Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I don’t have time to work out is BS

I don’t have time to work out. “I have to work, kids, spouse, ect.” What I hear is “I’m too lazy, I don’t like to hurt, I’ll get all sweaty, I don’t know how, ect.” You don’t have time for exercise, but you do have time to sit on your ass and watch it get big? Come on people! There is always time for some type of exercise. You don’t have to look like the people in magazines, or be the model of Health&fitness, but be real. I can understand not having time for the gym. But, there are many ways around that. Here are a few.

Take a walk with the family after dinner. One can alternate pushups and crunches every other block, or even bring light weights on the walk. Play with the kids, you can do pushups with them on your back. Get some exercise DVD’s and do it with family or friends. Put an exercise machine of some sort in front of the television. You can work out and zone out at the same time. Playing motion capture video games, "Wii, PS3 wand." Even waking up 15 minutes earlier in the morning just to stretch will increase your metabolism throughout the day.

Bottom line my friends, unless you are paralyzed from the neck down, there are no excuses. You can do it. It’s as easy as standing up.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Fat facts

Despite people's claims, Fat is essential, and serves a useful purpose. Fat is part of our brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Fat also helps protect organs from injury, and acts as insulation during for the cold. People who try the Atkins diet may loose much needed fat in the brain. This explains why peopel who do that particular diet may encounter problems with memory and concentration. The average man in his early to mid 20’s has approximately 15% body fat while women of the same age have 27% percent body fat. Women tend keep on more fat then men do. “Sorry ladies, it’s a fact of life.” Although these are considered the normal amounts for body fat, many people believe themselves to overweight. This is unfortunate do to the fact that the media is responsible for telling us that we are fat and overweight. The media and cooperations do this to make people go out and spend large amounts of money on supplements and other products that people don’t really need. To lose fat, one simply has to create a calorie deficit. This can be done by eating less, exercise, or a combination of the two.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Why athletes should avoid fast food.

Why should athletes avoid fast food? Personally, if someone wanted me in perfect shape, and pay me millions of dollars to exercise or "play ball," I'd live off of sushi, seafood, steak, and shut the hell up while enjoying my wealth.

The United States lives off of fast food. Busy lifestyles, second jobs, two income families, and great taste are all reasons why America’s fast food industry is vastly popular. Not to mention the media throws it in our faces in magazines, television, and billboards. Meats and potatoes deep fat fried, with heavy condiments, along with high calories beverages all contribute to obesity and various diseases. Why these may be acceptable for the regular person, they are not acceptable for athletes looking to maximize their physical results.
Fast food chains are a definite epidemic to people, and for athletes end their career. Most fast food restaurants food is extremely high in saturated fats, high in carbohydrates, contains heavy sodium, or overfilled with sugar. These foods can make any person have health problems. Weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, poor circulation, stomach pains, diarrhea, and fatigue can result form eating fast food. Also the high sodium intake will make a person thirstier and contribute to possible drinking more soda.

Fast food can cause numerous problems for athletes. Most athletes stick to a strict diet of health foods. Eating food with high fat and grease can have negative effects on performance. Making an athlete feel sluggish, and not perform well at his or her competition. The added sodium intake from fast food can dehydrate an athlete, or cause them to drink more water. The additional water makes the individual have to make more bathroom stops, which causes the athlete to waste time. There are ways to go about eating smart if there is no other restaurant available.
If a person cannot resist the urge to order a fatty burger there are a few different ways to go about ordering. Order and hamburger, but order it without the mayonnaise and cheese. That will reduce the fat almost in half. Order a small French fries over the large and ask for fresh fries without salt. Diet soda, low fat milk, or water is a better choice over regular soda or milk shakes. Chicken should be broiled and not fried. These simple adjustments can help save hundreds of calories and several grams of fat.

If the person wants to avoid the bad foods altogether, that is possible as well. Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and even pizza hut all have choices that can accommodate any athletes looking to save their body from bad foods. For breakfast, Burger King offers bagels with jelly, milk, and juice. McDonald’s offers breakfast burritos, juice, bran muffins, and hot cakes. These foods are relatively low in fat and are not extremely heavy on the stomach. There are many choices for lunch and dinner as well. A safe McDonald’s meal may consist of the Mclean Deluxe, side salad with light dressing. Wendy’s offers a grilled chicken sandwich, baked potato, and milk. And Pizza hut offers spaghetti with meat sauce. All are lower in fat, and have good amounts of protein, and plenty of carbohydrates to sustain an athlete’s glycogen storage.

As delicious and convenient as fast food is, it is not a good idea for athletes to eat at these restaurants. In fact an athlete should avoid fatty, high sodium, greasy food altogether. It would be best for athletes who crave fast foods to wait until after an event to eat them. Or better yet, only go get fast food after they win an event and want to reward their superior efforts.

Low Carb Meals

We are told that carbohydrates are the enemy. Those of you who have read my Banana myth post know that's wrong. However, if you are looking to have a meal or two with low carbohydrates, then try some of the following.



LOW CARB MEALS

Meal#1
6oz filet minion- About 334 calories, 27 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 22 g total fat (9 g saturated), 105 mg cholesterol, 799 mg sodium.
1 cup beef&cabbage soup- 110 calories, 20 percent calories from fat, 14 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 2 grams total fat, 30 milligrams cholesterol, 622 milligrams sodium.
Sauteed broccoili- 49 calories, 73 percent calories from fat, 2 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 4 grams total fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 15 milligrams sodium.

Meal #2
Turkey cutlets in sauce- 282 calories, 31.7 grams protein, 7.1 grams carbohydrates, 13.7 grams fat, 44 percent calories from fat, 109 milligrams cholesterol, 316 milligrams sodium
1 cup oyster chowder- 397 calories, 7 grams protein, 38 grams fat, 7 grams carbohydrates, 162 milligrams cholesterol, 219 milligrams sodium, 86 percent calories from fat.
1 glass red wine- 130 calories 0 fat, 0 sodium, 5 g carbs, 0 protein


Meal# 3
Asparagus and cheese omelet-310, Total Fat: 23.0 g, Saturated Fat: 9.0 g, Cholesterol: 457.0 mg, Sodium: 540 mg, Carbohydrates: 3 g, Protein: 23.0 g
Oat muffin- 02 Calories; 17g Fat (67.9% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 67mg Cholesterol; 375mg Sodium.

Meal#4
Salt baked fish-about 188 calories, 37 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 3 g total fat (1 g saturated), 66 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium.
91 Calories; 5g Fat (47.5% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 94mg Cholesterol; 1117mg


Meal #5
scallops basil+tomamto- 400 Calories; 3g Fat (7.7% calories from fat); 76g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 150mg Cholesterol; 731mg Sodium.
green beeb medoly-53 Calories; trace Fat (3.6% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 557mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.
Egg plant- 43 Calories; 1g Fat (14.8% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat.





Meal#6
low carb pasta-208 Calories; 8g Fat (26.8% calories from fat); 42g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 187mg Cholesterol; 365mg Sodium.
Chicken with taragon-204 Calories; 7g Fat (36.6% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 84mg Cholesterol; 272mg Sodium.
bean salad- 173 Calories; 12g Fat (58.9% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 71mg Cholesterol; 80mg


Meal #7
chicken divon- 446 Calories; 26g Fat (55.3% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 145mg Cholesterol; 1077mg Sodium.
low carb bread-
63 Calories; 6g Fat (32.2% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 94mg Cholesterol; 222mg
Spincah and ricoota-151 Calories; 11g Fat (64.2% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 206mg Cholesterol; 254mg Sodium.


Meal #8

BBQ chicken- 951 Calories; 68g Fat (65.7% calories from fat); 70g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 380mg Cholesterol; 610mg Sodium.
apsaragus custard- 331 Calories; 29g Fat (77.4% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 198mg Cholesterol; 224mg Sodium.
cajun coleslaw- 70 Calories; 6g Fat (73.0% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 666mg Sodium.

Meal# 9
Club omelte- 259 Calories; 16g Fat (56.2% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 402mg Cholesterol; 927mg Sodium.
Apple bread-82 Calories; 3g Fat (33.8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 3mg Cholesterol; 107mg Sodium.

Meal #10
Baked zukini- 88 Calories; 5g Fat (52.5% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 60mg Cholesterol; 101mg Sodium
Baked crab cassolrole- 165 Calories; 5g Fat (29.3% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 98mg Cholesterol; 594mg Sodium.

Meal #11
Garlic shrimp- 561 Calories; 35g Fat (58.6% calories from fat); 48g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 405mg Cholesterol; 670mg Sodium
Low carb bagel- 125 Calories; 4g Fat (25.8% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 20mg Cholesterol; 473mg Sodium.


Meal #12
Lobster Bisque- 510 Calories; 34g Fat (79.0% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 144mg Cholesterol; 578mg Sodium.
cup of chowder- 272 Calories; 18g Fat (58.7% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 54mg Cholesterol; 627mg Sodium.


Meal #13
Large hot chicken salad- 758 Calories; 62g Fat (72.6% calories from fat); 51g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 168mg Cholesterol; 614mg Sodium.


Meal #14
Bran muffin- 133 Calories; 12g Fat (73.8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 97mg Cholesterol; 200mg Sodium.
Crab soufle-312 Calories; 24g Fat (70.8% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 455mg Cholesterol; 872mg Sodium


Meal #15
Cheese scon-30 Calories; 10g Fat (32.3% calories from fat); 46g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 90mg Cholesterol; 200mg Sodium
Bacon&eggs- 475 Calories; 41g Fat (77.6% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 663mg Cholesterol; 492mg Sodium.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Banana Myth

#2 The banana myth. Bananas are high in sugar and make you fat?
Bananas are fruit, and fruit is healthier than candy, sweets, or high fatty meals. The glycemic index (GI) of a bananas changes the riper they are. The riper the banana, the higher the GI. Oh, for those of you who do not know of the GI, here it is. The GI is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low.
However, glycemic load is a little different. The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn't tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food's effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn't a lot of it, so watermelon's glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.
For best fitness results if you are trying to lose weight, choose foods that are low in GI and GL. The only time a person wants some high GL and GI food is after a good exercise session. The body needs to replenish the fuel that was just used. Ha! And you thought this was only going be about bananas.

Muscle vs Fat

Let me begin by saying that if you are overweight and are starting a workout program, good for you. And thank you for saving some of my tax dollars. How much muscle you put on, or how much fat you can lose is based on "in order of importance" your genetics, diet, and fitness regimen. Each person will have a different response to weight training.

One should not get discouraged if it has been a few weeks of exercise and have yet to see any weight loss. The popular myth is that muscle weighs more than fat. A pound is a pound is a pound. No matter how you measure it. Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than gold weighs more than cotton. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that by volume it seems to weigh more. So, if you have a 10 by 10 block of muscle and an equal size block of fat, the muscle block will weigh more. Two people both weighing 170 pounds can look very different. That is a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. On average, a pound of muscle compared to a pound of fat body take up 22% less space. So an obese individuals starting an exercise program should not get discouraged if their efforts are not showing up on the scale. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burns more calories.