Welcome to the VPX Sports Supplement Blog

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Marc Siegel. I'm a certified personal trainer in New York with five fitness and training licenses and I currently write a weekly blog here. This week’s blog will be about my experience with Phase 1 of VIVO 360. I would like to preface this blog by saying that I have spent years working with Eric Hoult, the national director of VIVO 360, and share many similar views on dieting nutrition and training. I am sure that Eric can agree with me that while we have seen/put many people on various diet regimens ranging from the weekend warrior all the way up to people on a national competitive level, nothing has quite compared to the level of VIVO 360!

Every morning when most people wake up they take their multivitamin and think that they are getting all of the necessary nutrients for the day; however, they are gravely mistaken. Roughly 50% of Americans are deficient in their daily recommended intake of Magnesium. Magnesium is necessary for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It assists in keeping heart rhythm steady, maintaining nerve function, promoting normal blood pressure, regulating blood sugar levels, supporting immune health and bone strength. Regarding the mineral itself, it happens to be the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, with approximately 50% of it being found in bone and the other 50% inside of cells of body tissue and organs.

CH-CH-CH-CHIA...who remembers that clay ram from the eighties, that you smeared this weird green stuff on it, and then it grew out all bushy? In any event, thirty years later Chia seeds seem to be all the rage. The reality, however, is that the Chia seed has been documented to date back to the ancient Aztecs, Mayans, and Native Americans. While the word Chia happens to mean oily, the plant's formal name is Salvia Hispanica. These seeds are typically found in the deserts of Argentina, Mexico and Peru.

It was just holiday time and all the dieting rules were out the window. People ate and drank as if they have never seen food before. Some people were literally eating and drinking until they felt sick! But at every party I went to, there was always someone going on about how red wine and dark chocolate are good for you. They claim that the intake of Anti-Oxidants in the red wine, and the dark chocolate, as well as the flavonoids in the dark chocolate are good for your heart. Are they correct? Is it just a myth?

With the New Year approaching, everyone is getting geared up for the typical “New Year’s Resolution” of weight loss. But with so many options and activities to do, what is the most efficient way of spending your time? If you have an hour to workout, how do you decide between playing football or going to the gym?

They say that seasons change and people change, but one thing that doesn't change is the fact that the common cold is a rampant virus that affects over 1 billion people a year. The debate whether the common cold is curable has been ongoing with two very conflicting sides. On one side there are people that believe that there is nothing that you can do to alleviate or cure the common cold. The other side is those that believe you can alleviate and cure the common cold with both pharmaceutical and homeopathic methods. In this week’s blog I will take neither side, but present to you some strong arguments for both sides.

Exercise Induced Asthma is typically characterized as an allergic reaction of the airways to the cool, dry air inhaled during exercise. This subject is one that hits close to home as my 5 year old son was diagnosed with it in a roundabout way. I use the term “roundabout” loosely after visiting countless doctors, allergists, and ear, nose and throat specialists. Most doctors "prefer not to label people, especially children with any form of asthma, as they can outgrow it.”

While on vacation this week, I happened to read a staggering article about a topic I have written and spoken about countless times: Obesity.

As athletes, we know that drinking water throughout the day is extremely important, but do we know why? In terms of body mass, human cells consist of 65-90% H2O (water).  Approximately 99% of the human body is made up of only six elements - carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus.  The remaining 1% is split between various minerals, electrolytes and natural toxins. These crucial minerals and electrolytes include potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. To put it simply, on average the human body is approximately 70% water.

Do you feel tired? Do you feel like you’re about to fall asleep - knowing you have the whole day ahead of you? Maybe you’re irritated, angry, lazy, frustrated or stuck and ready to scream? Whether you fall into any of these categories, had a bad experience or are just in a mood, it’s important to deal with your own personal stressors. One way that ALWAYS works for me exercise. Heading outside for 15 -20 minutes, getting a workout in at the gym, going for a short run or even stretching are a few effective ways I have dealt with my personal stressors.