Archive for the ‘Fitness’ Category
Is Social Support The Answer To Permanent Weight Loss?
Friday, December 11th, 2009One of the keys to losing weight and keeping it off… Well there actually is a bunch of them. But some people who are really struggling or who want to find a great way to stay motivated need to turn to this fat loss gem—Social Support. Or accountability. 
It’s one of the biggest reasons why, or why not, people will lose the weight they want. It’s tough to stay motivated and have a laser focus on something that takes a long time to accomplish. And depending on how much weight you have to lose, it can take as little as several weeks up to years to lose all the weight that you want.
Social support can keep you honest and motivated. Who can give you social support? Friends, family, co-workers, people in authority positions, mentors, personal trainers teachers, kids, etc… It really doesn’t matter who it is, all that matters is that they want you to succeed as much as you do.
Nobody can really pinpoint why social support is so valuable in the weight loss game. But including family and friends in your plan has been proven highly effective. Your friends and family don’t have to be following the same plan you are to support you either. But someone who is encouraging you to eat healthy and exercise is someone that can truly help you on your road.
The other side of the road is those who don’t support you. These are the kinds of people who make fun of you while you eat your healthy meals and snack all the while stuffing junk down their throat—taunting you in a way. Stay away from these people as much as you can—it will only slow you down. 
You need to be in a positive environment as much as you can with positive people giving you encouragement. You have to stay driven to your goal.
With this being the age of the Internet there are also some good social support resources online. Obviously there are weight loss forums all over the Internet. These are great as you can post your entire food log and exercise log on them. People are very supportive on these forums as they are in a situation similar to yours.
Social sites are also very good accountability tool. One of the best to use is Twitter. 
It basically is a site you can tell everybody what your currently doing or what is on your mind. But it is also useful to post all your meals and workouts on it. Try and find some people already on Twitter or get a group of friends to follow you and keep you honest with your nutrition and workouts. Any slip-ups in either and you can bet your friends will be on your case, and in most cases people you don’t even know will add their 2 cents.
Another good site would be Facebook. With Twitter you can only post 140 characters worth, but with Facebook you can do a whole lot more. Even I have been known to make comments about current or former clients meals. So watch out!
There are a lot more social sites out there that you can use. Most of them have the ability to communicate easily amongst people and that’s what will keep you honest and motivated towards your goals. Give it a try! Find some people that you know will support you. It doesn’t have to be just about losing weight or your nutrition, it can be working out consistently, and giving all you effort each time. Let them know you want them on your case if you are slacking. If you do that I can guarantee you chances of succeeding will go up dramatically.
Apparently I’m Fat!- Spammers are getting cute
Friday, December 4th, 2009Here is a message I got today from an obvious spammer. It’s kind of funny, if I really were overweight I would be insulted. I took out the website they directed me to cause I don’t want them getting their desired result.
Hey there,
We are buds in the real world, but I am using this random email cuz I need to tell you this without revealing myself.
Well the thing is that you’re getting overweight. I realize that its a little mean of me, but I sense that you needed to be aware of it. I did not feel like telling you in person cuz I don’t want to ruin our relationship and I don’t want you angry with me.
I truly think that you need to do something it, and I have tried to help. Ive been doing some surfing on google and I actually stumbled upon something significant.
Its an easy new thing, but it seems like it’s reasonably large-scale already. I got a few reviews and a lot of people that I heard from are extremely happy with it. Surprisingly, I also found out that my Aunt used the same method a few months ago and when I asked her about it she was 100% delighted with it.
I told her about your position with this and she greatly recommends this. She also gave me some advice for you, that you must be patient and that it will all pay off eventually.
The product is BLAH they even offer a free trial now as well.
I unquestionably believe that you need to at least use it for a little and see where it goes. I am frankly just trying to help out, I want you to be happy.
Dropping a few pounds will should make an impression on you know who as well, 
Good Luck
-Your friend
BTW, as i said before this is a fake account I got so don’t reply to this.
What’s the connection with sleep and weight loss?
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009Sleep is good.
And it is important. Very important! It plays a huge part in your ability to recover from a workout. Nutrition is also a huge part in your ability to recover form a workout.
But where nutrition has the ability to change and shape your body like nothing else, it also has the ability to ruin you. Likewise, so does sleep. Well, not enough of it to be exact. 
What is sleep exactly? You do it everyday, and so does everybody else. It is very important and very necessary for human function, otherwise we would be up 24/7. But we’re not. 
Some people need more to function at optimal levels, some need less.
But what is the optimal level? I’m sure you’ve heard numbers thrown around. 8 hours is best! You need 7-9 hours. Some say at least 6.
Nobody can give you a definitive answer, because everybody is different. Some people function on less then 6 hours. But are you functioning optimally? 
The body acts differently depending on the stimulus that is put on it. More stress will cause you and your body to need more sleep, but you probably won’t get it cause of all the stress on you.
But what about lack of sleep and weight loss? Is there a connection? Well, it was pretty easy to find. They do studies on pretty much anything and everything nowadays. Some studies are obviously worthless and you wonder why they even did some. But sleep and weight loss are pretty important topics separately. But is there a connection between the two?
One of the studies was done by the University of British Columbia, and it showed significantly more people are likely to be overweight if they get less then 7 hours of sleep a night.
The likely culprits for this are two hormones called leptin and ghrelin. I’ve written about leptin before and it’s affects on weight loss. Leptin is an appetite depressant, it basically tells you when you’ve had enough, and a lack of sleep decreases this hormone in your body. Ghrelin is an appetite stimulator, and it gets increased with a lack of sleep.
So if you are sleep deprived, basically you have less of a hormone that is supposed to tell you ‘you’ve had enough’ and more of a hormone that is supposed to tell you ‘give me more’. Not a good combo.
And the average number of hours per night of sleep that the average American is getting now compared to about 40 years ago is about 2 hours less.
So the point is getting your sleep! Not just for muscle recovery from a hard workout, but also to keep those nasty little hormones in c
heck. No wonder it’s referred to ‘beauty sleep’.
Nutrition for Sports Workouts
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
By Adrienne Carlson
You don’t have to be a pro to be into sports in a major way; all you need are an interest for the game, a passion to work on your skills, and a certain amount of talent to keep you going. Playing a sport is a great way to exercise and stay fit – it does not get monotonous like a gym routine; it allows you to connect and mingle with friends and family; and it gives you a general sense of physical and mental well-being. But as amateur sportspersons, we do tend to make a few mistakes, some of which could end up being more costly than we bargained for.
For one, we may injure ourselves if we forget to warm up or cool down correctly before playing the sport, and for another, we fail to provide our body with the right nutrition before and after a game.
Playing the game and taking part in workout drills and practice sessions takes a lot of energy and stamina; you lose water and tend to become dehydrated if you are not careful; and you’re liable to cramps and muscle pulls if your body runs low on minerals and salts. So if you are into sports big time, here’s how to keep up with your nutrition needs:
• Pre-game or workout nutrition: Drink enough water to keep you hydrated, and if your workout is going to be intense or if you think you need extra energy for a game that could go on for some time, try a sports drink that is packed with carbohydrates and electrolytes.
It’s important to stay hydrated in situations where your body is bound to sweat a lot and lose water and essential salts. Avoid eating close to game time or just before a workout. Ensure that your meal is fully digested before you begin working out in order to avoid heartburn or other symptoms of discomfort. Eat carbohydrates that are easy to digest like pasta and bread, fruits that are high in sugar content, juices or other liquids that provide energy.
Although it may seem to perk you up, avoid loading up on caffeine because when it leaves your system, you feel a drop in your energy levels. Also avoid foods that are high in fat and difficult to digest.
• Post-game nutrition: Remember to spend enough time cooling down and relaxing your body if you’ve been involved in an intense game or an energetic round of exercise. Eat food that is rich in protein and which helps repair and rebuild worn and aching muscles. Drink water slowly instead of gulping it down to prevent cramping. Also remember to drink water and other energy fluids during the game or workout to prevent dehydration and loss of essential salts. 
You may not be a professional, but that’s no reason not to be professional about your nutrition needs when it comes to playing a sport.
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of physical therapist assistant schools . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com
Jason Yun Fitness Training Vlog 11/19
Thursday, November 19th, 2009It’s Here and It’s Free! Prograde Longevity!
Friday, November 6th, 2009You can’t really miss it on the Internet these days. Seems like everywhere you look there’s another company promoting the nutritious Acai Berry as a weight loss miracle. It’s all a bunch of hub bub trying to get suckers to buy into it. And if you have been suckered don’t feel bad, it’s genius marketing on their part. 
And that’s why I thought it was critical to write you today. We want to make sure you know my opinion on the subject.
First, you know better than to believe you’re going to pop some pills – ANY pills – and have the pounds and inches melt off like magic. 
If you’ve been listening to me for any length of time you know true fat loss comes from a variety of factors, including exercise and proper nutrition. Consistency and effort need to be put forth everyday to achieve the results.
Second, any fitness expert worth their fees will tell you that any diet that promotes you eat any one food all day long and then eat a sensible dinner, well, don’t bother.
Yes, you will lose some weight short-term, but as soon as you go back to your old eating habits – and you know you will – you know exactly what happens. Metabolism slows to snail’s paces, fat burning is non-existent, muscles get eaten off your body to survive. The yo-yo effect 
Third, the Acai Berry contains VERY powerful antioxidants and it is getting a lot of good press for that very reason. Yes, antioxidants as in the extraordinary nutrients that help fight the free radicals associated with aging, cancer risk and other degenerative diseases. It’s a super food.
And while on the subject, I wanted to fill you in on something that has recently come to light. Did you know that coffee berries (the berry that covers the coffee bean) is one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet? It’s something researchers have discovered here in recent years.
What’s really cool is my boys at Prograde Nutrition have created an amazing Whole Foods based Anti-Aging formula called Prograde Longevity that includes both Acai Berry and Coffee Berry. Oh, and it also utilizes Green Tea, Pomegranate, Wolf Berry and Biovin Grape (Red Wine extract.) 
Just to give you an idea of how powerful this formula is, well, you’d have to eat an entire POUND of raspberries to get the same ORAC value. And in case you’re not familiar with the term, ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.
The best part is you can now try Prograde Longevity for free! Just click here to get your free bottle today.
PS – Remember, Prograde Longevity is NOT some silly weight loss pill. It is a powerful combination of anti-oxidants specifically designed to give you extraordinary protection against dangerous Free Radicals.
