Finding Time For Exercise
I often hear people saying
that they have no time to exercise. I hear all sorts of excuses from
"I'm
too busy taking care of the kids" to "I'm too busy at work" and there's
plenty more... There's always time to exercise and there are numerous
health
benefits as well as intangible benefits why you should exercise. You
just
have to figure out a way to fit exercise into your lifestyle.
For example, if your children
prevent you from finding the time to exercise, why not involve them in
a family exercise activity. Go cycling or inline skating as a family on
a Saturday or Sunday when you are free. One day a week is better than
no
exercise at all!
Find some time during the
week to go to the gym or work out at home. These days there are so many
gyms that you could always join one that's close to work or a gym that
has a daycare facility for your children included in the price of your
membership. So there's really no excuse for: "Who will take care of the
kids". Two to three times a week of exercise for 45 minutes to an hour
is adequate.
The other alternative is
to buy a home gym. You can obtain basic good equipment at reasonable
prices.
For a list of basic weight training exercises click
here.
Posted on: Friday October
21, 2005 11:33 am
Whey
Protein Powder Supplement
With so many supplement companies
producing their own brands of protein powders, it's difficult to decide
which brand to choose. So which one is right for you?
Designer Whey which I am
currently using at the moment, in my opinion, is the best overall
product
on the market. Designer Whey seems to produce the quickest lean muscle
gains in the shortest amount of time, has faster workout recovery times
for your muscles - I'm rarely sore after hard workouts - and in the
long
run, helps you to increase your power and strength. It's also 97%
lactose
free. It comes in several great flavors, it is easy to mix and tastes
great
- either alone in water or mixed with fruit juices. I prefer mixing it
with cranberry juice.
The complete article on Whey
Protein can be found here.
It discusses in depth why I prefer Designer Whey Protein and the
reasons
provided by the manufacturer why it is effective in providing lean
muscle
gain.
Posted on: Wednesday October
19, 2005 9:21 am
Tip on
beating the common cold or flu
If you do feel the symptoms
of a cold, flu just coming on or if you're in close contact with people
who are ill you may want to consider taking Echinacea (Purple
Coneflower).
In the past, Echinacea was used by North America's Native Indians to
treat
fevers and by early settlers to North America for treating colds and
the
flu.
Forget about taking over
the counter cold and flu medications because they do not work and they
are expensive. Echinacea is most effective when it is taken just when
you
feel symptoms of a flu or cold. By taking it at this stage, your
symptoms
will either disappear entirely or the symptoms will be very mild,
almost
unnoticeable. Taking Echinacea once the cold or flu has gotten worse
will
not help relieve your symptoms.
If you are in close contact
with sick people, you may want to take Echinacea to keep your immune
system
resistant to the flu or cold. I prefer using capsules from a quality
manufacturer
of Echinacea. However, it should not be used for a prolonged period of
time because it will lose its effect of boosting your immune system and
be sure to read the manufacturer's instructions. A detailed article on
avoiding the cold or flu can be found here.
Posted on: Monday October
17, 2005 6:52 am
How to
Substitute Fat in Your Everyday
Diet
Fat is a nutrient that is
a contributor to the increasing problem of obesity in the world today.
It's stored in the fat cells of the body. The number of fat cells is
estimated
to be around 50 billion for the average person. It can be up to 100
billion
for the obese person.
Fat cells are like storage
tanks of energy to be used for later use. It has been shown that obese
people who binge eat may stimulate baby fat cells to sprout to increase
the number of fat cells they have.
Fats are found in foods such
as butter, margarine, oils, fats, dripping, nuts and oil seeds.
Research
conducted indicates that good fats such as fish oils especially deep
sea
fish, olive oil, canola oil, avocado and nuts contain important fatty
acids
which if taken by people aged 65 plus reduced the risk of a fatal heart
attack by 44%.
Other names for fats include:
lard, animal shortening, coconut oil, palm oil, vegetable oil,
butterfat,
whole milk solids, copra, tallow, chocolate chips, shortening,
margarine,
cocoa butter.
There are three types of
fat to found in the diet.
Saturated fats - are found
mainly in animal products and do the most damage and are the most
related
to the build-up of cholesterol in the arteries. Research has indicated
that saturated fats in the diet can increase LDL cholesterol levels in
the blood, which is the unwanted cholesterol and should be avoided. The
following foods contain this type of fat:
Meat
Dairy
Eggs
Cakes,
biscuits and pastries
Monounsaturated fats - Monounsaturated
fats help to decrease the cholesterol and LDL levels in the blood. The
following foods contain this type of fat:
Olive Oil
Canola
Oil
Peanut
Oil
Polyunsaturated fats - Polyunsaturated
fats in small quantities can help to decrease total cholesterol.
Examples
of polyunsaturated fats are vegetable oil and palm oil.
As pointed out before, consuming
fats is the major culprit that leads to fat being on the human body
mainly
because fats are high in calories. I recommended that people eat less
than
20% of total their total calories from fat.
We also know that eating
too much fat leads to health problems and weight-gain, but we do need
some
healthy fats in our diet. Fats are a source of soluble vitamins A, D
and
E.
Fats provide hormone production
and skin health and protection of vital organs and insulation. Too much
fat in the diet however, can increase the risk of a number of lifestyle
diseases that are common in the western world.
So please limit the saturated
fats in your diet which includes butter, cream, full-fat dairy
products,
fatty meats, cakes, pastries and fried foods. Choose lean meats where
possible
and trim visible fat and skin before cooking. Select low fat dairy
products
where possible. Be aware of the hidden fats in processed foods and
foods
high in salt. Choose liquid fats over solid fats e.g. olive and canola
oil over butter.
Include amounts of unsaturated
or 'good fats' in your diet. Sources include fish, olive and canola
oil,
nuts and avocado. Also try to include the good omega-3 fats daily -
fatty
fish such as salmon, tuna, and sardines are good sources.
Posted by Maximum
Fitness
Posted on: Tuesday October
11, 2005 7:35 am
Proper
Nutrition and Exercise
Nowadays we are inundated
with diet programs and diet pills that claim to help you lose weight
quickly.
It can be really confusing for you or any person when it comes to
choosing
which one is best for you and the most important question that you
should
be asking yourself is: Do these diet programs and pills really
work?
Recently due to the death
of Dr Atkins, the Atkins Diet came under scrutiny. Now Dr Phil's Diet
is
in the news. He's being sued because his diet is not helping people to
lose weight like it’s supposed to. I will not discuss the
details of this
litigation. The purpose of this article is that I feel that you should
be wary of a fad diets even those endorsed by celebrities! Since these
diets are highly visible, the temptation always exists to try them
because
it worked for a certain celebrity.
Unfortunately there is no
easy 'miracle cure' for weight loss. You know that people spend a lot
of
money on these diets and there is no scientific proof that they will
work
and keep weight off for you in the long-term. People often look for
quick
and easy ways to lose weight. Like any thing in life, weight loss takes
a little effort and commitment on your part. The only proven way to
lose
weight safely and effectively is through proper nutrition combined with
regular exercise. Your body must be able to burn off more calories than
it consumes.
The only way to keep from
gaining weight permanently is to keep eating healthy foods and
exercising
regularly. Many people after they lose weight, they stop eating
properly
and stop exercising on a regular basis and end up gaining weight again.
There are a lot of reasons this can happen. They may create excuses for
themselves that they do not have time to exercise. My answer to this is
that there is always time for exercise. You must set aside some time,
at
least 2 to 3 times a week, for exercise. When you do this, exercise
becomes
part of your life and not a chore that you must do. In the long run you
will feel healthier without being over weight and exercise will be
enjoyable.
You will feel confident and positive that you accomplished a goal that
you set out to do in a natural way without being a slave to all those
commercial
diets that eventually fade into the oblivion.
There are a lot of good books
on the market that discuss proper nutrition an exercise as the means to
your weight loss goals, but which one should you choose? Hiring a
personal
trainer is expensive and that person may not possess the required
knowledge
about proper nutrition to help you lose weight. One all-inclusive and
comprehensive
fitness and health program that I do recommend is the Fast
Track To Fat Loss Program. Here you'll receive a customized
fitness and nutritional program suited to you and created by fitness
and
nutritional experts.
Posted by Peter.
Posted on: Saturday October 5, 2005
8:50 am
Although
this article is
written for women and the research was conducted using female
participants,
the points mentioned also pertain to men. I know that weight training
is
equally important for men as they age. Not only will lifting weights as
part of your overall fitness routine help you lose excess weight or
control
your weight, but your body will feel stronger and healthier.
Weight
Training and Its Effects on Aging
- What Research Shows
By
Janet Ford, President,
PowerFit LLC
Everyone gets older. How
you get older is up to you.
The Research: In 1994, Dr.
Miriam Nelson and other researchers from Tufts University uncovered
unexpected
results from a study performed with women in their 50's and 60's. These
women were given a weight lifting program to perform twice a week, one
half hour each time. The women did not alter their diets or try to lose
weight during the study.
The Results: After one year,
measurements of the women's lean muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness,
coordination
and bone density were comparable to younger women in their 30's and
early
40's! In addition, the women dropped one or two dress sizes (again
without
dieting). Beyond the researchers' wildest predictions, the women were
able
to turn back the clock 15 to 20 years, just by lifting weights twice a
week! Comparable results were not found with aerobic training or
walking.
Prior to the Tufts University
research, it was thought that frailty was an inevitable part of getting
old. If you think of it, we do not normally associate heart disease or
clogged arteries with our images of old age - generally we see in our
mind's
eye a wobbly woman, leaning forward, walking with a hesitant gait, no
muscle
tone, brittle bones. Sadly, many women curtail their activities as they
get older, precisely because they fear losing balance, falling and
breaking
a bone. Remember the commercial - "I've fallen and I can't get up!",
depicting
a poor pathetic older woman who was fortunate to have purchased an
electronic,
emergency notification device to wear around her neck. Life does not
have
to get this way.
Many studies since the Tufts
University Research confirm, if you lift weights, there is no reason to
"slow down" as you get older. It is in fact possible to remain vibrant
and active throughout your entire life span.
The Conclusion: You decide
how you want your future to be. If you are not already following a
consistent
weight training program, consider doing so now.
References:
Nelson, M., M. Fiatarone,
C. Morganti, I. Trice, R. Greenberg and W. Evans (1994), "Effects of
high-intensity
strength training on multiple risk factors for osteoporotic
fractures"Journal
of the American Medical Association 272:1900-1914.
Strong Women Stay Young,
M. Nelson, S. Wernick (Bantam 1997).
Author:
Janet
Ford, is President
of PowerFit LLC.
Posted by Janet Ford.
Posted on: Tuesday October 4, 2005
7:30 am
Why
Do We Gain Weight as We Get Older
- or - What is Sarcopenia?
By
Rich Fitter - Certified
Trainer, A.C.E.
Sarcopenia Sarcopenia is
the age related loss of muscle. Most people have heard that our
metabolism
changes after we hit the big 3-O. The reasons why, and what we can do
about
it is often misunderstood. After the age of 30, the average person
begins
to lose 1/2 lb. of muscle per year. One reason for this is related to
the
loss of nerve stimulation to the muscle and decreased protein synthesis
(a necessary process for muscle development). Other factors include
dietary
changes such as dieting, under-eating, poor nutritional choices,
hormonal
changes and decreased physical activity. Muscle is a very active tissue
much more active than fat tissue. In some instances one pound of muscle
may burn up to 500 calories per week. As we lose muscle and gain fat,
therefore,
we automatically gain weight, unless we do something different to
challenge
our body and improve our diets.
While it is possible through
proper nutrition and strength training to continue to build muscle well
into later life, Mother Nature requires we work at it. Let's say at age
30 a woman gets into the best shape of her life. Her diet is perfect
and
she exercises regularly. She then decides she will keep doing the same
things for the rest of her life, expecting to stay in perfect shape
because
of it. The following year, 31 rolls around and she loses 1/2 lb of
muscle.
The year after that, another 1/2 lb is lost, and so on. Even though
this
person is doing the same things she did at 30, by the time she hits 38,
she will have lost 4 lbs of lean muscle and her body will be burning
2000
calories less per week. One pound of fat contains 3500 calories.
Because
this woman's body is burning this many calories less every 10 days, in
a one year period she may gain approximately 30 lbs of fat!
Performing her same exercise
program over and over for years is not effective in halting this weight
gain because your body has not only adapted to it, but has also
increased
its need for greater challenges. Following the same eating patterns
also
is not logical because your needs for calories and nutrients are also
different
as you get older.
The Solution - Avoid Very
Low-Calorie Diets; Do Challenging Strength Training Programs
Overall, the factors that
most affect a person's metabolism are age, gender, size, body
composition
(fat to lean mass ratio) and physical activity. The above-mentioned
factors
minus our physical activity determine our resting metabolic rate. Our
resting
metabolism is the number of calories our bodies expend performing the
most
basic physiological functions such as breathing, temperature,
circulation
and respiration. Surprisingly, our body uses about 65% of our daily
calories
doing just these necessary tasks. This is one of the primary reasons
very
low calorie diets do not work well for losing body fat. You need to
provide
your body with adequate calories for energy and nutrients to perform at
the very least these functions. If you fail to do this, your body will
fear starvation and lower its heart rate, respiration and temperature
to
burn less calories. In the absence of proper nutrients your body will
feed
off of its own muscle and bones, further slow metabolism and contribute
to muscle loss. Depriving your body of calories and nutrients is not
the
answer.
A challenging and varied
weight training program, in combination with good diet, helps to
prevent
muscle loss as well as increase protein synthesis and metabolism.
Overall,
proper eating and increased physical activity is the answer to life
long
fitness and wellness.
Author: Rich Fitter,
A.C.E. Certified Trainer, Weight Lifting Champion, WNBF Body Building
Champion,
is an expert consultant.
Posted
by Janet Ford.
Posted
on: Monday October 3, 2005 7:23
am
