Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass

 If increasing muscle mass is one of your goals, then think twice before you go out for a night of heavy drinking. Consuming alcohol in large quantities has a direct effect on your metabolism, causing fat to be stored instead of being utilized as an energy source. Alcohol contains seven “empty” calories per gram, meaning that these calories don’t provide you with any of the essential nutrients you need to build that muscle mass you desire.

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body
Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Physical Performance
Alcohol is a known depressant that suppresses the brain’s ability to function. Even though you may feel a “high” after several cocktails, the truth is that your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance all decrease dramatically. Furthermore, the after-effects of a night of excessive drinking can be detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic that may result in dehydration. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day.

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Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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Cardiovascular Training

Cardiovascular Training

Benefits- decreased body fat, lower risk for cardiac disease, lower LDL-cholesterol levels, increased aerobic endurance, lowered stress levels, and a general sense of well being.
Frequency- 3-4 times per week, depending on other activities and program goals
Intensity- 55% – 85% of target heart rate*
Type-walking, jogging, swimming, elliptical, bicycle, etc…  There is no one type of cardio that is better or worse for you.  Your heart doesn’t know the difference between running and a bike.  It is all a matter of intensity.  Choose an activity that you enjoy, that is within the guidelines of any programs or goals you may have, and that your body can handle for long periods of time. 
Time- Warm-up- 5 minutes at low to moderate intensity
Primary Activity- 20-40 minutes at training intensity
Cool Down- 5 minutes at moderate to low intensity
Post-exercise stretching- 5-10 minutes
Pedometer Tips- A pedometer is good to wear to monitor everyday activity outside of the gym.  Aim for more steps each week, with the overall goal of 10,000 steps daily. Set the stride length to 2.2 for women, 2.5 for men.  Wear the pedometer for 2 days.  Aim for a 20% increase in total steps taken in the next week.  Remember, a pedometer is generally ineffective in counting steps on a bicycle or during intense jogging.

*The most accurate way of gauging intensity is by wearing a heart rate monitor.  Polar makes a variety of different HR watches, ranging from $45 to $300.  Even the cheapest ones read your heart rate very accurately.  If you do not have one, try utilizing the RPE scale, or Rate of Perceived Exertion.  Basically, you want to be training at a level that makes it difficult, but possible, to speak in full sentences.  It may seem cheesy, but it has been scientifically proven to be almost as accurate as a heart rate strap.

What is whole grain and what kinds can you buy

                           
“Whole grain” means the grain still has all three of its original elements: the outer shell or bran, which contains fiber and B vitamins; the germ, which contains phytochemicals and B vitamins; and the endosperm (what a name), which contains carbohydrates and protein. The key is that they’re “whole” and not “refined,” by stripping away the bran and germ, which leaves you eating only the endosperm. These whole grains are also healthy for you because they’re absorbed more slowly than enriched or bleached flour and thus raise glucose and insulin levels less — keeping you fuller longer and slowing your digestion. Many refined products are enriched with the nutrients that are stripped out.  While most studies support that these nutrients are just as good, doesn’t it make sense to eat the natural version if you can?
 Made with: It may have a drop of whole grains, but unless it’s made entirely with them, you won’t reap all the potential benefits.
 100 percent wheat: This means it could have some or a lot or no “whole” wheat.
 Multigrain: This tells you nothing about whether the grains are whole or refined. Even if you’re getting 38 grains, that isn’t much good if they are all refined.
 Whole grain: If the label doesn’t say “100 percent whole grain,” it may have many blends. Bad words to see: enriched, bleached, unbleached, semolina, durum, and rice flour.
 Blends: “Whole-grain blend” means it usually doesn’t have much whole grain at all.
  Good source: This means it has 8 grams of whole grains per serving or as little as 13.5 percent. Don’t confuse whole grain with fiber; 8 grams of whole grain may have less than 1 gram of fiber.
Source: ABC News- 1/9/07

Step into 2010 with Weight Loss Plans that Work

As we enter 2010, people everywhere are gravitating more toward a lifestyle change as opposed to finding the next diet trend. There is an important reason why this is so. Diets don’t work. The medical explanation behind this is complicated and difficult to understand, but the gist of it is that when you begin a diet, your caloric intake is much less than normal. Because of this radical change, your body immediately responds with, “Help! I’m starving! I need more energy than this!” and begins using up stored calories.
Stephanie Nimberg, founder and personal chef of The Healthy Kitchen knows what it is like to be overweight.  Throughout her teenage and adult life, Stephanie’s weight had always fluctuated.  She’d find success following a diet program only to find her weight would be gained back a very short time later.  After gaining 70 pounds and feeling unhappy with the way she felt and looked after the birth of her daughter, what finally changed her life was her effort to change her lifestyle.  Creating a healthy lifestyle change, changed her life.
 Stephanie lost 70 pounds in one year while creating and following The Healthy Kitchen lifestyle program and has kept it off while enjoying all of the foods she loves, including desserts.  Her program is based on a low-carb eating style, which allows for other delicious foods that even include delicious creamy cheeses and lean cuts of juicy red meat — foods that may have to be given up altogether on other programs. The portions are hearty and generous, and the way she teaches clients to eat never leaves anyone hungry. 
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Understanding Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fascitiis is the most common cause of heel pain, affecting approximately 2 million individuals in the United States each year. Clinical manifestation and diagnosis is well recognized based on physical examination and symptoms. This condition occurs along the long plantar fascia ligament, which is a fibrous tissue that spreads across the bottom of the foot connecting from the calcaleus (heel bone) to the proximal phalanges (toes). This structure takes tremendous stress with each step we take. Repetitive activation or irritation of the fascia can lead to mechanical overload and micro tears.
Risk factors which may predispose one to development of fasciitis include decreased ankle flexibility, improper mechanics of the foot, wearing incorrect shoes, being overweight, repetitive activities such as athletes participating in running and jumping. Other causative factors may include standing workers, sustained repetitive stress, and calcaneal heel spurs.  
Typical presentation is heel pain that has been slowly progressive and most noticeable with the first step in the morning or after being sedentary for extended periods. Pain is often sharp or shooting with each step and a progressive dull ache throughout the day. If signs and symptoms are not clear, further diagnostic modalities or consulting with your health care provider may be warranted.
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Overtraining Issues

Exercise is good for you, but sometimes you can get too much of a good thing! This point will be reached at different times for different people. Exercise should be tiring, but it should also serve a greater goal, and invigorate you over the long haul. If you are more exhausted and depressed than anything after a workout (any workout,) you may be overtraining. It is important to note that “training” can be anything from lifting weights at the gym, going for an occasional run, to setting a program to run a triathlon.

Some signs of overtraining are as follows*:

• Decreased performance
• Prolonged recovery time
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Extreme muscle soreness (lasting more than 2 days)
• Stomach disturbances
• Increased illnesses and injuries
• Loss of sleep
• Irritability and depression

Increased training due to an upcoming competition is understandable. It is also common to start a new routine, see great results, and then get too fanatical about sticking to the routine. However, if it is coming at the expense of your everyday life, it may not be worth it.

To avoid burnout, it is important to understand that taking a break once in awhile is OK. Listen to your body. If you start to see signs of overtraining, skip a workout or two, even if it is part of a program leading up to a competition. Also, gradually work towards a heavy training load. Work towards your goals smartly. Finally, don’t feel obligated to keep up with everyone else’s training schedules. Everyone has a different lifestyle, fitness level, and fitness goals.

In conclusion, train hard, but listen to your body. It is beneficial to moderate your workload from time to time. It may not seem like it immediately, but it will help you reach your goals more quickly than “working through it.”

What is interval training and is it right for me

Interval training is any type of exercise that alternates bursts of high end intensity with intervals of average intensity for the entirety of a workout session.  Intervals can also include alternating types of exercise and even types of cardio for more efficiency and less boredom.  This type of exercise can be applied to almost anyone looking to up their efficiency during a workout session.  Intervals can alternate between and cardio and strength training or can alternate sprinting and walking.  There are many ways to incorporate interval training in between these two ideas.  If you think about it, a weekly exercise program is an extended interval program; cardio on Monday, weights on Tuesday, etc…  Newer studies are starting to surface that show that interval sprint training can not only improve long distance running performance, but can reduce actual overall training time.  So you get more with less!

Let’s look at this from the regular exerciser’s perspective.  How can this help?  If you plan on spending 60 minutes at the gym strength training, how much of that time is spent in between sets, waiting to recover for the next set?  If you plan on hitting the treadmill, how long can you run at a high speed without tiring and having to stop?  With interval training, you can combine the two workouts.  So in the same hour you would take to lift weights, you can add 20-30 minutes of cardio as an active recovery.  Lift lighter weights with much less breaks in between sets (30 seconds max) for about 10 minutes.  Then jump on the treadmill and run for 10 minutes.  Repeat this two more times and you have completed 30 minutes of cardio without getting exhausted by going all out for 30 straight minutes and you have also completed 30 minutes of almost non-stop strength training.  This will either give you additional rest days in your workout week, or more time to work towards your goals. 

The following is just a sample cardio/strength interval to follow.  Please make sure you are integrating this into your program so that it fits your goals.  If you would like help designing your own personalized interval training program, contact us via e-mail or phone, and I will be happy to help.

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Greek Yogurt versus American Yogurt

 

Greek yogurt owes its difference in texture to a process that slowly strains the whey (liquid) from more traditional yogurts.  This not only drains much of the runniness out of the yogurt, but it causes a more tart taste.  By draining the whey, the carb content is cut in half, as is the dairy content for the lactose intolerant.  Additionally, you will get roughly double the amount of protein in Greek yogurt than in American yogurt.  Due to the heavier feel and higher protein content, Greek yogurt should make you feel more full as well.  One note of caution:  try to buy low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt as the fat content will be higher than regular yogurt as it is thicker.
Both are good snack choices in the low-fat form.  Be careful to avoid the regular yogurts that come in whipped dessert flavors like banana cream pie.  To achieve these flavors, much of the calories come from added sugars, and much of the health benefits of natural yogurt is removed to maintain a low calorie product.

Is Eating at a Hibachi Restaurant Healthy

 

For the most part, yes.  While the sodium content is rather high in the entrees offered, there is very little fat added.  Your best bests are the salmon or the scallops, followed by chicken.  Even the steak hibachi isn’t a bad choice.  All offer high protein, low carb meals.  The steak is a little higher in saturated fat and bad cholesterol than the fish and chicken options.  Sashimi is a great starter, and even some of the sushi rolls are low calorie appetizers.  Avoid cream cheese, roe, tempura, and mayo in your rolls.   The broth soups offered as part of your meal is a good starter; the salad dressing can push the calories up a bit, but it is usually a small bowl, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. 
The only real concern is the fried rice.  It is cooked with oil sprayed directly into the rice.  As a result, the rice tastes better, but it also retains much of the artery clogging oil that it is cooking in.  White rice cooked on the side is much better.

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• Tip of the Month

  August 2010

  Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass

   If increasing muscle mass is one of your goals, then think twice before you go out for a night of heavy drinking. Consuming alcohol in large quantities has a direct effect on your metabolism, causing fat to be stored instead of being utilized as an energy source. Alcohol contains seven “empty” calories per gram, meaning that these calories don’t provide you with any of the essential nutrients you need to build that muscle mass you desire.

  Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body
  Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
  Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
  Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
  Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

  Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Physical Performance
  Alcohol is a known depressant that suppresses the brain’s ability to function. Even though you may feel a “high” after several cocktails, the truth is that your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance all decrease dramatically. Furthermore, the after-effects of a night of excessive drinking can be detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic that may result in dehydration. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day.

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• Recipe of the Month

  August 2010

  Pepperoni Pizza

   

  Pepperoni pizza gets a healthful makeover with whole-wheat pizza dough and a flavorful tomato sauce that, thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree, provides extra beta carotene and fiber. We’ve topped the pie with low-fat turkey pepperoni, but if you like, use your favorite sliced vegetables instead.

   

  INGREDIENTS

  1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, (see Shopping Tip), thawed if frozen

  1 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

  1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce

  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni, (1/2 cup)

   

  COOKING DIRECTIONS

  Step 1- Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

  Step 2- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.

  Step 3- Whisk pumpkin puree, tomato sauce and garlic powder in a small bowl until combined.

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