Fitness Blog

Strength Training - Keep It Simple

Here are a few tips to help keep your training more consistent, effective and simple.

1. Train between 3-5 days each week.

2. Don’t split up your program too much, try to stick to full body work-outs or 2-3 day split programs.

3. Take minimal amount of rest in between exercises or do active recovery exercises in between to help improve balance, agility, core strength.

4. Always allow 1-2 days of rest before training a muscle group again.

5. Add cardio to your weekly program to make your training more effective and to help burn extra body fat.

6. Always drink plenty of water before, during and after you work-out and have a well balanced snack when you’re finished that contains a good source of protein.

7. Get lots of sleep.  You break down your muscles when training so you want to be sure you are getting the appropriate amount of sleep every night (7-8 hours) to ensure your body has enough time to recover and repair the damaged muscles. 

Exercise & Workout article by Ben on Monday, April 20, 2009 2:04:35 PM EST

Ten Of The Worst Eating Habits

1. Not eating enough during the day.

 

People starve themselves during the day and then usually over eat at night.

2. Eating only protein after working out.

 

You actually need mostly carbs to replace muscle energy and some protein for tissue repair.

3. Skipping snacks.

 

You should be eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day and if you skip your snack you could possible over eat at your next meal.

4. Keeping snacks around your desk and grazing all day.

 

Make sure your snacks are measured out and you are only eating them at the appropriate times.

5. Eating on the run.

 

When you eat in a rush you don’t enjoy the food as much, may not be as satisfied and may over eat to compensate.

6. Portion Control.

 

Find out what different servings sizes look like (chicken, vegetables, fruit) so you have a reference when preparing your plate.

7. Waiting too long too eat.

 

Blood sugar gets low and this is when cravings begin to set in.

8. Eating just before a work-out for a boost of energy.

 

Proper nutrition takes a lot longer to kick in so make sure to eat well throughout the day and if it’s an early morning work-out, make sure to eat a bed time snack and have plenty of water in the morning to help give you the energy you need.

9. Drinking too many calories.

 

Keep track of the glasses of juice, milk, coffee and pop that you drink.  You would be amazed at how many calories most juices, pops and coffee drinks contain.

10. Following the wrong diet.

 

You need to find a diet plan that suits your lifestyle, food preferences and tastes so trying to stick to the “diet of the week” will probably not work for you.  You need to find something that you can follow and stick to!

Diet & Nutrition article by Ben on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 2:08:45 PM EST

Eating Nuts and Losing Weight

Can Eating Nuts Help You Lose Weight?

You probably know that nuts are high in fat. Because they are very energy-dense (containing a large number of calories compared to volume), it is natural to assume that eating nuts will contribute to weight gain. However, a number of recent scientific studies conducted on the effect of nut consumption on body weight provide evidence contrary to this assumption.

An examination of the literature on this topic, conducted by Richard Mattes and colleagues and published in The Journal of Nutrition, actually found that eating nuts is not associated with a higher body weight – in fact, many studies found that people who eat nuts have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than people who don't eat nuts.

Nuts Found Not To Cause Weight Gain

Several clinical trials have found that nut consumption has a limited impact on body weight. In one trial, healthy adults were provided with an amount of almonds equivalent to 15% of their calculated energy needs each day. It was predicted that this addition of daily calories would result in a weight gain of 6.4 kg, but the actual weight gain was only 0.65 kg for men and 0.14 kg for women – about 10% or less than the expected amount.

Another recent trial, in which healthy but overweight women were instructed to eat a portion of almonds daily for 10 weeks, found no change in weight at the end of the 10 week period, despite a predicted weight gain of 3.4 kg.

Nuts Can Aid Weight Loss

A number of clinical studies have found that the addition of nuts to a diet meant for weight loss not only doesn't reduce the effectiveness of the diet, but can actually improve both quality of diet and amount of weight loss. A comparison of almonds and complex carbohydrates found that people consuming almonds lost more weight and saw a greater reduction in BMI, waist circumference, and fat mass.

A second study found that a diet containing moderate amounts of fat from nuts – defined as 35% of energy from fat – resulted in greater weight loss than a diet low in fat, where 20% of energy came from fat. Study participants who were on the moderate-fat diet were also more likely to stick with the diet than those on the low-fat diet.

Why Might Nuts Help You Lose Weight?

• Nuts help you feel less hungry. Questionnaires have found that the consumption of nuts results in a significant reduction in levels of hunger reported by respondents, although the reason for this is unknown.
   
• You eat fewer calories at other times. For an unknown reason, it appears eating nuts results in a lower calorie consumption at later meals. The majority of calories obtained by eating nuts – an estimated 65-75% – are offset by this reduced intake of other foods.
   
• Energy from whole nuts is not readily absorbed by your body. Studies have consistently found that a large amount of fat from nuts passes through the digestive tract without being absorbed. An estimated 10-20% of a nut's calories are thought to be lost due to this limited efficiency of energy absorption. The cell walls of nuts are resistant to gastrointestinal enzymes, meaning that any cells not broken by chewing may not release the fat that they store.
   
• Nuts may help you burn more calories. Eating nuts has been found to increase the amount of energy you expend while resting. One trial found that consuming peanuts increased resting energy expenditure (REE) by 11%. What exactly does this mean? As an example, the REE of a woman who is 30 years old, 5 feet and 4 inches tall, and 160 pounds is 1511 calories per day. Replacing some of her diet with nuts could help her burn 11% more calories while at rest, or an extra 166 calories per day. This translates to 17lb of weight loss in a year!

Even though nuts are high in fat, scientific studies are showing that a diet containing nuts can be helpful in losing weight and in maintaining a healthy body weight. Not only do nuts make you feel fuller and want to eat less, the fat they contain is not readily absorbed by your body and they may even help you burn more calories while at rest. These advantages suggest that adding a moderate amount of nuts to your diet is a healthy move.

About the Author
Matthew Contantine is a biologist and postdoctoral fellow at Washington University School of Medicine. He has a variety of research interests and reviews popular meal replacement diets on his weight loss blog.

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