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July 2006
Cutting down on Liquid Calories
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Smoothies, fitness waters, herb-infused juices, coffee combos, energy drinks—the thirst for new specialty drinks seems almost unquenchable. but waistlines in the U.S. are expanding along with exotic drink choices. Calorie intake is up as much as 15 percent in the last 20 years, and about half of the extra calories comes from sweetened drinks. No wonder: A 24-ounce Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino (without whipped cream) or a 20 ounce Smoothie King Pina Colada Island contains about as many calories as a McDonald’s Big Mac.
Energy drinks, fortified juices, exotic teas, and waters often contain other “extras” you don’t need: high levels of stimulants, vitamins, and minerals, as well as questionable herbal ingredients. For example, a 16-ounce can of Burn2 energy drink contains almost as much caffeine as two cups of coffee, plus herbal stimulants. Syzmo energy drink packs 600 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6 and 1,000 percent of B12—far more than most people require.
Here’s how to avoid the pitfalls and choose drinks that won’t pile on the pounds.
LIQUID CALORIES GO DOWN EASY
Drinks don’t fill you up the way solid food does. Suppose you have a small cafe`mocha with breakfast(240 calories), a medium soft drink with lunch(210 calories), an 8-ounce energy drink midafternoon (115 calories) and a beer after work (150 calories). Those add about 700 extra calories to your day, and, by the end of the week an extra pound of weight.
The main culprit, sugar, lurks in places that might surprise you, such as flavored waters and ready-to-drink teas. Juice drinks and smoothies are among the worst offenders. A 24-ounce Jamba Juice Banana Berry smoothie, for example, has as much sugar as four-and a half chocolate bars.
You should also check the fat content of lattes, frappes, chai teas, smoothies, and other creamy drinks. A 32-ounce Dunkin’ Donuts vanilla Bean Coolatta Packs more than an entire day’s ration of saturated fat. You can slash the fat and calories in creamy drinks by skipping the whipped cream and substituting nonfat or soy milk for whole milk.
Alcohol is double trouble for the calorie conscious, since it can boost your appetite. If you imbibe, opt for wine or light beer over mixed drinks, and limit your intake.
Finally, be aware of portion sizes. Restaurants often use huge cups or glasses. And check the number of servings in bottles and cans. Arizona’s Asia Plum green tea initially seems like a reasonable choice, with 70 carlories per serving. But if you drink the whole bottle, you’ll actually consume two-and-a-half servings and 175 calories.
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Weight Loss and Fitness Myth #7: You Burn More Fat at a Lower Heart Rate than a Higher Heart Rate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is one of the least misunderstood types of exercise advice, that has been lingering for quite some time. Another fitness myth that needs to get busted.
Somewhere, someone read an article or a journal stating that the ratio of fat that you burn while doing cardiovascular activity is higher at a lower heart rate. As you begin to increase the intensity by means of speed, resistance, or incline, your fat burning ratio will decline. While this is all true, this information can be severely misinterperted.
At all times of the day, the energy of which your body is using is primarily aerobic. All this means is that you will utilize more fat energy as compared to carbohydrate energy (aka- glycogen that is converted to glucose). When you increase your aerobic output, you will begin to change the ratio at which you utilize fat and carbohydrate energy. Now matter what, when you increase aerobic activity, you will increase your carbohydrate usage. This is done by what is known as aerobic glycolosis (you don’t have to remember that). There is a high correlation between between your heart rate and increasing “carbohydrate burning.” So, when you read this you may think, “okay, if I want to burn more fat, I need to keep my heart rate down.” However, and this is a big however, notice that nothing was mentioned about the quantity of fat calories that is used at a lower intensity as compared to a higher intensity. All that was mentioned was the ratio. However, ratios have nothing to do about the amount of calories used, it is just a comparison.
When you increase your heart rate while doing cardiovascular training, you will burn more fat than you would at a lower intensity. Ratios don’t matter. It’s quantity of fat you’re after and it just so happens that your training will also be more qualitative. Even if you were to think, “well I don’t won’t to burn more carb’s, I won’t to burn more fat.” Well, don’t worry, you’ll still be burning more fat than carb’s at a higher heart rate, so long as you’re not breaking what is known as anaerobic threshold (which you can’t sustain for long periods of time anyway). Besides, when you burn more carb’s, that is less carbohydrate enegy that will be converted to fat.
So, when you go to do cardio, get a sweat going and do something more than a “mall paced walk.” Of course, this all depends on your current fitness level. At some time though, you’ve got to push it.
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Quick Tips and Other Fit Facts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Stretching
Relax your mind and body as much as possible. Breath slowly and evenly. Do not hold your breath.
When Weightlifting
Concentrate on the muscle you’re working. Breath in during the easiest phase of the exercise and exhale through the hardest phase of the exercise.
One mistake exercisers make is doing the same workout over and over for weeks at a time. One way to avoid plateaus is to change the exercises you’re doing.
When Eating
Eat often - Frequent small meals keep your metabolic rate higher then fewer large meals
Eat enough protein - you can’t build healthy muscle without it
Eat enough – no fewer than 1200 calories for women and 1400 for men
Double your daily fiber intake from 13 grams to 35 grams you’ll shed about 16 pounds in a year.
Weight loss Fact
It is impossible to “spot reduce” fat from one specific part of the body through exercise. You can’t control where the fat comes from. Fat loss occurs systemically. When you burn fat for energy, you will draw it from all areas of the body. The place that you dislike the most will seem like the last place it comes off.
Training Zone
Maximum Target Heart Rate = 220- Age_X_%=
Fat loss Training Zone – between 60% - 75% of theoretical maximum heart rate Training within this zone develops basic endurance and aerobic capacity.
Aerobic Training Zone – between 70% - 80% of theoretical maximum heart rate Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system.
Anaerobic Training Zone – between 80% - 90% of theoretical maximum heart rate Training in this zone will develop your lactic acid system.
Red Line Zone – between 90% - 90% of theoretical maximum heart rate Training in this zone will only be possible for short periods of time. It effectively trains your fast twitch muscle fibers and helps to develop speed.
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New Diet Strategy: Think Before you Indulge
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Know how long it takes to burn off weekend treats.
*Calorie counts are approximate. Calorie burn is based on a 145 pound woman.
200 calorie foods (52 minutes fo housework will burn it off)
- 2 glasses of red wine, 1 breadfast biscuit, 1 toaster pastry,1.5 oz. chocolate chip cookie dough (2 heaping tbsp.), 2 chocolate-covered pretzes (2.5 inch diameter), 4 mini muffins.
300 Calorie foods (40 minutes of swimming laps will burn it off)
1 hot dog with bun, 1 small order of fast food fries, 12 ounce frozen blended cappuccino, 1 iced chocolate donut, 1 peanut and chocolate candy bar, 8 onion rings.
500 calorie foods (60 minutes of running will burn it off)
1 large soft pretzel, 16 ounce margarita, 1 large orger fast food fries, 1 small (7-cup) movie-theater popcorn, 1 extra large soda (44 ounces) 1 blueberry scone, 1 oversized bagel with cream cheese
600 calore foods (55 minutes of kickboxing will burn it off)
2 slices pizza from a large pie, 1 fast food beef burrito, 1 cup premium chocolate ice cream, 1/2 dozen Buffalo wings with 2 tbsp. blue cheese dressing, 1 submarine sandwich with tuna salad, 8-10 restaurant style nachos (loaded with beef, beens, cheese, etc.), 1 slice cheesecake.
Have a great week, keep up your cardio workouts!!!
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Weight Loss and Fitness Mythbust #6: You Must Stretch Before You Exercise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just like some other fitness myths, I have gotten into debates that stretching is not beneficial before stretching. It is not true that you need to stretch before beginning your exercise routine to prevent injury. As a matter of fact, recent studies have shown that stretching before exercise can actually lead to injury.
Think about it, if your muscles are not “warm” they are going to be less flexible. However you could be asking, “Kelly I thought that you are suppose to stretch to warm up?” I understand the dilemma, but what you have to understand is that stretching is not meant to warm up, nor does it warm up your muscles. Stretching is meant to improve flexibility and to help you recover (it can improve strength too, but that’s another topic). This means, you would stretch after your training session to decrease the tightness that you often feel and decrease the likelihood of injury.
If you feel that you need to warm-up (which I recommend), you should do a moderate intensity cardiovascular warm-up such as walking on a treadmill or riding a bike for at least 5-15 minutes. This kind of warm-up will actually increase blood flow to the muscles and connective tissues (i.e. ligaments and tendons). After you warm-up, then it’s okay to stretch. However, it is not necessary unless you are training for martial arts, dance (ballet), and gymnastics.
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Improving Your Training Plan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are several principles to training that we must learn as professional fitness trainers. Today, I’m going to share those principles that apply to those of us I like to call ‘fitness enthusiasts. I won’t saturate you with every little detail, but I do hope that you find something useful and applicable to your situation.
- The Principle of Individual Differences
Each of us is different and we respond to exercise in different ways. Your training program should take a couple of key things into consideration
· Women generally need more recovery time than men · Older athletes generally need more recovery time than younger athletes · Large muscles heal slower than smaller muscles
- The Principle of Overload
What this means is that in order for training adaptation (change in your bodies makeup) to take place, a greater than normal stress or load must be placed on the body.
- The Principle of Progression
There is an optimal level of overload that should be achieved and an optimal timeframe for this overload to occur. Overload should not occur too slowly or too rapidly. Too slowly negates improvement and too rapidly increases the chances for injury or muscle damage.
- The Principle of Adaptation
Your body can and will remember activities, movements or skills. Adaptation means the body adapts to the stress placed upon it and the skill becomes easier to perform. At the time that the body adapts, you must learn to push a little harder
- The Principle of Use/Dissuse
“Use it or lose it”. It really is that simple. Your muscles grow with use or shrink with disuse.
- The Principle of Specificity.
To become better at something, you must do that thing. Runners run, cyclists ride. Your training must go from general training to hightly specific training.
These are the principles we use to push ourselves to the next level. Good Luck and Great Training
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Flab Free Thighs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Toning the muscles of your inner thighs does more than make legs look sleek in a pair of snug jeans. Strong inner thighs prevent injury during fast paced, start stop sports such as tennis and soccer. Here are three different levels you can work your inner thighs. Try and work up to three sets of each.
Beginner: Adductor Lift
Lie on right side, supporting torso with right elbow directly under shoulder, abs and glutes tight. Cross left leg over right, keeping right knee and toesfacing forward. Raise right leg a few inches off the floor, then lower, but not all the way. do 25 reps on each leg.
Intermediate: Stability Ball Squeeze
Lie on floor with knees bent and feet flat, shoulder-width apart. Allowing a natural arch in your lower back, Place a stability ball between your knees. Begin clinching and releasing the ball with short, intense pulses. Do 25 reps.
Advanced: Inner Thigh Pulses
Lie on your right side, supporting torso wih right elbow directly under shoulder. Place a small stability ball between ankles. Lift bottom leg off the floor 2 to 3 inches. Continue squeezing ball firmly with both legs. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.
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An alternative sports drink
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The best sports drink is coconut water. You know I’ve been working out for a while now so let me share something about coconut water with you.
It is relatively clear liquid that looks more like water than it does milk. It’s sweet and tasty and is a favorite beverage among Pacific Islanders. It has natural sugars, it contains vitamins and minerals, which makes it a nutritious beverage.
Its very high in potassium, chlorides, calcium, and magnesium. And it is fat free. Coconut water contains some trace minerals which come directly from the sea. Coconut water is a safe and useful means of rehydration, particularly when a person suffers from a potassium deficiency.
What are some things you know about coconut water? Have you used it before? How?
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FOOD IS A POWERFUL DRUG
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pharmaceutical Companies have made much of their money by making many of you believe that you need drugs and supplements to achieve your weight loss and fitness goals. Here is the subliminal message they bombard you with daily…
“YOU NEED TO INCORPORATE DRUGS IN YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT CAPABLE OF SIMPLY EATING AND MOVING IN A SANE FASHION.”
Food is a drug, perhaps the most powerful of all. The trick about eating today’s foods is in learning what to use and how to use it.
Over the years, the media has bombarded you with different type of diets. Each with the idea that fat or protein or carbohydrates or cholesterol were bad for you. They didn’t mention that your body requires the right kinds and combinations of these nutrients for your very survival. They failed to mention that you need a certain amount of protein to rebuild muscle and organ tissue. They failed to tell you that fats and cholesterol are large components in maintaining your healthy skin, all your cells, hormones, your brain and nerves. Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function. Fat and cholesterol are also good sources of energy when needed.
It is never good to severely cut any of the bodies preferred nutrients from your diet. These nutrients include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is the quality of the fats, carbohydrates and proteins that you choose to eat that makes the difference. What you should strive to eliminate from your diet are any foods that have ‘trans fatty acids’ or ‘hydrogenated’ or ‘partially hydrogenated’ in the listing of the ingredients labels. Hydrogenation is the process that forms the trans fats. The easiest way to eat healthfully is to limit the use of anything processed. For those of you truly committed to altering your eating habits for life, you will also want to limit/remove enriched foods, foods high in sugar or sodium and foods with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).
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10 Belly Blunders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even a tiny mistake could be keeping you from the definition you desire. Make sure these mistakes aren’t stopping you from getting the midsection you want.
Watch portion sizes. Your mid-section is one of the first places you’ll notice overeating.
Spot reduction tones, it doesn’t reduce. You need cardio to blast away the fat.
Balance your diet. Even a low-calorie diet won’t work if you’re not eating the right foods.
Stop counting reps and work to fatigue. If you’re not tired after 20 crunches, don’t stop.
Focus on technique. Twenty-five good crunches are better than 100 poor ones.
Drink up. Water helps prevent bloating.
Variety will get you there faster. Every muscle group reaches a plateau. Change things up to get results.
Kick up your cardio. Intensity will blast fat faster.
Don’t let your hip flexors do all the work. Focus on the abs and make them exert the effort.
Drinks add up. Liquid calories are the surest way to wreck any diet. Don’t wash away all your hard work.
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Tip for weight Loss
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Most overweight people know that ups and downs don’t work, even fad diets may have some benefits but they are usually frivolous. About 80% of people who lose weight with them then regain the weight loss or sometimes even more which means that it is less healthy than staying the weight we are.
We need a lifetime plan and this is where motivation comes in. You must focus on the long-range vision as well as the quick benefits. Continually telling ourselves that we can do it, is what will help us overcome our weight problem. Overeating and poor habits are hard to change but easy to develop.
One of the best ways to be successful with weight loss is to first change the types of foods you eat with a more natural food diet. Sugars, fats, and refined foods can easily be replaced with more wholesome choices. I believe that refined rich food may increase our hunger as well as low nutrient calories.
What are some of your thoughts?
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Post Holiday Workouts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What keeps you motivated to exercise? How do you jump-start after a Holiday?
Independence Day is over and there’s just one major holiday left. Many will fall off the wagon for the rest of the year. All of that hard work yet, many are already slacking off. By Labor Days end, many workouts will have been abandonded.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated? How do you get started again after a few days of fun, festivities and overindulgence? Here are some questions that may give someone else the motivation they need to keep it going.
Which exercises have you tried in order to maintain interest in your workout programs and which did you find most effective.
What kind of music makes you want to work hardest?
What type of exercise would you be most willing to try for the first time?
Do you cross train? If you do, what exercises do you use?
Do you eat before, after or before and after exercise?
Which magazines do you find most informative?
Do you keep an exercise log or eating journal?
What types of exercise facilities do you prefer to workout in?
Do you workout better with a buddy or alone?
Cardio, Strength training, Yoga or Pilate’s. Which get your endorphins going?
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Find Your Target Heart Rate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Step 1: Find your resting heart rate (RHR). First thing in the morning, take your pulse and count the beats of your heart during a 20 - second period. Multiply that number by three and you will have the total beats per minute for your resting heart rate.
Step 2: Now use your resting heart rate to figure out the formulas below:
Light day cardio workout (70 percent of your maximum heart rate potential, or MHRP):
220- RHR - Your age _ = MHRP
MHRP X 70% = _ + RHR = BMP__
High - intensity cardio (85 percent of your maximum potential):
220 - RHR _ - Your Age = MHRP
MHRP X 85% = _ + RHR = BMP __
What is your light day cardio workout / target heart rate?_ BPM
What is your high - intensity cardio workout/target heart rate?__BPM
Step 3: Stay in the middle of the two extremes. During all your workouts, make sure your target heart rate is between (low) BMP and (high) _BMP.
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Keep It Safe at the Road Race!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tomorrow, Atlanta will be hosting the largest 10K run in the world. Each year, more and more heat related injuries are reported. Most of these injuries can be avoided with some simple prevention. Here are some qucik tips:
1. Drink plenty of water- Yeah, yeah, you know this one right? However, I have to mention it because it is most important. Drink at least one quart of water when you wake up. Then drink water staggerd throughout the rest of the morning. Leave out sodas, coffee, tea, etc. You can drink Powerade, Gatorade, or something similar. No matter what, you can’t go wrong with water. By the way, drink plenty of water after the race too. There are fools that will go drink beer and alcohool immediately after the race. Don’t be one of them. You can still put your health at risk.
2. Eat a light Breakfast- Don’t eat a big breakfast. Eat a light fruit such as bananas or a starchy carbohydrate like oatmeal. Do not combine protein (i.e. eggs, bacon, ham) with your meal this morning. Protein does not digest that well and can create gastric distension as you run. DO NOT go without eating something.
3. Wear light clothing- At the Peachtree Road Race you will see some “crazies” dressed in costumes. That’s just nuts. Wear light weight, light colored clothing. Wear cotton or “runner specific” wear like Body Armour, Nike, and Asics run wear. The race will be much easier for you and you will sweat less.
4. Wear sunscreen- Be sure to wear sunsreen to prevent burns. your face and shoulders will be most succeptable.
5. Medical Conditions- If you have any medical conditions such as diabetes or any heart related conditions, be sure you take some form of medical marker (necklace, bracelet or just use a marker and write it on your arm) letting medical professionals realize what your conditions are in case of an emergency. Having a buddy or two who is running with you know your conditions is advisable too. The safest thing to do, is just not to the risk, especially if you are not a conditioned athlete. Also check for medical checkpoints. Awareness can be the difference between life and death when seeking help.
6. Post Race- Have plenty of water waiting for you. Have a carbohydrate snack and/or Powerade (or equivalent) waiting for you to get your blood sugar and electrolytes back up. Of course, a lot of this is depending upon whether you have access to your vehicle or someone elses.
I’m sure that there may be some other points I could have left out. Therefore, do some research and be as prepared as possible. Don’t take chances with your life.
HAVE A HAPPY 4th OF JULY!
Kelly Huggins, Roadrace
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