Archive for July, 2009

Your Body Mass Index Tells the Real Story

Body Mass Index (BMI) is considered a more accurate tool than body weight alone to assess overall health and risks associated with being overweight. Lean body mass (muscle) weighs the same as fat, but takes up 2/3rds less space on your body. So you can see why a person with a lower BMI or lower Body Fat % looks slimmer than a person of the same height and weight, but with a larger % of body fat makeup. Remember that BMI alone should only be used as a guideline and is not 100% accurate. Make sure that you are getting your body fat % measured either using an impedance scale at home or get the help of a fitness professional utilizing body fat skin fold tests to get the best accuracy of your overall body fat % and health.

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Add Walking to Your Fitness Training Program

Instead of driving everywhere, try “hoofing-it” whenever possible. Experts recommend taking 10,000 steps per day (2,000 steps is about one mile) through exercise and daily activities to improve overall health. Walking at a moderate pace burns over 200 calories per hour! Don’t let time drag you down, instead of eating a huge lunch, put together something light and easy and go for a walk during your work lunch break. You can either sip on a nutritious protein drink or snack on high quality fruits while burning calories on your lunch time walk. Remember that small changes make big differences in your life over the long haul.

Irrelevant of your starting point or current level of fitness, walking is an excellent addition to any program. Make it fun, add family or friends. But remember to walk a good pace.

Fat to Muscle? Muscle to Fat? No, no, no…

Lies, lies, lies! It just doesn’t happen! We hear it all the time… “I’m working out less and my muscle is turning into fat!” One of the biggest myths in fitness… muscle and fat are completely different types of tissue and can’t magically be changed or transformed into one another. Muscle shrinks (atrophy) when not stimulated through resistance training so your muscles may in fact,  seem softer or less visible. Compounding the problem, most people don’t lower their calorie intake to match their now lower energy needs due to a lack of training. The result is less muscle mass and extra calories being stored as fat… a shift in your body composition.

Remember, take your time and be patient! When it comes to your overall fitness, slow and steady wins the race! Proper diet and exercise should become a lifestyle and should not be compared to a sprint for 4-12 weeks. This sprint type of concept is exactly why so many who choose the fad diet route often put all of their initial weight, plus more back on once their “diet” ends. The body is a highly intelligent machine and compensates at the first opportunity if it has been “tricked”.

As for your training, when your body is ready, increase the intensity of your workout in small amounts. This will provide the challenge necessary for improvements without causing injury. Too much too soon can over stress the body, limit your progress and increase your risk of injury. And if you have to take time off from your fitness training just make sure to decrease your caloric intake accordingly……so your muscle doesn’t disappear under a layer of fat!

No matter what, always make fitness a part of your routine. Go for a walk, use iBoot, or follow an at-home program properly designed by a fitness coach. Just stay fit!

Make Sure Eggs Are Part of Your Healthy Meal Plan

Unless you cannot stomach them for some reason, eggs should already be a part of your daily healthy meal plan, most likely at breakfast time, but anytime during the day or night will work. Whole eggs are an excellent source of high-qulaity protein, and they contain two compounds that are extremely udeful in muscle growth and strength, leucine and cholesterol. Leucine, a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is critical to protein synhesis and cholesterol, which is found only in the yolk of the egg,  assists in the creation of testosterone and assisting in increasing both strength and lean mass.

Ladies, do not be scared off by this diet tip. Eggs are essential to you as well and will not increase testosterone levels enough to give you ANY man-like appearances. Neither will lifting weights or resistance training, just in case we haven’t burried that myth yet either.

At least one whole egg should be included all the time to ensure you have a complete protein. Do not fear the cholesterol issue if you are only having one or two whole eggs mixed with whites! Eat up!

Add to Your Fitness Training Tips . . . Stretch

When beginning any type of fitness training, it is recommended that you start with some kind of warm-up. Warming up muscles is important in order to prepare the body for exercise and to help prevent injury.  Stretching, on the other hand, is best done after workouts.  Even though stretching may improve flexibility,  the importance of a post workout stretch is to increase the  blood flow  to worked muscles thus aiding in their recovery and reducing muscle soreness.  Keep in mind, stretching “cold” muscles before they have had a chance to warm up may lead to injuries.  Of the many fitness training tips you may read, this is one to definitely place on your do to list.

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Why is Cardiovascular Fitness Important?

For those of you interested in muscle growth who believe that the only benefits in performing cardio exercises  is to help burn fat…we’ve got news for you!  New research has found that  when you enhance blood flow during cardio training programs,  it boosts nitric oxide levels, which in turn, promotes muscle growth.  Furthermore, even if your exercise is done on a treadmill or bike, legs are not the only body part to benefit,  the upper body does as well. Now if you’re asked  ”why is cardiovascular fitness important?”, you can add that it also promotes muscle growth to the long list of heart healthy benefits.

Are you someone who is concerned with maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, wants to improve overall health or wants to incorporate coenzyme Q-10 supplement into your daily diet? If so, we highly recommend AdvoCare’s CardioPlex.

Should you have any questions on CardioPlex or any other nutritional supplementation, contact us.

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Muscle Overload is Necessary

The last rep of any set should be very difficult! Remember that the point of resistance training is to OVERLOAD the muscles. Muscles will only get stronger if they need to due to progressive training. But make sure you are advanced in your fitness training program and are well prepared for overloading by being engaged in a on going exercise program. Participants at a beginner and intermediate level or those who had longer breaks in their program are advised to first consult a fitness coach or specialist before engaging in intense overloading of the muscle.

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A Benefit of Physical Fitness . . . Beat Your Genes

How many times have you heard someone say “I am heavy because of my “genes” or “my parents/grandparents are heavy so it’s very hard for me to lose weight”?  Though our genetic make up does, to some degree, dictate our body’s shape and predispositions,  research shows that following a fitness training plan can put a major dent on the very popular  ”genetic blame game”.   Exercise when coupled with healthy meal plans can keep those of us that do have a family link to obesity fit, lean,  and healthy for a lifetime.   Breaking the cycle of family related obesity  is an important benefit of physical fitness.

Get the most out of your fitness training plan by adding proper nutritional supplementation to your healthy meal plans!

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Personal Fitness Training

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Healthy Weight Gain Shake for July

A great tasting shake for those trying to pack on the pounds of muscle. This combination of slow-digesting proteins and carbs, as well as, healthy fats will do a good job of assisting in the gain of lean mass. Mix all ingredients together in the blender and drink cold.

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
• 1 medium banana
• 2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
• 1 scoop vanilla casein protein powder

Contains: 643 calories, 67g protein, 62g carbs, 14g fat

Research has shown that beta-ecdysterone appears to have anabolic properties! Beta-ecdysterone, commonly found in plants such as spinach, was shown to not only increase protein synthesis in muscle cells by about 20%, but also significantly increases in grip strength.

If your nutrition plan anf fitness training program are up to par and you would like to boost your protein synthesis and strength gains, take 100mg of beta-ecdysterone with meals and before and after workouts. Shoot for 400-500 mg per day!

Be on the lookout for more information and research on these findings in the future.

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How Heavy Should My Weights be in My Fitness Training Plan?

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Irrelevant of your fitness goals, this is a very good, common question! One missed all too often! Trying to lose a few pounds? Trying to build some muscle? No matter! Some are not going to like this answer because it kills the notion that just “showing up” at the gym will work! Not going to happen that way……

Weight? Use the heaviest weight possible with “GOOD” form! The little two or three pound, pink plastic weights in those Jane Fonda videos should be tossed in the trash, right along with those 1980’s leg warmer/headband sets (you know who you are). Creating a truly fit, functional body, your fitness training plan must be built around the use of weights that push your muscles and mind to achieve new levels strength. For those training at home, invest in either a set of solid, well-constructed dumbbells or resistance bands that allow a variety of resistance that you consider light, medium and heavy.

Keep in mind, the body does need time to adjust to the exercise, but this should not take longer than 2-3 weeks if starting from scratch, before you can begin to truly test the muscles. Don’t start from the heaviest weight possible right away. Listen to your body and build it up carefully and responsibly. Once you know that you are ready grab the heaviest weights you can manage during the exercise. Don’t shy away from moving your resistance levels up with good form. Perfect form is not required, but a good balance in your form and the weight used is.

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Your goal, with your fitness training plan, should be success with the utmost efficiency. To do this, you MUST challenge your body and mind during your workouts. No leg warmers! No three-pound weights. Challenge, challenge, challenge!

Now get to work! Let us know if we can be of assistance!

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Proper Nutrition for Kids is Paramount

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With video games, TV, computers, poor meal choices and the internet, children are facing a health crisis of their own. Children on a whole are less healthy than they used to be in times past. Diabetes–thought to be a mainly adult disease in the past—has been on the rise among children. An obese child usually translates into an obese adult, which can lead to all sorts of health problems in the future, such as high blood pressure and an increased chance of suffering from a heart attack or stroke.

With this in mind, eFitness for Life has put together a top ten list of nutritional tips and healthy eating guidelines for children:

1. Set a good example and keep your child active. Children learn by example, and if their parent is healthy and active, chances are they are too. Make activity fun for your child, and enroll them in as many sporting activities as you can afford.
2. Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and a necessity for a real balanced healthy diet. It will give them the fuel they need throughout the day. Make sure you guide them towards making healthy breakfast choices, such as oatmeal or whole grain cereals.
3. Keep your child hydrated, especially if it’s hot outside or they’re engaged in a sporting activity.
4. Make sure your child gets enough protein and carbohydrates in their diets. Foods that are good sources of protein and carbohydrates include fish, poultry, meat, cheese, milk, beans or legumes.
5. Provide healthy nutritious snack foods after exercise. Instead of handing them a chocolate bar, hand them a piece of fruit instead.
6. Provide variety in their diet. If your child is eating the same things day after day, chances are that they’re missing out on some nutritional building blocks. Besides that, they will get bored with their diet. Instead, have them help you choose meals that are healthy for the entire family. This will help them make better choices in the future.
7. Work with a nutrition coach, dietitian or a nutritionist. They can help a great deal when it comes to healthy meal planning for you and your growing child.
8. Try to make home cooked meals as opposed to eating out. Fast food is generally not a good way to instill good eating habits in your child. Budget meal planning does NOT include eating out every night either. Just an FYI, in case saving money is a goal as well.
9. Throw out the soda and limit the juices. Soda is jam packed with calories and juices are typically full of sugars. Instead, give them water. Lots of water!
10. Teach your child about proper portion sizes. Most people eat way too much food at each meal, which contributes to massive weight gain in both adults and children.

Proper nutrition and a healthy diet plan is important for both children and adults. Together you can make your house a healthier environment, where everyone can reap the benefits. Don’t allow poor nutrition and inactivity to ruin your child’s health. Together we can make a difference that will last a lifetime.

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