Fitness Together - Gunbarrel Pointe

Four Tips for Working Moms Trying to Stay Fit

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:52:00 -0500

From working a full-time job to running kids to school functions and managing a household, moms hardly have a spare moment in their busy daily schedules. Even with hectic home and work situations, working moms still need to find time to live a healthy lifestyle -- not only to benefit themselves, but their families as well.

By implementing the following tips and mental shifts, working out can soon become a permanent appointment in your busy schedule.

Make Yourself a Priority
Moms tend to put themselves at the bottom of the priority list, especially when kids are young. You aren’t getting much sleep and it takes all of your energy to just make it through the day. Moms also can be hard on themselves emotionally and feel guilty about doing something for themselves. To be healthy, moms have to bust through these mental roadblocks and attitudes by making their health and fitness a priority, a commitment and a life-long dedication.

“It’s OK to take care of yourself because if you don’t take care of yourself now, you can’t take care of anyone else,” says Alexandra Craig, Fitness Together studio owner in Columbus, Ohio.

The first step is to believe in the power and impact of a healthy and fit lifestyle -- not only physically, but mentally -- throughout all aspects of your life. It’s time to make the mental shift to putting your health as a No. 1 priority.

“As a working mom, you’re expected to take care of the family and perform well at work. But how are you going to do that if you’re overweight, uncomfortable and unhappy?” says Kerri Powers, a Fitness Together studio owner in Lexington, Mass., and mother of two young children. “Moms have to start putting themselves first.”

Release Stress with a Healthy Fitness Routine
Working moms are busy people who continually have to balance work with personal and at-home considerations, which can create a lot of stress throughout all aspects of life. If you don’t have an outlet for releasing this stress, then you won’t be able to handle the common stresses of motherhood for too long.

Craig believes that moms need to feel good about themselves and feel a sense of personal accomplishment to live a healthy and fit lifestyle that leads to stress-free living.

“We have a lot of moms in our studio who work full-time jobs, run around their kids to school functions and still find time to work out,” says Craig. “One of the main reasons they keep up their workout routine is because they know that once they get done, they will be 20% better mentally. They feel good, will treat their families better when they get home and have an overall more positive outlook on life.”

Powers finds it helpful for moms to schedule their fitness routines a week or month ahead of time. Whether it’s first thing in the morning before the kids are awake, during your lunch break or in the evening, you only have to set aside 30-60 minutes during the day to focus on your health and fitness. Adjust your schedule, make it fit, but just do what it takes to make your workout a constant in your life.

Take Time to Eat Healthy
A common habit that moms form without even realizing it is eating their kids’ foods and finishing up a child’s plate in fear of wasting food. What may seem like an innocent, time-saving gesture, though, is in reality a huge calorie counter.

Eating your kids’ leftovers are wasted calories that can add up quicker than you realize. Instead of grabbing a leftover spoonful of your child’s macaroni and cheese for lunch, make sure to take the time to eat well-rounded, nutritious meals that include healthy portions of protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables to sustain the energy needed for an always-on-the-go working mom. It helps to plan your weekly meals ahead of time on the weekends so you won’t have to worry about what you’re eating during the busy work week.

Stay Accountable, Stay Active
No one wants to tackle the challenge of living a fit and healthy lifestyle alone. So working moms shouldn’t be expected to hit the gym by themselves.

Whether you have personal friends who are interested in working out or you join a group of other moms in your studio, it’s important to surround yourself with others who share similar goals to get the best results both mentally and physically. It’s a lot harder to skip a workout or not give your best when you have others relying on you to show up to every workout session and give your best effort.

If you haven’t been able to find a great workout partner, Powers suggests that you consider enlisting the help of a personal trainer or coach. Personal trainers are not only great fitness buddies, but they also can be an excellent resource for helping you get started and maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle.

“As a mom, you have tons of things on your mind and working out shouldn’t be stressful,” Powers says. “By using a trainer, you have someone who knows what you should eat, what workouts you should do to get the best results and they know how to motivate and push you to reach goals you never thought possible.”

Four Ways To Keep Your Kids Active Over Spring Break

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:21:00 -0500

Although playing video games may exercise your child’s hands and fingers, it’s important to get kids off the couch, out of the house and engaged in total body physical activity during spring break.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children and adolescents should do at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. It is recommended that your child’s physical activity include a mix of aerobic activity, muscle strengthening and bone strengthening.

The following four tips can help keep your child’s activity levels on track during spring break.

Hit the Pool at Your Local Recreation Center: Aquatic activity is an excellent total body workout and spring break is the annual kickoff to pool season. So take advantage of the opportunity to combine fitness with fun by taking your kids to the local recreation center pool.
Sign Up for Community Sports or Activity Camps: Spring break camps that cater to small group activities for kids are usually offered through local community organizations, recreational facilities or fitness studios. Expand on your children’s interests by signing them up for a fitness-oriented camp that will keep their minds and bodies engaged during spring break.
Schedule Family Fun Fitness Time into Your Daily Schedule: Working out as a family not only sets a good example for your children to live a healthy and fit lifestyle, but it also provides an opportunity to spend quality time as a family working together to accomplish a common goal. Instead of turning on the TV after dinner, plan an activity together that incorporates fitness with family time. The activity can be as simple as taking the dog for a walk, playing at the park or riding bikes together.
Try a New Spring Sport: Spring is a great time for kids to try out a new sport or activity such as soccer, rock climbing, dance, softball/baseball or ultimate. Sign them up for a spring break sports camp or recreational team to not only try something new, but also to keep them active during the break from school.

As you plan for your children’s spring break this year, make sure to incorporate fitness and fun into their daily schedules. Consistent and regular physical activity each day is key to raising healthy and fit children who will succeed at school, home and in their extracurricular activities. It is important to set the foundation today for making fitness a priority in your life and your children’s.

Like us on Facebook or Twitter

Pushing Yourself Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:48:00 -0500

The Excuse to Exercise, Pushing yourself to Uncomfortable: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

In today’s fast paced society the obesity epidemic is spiraling out of control. People are continually coming up with every excuse not to engage in physical activity. We’ve heard it all; I don’t have time, I don’t have any equipment, I don’t have a place to work out, it’s too expensive. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a type of workout that leaves no room for these the ongoing excuses. HIIT training can easily be modified to fit anyone’s level of fitness, their schedule, and can be adapted to any environment.

The concept is simple High Intensity Interval Training involves intense bouts of physical engagement followed by a period of rest and then repeated a number of times. Exercises can be as simple as using a staircase for stepping a corner of a room for jumping jacks, marching, a chair for sitting and standing. The workouts can be put together in a way to challenge athletes with super sets challenging multiple muscular groups in one exercise. The time it takes to complete a challenging workout can range from 15-60 minutes all of which provide heart pound, body fat eliminating, and calorie burning sessions. So why don’t more people take the time out of their day to engage in such activity? I believe there are two major barriers: the lack of knowledge, and the fear of being uncomfortable. No matter the level of your current fitness HIIT training should push you past your comfort zone and challenge you body in strength, muscular endurance, and will power. When exercises are performed at an increased level results can be mind boggling. Individuals participating in HIIT who have been studied accomplished the same aerobic increases in 2 weeks in comparison to 6-8 weeks of doing traditional cardio endurance training (treadmill, bike, elliptical, ext) at a constant lower intensity for a longer amount of time per session.

What is HIIT training?

High Intensity Interval Training is any workout that incorporates intense bursts of activity followed by a period of less intense work or rest. A 5 minute warm up at brisk walk pace followed by 5 cycles combining a 30 second sprint/ 1 minute walk, then ending with a 5 slow walk to cool down is an example of a HIIT cardio workout. A resistance training workout would include a several light weight or body weight exercises set in circuits which are performed for a set amount of a time (1min) followed by a rest period (30sec), participants move around the circuit a set number of times. The interval time can be modified for participant fitness level and difficulty of exercise used.

Why do HIIT workouts?

Workouts can be done anytime, anywhere with little to no equipment in a time efficient manner.

Anybody can do HIIT training, excuses not valid! The simple concept behind HIIT workouts is to perform at maximum effort, rest for a short period of time, repeat; this provides the ability for the workouts to be completed in any environment. Workouts are designed to be efficient compact workouts which can easily be incorporated a daily schedule. Interval workouts can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day, as these short heart pounding workouts still result significant calorie burns and increased fat loss. The exercises used as part of the workouts are designed to use your own body weight as a source resistance thus eliminating the need for equipment. By using body weight you can develop muscular strength and endurance, body weight exercises great for developing a strong core and leave less chance for potential injury. Because there is not a need for equipment HIIT workouts can easily be designed with the ability to adapt with varying locations allowing the participants an opportunity to work out in space constrained area such as hotel rooms, break rooms, ext.

Burn more fat

Your hard work continues long after your workout is complete. In addition to burning calories you during your HIIT workout you have an after burn effect. Shortly after finishing a intense workout your body undergoes repairs for the following 24 hours the added benefit of this process is the continuation of fatty acids and calories being burned as fuel for the repairs.

Increase heart health

By pushing yourself through anaerobic intervals your heart increase how much blood it can through your body with each beat!

Muscle stays, fat goes

HIIT workouts are short and intense movements which use muscle for power and strength. The short duration of intervals followed by recovery helps prevent muscle from being used as a source of energy, therefore, you’re only burning your bodies carbohydrate (sugar) and fat stores during your workouts preventing in muscle loss.

Slow Aging-feel younger

HIIT training has a stimulation effect on the body’s production of human growth hormone (HGH). The increased production of the hormone can last up to 24 hours following a workout. HGH has been linked to an increased metabolism as well slowing down aging processes.

Ever-changing Challenges

HIIT training uses a simple concept of a fast-pace then slow-pace or rest allowing exercisers the ability to add new moves, new challenges, and new goals at anytime. The constant addition and subtraction various exercises and the adjustment of time ratios keeps the individuals body from adapting to the exercises being performed and allows for continual change and its ability to produce the individuals desired results.

The obesity trend can easily be reversed with the boom of functional high intensity interval training.

12 Tips for Kicking the Refined Sugar Habit

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 12:12:00 -0600

12 Tips for Kicking the Refined Sugar Habit

There has been even more information in the news lately about how bad sugar is for you. Dr. Sanjay Gupta was interviewed by "60 Minutes," along with several other experts, who linked sugar consumption to everything from the obvious (such as weigh gain) to serious diseases like cancer and heart disease.

I don't know of anyone who thinks that sugar is actually good for you, yet we average 130 pounds of sugar per person in the U.S. The question is, why do we eat sugary foods and drinks when we know it's bad for us? One researcher said the desire for fructose is wired into us because in nature, anything with fructose in it isn't poisonous. Another researcher demonstrated with MRI scans how your brain releases dopamine when you eat something sweet. Your body rewards you when you eat sugar by making you feel good.

Because I don't eat sweetened foods a lot, I can feel that effect dramatically at times. On the Fourth of July last year, I had several sweets throughout the day at a party and I did feel slightly euphoric, as I hadn't had so much sugar in a long time. (I felt great until I became sick the next day, probably a combination of the immune-lowering effects of sugar and not enough sleep!). The problem is that you can't stay that way. While I was able to feel those happy hormones racing in my system because I hadn't had much in the way of added sweeteners for a while, I would have had to start eating more and more sugar to get that same response. In other words, sugar is really addicting.

I much prefer the glow of good health to the momentary response you get from sugar. But because of both its addicting properties and that it's in almost everything in the store, sugar — and corn syrup and other forms of sugar — can be hard to leave behind.

But it's more than possible. Here are some tips if you'd like to explore that possibility.

1. Get properly motivated

Because it does take both work and motivation to get sugar out of your life, I recommend that you watch the "60 Minutes" interview, read Dr. Mercola's thoughts on this topic, or read a book such as "Suicide by Sugar" by Dr. Nancy Appleton. Repeat as necessary.

2. Stop drinking any form of soda pop and other sweetened drinks

The amount of sweetener in any type of soft drink is very high. A 12-ounce can contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. If you can drop the soft drinks, you will instantly reduce your sugar habit significantly. Another obvious food item to eliminate is candy. Just don’t go for the “sugar-free” options, unless it is stevia sweetened, as these sweetners are toxic in other ways.

3. Don’t eat or buy packaged foods

Even organic packaged foods often contain significant amounts of sugar. While many of them are preferable to their non-organic counterparts, the sugar content is something to be aware of. Don’t keep these foods at home, otherwise you may find them to hard to resist.

Make your own snacks at home like homemade popcorn (not microwave, but stovetop popcorn), or eat fruit or vegetables for a snack. Eat hot cereal, homemade muffins, or eggs and toast for breakfast. You will save money and be healthier!

4. Make wise choices when eating out

That salad you had at the restaurant? The dressing was full of sugar as well as unhealthy fats. Sugar is hidden in many dishes at restaurants, and their desserts can be tempting. If you are eating out, make sure you stick with dishes like grilled meats and roasted vegetables that aren’t as likely to be full of sugar.

I often sneak in my own homemade dressing to restaurants and enjoy a lovely salad, sugar-free. A quick recipe for salad dressing: 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2-4 teaspoons brown mustard, 1-2 finely minced garlic cloves, 3/4 teaspoon unrefined salt. Give it a shake in a jar and you are set to go.

5. Eat a well-rounded diet, especially concentrating on protein and vegetables

It’s amazing how much better I feel when I am eating plenty of protein and vegetables. I also don’t crave sugar when I am eating well. But it takes conscious effort to make it happen. In her book, "The Mood Cure," Julie Ross recommends not only removing refined foods (like white sugar and white flour) from your diet, but also adding good foods. She recommends 20-30 grams of protein at each meal and 4-5 cups of a wide variety of vegetables every day. That’s a lot of protein and vegetables, but she has seen that diet overcome many health issues (including depression). And don’t just take her word for it. Dr. Terry Wahls reversed her own multiple sclerosis eating a similar diet.

Simply removing sugar can help improve your health, but for good health you need to fill up on good-for-you foods. Eating regular, hearty meals will ensure that you don't eat a donut or cookie while you're out, or reach into a co-worker's candy jar out of hunger.

Buy a new cookbook that focuses on healthy, delicious recipes, or start following the many healthy food blogs out there. Get inspired and start collecting doable but delicious healthy recipes.

6. Challenge yourself to go completely "sugar-free” for two weeks

Sometimes when you simply try to “reduce” your sugar consumption, you end up eating only slightly less than where you started. Go completely sugar-free for two weeks and you will have started resetting your taste buds and gaining a lot of self-control. I have found it really helpful to do (especially after a holiday!).

7. Get a friend who is interested in reducing or eliminating sugar to join forces with you

It could be a spouse, a walking partner, or a co-worker. If you have someone who has the same goal as you, shares healthy recipes, and exchanges food/meals, it can make it much more enjoyable and doable. If you can’t find someone in “real life,” then find an online friend.

8. Deal with cravings

After a couple of days have gone by without eating any sugary foods, your craving for sugar should be reduced. I find it helpful to eat or drink a fermented food such as homemade sauerkraut, coconut kefir, or kombucha. The sourness of these food items counteract that sweet desire, plus it gives you healthy probiotics, which help reduce cravings.

Julia Ross also recommends in "The Mood Cure" the following supplements to help keep blood sugar levels stable. From her book: “The mineral chromium helps keep blood sugar level stable, but it gets used up by a high-carb diet. Putting more back into your body as a supplement restores blood sugar stability (even more for diabetics). It also eases the cravings for carbs that erupt during blood sugar drops….. Glutamine is an amino acid that your brain can use as an emergency substitute fuel when you haven’t eaten recently or have been eating too many carbs and your blood sugar level is too low. This glucose stand-in stops the impulse to run to the candy machine when it’s low blood sugar time. This, of course, saves your adrenals from overworking. L-glutamine can stop carb cravings and get you feeling steady and even within 10 minutes (less if you open a capsule and place the contents under your tongue."

Just make sure you take proper amounts of the above supplements and ask your health care provider about supplements before taking them.

9. Go have fun!

As long as you have food in your stomach, life is not all about what you can and cannot eat. Take a walk and enjoy nature, go to the park with your kids, read a good book. In other words, enjoy life. Really, you can enjoy it without sugar. I promise.

10. Enjoy beautiful food without sugar

Along the same lines, there is no need to mourn the loss of sweets when there is such beautiful food to eat. Make hearty stews and soups, roast a chicken, make a beautiful main dish salad, roast squash, toast nuts, and enjoy a good unsweetened yogurt. There are so many amazing foods to enjoy — so enjoy them. Don’t feel deprived, simply enjoy different foods.

11. Use the 2 teaspoons of sugar rule

If you find it too hard to go completely sweet-free, start using unrefined sweeteners at home, such as pure maple syrup, raw honey or coconut sugar. These sugars have minerals and vitamins intact, making them less stressful on the body. They also are less addicting and some, like coconut sugar, don't raise blood suagr very much. Stevia is an excellent choice for those wanting something sweet without calories or any rise in blood sugar. Appleton, the previously mentioned author of "Suicide by Sugar," found that two teaspoons of added sweetener at a time is the threshold for healthy individuals, no more than two to three times a day. So, if you find it unappealing to live a completely sweetener-free life, enjoy a bit of raw honey and butter on toast, or a bit of honey in a cup of tea. Drizzle pure maple syrup into unsweetened yogurt and top with berries, or lightly sweeten a muffin recipe without guilt.

12. Pass it on to the next generation

Part of the reason adults find it hard to let go of sugar is because they got addicted and used to it at an early age. If you have children, start them on the right food with a low-sugar diet. They will thank you later.

Why Resolutions Fail

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:51:00 -0600

Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail

As New Year’s resolutions gain popularity this time of year, many jump on the bandwagon of losing weight, getting fit and living a healthier lifestyle. While we all can benefit from making these types of positive lifestyle changes, most resolutions fizzle out, unfortunately, before they even have a chance to settle in. So, why does this popular annual pastime of making New Year’s resolutions tend to result in failed attempts, false starts and lackluster efforts?

Well, actually, it’s quite simple:

Resolution season brings colder temperatures and limited daylight.
The start of the year is filled with busy life, work and family schedules.
Doing what you’ve always done is a lot easier than trying something new.

So, what can you do to jump over these common resolution hurdles and finish strong in the quest for resolution success?

Commit to Getting off the Couch and Out the Door

The first step to accomplishing your health and fitness resolutions is to back your goals with a real commitment to succeed. You can’t wish your way to a healthier, leaner, more fit, stronger you. You have to make a real commitment that includes a support structure and lifestyle change focused on meeting your overall health and fitness goals.

One way to create a deeper level of health and fitness commitment is by working out with a group of friends or peers. As the temperatures hover around freezing and the temptation to cuddle in front of the fireplace instead of going to the gym burns strong, it is a lot easier to get yourself off the couch and out the door if you know someone is waiting to workout with you at the gym. This same peer-driven motivation to get you out the door on a cold winter day can be advantageous to your overall fitness when you workout in a group environment as well.

Research indicates that the presence of others around you during a workout session and the effects of competition can have a positive influence on your exertion and fitness performance levels. The dynamics and high energy of working out in a small group setting with a handful of peers and a seasoned personal trainer can push you to work harder than you could have ever imagined, allowing you to enjoy overall improvements in your body’s health and fitness levels.

Call in the Accountability Troops

Many New Year’s resolutions fail because people embark on the journey alone and let other items on their life calendar take priority over their goals. Set yourself up for resolution success by wrapping your goals with a strong support system that includes the right professionals and tools to do the job wisely and successfully.

By enlisting the help of a certified personal trainer, you will receive a customized workout that aligns with your body, ability and health/fitness level, as well as your New Year’s goals. A study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that those who worked out with personal trainers resulted in greater individual strength, workout intensities and exertion levels during an exercise session. Personal trainers are not only a great resource for holding you accountable to showing up for your workout, but also ensuring that you engage in a valuable workout session that benefits both the mind and body.

Another way to keep yourself accountable to health and fitness goals is by physically scheduling your weekly workouts into your personal, family and professional calendars. If you view your workouts as a serious appointment and dedicate specific time to a physically fit lifestyle, you will be less likely to skip your workouts when life becomes busy.

Furthermore, industry reports continue to find evidence that you don’t have to spend your entire day in the gym to reap the most benefits from your workouts. Short-term, high intensity workouts have been found to be a time efficient and effective approach for burning fat, increasing fitness levels and improving overall cardiovascular health.

Out with the Old, In with the New

The same old workouts and lifestyle tendencies will yield the same old results. If you are committed this year to reaching new levels of physical fitness, it is important to change up your approach by combining a can-do attitude with new workout routines focused on measurable strength and conditioning goals.

It’s important to remember, though, that physical fitness is an ongoing process that doesn’t happen overnight. Instead of making rash decisions like cleaning out all of the food in your pantry or exercising seven days a week when you have rarely made it to the gym once a week, set yourself up for success by identifying incremental benchmarks (going to the gym three times a week, running a mile without stopping, bench pressing 100 pounds, etc.) that can help keep your overall fitness goals within reach and within perspective. This approach will keep you on the path to reaching new physical fitness levels throughout the year and provide you with the opportunity to celebrate your successes along the way.

By pushing aside old barriers and incorporating new lifestyle behaviors centered around commitment, accountability and positive attitudes, you are well on your way to investing in a healthier body and happier you for the New Year.

The certified personal trainers at Fitness Together will design workouts tailored to your specific fitness level and will push you just hard enough to turn your goals into life changing results. Contact your local Fitness Together studio to learn more about how to look better, feel better and perform better this New Year with one-on-one personal training or Small Group PACK Training.

Ignite Your Inferno: How Good Nutrition and Exercise Work Together to boost your burn

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:27:00 -0600

Health, fitness and weight management is all about balancing the number of calories you take in (eat) with the number of calories your burn (metabolize). In general, fit people have higher metabolic rates. Just what is metabolism? Your metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy and then puts that energy to use. You need energy for rigorous activities like jogging or biking, but you also need those calories to fuel bodily processes such as breathing and keeping your heart beating.

Scientifically speaking, there are four components that make up your total daily metabolic burn rate: 1) your resting metabolic rate (RMR or the number of calories your body burns at rest) 2.) TEF or the thermic effect of metabolizing food 3). The amount of calories you burn when going about your daily activities and 4.) physical activity which includes lifestyle activities as well as the planned exercise you partake in. Each of these areas can be tweaked to boost your total daily calorie burn rate. Here are 6 tips for staying lean and fit by igniting each of these metabolic areas in different ways:

Boost your calorie-burning furnace by strength-training. The only scientifically proven method of enhancing the number of calories your body burns at rest (RMR) is to change your body composition meaning adding more muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat (one pound of muscle burns approximately 9 times the calories as a pound of fat) so by increasing muscle mass through intensive strength training, you can increase RMR to a small degree. Strength-building exercises also help maintain your bone density and balance, two important factors in healthy aging.
Daily cardio adds to your burn. Here is where you have the greatest daily control over your total burn rate. Cardio is the greatest calorie burner in the least amount of time. Combine a daily cardio expenditure of a few hundred calories with your strength training workout calorie burn and you have a one-two punch which will guarantee to fire up your metabolism.
Power up your protein intake. Eating a small amount of lean protein at every meal is also an effective metabolism booster. Protein takes more calories to assimilate thereby raising your TEF to a greater degree than carbs or fat.
Eat small, frequent meals. And don’t forget to eat small frequent meals throughout the day (another proven metabolism booster) rather than consolidating your entire food intake into just one or two large meals. Eating metabolism-raising foods in small quantities, spread throughout the day, will also provide you with a stable blood sugar level and a constant source of energy needed for metabolism. It is also important that you do not skip breakfast or drastically reduce your calorie intake as it will be interpreted by your body as potential starvation and lead to a slowdown in your metabolism.
Get enough Z’s. Sleep deprivation actually has been shown to harm your body’s endocrine function and capacity to metabolize carbohydrates. Translation: when you don’t get a good night’s sleep you decrease your calorie burning potential. Aim for at least 7 solid hours per night to help your metabolism run more smoothly.
Practice stress reduction. Stress triggers the release of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. When cortisol bathes your body’s tissue it stimulates fat storage, particularly around the middle (the more dangerous location). Cortisol also slows metabolism. Practicing healthy stress reduction techniques such as exercise, listening to music, gardening or any other relaxation technique will lower the amount of cortisol and help you maximize your metabolic rate.

Remember, you can take action to enhance your total daily metabolic rate. Targeting your calorie burn from multiple angles using the scientifically proven strategies outlined above, is an effective way to control your metabolism.

Have You Heard of "Creeping Obesity"?

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:09:00 -0600

A can of coke is 140 calories. So, if you drink a can of coke per day and you drink water instead then you would lose almost 15 pounds per year without changing anything else in your lifestyle. Ask yourself this question: Is it easier to exercise for 1 hour or skip the can of coke?

The term "creeping obesity" was coined by Ellington Darden of the Nautilus Sports Medicine Center and has been used regularly for the last 25 years in health and wellness textbooks.

Around age 25, we begin to lose up to ½ pound of lean muscle tissue per year. As if that were not bad enough, our fat cell growth may be increasing by 3 times per year. Although this sounds as if we are gaining lots of weight really fast, in fact it is truly creeping up on us. For most people this means about a pound to a pound and a half increase on the scale per year. And honestly, a pound or a pound and a half per year is no big deal, right? But I am sure your brain has already done the math before I can finish this sentence - a pound to a pound and a half means that from age 25 to 55 I have gained 30-45 pounds, and all of us have seen this either because it has happened to us or we have observed it in mom and pop, Uncle Sam or Aunt Sue.

The loss of lean muscle tissue means our resting metabolic rate is slowing down. When we lose a pound of muscle that means we lose the need for about 50 calories per day. This seems small, but for every 3,500 calories we consume and do not burn we gain a pound of fat. Therefore, if you are burning 50 less calories per day but consuming the same number of calories per day, just multiply 50 calories x 365 days and you will see that this is a 5 pound gain per year.

Not only do we suffer the consequences of the loss of lean muscle tissue which leads to a slower metabolism, but if our consumption of food increases, obesity is then creeping up on us for two reasons: loss of metabolic rate and increased caloric intake. If we consume just 10 calories more per day than we are burning we gain a pound of fat per year.

Finally, we all understand how increases in body fat increase our risk for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and simply a loss in quality of life. So, now that you are totally depressed, here is the good news of how to prevent this from happening or start reversing the effects.

1. Begin an exercise program. There are 168 hours in a week Commit to giving 3 of those hours as an appointment to yourself each week. Set the appointment and ask a trusted friend to hold you accountable to it, and if there is an emergency that causes you to miss then your trusted friend makes you reschedule yourself appointment. Each of these hours should contain a mix of weight bearing and cardiovascular exercise. If 3 hours feels like too much start with 3 days per week of 15 minutes. But you must start even if it is 3 days per week of 5 minutes. You get the point ... just get started with what you can physically and emotionally handle for now with the long term goal of 3 times per week of 1 hour. The cardiovascular exercise will build strong lungs and heart, burn calories and prevent disease. The weight bearing exercise will add lean muscle tissue increasing metabolic rate, build a functional body and prevent osteoporosis.

2. Take a look at what you are consuming through the week. As you go, make note of the foods you could live without, and at the end of the week see what caloric value these foods have. Then add it up, and it will give you a picture of what your year probably looks like in terms of calories that were not needed and what you could potentially lose in body fat.

If you can save just 50 calories per day you will lose an extra 5 pounds per year and that does not include the calories saved through your new exercise program. What if you lose an extra 100 calories per day? ... 10 pounds per year ... What if you lose an extra 200 calories per day? ... 20 pounds per year.

The simple nutrition goal is to eat "real whole foods". Real, whole, naturally occurring foods are rich in protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber and water all of which help you feel full. Real whole foods are calorie self-correcting without ever having to count calories.

So, simply start by avoiding one food item per day that you can part with, start exercising even if it is only for 5 minutes and start adding in more whole foods, and you will be on your way to losing weight and, more importantly, improving your health and quality of life.

Splurging on Thanksgiving... YES PLEASE!

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:55:00 -0600

Nobody gains weight from just that one Thanksgiving Day meal. We gain weight from the “holiday mentality” that continues on from Thanksgiving to New Years Day. Yet, the busiest and most stressful time of year is precisely when we must be most vigilant about putting the brakes on our calorie intake and finding the time to fit in lots of calorie-burning, stress-releasing exercise. That said, here are a few healthy makeover tips for holiday meals: modify your favorite holiday recipes so they are healthier and lighter (without compromising taste) by reducing the fat, sugar, sodium and calories.

For example, if you prepare stuffing from a box, look for a lower sodium variety, omit adding butter or margarine, and do add in lots of healthy vegetables like mushrooms, onions, garlic, celery and peppers, sautéed in a small amount of olive oil. You can also add in a touch of super-healthy walnuts and cranberries. Traditional mashed potatoes can be transformed into a delicious, heart-healthy cholesterol-lowering side dish (see below). Go for the turkey breast without the skin; don’t go overboard with the gravy; and eat desserts and drink alcohol in moderation.

This holiday season, remember to take the time to give yourself the gift of health by making a conscious effort to eat better and get in your daily calorie and stress—burning exercise!

Mashed Potatoes with Chickpeas
Serves 6
What you need:

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup light soy milk
1⁄2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1⁄4 cup Promise Take Control Light margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
Commercial gravy, optional

What you do:

Place potatoes in large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and return potatoes to pan.
Add chickpeas and mash using a potato masher. Add soy milk, chicken broth, margarine, and salt and pepper and stir. Cook an additional 2 minutes, until heated, stirring constantly. Serve warm. Top with commercial gravy if desired.

Per serving (1⁄6 of recipe, 293 grams or approximately 1 cup): Calories: 255, Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 751 mg, Carbohydrate: 46 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 7 g

Posted by Dr. Janet Bond Brill

3 Ways to Kick the Habit of Skipping Workouts

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:17:00 -0500

3 Ways to Kick the Habit of Skipping Workouts

1. Keep your eye on the prize.

You must have a very strong “why” you are doing it. Always connect to that “why,” especially when things get tough or you get busy. If your goal is to get back into your favorite jeans, hang them on the outside of your closet where you’ll see them every morning when you wake up. For an extra nudge, pin up an old photo of yourself wearing them.

Or, if you’re working toward a health goal such as lowering your blood pressure or relieving chronic back pain, mark your improvements on a chart posted on the fridge. Or tape a photo on your bathroom mirror of someone who’s achieved a goal you’re striving toward. Think fit, healthy-looking people your age playing tennis, climbing a mountain, training for a triathlon, running a 5K, or skiing with their kids!

2. Schedule a consistent workout time.

Set a regular time that fits into your daily and weekly schedule, and prioritize it just like you would a meeting with your boss or a top client. Think of it this way: Skipping out on your commitment to take good care of yourself means sooner or later you’ll start feeling depleted and run-down, with nothing left to give to those who count on you. Sticking to your fitness regimen not only helps keep you healthy, but also refills your well of physical and mental energy. So you’re more likely to be there and be “on” in your job, relationships, family and others who matter to you.

3. Use the power of a pro to keep you on track.

You’re much less likely to be a no-show for your workout when someone’s waiting for you at the gym, track, pool, court …. Agree on a time and place to work out with a trainer. When someone’s there, waiting, and holding you accountable to your exercise commitment, it’s a mighty motivator. Scheduling sessions with a personal trainer creates an especially powerful incentive to work out: You’ll feel a natural desire to make your trainer proud, and to respect the time commitment he or she blocked out to work with you. That’s powerful inspiration when you’re mulling whether to pull the sheets back over your head or pull on those gym shoes!

Exercise: Medicine for the Mind and Body

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:46:00 -0500

As the dog days of summer slowly fade from the horizon, to-do lists become longer with the craziness of back to school schedules, days become shorter with less sunlight brightening our days, and our carefree summer moods can quickly sour if we aren’t careful. Incorporating a consistent fitness routine into your end-of-summer schedule can help keep a pep in your step and a smile on your face during the summer/fall transition period.

Studies show that exercise is just what the doctor ordered for living a happy and healthy life anytime of the year, but especially when life has you running in many different directions. A healthy and fit lifestyle that includes daily exercise can help keep you focused, mentally and physically aligned, and in good spirits year round. Fitness can lead to overall happiness by offering the following life balancing and enhancing characteristics.

Setting Goals: The cornerstone of a sound fitness routine includes setting goals that lead to positive lifestyle results. Whether your goals include losing weight, training for an endurance event, bench pressing a certain amount of weight or reducing inches around your waistline, setting fitness goals creates a structured environment of clear expectations that can lead to happy and healthy outcomes.

Pushing Through Rough Times: One of the important lessons that a consistent workout routine can teach you is that most days will produce great workouts, but a few days every once in awhile will lead to less than desirable workouts. Even so, a rough workout (feeling tired, sore, poor mood) is better than no workout at all. Finishing a less than desired workout can still lead to a happy ending – feeling a sense of accomplishment and appreciating the effort exerted to lead an active lifestyle. Exercise teaches us to turn a negative into a positive by pushing through the rough times to make way for good times and great workouts when you feel on top of the world.

Releasing Mental and Physical Tension: Stress, responsibilities, work and family commitments, and over-scheduling are common conditions that can exist in our every day lives. Exercise can be a healthy outlet to blow off steam and turn these often negative elements in our lives into more manageable and happy situations. In fact, several lines of research suggest that exercise increases brain serotonin function in the human brain, which is believed to contribute to feelings of well-being and happiness. Specifically, research has indicated that patients diagnosed with depression have realized positive effects after they increased their physical activity.¹

Celebrating Your Successes: Too many times in our busy lives we forget to stop and take the time to celebrate our successes. A fitness routine based around specific goals naturally leads to accomplishments that are worthy of a celebration. So whether you finish your first 5k race, break a personal best record or complete a group workout with friends three times in one week, have fun, be happy about your accomplishments and enjoy your successes. Isn’t that what motivates us to keep going in the first place?

If you find yourself feeling down during the summer/fall transition this year, take a dose of consistent exercise to lift your spirits and keep your body moving in a healthy direction. The professionals at Fitness Together are here to help you get back on track to working out regularly or to enhance your existing workout routine so you can realize healthy and happy results for both your mind and body. Give our studio a call today to energize your exercise routine and support a happy lifestyle.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter

www.facebook.com/ftgunbarrel

www.twitter.com/ftgunbarrel

June - Men's Health Month

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:45:00 -0500

Men’s Health Tips from the Wellness Experts with Fitness Together of Chattanooga on Gunbarrel Road

For men, the lifetime risk of having a heart attack is 49 percent. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. In celebration of National Men’s Health Month, Fitness Together in Chattanooga is educating local consumers about what it takes to help keep the men in our lives healthy and heart disease free.

“Heart disease is a largely preventable disease through a healthy lifestyle,” said Justin Tate with Fitness Together. “Maintaining a healthy weight through nutrition and exercise while getting routine screenings by a physician will ensure the men in our lives are around for years to come.”

Tate offers four steps to help Chattanooga, East Brainerd, & Ooltewah men stay healthy:

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise: Exercise is the best medicine. A recent study published in the December 2011 issue of the American Heart Association journal found that fitness is the key to longevity in men. An ideal exercise program for keeping men’s ticker strong and healthy involves daily cardio exercise and strength training 2-3 times per week.
De-Stress Healthfully: It is no secret that stress contributes to plaque buildup and heart disease. Promote healthful stress-reducing activities or partake in ones that encourage taking a breather such as painting, playing with the dog, enjoying the outside or simply taking a walk.
Eat a Plant-Based Diet: A diet filled with whole foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish and nuts is the best diet for a strong and healthy heart. And wouldn’t you know it – a glass or two of red wine with dinner (physician approved) has also been shown to cut the risk of heart disease in men.
Weight Control: Overweight contributes to the progression of heart disease. Encourage the men in your life to do what it takes to get weight under control. The healthiest way to lose weight is eat a nutritious, calorie-controlled diet and combine that with daily exercise.

For more information about nutritional guidance and fitness programs, including small group and one-on-one personal training at the Fitness Together in Chattanooga, please call 423-648-7575 or visit FTgunbarrel.com.

For More information on Men's Health Montth, please visit: http://www.menshealthmonth.org/

Benefits of Stretching & Flexibility

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:14:00 -0500

There’s a common expression in life – “use it or lose it” This certainly applies when it comes to stretching the body. Unfortunately however, many people avoid it, execute it poorly or don’t do enough of it.
The body relies on being stretched, much like a car needs regularly servicing. Here are some of the benefits of stretching:

Improves flexibility – Being flexible is beneficial for everyday life. It allows you to push your body beyond its comfort zone, thus increasing your overall physical ability.
Improves the range of motion in your joints - This provides better balance, which will help keep you mobile and less susceptible to falls.
Improves circulation – Stretching increases the blood flow to your muscles, thus improving your circulation.
Relieves stress – Stretching relaxes tense muscles that often accompany stress. This helps relax the mind as well.
Injury prevention and recovery – Stretching helps condition the muscles and joints, thus helping to prevent injuries and reduce recovery time.
Improves posture and technique – Stretching prevents muscles and joints from seizing up and improves elasticity, allowing better posture and technique.
Increase the length of relaxed muscles
Increased power and elasticity of our muscles
Increased endurance and metabolism
Assist in achieving better coordination, muscle control and proper technique
Enable your body to perform more with less energy

Why is Stretching Often Neglected?

There are a number of reasons why people don’t stretch. Non-athletes in particular, tend not to stretch unless their muscles or joints feel stiff or sore. These symptoms usually occur as a result of a physical movement that is foreign to the body. It’s only then the benefits of stretching is realised.

For many athletes, stretching usually takes place 10 – 15 minutes post warm-up. This often leads them to think that they’re ready for action and consequently they brush aside their stretching exercises. This is a major cause of injuries.

Not stretching after an event is also a problem. Quite often an athlete is so lethargic that they forgo stretching and head for the hanging rooms instead. This causes muscles and joints to seize up and stiffness to occur the following day.

Repercussions of Not Stretching

If you do not stretch your muscles are tight, what does it mean?

Decreased mobility
Decreased muscle metabolism
Decreased muscle coordination
Decrease power “output”
Decreased speed
Increased risk of injuries

Nutrition & Exercise Science: Popular Diets

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:43:00 -0500

Nutrition & Exercise Science: Popular Diets

With so much conflicting advice on nutrition, it’s often hard for consumers to decide what is good advice and what is nonsense. In a review paper titled Popular Diets: A Scientific Review (2001), Marjorie Freedman and colleagues did a great job reviewing the research on popular diets. Here are some excerpts:

“Excess weight is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. It is associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and some types of cancer…Obesity-related conditions are significantly improved with [a] modest weight loss of 5% to 10% even when many patients remain considerably overweight…Calorie balance is the major determinant of weight loss…Diets that reduce caloric intake result in weight loss…Free living, overweight individuals who self-select high fat, low CHO diets consume fewer calories and lose weight…Overweight individuals consuming low fat and very low fat diets lose weight because they consume fewer calories…All low calorie diets result in a loss of body weight and body fat. Macronutrients do not seem to play a major role.

In the short term, however, high fat, low CHO ketogenic diets cause a greater loss of body water than body fat. When these diets end, water weight is regained. Eventually, all reduced calorie diets result in a loss of body fat if sustained long term…Energy restriction, independent of diet composition, improves glycemic control. As body weight decreases, so does blood insulin and plasma leptin levels. Blood pressure decreases with weight loss, independent of diet composition. Moderate fat, balanced, nutrient reduction diets reduce LDL cholesterol, normalize the ratio of HDL/TC, and normalize plasma TGs…Many factors influence hunger, appetite, and subsequent food intake. Macronutrient content of the diet is one, and it may not be most important. Neurochemical factors (e.g. serotonin, endorphins, dopamine, and hypothalamic neuropeptide transmitters), gastric signals (e.g. peptides and stomach distention), hedonistic qualities of food (e.g. taste, texture, smell), genetic, environmental (e.g. food availability, cost, and cultural norms), and emotional factors (e.g. eating when bored, depressed, stressed, or happy) must be considered.

Dietary compliance is likely a function of psychological issues (e.g. frequency of dietary counseling, coping with emotional eating, and group support) rather than macronutrient composition, per se…Proponents of high fat, low CHO diets dismiss the notion that caloric intake is important for either weight gain or weight loss. They claim that ‘most overweight individuals do not overeat’ even as they suggest that high CHO meals leave individuals less satisfied than meals that contain adequate fat, resulting in increased hunger and increased food intake.”

Strength - The most often overlooked aspect of fitness

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:39:00 -0500

Are you neglecting the most important part of your exercise routine?

Experts agree that a consistent exercise program is the key to health and quality of life. However, many people are neglecting one of the most important types of exercise.

When most people think of exercising, they think of something “cardiovascular” in nature. Perhaps they think of going for a jog or a bike ride, taking a walk or an aerobic class. Strength training is often considered to be reserved for the high school football team and the wanna-be bodybuilders. The fear of accidentally becoming muscle-bound and looking like Arnold Schwarzeneggar have kept many people from discovering the many benefits of one of the world’s most effective forms of exercise.

Proper strength training can improve your quality of life in more ways than you may have ever imagined, and is arguably more important to your daily life and health than any other form of exercise. Consider the following examples. Have you found yourself in any of the following situations?

Have you:

Had trouble carrying a heavy box or suitcase up a flight of stairs?

Had a child on one hip and dropped your keys? Did you worry about your back and your knees as you knelt to pick up the keys?

Had a hard time putting that slightly oversized carry-on item into the overhead compartment on an airplane?

Thrown out your back while rearranging the furniture in the living room?

Had to say no to your child or grandchild who wanted you to pick him up, carry him or play with him because you were too tired or too weak? Maybe worried about hurting yourself?

Stopped playing your favorite sport because you just don’t feel strong enough anymore or are afraid of injury?

Think of how limiting your life can be if you don’t feel strong and confident in your physical abilities. No longer being able to play the sports or be involved in the activities that you may have enjoyed before. Strength training can change all that.

Forget the old stereotypes of musclebound men and masculine women. Think more along the lines of today’s Olympic athletes, like swimmer Michael Phelps and skier Lindsey Vonn, who have used resistance training to build strong, athletic and toned bodies.

A good resistance training program will strengthen your lower back and abs, tone and firm your entire upper body and legs, and add the lean muscle that is necessary to speed up your metabolism for greater fat loss. You can use this incredible form of exercise to build a body that not only looks and feels better, but can perform the tasks of daily living confidently, comfortably and pain-free. So the next time you are on the tennis court, at the playground or on the beach, you will be much happier knowing that you can handle the task at hand and look good doing it.

Go Wild for Salmon!

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:05:00 -0600

Everywhere you turn—magazines, websites, news shows—there are lists of “12 superfoods”, or “eat these 5 foods every day to lose weight”. While we here at Fitness Together - Gunbarrel do not always support the latest fads or diet crazes, some of these lists do include some great foods. One such food that appears on many of these lists is salmon. Perhaps if you have been following our nutrition blogs, you have seen it there, as well.

There are many great reasons to add salmon to your diet (and by diet we mean your daily food consumption, not whatever the latest celebrity trend is), or continue to include it in your weekly food planning. Due to sustainability and contamination concerns, we recommend wild salmon over farm-raised. Besides the possible dangers of mercury and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) content in farm-raised varieties, wild salmon has up to three times higher levels of vitamin D.
Salmon is considered an excellent lean source of protein, with 6 grams of protein and only 3 grams of fat per ounce. Adding a variety of lean protein sources to your daily food consumption helps maintain healthy blood sugar, stabilizing energy and hunger levels to help you reach your fitness goals. Most of the fats found in salmon are healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. By now most of you have heard the benefits of consuming sufficient levels of this healthy polyunsaturated fat. They include lower risk for heart disease, stroke, and possibly cancer, as well as helping to lower bad cholesterol (LDL). Due to these anti-inflammatory benefits, it may possibly help ease the symptoms of arthritis and asthma, as well.
The fish is a good source of the mineral selenium, which also helps with inflammation. All these anti-inflammatory benefits make salmon a great post-workout food, especially when paired with some colorful vegetables and whole grains to get the full complement of nutrients your muscles need to repair and refuel.

Some of the other vitamins and minerals found in salmon include iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin E and a number of the B vitamins. While fresh wild salmon may be out of some people’s weekly grocery budgets, you can get all the same benefits in canned salmon. At a lower price point, you can use salmon as an excellent alternative for tuna.

Justin Tate

Fitness Together Owner & Fitness Coach

Black Eyed Peas - A Southern Tradition for Prosperity

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:35:00 -0600

Happy New Year!

If you are planning to celebrate the New Year in the Southeast, it is most likely that you will be offered black-eyed peas in some form, either just after midnight or on New Year's Day. From grand gala gourmet dinners to small casual gatherings with friends and family, these flavorful legumes are traditionally, according to Southern folklore, the first food to be eaten on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead.

The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman's troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including:

Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. In some areas cabbage is used in place of the greens.

Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold.

For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.

Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.

In some areas, actual values are assigned with the black-eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars.

Adding a shiny penny or dime to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some. When served, the person whose bowl contains the penny or dime receives the best luck for the New Year, unless of course, the recipient swallows the coin, which would be a rather unlucky way to start off the year.

The catch to all of these superstitious traditions is that the black-eyed peas are the essential element and eating only the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick.

Nutrition Information for Black Eyed Peas:

The following nutrition information is for one serving of black eyed peas. That would be about one half cup of black eyed peas, or 83.5 grams. This general information is for raw black eyed peas.

Macronutrients:

Water: 9.23 g
Calories: 286 g
Protein: 19.91 g
Carbohydrates: 49.80
Fiber: 8.9 g
Total Fat: 1.73 g
Saturated Fat: 0.453 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.144 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.741 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Micronutrients:

Calcium: 71 mg
Iron: 8.31 mg
Magnesium: 278 mg
Phosphorus: 366 mg
Potassium: 1148 mg
Sodium: 48 mg
Zinc: 5.10 mg
Vitamin C: 1.3 mg
Thiamin: 0.568 mg
Riboflavin: 0.142 mg
Niacin: 2.334 mg
Pantothenic Acid: 1.262 mg
Vitamin B6: 0.301 mg
Vitamin B12: 0 mcg
Folate: 534 mcg
Vitamin A: 28 IU

The Top 6 Exercise Excuses During the Holidays!

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:16:00 -0600

Holiday season comes with great cheer, but it also comes with alcohol- and calorie-laden parties, sweet treats and busy travel schedules — all of which can make good excuses for why you can't keep exercising.

If you're already convincing yourself that you can't possibly fit in exercise this wintry season — because it's too cold, you're too busy meeting family obligations, or traveling between family and friends — you need ACE's tips on how to bust the 6 most common excuses.

Won't it be nice to enter the new year without having to start your exercise program from scratch and without extra holiday weight gain? Exercise will also help you beat holiday stress and keep energy levels up!

1. EXCUSE: It's too cold.

EXCUSE BUSTER:

Surely, with the temperatures dropping and the holidays being just around the corner, Mother Nature becomes a great excuse to avoid the gym or experience the great outdoors. If this is the case for you, bring the gym home — literally.

Stair steps, chairs, your living room floor, and doorways can all be easily converted for exercise. Use these body-weight-only exercises to keep your exercise routine on track.

2. EXCUSE: I don't have the time.

EXCUSE BUSTER:

With holiday gift-shopping, get-togethers, cooking, hosting and entertaining family members, time is more precious than ever. If you feel like you're too busy to fit in regular exercise, try combining exercise with some of your daily activities.

Park your car further away from the entrance at the mall; set up walking business meetings; take your dog for an extended walk; and create workouts with your co-workers during lunch. Recruit your family for fun, aerobic activities, such as taking brisk walks, engaging in a friendly snowball fight or visiting the public ice skating rink, the ski slopes or playing Nintendo Wii Sports Video Games. Physical activity is a great way to relieve stress, create team spirit and tighten emotional bonds.

3. EXCUSE: But I need to travel and can't take the gym with me.

EXCUSE BUSTER:

If you're traveling this Holiday season, you're not alone. Millions of Americans will be on the road or in the air, but that's still not a good enough excuse to stick your exercise routine on the backburner!

People who travel for extended periods of time in an airplane should stretch to avoid deep vein thrombosis, a potentially life-threatening disorder that occurs when a blood clot forms, and create an action plan to incorporate active breaks during extended car travel.

4. EXCUSE: I'll start fresh in January

EXCUSE BUSTER:

The new year does mean new beginnings, but wouldn't it be nice to start it with a headstart? New Year's resolutions are full of promise, but very few people actually keep them. By staying active through December, you can avoid the common new year pitfalls of doing too much too soon, which can often lead to burn-out or injuries.

5. EXCUSE: I can't get motivated when it's so dark.

EXCUSE BUSTER:

If you’re telling yourself, “I can’t hit the running trails in the mornings, because it’s still dark outside,” or say “I may as well drive home after work because it’s dark,” it may be time to recruit an exercise buddy or hire a personal trainer. Having the accountability and companionship may be just what you need to stick to the workout on your calendar — even when it is cold and dark outside.

If you can’t find a workout buddy, try a group exercise class like indoor cycling, Zumba and boot camp. The classes might add some needed variety — and fun — to your routine, too.

6. EXCUSE: I have so many holiday parties to attend!

EXCUSE BUSTER:

Yes, it’s definitely tough to stay on track when temptations like holiday treats are ubiquitous. While there is nothing wrong with splurging a little, you’re bound to feel better following a healthy diet while limiting your alcohol intake.

Useful tricks for party-goers include bringing your own healthy treat like a veggie platter; eating something healthy before going to the party; drinking a glass of water with every alcoholic beverage; staying away from the dessert tray; paying close attention to portion sizes; and avoiding going back for seconds.

Also, exercising before festivities helps prevent unwanted weight gain and fosters well-being, so try to fit in 30 minutes before you get ready for that party. If you don't have 30 minutes to go for a brisk walk, try breaking it up into three 10-minute walks!

101 Weight Loss Tips

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:08:00 -0600

1. Drink water

2. Train low intensity before breakfast

3. After you’ve eaten do high intensity cardio

4. Avoid refined sugar

5. Avoid simple carbs

6. Don’t eat within two hours of dinner

7. Train with weights

8. Do some light cardio after dinner

9. Eat fruit

10. Eat vegetables

11. Increase protein foods like meat, fish, eggs, etc.

12. Take a multivitamin

13. Take a cod liver oil supplement

14. Run hills and climb stairs

15. Increase your intensity each workout

16. Eat leafy green vegetables

17. Keep active in between workout sessions

18. Swap your work chair for a fitness ball

19. Keep fitness equipment like dumb bells, etc. in every room of the house

20. Find someone to train with in the mornings

21. Find someone who is better than you at fitness to train with

22. Make fruit a whole meal instead of a snack

23. Replace television with active past times like walking, etc.

24. Join a sport team or a fitness class

25. Experiment with martial arts and tai chi and yoga

26. If you are doing weight training and cardio, do the weight training first

27. Choose cardio exercises that work the whole body, not just the legs

28. Try not to mix fats and carbs in the same meal (ie cheese and pasta)

29. Avoid coffee as it leads to bad diet habits

30. Drink green tea for its health and antioxidant properties

31. Drink more water

32. Drink even more water

33. Make commitments to train with different people at different times in the week to keep active

34. Take the stairs instead of the lift no matter how you are feeling

35. Park your car further away from your destination or get off the bus early

36. Make a big pot of vegetable soup on the weekend and eat it for snacks during the week

37. Pre-cook as many meals as you can and keep them handy at work or at home for ‘junk snack’ times

38. Keep your ‘cheat days’ healthy by choosing restaurants that have healthy foods like salads, meats and fish

39. Eat chili - the burning sensation is your metabolism speeding up

40. Eat more often but not more

41. Eat six meals a day with a two hour spacing in between

42. Use a small bowl or plate to create the illusion of eating a lot

43. Replace chicken with lean red meat

44. Find someone you don’t like to do cardio or sport with as you will try harder to win and be more competitive

45. Experiment with mixing weight training and cardio together with circuits

46. Read as many weight loss books as you can

47. Avoid alcohol and late nights as it DOES impact on fat loss training and progress

48. Don’t hang around ‘junk food friends’ at times you know you will cheat

49. Go to the shops on a full stomach

50. Drink a glass of water before every meal

51. Avoid diuretic fat loss gimmicks as the weight loss will only be water

52. Keep a record of the foods you eat during the day

53. Measure your calories for everything you eat for one whole week (you’ll be surprised)

54. Start developing habits that foster weight loss like eating at the right time and not using food as an emotional crutch

55. Add more resistance to your workouts by increasing the weight, leverage or anything else you can to make it more difficult

56. Let your work mates and your family know you are trying to lose weight - they will support you

57. Turn dreams into goals by writing them down and regularly reading them

58. Read and research into everything you put into your mouth - calories and unhealthy substances can be squeezed into many places

59. Make short term goals and long term goals achievable and measure your progress regularly

60. Take days off - its ok to relax occasionally

61. Don’t worry too much about progress - enjoy the fitness

62. Train outdoors - sun and air are good for you

63. Watch shows like The Biggest Loser for inspiration

64. Read about the health problems associated with being over weight and get determined

65. Drink more water

66. Hire a personal trainer if you find it really hard to get motivated

67. If you are lazy at home join a gym

68. Do cardio with up-beat music

69. Don’t get sidetracked by gossiping to the hot guy/girl at the next treadmill

70. Buy a nice pair of shorts or t-shirt that you want to (realistically) be able to fit in by summer

71. Don’t be self-conscious at the gym - no one cares

72. Milk is good for you - don’t cut it out on account of losing weight

73. Just do it - stop making excuses

74. Use big compound weight training exercises like the squat, bench press, chin up, dip, military press and deadlift instead of isolation exercises

75. Avoid fancy gym machines and just use free weights

76. If you’re really bored with free weights, try gym machines for variety

77. Try and relate your weight loss goals to helping people - it helps

78. When you are struggling to take another step on your jog pick an item in the distance and aim for it

79. Read inspiration stories about sports champions

80. Attend sport matches like football, athletics and bodybuilding contests

81. Instead of weighing yourself use a tape measure

82. Use maths in weight loss - ie one bowl of iced cream cut out of your diet each night = 10 mins less on the treadmill tomorrow

83. Eat less man made food

84. Opt for organic foods and unprocessed things

85. Learn that you cannot ’spot reduce’ - fat comes off from the whole body not just one section

86. Muscle and fat do not co-exist well so build some muscle

87. Take spas, massages, etc. to help muscles recover faster - thus being able to train more

88. Never train through injuries or when muscles are still sore

89. High intensity training is harder and better - don’t believe hype about low intensity cardio burning more fat - high intensity keeps your heart rate up long after you leave the track

90. Stretch muscles that are sore and stretch before, during and after training

91. See a doctor before doing hard weight loss stuff

92. 3500 calories = one pound of fat - diet is more important that hours on the treadmill

93. Skipping meals won’t burn fat - keep your metabolism burning by eating more often

94. Hot water will burn calories as well as being a Chinese medicine. Cold water will do the same

95. Replace a smaller meal with a protein shake - liquid food is better for you

96. Don’t waste your money on pills or quick fixes - change your habits

97. Never sacrifice your health to lose a bit of fat

98. Be creative with cardio - running and biking isn’t the only way

99. Never train for more than one hour at a time

100.If you lose motivation, re-check your goals and ambitions and make them firm

101.Drink more water!

How to Handle Thanksgiving

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:14:00 -0600

During Thanksgiving, it's easy to go overboard with the calories and consumption. Temptations of gooey pecan pie and dense sweet potatoes topped with crackly marshmallows make it seem impossible to be disciplined.But eating healthfully on Thanksgiving doesn't mean you have to forgo all your favorite foods, said Jennifer K. Nelson, a registered dietitian and director of clinical dietetics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn."If you've got your eating under control for the majority of the time, go ahead and have a piece of pie — just don't lose control entirely," said Nelson. "Keep your willpower and your wits about you."Here are five ways experts recommend you can avoid overdoing it on one of the greatest food days of the year – while still leaving room for dessert.

1. Stick to healthy portions.

Just one plate of Thanksgiving food is all you get, Nelson said. Fill up half your plate with vegetables, fruit and a whole wheat roll, a quarter of it with mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, and a quarter of it with turkey or ham. And, the more colorful your plate, the better – so get lots of leafy greens, carrots, bell peppers and beets in your veggie spread, Nelson said."If you fill up on those lower caloric density and higher nutrition things, you're going to feel full, but not bloated and tired, because it's a lighter fare," she said.It's a holiday, so indulge a bit if your diet allows it. But if you're going to eat dessert, make sure you allot for the calories elsewhere – don't go back for that second helping of marshmallow sweet potatoes, and instead opt for the cranberry salad, said American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dee Sandquist.If you're going for the pie, pick fruit or pumpkin pies because they tend to have fewer calories than chocolate or pecan pies, Sandquist said.Try also to stick to single servings of the more unhealthy foods, she said. Aim to have a half-cup of mashed potatoes — about the size of a regular-sized cupcake wrapped — and a 3-ounce serving of turkey – about the size of a checkbook.

2. Eat before you indulge.

Don't starve yourself during the early part of Thanksgiving Day, with the idea that you're just "saving room" for all the food, or that this will make it okay for you to overeat later. It's a recipe for overeating, Sandquist said.If you're going to a Thanksgiving lunch, be sure you eat breakfast before. If you're going to a dinner, be sure you eat lunch or have a snack in the afternoon."You definitely want to have your normal meals because otherwise, whenever we get over-hungry, we overeat," she said.

3. Substitute healthy ingredients for unhealthy ones.

There are plenty of ways to make Thanksgiving fare healthier. For mashed potatoes, Nelson suggested mixing in chicken broth, herbs or roasted garlic to perk up the flavor instead of adding in butter.For green bean casserole, swap out fried onions with toasted almonds for a less-oily alternative, and instead of having cranberry sauce, opt instead to make a cranberry salad, Sandquist said. And for dips, use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream — the consistency is similar, but yogurt has less fat and more protein, she said.Another easy way to cut fat out of your meal is to avoid eating the skin on the turkey. Dark meat has a little more fat than white meat, but limiting your helpings of unhealthy sides or dessert will have a much bigger impact than just eating white meat instead of dark, Sandquist said.If you're baking homemade pie, opt for whole wheat pie crusts and substitute low-fat or skim milk for evaporated milk, she said.

4. Drink lots of water and take a walk after eating.

Many times when people think they are hungry, they are actually just thirsty, Sandquist said. By drinking lots of water throughout the day, you'll lower the risk of overeating.It's also a good idea to take a walk after eating to get your metabolism going instead of laying on the couch, she said.

5. Avoid snacking throughout the day.

Abide by the "out of sight, out of mind" mantra, Sandquist said: Once you've filled your plate with food, cover up the food and put it away."It'll help you avoid mindless munching," she said. When you snack throughout the day, it's easy to lose track of how much you've eaten.

Hidden Calories!

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:08:00 -0500

I know that losing weight and feeling better about our bodies is always a constant thought. I have heard over the past few years numerous issues about not losing weight fast enough or not fitting into your clothes. Getting on the work-out wagon is only half of the battle when it comes to complete fitness. Nutrition is just as important. I know most of you keep a food log, but how honest are you with yourself when you write down what you are eating? I am not pointing my finger at anyone, but I just want to make people aware of the hidden calories in certain foods we eat every day. Many of the foods I’m going to list are in small amounts, if those all add up, it can prevent you from reaching your goals.

1. Butter on your toast- 40 calories

2. Ketchup- 15 calories (let’s be honest…we all use way more than one tablespoon too) This could be more like 90 calories

3. Half and half- 30 calories

4. Sugar in your coffee- 10 calories

5. Mayonnaise (even just a smidge)- 100 calories. Just stay away from this stuff!!!!!

6. Oil and vinegar on your sandwich- 50 calories

7. Feta cheese on a salad- 50 calories

8. Tablespoon of grated Parmesan on a sandwich or salad- 25 calories

9. Sour cream- 30 calories

10. That handful of m&m’s in the candy jar- 75 calories

I know you might think that some are very low in calories, but remember that most don’t adhere to serving size. Usually it is much more than the standard serving. If one of those things are a staple in your diet I would suggest cutting it out or really making sure you are just having the correct serving size.

I challenge all of you to actually measure EVERYTHING you eat for a few days. I know it might take 5 more minutes out of your day, but I also know that those 5 minutes are worth it if you lose an extra 5 pounds.

Energize your Exercise Experience

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:02:00 -0500

Energize Your Exercise Experience

by Joining a Small Group Training Pack

Rolling over, turning off your alarm and sleeping in for an extra hour instead of heading out for a morning run is too easy to do. Letting the day get away from you and opting for happy hour with friends rather than working out at the gym can be an easy out too – especially if you’re running solo in your workout routine as daylight gets shorter and temperatures get cooler.

If you are feeling sluggish this winter and struggling to start a workout program, have hit a fitness plateau or just looking for something new to add to your fitness regimen, it may be time to join a pack of workout buddies to help you meet your health and fitness goals. Small Group Personal Training is the hot trend this season as individuals opt for a more cost-effective, fun and engaging environment to meet their personal fitness goals, dreams and aspirations. It doesn’t matter if you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior, new mom, senior citizen or desk jockey, everyone can benefit from training in a small group setting.

Increase Your Motivation

Whether you are getting started on a fresh workout routine or you’re a seasoned fitness veteran, establishing and maintaining consistent motivation can be quite a challenge. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently reported that almost 50 percent of people who begin an exercise program drop out in the first six months and those who lack self-efficacy (the power to produce results on your own) won’t even try to start a new routine. However, research has shown that there are ways to increase your confidence in relation to fitness goals – remembering previous successes, observing others doing something you find challenging and enlisting other peoples’ support. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011, August 16).

When you set up a support structure of working together with other individuals, you breakdown the common roadblocks of making excuses for yourself and never taking the first step toward a fit and healthy lifestyle. Small Group Personal Training gives you the motivation of three to four other individuals and a seasoned personal trainer who are dedicated to working together to achieve total body fitness. By incorporating a fitness routine together with a small group of like-minded individuals, you become a part of something bigger than yourself – an environment that is packed full of fitness motivation and encouragement.

Build Accountability

As the days get shorter and holiday to-do lists grow longer, staying active can become a thing of the past. To stay dedicated to working out, especially this time of year, it is imperative to have a group of workout companions that you are scheduled to meet with consistently throughout the week. By scheduling your workout into your busy schedule, you are less likely to push your workout until tomorrow again and again. By having a small group of people who are reliant on having you participate in the workout session, you are less likely to skip your workout when something more appealing like happy hour and shopping trip invites pop up in your inbox. Your group counts on you to show up every workout and bring the enthusiasm needed to succeed in fitness, together. Being accountable to a consistent workout time and having supportive workout buddies are the key ingredients to maintaining a successful workout program as the New Year approaches.

Drive Your Competitive Desire

The power of getting fit together, lies in human nature’s innate desire to push ourselves harder and further when alongside other individuals. According to recent research from Michigan State University, the best workout environment is one where you have someone to push you to work harder. The study found that people who exercised with someone worked out 24 percent longer than those who worked out alone. Michigan State University (2011, May 19)

Working out in a small group setting, there will be days when you’ll be the inspiration and there will be days when you’ll be inspired. The true power of working out in a small group is the synergy that develops as you and your workout buddies train side-by-side, commit to better yourselves individually and celebrate each other’s victories together. Working out in small group training setting is not about beating the person next to you. It is about exceeding your own potential one day at a time and encouraging those around you to do the same.

Socialize with Active-Minded Individuals

Rather than surrounding yourself with bonbons and eggnog this holiday season, join a PACK of fitness-minded people who value a healthy lifestyle to close out the year. A small group personal training environment will equip you to stay motivated and on track for successfully meeting your fitness goals. By joining others in your quest of reaching your goals, the experience can become less of a task and more of a social event where you catch up with your workout buddies and decompress from a busy work day in-between chest press reps and squat jumps. Before you know it, your workout is over, you’ve burned thousands of calories and you’ve fulfilled your need for socializing.

As you embark on closing out 2011 and setting new lifestyle goals for 2012, energize your workout and your attitude with small group personal training at Fitness Together. Enjoy pushing yourself to fitness levels beyond your imagination, enjoy the companionship of working out with like-minded individuals, and enjoy the accomplishment of looking better, feeling better and performing better. Join Fitness Together’s small group personal training today to be a part of the pack, but not lost in the crowd.

Supervised Workouts Improve Results

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 06:45:00 -0500

New research supports the benefits of hiring a qualified personal trainer to help you attain your fitness goals.

Twenty men ages 18 to 35 were placed on a 12-week resistance-training program. Half the group trained unsupervised and maintained their own workout logs. The other half received one-on-one supervision with a certified personal trainer. In addition to keeping track of their workouts and charting their progress, the trainers provided spotting and advice to participants and made sure training loads were increased progressively. Unsupervised participants made changes to their programs using the same principles and were self-motivated. Both groups achieved significant strength gains; however, the supervised group also made significant improvements in body mass, fat mass and fat-free mass.

Researchers suggest that the trainer encouraged participants to use and tolerate greater training loads, thus eliciting greater gains than those who self-selected their training loads. Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2000; 32, 6, 1175

Sweet! I Love potatoes!

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:52:00 -0500

I think back to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at my grandmother's house at times to decided what I'd like to fix for dinner) I do choose healthier ingredients though- really make the recipe my own). One of the things I come back to quite often is sweet potato casserole, though as a healthier alternative, I just bake them and add a little cinnamon. Great, huh?

Well, Leigh Ann is one of my clients, and one of the things we talk about each session is her diet. She is doing such a great job with choosing vegetables and trying new recipes with them. Just the other day she used spaghetti squash, which she had never even heard of, for dinner. Today Leigh Ann told me she loves sweet potatoes, but she is so bored with the same old recipe. Now, I would like to blog about some of the recipes I have found for sweet potatoes that do not involve sugar and cream or just the standard baked with cinnamon staple, but I have not tried anything yet, so I will get back to you on that.

What I do want to talk about is the sweet potato itself, for those of you who do not know its health benefits.

A medium sweet potato baked in its skin with nothing added is described as 2" diameter and 5" long, has approximately 103 calories and 2 calories from fat. It has 3.8g dietary fiber, 438% daily vitamin A, 37% vitamin C, and 4% each iron and calcium. Other vitamins and minerals include phosphorus, magnesium, potassium (542 mg!), sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, folate, choline, betaine, vitamin E, vitamin K, fatty acids, tryptophan, and still more! To see the whole list and how much of each vitamin and mineral, visit: http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-sweetpotato-i11508.

Sweet potatoes help lower the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL-cholesterol. They stabilize blood sugar levels, and the folate in them helps the brain produce neurotransmitters responsible for regulating mood. They support healthy eyesight and contain cancer-fighting agents.

Have I gotten it across yet how great sweet potatoes are for you? Well, PLEASE don't go junking your's with added sugars and creams! Actually, there are many different sugars already NATURALLY in this spud: sucrose, glucose, fructose, and maltose!

Sweet potatoes are tasty AND great for you! Try one today, even if it is just the basic baked with sprinkled cinnamon. With time, I will be posting recipes I liked.

Go Nuts!

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:29:00 -0500

Today has been one of those days where I HAVE to have something chocolatey! I know just about every one of us has these days, especially women; so what is a healthy choice? Well, you see, I absolutely, positively, CANNOT buy a box of chocolate-oatmeal cookies or a dark chocolate bar. Why? you ask. I will sit there and eat the whole box/ bar, and I did not start eating healthy and exercising just to squander all of my hard work!

But, wait! I did find something I LOVE! Emerald brand nuts has a product called Cocoa Roast Almonds, in their famous green packaging; you can find them at grocery stores, and Walmart. A serving of one oz. is equal to about 23-26 almonds, and it is only 150 calories. They also include 210mg of potassium, 3g fiber, 6g protein, 8g monounsaturated fat and 3g polyunsaturated fat (good fats), 6% of your daily calcium, and 8% of your daily iron. Almonds are known to lower LDL-cholesterol and in turn reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. GO NUTS FOR ALMONDS (with a cocoa coating for my crazy craving)!!

Katelyn Leahy, Trainer

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Student Danger and Heat Stroke

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:11:00 -0500

In a few weeks, tens of thousands of young men and women will flood athletic fields across the United States. Some will be 6 years old, experiencing for the first time the indoctrination of August football practice, while others will be vying for starting positions at Division I colleges. What they all have in common, however, is the risk of heat-related illnesses that range from simple cramps to heat stroke and even death. Although we have a better understanding of heat stroke since Chris Stewart died, each year young athletes die unnecessarily due to preventable heat-related illnesses.

Heat-related illnesses are ten times more frequent in high school football players than in any other sport. Each August -- the hottest and most humid month of the year -- players pour onto the fields to practice for hours at a time. Furthermore, after two months of summer break, many players are not at their peak physical fitness.

The national spotlight on childhood obesity is reinforced by a recent study that reported that 47.1 percent of high school football players are obese or overweight. When you add in the early preseason heat, humidity and lack of conditioning, it is not surprising that 83.6 percent of heat-related illnesses occur during practice sessions, as game situations provide more opportunities to rest between plays and drink fluids. The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) published guidelines to prevent heat-related illnesses, but only 42 percent of the 18,753 public and private high schools have a certified trainer. Start counting all the youth and middle school programs that have never seen a trainer and you can start to see the magnitude of the problem. The majority of our young athletes lack expert supervision and are at risk.

What Causes Heat Stroke?

It takes a delicate balancing act to keep our body temperatures at a nice, comfortable 98.6°F. But, the number we focus on for heat-related illness is your "core body temperature" -- the temperature deep inside our bodies. In the center of your brain, a tiny area called the hypothalamus acts as the body's thermostat, constantly sending signals to the spinal cord, blood vessels, skin and sweat glands to make the necessary adjustments to keep our bodies in a safe temperature zone. Under normal conditions, the brain does a terrific job of adjusting to hot climates, but with excessive heat and humidity, lack of fluids or excessive sweating, it loses its ability to adequately regulate the body's temperature.

Elevated body temperature or hyperthermia occurs when the body accumulates heat faster than it can get rid of it. Under normal conditions, sweating transfers the body heat through evaporation, but this becomes more difficult as the humidity increases. When you exercise, you generate heat at a rate 15-20 times greater than when you are relaxed, drink in hand, watching your favorite team on the television. Combine heat, humidity and exercise, and your body temperature may start to soar.

Heat stroke occurs when the core body temperature exceeds 104° F. A person may rapidly progress from experiencing mild symptoms such as dizziness, cramps and headaches to more severe symptoms like confusion, nausea and vomiting. The key transition point from heat-related illness to heat stroke is the presence of central nervous system problems like confusion.

An Ounce of Prevention

Heat-related illnesses are totally preventable. We cannot change the fact that the preseason occurs during the hottest and most humid time of the year, when participants are the least physically fit. We also cannot change that children are particularly at risk because they acclimate more slowly, have less of a thirst response and sweat less than adults. NATA and the American College of Sports Medicine have issued guidelines for training and sports activities. Exercise and training in the heat should include:

• 10-14 days of acclimatization at the beginning of the preseason with graded exercise.
• A "buddy system" so that athletes can monitor each other for signs of heat-related illness.
• A gradual increase in the equipment worn, building up to full uniforms. Practicing in light colored, loose fitting clothing with only helmets and shoulder pads does not significantly increase heat gain.
• The identification of unfit players who are then conditioned more slowly.
• Fluid intake of 8-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes -- even if individuals are not thirsty --because once a person is behind in fluids it is impossible to catch up with oral intake alone.
• Prohibiting players from exercising with a fever, viral illness, respiratory infection, diarrhea or vomiting.

Tips for Parents

Athletes and sports participants often do not realize that their temperature is rising and that they are at risk for heat stroke. Combine this with the athletes' motivation to perform and the coaches desire to get the most out of their players, and we have a potentially dangerous situation. Parents should attend their children's practices to see if they are getting adequate physical and water breaks. They should ask the coach or trainer how they handle heat stroke and what equipment (rectal thermometers and cold water immersion tanks) they have available to treat it.

We all feel that we should know basic CPR in case a loved one or a friend needs it. Knowing how to prevent heat stroke may save the life of someone you love.

Join us on Facebook

3 Ways to Stop Skipping Workouts

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:47:00 -0500

Trying to get into an exercise habit, but finding you're more in the habit of making excuses? You can break out of that pattern with these tips from fitness experts on staying motivated and sticking to your fitness routine. Our Fitness Together trainers and studio owners recommend these three strategies to help you stay inspired to work out regularly.

1. Keep Your Eye on the Prize

You must have a very strong "why" you are doing it. Always connect to that "why," especially when things get tough or you get busy. If your goal is to get back into your favorite jeans, hang them on the outside of your closet where you'll see them every morning when you wake up. For an extra nudge, pin up an old photo of yourself wearing them.

Or, if you're working toward a health goal such as lowering your blood pressure or relieving chronic back pain, mark your improvements on a chart posted on the fridge. Or tape a photo on your bathroom mirror of someone who's achieved a goal you're striving toward. Think fit, healthy-looking people your age playing tennis, climbing a mountain, training for a triathlon, running a 5K, or skiing with their kids!

2. Schedule a Consistent Workout Time

Set a regular time that fits into your daily and weekly schedule, and prioritize it just like you would a meeting with your boss or a top client.

Think of it this way: Skipping out on your commitment to take good care of yourself means sooner or later you'll start feeling depleted and run-down, with nothing left to give to those who count on you. Sticking to your fitness regimen not only helps keep you healthy, but also refills your well of physical and mental energy. So you're more likely to be there and be "on" in your job, relationships, family and others who matter to you.

3. Use the Power of a Pro to Keep You on Track

You're much less likely to be a no-show for your workout when someone's waiting for you at the gym, track, pool, court . Agree on a time and place to work out with a trainer.

When someone's there, waiting, and holding you accountable to your exercise commitment, it's a mighty motivator.

Scheduling sessions with a personal trainer creates an especially powerful incentive to work out: You'll feel a natural desire to make your trainer proud, and to respect the time commitment he or she blocked out to work with you. That's powerful inspiration when you're mulling whether to pull the sheets back over your head or pull on those gym shoes.

Running Form

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:25:00 -0500

Have you ever watched someone running and said to yourself “Wow that sure does look painful”. That’s because most people who do run, run without knowing proper form and either end up hating it, or end up getting injured as a side effect of improper form. I’m writing this blog in order to help you run with proper form and also to help prevent injury in the future. Just to let you know a little about me, I ran cross country and track in high school and in college. Prior to becoming part of the FT family I was a college cross country coach at Pfeiffer University. While at Pfeiffer, I spent time with the runners developing running programs, strength training programs, and working on their running form.

Here are just some simple things to consider while going out on your run:

1. Forward Lean – When running you always want your body to lean forward from your ankles. Try thinking of it this way…Have a straight line from your ankles to your head and with your ankles acting as the axis to the ground, lean forward. You almost want to be falling forward as you run. Why not let gravity help you out?

2. Knee Drive – By this I mean simply getting your knees up in the drive phase. This will not only help you be a more efficient runner, but it will also help you get more power out of your stride.

3. Triple Extension – Extension in the Hip, Knee, and Ankle are important in the “push” phase of your stride. This will help you thrust yourself forward rather than up. You would be amazed at how many people, while running, seem to be hopping up and down.

4. Arms – You want your arms to stay nice and relaxed. Try keeping them around 90 degrees at the elbow. My rule of thumb while running nice and easy is to bring the hands from your hip to the height of your chest. While sprinting, I try to bring them from my hip to my face.

5. Hands - I try to teach my runners to imagine holding an egg while they run. Just keep them nice and relaxed. Not only will this help you be more efficient, but it will also help keep the blood pressure down on your run.

6. Core Stability – Core stability is extremely important not only in running but also in every move we make as human beings. Get with your FT trainer and discuss the important aspects of core stability.

7. Shoes – If you have had your running shoes for more than 6 months or have put more then 200+ miles on them, it is time to get yourself some new shoes. I recommend TRY Sports off of Rea Road. They do a fantastic job and are very scientific. I trust them with my feet and wouldn’t go any other place. If you have bad shoes you could start to have ankle issues. The ankle issues will turn into knee issues which will turn into hip issues.

If you have any other questions or would like me to go into more detail about running form, please feel free to ask.

Wishing you Good Health!

Creating Real Change: How to form positive habits and a NEW YOU!

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:01:00 -0500

Ever wonder why some people get great results from their workouts or their normal eating routine? What makes them different? How do they do it? Usually it’s 1 or 2 simple habits.

All of us face two choices in life and it usually pertains to what we control and what we don’t. Sometimes in life, we have challenges beyond our control, yet we allow the challenges to influence the things we do have control over. When it comes to regular workouts and healthful eating, many people feel they have barriers, which prevent them from regular workouts. These can be work, schedule, the need for more time with family, long commutes, and even boredom and fatigue. Some can’t be helped at all: personal injuries or illness, caring for elderly patients, feeding the teenagers each evening and there are many more. But barriers should not stop you from implementing positive changes to secure a long and healthy life.

What is a ‘fence sitter’? That is a person who only puts their foot halfway in the water, or half way to a commitment. Well, now’s the first of the year and time to make some positive changes to your lifestyle.

You can surely find 1-2 things that YOU DO CONTROL and attack those. Make them positive habits that you always think about. Then pick two more! Before you know it you are on your way to a new you.

I knew a nurse who said that her challenge was eating cake at work. With 40 fellow staff members, seldom did a week go by without a cake or party celebrating a birthday, wedding anniversary or birth. What did she do? She found a few charities that the staff could get behind and at every party they decided to donate $1 in that person’s name instead of buying and eating cake. At the end of the year they had over $1000 for charity and celebrated an end to eating cake!

It’s hard to change your diet overnight, but you can form one or two new habits every month and change your life. Try eating healthier tips such as these: ½ a sandwich instead of a whole at lunch. Swear off fried foods. No soda. One piece of fruit per day. Cut-back or eliminate the alcoholic drinks.

Maybe you can’t workout every day, but an easy way to start is to find a buddy or co-worker and walk together at lunch. Then make sure you go out every day. If the weather’s bad – look for an indoor mall or other enclosed facility. After you’re in the habit of going 5 days a week, carve out some time each Saturday when you take a walk. Select a time of day (maybe first thing in the morning) when you don’t have conflicts or distractions and you know you can always get it done. Before you know it you’ll be out walking 6 days a week. Then, find that special time for walking on Sunday.

There are indeed things that you can control in life that will make you healthier and ultimately happier. Start with only 1-2 things that you can control and then go to work on them. You’ll soon see your world change!

Pump up the Volume!

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:31:00 -0500

Sometimes you need a little extra oomph to get you motivated for your workout. We like to crank up the music for our clients and build the right energetic atmosphere. Below is the top 10 workout songs from www.the-top-tens.com. Did yours make the list?

1 - Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

2 - Beat It - Michael Jackson

3- Remember the Name - Fort Minor

4 - Du hast - Rammstein

5 - Animals - Nickelback

6 - Gonna Fly Now (Theme from "Rocky") - Bill Conti

7 - Have a Nice Day - Bon Jovi

8 - Pull Harder On the Strings of Your Martyr - Trivium

9 - Ding Dong Song - Gunther & The Sunshine Girls

10 - Golddiggers - Gunther & The Sunshine Girls

Q: Why is stretching after working out important?

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:26:00 -0500

A: This is a great question because it addresses the importance not only of practicing stretching but also the best and safest technique for performing this valuable type of exercise.
Why stretch? Stretching increases flexibility, a key component of physical fitness that is often neglected. A greater degree of flexibility is believed to help prevent injury (and low back pain) and improve sports performance. We lose flexibility as we age, so practicing a regular program of stretching the major muscle groups can help prevent loss of flexibility and its associated negative impact on quality of life in our golden years. Stretching properly involves a slow, steady elongation of the muscles and tendons to the point of tightness—never pain—and holding the stretch for several seconds. (Never use bouncing or ballistic-type stretching, which can cause injury.) It is best to stretch muscles that have been warmed up internally from exercise as opposed to cold muscles. In fact, stretching cold muscles can actually increase risk of injury, as a cold muscle is more prone to strains! Think of a muscle as if it were a rubber band. If you stretch cold rubber, it snaps and breaks; however, if you warm the rubber first, it stretches more elastically and fluidly, like taffy. Stretching is different from “warming up.” A warm-up is what you do before you begin a bout of exercise and generally consists of a low-intensity version of the exercise you are planning on engaging in (such as a fast walk before a jog). A good exercise routine would be to warm up (work up a light sweat and raise the internal temperature of your muscles), followed by a series of brief stretches, then perform your exercise bout, warm down and end with another series of stretches. Practice this plan and you will have a well-rounded fitness routine.

Zucchini: Beat the Heat!

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:11:00 -0500

Zucchini Facts and Nutritional Information

Zucchini is actually a summer squash, along with its yellow counterpart, both of which have roughly the the same nutrional profile. Its origins are in the Americas, dating back to 7,000 to 5,500 BCE Mexico. With a mild flavor that balances well in so many dishes, from savory to sweet, turns out it’s a great addition to a healthy diet as it’s both filling and nutritious.

Fighting Summer Heat

Zucchini, harvested in late summer, is (go figure) also a great food for when you’re feeling over-heated. Summer squashes have cooling, refreshing properties. “to counteract summer heat, eat summer squash or zucchini lightly cooked or raw.”

Zucchini’s Nutrients

Zucchini is low in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and is a great source of dietary fiber.

Nutrients found in zucchini include the following vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Manganese
Potassium
Magnesium
Vitamin K
Folate

Health Benefits of Zucchini

As I delved into my “deep zucchini project” I learned that zucchini actually has benefits toward the treatment of certain ailments, not to mention a few home remedies.

Magnesium has an important role in supporting our immune system, and it’s one of the vitamins that I’ve really wanted to incorporate more fully into our diet. Magnesium aids in the digestion and use of essential fatty acids, which are crucial to the production of antibodies.

Real Food is Self-Correcting

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:10:00 -0500

“Real Food” is Self Correcting

Everyone has a diet whether you choose it consciously or not. A diet is simply the foods we eat. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined two different diets.

Diet number one simply instructed people to choose foods only from the following groups baked/grilled meats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and olive oil.

Diet number two gave specific percentages and calorie amounts to follow regarding fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Group one simply chose foods from the list provided. Group two spent their time thinking, dividing, measuring, calculating, and recording. In the end the first group ate fewer calories, lost inches, and dropped pounds.

Why did this happen? “Real food” is self correcting. When we eat whole foods our hunger drives are healthy and appropriate and naturally keep us satiated because we are getting the right amounts of protein, fats, carbohydrates and fiber. When you are eating, “Real Food”, you don’t obsess about calories and you are delivering nutrients to your cells that promote life and chemically keep you satiated.

Group one consumed on average 32 grams of fiber a day compared to group number two at 17 grams per day.
Group one ate higher levels of healthy fats (nuts, olive oil) – these fats are high in Omega 3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation and disease as well as help one feel satiated – group two ate more refined carbohydrates and less fat which leads to over-eating
Group one ate more than two times the amount of vegetables and fruit as compared to group two

Therefore, keep it simple and eat “Real Food” – lean baked/grilled meats, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and olive oil. “Real Food” delivers nutrients to your cells, the basic unit of life, preventing disease and improving quality of life.

Super Strawberries!

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:14:00 -0500

Super Strawberries!

As the weather gets warmer and everyone starts thinking about shedding layers—both layers of fat and layers of clothes—a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth while still staying health conscious is with a big cup of strawberries. Strawberries are a fabulous fruit packed with nutrients and antioxidants, however they are still low on the glycemic index and low in calories. Here are some of the nutritional benefits to enjoying these berries:

*1 cup contains 136% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C

*Excellent source of manganese and fiber, as well as a variety of B vitamins

*Only about 43 calories per cup (so you don’t have to feel guilty about eating more!)

*Packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients that have been shown to prevent cellular degradation from free radicals, which most notably has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and also cardiovascular disease.

While fresh is always best, frozen strawberries are also very convenient and work great in smoothies and other recipes. Peak season is from April to July, so they are a wonderful spring and summer fruit to keep you on track to meet your nutritional goals. Don’t forget to get in as many servings of fruit and veggies as you can every day!

It's Time to Focus on Proteins

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:46:00 -0500

It is time to focus on proteins, specifically complete proteins. The difference between a complete protein and an incomplete protein has to do with the amino acid make up. Proteins are composed of amino acids. Thirteen amino acids are produced by the human body. However, it takes 22 different amino acids to make up a complete protein. Therefore, in order to receive all the necessary complete proteins you need, you have to get the other nine essential amino acids from food sources.

Why are complete proteins important?

Well … their purpose is to repair tissue and your whole body is made of different forms of tissue. Blood, muscle, bone, organs, arteries, veins, skin, hair, literally all the physical components of the body are made of some form of tissue.

Which foods provide complete proteins?

Animal products are the easiest way to insure one is getting the necessary complete proteins. Animal products would include meats, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs. There are a few other food sources which provide complete proteins including nuts and beans. Although other plant sources do not contain complete proteins almost any combination of a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains will provide enough amino acids for the body to get the complete proteins necessary for tissue repair. It was once believed that all the essential amino acids had to be consumed at the same meal; however, plant foods do not need to be eaten all at the same meal to insure one receives all the necessary amino acids to form the complete proteins our bodies require. The key is enough variety in the plant products to provide all the necessary amino acids in a one to two day period.

You may be asking: Should I eat meat or be a vegetarian?

The best advice is that it’s a personal choice. There are certainly great arguments on both sides and there are people who live long, healthy lives in both categories. Among the longest living groups of people on the planet, three of the four groups of centenarians are meat eaters and one is vegetarian. However, of the three meat eating groups one consumes mainly fish, one consumes a variety of grass fed lamb, cow and dairy and the other does not consume meat daily. If one chooses to eat animal products limit red meat to one time per week and fish and poultry three or more times per week. As one chooses their meats/eggs / dairy products, it is best to consume livestock which is free range, consumes organic feed, natural grasses and insects. For those who choose to go the vegetarian path, they should consume a wide variety of vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans.

What’s a good daily plan for consuming proteins?

Choose one serving complete protein breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as one serving mid-morning and mid-afternoon for a snack. A total of five servings per day is sufficient. Meat eaters should be careful to eat from a variety of sources of complete proteins and keep their servings of meat, poultry, and fish to twice daily and consume eggs, dairy, and nut or beans as the other three sources. A serving size is the size of one’s palm, fist or handful. The top four sources of complete proteins are fresh wild fish, all-natural yogurt, free range eggs, and almonds. Out of your five-a-day, try to include these choices on a regular basis. Go repair some tissue!

5 Ways to Improve Your Immune Health

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:17:00 -0500

The following are five easy ways to improve immune health without herbal remedies, drugs, or the flu shot, simply by paying a little bit of attention to everyday foods:

1. Sugar Weakens a Healthy Immune System
This maybe the hardest of all, but it’s one of the most important changes anyone can make to their diet: avoid refined sugar of all kinds (both white and brown) as much as possible. Natural sugars provide energy, vitamins and minerals, but refined sugar is so heavily processed that it is robbed of any nutritional value, and has a very different effect on the body.

Refined sugar interferes with absorption of vitamins and minerals, makes pH more acidic, and changes the way white blood cells respond to invaders, sabotaging immunity. Eliminating sugar from the diet is the single best thing that anyone can do for their immune health – and the results are usually apparent in a matter of days or weeks.

2. Healthy Acidity: ACV and Lemon
The balance of acidity and alkalinity (known chemically as “pH”) in the body is important to almost every aspect of health, and diet is one of the biggest ways to alter pH.

Most sweet or acidic foods worsen pH by making the body more acidic, but there are two healthy acids that have an “alkali ash” – they are alkali when they are burned or digested – and they make the body healthier and less acidic. These are lemon and apple cider vinegar.
Read on

A daily dose of fresh squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a great way to improve digestive health, lower the body’s acidity, and create more energy. A tablespoon (or less) of lemon or ACV can be taken first thing in the morning, in a glass or water, or used as part of a salad dressing or sauce in a meal.

3. Probiotics: Immunity Begins in the Gut
Studies have begun to reinforce the long-held belief that a large portion of the body’s immune response resides in the gut. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that improve digestion and waste elimination in the body, as well as acting as a natural immune booster. These friendly bacteria, like acidophilus and bifidus, fight infection, lowering the incidence of colds, flu, gas, bloating, and yeast infections. Natural yogurt is the best probiotic. Whatever you do, DO NOT FEED YOUR CHILD YOGURT WITH SUGAR!!! Read the labels.

4. Raw Fruits and Vegetables
Canada’s Health Guide recommends 7-10 servings of produce each day for their vitamins and minerals, fiber, water, and healthy natural sugars. What’s more, uncooked fruits and veggies contain some of the most essential nutrients for health, weight loss, and immunity: living enzymes.

Enzymes are an important part of digestive health, and are also used in every other part of the body to break down toxins, for cellular metabolism, and to fight disease – an ideal immune booster.

5. Protein to Build Strong Cells
Protein is a vital nutrient, necessary for the human body to produce enzymes and other biochemicals. It’s also needed to grow new cells, including the white blood cells that defend the body from invaders like viruses and bacteria.

Eating enough protein can make a difference in clear thinking, reaction time, energy levels and stamina. Most people consume a minimal amount of protein, focusing on starchy carbohydrates or vegetables instead, so adding more lean protein to the diet can be a great immune booster.

Whatever your level of health or fitness, these five food tips are sure to make a difference in preventing or fighting off that winter cold or flu – or any other worries about immune health this winter.

Justin Tate, Fitness Together - Gunbarrel Pointe

Why Go Organic?

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:13:00 -0500

In one survey, the reasons why people consumed organic foods were to avoid pesticides (70 percent), eat fresh food (68 percent), maintain health and nutrition (67 percent), and avoid genetically modified foods (55 percent) (3). However, some people choose to eat organic food for ethical purposes, which is commendable.

Most organic food advocates I’ve spoken to eat organic foods because they feel organic foods are safer. “I don’t like chemicals in my foods,” they say. Or they might say, “Natural has to be safer than artificial.” Both statements are erroneous. Organic foods do contain chemicals, and natural isn’t necessarily safer (4).

Every living molecule inside every living organism is created through chemical reactions. The natural chemicals contained in organically grown coffee, peppers, mushrooms, apples, celery, potatoes, nutmeg, and carrots present a greater risk of cancer to people than DDT, DDE, or Alar, three pesticides that are banned in the United States and many other countries (Silver, 2006).

Rotenone is a potent neurotoxin used by organic farmers that has long been used to kill fish and has been linked to Parkinson’s disease (6). Betarbet and colleagues (2000) found that chronic exposure to rotenone could reproduce the anatomical, neurochemical, behavioral, and neuropathological features of Parkinson’s disease. Another pesticide used by organic farmers, pyrethrin, which is sometimes used on the day of harvesting, can result in breathing difficulties when inhaled (7, 8). Other pesticides used in organic farming include hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, copper sulfate, boric acid, lime sulfur, elemental sulfur, and oils (9).

Bahlai and colleagues (2010) conducted a study examining the environmental impact of several new synthetic and certified organic insecticides under consideration as reduced risk insecticides for soybean aphid (insects that live on plants by sucking juice) control. Established and novel methodologies were used to directly quantify pesticide impact in terms of biocontrol services. They found that in addition to reduced efficacy against aphids compared to novel synthetic insecticides, organic approved insecticides had a similar or even greater negative impact on several natural enemy species in lab studies, were more detrimental to biological control organisms in field experiments, and had higher environmental impact quotients at field use rates.

“Consumers are often willing to pay more for products they believe are produced in the most sustainable way possible, but we have shown that the organic methods available are not always the most sustainable choice,” says Bahlai.

The Institute of Food Technologists issued a “scientific status summary” on the organic foods industry (9). Here is an excerpt from that summary:

“Organic fruits and vegetables possess fewer pesticide residues and lower nitrate levels than do conventional fruits and vegetables. In some cases, organic foods may have higher levels of plant secondary metabolites; this may be beneficial with respect to suspected antioxidants such as polyphenolic compounds but also may be of potential health concern when considering naturally occurring toxins. Some studies have suggested potential increased microbiological hazards from organic produce or animal products due to the prohibition of antimicrobial use, yet other studies have not reached the same conclusion. While many studies demonstrate these qualitative differences between organic and conventional foods, it is premature to conclude that either food system is superior to the other with respect to safety or nutritional composition.”

A review conducted by Sil Dangour and colleagues (2009) published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated the nutritional differences between conventional and organic foods. Eleven crop nutrient categories were analyzed. The researchers identified 162 studies; 55 were of satisfactory quality. Only the satisfactory studies were analyzed. Conventionally produced crops had a significantly higher content of nitrogen, and organically produced crops had a significantly higher content of phosphorus and titratable acidity. There was no difference between the two for the remaining eight of eleven crop nutrient categories analyzed.

Analysis of livestock products indicated no difference in nutrient content between organic and conventional livestock products. After reviewing these studies, the researchers concluded that there was no evidence of a nutritional difference between organic and conventional foods.

If you like the taste of organic food and have the extra money to spend, go for it. However, don’t consider it a necessity. When choosing the foods to include in your diet, the first consideration should be a well-balanced diet. Whether it is made up of conventional or organic foods has little significance.

Benefits of a Proper Warm-up and Cool Down

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:06:00 -0500

The quality of one’s warm up and cool down directly affect one’s workout. Often times people neglect warming up and push right into their routine and then skip the cool down. I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from exercising because I am asking you to spend a little more time. No doubt about it some exercise is better than none.

However, my hope is that you will consider the benefits of a proper warm up and cool down.

There are two basic parts to the warm up. First a simple slow jog for 5 to 10 minutes. Second are dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches should mimic with less intensity the movements you will be performing during your exercise session. Dynamic stretches should involve only one’s body weight and include movements that involve moving the body through full ranges of movement. Examples would include jumping jacks, push ups, lunges, squats, side lunges, shuffles, and skips. These movements should be slow and controlled.

The benefits of a warm up:

Prevents Injury
Reduces Muscle Stiffness & Increase Muscle Pliability
Improved Range of Movement
Higher Oxygen Release to Muscles
Improved Neural Response
Increases Metabolism and Burn More Calories
Increased Blood Pressure Sends Blood to Extremities Literally Warming the Body
Gets Nutrient to the Muscles of the Extremities
Shunts Blood Flow to the Stomach to be Used by the Extremities

The cool down in many ways is simply reversing the process of the warm up. There are two basic parts to the cool down. First is performing the final exercises of one’s exercise routine at a slower rate for a few minutes or reps and until the heart rate is back to normal. For example if one is jogging, jog more slowly for a few minutes until the heart rate returns to normal. The second part is performing static stretches rather than dynamic stretches. Static stretches involve stretching and holding a specific point. An example would be touching one’s toes and holding this position for 10-30 seconds.

The benefits of a cool down:

Decreases Body Temperature
Assists the Body in Removing Waste Products from the Muscles ( Lactic Acid )
Allows the Muscles to Relax Improving Flexibility & Range of Movement
Reduces Post Exercise Soreness
Reduces the Level of Adrenaline in the Blood
Assists the Muscles in Rebuilding
Reduces Recovery Time
Burn More Calories

Next time you workout make sure to include an extra 10-20 minutes to properly warm up and cool down. The benefits will add significantly to the quality of each workout and your results over time will be better.

Improve Your Golf Game through Strength & Conditioning!

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:10:00 -0500

Improve your Golf Game through Strength and Conditioning!

The days of believing lifting weights will slow down your golf swing or upset your rhythm are finally over. The truth is strength training can be beneficial for every aspect of your game and also help to improve your endurance from the first tee to the 18th. As a matter of fact, strength training contributes to stamina. Here are some solutions to your golf game.

* Add more distance- Strengthening the trapezius and latissimus dorsi will increase club head speed and add initial yards onto your drive.

* Lose the shanks- Balance training with added resistance will ensure an even strike so the club doesn't lead or fall behind the ball at the point of impact causing a shift in direction

* Command the sand- Power generated from the legs and core will pull the ball out of a stubborn situation so you don't have to compensate with your arms or injure your wrist.

*Add Stabilization Exercises- Adding exercises that incorporates more of your trunk muscles (a.k.a. core), will help you with consistency and controlling the club better.

*Change it up- One of the most common mistakes golfers make in golf conditioning is doing the same exercises over and over again. You must have a progressive and periodized program (just like the pros).

At Fitness Together we can show you the secrets that will drastically improve your game! To give you a hint, we are the only facility in the area that has a dual-stack functional trainer. We also utilize discs, stability balls, foam rollers, and Bosus. Ask about our Golf Conditioning Program.

Justin Tate, Owner of Fitness Together - Gunbarrel Pointe

Confused About Carbs

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:30:00 -0600

A national fascination with low-carb diets has many Americans eliminating carbohydrates from their eating plans in record "grams." But before you reconstruct your personal nutrition pyramid, there's something you should know.

"There are carbs that are very, very good, and some that are less good, but your brain and body must have some carbohydrates every day," says Heller.

Moreover, because complex carbohydrates (those rich in whole grains and fiber) keep you feeling full longer, they also help you to eat less -- and lose more!

But eliminating this important food group isn't our only carb-related mistake. According to dietician Rachel Brandeis, MS, RD, just as troublesome is the belief that all no-carb or low-carb foods are healthy, or that you can eat them in any amount.

"Much like the low-fat diet craze, where everyone thought that if a meal had no fat, it had no calories, similarly people have come to believe that if it has low carbs you can eat as much as you want and not gain weight," says Brandeis. "And that is simply not true." Eat enough of anything, she says, and you'll gain weight.

The solution: Experts say you should never cut any food group out of your diet -- including carbohydrates. Equally important, says Heller, is to learn which carbohydrates give you the biggest bang for your nutritional buck.

"It's a lot harder to run amuck when you are including carbohydrates like fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains in your diet," says Heller.

Blueberry Oatmeal Squares - Recipe

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:23:00 -0600

Heart-Healthy Recipes for Kid's

Blueberry Oatmeal Squares

serves: 9 squares

Prep and cook time: 25 minutes

What you need:

1½ cups quick oats
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons apple sauce
¼ cup brown sugar

Equipment and supplies:

Large mixing bowl
8x8-inch baking pan
Measuring cups and spoons

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Coat baking pan with cooking spray.
Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until just combined.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes and cut into squares.

Note: You can use raisins instead of blueberries to make cinnamon-raisin oatmeal squares.

Nutrition Information: (per square) Calories: 120, Calories from Fat: 15, Total Carbs: 23g, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 9g, Protein: 5g

Eat Breakfast and Reduce Your Risk for Cancer

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:45:00 -0600

Eat Breakfast and Reduce Your Risk for Cancer

When I was a teenager, I would wake up and grab a Mountain Dew to jump start my day. By the time, lunch came around, I was extremely hungry and miserable. If only I knew what I know now....

Almost everyone treats breakfast as the least important meal of the day. It never gets the attention it deserves. Dinner, on the other hand, is the kind of meal that should always be light and healthy, but we end up overeating at the dinner table (great way to gain weight since the body does not burn the calories readily, after all, you will be going to bed soon). Furthermore, we wake up the next morning 'not feeling hungry' for breakfast. This is the single biggest mistake for anyone trying to lose weight. A meal that is grossly underrated, breakfast 'breaks your overnight fast' and is therefore the most important meal for the day. It allows you to begin the day with energy and vitality.

Isn't it an irony that a timely and nutritious breakfast is a rarity for most of us? You may be a busy corporate executive or a top-level athlete, the importance of breakfast remains the same for everyone. Let us analyze the role that breakfast plays in our life.

Here are the basic truths about that first meal of the day:

Skipping breakfast won't make you thinner.
Skipping this meal will usually cause you to eat more for lunch and / or dinner. If you start the day without a meal don't be surprised if you feel tired, lethargic and easily fatigued later in the day. It's almost like driving to work with no gas. The best strategy for keeping your weight in check and your energy level high is to fuel yourself evenly throughout the day. Eat a good breakfast, moderate lunch, and light dinner, (as well as small snacks in between, if you feel hungry). In particular, if you are about to have a hectic day, it becomes even more important to eat a good breakfast. If you starve your body by avoiding breakfast, it will begin to lose muscle (something you do not want) and retaining fat. The interesting thing is that muscle weighs more than fat, which means that dieting (skipping breakfast) may show up as weight loss on the scale. However, most dieters can become weaker although they may become smaller if they rely on dieting exclusively as a means to lose weight.

Breakfast enables you to function better.

Recent research results showed that children who skip breakfast are less able to concentrate in studies and in play. Their ability to perform complex tasks is impaired. The effects were similar in adults. As an experiment, change (improve) your breakfast habits for 2 days. You will then understand the impact that breakfast has on your day.

Cereals and fruits are still the best.

According to the National Cancer Institute of America, "diets high in fibre and low in fat, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals with low fat cheese or butter may reduce the risk of cancer." Daily fibre intake should be 20 to 30 grams. Insoluble fibre, the kind found in whole wheat bread and wheat-based bran cereals, helps lower the risk of colon cancer and speeds up digestion. Soluble fibre, found in oat bran and fruit, helps lower blood cholesterol, and may reduce the risk of coronary ailments.

Start your day with a piece of fruit, a glass of milk / coffee and some high fiber bread. You can enjoy your breakfast while driving!

So try these simple suggestions and kickstart your day with a healthy breakfast!

Justin Tate

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

423-648-7575

Join us on Facebook

5 Fruits That Fight the Flu

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:27:00 -0600

5 Fruits That Fight the Flu

If you're not eating the recommended 5 fruits and vegetables a day, here's a new reason to head to the produce aisle.

Fruit fights the germs we're exposed to in the winter. "The vitamin load keeps your immune level high, allowing you to fend off colds and flu," says Amy Howell, Ph.D., a research scientist at Rutgers University. Fruits also reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Try the five below to give your immune system a boost.

Apples

The most popular source of antioxidants in our diet, one apple has an antioxidant effect equivalent to 1,500 mg of vitamin C. Apples are loaded with protective flavonoids, which may prevent heart disease and cancer.

Papayas

With 250 percent of the RDA of vitamin C, a papaya can help kick a cold right out of your system. The beta-carotene and vitamins C and E in papayas reduce inflammation throughout the body, lessening the effects of asthma.

Cranberries

Cranberries have more antioxidants than other common fruits and veggies. One serving has five times the amount in broccoli. Cranberries are a natural probiotic, enhancing good bacteria levels in the gut and protecting it from foodborne illnesses.

Grapefruit

Loaded with vitamin C, grapefruit also contains natural compounds called limonoids, which can lower cholesterol. The red varieties are a potent source of the cancer-fighting substance lycopene.

Bananas

One of the top food sources of vitamin B6, bananas help reduce fatigue, depression, stress, and insomnia. Bananas are high in magnesium, which keeps bones strong, and potassium, which helps prevent heart disease and high blood pressure.

Justin Tate

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

423-648-7575

Eat 5 Different Colors Everyday

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:15:00 -0600

A variety of colors on your plate translates into healthy eating. That is the message the American Dietetic Association is trying to communicate in an effort to simplify ways of acquiring good-eating habits.

Adding a splash of colorful seasonal foods to your plate makes for more than just a festive meal, registered dietitian and ADA spokeswoman Karen Ansel says in a statement. A rainbow of foods creates a palette of nutrients, each with a different bundle of potential benefits for a healthy eating plan.

Work these colorful fruits and vegetables and their potent nutrients and disease-fighting properties into your meals, the ADA recommends.

1. Green

Green produce, like spinach, green peppers, avocado, and apples, contain valuable antioxidants to help reduce cancer risk and safeguard your vision. Consider the avocado. It offers 20 essential nutrients including potassium, vitamin E, fiber, folate, and B-vitamins. What's more, avocado helps the body absorb more fat-soluble nutrients like alpha and beta-carotene, and it contains heart-healthier monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat.

2. Red

Red fruits and vegetables, like red peppers, cranberries, red grapes, and watermelon, are heart healthy, boost immunity, protect vision, and cut the risk of some cancers. Consider the hard-working red onion. Studies show it may help prevent heart disease and slow the growth of colon and liver cancer cells, according to CBSNews.com. But when you prepare red onion, don’t peel it too deeply. The onion’s flavonoids, with their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral powers, are more concentrated in the onion’s outer layers, says WholeFoods.com. Enjoy red onions in soups and salads, and on pizzas and sandwiches. Sauté them with vegetables and mix them with rice.

Other good red fruits and vegetables to enjoy include: tomatoes, beets, cherries, red and pink grapefruit, and pomegranate.

3. Orange & Deep Yellows

Produce deeply colored orange and yellow, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes, and pineapples, also have cancer-reduction benefits and help promote immunity and vision. The sweet potato, considered by many health experts to be one of the most nutritional foods you can eat, is packed with fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and carotenoids. It is great baked and served unadorned, or with unsweetened applesauce or a little nutmeg. One cup of fiber-rich mango gets you three-quarters of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, according to the Nutrition Action Health Letter, and it is one of the fruits that is least likely to contain residue from pesticides.

4. Purple & Blue

For possible anti-aging benefits as well as an abundance of antioxidants, choose produce the colors of purple and blue. Fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, plums, blackberries, and eggplant also may help boost memory, slash cancer risk, and keep your urinary tract healthy. Blueberries, in particular, are a tremendous source of antioxidants. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, they contain a group of phenolic compounds called anthocyanosides, which scientists consider the most powerful antioxidants known.

5. White, Tan, & Brown

Bananas, dates, brown pears, cauliflower, and other white, tan, and brown produce can prevent certain cancers and benefit heart health. Cauliflower, like other cruciferous vegetables, offers cancer-fighting protection strongest for cancers of the stomach, esophagus, mouth, larynx, and pharynx, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Bananas are loaded with potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and maintain normal heart function.

What's a Heart Healthy Diet?

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:24:00 -0600

What's a Heart Healthy Diet?

The first step in a heart-healthier lifestyle is a heart-healthy diet. Here are some guidelines to help you plan and personalize your diet:

1. Calories count.

Being overweight is one of the primary risk factors for heart disease, so be sure your calorie intake is appropriate to achieve and/or maintain a healthy weight.

2. Eat plenty of fiber.

A high fiber diet will help you control your weight (by controlling your appetite) and also can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Twenty-five grams of fiber per day is the recommended minimum. Ideally, aim for 35-40 grams of fiber per day.

3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain fiber (see #2) but also are rich in antioxidant nutrients that help protect your heart. Eat at least five servings of colorful vegetables (such as carrots, berries, peppers, and broccoli) to get a minimum of 100% of the daily recommended amounts of vitamin A, C, K.

4. Emphasize healthy fats.

A heart-healthy diet doesn't necessarily need to be a low-fat diet. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and other risk factors. Monounsaturated fats are olive oil, avocadoes, and nuts such as almonds. Use these as your primary sources of fat.

5. Watch your sodium

A diet high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure. The USDA recommends limiting your sodium intake to 2300mg per day--but most Americans eat about twice that much. Those with high blood pressure are advised to reduce sodium to 1500mg a day. See also: Tips for reducing sodium.

6. Limit your intake of sweets and refined carbohydrates

Foods that are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates (which includes many low-fat foods!) can create sharp spikes in blood sugar and ultimately increase your risk of both heart disease and diabetes. Choose whole grain foods whenever possible and consume sweets occasionally or not at all. For a naturally sweet treat, enjoy fresh fruit. (See #3.)

Justin Tate

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Pineapples: Natural Weight Loss Foods

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:48:00 -0600

Pineapples: SWEEEEEEET!

Pineapples are AMZAING! I have been obsessed with them since I was little... It wasn't because they were high in fiber and great for the body, it was because of there sweet taste!!

If you need something really sweet, and not just any old fruit will do, reach for fresh pineapple. It is one of the sweetest fruits around, and has much less caloric value than a sugary, flour-filled, processed dessert.

Although pineapples from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and elsewhere are cheaper, they aren't as juicy and flavorful as those from Hawaii. But all pineapples share the same desirable characteristics: exceptionally sweet taste and high fiber content.

Health Benefits

Serve pineapple for dessert and no one will complain about missing sweets. That's just one benefit of this delicacy. Moreover, its fiber will fill you up and might help keep you regular. Pineapple is also a sweet way to get your manganese, which is one of many bone-strengthening minerals and a star player when it comes to protecting you against free radical damages via its role in the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. One cup exceeds a day's recommended amount by 30 percent. You also get a decent amount of copper and thiamin, plus more than a third of your recommended Vitamin C needs.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, but it also helps keep your immune system in tip-top shape by increasing your resistance against colds, flu, and other infectious diseases. Fresh, raw pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that aids digestion and helps prevent inflammation and swelling. To get the most anti-inflammatory benefit, some suggest that you eat pineapple alone so the bromelain isn't used up digesting other food you've eaten with it.

Selection and Storage

When choosing pineapple, forget all the other tricks; let your nose be your guide. A ripe pineapple emits a sweet aroma from its base, except when cold. Color is not reliable; ripe pineapples vary in color by variety. Don't rely on plucking a leaf from the middle either. You can do this with all but the most unripe pineapples. And it can just as easily mean that it's rotten.

Choose a large pineapple that feels heavy for its size, indicating juiciness and a lot of pulp. The "eyes" should stand out. A ripe pineapple yields slightly when pressed.

Once a pineapple is picked, it's as sweet as it will ever get. It does no good to let it "ripen" at home. It will only rot.

Preparation and Serving Tips

Tips on tackling a pineapple: Cut off the bottom and top, then use a sharp knife to peel the outside first. Remove any remaining "eyes." Cut into quarters and remove the core from each quarter, then cut into slices. Or cut into quarters and scoop out the inside without peeling it at all. Refrigerate cut-up pieces.

Try fruit kabobs for a unique dessert: Alternate pineapple, strawberries, and other fruit on skewers. Or grill pineapple skewered with vegetables. Try pineapple on a brown rice and bean dish to give it zing; this is a great alternative to a meat-based dish.

Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that breaks down protein and is the reason why gelatin won't set when fresh pineapple is added. Use canned pineapple instead.

Remember, pineapple is a very sweet solution for your sugar cravings, which can help you stick to your weight-loss plan and forgo dessert cart.

Justin Tate

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel pointe

Join us on Facebook

www.FTGunbarrelpointe.com

Brainberries

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:20:00 -0600

Blueberries = Delicious Brain Food

It seems that “improving cognitive function” can be added to the laundry list of health benefits from blueberries. Ron Mervis, PhD, of the Center for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, discovered that rats fed blue-berries for eight weeks (equivalent to a half-cup per day for humans) were able to manipulate mazes just as well as their younger counterparts. Why? The chemical compounds, which may reverse or minimize the breakdown of communication between neurons.

As we age, oxidation and inflammation in the brain can damage neurons, but blueberries may reduce inflammation and cognitive decline. Further research revealed that when combined with omega-3 foods, such as Walnuts and blueberries, improved both cognitive and motor skills to such a degree that images of older rodents’ brains resembled those of younger rats.

To reap similar benefits, add blueberries to salads, yogurt, smoothies and cereal. For a tasty meat topper, heat fresh blueberries in a pan with olive oil and red wine. Simmer until the fruit pops and the sauce thickens.

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED to make 12 muffins

3/4 cups low fat milk
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh blueberries

***Baking soda and vinegar are healthy alternatives to baking powder, which usually contains aluminum. If the Recipe calls for 3 teaspoons, add 1-1/2 of Baking soda and a pinch of vinegar.

Preheat oven 400ºF degrees. Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Blend milk, applesauce, egg in a small bowl and set aside.
Stir flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and pour wet ingredients into the well. Stir with a spoon just until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until golden brown; regular size muffins bake in 18 to 20 minutes, mini-muffins bake in 10 minutes. Immediately remove from pan.

Justin Tate

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Join us on Facebook

Top 10 Foods for Women

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:14:00 -0600

Top 10 Foods for Women

Do women really need to eat any differently than men? After all, we're all human. While this is certainly true, a woman's nutritional needs are more specific than a man's. Pam Peeke, M.D., M.Ph., author of Fight Fat After 40 (Viking 2000) and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine explains why:

"Women are special. They have unique nutritional requirements to keep them energized and focused, especially as they age. And that means over the age of 30! Here's a great list of foods that every woman needs to incorporate into her weekly diet to guarantee that as each year goes by, she stays as healthy and fit as she can."

So, just because you work like a man and play even harder, your diet should be a bit more ladylike. We've paired some of our most nutrient- and flavor-packed recipes with each food to help you get everything you need to fuel that beautiful, wonderful, womanly body.

10. Soy Protein

Soy protein is found in products like tofu and soymilk to soy nut butter and cereal. Soy protein is heart healthy (helps lower "bad" cholesterol levels) and is rich in phytonutrients. Aim for up to 25 grams of soy protein per day.

9. Whole Grains

Whole grains are high in fiber and therefore help stave off digestive problems that are so common in women. Try to incorporate more whole grains like brown rice, bran flakes, whole-grain breads, barley and quinoa into your diet.

8. Foods rich in Folate

Foods rich in folate like asparagus, oranges, fortified cereals and beans. Folate is important during pregnancy for ensuring proper neural tube development of the fetus and has been shown to be important for heart health. Make sure to get the RDA of 400 micrograms (mcg) per day.

7. Cranberries and Cranberry Juice

The proanthocyanidins found in cranberries help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder, thus warding off urinary tract infections (UTIs). New research also suggests that cranberries may promote cardiovascular health.

6. Water

Though it's not a food, water is important for all metabolic processes in the body. It also helps with digestion, weight loss and improves the appearance of the skin. Drinking eight to 10, eight-ounce glasses of water each day is key, but eating foods with a high water content (like fruits and certain vegetables) will also contribute to your water intake.

5. Nuts

Nuts are full of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol levels, and polyunsaturated fats, which can help prevent heart disease. Plus, nuts are a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, folate, vitamin E and vitamin A. Nuts pack a lot of calories into their tiny packages, so try to limit your serving to an ounce a day. That's 28 peanuts, 14 walnut halves and only 7 Brazil nuts.

4. Green leafy vegetables

This category of vegetable includes everything from kale to bok choy to darker lettuces. These vegetables provide important nutrients as well as fiber (aim for 20 to 35 grams each day) to the diet. Try to get at least three servings of vegetables each day.

3. Fruits rich in vitamin C

These include citrus fruits, strawberries, green and red peppers, collard and mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, kiwi, guava and parsley. In addition to contributing to overall health, fruits rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant, have recently been linked to a decreased risk of coronary heart disease. Fit two to three servings (or more) of fruit into your daily diet. The RDA for vitamin C for women is 75 milligrams a day.

2. Iron-rich foods

Due to their monthly cycles, premenopausal women need more iron. Good sources of iron are garbanzo beans, lean beef, Swiss chard, tofu and dried apricots. Women need 12 to 15 milligrams of iron each day, compared to just 10 to 12 milligrams for men.

1. Calcium-rich foods

Calcium helps keep bones strong and along with regular weight-bearing exercise, helps to stave off osteoporosis. Good choices are low-fat dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, collard greens), calcium-fortified soy products and tofu, calcium-fortified juices and calcium-fortified grains. Check this list to see how much calcium you need each day:

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
4 to 8 years: 800 milligrams
9 to 13 years: 1300 milligrams
14 to 18 years: 1300 milligrams
19 to 50 years: 1000 milligrams
51 to 70+ years: 1200 milligrams

Justin Tate

Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Join us on Facebook

Dry Beans & Peas: Natural Weight Loss Food

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:00:00 -0600

Dry Beans & Peas: Natural Weight Loss Food

If you had to pick one food to be stuck on a desert island with, it would have to be beans. They'd provide you with almost complete nutrition and you wouldn't have to worry about offending anyone.

Yes, beans can be gassy, but there are ways around that. So don't let their "explosive" nature scare you away from some of the best lean protein around.

When your diet's based on protein -- and fiber-rich beans and other complex carbohydrates -- you're more likely to feel full sooner. In addition, a diet high in fiber can reduce your risk of developing diabetes and help lower blood cholesterol levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Complementing beans with grain foods, like rice, makes them a great substitute for higher-fat protein sources like meats. Beans are also filling enough to stave off hunger. The low-fat, high-fiber nature of a bean-centered diet means chances are good that you'll lose weight eating this way. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating 3 cups of beans per week.

Health Benefits

Not only are beans low in fat and high in quality protein, but they also have the added bonus of soluble fiber's disease-preventing qualities. The soluble fiber in beans dissolves in water, trapping bile acids in its gummy goo. This lowers blood levels of damaging LDL cholesterol, especially if LDL cholesterol levels were high to begin with, without compromising the level of protective HDL cholesterol.
Because beans are singled out for their soluble fiber, you may not realize they also provide substantial insoluble fiber, which helps combat constipation, colon cancer, and other conditions that afflict your digestive tract. How? Insoluble fiber absorbs water, which swells the size of stool, puts pressure on the intestines, and moves everything along faster. To help combat the gas problem -- caused by indigestible carbohydrates -- let your body get used to eating beans. Start slowly, eating only small amounts at first, and try to eat them when you know you'll be active afterward; it helps break up the gas.
Beans contain several types of phytochemicals. They are rich in lignans, which may play a role in preventing osteoporosis, heart disease, and certain cancers. The flavonoids in beans may help reduce heart disease and cancer risk. Phytosterols, also in legumes, help reduce blood cholesterol levels.
As for vitamins and minerals, beans are a bonanza of folic acid, copper, iron, and magnesium -- four nutrients that many nutrition experts agree we don't get enough of. Indeed, most dry beans and peas are rich sources of iron -- ideal for people who don't eat meat. The nutritional content of most beans is very similar to the black beans we've chosen as a representative example. (Soybeans are in a class by themselves, so are listed separately.) Exceptions? White beans have almost twice the iron of black beans, while kidney beans are somewhere in between. And fiber does vary. Most differences, however, are minor.

Selection and Storage

Dry beans are available year-round, are inexpensive, and can be found in any well-stocked supermarket near the rice, or check the ethnic food section. You may need to visit a health-food store for more exotic varieties. Packaged or loose, select beans that look clean, are not shriveled, and are uniformly sized with even color and uncracked hulls. Discard any pebbles, as well as any beans with pinholes, a sign of insect infestation. Some varieties of beans are available canned. They offer convenience but are rather mushy and very salty, although researchers have found that rinsing canned beans under cold running water for one minute eliminates up to 60 percent of the added salt. If stored properly, dried beans last for a year or more. If packaged, keep them in their unopened bag. Once open, or if you bought them in bulk, store them in a dry, airtight glass jar in a cool, dark spot. Store cooked beans in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator or freeze for up to six months.

Preparation and Serving Tips

When cooking dry beans, it's best to plan ahead; they do not qualify as "fast" food. Before soaking or cooking, sort through the beans, discarding shriveled or discolored beans, pebbles, and debris; then rinse the beans under cold running water. It's best to soak beans overnight for six to eight hours. This softens the beans, reduces the cooking time, and removes the gas-promoting undigestible carbohydrates.
But if you haven't planned far enough ahead, you can quick-soak them (although you'll end up with less-firm beans): Put the beans in water and boil for one minute, turn off the heat, and let them stand in the same water for one hour.
After soaking, discard any beans that float to the top, throw out the soaking water (which contains the gas-producing indigestible carbohydrates), and add fresh water to the pot before cooking. Add enough water to cover the beans by two inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until tender -- about one to three hours, depending on the bean variety. They're done when you can easily stick them with a fork.
Beans are notoriously bland-tasting, but that makes them versatile. They take on the spices of any ethnic cuisine. Many cultures have perfected the art of combining beans with grains or seeds to provide a complete protein. For instance, try Mexican corn tortillas with beans and tomatoes, or classic Spanish rice and beans, or traditional Italian pasta e fagioli (a pasta and bean soup). You can't beat black bean soup with complementary corn bread on the side.

Rediscover beans and peas and all the nutrition and versatility they have to offer. Find a way to work these valuable vegetables into your diet. Experiment with the types of beans and peas you like best in your recipes to make your weight-loss meals and snacks both nutritious and interesting.

Nutritional Values

Fiber Content of Selected Dry Beans & Peas

Grams per 1/2 cup serving, cooked

Kidney beans: 6.9
Butter beans: 6.9
Navy beans: 6.5
Black beans: 6.1
Pinto beans: 5.9
Broad (fava) beans: 5.1
Great Northern beans: 5.0
Black-eyed peas: 4.7
Chick-peas (garbanzos): 4.3
Mung beans: 3.3
Split peas: 3.1

Black Beans, Cooked
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Calories: 113
Fat: <1 g
Saturated Fat: <1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 20 g
Protein: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 8 g
Sodium: 1 mg
Thiamin: <1 mg
Folic Acid: 128 mcg
Copper: <1 mg
Iron: 2 g
Magnesium: 60 mg
Manganese: <1 mg
Phosphorus: 120 mg
Potassium: 306 mg

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Join us on Facebook

Cut the Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol from Your Diet

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:00:00 -0600

Here are some tips for cutting total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol:

Choose foods that are low in total fat.
Choose foods that are low in saturated fat.
Substitute unsaturated fats for saturated fats.
Limit foods that are rich in cholesterol.
Understand what the claims on food labels mean.
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Limit the amount of animal protein you eat.
Use heart-healthy cooking methods.
Eat healthfully even when you eat out.

Keep reading to learn how to make these choices.

Choose Foods That Are Low in Saturated Fat

All animal products contain some saturated fat. Some plant oils, such as palm and coconut oils, do, too. You can eat meat and still cut back on saturated fat by following these tips.

Eat lean cuts of meat. Lean cuts include those with no more than 15% calories from fat. Choosing cuts that say loin also leads to a lower fat selection. see Foods High in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol.
Trim all the fat off before cooking.

Keep in mind, choosing the healthiest foods is only part of the solution. You also need to pay attention to the number of servings of meat you eat. Doing so will help you determine if you are getting too much saturated fat from meat. If you are, try reducing the amount of meat you eat during a meal. Supplement your smaller serving sizes of meat with whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. These are naturally low in fat and are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Think beyond meat. Other foods besides meat can be filled with saturated fat. So, choose snack foods wisely. If you eat processed foods - such as crackers, chips, candy, or whipped toppings - eat these only in small amounts and only occasionally. Saturated fats are often hidden in these foods. That means you might not see the words saturated fat in the ingredients list, but you might see coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, or cocoa butter. All of these are saturated fats.

Most packaged foods must carry a Nutrition Facts label that lists the amount of saturated fat in a serving, so check the label.

Substitute Unsaturated Fats for Saturated Fats

Monounsaturated fats can help lower your blood cholesterol if you use them in place of saturated fats. They can also decrease triglyceride levels and increase HDL - the good cholesterol - levels in people who have the metabolic syndrome. Polyunsaturated fats can do this too. These fats are chemically different from saturated fat. Follow these tips to make the switch to healthier fat choices.

Cook with oils high in monounsaturated fat. These include olive and canola oils.
Or, cook with almost any other vegetable oils, which are rich in polyunsaturated fat.
Avoid or only rarely cook with lard, shortening, or butter.
Replace meat in meals with high-fat fish choices or even small amounts of nuts. Both of these have polyunsaturated fats in them. Try a tablespoon of walnuts instead of chicken in a salad, for example.
Try to avoid partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These will be listed in the ingredients on food labels. They are often found in margarine and shortening as well as in packaged baked goods, such as doughnuts, cookies, and crackers. Hydrogenated oils contain an unsaturated fat called trans fatty acid. Trans fats raise blood cholesterol, too, so you should limit the amount you eat. If you use margarine, select one in a liquid or soft tub form, and try to limit the amount you use.

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Join us on Facebook

6 Reasons to Stop Eating Sugar

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:43:00 -0600

6 Reasons to Stop Eating Sugar:

The amount of unhealthy substances that enter the human body is staggering. These substances are not only unhealthy, but harmful as well. When people think of these substances, they usually think of cigarette smoke, alcohol, and even fats, but what about sugar? Sugar can be just as unhealthy as any of these other substances, so why aren't you doing more to eliminate it from your diet? If you can't think of a good reason to stop eating sugar, here are six great reasons.

#1 - Obesity

If you don't stop eating sugar, you will eventually begin to see the pounds pack on. You may think you're invincible, that you've always been thin, but just wait until you start to get older. Some 60 million Americans are obese, do you really want to end up that way? If you stop eating foods packed with sugar, you will be closer to a healthier lifestyle.

#2 - Diabetes

If you pack on too many pounds, you may find yourself with diabetes. Diabetes can be a scary condition. Also if you don't stop eating sugar, once you've been diagnosed with this condition, you could face other health problems like blindness and kidney failure. Luckily, if you change your diet and stop eating sugar, diabetes can be easy to keep under control.

#3 - Tooth Decay

You've heard it since you were a child and it's true. Too many sweets will rot your teeth out. Do you really want to be toothless or would you rather stop eating sugar? It's not the end of the world you know? There are several sugar free products that taste wonderful. With the invention of Splenda, these products have came a long ways. Try replacing just a few of your favorite sweets with sugar free products.

#4 - Calories

You're right. Sugar is fat free. So what's the big deal about eating it? The big deal is the calories. Sugar may be fat free, but it still contains calories. Fat free items like hard candy and sodas may be fat free, but that doesn't mean you can eat all you want. Stop and read the nutrition label. The amount of sugar and calories is usually shocking.

#5 - Weight Loss

People always blame fatty foods for their weight problems, but what about those sugary sweets that are fat free? Have you worked really hard to cut fat from your diet, but still haven't seen a significant weight loss? If you stop eating sugar, the weight will continue to come off. For example, people who consume regular sodas usually see a ten pound weight loss when they switch to diet sodas. Just one small change and they lost ten pounds. Can you imagine the weight loss if you cut other sugary foods from your diet as well?

#6 - Healthier Lifestyle

If you want a healthier lifestyle, you really should stop eating sugar. As you can see, the effects that sugar has on the body are dangerous. Not only does sugar cause weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay, but it just isn't healthy, period. Replace sugary snacks and drinks with healthier alternatives. For example, eat fruit instead of candy. Drink water instead of soda. A healthier lifestyle doesn't have to be hard and you and it starts when you stop eating sugar.

Love Your Sweet Tooth? Count on Getting Sick!

Some people ask me if they should stop eating sweet produce such as oranges and carrots, because they want to cut back on sugar. I always tell them to consider that not all sugars are created equal. One class of sugars is natural (from whole foods) and the other is unnatural (added by food companies).

SO – don’t limit the natural sugars. Though an orange may contain 12 grams of sugar, it also provides vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre – all which combine synergistically to absorb more slowly than its refined sugars. And natural sugar does not raise the risk of diabetes the way its refined counterpart does, so no health organization recommends limiting the natural variety. Fill up on wholesome foods – vegetables, fruits, dates, figs, etc. They’ll fill that sweet craving and are healthy to boot.

Added sugars should not exceed 10% of total calories (about 40-45 grams daily), according to a report released by the World Health Organization entitled “Diet Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases.” However, I recommend that you scale back even further for good health, because even small amounts of unnatural elements in the body add up over time and suppress bodily processes.

The makers of processed foods don’t care though. Every year they add more sugars to their products, up to the point where Statistics Canada says we consume about 23 teaspoons of them daily – based on an average 2000-calorie diet. This doesn’t include all the other added sugars we get from corn sweeteners (liquid candy) – the main ingredient in pop, nor the sugars in fruit juices.

Add it all up and by any mathematical standard, some people are eating more than half their body weight in sugars every year. That’s a whole lot of calories, with subsequent obesity and related health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

How can you tell if a food contains added sugar? Read the ingredient list! “Free sugars” are all monosaccharides and disaccharides (including refined sugars from cane, beet and corn). Look for:

brown sugar
corn sweetener
corn syrup
dextrose
glucose
high fructose corn syrup
invert sugar
malt syrup
molasses
sucrose
table sugar
sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices
turbinado
amazake
sorbitol
carob powder

“Food companies have to make food as cheap as possible so that more people will buy it and they do that by putting in corn sweeteners. The more corn sweeteners you have in a food, the cheaper it is on a per calorie basis.” (CBC Marketplace – Sugar Surprise, March 9, 2004).

ADDITIONALLY, look for added starches in food (which thicken a product cheaply) but also thicken your waistline, being quickly absorbed as energy and acting like sugars in the body.

If you really want to become healthy, don’t worry about reading labels. Yes, you read that right! Start eating wholesome foods which are not manufactured in a can or a box. Start cooking with your own ingredients and stop letting others do the work for you. That way you control what goes into your food and ultimately your own health. If you don’t like what I say because you deem yourself too busy, then count on getting sick and ultimately contracting a disease. Let’s face it, your health should be more important than a few extra hours at your job. You can’t enjoy the good things in life when lying in bed sick. Trust me on this, I’ve seen it too many times. And though I’m not a betting man, I’ll bet those sick people wished their hearing had been a lot better while they were still healthy!

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Eating God's Way

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:26:00 -0600

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners... God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body! God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak.

These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Pomegranate juice components block cancer cell migration

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 06:13:00 -0600

Pomegranate juice components block cancer cell migration

One of the most dreaded consequences of cancer is when the disease metastasizes -- meaning it spreads from the primary site where it started to other parts of the body. But University of California, Riverside (UCR) scientists have announced what could be a major breakthrough in halting metastasis. They've discovered components in pomegranate juice that inhibit the movement of cancer cells and weaken the attraction of malignant cells to a chemical signal that has been shown to promote metastasis.

The UCR findings were just presented at the American Society for Cell Biology's 50th Annual Meeting, which is being held in Philadelphia. Specifically, the research team from the UCR laboratory of Manuela Martins-Green, Ph.D., found that pomegranate juice seems to block the spread of prostate cancer cells to the bone. The group is planning additional tests to determine the effects of various doses of the natural pomegranate compounds and whether there are any side effects.

In earlier studies, Dr. Martins-Green and her colleagues used a standardized concentration of pomegranate juice on two types of laboratory-cultured prostate cancer cells that were resistant to the male hormone testosterone. Scientists have long known that when cancerous cells are resistant to testosterone, that's an indicator those cells have a strong potential to metastasize. Not only did the research team find pomegranate juice killed many cancer tumor cells -- the pomegranate juice treatment also increased cell adhesion and decreased cell migration in those cancer cells that had not died.

Next the scientists analyzed the pomegranate juice to figure out which specific ingredients produced the molecular impact on cell adhesion and migration in metastatic prostate cancer cells. Dr. Martins-Green, graduate student Lei Wang and undergraduate student Jeffrey Ho discovered the answer: phenylpropanoids, hydrobenzoic acids, flavones and conjugated fatty acids found in the fruit.

"This is particularly exciting because we can now modify these naturally occurring components of the juice to improve their functions and make them more effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis," Dr. Martins-Green said in a media statement."Because the genes and proteins involved in movement of prostate cancer cells are essentially the same as those involved in movement of other types of cancer cells, the same modified components of the juice could have a much broader impact in cancer treatment."

The idea that pomegranate phytochemicals have an anti-cancer effect isn't new. In fact, evidence has been steadily accumulating over the past few years that along with other health benefits (such as soothing inflammation in the body and potentially reducing the risk of heart disease) pomegranates can prevent and/or treat cancer.

In addition, in a 2006 study of prostate cancer patients who drank eight ounces of pomegranate juice every day, UCLA researchers found a decline in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels that suggested a potential slowing of cancer progression. More recently, the results of a long-term study published in the Journal of Urology concluded pomegranate juice may effectively slow the progression of prostate cancer, even when regular treatment has failed.

However, despite all the science showing pomegranate juice could have anti-cancer effects, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has come down hard on claims about those potential benefits. In Sept. 2010, the FTC filed a lawsuit against Pom Wonderful, the natural foods company that provided the pomegranate juice for the UCLA research and has supported other research on pomegranate juice, charging the company's claims about the juice's health benefits were misleading.

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Join us on Facebook

Heart-Healthy Omega-3 Brownies

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 07:14:00 -0600

Heart-healthy omega-3 Brownies

Food Weight: 1.5

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 brownie)

Ingredients

¼ cup canola oil
3 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 small 4 oz. container applesauce (no sugar added)
1/3 cup ground flaxseeds
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix canola oil, egg whites, vanilla and applesauce together. In a separate bowl mix flaxseeds, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add canola mixture into sugar mixture and stir well. Add in the walnuts and stir to mix in. Coat an 8 x 8 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes, let cool before cutting.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 brownie):
Food Weight: 1.5, Calories: 134, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 74 mg, Carbohydrate: 13 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 9 g, Protein: 3 g

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Join us on Facebook

Weight Loss Basics

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:56:00 -0600

Basics

Indicating a magic shortcut to weight loss remains one of the hottest, and most enticing, selling points for health magazines, ads and infomercials. Billions of dollars have been spent on diet plans, food bars, pills and supplements. With all of these proposed "cures", why do so many continue to struggle with weight? Our nation, and much of the industrialized world, is seeing an epidemic of obesity, carrying with it huge social and financial implications. The goal of this article is to provide information that offers a platform from which to start a successful weight loss program.

Successful weight loss involves a formula with many aspects, including appropriate nutrition, exercise, good sleep, stress relief and the treatment of any hormone imbalances. Each of these factors helps bring the body back to balance.

DO:

Eat at least 3 fruits and at least 3 vegetables a day. Raw fruits and vegetables are encouraged, but steamed veggies will also provide some benefit to the body.
Drink more water. Brewed green tea can also be added to the diet. Soft drinks are a significant contributor to obesity and sugar consumption, and diet drinks are not recommended as they won't help you reach your goal.

DON’T:

Eat any high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils. High fructose corn syrup is an unnatural sweetener that's added to many processed foods. Partially hydrogenated oils are added to increase a given food’s shelf life. This fat can be extremely damaging to the health of the blood vessels. These foods are processed to the point of expelling any natural nutrients, leaving calories as the only thing you gain. Remember, sugary, processed foods with little or no nutritional value will most likely be stored as fat. Many notice they can actually eat significantly more food when choosing healthier options. It is very difficult to gain weight by eating proteins (like eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, beans), vegetables and fruit.
Put junk food in the grocery cart. If it goes from the grocery to the house, it will go in someone's body. Save yourself the worry and don’t buy the junk.
Try to lose weight by cutting meals. If the body doesn't get the nutrition it needs, it can jump into survival mode and slow the metabolism. Shave pounds the smart way, and find success to last a lifetime.

Move Your Body

Optimal weight requires a regular amount of activity. Find an exercise that you enjoy; something that you look forward to each week.

Start with an exercise schedule that is manageable. Many people make the mistake of trying to begin with a 90-minute workout routine for which they don't have the time or stamina. A simple 20-30 minute routine, done 3 times a week, will provide a nice base for weight loss and leave you plentry of free time.

Both men and women can experience substantial gains in their weight loss routine through the addition of weight lifting. Growing muscles consume a substantial amount of calories, and weight lifting will dramatically increase the number and hunger of these muscle cells. Improved muscle tone also improves insulin sensitivity (important for diabetics), bone density and mood.

For sufferers of chronic stress and anxiety, exercise can be a critical step, restoring confidence and a sense of control. For those really wanting to ignite weight loss, view the related information on starting an exercise program as well as a proper weight training regimen.
Digest: Proper bowel health is a major contributor to a healthy weight. Smart food choices should be consumed at a relaxed pace, chewed thoroughly, and then digested. Many people commonly report heartburn, indigestion or bloating during or after meals. This could be a strong indication of poor digestion.

The consequences of this are that even healthy food is passing through the body without being fully absorbed. The body then suffers because it's not receiving the appropriate nutrients each day. People who have had symptoms of heartburn or bloating for several years may also become nutrient deficient. If the body is lacking key nutrients, it will remain hungry. This can aggravate sugar cravings, which may worsen the problem. There are several solutions to help the overall health of the bowels. Bloating can often be helped with digestive enzymes (taken at each meal). Probiotics are good bacteria that support the health of the bowel walls, aiding in overall digestion.

Balance

Even in trying to do the right things, many people fail at weight loss due to hormone imbalance. An extremely common example is a low-functioning thyroid gland. Symptoms of low thyroid output (hyperthyroidism) include fatigue, brain fog, feeling cold often, and weight gain or the inability to lose weight. Experts often disagree on what is "normal" and what is “optimal” for thyroid laboratory tests.

Other hormone imbalances can occur that lead to poor metabolism and weight gain. These include problems with:

Testosterone. Too little testosterone can lead to fatigue, loss of muscle, decreased libido and poor sugar metabolism. Diabetes can result from poor blood sugar management, further worsening obesity.
Cortisol. Too much or too little of this “stress” hormone can lead to fatigue, salt and sugar cravings, anxiety and poor sleep. Many of these symptoms in turn work against weight loss.
DHEA. This hormone works in similar fashion to testosterone, with lower levels correlating with obesity around the waistline.
Insulin. This is the body’s hormone used to decrease the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. We all need a certain amount of insulin, but if the body is required to make higher and higher amounts of insulin to cope with an abundance of sugar, it triggers diabetes. Higher amounts of insulin lead to inflammation, and act as a clue that too much sugar is in the diet.

Concerns about any hormone imbalances should be discussed with a physican. Please note that optimal function of each of these is needed for the body to feel its best. The guidelines for treatment of hormone imbalances are constantly modified with increased research and clinical observation.

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel pointe

Join our Facebook Page

3 Easy Ways to Burn Fat

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 06:46:00 -0600

Take a minute and read these 3 easy steps to help burn fat:

1.) Spices - Adding spices to your foods is an extremely effective and obviously simple way to get fast fat loss. Several spices have been reported to help boost the metabolism. Two of the most common spices to help increase your metabolic rate are cayenne pepper and cinnamon. This was great for me since I love putting cinnamon in my oatmeal and putting cayenne pepper on my grilled chicken! So, if you want to start melting away belly fat today, start getting those two spices in your diet daily.

2.) The Morning Is Vital - What you do as soon as you awake can make a world of a difference with how quickly and consistently you'll decrease belly fat.

Firstly, make sure that you are getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep, otherwise you can end up slowing your metabolism down. Secondly, NEVER skip breakfast as this can also reduce your metabolic rate. Thirdly, I recommend for you to "jump start" your metabolism at the moment you awake. One easy and quick way to do this is by drinking an 8 ounce glass of ICE COLD water. Drinking ice cold water as soon as you awake will cause thermogenesis (your bodies metabolism skyrockets to increase body temperature due to the ice cold water).

3.) Manipulate Your Metabolism - Your metabolism is very stubborn, and this is more than likely the culprit of why you can't lose weight or fat. So, what you want to do is manipulate your metabolism into soaring to the maximum peak ALL DAY LONG. The best way to do this is with food.

What I recommend is something called "shifting calories". This technique involves you firstly eating 4-5 small healthy meals each day (no nutrient or calorie restrictions). Secondly, what you'll do is alternate the pattern of when you eat specific nutrients (shifting). This works extremely well since the body becomes accustomed to our eating habits and will adjust the metabolism to this pattern. When you break this pattern, this skyrockets your metabolism to the highest point and therefore making it easier and quicker to lose belly fat.

Justin Tate

Owner of Fitness Together - Gunbarrel

Join us on Facebook

Cherry on Top + Smoothie

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:53:00 -0600

CHERRY ON TOP

3 great reasons to grab a basket of fresh summer cherries in the produce aisle - or pick up a bottle in the supplement aisle

Move over, blueberries, strawberries, and red grapes.

The new nutritional superstars of the produce aisle or farm stand are cherries, both sweet (black) and tart (red). In recent studies, cherries are revealing their extraordinary health benefits, from relieving post-exercise muscle soreness to preventing cancer and heart disease.

1. Reduce Inflammation

2. Sleep Better

3. Meet Your Daily Antioxidant Quota

Fresh cherries are a great way to benefit from the fruit's health-protective benefits. But cherries have a short harvest season in mid-summer. Frozen, canned, and dried cherries are year-round options.

A convenient way to include cherries in your daily diet is concentrated tart cherry juice, cherry fruit extract, or black cherry concentrate. A typical dosage is 2 Tbsp. of concentrate daily, added to juice, water, herbal tea or smoothies. Cherry supplements are also available in powders, capsules, and tablets.

Sweet Slumber Smoothie

Whip up this smoothie before bed. Because cherry juice concentrate contains melatonin, it helps promote a restful night's sleep.

1 cup ice cubes
1 cup pitted tart cherries
2 Tbsp. tart cherry concentrate
Optional: 1 tsp. sweetner

per serving: 90 cal; 1 g prot; 0.5 g total fat (0 g sat fat); 23 g carb; 2 g fiber; 19 g sugars

Sugary Sports Drinks are not Healthy

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:17:00 -0600

People often Mistake Sugary Sports Drinks as Healthy

I have drank sodas and sports drinks my whole life and never thought about what I was putting into my body.... until recently. Losing weight has never been an issue for me nor has it ever been one of my health and fitness goals, but for someone who may be active and overweight or trying to lose weight - They should be aware of the amount of sugar Today's sports drinks contain. It is overwhelming. Sugary sports drinks are just the tip of the iceberg, you should read some of my past blogs Dangers of Benzene in Sodas about sodas to learn more about what you're ingesting from those.

Manufacturers of sports drinks appear to have successfully deceived children and their parents into believing that their products are healthy, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center and published in the journal Pediatrics.

"Sports drinks have been successfully marketed as beverages consistent with a healthy lifestyle, which has set them apart from sodas," said lead researcher Nalini Ranjit. "Children and parents associate these drinks with a healthy lifestyle despite their increased amount of sugar and lack of nutritional value."

The researchers surveyed more than 15,000 eighth and eleventh graders about their activity levels and dietary intake. They found that children who participated in more sports and vigorous physical activities drank significantly less soda than less active children, but higher levels of sports drinks. Children with higher sports drink consumption also ate more fruits and vegetables, while children with high soda consumption ate less.

"Adolescents who engage in an otherwise reasonably healthy lifestyle with lots of physical activity and a healthy diet still consume large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages in the form of flavored and sports beverages," Ranjit said. "We believe that this is due to successful marketing that has led consumers to see these beverages as healthy."

Ranjit noted that sports drinks contain sugar levels just as high as that found in soda, and that drinking just one such beverage per day could cause a person to gain 10 pounds over the course of a year.

Adolescents and their parents should be educated that sports drinks are not a healthy alternative to soda, she said, and should reserve such beverages for "extreme exercise." The healthiest way to rehydrate in nearly all cases is still water.

"So-called sports drinks should be eliminated, since they are high in calories," writes J. Douglas Bremner in the book Before You Take that Pill.

"Soda, juice, and energy and sports drinks contain empty calories that will make you fat; they also contain caffeine, which is addictive and makes you consume even more of those useless calories. If you are thirsty, drink water."

Justin Tate - Owner of Fitness Together, Gunbarrel Pointe

Stay connected on our Facebook page - Fitness Together on Facebook

Preparing for New Year's

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:30:00 -0600

Preparing yourself for the New Year

It's almost a new year and many of us are looking back on the previous one, reflecting on what we've accomplished and what we want for the future. For many of you, that means learning how to incorporate an exercise program to lose weight and get in better shape. If you made a resolution last year to lose weight and didn't reach it, now's the time to do it right.

Your first step in getting in shape is to set some goals for yourself. Start with a long-term goal and ask yourself specifically what you want. Do you want to lose weight? If so, how much? Take some time to figure out exactly what you want and exactly what you need to reach that goal. The following tips will help you set your goals for the new year:

Make sure your goal is reachable. If you're trying to get back to the weight you were 20 years ago, that may not be possible. You may need to adjust that weight to fit in with your current age and your lifestyle.
Make sure you have a plan. If you want to lose 30 pounds in 3 months, that means you'll be losing about a pound a week. To lose a pound a week, you need to create a calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day with your diet and exercise program. Take some time to look at your diet and figure out how you can reduce your calories.
Set short-term goals. While your long-term goal might be to lose 30 pounds in 3 months, that's a long way away. What are you going to do to keep yourself motivated from day to day? Setting weekly goals (i.e., I'll workout at the gym at least 3 times this week) can help you stay on track and have something to be proud of even if you're not losing weight just yet.
Be realistic. Weight loss doesn't happen overnight...for some of you, it may not happen for a while. Think of the first 3 months of your exercise program as a learning period. You're teaching your body how to eat healthy and exercise regularly and your goal should be making exercise a habit. If you can do that, the weight loss will follow.
Be flexible. You may find that the goal you set in January isn't working for you come March or April. If you're not able to reach your original goal, whether it's because you don't have the time or the commitment, don't be afraid to lower your standards a bit and set a goal you can reach.

When it comes to changing something in your life, there's nothing magical about a new year. It's important to remember that you can work on these changes throughout the year and what gets you there are the little things you do each day. Find some way to be healthy today and then do the same thing tomorrow...before you know it, you'll be well on your way. Happy New Year!

Go to our Facebook Page and stay connected - Fitness Together on Facebook

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And thid is true for everyone who believes, no matter who you are." - Romans 3:21

Fight Fatigue

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 07:10:00 -0600

Fatigue may be caused due to increased family demands, work demands, inadequate sleep, poor diet. Fatigue leads to decreased mental activity and irritability.

Here are a few tips to fight fatigue:

Avoid skipping breakfast. Breakfast is the main thing in the morning. If you skip your breakfast you tend to get more sluggish as the time pass and your energy level decreases as the day passes.
Drink lot of water: Mild dehydration can make the heart to work more since the blood will thickens if the water in inadequate.
Have short and shallow breaths. Take deep breaths to increase the body’s oxygen supply.
If you have fatigue from long time, check for anemia, which is decreased hemoglobin in your blood. This leads to decreased energy levels.
Exercise regularly. Involve in some exercise for about 30-45 minutes for at least 5 days a week.
Control the stress by breathing exercises and meditation techniques.
Have adequate sleep every day. Sleep at least 8-9 hours per day.
Take a stress management class to reduce your stress levels. Learn various techniques to prevent stressors in the daily life. Learn relaxation methods and breathing techniques if you are stressed out.
Eat well balanced diet which has all the nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, calcium and potassium.
Nutrient deficiency can cause chronic fatigue, so identify it and incorporate in your diet
Drink plenty of fruit juices.
Take lemon tea, green tea instead of coffee and regular tea.
Avoid smoking, alcohol consumption.
Do not skip meals.
Avoid crash dieting.
Eat healthy diet which has more fruits, vegetables, whole grain food, lean meats, low fat dairy products.
Avoid over eating. Take small and frequent meals.
Take more of iron rich foods like papaya, dates.
Avoid using sleeping tablets on long term.

Fitness Together on Facebook - www.Facebook.com/FTGunbarrel

Powerful Pecans

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:26:00 -0600

Powerful Pecans

No matter how you pronounce it, pecans are another “nut”ritional powerhouse. Pecans are the only tree nut native to America, cultivated mostly in the south and central parts of the country. Thus, they have become a staple in many southern recipes. Steer clear of the pecan pie though—one traditional slice can contain 500 calories or more!

Stick with fresh or roasted pecans, with as little added sodium or sugar as possible. As with other nuts, while nutritionally dense, pecans are also calorically dense due to the high percentage of fat per serving (about 195 calories per one ounce serving) so enjoy in moderation and always be aware of portion size.

Some of the benefits include:

*High antioxidant content has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, and quite possibly some neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

*Great source of mono and polyunsaturated fat which contributes to a lowering of LDL “bad cholesterol” and raising of HDL “good cholesterol”.

*A one ounce serving contains more than half the daily recommended serving of the mineral manganese, as well as calcium, zinc and phosphorus on the mineral side and vitamins A, E, and several types of B vitamins.

*Nuts make a great on the go snack either alone or paired with fresh or dried fruit—just portion out small containers so you have some handy to take with you wherever your winter travels lead!

Find us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/ftgunbarrel

7 Proven Benefits of Fish Oil

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 06:47:00 -0600

Research studies show fish oil benefits are down right amazing. My wife used Fish Oil supplements during the pregnancy of our first son Hudson, and I may be bias but he is a very intelligent 2-year old boy. Refer to #4 below...

Studies are published almost daily as the scientific community discovers more and more of the many extraordinary omega 3 fish oil benefits.

If you haven't already been swept up in the net yet, here are 7 proven omega 3 benefits you should know about.

1. Less Pain and Inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body's inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and anything else ending in "itis."

2. Cardiovascular Health. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDLs and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol. This adds years to your life expectancy.

3. Protection from Stroke and Heart Attack. When plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes what's known as a thrombosis, which is a fancy way of saying clot. If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows omega 3 fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage.

4. Better Brain Function and Higher Intelligence. Pregnant and nursing mothers can have a great impact on the intelligence and happiness of their babies by supplementing with fish oil. For adults, omega 3 improves memory, recall, reasoning and focus. You'll swear you're getting younger and smarter.

5. Less Depression and Psychosis. Making you smarter is not all omega 3 does for your brain. Psychiatry department researchers at the University of Sheffield, along with many other research studies, found that omega 3 fish oil supplements "alleviate" the symptoms of depression, bipolar and psychosis (Journal of Affective Disorder Vol. 48(2-3);149-55).

6. Lower Incidence of Childhood Disorders. Just to show how fish oil fatty acids leave nobody out, studies show that children (and adults) with ADD and ADHD experience a greatly improved quality of life. And those with dyslexia, dyspraxia and compulsive disorders have gotten a new lease on life thanks to omega 3 oils.

7. Reduction of Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer. And finally, omega 3 fish oil has been shown to help prevent three of the most common forms of cancer - breast, colon and prostate. Science tells us that omega 3s accomplish this in three ways. They stop the alteration from a normal healthy cell to a cancerous mass, inhibiting unwanted cellular growth and causing apoptosis, or cellular death, of cancer cells.

check out Fitness Together on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FTGunbarrel

What is Protein?

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:42:00 -0600

INTRO: WHAT IS PROTEIN

Until recently, protein got little attention. Like a quiet child in a classroom of rowdies, it was often overshadowed by fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins. That's changing. Lately there's been an explosion of interest in protein, largely triggered by high-protein diets for weight loss.

Surprisingly little is known about protein and health. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day to keep from slowly breaking down their own tissues. That's just about 8 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight. Beyond that, there's relatively little solid information on the ideal amount of protein in the diet, a healthy target for calories contributed by protein, or the best kinds of protein.

Around the world, millions of people don't get enough protein. Protein malnutrition leads to the condition known as kwashiorkor. Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death.

In the United States and other developed countries, getting the minimum daily requirement of protein is easy. Cereal with milk for breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and a piece of fish with a side of beans for dinner adds up to about 70 grams of protein, plenty for the average adult.

ALL PROTEIN ISN'T ALIKE

Some of the protein you eat contains all the amino acids needed to build new proteins. This kind is called complete protein. Animal sources of protein tend to be complete. Other protein sources lack one or more "essential" amino acids—that is, amino acids that the body can't make from scratch or create by modifying another amino acid. Called incomplete proteins, these usually come from fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts.

Vegetarians need to be aware of this. To get all the amino acids needed to make new protein—and thus to keep the body's systems in good shape—people who don't eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy products should eat a variety of protein-containing foods each day.

PROTEIN AND CHRONIC DISEASE

The most solid connection between protein and health has to do with allergies. Proteins in food and the environment are responsible for these overreactions of the immune system. Beyond that, relatively little evidence has been gathered regarding the effect of protein on the development of chronic diseases.

Cardiovascular disease: One concern about the high-protein diet craze has been that eating diets high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrate, would harm the heart. Recent research provides reassurance that eating a lot of protein doesn't harm the heart.

In fact, it is possible that eating more protein, especially vegetable protein, while cutting back on easily digested carbohydrates may benefit the heart. A 20-year prospective study of 82,802 women found that those who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in vegetable sources of fat or protein had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease, compared to women who ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets. But women who ate low-carbohydrate diets that were high in animal fats or proteins did not have a reduced risk of heart disease.

Diabetes: Although proteins found in cow's milk have been implicated in the development of type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes), ongoing research has yielded inconsistent results. The amount of protein in the diet doesn't seem to adversely affect the development of type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes), although research in this area is ongoing. A recent 20-year prospective study in women suggests that eating a low-carbohydrate diet that is high in vegetable sources of fat and protein may modestly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Cancer: There's no good evidence that eating a little protein or a lot of it influences cancer risk. Eating a lot of red meat is linked to an increased risk of colon cancer, however, as is eating processed meat.

Osteoporosis: Digesting protein releases acids that the body usually neutralizes with calcium and other buffering agents in the blood. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in the so-called low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following a high-protein diet for a few weeks probably won't have much effect on bone strength. Doing it for a long time, though, could weaken bone. In the Nurses' Health Study, for example, women who ate more than 95 grams of protein a day were 20 percent more likely to have broken a wrist over a 12-year period when compared with those who ate an average amount of protein (less than 68 grams a day). But this area of research is still controversial, and findings have not been consistent. Some studies suggest increasing protein increases risk of fractures; others associate high-protein diets withincreased bone -mineral density. The evidence is inconclusive, and more research is needed.

PROTEIN AND WEIGHT CONTROL

The notion that you could lose weight by cutting out carbohydrates and eating plenty of protein was once tut-tutted by the medical establishment, partly because such diets were based on little more than interesting ideas and speculation. In the past few years, head-to-head trials that pitted high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets against low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets have provided some evidence that a low-carbohydrate diet may help people lose weight more quickly than a low-fat diet, although so far, that evidence is short term.

In two short, head-to-head trials, low-carb approaches worked better than low-fat diets. A more-recent year-long study, published in 2007 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed the same thing. In this study, overweight, premenopausal women went on one of four diets: Atkins, Zone, Ornish, or LEARN, a standard low-fat, moderately high-carbohydrate diet. The women in all four groups steadily lost weight for the first six months, with the most rapid weight loss occurring among the Atkins dieters. After that, most of the women started to regain weight. At the end of a year, it looked as though the women in the Atkins group had lost the most weight since the start of the study, about 10 pounds, compared with a loss of almost 6 pounds for the LEARN group, 5 pounds for the Ornish group, and 3½ pounds for the Zone group. Levels of harmful LDL, protective HDL, and other blood lipids were at least as good among women on the Atkins diet as those on the low-fat diet.

If you read the fine print of the study, though, it turns out that few of the women actually stuck with their assigned diets. Those on the Atkins diet were supposed to limit their carbohydrate intake to 50 grams a day, but they took in almost triple that amount. The Ornish dieters were supposed to limit their fat intake to under 10 percent of their daily calories, but they got about 30 percent from fat. There were similar deviations for the Zone and LEARN groups.

What about longer term studies? POUNDS LOST (Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies), a two-year head-to-head trial comparing different weight loss strategies found that low-carb, low-fat, and Mediterranean-style diets worked equally well in the long run, and that there was no speed advantage for one diet over another. What this and other diet comparisons tell us is that sticking with a diet is more important than the diet itself.

Why, in some studies, do high-protein, low-carb diets seem to work more quickly than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets, at least in the short run? First, chicken, beef, fish, beans, or other high-protein foods slow the movement of food from the stomach to the intestine. Slower stomach emptying means you feel full for longer and get hungrier later. Second, protein's gentle, steady effect on blood sugar avoids the quick, steep rise in blood sugar and just as quick hunger-bell-ringing fall that occurs after eating a rapidly digested carbohydrate, like white bread or baked potato. Third, the body uses more energy to digest protein than it does to digest fat or carbohydrate.

No one knows the long-term effects of eating high-protein diets with little or no carbohydrates. Equally worrisome is the inclusion of unhealthy fats in some of these diets. There's no need to go overboard on protein and eat it to the exclusion of everything else. Avoiding fruits and whole grains means missing out on healthful fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients. It's also important to pay attention to what accompanies protein. Choosing plant-based high-protein foods that are low in saturated fat will help the heart even as it helps the waistline.

Check us out on Facebook

Sodium Benzoate = Chemical Hazard

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:25:00 -0600

Millions of Amercians watched July 4^th fireworks, perhaps while unknowingly ingesting the same volatile chemical used in the fiery display. It’s called Sodium Benzoate and can be extremely hazardous to your health, especially if it’s mixed with Vitamin C. It’s everywhere, too, because it’s widely used in carbonated drinks, fruit juices, processed foods, salad dressings, condiments, pickles, cough syrup and even some manufactured vitamins – to name just a few.

They call it a safe food additive that’s been used for a century as a preservative to ensure products remain free of fungi or bacteria, but sodium benzoate (E211) doesn’t do much in the way of preserving health. In fact, studies indicate that it can damage DNA, leading to neurodegenerative diseases, accelerated aging, liver damage and may heighten hyperactivity in children or cause hives, asthma or other allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Sodium Benzoate = Sodium Hydroxide + Benzoic Acid

Technically speaking, sodium benzoate is made when benzoic acid is neutralized with sodium hydroxide – two chemicals used to make yet another one. It’s not a perfect match, either, because it doesn’t add up to anything healthy.

Sodium Hydroxide is used in producing rayon and other textiles, making paper, etching aluminum, and in drinking water, drain cleaners, soaps, and detergents. In its manufacturing, chlorine gas is one of its co-products. That’s right – the poisonous gas that was used in World War 1.

Likewise, Benzoic Acid is a crystalline solid acid. It is increasingly used in plasticizers and adhesives and is added to resins, paints, and coatings – and even as a drilling mud additive in secondary oil production. You can also find it in toothpastes, mouthwashes, as well as cosmetic creams and lotions.

Put the two of these chemicals together and they sound good enough to eat right? UGH!

Apparently, our society’s food manufacturers think so, because these conjoined chemicals – in the form of sodium benzoate – are a part of our diet. In fact, Sodium Benzoate is widely used for food preservation purposes, with the soft drink industry leading the pack!

Dangers of Benzene in Soft Drinks

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:51:00 -0600

Losing weight is a real major health concern for at least two-thirds of the American population. Many adults and children drink themselves into being overweight or obesity. Beyond those nutritionally empty calories that soft drinks have and the number one source of calories in a typical American diet, a long known about threat in soft drinks, benzene, has health officials concerned again.

Benzene is a known human carcinogen (cancer causing agent) that has been linked to leukemia. It can form in soft drinks that contain both vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and either or, sodium benzoate, or potassium benzoate. Many soft drinks use sodium benzoate to stop bacteria growth and spoilage. Vitamin C can be present because the manufacturer added it or it can occur naturally from fruit concentrates used in the beverage. Soft drink manufacturers do not add benzene to the drinks directly, rather the compound is formed by a reaction to (ascorbic acid) and the preservatives that are added to the drink, in the presence of heat and light.

Believe it or not the FDA has known about this carcinogen threat for over fifteen years, and let the soft drink industry to voluntarily police themselves on how to best lower the benzene levels in their soft drinks. Presently the FDA is still hiding benzene data that they feel would be "confusing" to the consumers of soft drinks. I wonder if they think people will be "confused" as to why the FDA did not blow the whistle on this threat a decade and a half ago?

Because children may be especially sensitive to benzene, as their bone marrow cells are highly active, all soft drinks should be eliminated in schools immediately until they can be proven safe and free of all their harmful effects.

Being overweight or obese is just the first stage for many, of life long battles with so many other related ill health issues. Drinking yourself into a state of disease is a physical choice that you can have control over! If you are a parent, you can be the most important role model for your children. Surveys have found that parents are more of an influence on how their children eat and drink, than their peers.

While making the decision to eat more healthier foods is a wonderful thing, people are seriously underestimating the most powerful disease control weapon in their diet is in choosing more wisely on what to drink, and what to avoid.

Your body substance is made up mostly of 75% water. As a safe thirst quencher, water is hard to beat! Shelf-stable juices and single serve milks can be added as some healthy alternatives to break up the daily routine of consuming water. Try adding a squirt of real lemon or lime juice to water for an added citrus flavor.

From my perspective one of the most important and easiest changes you can make to improve your health, is to eliminate soft drinks from your daily diet. While an occasional soda is not going to harm anyone, daily consumption of them is simply a disease just waiting to happen.

Hidden Hazards in Air Fresheners

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:27:00 -0600

In our Studio at Fitness Together, we try our best to keep the air smelling fresh and clean. In the past, we have used multiple varieties of air freshener sprays and candles... Little did I know, we were poisoning our clients and our selves.

Over the past few years, air fresheners have become a staple in many American homes and offices, marketed with promises of a clean, healthy and sweet-smelling indoor atmosphere. The labels do not mention, however, that many of these products also release potentially hazardous chemicals.

A recent investigation of 14 common air fresheners by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found hormone-disrupting chemicals known as phthalates in 12 products, including some fresheners marketed as "all-natural" and "unscented." None of the air fresheners listed phthalates on their labels.

Phthalates are known to interfere with hormone and testosterone production. Children and unborn babies are particularly vulnerable to the toxins. The State of California notes that five types of phthalates - including one detected in air fresheners - are "known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm." Still, phthalates are used in many common consumer products -- to soften plastics in children's toys, as sealants and adhesives in nail polish, and as solvents in perfumes and fragrances.

The air fresheners NRDC tested included aerosol sprays, liquids that emit a continuous scent, and a solid. From generic store brands to "100% Pure and Natural" blends to college dorm favorites like Ozium, the vast majority of air fresheners tested revealed at least trace amounts of toxic phthalates. Walgreens Scented Bouquet topped the charts with 7300 parts per million of the phthalate DEP. The only two products that tested entirely free of phthalates were Febreze Air Effects and Renuzit Subtle Effects, both sprays.

NRDC's testing was limited, but the results do suggest that more comprehensive, in-depth testing of air fresheners is warranted. Air fresheners are used indoors, heightening the threat of exposure to users and their families. They are ubiquitous outside the home, in office spaces, retail outlets and public restrooms. Air fresheners are not regulated by the federal government, and companies are not required to list ingredients on their labels. Consumers should be wary of all air fresheners, even those that claim to be "all-natural." NRDC and other groups are petitioning the EPA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to do more comprehensive testing and to take action to protect the public from dangerous chemicals in air fresheners.

You can make your own safe and effective air fesheners at home or the office. Homemade air fresheners

Check us out on Facebook

Do Energy Drinks Improve Athletic Performance?

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:41:00 -0600

By Monday, Four Loko, the alcohol-and-caffeine-laced energy drink, is scheduled to be removed from store shelves nationwide, following a ruling last month by the Food and Drug Administration that the safety of such beverages is unproven and that they should no longer be manufactured or sold. During the resulting media coverage, surprisingly little attention was focused on a corollary topic. What about nonalcoholic energy drinks, which will remain on sale? Are they safe? Effective? Who should be drinking them? Who shouldn’t?

With excellent timing, a number of new scientific studies and reviews have just been published that address those and related questions about energy drinks, particularly for athletes. Their findings and conclusions are thought-provoking.

Energy drinks, for those who would guess that a Red Bull is related to Paul Bunyan’s animal sidekick, are beverages that contain whopping doses of sugar (up to a quarter cup per can), caffeine and other ingredients, like the stimulatory herb guarana and the amino acid taurine. Although often marketed to (and by) athletes, they are not sports drinks. “Sports drinks,” like Gatorade, “contain far less” sugar or other sweeteners than energy drinks and rarely if ever contain caffeine, said Dr. John P. Higgins, the director of exercise physiology at Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine Institute in Houston. Dr. Higgins, a cardiologist, is the lead author of a new review about the ingredients and efficacy of energy drinks, published last month in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “In many stores, you’ll see the energy drinks displayed right next to the sports drinks in store aisles, as if they were interchangeable,” Dr. Higgins said. “They’re not.”

That fact has not slowed the growing popularity of energy drinks among athletes, particularly those in college and younger. In a recent survey of American high-school athletes, 32 percent reported drinking energy beverages. In another survey, 27 percent of a group of 16,000 adolescent athletes, some as young as 11, said that they used caffeine, usually in the form of energy drinks, to improve their sports performance; 13 percent said they did so at the urging of their coaches.

But the evidence that energy drinks can make you a better athlete is sketchy at best. “There’s good evidence that caffeine is ergogenic,” said Dr. Erin Duchan, a pediatrician and co-author of a review of the current science about energy drinks for athletes, published recently in The Physician and Sports Medicine. “It can, in the right circumstances, improve athletic performance,” she added.

But the amounts of caffeine required to improve performance vary wildly from person to person, and the effects typically are lessened once an athlete is used to caffeine. A study of collegiate runners found that a sugar-free version of Red Bull, while loaded with caffeine, did not improve the athletes’ run-to-exhaustion times, possibly because the athletes were so habituated to the stuff. Meanwhile, because it is a diuretic, caffeine “can contribute to dehydration,” Dr. Higgins said. And the large amounts of sugar in energy drinks have been known to cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal upset, he said, “which is certainly not going to improve anyone’s performance.”

The effects of energy drinks on young athletes are particularly mysterious. To date, very little research has been conducted involving children and young adults, although two studies released last week in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology are telling. In one, collegians were given energy drinks that contained different levels of caffeine (including none) and asked to complete a test, during which they pressed a key when a green target flashed rapidly on screen and did nothing when a blue target appeared. The students who drank the caffeinated energy drinks had quicker reaction times than those who didn’t, but the better times and more accurate reactions were in the group that had the least caffeine.

The second study, while not looking directly at either energy drinks or young athletes, has implications concerning both. In it, healthy boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 17 drank sweet, flat soft drinks spiked with varying amounts of caffeine. The beverages were similar in taste to Red Bull. Then the children were set loose in the lab, which had been stocked with a variety of snack foods. The kids who had downed the most caffeine steered unerringly for the snacks containing the most sugar. That result indicates, the researchers wrote, that there may be an as-yet-unidentified link between “caffeine use and intake of higher energy-density foods” in children. The most highly caffeinated boys also showed a distinct increase in blood pressure, although this effect was not seen in the girls.

What all of this new research cumulatively means remains, at the moment, uncertain. “There is still far too little science about the effects of energy drinks in anyone, at any age,” Dr. Higgins said. “We don’t, for instance, have any research that I’m aware of about the long-term effects” of frequently drinking energy beverages, he said, and he said he knows of none being planned. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate nonalcoholic energy drinks or the levels of the ingredients in them, and manufacturers are not required to prove their safety or efficacy.

So should you or your teenage soccer player be drinking energy drinks? Not if your aim is to improve sports performance, Dr. Higgins said. “I wouldn’t recommend energy drinks to athletes,” he said. “Look at the name. These are not sports drinks.”

Getting Your Spouse to Exercise

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:32:00 -0600

It can be tough on a relationship when one person is active and the other person isn't. Not only do you worry about the other person's weight, you also worry about their health, mortality and stress levels. It's unfortunate we can't make people do what we want, but there are some ways you can nudge your partner in the right direction:

Be a good role model: Nagging your partner into exercise, as fun as that may be, usually doesn't work. Focusing on your own healthy behaviors may encourage your partner to do the same.

Use gentle encouragement: Plan after dinner walks and ask your spouse if he'd like to join you or invite her to the gym and offer to show her how things work. Just offering a strings-free invitation may be enough to get reluctant spouses moving.
Make it fun: Sometimes shouting, "Hey! Let's go to the gym and get on the treadmill!" just won't work. Think about what he or she might enjoy and carve out some time to do it together - a bike ride, a tennis game, tossing a football or a basketball game at the park. Make it about spending time together and having fun rather than about exercise.
Be honest: Rather than getting angry about your spouse's annoying habit of disobeying you, try talking to them about what's really bothering you. Let them know you only want them to exercise because you care about their health and want to them to live a long, happy life. They may just respond to that.
Ask them for help: One way I get my husband to do what I want is to make him think it's his idea. For exercise, I might ask him to go to the gym with me because I need a spotter or to go running with me to keep me company and make sure I don't slack off. Let your partner know you need his or her help to get them up and moving.

Check us out on Facebook - www.Facebook.com/FTGunbarrel