News and Rants (slightly informative)

The first thing many people go to when they think of losing weight is “cardio”--- otherwise known as aerobic exercise. You know, you exercise vigorously by riding fast on a bike or going out for a run, and that makes you breathe harder, increase the uptake of oxygen, and your heart beats faster. The oxygen uptake is the aerobic part and the increased heartbeat is the “cardio” part.  That’s old news. Yes, aerobic exercise can have some effect on weight loss when combined with wisely selected dietary intake. But it can backfire on you. Cardio, or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, is only one of the pieces of a more complicated puzzle, and if you miss the bigger picture, you will miss your goal.  What can go wrong? Many women make the mistake of undereating and overdoing cardio! If you exercise aerobically, beyond your body's ability to provide regular fuel, the body reaches into muscle tissue and as you lose weight, you lose muscle!  By losing muscle through excessive...

It’s no secret that the size of the average adult has expanded over the last forty years…and studies show that portion sizes have grown right along with us. Researchers from New York University found that average portion sizes started to grow in the 1970s, rising quickly in the 1980s, and this phenomenon hasn’t shown signs of slowing. A large order of fries from McDonald's’ weighs the same as 1998’s Supersize fries. And it doesn’t stop there. Check out these eye-opening figures, provided by the National Institutes of Health: Today's 6-inch bagel has  350  calories. This is  210  more calories than a 3-inch bagel 20 years ago. Today's 5-ounce muffin has  500  calories. This is  310  calories more than muffin 20 years ago. Today, a large cookie has about  275  calories. This is  220  more calories more than a cookie 20 years ago. Today, a 3 cup chicken Caesar salad has  790  calories. This is  4...

Have you been getting on your scale while stuck at home? Or are you afraid of what it might say? There are different methods of tracking whether or not you’ve gained the quarantine 15 with a simple bathroom scale. Some step on every day, meticulously tracking the ups and downs. Others jump on it once a week. Still, others skip the scale altogether and simply focus on how they look and feel. Which method is best for you? Let’s dive deeper and find out… The Everyday Method:  There’s a large school of the thought that says in order to lose the most weight in the shortest amount of time you must get on the scale every day. Weigh yourself at the same time, preferably first thing in the morning, wearing as little as possible. Record the daily number and react accordingly. If your weight has gone up then make modifications to your diet (eat less) and to your workouts (exercise harder). If your weight has lowered then keep on doing what you’re doing because it’s working. Every...

Oops, You’ve relapsed Is this you? Have you relapsed into your old unhealthy habits? The sad truth is that nearly everyone who started off 2020 with strong fitness goals has by now given up. I sincerely hope that this is not you. This is the cycle that happens when you relapse into your old unhealthy habits, and here’s how to pick yourself back up: 1) First You Fall Your fall off the wagon could take place in a single moment, or it could be the result of a drawn-out process. You may fall out of exercise slowly as a result of health problems or other various life issues that spring up and monopolize your time. Illness, vacation, holidays, changes at work or any other change in your schedule are all things that’ll get you off the wagon. Once you’re off the real damage begins. 2) Second You Surrender There comes a point after you fall off the wagon that you simply throw your hands up in the air and give in. It may be a dramatic moment when you decide to eat anything you want, ...

Spring has arrived, bringing with it the promise of warm weather to come. You know what happens when the weather warms up? People put on bathing suits. Are you ready to bare it all on the beach? If not, no worries, there is still time. Follow these 12 steps to get your abs beach ready: Step One: Do Some Burpees.  Can burpees really help flatten your abs? You bet. Incorporate a few minutes of burpees into your workouts to burn extra calories and tighten your core. Here's how to do a burpee: 1) Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. 2) Drop to a squat with your hands on the ground. 3) Kick feet back while lowering into a push-up. 4) Return to the squat position. 5) Jump up with arms overhead. Step Two: Reduce Sodium.  Did you know that salt causes water retention? Puffy skin is not going to make your abs look great in a bathing suit! Take the time to pay attention to the sodium content of your food. Limit salt intake by not eating packaged foods and by putti...

The Real Food Challenge Processed foods, additives and chemicals are inferior to real food and are potentially harmful to your health. So why do you still eat it? Why do you still eat that packaged granola bar and snack on those whole-grain crackers? You may think that a heart-healthy label means something, but it doesn't hold a candle to real food. What is Real Food? Here's an easy way to tell if your food is real or not: If your food can go bad, it's good for you. If your food can't go bad, it's bad for you. Real food is fresh and unprocessed. The Real Food Challenge This real food challenge has the potential to change your body forever. Take the next 7 days to ONLY eat real food. One week is a very short time in the grand scheme of things, and I know you can do this. Just try it for one week to see and feel the difference in your body. The Rules During the next 7 days you will avoid eating all of the following food items: Bread Grains Rice Crackers ...

What do you want?   Are you willing to sacrifice for what you want? The choices you make every day are moving you in the direction of your goal or further away from its that’s simple... ...Is your mindset aligned with your decisions? As the young people say “Let’s talk about it” According to Dr. Monte Ladner, M.D., it is without dispute that you can reduce the chances that you will be stricken with a major chronic disease by 80%.   These major diseases include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer. Dr. Ladner outlines the four lifestyle habits that determine whether you can count yourself in the segment of people that enjoy this protection from disease: 1.     Stop Smoking (Duh) 2.    Get up and move at least 30 minutes every day 3.     A meal regiment which contains large amounts of vegetables 4.     Managing a healthy weight   If you ...

Hey now, With the Holiday season in full swing here are my thoughts on what's happening around you. Remember if you don't know what happened before you, you don't know what's happening around you. "Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb." - Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Churchill was not just known for his years as a  leader he also had a  healthy appetite and a wonderful sense of humor. In most of his quotes, there is a tinge of truth mixed with a bit of that English dry sense of humor. For this reason, they hit you right between the eyes, yet retains a subtle gentleness that does not offend anyone. If you look at this in the context of a good diet, you see how it isn’t something with a beginning...

10 years ago people called me crazy for warning against the dangers of excessive cardio. It doesn't work, I said, and you'll get overuse injuries that can ruin your life. Well, today, not only am I no longer a lone voice in the wilderness, but major newspapers - like the  Wall Street Journal  - are reporting on studies that show excessive cardio harms the heart. According to the WSJ, research in the The British journal, " Heart ", says: Running 20-25 miles or more per week eliminates the benefit of exercise as you grow older and cause's excessive wear-and-tear on the heart. Of course, exercise ADDICTS will ignore dispute this information, and runners will continue to post "I hate Coach Clarence comments, but the #truth about long slow cardio and running is this... 1) You can get better fat burning results in less time 2) Less exercise = less wear-and-tear on the body, including your heart, skeletal muscles, and yo...

"Man does not live by bread alone..." - Matthew 4:4   This may the battle cry of those who insist on dieting. However, without proper planning and a good nutritional guide, a diet is bound to fail and bring down one’s health in the process. Definitely, we should not live to eat, but neither should we live to be a model dress size. There is more to life than how you look and what you eat. When the Bible talks about eating, it is more for the nourishment of the body; and studying is nourishment for the mind. It emphasized both equally, and we should take heed. Dieting is not a bad activity to undertake until we start taking it to the extreme. If that happens, then we’re playing around with our health, and possibly our lives and the people who love us. This may sound trite right now, but regrets usually come too late. Are you willing to take that chance?   How often do we try to fool ourselves by saying we’ll just take small meals, but sneak in junk food in ...

Protein is not just for great skin, hair, and nails; it's critical for health. Without it, you wouldn't be able to repair damage, digest food, fight infections, build muscle and bone, create hormones, and even think and have good moods. Higher protein diets can help fight high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Not to mention protein's great benefits for metabolism boosting, satiety (feeling full after a meal), and weight management. Protein is important, and this is a given. There are a few factors to consider when calculating how much protein we need. I go through those calculations with you. Then I list the amount of protein in some common foods. How much protein is enough There isn’t a real rule that applies equally to everyone. There are a few factors to consider when figuring out how much protein you need. Start with the minimum recommendation of 0.8 g/kg (0.36 g/lb) per day. So, for a 68 kg (150 ...