Archive for 'Mental Health Tips'
Winston Salem Gyms:Vitamins Supplements and Herbs
January 13th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
Winston Salem Gyms -Vitamins
Vitamin A
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B5
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B9
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin H
Vitamin K
HerbalsAloe Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe |
Winston Salem Gyms:Staying in Good Health: The Role of Vitamins
January 12th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
Winston Salem Gyms -Prevents night blindness and other eye problems. Aids some skin disorders such as acne. Enhances immunity and protects against colds, influenza and infections. May heal gastrointestinal ulcers. Protects against pollution and cancer formation. Acts as an antioxidant needed for epithelial tissue maintenance and repair important for formation of bones and teeth. Aids in fat storage. Slows the aging process. Protein cannot be utilized by the body without this.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
Enhances circulation. Assists in the production of hydrochloric acid, blood formation, and carbohydrate metabolism. Affects energy, growth disorders and learning capacity. Needed for normal muscle tone of the intestines, stomach and heart. Warnings: antibiotics, sulfa drugs and oral contraceptives may decrease thiamin levels in the body a high carbohydrate diet increases the need for thiamin.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Necessary for red blood cell formation, antibody production, cellular respiration and growth. Alleviates eye fatigue and is important in the prevention and treatment of cataracts. Aids in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. When used with vitamin A, it maintains and improves the mucous membranes in the digestive tract, facilitates oxygen use by body tissues, eliminates dandruff, helps the uptake of iron, B6 important during pregnancy since a lack can lead to fetal damage. Aids in the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Warnings: oral contraceptives and strenuous exercise decrease riboflavin levels in the body. Riboflavin is easily destroyed by light, cooking, antibiotics and alcohol.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin, Niacinamide, Nicotinic Acid)
Needed for proper circulation and healthy skin. Aids in the functioning of the nervous system. Aids in metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Used in the production of hydrochloric acid. Lowers cholesterol
Pantothenic Acid (B5)
Known as the ‘anti-stress vitamin’ since it is used in the production of adrenal hormones and antibodies. Helps convert fats, carbohydrates and proteins into energy needed to produce vital steroids and cortisone in the adrenal gland. Required by all cells of the body. Needed for normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. May be helpful in treating depression and anxiety.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Involved in more bodily functions than any other single nutrient. Affects both physical and mental health is a natural diuretic. Reduces swelling associated with PMS, injury, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Aids in preventing oxalate kidney stones from forming. Necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid and the absorption of fats and proteins. Maintains sodium and potassium balance. Needed for a properly functioning nervous system. Promotes red blood cell formation. Aids in the production of antibodies. Plays a role in cancer immunity and arteriosclerosis. Inhibits the formation of homocysteine which attacks the heart muscle and allows the deposition of cholesterol around the heart muscle. Helpful in the treatment of allergies, arthritis and asthma. Warnings: antidepressants, estrogen, and oral contraceptives may increase the need for vitamin B6 in the body.
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
Needed for energy production and formation of red blood cells. Helps prevent coronary heart disease. Important for healthy cell division and replication. May help depression and anxiety. Shown to help in uterine cervical dysplasia. Essential to regulate embryonic and fetal development of nerve cells. Vital for normal growth and development. Significantly reduces risk of colon cancer.
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
Needed to prevent anemia. Aids in cell formation and cellular longevity. Required for proper digestion, absorption of food, protein synthesis, and metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. Prevents nerve damage, maintains fertility, and promotes normal growth and development. Warnings: deficiency can be caused by malabsorption – such as the elderly and those with digestive disorders.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
Powerful antioxidant that protects against pollution and prevents cancer. Required for tissue growth and repair. Essential in the formation of collagen to form tissue. Protects against blood clotting and bruising. Promotes healing of wounds and the production of anti-stress hormones. May reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure. Protects against genetic damage, cataracts, colon cancer, respiratory illnesses, asthma, breast cancer. Warnings: aspirin, alcohol, analgesics, antidepressants, anticoagulants, oral contraceptives and steroids may reduce levels of vitamin C. Pregnant women should use amounts no larger than 5,000 mg, as the fetus may become dependent on this supplement and develop scurvy.
Vitamin D
Required for calcium and phosphorus absorption and utilization. Necessary for growth and especially important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth in children. Essential for the prevention of osteoporosis and rickets. Enhances immunity.
Vitamin E
Antioxidant that prevents cancer and cardiovascular disease. Has been shown to reduce the chance of a heart attack by 75%. Improves circulation and aids in normal clotting and healing. Reduces blood pressure. Aids in preventing cataracts. Aids in the repair of tissue useful in treating fibrocystic breasts, PMS and leg cramps. Retards aging and may prevent age spots.
The following information is simply a description of the effects of vitamins. Please consult with a health professional before taking any supplements.
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Nutritional Supplements to Build Bone and Help Prevent Osteoporosis
January 10th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. 1 Comment
Here are some general tips for maintaining healthy bones:
- Reduce the amount of protein, such as meat, in your diet. This will help prevent too much calcium from being excreted by the body.
- Avoid carbonated beverages. This will reduce sugar and phosphorus in your diet, which also helps prevent too much calcium from being excreted by the body.
- Increase calcium in your diet. Dairy products, green leafy vegetables and legumes are great sources of calcium. Use low fat products if you need to also control your weight. Look for other products, such as orange juice, that have added calcium.
- Get more Vitamin D by getting at least 15 minutes of direct exposure from the sun each day. If you live in a climate where this is not always possible, take a multivitamin that has the recommended daily amounts of Vitamin D. For adults, 1200 mg of Vitamin D is recommended daily (600 mg 2 times per day) and is effective when taken with calcium.
- Exercise. Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Weight-bearing exercises, such as low-impact aerobics, jogging, and walking are helpful in minimizing bone loss.
Supplements
Despite all our best intentions, sometimes it is just not possible to eat right and get all the appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals in our diet – especially if we are at risk for osteoporosis. That’s when taking nutritional supplements can be helpful. However, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any diet or taking and nutritional supplements.
If you have osteoporosis, are at risk for osteoporosis, or are interested in maintaining healthy bones, increasing your intake of the following minerals and vitamins will help.
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Guiltless Sweets
January 9th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
Signup for our FREE eNewsletter, SpineAdvisor, where you will also find tips about diets, weight loss, and back pain.
—SpineUniverse Editorial Board Commentary
Do you feel guilty eating sweets? You shouldn’t. There is nothing wrong with eating an occasional sweet. It is far wiser to plan a sweet dessert now and again, rather than deprive yourself for weeks only to eat half your body weight in sweets later.
It is the balance of your diet that counts. Unfortunately, too many Americans eat far too much sugar. Our per capita consumption of sugar is 120 pounds per year! This works out to 600 excess calories a day which are devoid of any nutritional value. In view of this fact, it is easy to see why Americans have a problem with obesity while falling short with other critical nutrients like iron, calcium and folic acid.
A brief note needs to be stated about carbohydrates and the bodies’ capacity to burn them. It is true that the body loves to burn carbohydrates and sugar is a carbohydrate, but consider this: a pound of Tootsie Rolls contains 1200 calories and a pound of apples contains 263 calories. Which food do you think causes obesity? As sugar is a concentrated source of carbohydrates, it can carry excess calories. Excess calories are converted into fat!
Although sugar in the diet does not have the killer status of fats and salt, it can cause other health problems aside from obesity. Tooth decay can be the result of sweets taken in between meals. Honey, which many believe is healthier than table sugar, actually comes with a glue which adheres cavity causing bacteria to teeth.
Fortunately our taste for sweets is acquired much like our taste for salt. This means we can change our taste acquity for sugar by altering the amounts in our diet.
Gradually substitute less sweet foods, like tea biscuits and fruit tarts, for icing-laden cakes and cookies. Make some of your favorite recipes with a third less sugar. The sugar in most recipes can be reduced by 50 to 75 percent without altering the final product. As fruit juice concentrate is twice as sweet as sugar, you can use half the quantity of concentrate to produce the same amount of sweetness. Fruit juice concentrate also helps provide moisture to baked goods which are reduced in fat.
Check the “tips” section for additional ideas on curbing your sweet tooth. Remember, you want nutritional value for your calories. Healthier choices go a long way in making you lean, fit and trim.
Tips For Cutting Back on Sugar
- If sweets are your downfall, try saving them for special occasions. Plan a candy bar or cookie ahead of time, say, on the weekends. It is far better to incorporate them into your diet than binge on them when feeling deprived.
- Bake your own sweets with half of the sugar. Or try substituting applesauce for sugar in muffin and sweet bread recipes.
- Use dried fruits as extra sweeteners in cookies. Beware of dried fruits as snacks alone. They are rich in calories and can stick to teeth causing tooth decay.
- Use powered sugar as a substitute for icings on chocolate cakes. Get a doilie and place on top of cake. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and remove doilie…Wallah! Poetry in motion without the extra fat in icings!
- Use “conserves” instead of “preserves”. The former do not have added sugar.
- Use sliced fresh fruit as a topping for french toast or pancakes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. This helps bypass the maple syrup.
- Buy plain non-fat yogurt and add your own fresh fruit. Flavored yogurts can contain up to seven teaspoons of added sugar.
- The product “Equal” is actually two naturally occurring amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine) hooked together. This works well for sweetening cold products, but breaks down in cooking.
- Look for breakfast cereals with six grams or less of added sugar and more than four grams of fiber. Read the label and beware of words that end with “ose”. These are sugars too: corn syrup solids, dextrose, maltose etc.
- Beware of fruit-flavored waters. These products can have as much sugar as sodas. Make your own beverage with half fruit juice and half mineral water.
- Eat fresh fruit whenever possible. When buying canned fruit, buy those packed in their own juice or “lite” syrup.
- Avoid having sweets around “for guests”. Chances are you will eat them before your friends and family will.
- Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Dining Out: Making Better Choices
January 8th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
Winston Salem Gyms -More people are becoming conscious about what they eat; therefore, finding items on the menus of their favorite restaurants is no longer difficult. Most restaurants will prepare foods the way you request without giving you an unwanted response like, “What, no butter on your potato, it won’t taste very good.” Many chefs nowadays have made substitutions in their cooking to keep the taste in the dishes.
Here is a list of some of your favorite types of restaurants and what to order, what to avoid and how to order to stay in your eating plans:
Mexican
Two very popular dishes when going out for Mexican food are chili rellenos and cheese enchiladas. These dishes should no longer be on your list if you want to eat healthy and not blow your eating plan. You would wind up getting more fat grams in that one meal than you are allowed all day. The main items to avoid at a Mexican Restaurant are: cheese, sour cream, avocado, flour tortillas, refried beans and the fried tortilla chips. If you know where you are going in advance, you can bring some baked chips along with you or ask the waitress for some steamed corn tortillas to dip into the salsa. Most salsa is fine to eat, but avoid the chili con queso dip as an appetizer (its loaded with fat). Remember, it’s not just the fat by itself you want to avoid, it is the fat with the carbohydrates. Here is a comparison of good choices vs. bad choices:
Typical Meal
Chili con queso/chips
Chili Rellenos
Refried Beans
Mexican rice (with lard)
Gold Margarita
Better Choice
Salsa with corn tortillas (steamed)
Chicken Fajitas–use corn tortillas or 1 flour tortilla (if you can’t resist)
Lettuce and tomato
Black beans
Mexican Rice (if no lard is used)
Lite Margarita
Chinese
Beyond the contrary belief, Chinese food can be very healthy eating if you know how to order. Of course, just like many other types of food preparations, Chinese food is prepared with many types of oils. Some favorite Chinese dishes are battered and fried. Fried rice, egg rolls and Szechwan dishes with peanuts and almonds are extremely high in fat. The Chinese use steamed white rice and many vegetables in their dishes, so take advantage of these items. Here is an example of a popular meal versus what you should try next time:
Typical Meal
Egg drop soup
Egg roll
Fried rice
Kung Pao chicken
Better Choice
Skip the soup–too high in sodium
Steamed vegetable dumplings
Steamed rice
Steamed Shrimp or chicken with ginger sauce on the side
Steamed vegetables
Italian
Now, this one may be your hardest meal to avoid the fat and high carbohydrates to keep your intake in balance. Your foods to avoid at Italian restaurants are cheese, sausage, high fat ground beef and cream sauces. The famous fettuccine alfredo is loaded with fat. Remember, just ordering pasta with marinara sauce (no protein) is a very high carbohydrate meal–usually 80-100 grams in the meal. If you want to keep your carbohydrate intake low and still get satisfied, order like this:
Typical Meal
Fettuccine Alfredo
Garlic Bread
Salad with heavy oil dressing
Red Wine
Better Choice
Shrimp or scallops with angel hair pasta–marinara sauce
1 piece of bread (no garlic butter)
Salad – green and tomatoes w/ red wine & vinegar dressing
White wine spritzer
As you can see, out of the three types of meals you might choose to eat when dining out, you can still maintain your healthy eating habits and not have to “go off the plan” every time you go out to dinner. Do no let dining out be your excuse to over eat!!! Stay in control of you eating – You only have one body – Take care of it!
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Tips to Maintain a Healthy Diet
January 7th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training. 1 Comment
—SpineUniverse Editorial Board Commentary
- Whole grain products contain the entire kernel, and that is healthier. Examples are whole grain bread, pastas, crackers, bagels, tortillas, and brown rice.
- Fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, melons, and strawberries are excellent sources of Vitamin C.
- Betacarotene is found in red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables such as apricots, peaches, carrots, tomatoes, and squash.
- Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale, and romaine lettuce are great sources of folic acid.
- Non-dairy sources of calcium are salmon, sardines, dates, oranges, pinto beans, broccoli, kale, and calcium-fortified juices, breads, and cereals.
- Choose cheeses made from part-skim milk. Examples are Jarlsburg, Swiss Lorraine, string, mozzarella, tybo, lappi, and farmers cheese.
- Choose yogurts made from non-fat milk. Skip the extra sugar by choosing those made with aspartame. This sweetener is actually two naturally occurring amino acids: phenylalanine and aspartic acid. They are widely found in food and not hazardous to your health.
- Keep this in mind as you use butter: An avocado cut in eights, a strip of bacon, a teaspoon of cream cheese and five nuts are all equal to a pat of butter or five grams of fat.
- If you can not live without candy, save it for a special occasion rather than an every day indulgence.
- Drink in moderation. Though a glass of red wine may prove to lower cholesterol levels, remember a glass is 6 ounces not 16 ounces!
,
Quiz
1. Did you eat at least 4 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables today?
2. Did you eat at least 2 servings from the dairy group from those foods rich in calcium?
3. Did you choose leaner cuts of meats?
4. Did you try to reduce the fat you add to food?
5. Name some non-animal sources of protein.
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Physical Activity: Health Benefits vs. Fitness Benefits
January 6th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
Physical activity suggests doing something fun that involves moving. Exercise implies doing something you don’t like because it’s good for you. If you hate to exercise, think physical activity, and remember, if it’s not fun, it’s not done.
“I hear that you should get 30 minutes of exercise a day, but you can break it up. Does this have the same effect?”
Yes. A recent study (Deakin University, Melbourne) found that nine weekly 10-minute sessions offer the same health benefits as three weekly 30-minute sessions. This is good news for beginning exercisers, who may find it easier to stick to shorter workouts.
“Which is better for burning fat: 30 minutes of exercise at a quick pace or a longer session at a slower pace?”
The highest intensity an exerciser can sustain without going to exhaustion will burn more fat. The faster you walk, swim, cycle, etc., the more calories you use per minute. However, if you’ve been sedentary, you won’t last long at a higher intensity and might hurt yourself, so you need to start slow and gradually work up to a higher pace.
“Is doing only one set of an exercise really as good as doing two or three?”
Many studies (University of Florida, Gainesville is one) have shown similar improvements in strength and muscle size for groups of untrained people performing one set per exercise as compared to groups doing three sets. For people just starting out, or who want to maintain the strength gains they’ve already achieved, one set of each exercise is enough. However, for athletes and anyone trying to achieve greater strength gains, 2-3 sets are better.
“Will crunches help me lose the fat around my stomach?”
You cannot spot reduce fat, except by liposuction! Crunches will tone your abdominal muscles, but you will have the same layer of fat sitting on top of these muscles unless you create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume. Don’t look for quick fixes–as we all know, if it sounds to good too be true, it probably is! For more information, see The Truth about Training the Abdominal Muscles.
“I started exercising (walking, exercise bike, etc.) to improve my health and lose some weight, but I have gained weight instead. What am I doing wrong?”
What weight are we talking about? Scales are a poor indicator of changes in body composition because muscle is more dense than fat. This means that a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. Instead of worrying about changes on the scale, look for changes in how your clothes fit. Gaining weight isn’t bad if it’s muscle–along with looking good, it revs up your metabolism. For every pound of muscle added to your body, you’ll burn at least 35 more calories per day. Three pounds of muscle will burn enough calories in a month to lose a pound a fat! (The only way you can really “melt off pounds in your sleep”!) Read Strength Training for Weight Loss Success for other interesting facts.
If you really did gain fat, see if anything has changed that might contribute to the extra pounds of fat such as quitting smoking or going on hormone replacement therapy. Most importantly, you’ll have to look at the whole picture: aerobic exercise is only one of three factors in weight management. Strength training and healthy eating habits are the other two. If you’re really concerned, I’d suggest investing in a few sessions with a registered dietitian who is knowledgeable in exercise prescription.
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:The Truth About Training the Abdominal Muscles
January 5th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. 1 Comment
Winston Salem Gyms -The abdominals are one of the body’s most talked about muscle groups. It seems like just about everyone would like to tone and/or reduce this area. Unfortunately, it’s also the muscle group that generates the most misconceptions.
The myth that abdominal exercises will remove the fat around your waistline: Fact: You cannot spot reduce fat (except by liposuction!) Ab exercises will tone your abdominal muscles, but you will have the same layer of fat sitting on these muscles unless you create a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume. The most effective combination is eating low-fat foods, aerobic exercise, and strength training. You might not like this answer, but it is the only one that will work in the long run. Don’t look for quick-fixes–as we all know, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!
The flat-stomach myth: Fact: Many people are on a quest to achieve a “flat stomach”. Unfortunately, this is not physiologically possible. The obsession with the abdominal area can cause frustration, anxiety, and can even lead to eating disorders. The truth is, our abdominals aren’t designed to be flat. Instead, the abdominal muscles form a rounded–not flat–shape. The torso is shaped like a cylinder, not a laundry aid (the washboard!) Gender, age, and individual body types can effect the size and shape of your abdomen.
So instead of worrying about something you can’t change, try focusing on something you can–like your posture. Poor posture can contribute to a “pot belly” look, while good posture can add to a trimmer-looking physique. Good posture consists of a slight bending of the knees, using the abdominal muscles to point the tailbone toward the floor, and keeping your shoulders back and your head balanced on your neck (not leaning forward). Think of a string attached to your head which is being pulled upward. Better posture will make you feel taller and slimmer.
Many people believe that performing lots of abdominal exercises is a way of achieving a flat stomach. The abdominal muscles react to resistance training just like any other muscle group. Performing 100 biceps curls is not the proper way to overload the biceps–neither is doing 100 crunches to work the abdominals. Effective exercise will fatigue muscles in less than 20 repetitions and will produce better results.
The fact that millions of Americans desire toned abdominals is what keeps the ab exercise industry booming. Unfortunately, many of these exercise devices that claim to “trim, flatten and tone the stomach” are ineffective and some are actually unsafe. You can achieve results without any equipment. You can even tone your abdominals by performing a “pelvic tilt” while sitting in a chair. This method can strengthen your abdominals for better posture and for supporting the back. People with weak abs find this very helpful and easy to do.
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Strength Training for Weight Loss Success
January 3rd, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
Winston Salem Gyms -Why Diets Don’t Work
If you go “on a diet”, what does that mean? That you will eventually go “off the diet”. If you haven’t changed your eating and physical activity behaviors, what’s going to happen? Rationally, you know the answer, but emotionally, you engage in wishful thinking, hoping that this time you will lose the weight and keep it off. What weight are we talking about? When people tell me they lost 12 pounds in two weeks, I ask “12 pounds of what?” On low-calorie diets, about 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle (Ballor & Polehlman 1994).
Losing muscle is a bad thing. Muscle tissue is very active–it burns a lot of calories. Every pound of muscle burns about 35 calories per day. Using the above example, if you lost 12 pounds, then, you lost three pounds of muscle. You would be burning 105 less calories per day or 3150 per month. Since there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, you would gain almost one pound of fat per month just from the muscle mass that you lost!
Why The Middle-Aged Spread Keeps Spreading
Inactive adults lose around one-half pound of muscle per year, or five pounds per decade. Since most people continue to eat as much as usual, what’s going to happen? If you take in more calories then you burn, the extra calories get stored as fat. Fat is less dense then muscle—a pound of fat takes up more room than a pound of muscle. This means that as you lose muscle and gain fat, your weight might remain the same over the years, but your waistline will continue to expand!
Rev Up Your Metabolism–The Key to Permanent Weight Loss
How can we lose and keep off extra fat? You need to increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the pace your body burns calories at rest. Your RMR is closely linked to the amount of muscle you have–remember, muscle burns more calories than fat. Adding muscle will raise your RMR and will greatly increase the chance that the weight loss (more accurately fat loss) will be maintained.
Strength Training Versus Aerobic Exercise
Contrary to what many people think, strength training is as important, maybe more important to successful fat loss than aerobic exercise. The reason lies in the amount of calories that are burned when you aren’t exercising. Depending on the intensity and your weight, an aerobic workout (walking, cycling, stair stepping) will burn approximately 300 calories per hour. If the exercise is strenuous enough (which is unlikely in the beginning exerciser) the RMR will be elevated temporarily up to a few hours afterwards. Compare this to strength training which elevates the RMR permanently. The RMR accounts for 60 to 75 percent of your daily calorie expenditure, so even a modest increase will help burn off more fat.
One study (Campbell 1994) found that a three-month basic strength-training program resulted in the subjects gaining three pound of muscle and losing four pounds of fat, while eating 370 more calories per day (a 15 percent calorie increase). Remember, aerobic exercise generally doesn’t increase muscle tissue. In fact, excessive amount of aerobic exercise combined with a low-calorie diet can cause the loss of some muscle tissue. This is not to say that overweight individuals shouldn’t do aerobic exercise–it offers many health benefits and is a part of a weight loss program. It’s just that aerobic exercise by itself may not be the best solution for permanent weight (fat) loss.
Don’t think that you need to workout in a gym for two hours to strength train. Significant gains can be made with a consistent 30-minute workout performed 2 -3 times per week. Check out the Simple Fitness Solutions Strength-Training Kit for an easy way to train at home. This could be your key to successful weight control
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe
Winston Salem Gyms:Eating to Lose Weight
January 2nd, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Aerobic Conditioning, Exercise Tips, Fitness Tips, Health Tips, Mental Health Tips, Strength Training, winston salem gyms. No Comments
—SpineUniverse Editorial Board Commentary
You need to eat to burn body fat. This is a fact: The first nutritional demand of your body is energy. Without adequate energy, your body will convert muscle protein into energy to feed your brain, nervous system and red blood cells.
These particular tissues do not possess the metabolic machinery to burn fat. They only burn carbohydrates. When your intake of carbohydrate falls below these tissues demand, the body begins to convert tissue protein into carbohydrate to meet their need. The net result is a loss of muscle tissue.
Yes, the scale may say you have lost “weight”, but you have lost the very tissue that burns fat. Muscle tissue burns 70% of the fat in your body; so losing muscle sacrifices your ability to burn body fat.
In fact, the “weight” you lose on a diet can represent up to 10 to 20% of those pounds in muscle loss. This poor dieter will not only regain this weight, but then some. All because they have compromised their ability to burn body fat.
This is also why people gain weight as they age.
Aging causes muscle loss. So does inactivity. Have you heard of the saying”Use it or lose it”? This is true of your muscle.
Inactivity leads to muscle loss and muscle loss causes a lowered capacity to burn fat, so you wear more of it.
The bottom line is this: At any time, or for whatever reason, you lose your muscle; you lose your capacity to burn fat. Diets, aging and inactivity all lead to a decreased amount of muscle weight and an increased amount of fat tissue.
Never fear. You can, at any time in your life, rebuild your muscle and teach it to burn fat.
Aerobic exercise rebuilds your muscle and teaches it to burn more fat. Eating right gives you the nutrients you need to make that muscle. The food pyramid outlines how to eat to get the nutrients you need, so let us deal more specifically with energy needs and where that energy needs to come from.
In order to burn just the fat and not the other lean tissue in your body, you need to meet your minimal energy requirement.
If you want to maintain your current weight, this level is found by multiplying your weight by 15.
If you want to lose weight, multiply your ideal weight by ten. For example, if your ideal weight is 140 pounds, your minimal energy requirement is 1400 calories.
Next, you need to factor in the calories needed for exercise and activity. Very active people (those who exercise 3 hours or more a week) need to multiply their minimal requirement by 1.5. Moderately active individuals (those who exercise 1 to 3 hours per week) need to multiply their requirement by 1.2.
Slugs need not factor in additional calories.
For those of us who move, let’s cite an example: if you take 4 hours of aerobics classes per week and your ideal weight is 140 pounds, you need 2100 calories a day to keep your muscle and burn the fat.
Now, where does that energy need to come from? It makes sense that if you want to burn the fat on your body; you do not want to be eating it in your food.
Let’s be perfectly clear about this. There are only two fates of fat in your diet: Fat is either burned by your muscle or it is deposited in your fat cells. If you are wanting to lose body fat, the solution is simple: Eat less and burn more.
Which leads to the debate: “WHAT IS LESS?”
Less is 30% of your calorie intake. To find this amount of fat in grams; multiply your caloric requirement by .3 and divide the calories by nine. For example, 2100 calories times .3 is 630 calories, divided by nine leaves 70 grams of fat.
When you consider a “Double Western Cheeseburger Supreme” has 70 grams of fat, you can appreciate the etiology of obesity in America. In fact, statistics show that one out of every three of us can qualify as overweight, so we have some work cut out for us in terms of the amount of fat in our diets.
Take a look at the foods below and see where you can substitute one food for another to lower your fat intake:
| Food | Fat Grams | Food | Fat Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Cream | 34 | Frozen Yogurt | 0 |
| 3 oz. Salami | 30 | 3 oz. Ham | 3 |
| 1 Croissant | 25 | 1 Bagel | 1 |
| 1 Tablespoon Butter | 11 | 1 Tablespoon Sour Cream | 3 |
Remember, small substitutions can add up to big losses over a years time. Cutting out 25 grams of fat a day translates into a 25 pound body fat loss in a year. The best part is, you are still eating. Only this time, you won’t be “wearing” your groceries!
Tips For Eating to Lose Weight
Those who are successful at losing weight make evolutionary changes with their diets, not revolutionary changes. Start by choosing those changes you can live with on a permanent basis. Then move on to change other habits. One habit at a time, you’ll get there!
- Eat slowly. It take twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full.
- Pick out foods you need to chew on. Try bagels, apples, french rolls and raw vegetables. These foods will slow your rate of eating.
- Try a warm beverage as or with a snack. This helps to feel full.
- Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water per day. This helps fill you up and keeps you busy with other activities besides swinging on the refrigerator door!
- An eight ounce glass of orange juice is really three oranges! Eating oranges is much more satisfying than drinking juice.
- Eat an afternoon snack before you leave work. This helps overeating while getting dinner ready.
- Here are some healthy snacks: Popcorn, bread sticks, oyster crackers, pretzels, fruit, yogurt, gingersnaps, graham crackers, biscotti cookies, vanilla wafers or amaretto cookies.
- Frozen yogurt, angel food cake and sherbet are all low fat!
- Every time you use your muscles, you are burning fat. Try climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
- Small steps add up in reducing fat. Use jam on toast instead of butter and knock off 30 calories and 5 grams of fat.
Quiz
- Did you cut back on added fat in your diet?
- Did you substitute lower fat foods for your regular ones?
- Did you chose leaner cuts of meat?
- Did you have a low fat snack before leaving work?
- What three factors contribute to muscle loss?
Winston Salem Fitness Information Source: Sally Smith and Spine Universe