Nutrition

Obesity: Many Causes, Simple Solutions!

Obesity rates continue to grow in the United States, especially among children and adolescents, and a lot of people are asking why. The biological answer is that more and more people are eating high-calorie foods without getting enough exercise to burn off the calories. But why are people eating so much? Stress, boredom, spending too much time sitting down, depression, lack of sleep, and loneliness can all lead to bad eating habits. And, of course, happiness can lead to overeating as well. Once the weight is put on, over time the body adjusts to the greater weight, and that’s when you can start to feel hungry long after the body is nourished … and that’s when the weight gain spiral can take over….

The latest research points to hormones as one cause for out-of-control appetites.Ghrelin and leptin are known as “hunger hormones.” They work together to help you stay at your current weight and keep you from losing fat. In other words, when you’re in shape, they help keep you in shape. But what about when you put on a few pounds (or a few more than a few)? What about people who have never been in shape before?…

Understanding how hormones effect your appetite is one step closer to overcoming their tendency to feed the brain bad or unproductive advice.

Ghrelin’s job is to make you feel hungry. The problem is that when you lose weight and try to keep it off, ghrelin levels often rise instead of responding to the lower weight, as if it wants the excess fat back. Ghrelin tells the brain: “You never used to feel satisfied from such a small meal, you need more food!” Leptin levels, do the opposite and switch the appetite off. The only problem is that many overweight people have developed a resistance to leptin, and even when leptin works to suppress the appetite, they still feel hungry. Leptin tells the brain: “You’ve eaten enough, you can put the fork down!” … but the message gets drowned out by the ghrelin hormone’s tempting, unproductive, and dangerous advice that it feeds the brain.

So far, scientists struggle to find ways to balance or predict these hormones, which is all the more reason why lose-weight-quick-and-easy diet schemes always fail in the long term. The only long term solution is for the mind to overcome the body’s unhealthy desires; it is the only lasting transition into fitness. This requires both personal dedication and a system of support, whether a spouse, a good friend, or a certified nutritionist and personal trainer….

How to Calculate Your Average Workout Water Loss

You know you’re supposed to stay hydrated, but do you know how to calculate your average workout water loss? Every time you hit the gym, your body loses water. Since your body is 65 percent water, being dehydrated by as little as 2 or 3 percent can decrease performance by as much as 10 percent. Depending on your diet, hydration habits, and the intensity of your workout routine, you are more or less prone to sweat out an unhealthy percentage of water…

Now, you might be saying to yourself: “But what’s wrong with sweating a lot? I thought I was sweating off the pounds!”

It’s a common and dangerous myth that dripping sweat will drop the pounds. In fact, sweating too much can be counter productive. When you work-up a dripping sweat, your body starts to lose heat. Millions of sweat glands lying under your skin go into overdrive, consuming metabolic energy in order to secrete all the sweat. Your total energy, in effect, gets drained; and, in effect, energy is drained from your muscles… The very muscles you are trying to strengthen! 

Here’s how to calculate your workout water loss, so you know if you’re staying safely hydrated:

1. Weigh yourself before working out (For example, we’ll use a nice, round number: 200 pounds)
2. Weigh yourself immediately after working out (For example, 195 pounds)
3. Subtract the post-workout weight from the pre-workout weight (5 pounds lost)
4. Divide the pounds lost by the pre-workout weight (5/200 = .025, or 2.5% weight loss)
5. Lastly, multiply the pounds lost by 15.3, or the number of fluid ounces lost from the body for every pound lost during workout (5 pounds x 15.3 fluid ounces = 76.5 fluid ounces lost)

So, what do all these numbers mean? They mean if you weighed 200 pounds pre-workout and 195 pounds post-workout, you would have lost 2.5 percent of your body weight, and 76.5 fluid ounces of water. You might feel good about losing 5 pounds, but even at 2.5 percent body weight loss, your performance would have already degraded by a decrease in thermoregulation and a steady increase in thirst.

Negative effects on your workout performance only build alongside the percentage of weight loss. At 4 percent, your energy is now limited by 25 to 40 percent. At 5 percent weight loss,headaches are common, as well as a feeling of weakness, incoherence, fatigue, and general irritability. At 6 percent, you would feel especially weak, nauseous, and suffer from a dangerous loss of thermoregulation. Finally, at 7 percent and above, you would be in incredibly dangerous territory. Someone weighing 200 pounds would have to drop 14 pounds during a single workout in order to lose 7 percent of their body weight, which amounts to 214 fluid ounces of water, or over 26 glasses of water (assuming you drink 8 ounce glasses)! Obviously this is an extreme case, but you get the point…

You don’t have to sweat up a storm to shed the pounds. If anything, all that sweat may be slowing you down. If you stay well-hydrated, your post-workout weight loss should read close to 0 percent, which means you have enabled your muscles to workout under optimum performance conditions, unlimited by metabolic energy drain from over-sweating and fluid loss.

If you don’t want to workout the math on your own, don’t worry. Unlike working out at the gym, there are shortcuts with math, and online you can find many exercise water loss calculators.

Dietary Tips for the Summer Sun!

Summer is HERE! Don’t forget to Hydrate. . .

As the summer is finally here please do not forget to HYDRATE!! Now more than ever hydration is critical to prevent cramping and more importantly dehydration. To keep hydrated do the following:

1. drink plenty of fluids in advance (approx. 30 oz. prior to the start of exercise)

2. during exercise (aim for 15-20 oz.)

3. post hydration is equally vital (approx 20-30 oz. immediately after exercise)

Don’t neglect hydration!! If you do, you will be suffering the consequences . . . Follow the above program and you will never feel dehydrated again.

Summer is Here. . . Don’t Forget your Sunscreen!

With summer solstice coming up-the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere-now is as good a time as any to remind everyone not to forget their sunscreen. According to the FDA, over 10,000 people die each year from skin cancer. Unless you plan on staying out of the sun all summer, sunscreen is your #1 protection from UV rays and indirect DNA damage that can lead to cancers like melanoma. Yet, even though UV rays are carcinogens for the human body, weakening the immune system and radiating skin, why do so many people leave their sunscreen at home? I’ve heard every excuse in the book. “I’m only going to be on the court for an hour.” “I never wore sunscreen as a kid.” “My skin doesn’t burn.” “I’m wearing a hat today.” “It’s cloudy out.” Why take the gamble? UV rays are practically everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a hat, sitting in the shade, or the gray morning haze has yet to burn off. Even if you never feel burned from the sun, damage from UV radiation is not something to mess around with. Play it safe, protect your skin, and have fun in the sun this summer!

We’ll Miss You Coach Wooden…

On June 4th the world lost not only one of the best coaches of all time, but a man of integrity and humility; a man on a mission to inspire those who knew him, those who played for him, and those who read his books, to face their fears and discover their own potential.

Last week, Coach John Wooden passed away. A sports legend by any standard, Wooden was the first to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. In only a 12 year period, he led UCLA to 10 NCAA championships-a record unmatched by any basketball coach since (and will in all likelihood remain unmatched).

Called the “Wizard of Westwood,” Coach Wooden preferred to stick to his down to Earth Indiana roots. The only magic he knew of came about through old-fashioned hard work and determination. His maxims are now used by coaches of just about every sport out there: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. … Flexibility is the key to stability. … Be quick, but don’t hurry…

He lived his life according to a Seven Point Creed given to him by his father when he graduated from grammar school. Among the points are timeless perils of advice, such as:

-Be true to yourself
-Make each day your masterpiece
-Help others
-Make friendship a fine art

Coach Wooden was a man who stayed true to his core beliefs. He never earned the big bucks. He married his high school sweet heart and stayed married for 53 years until she passed on. And now, the legendary coach and role model has passed on at 99 years. May his countless insights continue to inspire and challenge us all to better ourselves, and uplift each other.

The Life Coach Advantage!

Work, family, friends, chores, errands, traffic, favors, deadlines … and underneath it all … invisible pressures, fears, feelings of inadequacy, resentment, regret, stress, hidden insecurities, superficial insecurities, deep-seeded issues that few really make the time to heal….

Keeping so much bottled up inside can have devastating effects on your psychological and physical well being, including stress headaches, exhaustion, depression and anxiety, chemical dependency (most commonly caffeine), insomnia, nightmares, and a jeopardized immune system….

Personal empowerment begins by admitting you need a change in your life–But where do you start? What will be your strategy? How will you change today? … Jump-starting palpable change in your life can feel almost impossible when your body and mind are already overwhelmed.

Most people need more than admitting they need change … they need support for that change … some one who can offer strategies for a balanced, healthy life … some one with a fresh perspective you can trust … in other words, a Life Coach!

As your Life Coach, I can help to jump-start change that will be sure to empower, inspire and rejuvenate your sense of possibility:

-Restore balance in your life

-Get your feelings off of your chest so you can perform at your maximum ability

-Carve out time for yourself

-Importance of setting goals and sticking to them

-Importance of FREE days/vacation

-How to invest in yourself and follow your passions…

Schedule an appointment today and discover for yourself the Life Coach advantage!!!

Are Probiotics For You? (Or: The Dangers of Antibiotics)

Most everyone is familiar with antibiotics. Doctors prescribe them to fight and prevent infections from bacteria, fungus and certain parasites. The antibiotics enter the body and go about killing bacteria, or at the very least prevent them from growing. Trouble is antibiotics kill microorganisms indiscriminately, without any discernment between the good bacteria and ones actually causing the infection.

That’s right, there are good bacteria. A lot of them. Hundreds of species of microorganisms are at work inside your body, keeping your digestive system functional. You need these little workers in order to stay alive! Widespread unhealthy eating habits combined with the widespread misuse of antibiotics have led to a near nation-wide epidemic of digestive problems…

Infections people take antibiotics for:

–colds and flues are caused by viruses, not bacteria

–most sore throats are caused by viruses (with the exception of strep throat!)

–most nasal infections can be fought off by the body without antibiotics

The Vicious Cycle of Antibiotics

As the good microorganisms are killed off without mercy, the body’s ability to extract nutrients from food is compromised. As the body becomes malnourished, immune systems are put in jeopardy. You may wind up with another infection, and your doctor may prescribe yet another antibiotic-maybe a stronger one this time! This vicious cycle is a major contributor to antibiotic resistance, a growing problem in many parts of the US.

Combat this vicious cycle with PROBIOTICS!!!

Probiotics are basically good microorganisms. You can take them in supplement form, but they can also be found in foods such as yogurt. Whether you are taking antibiotics currently, or have recently stopped, or if your body is not digesting food properly, consult a certified nutritionist today and see if probiotics are for you!

The Dine Out and Binge Trend. . .

Tell me this doesn’t sound familiar: You go out to eat with family and friends, but when your dinner arrives the portion of food is immense. Perhaps even twice as immense as a meal you’d prepare for yourself at home. And depending on your cooking habits, and the restaurant or diner, chances are a lot less nutritious-potentially tripling your normal calorie intake, if not more! … But you’d hate to waste any food, and you know you probably won’t heat it up later. … Or perhaps, staring down at the plate of pasta or burger or greasy “single-serving” pizza, you form a plan in your mind to save half of the dish for later. … But after a little while, comfortable in your booth, enjoying family and friends, soon that half-dish becomes a third. A third becomes a quarter. … And before you know, that double portion of food as vanished from the plate!

Now consider this: Your stomach is roughly the size of your fist. Even though it’s a muscle and can expand, you shouldn’t need more food than about the size of your fist in order to feel satisfied. The problem when dining out is that people tend to find themselves:

Ordering too much food

Eating too quickly (keep your eyes peeled in future articles for more on the dangers of eating too quickly…)

Drinking alcohol

Alcohol not only tacks on more calories to an already double portion dine out binge, but it manages to actually increase one’s appetite. And because the liver has to work harder to process the booze, the body has a much harder time metabolizing fat, let a lone a more-than-usual portion!

Basic Food Groups

The food guide pyramid contains what types of foods?

1. Milk, Yogurt, Cheese (2-3 servings): This group provides proteins and calcium that make the bones and teeth strong.

2. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nut Group (3 servings): This group also provides the body with protein. Proteins help in building the bodies tissue and muscles.

3. Vegetable: (3-5 servings) & Fruit (2-4 servings): They provide the body with essential vitamins and nutrients that ward of diseases and ailments. They are both great for the body.

4. Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta (6-11 servings): This group consists of the carbohydrate heavy foods and is placed at the bottom of the pyramid indicating that they should be eaten more often. Carbohydrates are a great source of energy.

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