Liquid Calorie AttaCk!

As you’re thinking more on the healthier side of the spectrum, you constantly hear from various people/media telling to give up the sodas, juices, and etc.  Alot of people try to, but do you know WHY you should in the first place? This is because your body handles foods vs liquids in two different ways.  The way it digests and processes both determines how the nutrients are used and how the CALORIES affects you!  Another factor to the liquid calorie attack involves the amount we drink per day.

Most people might not know that the liquid version of a product is not created equally compared to the solid version. i.e an apple vs. apple juice. There is a thermic effect when you eat solid foods, meaning that your body uses energy (calories) to break down the food and nutrients.  When you drink, your stomach’s pyloric sphincter doesn’t close so ALL the calories are readily absorbed without any true breakdown from the stomachs enzymes since the brain doesn’t register it as FOOD.  Also the denser the food (such as quality protein) the greater the thermic effect.  As the saying goes “You have to eat food to lose weight”

Event: Bright Beginnings Health Expo

The Amazing people at Bright Beginnings invited us to their Health and Fitness expo which turned out to be a great experience.  Toast2Fitness along with Deanna Jefferson’s (MyFitnessBootcamp.com) demonstrated a good array of exercises that individuals can perform at their residence with great benefits.  Everybody had fun while exercising and there were alot of smiles in the building.  From older adults down to the little ones participation was high.  Their were also nutritionists in the building along with Health and Wellness advocates, as seen with my former Howard University professor (Deneen Long-White).

We all recognize that fitness is a beneficial part of life but without the knowledge on how to go about it, it can be a struggle.

As stated on their site , some info on Bright Beginnings:

“Families with young children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population in Washington, DC. Bright Beginnings is a nationally-accredited child and family development center that offers a bright start for homeless infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families. Bright Beginnings serves about 186 children annually whose families are living in crisis shelters or transitional housing. Our educational, therapeutic, health and family support services prepares these children for kindergarten and stabilizes their families.”

I urge EVERYONE to volunteer your time or donate to their cause because a little bit for you can go a long way for another. (Click on their link below)

 

My Fitness Bootcamp, Bright Beginnings

FitTech: Men’s Health Workout App.

Let me get right to the point.  This by far is one of the best fitness apps created to grace your phone.  The app is broken down into 3 sections, which are Exercises, Workouts, and Logs.  In the Exercises section you can view the specific exercise either by body part or region.  There are approximately 165+ exercises to choose from that would suit your needs.  If you’re beginning a workout regime but don’t know quite exactly where to start from then the Workouts section might be just what you need.  This section has workouts from personal trainers approved by Men’s Health.  These workouts include “The High Definition Muscle Regimen”, “Burn Fat Faster”, “Better Metabolism”, and “The Ultimate No-Weight Workout”.  Each workout/exercise has a timer to enable you to track your progress the more you perform it.

McDonalds Smoothies!!

Over the past few years McDonalds has been adding a slew of healthy food choices to its menu, but it still has an unhealthy stigma associated with it.  Some of these additions include the parfait, premium salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, snack wraps, and fruit snacks i.e sliced apples.  Instead when the name McDonalds is brought up the image of a smothered BIG MAC with cheese and “special” sauce accompanied with large fries and a 32oz soda first pops up in my head.  But with its latest addition of the Wild Berry smoothie and Strawberry Banana smoothie, I can truly say that McDonalds is taking strides in improving its health choices in its menu.  Each smoothie contains only 210 calories which is great compared to the 550 calories in a frappe and 560 in a milkshake .  The smoothies are good if taken alone or with a healthy food choice such as fruit or even with a mcmuffin for breakfast.  The taste of the Wild Berry smoothie is great!!, (haven’t tried the strawberry banana yet).  One thing I must say from looking at the ingredients is to watch out for the sugar intake since it is added and accounts for the 44 grams of sugar in each smoothie (better than the 71g of sugar in a frappe and 84g in a milkshake) .  As you can see from the ingredients below there is a simplicity to it, Fruit blend x Low fat yogurt x Ice.  For more nutritional facts click the McDonalds source link below.

4 TOASTS out of 5

12.55 grams of sugar = 1 tablespoon

Wild Berry Fruit Blend
Strawberry puree, water, sugar, blackberry puree, blueberry puree, concentrated pineapple juice, concentrated apple juice, contains less than 1% of the following: cellulose powder, xanthan gum, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, pectin, citric acid

Strawberry Banana Fruit Blend
Strawberry Banana Fruit Blend: Strawberry puree, banana puree, water, sugar, concentrated apple juice, contains less than 1% of the following: cellulose powder, natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, xanthan gum, citric acid, colored with fruit and vegetable juice, pectin, ascorbic acid (preservative).

Low Fat Yogurt
Cultured Grade A reduced fat milk, sugar, whey protein concentrate, fructose, corn starch, kosher gelatin. Contains active yogurt cultures.

Source:McDonalds

Start a Routine…..30 Days!!

When trying out a new product or service there is typically a trial period associated with it. This period allows you to test the product or service while not making a full commitment. People don’t realize that companies choose that specific time period length for a reason! By the time the trial period is over you have already made a commitment by growing accustomed to that service/product (only if it has functioned correctly). Why not apply this method of creating a trial period to your fitness goals. Exercising is approximately 70% mental and adhering to a long-term routine is excruciating difficult, so why not set a short-term goal to accomplish in 30 days.  This will eliminate the stress of thinking how long you have to workout for.  Also along the way even if you change the routine after those 30 days, good habits can be picked up picked up along the way.  Lastly, the euphoric feeling gained from the short amount of time of physical activity towards your health is a great motivator that will enable you to continue.

30 Days of Success -StevePavlina.com *Recommended read*

Exercise SweatSuits (Sauna SUits)…..work?

In the race to find the fastest way to the finish line of fitness, people are taking shortcuts in order for them to win.  One of these shortcuts are the usage of Sauna suits. These suits are typically made of nylon or vinyl material, which are both great in trapping heat. As the heat is trapped the body produces more sweat to attempt to cool the body and prevent it from overheating. Through the profuse loss of sweat the body loses weight. But one must realize that it is only water weight that has been lost which can all be gained back by drinking water to rehydrate yourself.

Benefits:
- Rapid weight loss
- Possibly aids in the removal of toxins in the body through excessive sweating. (not proven)
- Have a sense of accomplishment while exercising
- Heat generated can improve circulation and relax muscles.

Disadvantages:
- Possible overheating and dehydration through misuse.
- Ineffective for long term weight loss, when water is consumed the weight is gained back
- Uncomfortable while performing exercises for some by sticking on skin.

Interval Training = Faster Weight LOSS

When people finally realize that they need to exercise in order for them to lose weight and reach their ideal physique, the first workout they embark on is cardio through the form of Running. There are different forms of running to reach the goals that you strive for. Our bodies have both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers which adjusts depending on our style of running. Slow twitch muscle fibers are prominent in endurance runners that perform long distance runs over a period of time. Fast twitch fibers are prominent in sprinters and short distance runners. Slow twitch muscle fibers contract at a slower rate and allow for a greater oxygen uptake which gives the benefit of endurance over long distances. Fast twitch fibers contract at a faster rate generating more force without the use of oxygen (anaerobic). Interval Training allows for a faster weight-lossutilizing the fast twitch muscle fibers!! It is a high intensity form of training that exerts your body beyond its limit in which you will reap the benefits in a shorter amount of time. The concept of interval training is basically a high intensity exercise followed by a low intensity exercise consecutively.  What I mean by this for example is 30 secs of running at about 80 to 100% of full speed followed by a minute of walking (performed 4-6 times).  Interval Training doesn’t only apply to running, it also can be incorporated in cycling, swimming, jump roping, roller blading, and rowing. Since interval training is intense on your body, it should be done 2-3 times a week and for beginners 1 time just to get started.

Benefits of Interval Training:

1. Burn fat FASTER = faster weight loss!!
2. It eliminates the monotony of jogging/treadmill for a long period of time because interval training should only last approximately 20-30 mins. It can be done in different variations as long as it is INTENSE.
3. It’s adjusted to the way your body feels (it’s not a conformed structure)
4. If you have become stagnant in your weight loss efforts, this gets you over and beyond the plateau

According to MensHealth Standard Interval Training

The  following is a typical interval workout. You alternate the same period of low intensity with the same period of higher intensity.

1. 3 – 5 minutes *warmup (light jog, low intensity, gradually increasing at the end of the warmup period)
2. 1 minute moderate or high intensity followed by 1 minute low intensity (repeat 6 – 8 times)
3. 3 – 5 minutes cooldown (light jog, low intensity, gradually decreasing by the end of the cooldown period)

*NOTE Warm-Up is mandatory

Check out BNET Health Article for tips for beginners, advanced, and/or endurance

Complete Strength Training BodyBuilding Interval Training

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Yes it is Thanksgiving !! We all are thankful for all the the things we have in our lives whether it is life, money, family, material possessions and such.  It’s also a time synonymous for traveling, family gatherings, and lots of EATING!  There will be an abundance of food today; Turkey, stuffing, mac n cheese, gravy, mash potatoes, pies, ice cream, greens, desserts, rice, ham, etc so we must remember just one guideline in our journey for a healthy lifestyle:  PORTION Control!! With portion control you can enjoy the festivity of eating whatever you want by avoiding being gluttonous.  Small amounts of each food item should be taken which would create one big meal.  Eat till you’re satisfied but try to avoid the feeling of being stuffed.  After eating you should embark on a low level activity such as walking.

*One day of eating won’t unravel your whole workout routine, (Don’t worry or have guilty feelings just ENJOY) get back in it the day after.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!

Fitness Myths Debunked!! pt.1

A great deal of misinformation is being passed around like wildfire in regards to health and fitness. The phrase “Knowledge is Power” is a key statement that applies to all walks of life.  The goal of this segment is to debunk the validity of these myths so that you can workout the right way and not believe in “old wives tales”

Doing crunches or using an “ab machine” will give me a six-pack.

Wrong! It’ll strengthen the abdominal muscles underneath the layer of fat but to shed that layer cardio such as running, cycling, ellipticals, etc is needed.

Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on asphalt or pavement

Wrong! Whether you’re on asphalt or a treadmill, your body weight force is still impacting your knee joint.  To reduce the stress, a varied workout is needed in which ellipticals or cycling comes into utilization.

Swimming is a great weight loss activity

Swimming aids in increased lung capacity and muscle tone, but in regards to weight loss it fails (unless you are swimming for hours a day).  This is so because the buoyancy of the water supports your body while swimming so you are not working as hard as if you ran and etc.

If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not working hard enough.

A significant amount of calories can by burned by walking long distances.  Also some people don’t sweat as much but that shouldn’t discredit the amount of work they are doing.

Machines are a safer way to exercise because you’re doing it right every time.

You are doing it right if the machine is adjusted CORRECTLY according to your body specifications and if you’re not injuring your self by trying to lift a weight that is above your range.

When it comes to working out, you’ve got to feel some pain if you’re going to gain any benefits.

To feel some soreness is normal but you should NEVER workout out till you feel pain!  If you do feel pain you either have an injury or you are performing the exercises wrong.  Also try to have a day or two of rest if you experience pain and just workout another body part/section, and if the pain escalates then seek medical attention.

Lifting heavy weights make women bulk up.

To bulk up the hormone testosterone is needed and women typically just don’t produce enough of it to bulk up from lifting weights.  Some people might “appear” to bulk up because they gain muscle faster than losing fat but when they shed the fat then they are back to their slim appearance.

via Web MD Yahoo Health

World Gym Express 24hr *Special*

A major deterrent for most people not having a membership gyms are the PRICES!  I’ve worked at Washington Sports Club, had a membership at World Gym, and met with a couple of membership consultants with all having one thing in common, high prices.  Typically gyms have a high enrollment fee ($100+) and a monthly fee typically (50+), with everything added that accounts to approximately $700 plus.  The World Gym Express in Upper Marlboro on the other hand is currently offering a special in which it is $80 enrollment with a $10 a month charge for 1 year with a $40 club enhancement fee.  For a year it’s approximately a $240 investment towards your health.  In the actual gym the equipment is mediocre (outdated) all enclosed in a small area.  It has a shower, fitness food and drinks mini shop, and a stretching area with all the accessory equipment but not well put together.  BUT! they are about to having major renovations underway with plans of expansion in which 70% should be completed by January 2010 and available to all members.