Charting Your Course!

2010 is almost here!!! Have you laid out your goals for the year yet?? Naturally, this is when most will decide to make fitness a top priority. If you are one of the millions out there considering to embark on the fitness journey, I would like to give you a few things to consider before you start.

1. Fitness maybe the top priority, but you will not maximize successful unless you address the other facets of life (business, personal, spiritual, etc). Do your best and make sure the other areas aren't underwhelming or overwhelming your chances of becoming more fit. Just be realistic and "consider the entire picture". Lets face it...! Unlike the contestants on the Biggest Loser, our lives are not lived out in a "box". We have many variables that we have to consider. All I'm suggesting is that you consider ALL variables to ensure that you can set realistic goals for yourself. Once this is complete, you will be able to move forward with purpose and confidence.

2. The Cold Hard Truth: For those of you that are just starting the fitness journey, only a small % will be successful and follow through throughout the year (and beyond). (Trust me, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news however, you need to know what your up against.) Most will not make it past Valentines Day!!! Here are a few explanations (pitfalls):

a. Unrealistic goals are set
b. Injury stemming from working out too hard, too soon.
c. Overwhelmed
d. Plain laziness (again, speaking the truth here)
e. The "other variables" (read the first paragraph)

The good news here is that there doesn't have to be any pitfalls. Quite frankly, there is no reason why you can't do this (fitness success)!!!! Look yourself in the mirror and ask if "what potential pitfalls stand in my way?" From here, all you will need to do is to address each one accordingly. I was training a client lastnight and right in the middle of an exercise he stopped and said, "most of this is psychological isn't it?". This is correct!! In most cases it's our "head trash" that get in way, not our circumstances. So, look to identify YOUR potential road blocks and come up with solutions to get around them. You are probably already doing this in other areas, so just apply it to fitness.

I guess my message here has little to do with fitness and more to do with one's perspective as they start a fitness program. Fitness is not rocket science because if it was I probably wouldn't be a personal trainer :-).

It's all about aligning ourselves with the things in life that will get us to where we want to be. We all have a path and your path will be different or very similar to someone else's. Identify YOUR path to sucess and go at it step by step.

Fitness has never failed anyone, but people have failed fitness!!

Look ahead and chart your course. Its going to be a great journey!!

Rob Johnson
Owner, Trainer of Fitness Together Central Cal located in Fresno, California.

3 Reasons Crash Diets Don't Work

Follow this link and see evidence why crash dieting for any occasion, especially when it comes to your health, don't work.

Visit her page here.

By Tina Haupert of Health.com
Edited by Jason Copeland, CSCS

Don't Make This Mistake!

Stay away form starches at night instead, stick with lean protein and veggies!!! When gearing up for a trip, do you fill your gas tank when your arrive or before you leave?? Carbs are an energy food and are best utilized during the day or around the time of exercise. For most americans the evenings are reserved for relaxing on the couch and watching tv. If you chose this time to load up on "carbs", you are asking for and promoting fat storage. At night you don't need energy (unless you work grave yard or exercise in the evenings). If you don't burn it, you will store it. So remember, No Carbs At Night!

Provided by Fitness Together Central California.

Edited by Jason Copeland, CSCS

Thoughts?

Last night on NBC the hit show "Biggest Loser" had its contestants run a marathon for their final challenge of the season. So we pose this question to you, is it too much too soon for people who five months earlier were completely sedentary?

Post your thoughts in the comments section below and let us know what you think!

Post Workout Drinks for Faster Muscle Recovery... And More Weight Loss!

You’ve heard all the bad things about sugar—it spikes your insulin, makes you retain more belly fat, and it’s been linked to serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. But what if I told you that there was one exception where sugar can actually be good for you and even help you gain lean muscle and lose more weight? Well, you heard it right, but there IS a catch…

You should only consume sugar after you workout, and I mean really working out—a walk in the park doesn’t count, unless you’re pushing a stroller that weighs 300 pounds. But hey, look at the bright side…you get to work up a good sweat, get lean, and lose weight while eating sugar!

But before I get into actually talking about what types of food (sugar) you should be consuming, let’s take a quick look at the science behind this process.

How Your Body Uses Sugar for Fuel
The energy that your muscles use predominantly comes from glycogen. Glycogen (glucose in storage form) is a form of carbohydrate that’s stored in your muscles for quick energy use. When you use your muscles during a workout, most of the energy is provided by glycogen. Glycogen is depleted fairly quickly during your workout, so the rate at which you replenish your glycogen greatly affects your muscle recovery and muscle building. The quicker you restore it in your muscles, the faster your muscles recover and more effectively you build lean muscle mass.

How To Restore Your Glycogen Faster
The higher the intensity of your workout, the more energy is utilized by your muscles and hence the quicker your glycogen gets used up. So, what do you need to do to restore your glycogen levels? In this situation, the speed of nutritional uptake is important, so liquid calories with the right combination of protein and simple carbs is your best bet. In normal circumstances, natural whole foods are always recommended over supplements and liquid calories. Complex carbs such as vegetables and some fruits are much better than simple carbs (sugar) because you want slower digestion which prevents your insulin from spiking. However, after an intense work out your goal is to restore your energy levels as quickly as possible… so it’s opposite of what you would normally want. The quicker the protein and carbs get into your blood stream the better, so it can quickly restore your glycogen level and help maximize your muscle recovery and muscle growth. For this reason simple carbs such as dextrose and maltodextrin (both are just different forms of sugar) and easily absorbed forms of protein such as whey isolate proteins are favored over whole foods.

When Should You Have Your Post Workout Drink?
Somewhere between within 1 hour after working out optimally restores your depleted glycogen levels. So don’t worry if you don’t have time to make a shake to bring it with you when you workout. You should have plenty of time to get home after working out and a make a quick shake to get the most benefit out of it.

What’s The Best Protein to Carb Ratio For a Post Workout Drink?
This will vary depending on who you ask or what studies you read. First, the protein to carb ratio ranges between 1:1 to 1:4 depending on your workouts. The longer the workouts and more endurance types of activities require a higher carb ratio such as 1:4. You cannot go wrong keeping your ratio at about 1:3-1:4.

What Should You Drink?
Do you remember chocolate milk? If you’re like me, the last time you had it may have been at lunch in grade school. Well, guess what? Chocolate milk actually makes for a pretty good post workout drink! Believe it or not, the protein to carb ratio is around 1:3, the recommended ratio of most recovery drinks. So the next time you workout and your feeling some what nostalgic, try drinking chocolate milk. As long as you’re not lactose intolerant, you may have just found your chocolate indulgence in a post workout drink.

If you are lactose intolerant, you may not be able to satisfy your chocolate cravings, but you have many other options when it comes to making your own post workout drinks. You’ll need just a couple of ingredients. You’ll need to get some whey protein powder. The whey protein isolates are recommended over other kinds of protein powder for it’s ease of digestion and absorption. And a sweet drink of choice. Stay away from drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup or crystalline fructose if possible. A combination of maltodextrin and dextrose have been proven to be the best at getting into your blood stream the fastest, but I wouldn’t get too caught up with that. Stick to natural sweeteners and avoid highly processed sweeteners. Even better, if you have a blender at home you can blend real fruits with whey protein, ice and make a cold post workout smoothie that’s both tasty and nutritious. The recommended amount of protein in your post workout drink ranges between 0.12 - 0.24 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight. So if you’re 180 lbs with 10% body fat, your lean body weight would be 162 lb. This means 19 - 39 grams of protein. And since the recommended protein to carb ratio for a post workout drink is around 1:3, your carb range would be 57 - 117 grams. This is not an exact science, so you’ll probably have to experiment a little with the ranges, but that’s a good starting point.

Faster Recovery Leads To Greater Fat Loss
If you are in the mind set that weight loss is all about cutting calories, think again. Remember, the more lean muscle mass you have, the more you increase your metabolism and the more calories you’ll burn throughout the day resulting in a greater total weight loss. Muscle is your body’s most efficient fat burner! That goes for both men and women, so replenishing your glycogen to optimally refuel and build lean muscle is critical if you ever want to shed those extra pounds and get your sexy back.

What’s your favorite post workout drink? Post your comments below!

Written by Shin Ohtake on Monday, July 20, 2009. MaxWorkouts.com
Edited by Jason Copeland CSCS

To Hit the Snooze... Or Not?

Q: Is 8 hours of sleep each night really necessary?

A: Almost every sleep physician recommends adults sleep for 7 to 8 hours every night. But everybody is different, according to Dr. Neil Kline, a sleep physician and representative for the American Sleep Association. "You need what you need," says Kline. "Some people may only need 6 hours, while others won’t function as well unless they get 8. There isn’t one specific amount of sleep that every person needs."

If you feel drowsy during the day—at work, in the car—you’re not getting enough sleep, Kline says. It’s as simple as that. If you’re still unsure how many hours your body needs, make it a goal to lay your head for 7 to 8 hours a night to guarantee optimal mental and physical performance.

Q: Do I benefit from the extra few minutes of sleep I get by hitting "snooze"?

A: Only if they give you a chance to finish up a cool dream. "It's unlikely that the extra 10 to 15 minutes will make a dent in your nightly sleep deficit," says Gerard T. Lombardo, M.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at New York Methodist Hospital. Chances are, that deficit is growing: According to the National Sleep Foundation, Americans are sleeping 6.9 hours per night—much less than the 8 hours usually needed for good health.

The desire to hit "snooze" comes from the instant reaction that drives you to shut off whatever blaring monstrosity just invaded your deep, peaceful sleep. May we suggest a more genteel alternative? Rather than scare you out of bed, a Zen alarm clock ($100, now-zen.com) uses a gradual series of chimes to rouse you, leaving you less groggy.

Q: What if my schedule only allows for 5 to 6 hours of sleep each night?

A: Sleep is a basic biological need, so there’s nothing—not caffeine, not exercise—that can replace it. "Most adults need at least 7 hours of nighttime sleep," says Dr. Mary Susan Esther, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "But if your schedule doesn’t allow that, break sleep up into parts (five hours at night and a daytime nap)." It’s almost as beneficial.

Chances are if you only have time to sleep 5 or 6 hours a night, a daytime nap is improbable. Stick to your shorter sleep schedule during the week, and pay back the debt on Saturday or Sunday. While sleeping in on weekends can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and result in more fatigue, it’s still better to replace the sleep you miss during the workweek than to continue accumulating a sleep deficit. "It’s not ideal to wake up at 6 a.m. during the week and sleep until 10 a.m on weekends, but getting sleep [even in odd fragments] is always better than the alternative," says Dr. Esther.

Q: Why do I wake up 2 minutes before my alarm goes off?

A: Your body has an internal clock (circadian rhythm) that adapts to sleep and wake patterns. "People like the assurance that an alarm is going to be there, but we have the ability to set our own mental alarm," says Dr. Esther. It may not be exactly to the minute, but numerous sleep studies show that people can condition themselves to wake up at certain times without the blaring buzzer.

Train your internal clock by going to sleep and waking up at the same time for 7 days straight.

Q: What is the best way to make up for a sleepless night?

A: "The only way is to catch up on that sleep," says Dr. Kline. "You’re going to need to pay back that sleep debt." You can choose to be miserable until it’s paid off, or you can find some free time and a dark corner to curl up for a nap.

Caffeine can postpone the inevitable for some time, but no chemical will replace good sleep—eventually you’re going to need to crash. Everybody has the occasional bad night—it’s no cause for concern. Just try to wind down a little bit earlier the next night to get back on track.

Q: When is sleep a symptom that something more serious may be wrong? A: Chronic daytime sleepiness—drowsiness that goes on for more than two weeks—is the number one sign that you may have a sleep disorder, says Dr. Kline. Sleeping too much or too little is a symptom of a variety of health problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, or a thyroid problem.

If you’re concerned about your sleep hygiene, discuss symptoms with your primary care physician. He or she will determine if an appointment with a sleep specialist is necessary.

Q: What goes on in my brain while I’m out cold?

A: Sleep is an active process. "You don’t just relax and let yourself sleep," says Dr. Esther. "There is a complex biological system at work while you’re sleeping." So complex, in fact, that scientists still don’t know exactly what goes on when we’re out cold.

But one thing is certain: Sleep is restorative. Our bodies release certain chemicals when we’re asleep that help promote good heath and strengthen the immune system. This is especially true during rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. Brain scans of people experiencing REM sleep show activity comparable to that of being awake. This is why Dr. Kline warns against pulling an all-nighter. "It is much better to get the benefits of sleep, than to study [or work] through the night."

Originally from Menshealth.com (http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/sleep/q&a.php)
Edited from Jason Copeland, CSCS

Drink Up!

Q: I know that drinking water is important. How much should I be drinking each day?

A: Water is essential indeed! If we don't ingest enough fluid, dehydration can set in quickly. To gauge the importance of water relative to food, consider that severe dehydration can lead to death within a matter of days, whereas we can go for weeks without food.

Approximately 55-60% of our body weight is water. That's why our body weight can fluctuate so dramatically and quickly… especially after exercise in the heat when we can lose large amounts of body water to sweat. Our bodies depend on water to keep our cells and body systems running smoothly. Most importantly, it is used to maintain blood volume, which is imperative for regulating body temperature and delivering oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body. Water also provides a medium for the biochemical reactions that occur at the cellular level. In addition, water is crucial for the removal of waste products through the formation of urine by the kidneys.

It's important to realize that we can get our fluid requirements from the food we eat, as well as the fluids we drink. For instance, an orange is 87% water! Good sources of water are:

		Fruits & Vegetables
		Drinks, especially non-caffeinated ones like fruit juice
		And the best source of all… good ol water!

There are many different methods for calculating daily fluid requirements. However, a simple equation to help adults figure their fluid needs is that for every pound of body weight, you need about half an ounce of fluid intake per day. For instance, if you weigh 140 lbs., simply multiply 140 by .5 to estimate your daily fluid needs in ounces, then divide by eight to estimate your fluid needs in cups per day, rounding up to the nearest full cup. [example: 140 x .5 = 70 ounces; 70 ounces divided by 8 = 9 cups of fluid per day]

0.5 ounces x Body Weight in Pounds = Daily Fluid Requirement in ounces

The other common way to calculate daily fluid needs is to base the fluid need on caloric intake. 1 milliliter of fluid for every calorie ingested. Converted to the household measurement of ounces, your body needs .034 ounces for every calorie that you ingest.

0.034 ounces x Daily Caloric Intake = Daily Fluid Requirement in ounces

As you calculate out what your daily fluid requirements are, you'll probably realize that it is close to that common recommendation of 8 - 12 cups per day. However, the above equations will give you a more accurate guideline because fluid needs vary depending on body size. It's also important to realize that fluid requirements can vary dramatically under extreme conditions such as exercise, especially in hot and humid environments, and during illness associated with fever. These situations require increased fluid needs. Drink up!

7 Ways to Keep Your Portions Under Control

One of the key elements to losing weight and keeping it off is practicing portion control. You can eat the best food for your body, but if you are intaking too many calories daily, you will not be able to lose weight. Here are some easy tips for keeping your portions in check to effectively lose weight.

Portion Control Tip #1: Don't Leave Food in Sight

Eating meals family style (where the dishes of food are in your sight) can make it much easier to reach for seconds. If they are not in the same room, you are much less likely to want more. Leave the pots and dishes in the kitchen, and fix yourself one serving. Let it settle for at least 20 minutes so that you acquire the feeling of being full.

Portion Control Tip #2: Use Meat as a Side Dish

Don't make meat the main course of your meal. Load up on healthy grains and vegetables instead, and have meat or a meat-based side dish. This way you will feel full faster and pack your diet with more vitamins and fiber, which is better for you in the long run.

Portion Control Tip #3: Split a Serving

When eating out, try splitting a meal with a friend or taking half of your meal home. Most restaurants provide more than one serving in a typical meal. By splitting it up, you can save money and save on the extra calories.

Portion Control Tip #4: Learn Serving Sizes

By learning to visually identify some simple serving sizes, you can better control your portions. When eating a typical serving size of meat, it should be about 3 ounces or the size of a deck of cards. A standard serving of grains or raw vegetables is about the size of a tennis ball or your fist.

Portion Control Tip #5: Eat Small Meals

Keep your blood sugar even throughout the day by eating small meals. You can keep your energy up and eat less overall because you do not get ravenous and overeat. People who eat 5 to 6 small meals a day are much more likely to maintain portion control because they never become too hungry.

Portion Control Tip #6: Portion out Food

When you are having a snack, be sure to divvy up your portions before you begin eating. It is quite difficult to eat just one portion of any snack food when eating straight out of the bag. By separating out one portion, it is much easier to stick to it, and not eat too much without even thinking about it.

Portion Control Tip #7: Break Down Leftovers

Instead of storing leftovers in a big container, separate them out into single servings. Then you can easily reach in the fridge and pull out one single serving to reheat. This will help you limit how much you are eating with very little effort.

By practicing these tips on a regular basis, you can help to regulate your portion control and maintain a healthy diet long term.

FitDay.com 2008-2009.
Edited by: Jason Copeland, CSCS

Are You Drinking Too Much?

Blog Post on EatingWell.com By Nicci Micco, October 20, 2009

This week, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association came out with the news that the risks of drinking might outweigh its potential health boons. In other words, all that good news we’ve been hearing about how moderate drinking helps your heart, protects against Alzheimer’s and may even strengthen bones is only half the story.

I’m not surprised by their statement, given some research that’s come across my desk recently, including that even moderate sipping might increase risk for breast cancer. Since there’s so much conflicting scientific information on alcohol and health in the news, we decided to go straight to the experts for help in weighing the pros and cons of drinking. What we found—and what it means for you—may surprise you.

Our feature “Is the Party Over?” in the current issue of EatingWell has people (including me) wondering: do I drink too much? Last night, my friend joined me for dinner. While I stirred our stew, she picked up the EatingWell Magazine on my kitchen counter and started reading. At first, she was intrigued by how alcohol positively and negatively affects your body—from your heart to your liver, and by how, exactly, alcohol affects your brain, drink by drink. Then she quickly homed in on the descriptions of “problem” drinking.

“Wow. More than three drinks on any one day is considered ‘high risk.’ I’m known to do that on a Saturday—and now that it’s football season, on Sundays too,” she told me. “I think I need to reign it in.”

“Well… and moderate drinking is technically no more than one drink a day for women,” I said, feeling a little like a party-pooper. “Maybe I need to cut back too.” (Do you drink too much? Take this quiz to find out.)

We paused for a moment before agreeing that justifying a second glass of wine with “it’s good for my heart” wasn’t going to hold up anymore. So we opened a bottle of seltzer instead.

Nicci Micco is deputy editor of features and nutrition at EatingWell.com

Define Your Goal and You Will Find Success

The definition of a goal is- what one intends to do or achieve. The hardest part of a fitness program is getting started, and the second is maintaining it. Unfortunately, most people do not have goals when it comes to their health and fitness. You may drive to the gym, but until you walk through the doors you have no clue as to what you are doing that day. This is why millions of people either go through the motions when it comes to their workouts or do not workout at all. Fitness goals should be no different than those you set for your business, your family, or your future.

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, research confirms those who are certain about what they want to accomplish are six times more likely to successfully make life changes than those who are less certain. Conversely, those with conflicting goals, or those who are unsure about their goals, are significantly more likely to, experience depression and anxiety, be less happy, have more physical illnesses and doctor visits, and spend less time taking action towards their fitness goals. Does this sound like you? If so, let’s establish your fitness goals. Your goals must be specific, challenging, and measureable.

• Specific goals make us work harder. Studies show that specific goals result in better performance than easier goals or having no goals at all. Examples of fitness goals could be the number of workouts per week, the amount of time engaging in cardiovascular exercise, and so forth. So, get the calendar out and be specific!
• Make your fitness goals challenging. If your goals are challenging, you will accomplish more than modest goals. Step it up when it comes to the intensity of your workouts- train for a 5k or triathlon. Reach beyond your comfort zone and you will accomplish more. Just think how great you will feel after having trained for an event and accomplishing it or telling yourself you are going to strength train twelve days this month and you do it. You will be inspired and have built a new level of confidence for yourself. Make fitness fun!
• Your goals must be measurable. This will allow you to determine whether the strategy is working. People have a tendency to measure their goals based on the ‘all-or-none’ theory, a tendency that leaves people vulnerable to letting a minor setback fall into a major relapse and total collapse. This is why so many people fail at fitness. They put too much pressure on themselves by committing to six or seven days of working out. A goal like this is only setting you up for failure. Between work and family, it is very difficult to fit in six or seven great workouts in a week. A more realistic goal would be to start with three to five days per week and commit to taking this time for you and be able to enjoy a quality workout. Also, do not sign up for a marathon if you have never run before. Take baby-steps and try a local 5k first.

Believe that you can accomplish the goals you have set. If you truly believe you will be successful, you will work harder, achieve more, be happy, set more goals, and view setbacks as a source of motivation.

Accomplishing your fitness goals can be very powerful, if not life changing. The television reality show, Biggest Loser, is a great example. The people selected for that show were determined and committed to losing weight. Even the ones who have been voted off maintained great discipline and motivation to do the work on their own. Goals can be powerful. Set yourself up for success and establish specific, challenging, and measurable fitness goals.

Written by Nick Clark, BS, NASM-CPT, Owner of a Fitness Together in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.
Edited By: Jason Copeland, CSCS

Who Knew?

Q: Why is stretching after a workout important?

A:This is a great question because it addresses the importance not only of practicing stretching but also the best and safest technique for performing this valuable type of exercise.

Why stretch? Stretching increases flexibility, a key component of physical fitness that is often neglected. A greater degree of flexibility is believed to help prevent injury (and low back pain) and improve sports performance. We lose flexibility as we age, so practicing a regular program of stretching the major muscle groups can help prevent loss of flexibility and its associated negative impact on quality of life in our golden years.

Stretching properly involves a slow, steady elongation of the muscles and tendons to the point of tightness—never pain—and holding the stretch for several seconds. (Never use bouncing or ballistic-type stretching, which can cause injury.) It is best to stretch muscles that have been warmed up internally from exercise as opposed to cold muscles. In fact, stretching cold muscles can actually increase risk of injury, as a cold muscle is more prone to strains! Think of a muscle as if it were a rubber band. If you stretch cold rubber, it snaps and breaks; however, if you warm the rubber first, it stretches more elastically and fluidly, like taffy.

Stretching is different from “warming up.” A warm-up is what you do before you begin a bout of exercise and generally consists of a low-intensity version of the exercise you are planning on engaging in (such as a fast walk before a jog). A good exercise routine would be to warm up (work up a light sweat and raise the internal temperature of your muscles), followed by a series of brief stretches, then perform your exercise bout, warm down and end with another series of stretches. Practice this plan and you will have a well-rounded fitness routine.

Dr. Janet Bond Brill
Edited by: Jason Copeland, CSCS

Charge Up Your Energy -- What to Eat Before and After Exercise

What you eat before and after exercise makes a significant difference in how you feel and how well you perform...

Before/During Workouts

During exercise, the body gets energy from glycogen, a type of carbohydrate that's stored in muscles and the liver. Being hungry going into a workout rapidly depletes glycogen and can cause fatigue. Recommended...

Combine protein with carbohydrates. For example, have a hard-boiled egg (for protein), and half a whole wheat bagel (for carbs) about an hour before a workout. Protein makes carbohydrates a slower-burning (longer-lasting) energy source.
If it will be more than an hour until you can exercise, eat something substantial, such as a peanut butter sandwich or a wrap with turkey breast, lettuce and tomato. This larger meal takes longer than so you will have enough energy for your workout.

Remember the "90-minute rule". It takes about 90 minutes of hard exercise to deplete stored glycogen. If you engage in extended cardiovascular workouts, you'll need to replenish glycogen while you exercise. You can munch on a protein/carbohydrate bar or sip a sports drink (such as Gatorade).


After Workouts

If you-re trying to lose weight, schedule your workouts so that you'll have lunch or dinner when you're done. The increased expenditure of calories that occurs during exercise persists for about an hour afterwards. Eating right after a workout allows you to take advantage of the increased calorie burning.

Get enough protein. Muscle cells are very receptive to amino acids (the individual building-blocks of protein) 30 minutes to one hour after exercise. Consuming protein right after exercise accelerates both muscle reapir and muscle growth. It varys from individual to individual, so you might want to ask your trainer, but typically you want to consume about 15 grams (g) to 20 g of lean protein. Examples: Two ounces of chicken provides about 12 g of protein. An egg has about 6 g.

Add a complex carbohydrate to replace glycogen. Muscle cells quickly absorb carbohydrates after exercise. The optimal ratio is four parts carbohydrates to one part protein (4:1). A turkey sandwich and a nonfat fruit yogurt has this ratio with 75 g of carbs and 18 g of protein.

Eat fruit. There's an increase in muscle-damaging free radicals during and after exercise. The antioxidants in fruit reduce muscle damage and accelerate muscle repair. Also, the sugars in fruit quickly replace glycogen stores.

Check your water level. Weigh yourself immediately before and after vigorous cardiovascular exercise-- and drink enough water to make up the difference. If you weigh a pound less after exercising, drink at least 16 ounces of water.

Written by Tammy Lakatos, RD, and Elysse Lakatos, RD. The Nutrition Twins.
Edited by Jason Copeland, CSCS.

Protein Myths!
Watch this video to learn some of the more common protein myths out there to make sure you don't fall victim to them!

Edited by Jason Copeland, CSCS

10 Steps to Heart Health

Check out this article from EatingWell.com on the 10 easy ways to Heart Health!

"You can change your fate simply by eating well!"

10 Steps to Heart Health

How To Use Your Biggest Fat Burning Muscles—Without Killing Your Knees

It’s no secret that the biggest fat burning muscles in your body are your legs. They are the largest muscles in your body and therefore require the most amount of energy when used. Since your legs are the primary muscles that drive your heart rate up, the more you use them the harder your heart pumps. And the harder your heart works, the more calories you burn and the fitter you get. So if you want to keep up your fitness and fat burning progress, you’d better take care of your legs—especially your knees.

Your knees may arguably be the most important joints in your legs. Without the proper functioning of your knees you’re going to have a real hard time performing effective fat burning exercises, like running intervals. Running can be a great fat burning exercise, but too much running combined with bad biomechanics can lead to overuse—and that mean repetitive stress injuries.

One of the most common knee injuries that people suffer from is the ITB (Iliotibial Band) Syndrome. Your ITB is a long fascial band (tendon) that runs along the entire length of your thigh and attaches your TFL (Tensor Fascia Latae) muscle in your hip to your tibia (shin bone). The function of the TFL via ITB is hip abduction, but perhaps more importantly, it functions to restrict excessive tibial (shin) internal rotation. I know I’m getting a little technical, but I’ll explain.

Your tibia (shin bone) is connected to you ankle bone and your ankle bone is connected to the foot bone and ... well you know how the rest of the song goes. Well, when you take a step walking or running, your foot pronates (arches drop) which causes your ankle and your tibia (shin bone) to internally rotate. This is a normal function of your gait. This happens every time you walk, run or do just about anything that requires you to bear weight on one leg. Problems arise when excessive foot pronation (dropping of your arches) occurs from either poor biomechanics, weak muscles, or from “over doing it”—causing your supporting muscles and tendons to have to work harder than they’re use to.

Too much pronation causes excessive internal rotation of the tibia (shin bone) which puts undue stress on your ITB. Normally your ITB glides over the lateral boney prominence (lateral epicondyle) of your knee every time you bend it, but the increased stress and tension on your ITB increases friction between your ITB and the boney prominence of you knee. If this persists, it can eventually lead to tendonitis, a.k.a ITB Syndrome.

You can, however, easily avoid ITB Syndrome by being a little proactive…

Here is a list of exercises and stretches you can do to avoid ever having to experience such a frustrating injury, so you can make sure to keep your fat burning and fitness progress on track.

(1) Foam Roll (Self Myofascial Release) - Perform this at least once a day. You can do this before and after your workouts. Make sure to roll out your quads, ITB, TFL, and you glutes.

(2) Bowlers Squats - This exercise is a great way to dynamically stretch your TFL and ITB. You can do this as part of you dynamic warm up routine. (Check out the video above to see how it’s done)

(3) ITB Stretch - You probably know by now that I’m not a big fan of static stretching, but this ITB stretch can be quite effective when combined with the previous two exercises. You can incorporate this after your workouts. (Check out the video above to see how it’s done)

(4) Squats and Lunges - Properly performing squats and lunges increases your gluteal strength and can help you minimize the risk of getting injuries like ITB syndrome. The key is proper form—Make sure to learn the how to perform each one of these exercises properly before starting up.

Remember, when it comes to exercising and staying fit, don’t over do it! Listen to your body and don’t push yourself beyond what your body can handle. There’s a very fine line between pushing your limits to improve your fitness and pushing it too much. If you’re starting out, it’s always better to play it on the safe side so that you can continue to make progress without being hindered by injuries.

Written by Shin Ohtake, MaxWorkouts.com.
Edited by Jason Copeland, CSCS

The Advantage of a Kettlebell

Like many people who work out, Randy Smith of Atlanta is always pressed for time. That’s why a kettlebell, a type of weight that looks something like a bowling ball with a handle, provides just the workout Smith needs.

"I can get in an intense workout in as little as 20 minutes," says Smith, a 42-year-old banking executive.

How do Smith and thousands of others who have discovered kettlebells do it? Through a unique weight training and cardio workout that comes with swinging and lifting a kettlebell, a type of free weight that ranges from 8 pounds to more than 100.

What makes a kettlebell workout different from other weights workouts?

For starters, you work with only one bell at a time. Hoisting the heavy metal bells not only helps strengthen your arms and pecs, but also works your core, heart and lungs.

"The reason the kettlebell is so great is that there’s offset center of gravity," explains Laura Alton, a certified trainer, physical therapist, and Russian kettlebells certified instructor at the Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas.

That means your body has to work harder to maintain balance. In so doing, you work many different muscle groups - and get your heart rate up at the same time.

"It's a two-fer; it's like you're killing two birds with one kettlebell," says Riva Rahl, MD, medical director for wellness programs at the Cooper Fitness Center. "If you're doing it appropriately, the benefits are huge."

The Benefits of Kettlebell Exercises

The weights were long used in Russia, where they originated, so the story goes, as a farming weight. When Russian bodybuilder Pavel Tsatsouline began attributing his success to his kettlebell training, the sport took off in the U.S. and other countries.

While kettlebells are not quite mainstream, the American Kettlebell Club estimates that more than 100,000 people are exercising with them. Many claim it takes weight and inches off faster than any other workout they’ve tried.

Other benefits, according to Alton, are that kettlebells:

• Provides a quick workout - 45 minutes or less - that targets all your major muscle groups.
• Increase core stability. Serious exercisers understand the importance of increasing the stability of one’s core, especially the abdominal and back muscles. But it’s hard to work the entire core, including the obliques, abdominals, and adductors, in one workout.
• Let you combine cardio and strength training. The kettlebell workout involves a circuit that gets your heart pumping while it strengthens muscles.
• Simplify your workout. Instead of having to use several machines or several weights to work all your muscle groups, you do it with one kettlebell

Edited and Posted by Jason Copeland, CSCS
Taken from webmd.com. By Lynne Anderson WebMD Feature

Fruit Even Healthier Than Thought

Fruit may contain more beneficial antioxidants than previously thought, a new international study says.

A study done on apples, peaches and nectarines found these fruits contain up to five times more polyphenols, chemical substances believed to contain disease-fighting properties, than scientists suspected.

Researchers at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, looked at previously ignored nonextractable polyphenols, ones in fruit cells that cannot be broken down and measured as easily as the “extractable polyphenols” that researchers usually study.

“These polyphenols need to be treated with acid to extract them from the cell walls of fruit in the lab,” one of the researchers, Sara Arranz from the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in Madrid, said in a news release issued by the food research institute.

“If non-extractable polyphenols are not considered, the levels of beneficial polyphenols such as proanthocyanidins, ellagic acid and catechin are substantially underestimated.”

This study appeared online July 28 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about antioxidants and cancer prevention.

SOURCE: Institute of Food Research, news release, August 27, 2009
Last Updated: Sept. 04, 2009. Edited by Jason Copeland, CSCS.

How Healthy People Decode Food Labels

When nutritionist Kathie Swift shops for food, she’s not particularly interested in whether or not the product is labeled low-fat, low-cholesterol or sugar-free. And all those “wholesome,” “heart-healthy” and “good for you” claims on the front of the packages? Swift doesn’t give them a second glance. She is too busy scanning the package for one thing: the ingredients list.

“If the ingredients themselves don’t meet the mark of nutritional excellence, there’s really no need to study even the numbers,” she says. And if the ingredients do meet the mark of nutritional excellence? Well, if they’re whole-food ingredients and there aren’t too many to count at a glance, the numbers probably don’t matter much then, either.

Developing this kind of no-nonsense label savvy is essential for navigating today’s grocery-store environments, where many of the more than 45,000 products make healthy claims on their packaging. “You have to ignore the seduction on the front of boxes,” Swift says.

Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed its label standards in 2003, food manufacturers have plastered their products with all kinds of health claims. Sunny yellow margarine tubs now purport to “maintain a healthy heart” — because they contain tiny amounts of vitamin E. Drinks formulated to contain added vitamin A, antioxidants and other nutrients claim they support immune function — even though they are loaded with sugar. And cereals boast that their “whole grain” goodness lowers risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease — despite the fact that refined flours play a much larger role in their makeup.

No surprise, then, that a recent FDA survey of nearly 2,000 people found that Americans are confused by food-packaging health claims. Fortunately, it is possible to cut through the marketing hype if you know what to look for.

To help you out, we have recruited Swift and four other experts to explain the label-deconstructing strategies they employ:

Laryn Callaway, ND, a naturopathic doctor in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the CEO of Organic Bistro, a producer of low-sodium, low-glycemic frozen meals

Lisa Drayer, RD, a dietitian, health reporter and the author of The Beauty Diet: Looking Great Has Never Been So Delicious (McGraw-Hill, 2008)

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, nutritionist and author of The Gut Flush Plan: The Breakthrough Cleansing Program to Rid Your Body of the Toxins That Make You Sick, Tired and Bloated (Avery, 2008)

Kimberly Lord Stewart, an award-winning health reporter and author of Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper's Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007)

Seek Simplicity

“Many food manufacturers are masters of trickery,” says Gittleman. “Think of yourself as a food detective to get the information you need for yourself and your family.” That means you have to avoid getting distracted by red herrings and look to the ingredients list for meaningful facts.

This is where you’ll find the basic components of the product, listed in descending order from most prevalent to least. In general, the more ingredients you see, the less likely this is to be an entirely healthy product. That’s because the more highly processed a food product is, the more stabilizers, extenders, flavors, colors and texturizers it will require to look and taste edible.

When Drayer picks up an unfamiliar package of food, she wants only real whole foods on the ingredients list: “beans,” “oysters,” or “tomatoes,” for example. And she’s looking for brevity, too. “Unless it’s frozen lasagna with a million spices, I want to see five or six ingredients,” she says. “More than that, and I don’t bother to read it.”

One good way to cut to the chase: If it’s a lengthy list, look at the top first, then do a detailed read at the very bottom. If you don’t spy any deal-breakers in either of these places (refined flours and sugars often show up at the top; artificial flavors and preservatives at the bottom), it’s worth reading on to see whether you’ve found a truly wholesome product — or if something nasty (like hydrogenated oil) has been sandwiched in the middle.

Avoid Scary Food Additives

Gittleman has spent a good chunk of her professional life warning people about the dangers of food additives such as sodium benzoate, which has been shown to damage mitochondrial DNA, or potassium bromate (sold as bromated vegetable oil), a possible human carcinogen that’s been banned in many countries (though not in the United States). She also avoids trans fats (sold as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil), high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors (sold as Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), monosodium glutamate (sold as autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, natural flavoring, spices, soy extract, protein isolate, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate), sulfites (sold as sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfate, potassium bisulfate, sodium metabisulfite and potassium metabisulfite), nitrates (sold as sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite) and sodium benzoate (sold as benzoic acid).


Hold Out for Real Whole Grains

According to Callaway, if a package of food has unprocessed whole grains like brown rice or whole-kernel rye, its ingredients list will specify that. “If, on the other hand, a product has a highly processed grain like white rice in it, the ingredients list will simply say ‘rice,’” she says.

The shift in wording is barely noticeable, but the nutritional difference is huge: When a grain is highly refined — as in the case of “enriched wheat flour” or just plain “rice” — both the bran and the germ are stripped away, along with many essential vitamins and minerals.

As noted, be aware that many products that trumpet “whole grains” or even a “Whole Grains” stamp on the front of the package also contain a large quantity of processed grains (you’ll need to read the ingredients list on the back or side to get a sense of proportion).

Check the Fiber and Sodium

Once you’ve scanned the ingredients list, move up to the Nutrition Facts panel. Callaway focuses on the dietary fiber, because “it immediately tells me something about the quality of what I’m buying. If there’s some measure of real fruit, real vegetables, real nuts or real whole grains, the fiber is going to be higher,” she says, noting that 3 grams is a good amount for a serving of crackers, and 6 grams is a good amount for a frozen meal. (Be cautious, Callaway adds, of garbage food with a lot of added fiber.) Next, she checks the sodium content to get a sense of how much the food has been processed. “If a product contains more than 500 milligrams of sodium per serving, then I know it’s probably pretty flavorless and had to be masked with sodium to make it taste palatable.”


Size Up Servings

Another point of interest on the Nutrition Facts panel: the serving size and number of servings per package. Food manufacturers have the liberty of setting their own serving sizes, and they often define them as artificially small as a way of suppressing the perceived number of calories (and grams of carbs and fats) per serving. “I’ve seen single muffins labeled as containing three servings. I mean, really — who eats a third of a muffin?” says Stewart.

While none of our experts is particularly interested in counting calories, they all agree that if a packaged-food manufacturer goes to the trouble of inventing unrealistic serving sizes purely to hold down calorie-per-serving counts, it’s probably not a great product (or a calorically worthwhile product) to begin with.

Ultimately, there’s no magic number or formula that adds up to “yes, eat this,” or “no, don’t eat this,” says Callaway. “All the bits of information taken together — the number and kind of ingredients, the amount of sodium, the serving size — add up to a yes or a no,” she says.

Indeed, the healthiest foods in the grocery store — the fresh fruits and vegetables — offer little or no nutrition information, in part because they have little or no packaging on which to display it. That simple fact can put produce at a real disadvantage among consumers who are counting on labels to tell the whole story about a given food product’s merits: They simply aren’t blaring all the “heart healthy,” “brain healthy,” “cholesterol-lowering” and “low-calorie” claims they could easily justify.

Meanwhile, many packaged foods are labeled not just misleadingly, but inadequately, says Swift. “If I could change food labels for the better, I’d add place-of-origin information, the amount of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, a differentiation between natural and added sugars, and a bar chart illustrating key nutrients, including phytonutrients — especially flavonoids and polyphenols.”

As it stands now, consumers have to work with what food manufacturers are required to divulge. The good news, says Callaway, is that there are some wonderful packaged-food options at the grocery store, such as whole-kernal rye breads, canned beans and nut butters. But to pick the winners you have to be prepared to read some fine print — and to ignore a lot of fancy packaging come-ons.

The Lowdown on Labels

Need a little help parsing the truth from the hype on all the food packaging? Read on.

"Heart Check" Symbol
The American Heart Association (AHA) gives its “Heart Check” symbol to foods that have 3 grams or fewer of total fat, less than 1 gram of saturated fat, fewer than 20 milligrams of cholesterol, fewer than 480 milligrams of sodium and less than a half gram of trans fat per serving. But the AHA does not evaluate sugar content, says Kimberly Lord Stewart, author of Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper's Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels(St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007), nor does it evaluate other unhealthy ingredients, such as hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup and artificial additives. And that’s a problem, because the inflammation caused by processed flours and sugars, for example, is now thought to be a far bigger culprit than fat or dietary cholesterol in the artery clogging and hardening associated with heart disease. “There are some supposedly ‘heart healthy’ cereals out there with a quadrillion grams of sugar,” she says, noting that she personally looks for cereals with fewer than 5 grams of sugar per serving.

“Low Glycemic” Seal
The Glycemic Research Institute bestows its “Low Glycemic” seal on foods that have a modest effect on blood glucose levels. But the seal has been awarded to products that contain artificial sweeteners and other artificial additives. Bottom line: Just because a food doesn’t spike your blood sugar doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

“USDA Organic”
Certified organic foods are grown without conventional pesticides and artificial fertilizers, and animals are grass-fed or eat organic, hormone-free grain and are not given antibiotics unless required for veterinary care. That said, the USDA program isn’t perfect — many small producers who would qualify for certification can’t afford to pay the fees and do all the testing. And organic proponents were very upset in 2007 to learn that the program now allows 38 nonorganic ingredients (including the hops in beer and the intestinal casings for frankfurters) to be used in certified organic foods. Also, organic foods can still be fried, high in sugars or otherwise less than healthy.

“Hormone-free”
Many of the more expensive brands of chicken, pork and eggs boast “no added hormones” on their packaging. But that doesn’t really distinguish them from other producers. In fact, it’s been 50 years since these industries have been allowed to add hormones to their products. The FDA lets companies trumpet such claims anyway, as long as they have a teeny disclaimer on the package. “At some stores, I’ve seen ‘hormone-free’ chicken for almost as much per package as ‘certified organic,’” says Stewart. The bigger issue is antibiotics, which are widely used in factory- and feedlot-raised animals to promote growth and ward off the diseases rampant in crowded conditions.

“Trans-Fat-Free”
Even if a food label claims the product is “trans-fat-free,” check the ingredients list for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. An FDA loophole allows such a label as long as there’s no more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving (and suggested serving sizes may be unrealistic). An estimated 30,000 people die in the United States each year from coronary heart disease caused by eating hydrogenated fats, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Article from Experience Life Magazine, September 2009.

Posted by: Jason Copeland, CSCS