Body by Remy, Oil by BioStar

Welcome to my new fitness blog, Body by Remy.

A little about my fitness inspiration:
To know me is to know my tennis ball. I love my ball. I like to have it with me always in case someone might want to throw it. Speaking of throwing it — have you ever tried fetching it? It’s the best. The more I do it, the more I love it. The more I fetch it, the wetter and slimier it gets. These are optimal ball conditions. Trust me. I’m an expert.

I like fetching the ball all sorts of ways. You can throw it with your arm or a chuck-it. You can kick it or punt it. You can pop it up high for me to snatch out of the air. You can toss it in the river or the ocean. I’ll even beat retrievers to the ball in the water, despite their big, webbed paddle-paws.

Try to fake me out, go ahead. You won’t fool me. I’m too smart and too fast. But I want to get even better. I want a quicker, more accurate chomp. I want to run and swim faster. I want better endurance so I can play for longer periods of time. I want to recover faster when my muscles are sore.

That’s why I encourage my mom to help me take the next step to reaching my fitness goals. I’ve got the exercise side of things down, but I need her help with with an equally important aspect of my lifestyle: my diet. If I’ve learned anything on my fitness journey, it’s that to play like a champion, you have to fuel like one. Fortunately, my mom knows BioStar, a company that provides unique supplements to perfectly complement and enhance my raw diet.

Since I get to try lots of yummy things that make me feel good inside and out, I want to share my experience with my newest favorite BioStar product: Gold Star K9, cold-pressed camelina oil. Gold Star provides essential fatty acids that my body can’t produce, so I have to get them from the food I eat.

It contains a favorable 2:1 ratio of omegas 3 and 6. This is important because while I do need both of these fatty acids, it is better to have more omega 3 because of its action on reducing inflammation. The high level of omega 3 in camelina oil is unique and uncommon in vegetable oils. For me, this helps keep my joints comfortable and decreases my recovery time after a long fetch session.

I also try to add antioxidants to my diet every day to reduce oxidative stress, which, when left unchecked, can cause permanent damage to my cells and tissues, including DNA. To help scavenge free radicals, Gold Star camelina oil provides fat-soluble Vitamin E, including alpha, beta, AND gamma tocopherols for an antioxidant powerhouse. Studies have shown that a blend of tocopherols is superior for reducing oxidative stress, and gamma tocopherol specifically inhibits inflammatory enzymes. Reducing oxidative stress is good for my body, but also important for my brain. It’s important to stay sharp to maintain my drive and improve my mouth-eye coordination.

In addition to helping me become a better athlete and reach my fitness goals, Gold Star K9 camelina oil has also made my coat softer and shinier than ever. It’s a must-have addition for making you the best dog you can be!

A note on my diet:
I only consume Gold Star when I’m eating chicken, turkey, or duck, because the fatty acid profile complements that of most poultry. When my protein source changes, Mom rotates to Empower K9 (hemp seed oil) because it is a better nutritional partner for the fat composition of beef, goats, or other grass-fed ruminants. I also eat sardines at least once a week to round out my omega intake. My mom prefers not to feed fish oil due to higher risk of rancidity or contamination, in addition to environmental concerns.

—

Remy is a 2 year old German Shepherd/ Australian Shepherd mix. He lives with his mom Emily, along with two dog brothers and three cat brothers. When he’s not playing ball, he’s sleeping. Usually within reach of his ball. He has also been known to snag a frisbee.

Sources:
• Jiang Q, Elson-Schwab I, et al.  “Gamma-tocopherol and its major metabolite, in contrast to alpha tocopherol, inhibit cyclooxygenase activity in macrophages and epithelial cells”.  2000. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, Oct 10; 97(21) 11494-9.
• Jiang Q, Ames BN.  “Gamma tocopherol, but no alpha tocopherol decreases pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and inflammation damage in rats”.  2003. FASEBJ. May,17 (8):816-22.
• Chen H, Li D, Saldeen T, et al.  “Mixed tocopherol preparation is superior to alpha tocopherol alone against hypoxia-reoxygenation injury”.  2002. Biochem Biophy Res Commun. Feb 22; 291(2):349-53.