Do you lack Motivation?
Don't let the stress and the hustle of the holidays get you down. We
often get side tracked this time of year and ignore our need to
exercise, we just lose the motivation to push through this time of year!
Here is a great article on getting back on track and rekindle that fire within you!!!
Even the most motivated of us — you, me, Tony Robbins — can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.
Yes, I know, it seems impossible at times. You don’t feel like doing
anything. I’ve been there, and in fact I still feel that way from time
to time. You’re not alone. But I’ve learned a few ways to break out of a
slump, and we’ll take a look at those today.
This post was inspired by reader Roy C. Carlson, who asked:
“I was wondering if you could do a piece on why it can be hard for
someone to change direction and start taking control of their life. I
have to say I’m in this boat and advice on getting out of my slump would
be great.”
Roy is just one of many with a slump like that.
Again, I feel that way sometimes myself, and in fact sometimes I
struggle to motivate myself to exercise — and I’ll use that as an
example of how to break out of the slump.
When I fall out of
exercise, due to illness or injury or disruption from things going on in
my life, it’s hard to get started again. I don’t even feel like
thinking about it, sometimes. But I’ve always found a way to break out
of that slump, and here are some things I’ve learned that have helped:
1. One Goal. Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s
often because I have too much going on in my life. I’m trying to do too
much. And it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most
common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to
accomplish too many goals at once. You cannot maintain energy and focus
(the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are
trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried
it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it
completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can
always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.
2. Find inspiration. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have
achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read
other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success
stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me
but from many readers who have achieved amazing things.
3. Get
excited. This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much:
if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal.
But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it starts
with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that
excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my
wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible,
and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the
benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve
done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and
keeping it going.
4. Build anticipation. This will sound hard,
and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. It helped me
quit smoking after many failed attempts. If you find inspiration and
want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited
and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a
week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on
the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important
date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do
some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are
building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your
goal.
5. Post your goal. Print out your goal in big words. Make
your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (“Exercise 15 mins.
Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home
and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big
reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement
going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example)
also helps.
6. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in
front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said
publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started
writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire
island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldn’t back down, and
even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed
it. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper,
but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do
it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t
just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone
every week or so.
7. Think about it daily. If you think about
your goal every day, it is much more likely to become true. To this end,
posting the goal on your wall or computer desktop (as mentioned above)
helps a lot. Sending yourself daily reminders also helps. And if you can
commit to doing one small thing to further your goal (even just 5
minutes) every single day, your goal will almost certainly come true.
8. Get support. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided
to run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a
great running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did
long runs with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online
forum and that helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped
every step of the way. I couldn’t have done these goals without her, or
without the others who supported me. Find your support network, either
in the real world or online, or both.
9. Realize that there’s
an ebb and flow. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there
for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide.
But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It
will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come
back. In the meantime, read about your goal (see below), ask for help
(see below), and do some of the other things listed here until your
motivation comes back.
10. Stick with it. Whatever you do,
don’t give up. Even if you aren’t feeling any motivation today, or this
week, don’t give up. Again, that motivation will come back. Think of
your goal as a long journey, and your slump is just a little bump in the
road. You can’t give up with every little bump. Stay with it for the
long term, ride out the ebbs and surf on the flows, and you’ll get
there.
11. Start small. Really small. If you are having a hard
time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. If you
want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do
these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby
steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it
works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do
more, but just stick to 2 minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it
at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some
jogging in place. Once you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase
it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing
15-20. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m.
Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all.
Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.
12. Build on small successes. Again, if you start small for a week,
you’re going to be successful. You can’t fail if you start with
something ridiculously easy. Who can’t exercise for 2 minutes? (If
that’s you, I apologize.) And you’ll feel successful, and good about
yourself. Take that successful feeling and build on it, with another
baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With
each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even
more successful. Make each step really, really small, and you won’t
fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of
progress and a lot of success.
13. Read about it daily. When I
lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires
me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and
focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal
every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.
14. Call for help when your motivation ebbs. Having trouble? Ask for
help. Email me. Join an online forum. Get a partner to join you. Call
your mom. It doesn’t matter who, just tell them your problems, and
talking about it will help. Ask them for advice. Ask them to help you
overcome your slump. It works.
15. Think about the benefits,
not the difficulties. One common problem is that we think about how hard
something is. Exercise sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you
tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about
what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how
tiring exercise can be, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done,
and how you’ll be healthier and slimmer over the long run. The benefits
of something will help energize you.
16. Squash negative
thoughts; replace them with positive ones. Along those lines, it’s
important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative
self-talk, which is really what’s causing your slump. Just spend a few
days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days,
try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing
them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!”
and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can
I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.
My personal thoughts.....
The energy you put out, is exactly the energy the universe will give
back to you. Please remember to think positive always focus on the
solution, not the problem. Avoid negative people, they will bring your
energy down, surround yourself with like minded people and feed off of
each other. I wish you are much happiness and success!
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Fat Loss Benefits of Green Coffee Bean
The fat Loss Benefits of Green Coffee Bean
How Does Green Coffee Bean Work?
Green coffee bean contains polyphenols, including chlorogenic acids, which, like grape seed extract and green tea, have antioxidant that help the body neutralize harmful free radicals. Research has also shown that the chlorogenic acid in green coffee bean has an antihypertensive effect on rats and humans that promotes normal blood pressure.
Unlike coffee beverages, green coffee bean extract is low in caffeine and is not a stimulant. Chlorogenic acids are also destroyed when coffee beans are roasted and their benefits are not available in coffee drinks.
Chlorogenic acids support the weight loss benefits of green coffee bean in a couple different ways. First, promote balanced blood sugar by inhibiting the release of glucose within the body. Secondly, chlorogenic acids boost the metabolic output of the liver, which burns more fat. This dual mechanism works to support lean body mass by hindering the absorption of fat and weight gain.
In 2006, a study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine examined the inhibition of fat accumulation and weight gain in mice that were given green coffee bean extract. Researchers noted that the mice had reduced visceral fat content and body weight. It was concluded that green coffee bean extract may be effective against weight gain and fat accumulation by preventing fat absorption and activating fat metabolism in the liver.
In 2011, Gastroenterology Research and Practice published a meta-analysis of 5 studies, which had examined green coffee bean extract as a weight loss supplement. Although it was noted that more research was appropriate, it was also concluded that aggregate data showed a significant difference in body weight in the subjects of the studies who had supplemented with GCE, compared with placebo, and that evidence indicates that GCE can promote weight loss.
This conclusion was supported by an early 2012 study published in The Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity journal that followed a group of 16 adults who supplemented with green coffee bean for a period of 12 weeks, without making any dietary changes. The results were significantly astounding. During this time, subjects lost an average of 10.5% of overall body weight and 16% of overall body fat, without any reported negative side effects [6].
When it comes to losing weight, proper diet and exercise are paramount to success. However, research shows that adding a supplement like green coffee bean extract can increase weight loss potential, in addition to the antioxidant benefit. As with all supplements, for green coffee bean to be effective, it must be a pure, organic 100% high grade coffee bean extract supplement manufactured in the US with laboratory tests certifying the product’s potency and quality.
SOURCE ARTICLE; THE GLOBAL HEALING CENTER.
References:
Suzuki A, Kagawa D, Ochiai R, Tokimitsu I, Saito I. Green coffee bean extract and its metabolites have a hypotensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Hypertens Res. 2002 Jan;25(1):99-107.
Ochiai R, Jokura H, Suzuki A, Tokimitsu I, Ohishi M, Komai N, Rakugi H, Ogihara T. Green coffee bean extract improves human vasoreactivity. Hypertens Res. 2004 Oct;27(10):731-7.
Watanabe T, Arai Y, Mitsui Y, Kusaura T, Okawa W, Kajihara Y, Saito I. The blood pressure-lowering effect and safety of chlorogenic acid from green coffee bean extract in essential hypertension. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2006 Jul;28(5):439-49.
Shimoda H, Seki E, Aitani M. Inhibitory effect of green coffee bean extract on fat accumulation and body weight gain in mice. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Mar 17;6:9.
Onakpoya I, Terry R, Ernst E. The use of green coffee extract as a weight loss supplement: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2011;2011. doi:pii: 382852. 10.1155/2011/382852. Epub 2010 Aug 31.
Vinson JA, Burnham BR, Nagendran MV. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2012;5:21-7. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S27665. Epub 2012 Jan 18.
How Does Green Coffee Bean Work?
Green coffee bean contains polyphenols, including chlorogenic acids, which, like grape seed extract and green tea, have antioxidant that help the body neutralize harmful free radicals. Research has also shown that the chlorogenic acid in green coffee bean has an antihypertensive effect on rats and humans that promotes normal blood pressure.
Unlike coffee beverages, green coffee bean extract is low in caffeine and is not a stimulant. Chlorogenic acids are also destroyed when coffee beans are roasted and their benefits are not available in coffee drinks.
Chlorogenic acids support the weight loss benefits of green coffee bean in a couple different ways. First, promote balanced blood sugar by inhibiting the release of glucose within the body. Secondly, chlorogenic acids boost the metabolic output of the liver, which burns more fat. This dual mechanism works to support lean body mass by hindering the absorption of fat and weight gain.
In 2006, a study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine examined the inhibition of fat accumulation and weight gain in mice that were given green coffee bean extract. Researchers noted that the mice had reduced visceral fat content and body weight. It was concluded that green coffee bean extract may be effective against weight gain and fat accumulation by preventing fat absorption and activating fat metabolism in the liver.
In 2011, Gastroenterology Research and Practice published a meta-analysis of 5 studies, which had examined green coffee bean extract as a weight loss supplement. Although it was noted that more research was appropriate, it was also concluded that aggregate data showed a significant difference in body weight in the subjects of the studies who had supplemented with GCE, compared with placebo, and that evidence indicates that GCE can promote weight loss.
This conclusion was supported by an early 2012 study published in The Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity journal that followed a group of 16 adults who supplemented with green coffee bean for a period of 12 weeks, without making any dietary changes. The results were significantly astounding. During this time, subjects lost an average of 10.5% of overall body weight and 16% of overall body fat, without any reported negative side effects [6].
When it comes to losing weight, proper diet and exercise are paramount to success. However, research shows that adding a supplement like green coffee bean extract can increase weight loss potential, in addition to the antioxidant benefit. As with all supplements, for green coffee bean to be effective, it must be a pure, organic 100% high grade coffee bean extract supplement manufactured in the US with laboratory tests certifying the product’s potency and quality.
SOURCE ARTICLE; THE GLOBAL HEALING CENTER.
References:
Suzuki A, Kagawa D, Ochiai R, Tokimitsu I, Saito I. Green coffee bean extract and its metabolites have a hypotensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Hypertens Res. 2002 Jan;25(1):99-107.
Ochiai R, Jokura H, Suzuki A, Tokimitsu I, Ohishi M, Komai N, Rakugi H, Ogihara T. Green coffee bean extract improves human vasoreactivity. Hypertens Res. 2004 Oct;27(10):731-7.
Watanabe T, Arai Y, Mitsui Y, Kusaura T, Okawa W, Kajihara Y, Saito I. The blood pressure-lowering effect and safety of chlorogenic acid from green coffee bean extract in essential hypertension. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2006 Jul;28(5):439-49.
Shimoda H, Seki E, Aitani M. Inhibitory effect of green coffee bean extract on fat accumulation and body weight gain in mice. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Mar 17;6:9.
Onakpoya I, Terry R, Ernst E. The use of green coffee extract as a weight loss supplement: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2011;2011. doi:pii: 382852. 10.1155/2011/382852. Epub 2010 Aug 31.
Vinson JA, Burnham BR, Nagendran MV. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, linear dose, crossover study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2012;5:21-7. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S27665. Epub 2012 Jan 18.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Women & Weight Training......
Women & Weight Training......
I attended a continuing education seminar a few weeks back and still to this day some medical some doctors do not feel that females should lift weights. I was shocked to hear these words come out of the mouth of a medical doctor. I do not have much respect for them in the first place but when I heard this I almost got up and walked out of the room. However I paid to listen to this buffoon and I needed the CEU's so I bit a hole through my lip and remained in my chair. After the lecture I told him what I felt about his theories of conditioning and attempted to explain his mistake in not promoting weight training for his female patients. He asked me if I had every picked up a Muscle Magazine and seen the horrible damage that weight training had done to the women in these Magazines and I laughed out-loud at the man. I then asked him if he ever once thought that just maybe it was not the weight training changing these women into men , it is the anabolic steroids they were using? Then I pointed out many of our current fitness and figure women that have maintained a beautiful physique and he informed me that they maintained their looks through strict diet and cardiovascular exercise! Once again I laughed out-loud. I ended up just walking away from him and chalking him up as a lost cause.
The moral to this story is DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR FROM YOUR MEDICAL DOCTOR!
These doctors are not trained in the benefits of a healthy life-style at all! Very few doctors have ever taken classes or studied nutrition and almost none of them know anything about a weight room!
Until the medical industry comes out of the dark ages and accepts the facts of prevention instead of shoving a pill down your throat we will continue to be a sick and fat society. In fact if you really think about it what is their motivation to change it?
If we were all healthy we would not need them, nor would we need the expensive tests or drugs they prescribe.
We must take it upon ourselves to understand proper nutrition and exercise leads to a longer healthier life!
I attended a continuing education seminar a few weeks back and still to this day some medical some doctors do not feel that females should lift weights. I was shocked to hear these words come out of the mouth of a medical doctor. I do not have much respect for them in the first place but when I heard this I almost got up and walked out of the room. However I paid to listen to this buffoon and I needed the CEU's so I bit a hole through my lip and remained in my chair. After the lecture I told him what I felt about his theories of conditioning and attempted to explain his mistake in not promoting weight training for his female patients. He asked me if I had every picked up a Muscle Magazine and seen the horrible damage that weight training had done to the women in these Magazines and I laughed out-loud at the man. I then asked him if he ever once thought that just maybe it was not the weight training changing these women into men , it is the anabolic steroids they were using? Then I pointed out many of our current fitness and figure women that have maintained a beautiful physique and he informed me that they maintained their looks through strict diet and cardiovascular exercise! Once again I laughed out-loud. I ended up just walking away from him and chalking him up as a lost cause.
The moral to this story is DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR FROM YOUR MEDICAL DOCTOR!
These doctors are not trained in the benefits of a healthy life-style at all! Very few doctors have ever taken classes or studied nutrition and almost none of them know anything about a weight room!
Until the medical industry comes out of the dark ages and accepts the facts of prevention instead of shoving a pill down your throat we will continue to be a sick and fat society. In fact if you really think about it what is their motivation to change it?
If we were all healthy we would not need them, nor would we need the expensive tests or drugs they prescribe.
We must take it upon ourselves to understand proper nutrition and exercise leads to a longer healthier life!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Rebound Effect, get the best results for muscle gains after your diet!!!
THE REBOUND EFFECT......
THE BENEFITS OF PROPER EATING AND TRAINING, POST COMPETITION DIETS or any diet!!!
You've worked so hard to build your body with a hard core diet and exercise don't throw it all away in just a few short weeks! Let me show you how to take advantage of this situation and pack on some really good muscle instead of the fat your body will gain if you go back to the same old ways of eating.
Take Advantage of this time and add some lean muscle to your body instead of the bloat that often follows a hard diet.
If you've ever dieted for a bodybuilding contest—or for an extended period just to reduce body-fat—then you know what you want to do right after that: nothing but eat all the decadent foods that you've been avoiding for the past couple of months.
Sure, that's one way to follow-up a restricted diet, but it can turn into a disaster, resulting in startling body-fat gains. A better strategy is to use this time to gain impressive heaps of muscle by taking advantage of the body's rebound effect.
The best gains of an entire year often come in the first few weeks after a cutting phase, making that period of time ideal for growth. In fact, you can easily gain five, six or even 10 pounds of real muscle mass in just six short weeks.
As with exercise the bodies digestive system also adapts to it's environment during the course of a long hard diet. You have restricted the amount of carbohydrates and therefore you have not the need for particular digestive enzymes in the gut. So your body dramatically lowers the enzyme count simply because they are not needed. Here is where the bloat and fat gains begin in the rebound from the diets.
It is best to begin the intake of carbohydrates slowly increasing the amounts you eat over the first few weeks, making sure you eat moderate to low glycemic index carbohydrates. Slowly increase the carbohydrates over the period of 4-6 weeks allowing your body to ramp up the proper digestive enzymes for the carbohydrates. I can not place a gram count on here because that will vary with each person based off of your metabolism and body type. There is NO one set amount for everyone. It is also highly suggested that you separate your consumption of proteins from your carbohydrates. I recommend eating your proteins at least 30 minutes before you eat your carbohydrates. Proteins are more difficult to digest and take longer to break down into usable amino-acids, than carbohydrates take to break down into sugar. When you load the weakened digestive system with proteins and carbohydrates simultaneously you have created a fat storing nightmare. In fact even when you are dieting you should eat your proteins and carbohydrates separate. Separating the proteins and the carbohydrates allows for higher absorption rates of both. It allows the body to produce the right enzymes to break down each food. When you eat proteins and carbohydrates together they do not digest as well and when you are in a rebound from a hard diet you have a much higher potential to store both as fat.
There are two things that can really help you with cravings and help keep you feeling full.
1. Take in one gram of L-Glutamine before you eat each meal. This will help you to digest the protein and help prevent muscle break down. L-Glutamine must be present to bond to the amino acids in the proteins you eat in order for them to be properly utilized and help prevent them from storing as fat. Also make sure you are taking a high dose of L-Glutamine before bed as well. This will prevent muscle break down at night when you body looks to replenish L-Glutamine storage in the gut.
2. Cook your foods with healthy fats, I highly recommend Coconut Oil. Coconut oil is 100% medium chain triglyceride oil and does not store as fat, in fact it will help keep your metabolism burning at a higher rate. Using coconut oil in place of consuming huge amounts of carbohydrates will give you the energy you need and prevent the cravings for sugar. Remember your digestive system has been altered and can not handle huge amounts of carbohydrates like most of us are accustom to consuming after a long diet.
Training during the Rebound.
The absolute best thing you can do for your body is let it rest for at least 7-10 days. Allow your muscle tissue the time it needs to repair itself and slowly allow glycogen storage to replenish. Once you have had ample time to heal from the training and calorie restriction then it is time to shock the muscle and stimulate the central nervous system (CNS). Make sure you hit the muscle with a variety of heavy weight low rep sets and mix in the higher reps to keep the muscle stimulated. Do not fall back into training the same way as you were training during contest diet.
Heavy weight with low repetitions can stimulate the CNS and enable you to increase the work loads during training. Increase work loads can and will increase muscular hypertrophy. This period of time after a long diet is an excellent time to build lean body mass. Stimulating the CNS and lifting heavier weights with less repetitions is perfect for adding lean muscle mass to your body.
The next 4-6 weeks post diet/rebound phase is actually one of the best opportunities to gain lean muscle mass as the body is prime for growth. This is in fact the best time for muscle gains because your body will be at its highest anabolic state during this time frame. It's sad that more competitors do not take advantage of this small window to add on some real quality muscle is such a short period of time. Defeating the urge to binge and following the plan set out in this article can and will add some serious muscle to your frame.
Remember what you eat, when you eat it and how you eat it, along with some rest followed by some really intense training will pack on some serious muscle during the 4-6 week rebound phase in a post diet situation.
THE BENEFITS OF PROPER EATING AND TRAINING, POST COMPETITION DIETS or any diet!!!
You've worked so hard to build your body with a hard core diet and exercise don't throw it all away in just a few short weeks! Let me show you how to take advantage of this situation and pack on some really good muscle instead of the fat your body will gain if you go back to the same old ways of eating.
Take Advantage of this time and add some lean muscle to your body instead of the bloat that often follows a hard diet.
If you've ever dieted for a bodybuilding contest—or for an extended period just to reduce body-fat—then you know what you want to do right after that: nothing but eat all the decadent foods that you've been avoiding for the past couple of months.
Sure, that's one way to follow-up a restricted diet, but it can turn into a disaster, resulting in startling body-fat gains. A better strategy is to use this time to gain impressive heaps of muscle by taking advantage of the body's rebound effect.
The best gains of an entire year often come in the first few weeks after a cutting phase, making that period of time ideal for growth. In fact, you can easily gain five, six or even 10 pounds of real muscle mass in just six short weeks.
As with exercise the bodies digestive system also adapts to it's environment during the course of a long hard diet. You have restricted the amount of carbohydrates and therefore you have not the need for particular digestive enzymes in the gut. So your body dramatically lowers the enzyme count simply because they are not needed. Here is where the bloat and fat gains begin in the rebound from the diets.
It is best to begin the intake of carbohydrates slowly increasing the amounts you eat over the first few weeks, making sure you eat moderate to low glycemic index carbohydrates. Slowly increase the carbohydrates over the period of 4-6 weeks allowing your body to ramp up the proper digestive enzymes for the carbohydrates. I can not place a gram count on here because that will vary with each person based off of your metabolism and body type. There is NO one set amount for everyone. It is also highly suggested that you separate your consumption of proteins from your carbohydrates. I recommend eating your proteins at least 30 minutes before you eat your carbohydrates. Proteins are more difficult to digest and take longer to break down into usable amino-acids, than carbohydrates take to break down into sugar. When you load the weakened digestive system with proteins and carbohydrates simultaneously you have created a fat storing nightmare. In fact even when you are dieting you should eat your proteins and carbohydrates separate. Separating the proteins and the carbohydrates allows for higher absorption rates of both. It allows the body to produce the right enzymes to break down each food. When you eat proteins and carbohydrates together they do not digest as well and when you are in a rebound from a hard diet you have a much higher potential to store both as fat.
There are two things that can really help you with cravings and help keep you feeling full.
1. Take in one gram of L-Glutamine before you eat each meal. This will help you to digest the protein and help prevent muscle break down. L-Glutamine must be present to bond to the amino acids in the proteins you eat in order for them to be properly utilized and help prevent them from storing as fat. Also make sure you are taking a high dose of L-Glutamine before bed as well. This will prevent muscle break down at night when you body looks to replenish L-Glutamine storage in the gut.
2. Cook your foods with healthy fats, I highly recommend Coconut Oil. Coconut oil is 100% medium chain triglyceride oil and does not store as fat, in fact it will help keep your metabolism burning at a higher rate. Using coconut oil in place of consuming huge amounts of carbohydrates will give you the energy you need and prevent the cravings for sugar. Remember your digestive system has been altered and can not handle huge amounts of carbohydrates like most of us are accustom to consuming after a long diet.
Training during the Rebound.
The absolute best thing you can do for your body is let it rest for at least 7-10 days. Allow your muscle tissue the time it needs to repair itself and slowly allow glycogen storage to replenish. Once you have had ample time to heal from the training and calorie restriction then it is time to shock the muscle and stimulate the central nervous system (CNS). Make sure you hit the muscle with a variety of heavy weight low rep sets and mix in the higher reps to keep the muscle stimulated. Do not fall back into training the same way as you were training during contest diet.
Heavy weight with low repetitions can stimulate the CNS and enable you to increase the work loads during training. Increase work loads can and will increase muscular hypertrophy. This period of time after a long diet is an excellent time to build lean body mass. Stimulating the CNS and lifting heavier weights with less repetitions is perfect for adding lean muscle mass to your body.
The next 4-6 weeks post diet/rebound phase is actually one of the best opportunities to gain lean muscle mass as the body is prime for growth. This is in fact the best time for muscle gains because your body will be at its highest anabolic state during this time frame. It's sad that more competitors do not take advantage of this small window to add on some real quality muscle is such a short period of time. Defeating the urge to binge and following the plan set out in this article can and will add some serious muscle to your frame.
Remember what you eat, when you eat it and how you eat it, along with some rest followed by some really intense training will pack on some serious muscle during the 4-6 week rebound phase in a post diet situation.
Monday, November 17, 2014
The ills of Sitting too long!
Seems like everything we do can be bad for you???
The ills of Sitting too long!
Prolonged sitting significantly impacts your cardiovascular and metabolic function. Studies show that these risk correlations hold true no matter how much you exercise.
In one recent study, six hours of uninterrupted sitting was found to counteract the positive health benefits of one hour of exercise.
Beneficial molecular effects are activated simply by carrying your body-weight upon your legs. Those cellular mechanisms are also responsible for pushing fuels into your cells.
As a general guideline, if you’ve been sitting for an hour, you’ve sat too long. At minimum, you should not sit for more than 50 minutes out of every hour.
The problem is that an hour of exercise here and there, even if it’s vigorous, cannot counteract the harm incurred during the hours you’re sitting still. For example, one recent study3 found that six hours of uninterrupted sitting effectively counteracted the positive health benefits of a whole hour of exercise.
Basically, this means that even if you spend two to three hours in the gym each week, if you have a full-time sit-down job, many of those exercise benefits are simply evaporated.
I think it’s quite clear that you need both intense exercise, and daily intermittent or non-exercise movement in order to optimize your health and prolong your life. It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other. You really do need both.
As for intermittent movement, the key, experts say, is to avoid sitting for more than 50 minutes out of each hour. Ideally, you’d want to sit for a maximum of about three hours a day—a far cry from today’s norm.
The average American office worker can sit for 13 to 15 hours a day! This means that most people need to figure out how to get out of their chair for several hours each day.
Get your Step Count Up
Simple tips to help get you moving
At first, you may be surprised to realize just how little you move each day. Setting a goal of say 7-10,000 steps a day (which is just over three to five miles, or 6-9 kilometers) can go a long way toward getting more movement into your life.
1. Walk across the hall to talk to a coworker instead of sending an email
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
3. Park your car further away from the entrance
4. Take a longer, roundabout way to your desk
5. Organize the layout of your office space in such a way that you have to stand up to reach oft-used files, the telephone, or your printer, rather than having everything within easy reach.
6. Use an exercise ball for a chair. Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility. Occasional bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair. But this is a concession and it is still sitting, so standing would be a better option.
7. Alternatively, use an upright wooden chair with no armrest, which will force you to sit up straight, and encourage shifting your body more frequently than a cushy office chair.
8. Set a timer to remind you to stand up and move about for at least 10 minutes each hour. You can either walk, stand, or take the opportunity to do a few simple exercises by your desk.
Source; Dr. Joseph Mercola
The ills of Sitting too long!
Prolonged sitting significantly impacts your cardiovascular and metabolic function. Studies show that these risk correlations hold true no matter how much you exercise.
In one recent study, six hours of uninterrupted sitting was found to counteract the positive health benefits of one hour of exercise.
Beneficial molecular effects are activated simply by carrying your body-weight upon your legs. Those cellular mechanisms are also responsible for pushing fuels into your cells.
As a general guideline, if you’ve been sitting for an hour, you’ve sat too long. At minimum, you should not sit for more than 50 minutes out of every hour.
The problem is that an hour of exercise here and there, even if it’s vigorous, cannot counteract the harm incurred during the hours you’re sitting still. For example, one recent study3 found that six hours of uninterrupted sitting effectively counteracted the positive health benefits of a whole hour of exercise.
Basically, this means that even if you spend two to three hours in the gym each week, if you have a full-time sit-down job, many of those exercise benefits are simply evaporated.
I think it’s quite clear that you need both intense exercise, and daily intermittent or non-exercise movement in order to optimize your health and prolong your life. It’s not a matter of choosing one over the other. You really do need both.
As for intermittent movement, the key, experts say, is to avoid sitting for more than 50 minutes out of each hour. Ideally, you’d want to sit for a maximum of about three hours a day—a far cry from today’s norm.
The average American office worker can sit for 13 to 15 hours a day! This means that most people need to figure out how to get out of their chair for several hours each day.
Get your Step Count Up
Simple tips to help get you moving
At first, you may be surprised to realize just how little you move each day. Setting a goal of say 7-10,000 steps a day (which is just over three to five miles, or 6-9 kilometers) can go a long way toward getting more movement into your life.
1. Walk across the hall to talk to a coworker instead of sending an email
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
3. Park your car further away from the entrance
4. Take a longer, roundabout way to your desk
5. Organize the layout of your office space in such a way that you have to stand up to reach oft-used files, the telephone, or your printer, rather than having everything within easy reach.
6. Use an exercise ball for a chair. Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility. Occasional bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair. But this is a concession and it is still sitting, so standing would be a better option.
7. Alternatively, use an upright wooden chair with no armrest, which will force you to sit up straight, and encourage shifting your body more frequently than a cushy office chair.
8. Set a timer to remind you to stand up and move about for at least 10 minutes each hour. You can either walk, stand, or take the opportunity to do a few simple exercises by your desk.
Source; Dr. Joseph Mercola
Saturday, November 15, 2014
The Importance of Casein Protein
The Importance of Casein Protein
Unless you’re able to shovel enough protein rich foods down your gullet each day, you’re probably going to need some assistance maintaining optimum levels of this vital nutrient. That’s because protein provides the body with essential amino acids that serve as essential building blocks for the formation of new muscle.
While whey is still the big kid on the block when it comes to protein supplements, there’s the other milk-based protein that should be in every weight trainer’s diet. It’s called casein, and it continues to gain popularity as a superior protein supplement for enhancing muscle growth, and recovery.
Caseins are phosphorus-containing proteins and make up approximately 80% of the protein in cow's milk, with the remaining 20% coming from whey proteins. Along with having an exceptional amino acid profile, casein’s delayed protein absorption benefits make it a must for your weight training goals.
A Baylor University study, found that men who drank a casein protein shake (mixed with whey) during a 10-week span gained considerably greater muscle mass than those who consumed a whey protein shake without casein.
To maximize the effects of casein protein supplementation, be sure to select one that contains micellar casein (the slowest-digesting casein you can buy). Take 30-40 grams right before going to bed each night. After workouts, try adding 10-20 grams of casein to your whey protein. Finally, use 30-40 grams of casein in any protein shakes you drink between meals.
Unless you’re able to shovel enough protein rich foods down your gullet each day, you’re probably going to need some assistance maintaining optimum levels of this vital nutrient. That’s because protein provides the body with essential amino acids that serve as essential building blocks for the formation of new muscle.
While whey is still the big kid on the block when it comes to protein supplements, there’s the other milk-based protein that should be in every weight trainer’s diet. It’s called casein, and it continues to gain popularity as a superior protein supplement for enhancing muscle growth, and recovery.
Caseins are phosphorus-containing proteins and make up approximately 80% of the protein in cow's milk, with the remaining 20% coming from whey proteins. Along with having an exceptional amino acid profile, casein’s delayed protein absorption benefits make it a must for your weight training goals.
Building Muscle:
Muscle growth increases when a balance is sustained between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. To add muscle faster and more efficiently, your goal should be to increase protein synthesis while decreasing protein breakdown. Since casein is a muscle-sparing protein that is released in the bloodstream at a slow rate, it has a minimal effect on protein synthesis. However, it has a powerful effect on reducing protein breakdown, which makes it a highly potent muscle building supplement when taken at the right times.A Baylor University study, found that men who drank a casein protein shake (mixed with whey) during a 10-week span gained considerably greater muscle mass than those who consumed a whey protein shake without casein.
Muscle Recovery:
While quickly digested whey protein is ideal immediately before and after your workout to help refuel recovering muscles, it’s not recommended for consumption at bedtime when your body typically goes without food for hours. A slow releasing protein will be much more beneficial to muscle repair and re-growth during your sleeping hours. Casein is exactly that - a slow digesting protein that takes 3-4 hours to reach peak levels in blood amino acids and protein synthesis, and 7 hours to become fully absorbed. And because casein also makes you feel less full than whey, it offers a great, between-meal protein snack.To maximize the effects of casein protein supplementation, be sure to select one that contains micellar casein (the slowest-digesting casein you can buy). Take 30-40 grams right before going to bed each night. After workouts, try adding 10-20 grams of casein to your whey protein. Finally, use 30-40 grams of casein in any protein shakes you drink between meals.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Cold Weather Burns Fat!
Cold Weather Burns Fat!!!
What do low temps and hot peppers have in common? They both could help burn fat, a new study shows.
Exposure to cold and consumption of chemicals found in chili peppers both appear to increase the number and activity of brown fat cells, which burn energy, rather than store it as typical white fat cells do, said Takeshi Yoneshiro, a researcher at Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan.
The study is the first to show that brown fat activity can be induced in people who appeared to have very few or no brown fat cells, said Dr. Clifford Rosen, a professor of medicine at Tufts University who wasn't involved in the study.
Participants in the study who were exposed to cold also had less "bad" white fat at the end of the experiments, Rosen told Live Science.
In the new study, researchers exposed eight people with little or no brown fat cells to moderately low temperatures of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) for two hours daily, over the course of six weeks. Compared with the control subjects, who went about their normal lives, the cold-exposed people had about 5 percent less body fat at the end of the study, and also burned more energy when exposed to cold, according to the study, which was published in August in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The researchers also looked at people who ate capsinoids, the active ingredient in chili peppers, for six weeks, and found they also burned more energy than the control group when exposed to cold, but didn't lose any more white fat than the control group.
Yoneshiro said the experiment might not have continued for long enough to see white-fat-burning effects of the compounds. A previous study that lasted 12 weeks found the capsinoid ingestion led to significant body fat decreases in mildly obese people.
The new results help explain the results from a recent study co-authored by Snitker, which found that people who ate capsinoids had increased levels of fat breakdown, and smaller waists after a six-week period, compared with people who took placebos.
The brown and the beige
It was once thought that brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), was present only in babies. But three research groups independently discovered in 2009 that brown fat exists in adults, concentrated in the upper chest and neck of some adults, Rosen said. It appears reddish-brown because it contains many mitochondria, cellular factories that release energy, Rosen said.
In 2012, scientists found yet another type of BAT called "beige fat," which is a subset of brown fat but is formed from white fat cells. Rosen said that the "brown fat" cells induced by cold and capsinoids are indeed likely beige fat, because they don't show up on scans used to detect concentrated regions of brown fat cells.
"The most interesting thing about this study from a treatment point of view is the capsinoids," said Jan Nedergaard, a physiologist at Stockholm University in Sweden who wasn't involved in the study. Reduction of fat from cold exposure was expected, he said, but "as everybody realizes, that's a difficult thing to put into practice."
Drug development?
The study is exciting because it suggests chemicals that induce brown fat could be used to fight obesity, although they'd probably work better at keeping healthy people from becoming fat, rather than making obese people skinny, Nedergaard said. "Everybody would like to take a fat person and make him slim, but that demands a high-burning capacity that BAT probably doesn't have."
Capsinoids appear to induce brown fat in the same way as cold, by "capturing" the same cellular system that the body's nervous systemuses to increase heat production, Yoneshiro said. Drug developers want to use similar drugs to activate this system, but capsinoids themselves probably won't be used because they already exist in nature and thus cannot be patented, a major way that pharmaceutical companies make money, Nedergaard said.
Capsinoids come from "sweet" chili peppers that don't taste hot, but produce some of the same physiological effects — for example, producing sweat,
What do low temps and hot peppers have in common? They both could help burn fat, a new study shows.
Exposure to cold and consumption of chemicals found in chili peppers both appear to increase the number and activity of brown fat cells, which burn energy, rather than store it as typical white fat cells do, said Takeshi Yoneshiro, a researcher at Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan.
The study is the first to show that brown fat activity can be induced in people who appeared to have very few or no brown fat cells, said Dr. Clifford Rosen, a professor of medicine at Tufts University who wasn't involved in the study.
Participants in the study who were exposed to cold also had less "bad" white fat at the end of the experiments, Rosen told Live Science.
In the new study, researchers exposed eight people with little or no brown fat cells to moderately low temperatures of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius) for two hours daily, over the course of six weeks. Compared with the control subjects, who went about their normal lives, the cold-exposed people had about 5 percent less body fat at the end of the study, and also burned more energy when exposed to cold, according to the study, which was published in August in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
The researchers also looked at people who ate capsinoids, the active ingredient in chili peppers, for six weeks, and found they also burned more energy than the control group when exposed to cold, but didn't lose any more white fat than the control group.
Yoneshiro said the experiment might not have continued for long enough to see white-fat-burning effects of the compounds. A previous study that lasted 12 weeks found the capsinoid ingestion led to significant body fat decreases in mildly obese people.
The new results help explain the results from a recent study co-authored by Snitker, which found that people who ate capsinoids had increased levels of fat breakdown, and smaller waists after a six-week period, compared with people who took placebos.
The brown and the beige
It was once thought that brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), was present only in babies. But three research groups independently discovered in 2009 that brown fat exists in adults, concentrated in the upper chest and neck of some adults, Rosen said. It appears reddish-brown because it contains many mitochondria, cellular factories that release energy, Rosen said.
In 2012, scientists found yet another type of BAT called "beige fat," which is a subset of brown fat but is formed from white fat cells. Rosen said that the "brown fat" cells induced by cold and capsinoids are indeed likely beige fat, because they don't show up on scans used to detect concentrated regions of brown fat cells.
"The most interesting thing about this study from a treatment point of view is the capsinoids," said Jan Nedergaard, a physiologist at Stockholm University in Sweden who wasn't involved in the study. Reduction of fat from cold exposure was expected, he said, but "as everybody realizes, that's a difficult thing to put into practice."
Drug development?
The study is exciting because it suggests chemicals that induce brown fat could be used to fight obesity, although they'd probably work better at keeping healthy people from becoming fat, rather than making obese people skinny, Nedergaard said. "Everybody would like to take a fat person and make him slim, but that demands a high-burning capacity that BAT probably doesn't have."
Capsinoids appear to induce brown fat in the same way as cold, by "capturing" the same cellular system that the body's nervous systemuses to increase heat production, Yoneshiro said. Drug developers want to use similar drugs to activate this system, but capsinoids themselves probably won't be used because they already exist in nature and thus cannot be patented, a major way that pharmaceutical companies make money, Nedergaard said.
Capsinoids come from "sweet" chili peppers that don't taste hot, but produce some of the same physiological effects — for example, producing sweat,
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Obesity a Growing Epidemic
Why are so many people Obese?
It goes much deeper than you might imagine. It's much more than just eating too many calories and not enough exercise. There are hidden dangers in our food supplies........
Antibiotics
Antibiotics can save your life if they're necessary, such as if you develop a serious bacterial infection, but you don't need antibiotics for every ear, nose, or throat infection you come down with.
Remember that antibiotics are useless against the viral infections that cause the common cold and the flu, and when used for this purpose, they will only harm your health by wiping out the good bacteria in your gut.
Beneficial bacteria (probiotics) are, in fact, so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to "a newly recognized organ," and have even suggested we consider ourselves a type of "meta-organism."
This is an acknowledgment of the fact that we cannot be healthy without the participation of a vast array of beneficial microbes. While overused in medicine, the primary source of antibiotic exposure is actually through your diet.
The US uses nearly 30 million pounds of antibiotics each year to raise food animals. This accounts for about 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the US. In livestock, antibiotics are used both to ward off disease and to promote weight gain.
Research suggests antibiotics have the same effect in humans. According to data analyzed by journalist Maryn McKenna, the states with the highest levels of antibiotic overuse also have the worst health status in the United States, including the highest rates of obesity.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Including Pesticides
Many common household chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors, a number of which are found in plastic products. These chemicals are similar in structure to natural sex hormones such as estrogen, and can interfere with their normal functions.
Some of the most pervasive examples include bisphenol-A (BPA), PCBs, phthalates, triclosan, agricultural pesticides, and fire retardants.
As Rosenberg notes, endocrine disruptors are not only associated with an elevated risk for infertility, low sperm counts, precocious puberty, diabetes, and other health problems. They’ve also been linked to obesity.
“As early as 2003, the journal Toxicological Sciences addressed effects that endocrine disruptor have on fetal development that likely play a role in adult obesity,” Rosenberg writes.
Interestingly, many endocrine disrupting chemicals have been found to promote weight gain specifically at below-toxic levels. As noted by the authors of that paper:
“This article presents data showing that the current epidemic in obesity cannot be explained solely by alterations in food intake and/or decrease in exercise.
There is a genetic predisposition component of obesity; however, genetics could not have changed over the past few decades, suggesting that environmental changes might be responsible for at least part of the current obesity epidemic...
Indeed, many synthetic chemicals are actually used to increase weight in animals. This article provides fascinating examples of chemicals that have been tested for toxicity by standard tests that resulted in weight gain in the animals at lower doses than those that caused any obvious toxicity. These chemicals included heavy metals, solvents, polychlorinated biphenols, organophosphates, phthalates, and bisphenol A. This is an aspect of the data that has generally been overlooked.”
Certain agricultural chemicals, glyphosate in particular, may also affect your weight by obliterating healthy gut bacteria. Recent research has shown that glyphosate causes extreme disruption of microbes’ functions and lifecycles, and preferentially affects beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogens to overgrow... In the US, the vast majority of the glyphosate you’re consuming comes from genetically engineered (GE) sugar, corn, soy, and conventionally-grown desiccated wheat. Besides altering your gut flora, glyphosate also enhances the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and environmental toxins.
Artificial Sweeteners
The business of artificial sweeteners is built on the idea that no- or low-calorie sugar substitutes will help you lose weight. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. Research has repeatedly shown that artificially sweetened “diet” foods and beverages tend to stimulate your appetite, increase cravings for carbs, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain.
Part of the problem is that artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking that it’s going to receive sugar (calories), and when the sugar doesn’t arrive, your body signals that it needs more, which results in carb cravings. This connection between sweet taste and increased hunger can be found in the medical literature going back at least two decades.
Artificial sweeteners also produce a variety of metabolic dysfunctions that promote weight gain. A 2010 review in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine is of particular relevance, as it offers a great historical summary of artificial sweeteners and the epidemiological and experimental evidence showing that artificial sweeteners tends to promote weight gain. It also illustrates that as usage of artificial sweeteners has risen, so has obesity rates.
According to the author of the review:
“Intuitively, people choose non-caloric artificial sweeteners over sugar to lose or maintain weight... But do artificial sweeteners actually help reduce weight? Surprisingly, epidemiologic data suggest the contrary. Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.”
Another study, cited in a recent Democrat & Chronicle article, "found that frequent drinkers of diet sodas had waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than non-drinkers of diet soda."
In closing, education is the first and foremost aspect in ending this era of the obesity epidemic. Second is taking action by writing your congressman to mandate proper labeling of foods and demand the removal of GMO's and other chemicals and antibiotics used in the food industry. Last but certainly not least get on a regular exercise program and learn the right way to eat. No need for strict diets just eat whole foods, vegetables, fruits, meats and healthy fats. Stop eating highly processed foods. Most disease is caused by the unhealthy foods you're eating, including cancer. So think twice before you eat that Happy Meal from the people under the Golden Arches.
It goes much deeper than you might imagine. It's much more than just eating too many calories and not enough exercise. There are hidden dangers in our food supplies........
Antibiotics
Antibiotics can save your life if they're necessary, such as if you develop a serious bacterial infection, but you don't need antibiotics for every ear, nose, or throat infection you come down with.
Remember that antibiotics are useless against the viral infections that cause the common cold and the flu, and when used for this purpose, they will only harm your health by wiping out the good bacteria in your gut.
Beneficial bacteria (probiotics) are, in fact, so crucial to your health that researchers have compared them to "a newly recognized organ," and have even suggested we consider ourselves a type of "meta-organism."
This is an acknowledgment of the fact that we cannot be healthy without the participation of a vast array of beneficial microbes. While overused in medicine, the primary source of antibiotic exposure is actually through your diet.
The US uses nearly 30 million pounds of antibiotics each year to raise food animals. This accounts for about 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the US. In livestock, antibiotics are used both to ward off disease and to promote weight gain.
Research suggests antibiotics have the same effect in humans. According to data analyzed by journalist Maryn McKenna, the states with the highest levels of antibiotic overuse also have the worst health status in the United States, including the highest rates of obesity.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Including Pesticides
Many common household chemicals are known as endocrine disruptors, a number of which are found in plastic products. These chemicals are similar in structure to natural sex hormones such as estrogen, and can interfere with their normal functions.
Some of the most pervasive examples include bisphenol-A (BPA), PCBs, phthalates, triclosan, agricultural pesticides, and fire retardants.
As Rosenberg notes, endocrine disruptors are not only associated with an elevated risk for infertility, low sperm counts, precocious puberty, diabetes, and other health problems. They’ve also been linked to obesity.
“As early as 2003, the journal Toxicological Sciences addressed effects that endocrine disruptor have on fetal development that likely play a role in adult obesity,” Rosenberg writes.
Interestingly, many endocrine disrupting chemicals have been found to promote weight gain specifically at below-toxic levels. As noted by the authors of that paper:
“This article presents data showing that the current epidemic in obesity cannot be explained solely by alterations in food intake and/or decrease in exercise.
There is a genetic predisposition component of obesity; however, genetics could not have changed over the past few decades, suggesting that environmental changes might be responsible for at least part of the current obesity epidemic...
Indeed, many synthetic chemicals are actually used to increase weight in animals. This article provides fascinating examples of chemicals that have been tested for toxicity by standard tests that resulted in weight gain in the animals at lower doses than those that caused any obvious toxicity. These chemicals included heavy metals, solvents, polychlorinated biphenols, organophosphates, phthalates, and bisphenol A. This is an aspect of the data that has generally been overlooked.”
Certain agricultural chemicals, glyphosate in particular, may also affect your weight by obliterating healthy gut bacteria. Recent research has shown that glyphosate causes extreme disruption of microbes’ functions and lifecycles, and preferentially affects beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogens to overgrow... In the US, the vast majority of the glyphosate you’re consuming comes from genetically engineered (GE) sugar, corn, soy, and conventionally-grown desiccated wheat. Besides altering your gut flora, glyphosate also enhances the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and environmental toxins.
Artificial Sweeteners
The business of artificial sweeteners is built on the idea that no- or low-calorie sugar substitutes will help you lose weight. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. Research has repeatedly shown that artificially sweetened “diet” foods and beverages tend to stimulate your appetite, increase cravings for carbs, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain.
Part of the problem is that artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking that it’s going to receive sugar (calories), and when the sugar doesn’t arrive, your body signals that it needs more, which results in carb cravings. This connection between sweet taste and increased hunger can be found in the medical literature going back at least two decades.
Artificial sweeteners also produce a variety of metabolic dysfunctions that promote weight gain. A 2010 review in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine is of particular relevance, as it offers a great historical summary of artificial sweeteners and the epidemiological and experimental evidence showing that artificial sweeteners tends to promote weight gain. It also illustrates that as usage of artificial sweeteners has risen, so has obesity rates.
According to the author of the review:
“Intuitively, people choose non-caloric artificial sweeteners over sugar to lose or maintain weight... But do artificial sweeteners actually help reduce weight? Surprisingly, epidemiologic data suggest the contrary. Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.”
Another study, cited in a recent Democrat & Chronicle article, "found that frequent drinkers of diet sodas had waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than non-drinkers of diet soda."
In closing, education is the first and foremost aspect in ending this era of the obesity epidemic. Second is taking action by writing your congressman to mandate proper labeling of foods and demand the removal of GMO's and other chemicals and antibiotics used in the food industry. Last but certainly not least get on a regular exercise program and learn the right way to eat. No need for strict diets just eat whole foods, vegetables, fruits, meats and healthy fats. Stop eating highly processed foods. Most disease is caused by the unhealthy foods you're eating, including cancer. So think twice before you eat that Happy Meal from the people under the Golden Arches.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Eat for a Healthier YOU
Eat for a Healthier YOU
Key 1: Eat Some Fat
Okay, not a popular conversation but I have to do some myth-busting here. Eat some fat. Remember, fat is good for you as long as it’s not trans-fat AND it comes from things like fish, nuts, some oils, some dairy, red meat, whole eggs and avocados. It helps your joints, gives you energy and is necessary in maintaining healthy skin, proper brain function and much more.
It should also come from both plant and animal products. The man-made fats or chemically altered “Franken-fats” are the ones to avoid whenever possible.
Key 2: Shop Local
Try to shop locally at multiple grocery stores and health food locations like Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joes to name a few. Visit the local farmer’s market for some of the best “seasonal” produce at super low prices.
This allows for variety and freshness. Colorful foods are rich in vital nutrients, antioxidants and best of all, they aren’t processed!
Key 3: Eat REAL Food
Thirdly, spend most of your time eating REAL food and not “space” food. I like to entertain myself with funny names for things but if it sounds like an astronaut should be eating it in outer-space, how healthy is it on a daily basis?
On occasion,it’s hard to avoid but if you can’t read the word because it has nine syllables, it probably isn’t fantastic for you.
Key 4: The Less the Ingredients the Better
Lastly, try to go with food items that have fewer ingredients on the label. The less processed and chemically treated the better and that’s always reflected in the ingredients. Get good at reading the labels and understanding what you’re fueling your body with.
If it will last for months and years, how detrimental to your health is that food item? Actually, the quicker the food spoils, the better it is for your body and your overall health!
It all comes down to educating yourself and reprogramming yourself to “enjoy” healthy, fresh, unaltered foods that provide the necessary macro and micro nutrients our bodies require to live long productive lives.
Eating should be easy and not stressful. Make intelligent decisions and do some research to be sure you’re consuming quality foods that aren’t harmful. Treat the body like the temple that it is and in return it will carry you to new heights.
Key 1: Eat Some Fat
Okay, not a popular conversation but I have to do some myth-busting here. Eat some fat. Remember, fat is good for you as long as it’s not trans-fat AND it comes from things like fish, nuts, some oils, some dairy, red meat, whole eggs and avocados. It helps your joints, gives you energy and is necessary in maintaining healthy skin, proper brain function and much more.
It should also come from both plant and animal products. The man-made fats or chemically altered “Franken-fats” are the ones to avoid whenever possible.
Key 2: Shop Local
Try to shop locally at multiple grocery stores and health food locations like Fresh Market, Whole Foods and Trader Joes to name a few. Visit the local farmer’s market for some of the best “seasonal” produce at super low prices.
This allows for variety and freshness. Colorful foods are rich in vital nutrients, antioxidants and best of all, they aren’t processed!
Key 3: Eat REAL Food
Thirdly, spend most of your time eating REAL food and not “space” food. I like to entertain myself with funny names for things but if it sounds like an astronaut should be eating it in outer-space, how healthy is it on a daily basis?
On occasion,it’s hard to avoid but if you can’t read the word because it has nine syllables, it probably isn’t fantastic for you.
Key 4: The Less the Ingredients the Better
Lastly, try to go with food items that have fewer ingredients on the label. The less processed and chemically treated the better and that’s always reflected in the ingredients. Get good at reading the labels and understanding what you’re fueling your body with.
If it will last for months and years, how detrimental to your health is that food item? Actually, the quicker the food spoils, the better it is for your body and your overall health!
It all comes down to educating yourself and reprogramming yourself to “enjoy” healthy, fresh, unaltered foods that provide the necessary macro and micro nutrients our bodies require to live long productive lives.
Eating should be easy and not stressful. Make intelligent decisions and do some research to be sure you’re consuming quality foods that aren’t harmful. Treat the body like the temple that it is and in return it will carry you to new heights.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Diets Don't Work!!!
Lose Fat not Weight!
As many of you may already know the weight loss industry is one of the biggest scams being run on poor unsuspecting people.
The bottom line is DIETS DON'T WORK!!!!
Your biggest enemy is in the term itself, "Weight Loss"! The truth is your focus should be fat loss not weight loss.
I know it's so easy to just step up on the scale and watch the pounds drop off from the exercise and lack of calories.
However you most likely are causing more damage than good in this situation.
Many people that follow diets end up with a higher percentage of body-fat after they've dropped the weight than when they started. You see the body is very good at storing fat and wasting muscle, especially when you starve the weight off or don't eat enough protein.
You see muscle is the only thing that helps you burn fat for energy and when you starve yourself the body starts burning the muscle because you do not have the proper calories to feed the muscle you have. When you go into that catobolic phase your metabolism slows down to a snails pace and when you do eat your body stores those calories as fat because you're in starvation mode.
Tip: STAY OFF THE BATHROOM WEIGHT SCALE! The results you need to see are in the mirror and how your cloths fit you. Remember muscle is 5 times more dense that fat, so muscle is smaller in size yet much heavier. Get the idea out of your head that you need to weigh a particular number to get into a size number of cloths. That is SO WRONG and that's what keeps most people from truly reaching their goal.
The diet industry is in high hopes you will follow their advice because they know, they have a customer for life as long as you follow their advice.
Albert Einstein said, " The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results". Ask yourself, "Are you guilty of this?"
Find someone that is experienced in fat loss and not weight loss and get on a program that will help you spare muscle loss and burn the fat. Stop worrying about how much you weigh and focus on how you look in the mirror and how great you look in your cloths and naked!!!!
Texas Metabolics is the perfect place for you to learn the TRUTH about fat loss. We design training programs, custom meal programs, supplements and vitamins and a positive atmosphere to reach your goals. We've been successful in help other reach their fat loss goals for close to 20+ years now. So give us a call at 713-870-6960 and get started dropping the FAT today!!!
As many of you may already know the weight loss industry is one of the biggest scams being run on poor unsuspecting people.
The bottom line is DIETS DON'T WORK!!!!
Your biggest enemy is in the term itself, "Weight Loss"! The truth is your focus should be fat loss not weight loss.
I know it's so easy to just step up on the scale and watch the pounds drop off from the exercise and lack of calories.
However you most likely are causing more damage than good in this situation.
Many people that follow diets end up with a higher percentage of body-fat after they've dropped the weight than when they started. You see the body is very good at storing fat and wasting muscle, especially when you starve the weight off or don't eat enough protein.
You see muscle is the only thing that helps you burn fat for energy and when you starve yourself the body starts burning the muscle because you do not have the proper calories to feed the muscle you have. When you go into that catobolic phase your metabolism slows down to a snails pace and when you do eat your body stores those calories as fat because you're in starvation mode.
Tip: STAY OFF THE BATHROOM WEIGHT SCALE! The results you need to see are in the mirror and how your cloths fit you. Remember muscle is 5 times more dense that fat, so muscle is smaller in size yet much heavier. Get the idea out of your head that you need to weigh a particular number to get into a size number of cloths. That is SO WRONG and that's what keeps most people from truly reaching their goal.
The diet industry is in high hopes you will follow their advice because they know, they have a customer for life as long as you follow their advice.
Albert Einstein said, " The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results". Ask yourself, "Are you guilty of this?"
Find someone that is experienced in fat loss and not weight loss and get on a program that will help you spare muscle loss and burn the fat. Stop worrying about how much you weigh and focus on how you look in the mirror and how great you look in your cloths and naked!!!!
Texas Metabolics is the perfect place for you to learn the TRUTH about fat loss. We design training programs, custom meal programs, supplements and vitamins and a positive atmosphere to reach your goals. We've been successful in help other reach their fat loss goals for close to 20+ years now. So give us a call at 713-870-6960 and get started dropping the FAT today!!!
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Poisons in our Foods! The dangers of Breakfast Cereals!
What Cereal makers DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!!!!
Don't feed your family their poisons!
There is a good reason that Kellogg’s spent over $1,012,552 on media propaganda in California & Washington to defeat voter ballot initiatives that would have required the labeling of GMO foods, and now are contributing again to the defeat of labeling initiatives in Oregon (contributing $250,000).
A consumer recently sent a box of Froot Loops to a lab for genetic testing and found that the corn and soy used in the cereal are 100% RoundUp Ready GMO. So is the sugar. Never mind the other toxic ingredients in the cereal. This means that in one box of Kellogg’s cereal (and likely all their cereals contain similar GMO products), you are dining on a double dose of glyphosate and Bt toxins – glyphosate being patented as an ‘antibiotic’ by Monsanto in 2011.
Kellogg’s has been making cereal since 1898, but I seriously doubt its founders ever thought it would be poisoning the world at breakfast every morning.
This is Why You Should Avoid Kellogg’s Products Like The Plague
Not only is the corn in Froot Loops sprayed with RoundUp, but it is a pesticide in its own right, registered with and regulated by the EPA. But it isn’t just Froot Loops that is of concern, for all of you who avoid sugar-laden cereals. The ‘healthful’ Kellogg’s brands are full of the stuff, too.
Kellogg’s claims that, even though they don’t use genetically engineered ingredients in Europe, in the U.S., “consumer concerns about the usage of biotech ingredients in food production are low.”
Kashi, Bare Naked, Morningstar Farms, and Gardenburger – all brands you probably have been relying on as healthful foods to feed your family – are also contaminated.
Kellogg’s has promised to change the labeling on their Kashi brands – but they also promised that their products had hardly any GMOs in them in the first place!
Kellogg’s is feeding children pesticides & antibiotics, without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Are you going to tolerate that?
You can bet that the ‘vigorous testing of their products is a lie, too. They told us that all these brands were verified as non-GMO.
-GOLEAN Crunch!® GOLEAN Crunch!® Honey Almond Flax
-GOLEAN Crisp!® Cinnamon Crumble
-GOLEAN Crisp!® Toasted Berry Crumble, Autumn Wheat®
-Cinnamon Harvest®, Island Vanilla®, Strawberry Fields®
-Raisin Vineyard®, Simply Maize®, Indigo Morning™
-Berry Fruitful, 7 Whole Grain Flakes, 7 Whole Grain Puffs
-7 Whole Grain Pilaf
The truth? Kashi lied. Cornucopia Institute tested Kashi’s GoLean cereal and found it to contain 100% genetically engineered soy. The company’s response? Just get used to GMO contamination!
So the next time you spend your hard earned money on breakfast cereal remember that most if not all of them contain GMO grains and are truly poison to your body!
Don't feed your family their poisons!
There is a good reason that Kellogg’s spent over $1,012,552 on media propaganda in California & Washington to defeat voter ballot initiatives that would have required the labeling of GMO foods, and now are contributing again to the defeat of labeling initiatives in Oregon (contributing $250,000).
A consumer recently sent a box of Froot Loops to a lab for genetic testing and found that the corn and soy used in the cereal are 100% RoundUp Ready GMO. So is the sugar. Never mind the other toxic ingredients in the cereal. This means that in one box of Kellogg’s cereal (and likely all their cereals contain similar GMO products), you are dining on a double dose of glyphosate and Bt toxins – glyphosate being patented as an ‘antibiotic’ by Monsanto in 2011.
Kellogg’s has been making cereal since 1898, but I seriously doubt its founders ever thought it would be poisoning the world at breakfast every morning.
This is Why You Should Avoid Kellogg’s Products Like The Plague
Not only is the corn in Froot Loops sprayed with RoundUp, but it is a pesticide in its own right, registered with and regulated by the EPA. But it isn’t just Froot Loops that is of concern, for all of you who avoid sugar-laden cereals. The ‘healthful’ Kellogg’s brands are full of the stuff, too.
Kellogg’s claims that, even though they don’t use genetically engineered ingredients in Europe, in the U.S., “consumer concerns about the usage of biotech ingredients in food production are low.”
Kashi, Bare Naked, Morningstar Farms, and Gardenburger – all brands you probably have been relying on as healthful foods to feed your family – are also contaminated.
Kellogg’s has promised to change the labeling on their Kashi brands – but they also promised that their products had hardly any GMOs in them in the first place!
Kellogg’s is feeding children pesticides & antibiotics, without their parents’ knowledge or consent. Are you going to tolerate that?
You can bet that the ‘vigorous testing of their products is a lie, too. They told us that all these brands were verified as non-GMO.
-GOLEAN Crunch!® GOLEAN Crunch!® Honey Almond Flax
-GOLEAN Crisp!® Cinnamon Crumble
-GOLEAN Crisp!® Toasted Berry Crumble, Autumn Wheat®
-Cinnamon Harvest®, Island Vanilla®, Strawberry Fields®
-Raisin Vineyard®, Simply Maize®, Indigo Morning™
-Berry Fruitful, 7 Whole Grain Flakes, 7 Whole Grain Puffs
-7 Whole Grain Pilaf
The truth? Kashi lied. Cornucopia Institute tested Kashi’s GoLean cereal and found it to contain 100% genetically engineered soy. The company’s response? Just get used to GMO contamination!
So the next time you spend your hard earned money on breakfast cereal remember that most if not all of them contain GMO grains and are truly poison to your body!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Positive thought for today.......and for life!
1. Write down all the great things about everyone you know.
2. Make a huge list of all the wonderful things about you.
3. Compliment people wherever you go.
4. Praise every single thing you see.
5. Be a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet, and make their day better for having seen you. Say "Thank you" at every turn.
6.Walk, talk, think, and breathe appreciation and gratitude.
2. Make a huge list of all the wonderful things about you.
3. Compliment people wherever you go.
4. Praise every single thing you see.
5. Be a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet, and make their day better for having seen you. Say "Thank you" at every turn.
6.Walk, talk, think, and breathe appreciation and gratitude.
When you do this, your outer life will change to reflect your inner state of being. The energy you put out is the energy you shall receive in return.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Eat your way to a Leaner Body
Eat your way to a Leaner Body
Exercise is important when you want to look great in or out of cloths. However if you don't eat right all the exercise in the world can save you from eating junk foods and sugar. Here are some simple steps that will get you eating for a leaner body!
Fish is an excellent source of protein that should be consumed regularly. Varying in fat content, some types of fish are high in healthy fats while others are low in fat altogether. Unlike other tissue proteins, though, fatty fish provide a host of benefits to you.
Salmon and sardines, for example, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which support the immune system and assist with muscle recovery and growth, in addition to many other benefits. Fish that are lower in fat, such as tuna, also make an excellent source of protein. Everyone, regardless of their phase of diet or training goals, should strive to take in eight ounces of fatty fish at least 2-3 times a week.
Vegetables are one of the most overlooked components of our nutrition. Many of us are rigorous about our protein and complex carbohydrate consumption, but lax about eating a sufficient quantity and variety of vegetables. Everyone should strive to take in five or six servings every day.
To meet your needs, include more than one serving at a meal. Not only do vegetables provide nutrients that other foods may lack, but they also provide bulk and fiber, helping your body more efficiently process a high-protein diet.
A very important supplement, L-Glutamine
Known for its immunity-enhancing properties, L-Glutamine is not only one of the most prevalent aminos in the body, but also one of the most important for protein absorption. If you're overly stressed from dieting or training, supplementing with L-Glutamine allows your body to maintain its storage supply of L-Glutamine in muscle tissue, enhancing overall muscular growth and recovery. Take 10-40 g of L-Glutamine a day. The digestion system can not absorb protein without having L-Glutamine present in the gut. So make sure you keep your levels high all day long!
Anti-oxidants are crucial too
Take a mix of antioxidants; a good cocktail has an anti-catabolic effect by quenching free radicals formed during and after intense exercise. In your antioxidant regimen include 400-800 international units (IU) of vitamin E, 500-1,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 200 micrograms of selenium (from selenium yeast). Get the rest from five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Get your minerals in or you won't get the results you desire!
Take extra calcium and magnesium. If you look at the label of any once-daily multivitamin, you'll notice a "mineral gap"—a place where certain minerals should be listed. Even if they're included, most multis contain only a small percentage of the Daily Value (% DV) of calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Calcium is important for fat-burning metabolism, magnesium for training performance and potassium for muscle cell volume. A once-daily multivitamin simply doesn't cut it. Correct the situation by taking 1,000 mg per day of supplement-source calcium (or two to three cups of fat-free dairy products), 450 mg of magnesium, and five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day (for potassium as well as other micronutrients).
Exercise is important when you want to look great in or out of cloths. However if you don't eat right all the exercise in the world can save you from eating junk foods and sugar. Here are some simple steps that will get you eating for a leaner body!
Fish is an excellent source of protein that should be consumed regularly. Varying in fat content, some types of fish are high in healthy fats while others are low in fat altogether. Unlike other tissue proteins, though, fatty fish provide a host of benefits to you.
Salmon and sardines, for example, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which support the immune system and assist with muscle recovery and growth, in addition to many other benefits. Fish that are lower in fat, such as tuna, also make an excellent source of protein. Everyone, regardless of their phase of diet or training goals, should strive to take in eight ounces of fatty fish at least 2-3 times a week.
Vegetables are one of the most overlooked components of our nutrition. Many of us are rigorous about our protein and complex carbohydrate consumption, but lax about eating a sufficient quantity and variety of vegetables. Everyone should strive to take in five or six servings every day.
To meet your needs, include more than one serving at a meal. Not only do vegetables provide nutrients that other foods may lack, but they also provide bulk and fiber, helping your body more efficiently process a high-protein diet.
A very important supplement, L-Glutamine
Known for its immunity-enhancing properties, L-Glutamine is not only one of the most prevalent aminos in the body, but also one of the most important for protein absorption. If you're overly stressed from dieting or training, supplementing with L-Glutamine allows your body to maintain its storage supply of L-Glutamine in muscle tissue, enhancing overall muscular growth and recovery. Take 10-40 g of L-Glutamine a day. The digestion system can not absorb protein without having L-Glutamine present in the gut. So make sure you keep your levels high all day long!
Anti-oxidants are crucial too
Take a mix of antioxidants; a good cocktail has an anti-catabolic effect by quenching free radicals formed during and after intense exercise. In your antioxidant regimen include 400-800 international units (IU) of vitamin E, 500-1,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 200 micrograms of selenium (from selenium yeast). Get the rest from five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Get your minerals in or you won't get the results you desire!
Take extra calcium and magnesium. If you look at the label of any once-daily multivitamin, you'll notice a "mineral gap"—a place where certain minerals should be listed. Even if they're included, most multis contain only a small percentage of the Daily Value (% DV) of calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Calcium is important for fat-burning metabolism, magnesium for training performance and potassium for muscle cell volume. A once-daily multivitamin simply doesn't cut it. Correct the situation by taking 1,000 mg per day of supplement-source calcium (or two to three cups of fat-free dairy products), 450 mg of magnesium, and five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day (for potassium as well as other micronutrients).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)