks vibrant and colorful. Also make sure to avoid any fruits or veggies that come with added salt, sugar, or high calorie sauces like in canned or pre-packaged containers. Use fruits and veggies to replace any high calorie foods like pasta to make the most of your meal.

 When eating any grains make sure to only pick fiber rich or whole grains. The fiber helps fill you up and helps your body digest your meal easier. Try to get in 25-35 g of fiber in each day. To get up to 10 g of fiber in ONE meal check out our featured recipe this week!

 Choose poultry or fish without the skin. Make sure to prepare it in healthy ways like grilled or baked instead of fried. If you choose meat, make sure to pick the leanest of cuts to get the most out of it.

 Eat fish every week! At least two 4oz. servings per week to get plenty of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are great for the heart. They can decrease risk of arrhythmias, triglyceride levels, slow plaque formation in the arteries, and can slightly lower blood pressure. The highest level of omega 3’s are in salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines, and albacore tuna.

 When buying or eating dairy products, be sure to get fat free, skim, or low fat.

 Avoid foods that contain hydrogenated oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.

 Cut back on any foods or beverages that have added sugars in the ingredients.

 If you struggle with high blood pressure try lowering salt intake to 2,300 mg/day. For reference just one cup of spaghetti sauce has 1,200 mg of sodium! Just one tablespoon of teriyaki sauce has almost 700 mg of sodium. When preparing meals, use more herbs and sodium free spices and always check the label on the foods you buy. If it is possible to lower your sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day that would be even more ideal to help lower blood pressure.

 If you drink alcohol, always make sure to drink in moderation. That means women may have a glass of red wine per day and men may have two per day.

 If you are out to eat at a restaurant ask them to prepare your meal without sodium and don’t use extra salt after you receive your meal. Don’t forget to watch your portion control because portions can be much larger at restaurants. If you know portions are large at a specific place try splitting your entree with a friend or your spouse. Always ask for your food to be grilled/baked instead of fried for it to be a healthier option.

If you would like some more information about how to keep up your health and well-being during National Heart Month give us a call to schedule your FREE Nutrition Consultation at 310-582-8212 or email me directly at chelsea@phase-iv.net.

Heart Healthy Mediterranean Recipe

You can definitely reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by eating certain foods every day,” says Julie Zumpano, RD, LD, a dietitian in the Preventive Cardiology and Nutrition Program at Cleveland Clinic. “There is a great variety of fruits and vegetables that are good for your heart.”

“Try to eat foods that are in their natural form, as they come from the ground,” Ms. Zumpano says, recommending what she calls the “whole-foods diet.”

That diet includes, of course, heart-healthy foods such as fish, whole grains, vegetables and fruits, but don’t be afraid to treat yourself occasionally with a glass of red wine or a piece of dark chocolate, Ms. Zumpano says. She suggests using this list as a guide to create meals and snacks with a healthy focus. Just a few simple swaps could make a big difference for your cardiovascular health.

The Diet Proven to Protect Your Heartt

The Mediterranean diet healthiest for your heart. Pick any traditional dish from the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and you’re sure to be on your way to a healthier you. Loaded with fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, fish, lean meats and olive oil, the Mediterranean Diet is the diet research shows is best for your heart.

Herbed Greek Chicken Salad

Greek seasoning―as simple as oregano and lemon―pairs fantastically with chicken and forms the base for this fresh and healthful salad. Yogurt and tahini make a creamy dressing, while kalamata olives and feta cheese add their own distinctly Greek flavors to the party. Each large, satisfying serving has only 243 calories.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

divided 1/2 teaspoon salt

divided Cooking spray

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes

5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice divided

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

2 teaspoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

6 pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

How to Make It

Step 1

Combine oregano, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and spice mixture; sauté until chicken is done. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon juice; stir. Remove from pan.

Step 2

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. Place 2 1/2 cups of lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture.

Nutritional Information

Calories 243 Caloriesfromfat 29% Fat 7.7g Satfat 2.3g Monofat 2.9g Polyfat 1.6g Protein 29.7g Carbohydrate 13.4g Fiber 3.5g Cholesterol 70mg Iron 2.5mg Sodium 578mg Calcium 216mg

Aerobic Exercise: Top 5 Reasons to Get Physical!

By Shelby Stoner, MS, PHASE IV Exercise Physiologist

Aerobic exercise, commonly known as “cardio,” is exercise that requires the delivery of oxygen to the workings muscles. Aerobic exercises can easily become anaerobic (meaning without oxygen) if performed at high intensities. Not only does aerobic exercise help improve fitness; it has many other health benefits for both physical and mental well-being. So when is aerobic exercise preferred over anaerobic exercise?

Aerobic exercise is also known as fat burning exercise because you must have oxygen in order to break down fat for energy. Through training aerobically, your body learns to favor fat over carbohydrates which have many advantages from both weight management and performance related aspects. Fat is a much more efficient fuel, providing more energy than carbohydrates per gram, and it is abundantly available throughout the body. Carbohydrates in contrast are found in limited supply in the body (stored only in the muscle and liver) and when you burn carbohydrates your muscles produce lactic acid which leads to fatigue and bonking, or “hitting the wall!” Research shows exercising in specific target heart rate zones is the most productive way to improve cardiovascular health, maximize your workout time by preventing both under training and over training, and reduces the risk of injury, disease and burnout.

But what is your “optimum target heart rate” for exercise? The only way to determine your optimal fat burning zone with any precision is to undergo a simple metabolic test called a VO2 Analysis. This test allows us to take a “snap shot” of your physiology during exercise and tells us the most productive exercise intensity for YOU. As your heart rate changes during exercise so does your body’s preferred energy source. Whether you are simply looking to improve your fitness, shed a few pounds or improve your athletic performance, proper heart rate training is essential to optimizing your training efforts. VO2 testing allows us to accurately determine your optimal “Fat Burning Zone” (the heart rate range at which your physiology predominantly burns fat for energy as opposed to carbohydrates). By training in this zone, you will gradually teach your body to prefer burning fats both during exercise and at rest, allowing you to achieve your goals far faster and with far greater efficiency. These precise metabolic tests will produce exact personalized heart rate zone prescriptions from which to design your activity program for optimal results. Because each person’s metabolism is unique to their personal physiology, PHASE IV metabolic testing is the only way to accurately determine your proper heart rate training zones. Eliminate the guess work and frustration by training with science! Train smarter, not harder!

Top 5 Benefits of Aerobic Exercise:

1. You will look and feel better as a fat burning metabolism will reduce your body fat and provide better energy levels. Fat burns “clean,” so you are not producing lactic acid as you would be during anaerobic exercise. Fat cells also hold toxins in the body, so by tapping into our fat stores for energy, we release these harmful toxins which lead to less inflammation in the body.

2. Improved protection from heart and vascular disease as you develop a stronger network of blood vessels called capillaries that deliver oxygen to the heart and working muscles. Aerobic exercise works in many ways to prevent heart disease; two of the most important are by reducing blood pressure and allowing blood vessels to be more compliant (more compliant means that they become less stiff and it’s less likely for fat to accumulate and clog up the vessels).

3 Decrease fatigue: As your body adapts to precision heart rate training you will start to use more fats to meet your energy requirements during workouts and every day activities and therefore produce less lactic acid. Your body will also learn to clear lactic acid from the exercising muscles. Over time, you will be teaching your body to move faster without accumulating large amounts of lactic acid.

4. Stronger Heart: Prolonged aerobic exercise training Increases the volume of blood being pumped with each heart beat which results in a lower heart rate (larger stroke volume). Having a larger stroke volume means the heart doesn’t have to pump as many times per minute (bpm) to meet the demands of exercise. Fewer beats and greater stroke volume mean greater efficiency.

5. Improved performance for all sports, activities and daily tasks. Less reliance on carbohydrate metabolism and the corresponding lactic acid production means you can go longer, faster and stronger than before.

Take away message: By training aerobically, you will not only be able use fat as fuel but you will be able to work harder for a longer period of time before fatigue sets in. Remember to work in a recovery day each week and one week a month, in order to avoid overtraining and injury.

Whether your goals are related to weight loss or improved performance, PHASE IV science has the answers. Call us to schedule a complimentary 30-minute health and fitness consultation at our facility in Santa Monica. 310-582-8212

Insulin’s Role in Heart Disease

By Tina Paymaster, PHASE IV Functional Nutrition & Heath Specialist

As a recap from last week’s article, The Cholesterol-Heart Disease Myth, we discussed the role that cholesterol plays in the body.

Cholesterol is necessary for proper cell functioning.

VLDL, the precursor to LDL contains triglycerides. It helps to move triglycerides form the liver into the cells where it is burned for energy. What isn’t used is stored as fat. Triglycerides levels rise due to excess sugar consumption, not fat.

Once the triglycerides are dropped off, the VLDL becomes LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, otherwise, knows as “bad cholesterol.”

HDL, known as “good cholesterol” helps to keep LDL in check by protecting it against oxidation, and also supports the transportation of triglycerides in and out of VLDL.

What about insulin?

Leading researchers are now saying insulin, not cholesterol, is the leading culprit in heart disease.

Insulin is the master hormone of the body. Approximately 30 trillion cells in the body respond to insulin’s signals, so it’s quite important that the pancreas, which secretes insulin is working properly.

Carbohydrates that get broken down into glucose are the main stimulant that signals the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin pushes the glucose to the cells and liver. Most foods contain glucose. Fructose on the other hand is typically found in white sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Fructose goes straight to the liver for processing and too much will eventually make you liver and body insulin resistant.

In the early 1900s, the average American consumed a mere 15g of fructose a day, mostly from fruits and vegetables. Today, that number has quadrupled and most of it comes from refined sugars in cereal, soda, fruit drinks, desserts and other sugary foods and beverages.

Other factors that also contribute to insulin resistance include genetics, sedentary lifestyle, low sleep, low Vitamin D, low Vitamin K2, low Vitamin C, love Omega-3, high Omega-6, smoking, drinking and environmental pollutants.

Another important point to note is that the liver uses fructose to create fat through a process called lipogenesis. This combined with insulin resistance eventually leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as fat builds up in the liver.

The breakdown of fructose in the liver can also lead to insulin resistance, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, and high visceral fat, which is the dangerous fat found the mid-section.

All of these factors lead to a rise in LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL. None of these factors are beneficial for the heart.

An 2010 article in The New England Journal of Medicine found that those people with NAFLD were more likely to have plaque filled arteries and develop heart disease than people without the condition. Another study from the Framingham Heart Study has linked NAFLD with metabolic syndrome, which is strongly associated with heart disease.

Root Cause…

So as modern medicine continues to treat heart disease by simply looking at cholesterol levels and prescribing statins, there is a very important piece to the puzzle that is being ignored.

To bring the body back into balance, you need to identify the root cause and heal at that level, which may just be insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar.

So here are some diet and lifestyle tips that will help you reach optimal health and reduce your risk of getting a heart attack or stroke.

Reduce fructose from refined sugar sources such as white sugar, high fructose corn syrup often found in soda, iced tea beverages, pastries and other sweet foods.
Reduce net carbs and replace those calories with healthy fat vs protein
Heart-healthy sources of fat include avocado, avocado oil, olive oil, nuts, nut butters, seeds
Increase Omega-3 through fish oil supplementation or Wild Alaskan Salmon, sardines, anchovies.
Reduce Omega-6 consumption from fried foods and vegetable oils.
Optimize Vitamin D levels through 15 minutes a day of sun exposure or supplementation (speak to your healthcare practitioner to get levels checked)
programs designed to boost your metabolism and help you burn more fat.)
Eat low GI vegetables at every meal and get most of your carbohydrates from here as opposed to breads and pastas.
Include a variety of dark leafy greens into your meals.
Include a moderate amount of gluten-free whole grain such as brown rice, wild rice, quinoa and amaranth into your diet.
Get 8 hours of sleep a night
Get regular daily exercise that is suitable for your body (schedule complimentary consultation with a PHASE IV Exercise Physiologist to learn about our personalized training

Want to know more? Speak to a PHASE IV Functional Nutritionist to discover what diet is best for you to reach optimal health and performance. Schedule your complimentary consultation today: 310-582-8212

The Cholesterol – Heart Disease Connection

Every day we get more and more clients coming into our facility desperate to lose weight and get their cholesterol levels down because of the fear of getting heart disease or having a stroke.

The common belief is that high levels of LDL cholesterol, or the “bad cholesterol” can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries and cause heart disease. This has led to medical professionals consistently prescribing cholesterol lowering medications to their patients.

According to an article published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, “…despite billions invested in developing medicines to reduce LDL-C drastically, there remains no consistent evidence for clinical benefit with respect to either events or mortality.”

The article which cites 44 randomized controlled studies also states, “Most of these trials did not reduce [cardiovascular] events. Lastly, several reported substantial harm.”

More and more research is now debunking this cholesterol-heart disease risk. To understand just how cholesterol may or may not impact your heart disease risk let’s first understand what cholesterol is.

CHOLESTEROL MEDICATIONS

An April 2016 on a cholesterol lowering drug showed that while it did lower LDL levels and raise HDL levels, it had virtually half of the participants in the study still had heart attacks.

In addition a study in the Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology concluded that statin drugs benefit just 1 percent of the population that uses them. Statins delete your body of coenzyme Q10, which is necessary for energy production of all of our body’s cells. Your heart demands the most energy of all of the organs in the body, so low levels of CoQ10 can increase the risk of acute heart failure.

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL

Your liver and cells make 75-80% of the cholesterol in your body. The remaining 20-25% come from the food you eat. Cholesterol exists in every cell in the body and is essential for life. If your body doesn’t have enough, it will produce more and if it has too much it will produce less.

Cholesterol is essential for proper hormone function. The body can’t make hormones without it. All of the sex and adrenal hormones, also called the steroid hormones, are synthesized from cholesterol. These include mineralcorticoids, glucocorticoids, androgens, estrogens, progestogens and Vitamin D.

Hormones are needed to regulate numerous vital functions in the body including carbohydrate metabolism, electrolyte regulation, sexual function/development, bone health, reproductive health, brain function and immune health.

Drugs that inhibit the production of cholesterol may therefore have a damaging effect upon the endocrine hormones. Side effects from many of these drugs may include weakness, sexual dysfunction, memory loss, liver dysfunction, mood swings and myopathy (muscle weakness).

Cholesterol also helps with maintaining cell wall integrity, permeability and fluidity.

Cholesterol is a fat, which is not water soluble. Therefore, cholesterol has to be bound to proteins in the blood to be transported to the cells for various functions including hormone synthesis. This combination of fat and protein is referred to as a lipoprotein. LDL and HDL are just 2 of 5 types of lipoproteins in the body and both are necessary to keep the body in balance.

LDL, or low density lipoprotein, is the primary transporter of cholesterol to the cells for the production of hormones, cell membranes and brain tissue, so it’s not as “bad” as traditional medical propaganda makes it out to be. It is lower in density because it has a higher fat to protein ratio than HDL, or high density lipoprotein. After the cells utilize what they need, most of the cholesterol that is leftover is transported back to the liver by LDL.

HDL transfers cholesterol and triglyceride molecules in and out of the LDL to balance the system. Therefore low HDL may be a problematic issue.

If this dance between HDL and LDL goes haywire, a cascade of issues can ensue including high blood insulin, obesity, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, low HDL high LDL, high blood pressure, AGE’s and atherosclerosis – an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall where plaques form in the arterial wall and block the flow of blood to the heart. When these arteries burst, this is what causes a heart attach.

However, while the correlation may seem black and white, more doctors and researches are beginning to question the direct link between cholesterol and heart disease. Although studies do show that higher cholesterol level are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, it doesn’t not mean that high cholesterol causes heart disease, just that people that have higher cholesterol are more likely to get it. But there are other factors to consider.

What researchers are finding is that it’s not just the number of LDL that should be considered, but rather the size of the LDL particle and if it’s oxidized.

The original understanding was that if there was too much LDL, that the excess would deposit in arterial walls and cause plaque buildup, which could eventually lead to a heart attack. In reality, it’s oxidized LDL that causes plaque buildup. In face, a 2016 study shows that people over 60 years old that had high levels of LDL cholesterol live as long or longer than those with low LDL.

WHAT CAUSES HIGH CHOLESTEROL

So what causes high cholesterol levels and oxidation of LDL cholesterol?

Free radicals in the blood stream oxidize LDL and cause overall cholesterol levels to rise. They are often the result of poor diet, refined sugars and flours, fried food, trans fats, low omega-3 fatty acids, high omega-6 fatty acids, alcohol, smoking, poor sleep habits, high levels of stress, environmental toxins and a sedentary lifestyle.

It has been proven now that saturated fats do NOT lead to high cholesterol. It’s the unhealthy trans fats and factors above that cause LDL to oxidize and in turn cause plaque buildup in arteries, so go ahead and eat your eggs.

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR HEART DISEASE

High cholesterol may be one risk factor for heart disease, but there are many others including high blood pressure, prediabetes and diabetes, genetics, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, smoking, age and preeclampsia during pregnancy.

In fact, some doctors and researchers are not pointing to cholesterol as the main culprit for heart disease, but rather insulin.

Stay tuned for more on that next week. For now, here is what you can do to keep your cholesterol in balance, improve your health and protect your heart.

LEAD A HEART-HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

What to include:

Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
Eat at least 2 servings of dark, leafy greens per day
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish, fish oil, krill oil, walnuts, chia seeds ,flaxseeds and eggs
Eat whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth, millet, barley, brown rice and wild rice
Eat beans and legumes
Include nuts and seeds
Include fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi
Optimize your Vitamin D levels
Get regular daily exercise
Practice daily stress management techniques
Get at least 6-8 hours of good quality sleep per night

What to avoid:

Reduce foods high in omega-6 such as vegetable oils. Instead cook with olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil of ghee.
Avoid fried foods
Avoid foods with trans fats
Reduce/avoid processed/packaged foods
Reduce/avoid refined sugars
Reduce/avoid refined carbohydrates
Reduce/avoid too much coffee
Avoid Smoking
Reduce/avoid alcohol
Reduce grilled meats

Are you ready to improve your health through personalized nutrition programs? Schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our Nutrition Specialists today! Call 310-582-8212 to book your appointment today.

Cucumber, Corn, Black Bean, Tomato and Avocado Salad

As part of Stroke Awareness Month, we’re going to be sharing important fitness and nutrition information to help support your heart health.

Getting enough fiber in your diet has been shown to reduce the risks of high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even certain types of cancer.

You can get fiber from whole grains, vegetables, beans/legumes, nuts and seeds.

Here is a delicious recipe with 12 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein per serving. It’s the perfect side dish for all of your upcoming summer barbeques!

Cucumber, Corn, Black Bean, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 1/4 cups corn
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes (I used half red, half yellow)
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime
1 avocado, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place the cucumber, black beans, corn, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and chopped cilantro in a bowl. Squeeze the fresh juice from the lime onto the salad, and stir well.
Mix in the avocado, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy.

Original image and recipe: PopSugar

Exercise And Heart Health

By Shelby Stoner, PHASE IV Exercise Physiologist

Exercise is medicine. It’s the global health initiative implemented by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) that encourages physicians and other health care professionals to promote physical activity when designing treatment plans in order to reduce cardiac risk factors. Nowadays, we all know someone who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or have them yourself. All of these things including your family history and lifestyle affect your heart health and the sooner you take control of these things the better off you’ll be. If heart disease runs in your family, you can significantly decrease the risk of developing or dying from heart disease by remaining physically active, whether it’s competing in marathons or simply taking a 30 min walk every day, helps keep these risk factors in check.

Everybody can benefit from regular exercise, down to the cellular level. It’s also no question that our hearts love exercise too, many studies have found that individuals who exercise regularly are less likely to develop or die from cardiac disease than their sedentary counterparts. Exercise is known to improve our blood pressure, pulse rate, and cholesterol profiles, all of which are associated with cardiac health. In addition, physical activity helps you

Stay healthier, live longer
Have more energy to do the things you enjoy
Manage stress
Improve metabolism!

Just like lifting weights helps strengthen our skeletal muscles; regular aerobic exercise helps your heart muscle become more efficient and creates a better pump for getting blood out to the rest of the body. Therefore, the heart can push out more blood per beat so it doesn’t have to work as hard (i.e. allow it to beat slower) and keep blood pressure under control.

By exercising regularly, your body’s tissues (including the heart) do a better job of extracting oxygen from the blood. When this adaptation occurs, the heart works better under stress and helps you from getting “winded” during your activities.

In addition, regular aerobic exercise promotes blood flow in the small blood vessels around your heart. When the main arteries of the heart become clogged or blocked by fatty deposits, this is what commonly leads to disease and heart attacks. However, there’s evidence to suggest that exercise helps your body make more branches and connections between these smaller blood vessels, so there are other routes for your blood to travel if the usual path is blocked by narrow arteries.

Exercise also increases your levels of HDL cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol that lowers heart disease risk by flushing the artery-clogging LDL or “bad” cholesterol out of your system.

Just HOW MUCH exercise is required in order to produce these results?

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, or 30 minutes per day 5x a week. Which leaves the question, what exactly IS moderate intensity physical activity anyways?!

“Moderate activity means that your heart is beating faster. You can still carry on a conversation, but you’ll be breathing heavier. And you’ll notice that you’re starting to sweat” –American Heart Association

Unfortunately, many people are discouraged from the idea of exerting themselves, thinking the only way to do so is to sit on a stationary bike or run on the treadmill. What they don’t realize is that, yes, exercise can be fun!!!

Summer calls for more sunshine, longer days and warmer temperatures, with opportunities to be physically active around every corner. From the park and the pool, to the sidewalk and the backyard, the outside world calls! Now is the perfect time to establish a get-fit routine. Not only do you get the chance to enjoy the warmer weather and longer days, you’ll also have a routine to carry with you into winter.

There are countless possibilities to meet the recommended exercise guidelines, including but not limited to: Walking at a brisk pace, riding a bike to work, treading water, playing a game of volleyball or badminton, even doing continuous gardening chores (such as weeding and mulching)!

At PHASE IV, we specialize in creating science based programming to reach your goals in a healthy and sustainable manner. Using the knowledge from our highly credentialed staff of Physical Therapists, Nutritionists, and Exercise Physiologists, we can help you reach peak fitness with our team of experts underneath one roof.

Call us to schedule a complimentary 30-minute health and fitness consultation at our facility in Santa Monica. 310-582-8212

Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function twentytwelve_content_nav() in /nas/content/live/phasefour/wp-content/themes/phaseiv/tag.php:41 Stack trace: #0 /nas/content/live/phasefour/wp-includes/template-loader.php(77): include() #1 /nas/content/live/phasefour/wp-blog-header.php(19): require_once('/nas/content/li...') #2 /nas/content/live/phasefour/index.php(17): require('/nas/content/li...') #3 {main} thrown in /nas/content/live/phasefour/wp-content/themes/phaseiv/tag.php on line 41