Use It Or Lose It

I'm too busy using it to do more than a brief update here. Seems the minute Thanksgiving was over I was in the midst of Christmas preparations. Lots of shopping, decorating and list making going on. And I'm excitedly awaiting the December release of Power 90X Plus! I can't wait! Talk about a kid excited about Christmas.

If you're curious about my current nutrition and fitness check out "My Program This Month" on the sidebar. I update it daily. I'm visualizing my muscles growing even as I hang the lights and holly.

I should be updating again soon. We're planning on making a video this weekend.
Happy Holidays, Carol

Use It Or Lose It: Physical Activity In Middle Age

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2007) — Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, have concluded a study that proves a direct link between levels of physical activity in middle age and physical ability later in life -- regardless of body weight.

Dr. Iain Lang headed the research team from the Epidemiology and Public Health Group at the Peninsula Medical School. The team found that middle-aged people who maintained a reasonable level of physical activity were less likely to become unable to walk distances, climb stairs, maintain their sense of balance, stand from a seated position with their arms folded, or sustain their hand grip as they get older.

Research showed that, among men and women aged 50 to 69 years and across all weight ranges, the rate of decreased physical ability later in life was twice as high among those who were less physically active.

The research team studied 8,702 participants in the US Health and Retirement Study and 1,507 people taking part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Each subject was followed for up to six years.

Findings showed that being overweight or obese was associated with an overall increased risk of physical impairment but that, regardless of weight, people who engaged in heavy housework or gardening, who played sport or who had a physically active job, were more likely to remain mobile later in life. Read More.

New All-Time Low Body Fat Percent!

My numbers this morning are 116 pounds, 17.1 percent body fat and 20 pounds body fat. This puts my lean mass at 96 pounds! That's a gain of 4 pounds of lean mass! (I started my second 12 week round of Power 90X in October).

That's a total of 13 pounds of muscle mass gained since April. And down from 29 percent body fat to 17.1 percent is 12 percent body fat lost.

WOO HOO! Power 90X and Tony Horton Rock! And so do I. If this isn't a glowing testimonial to the effectiveness of Power 90X and eating properly for performance (approximately 40-35-25 or 40-30-30 protein - carb - fat on most days) I don't know what is.

I'll add this food for thought; when choosing a fitness or nutrition approach judge it on the results others achieved. Closely examine it and ask yourself if you can truly adopt it as a LIFESTYLE, not some temporary fix that you'll quit. And look at people who use that approach. Do they look the way YOU want to look? If someone hawks an approach but they never reach their goals (including goal weight, body fat percent, and appearance) why would you follow them? Many diets leave you a "skinny fat person". Is that what you want? How many people who follow a certain diet or exercise program you're doing or considering actually get the results you want?

"Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Unknown



Want REAL Results? Buy Power 90X and BRING IT!

Other Power 90X Links:

Power 90X Fitness Infomercial.com Reviews

Raven's Body Blog

Watch P90X Demonstrated

Exercise and Low Carb Diets Make Poor Partners - Fat Loss Coach Speaks Out by Charles Remington

In The News

Exercise can't compensate for sitting

COLUMBIA, Mo. (UPI) -- Even exercising for an hour a day isn't sufficient to reverse the effects of sitting the rest of the day, U.S. researchers found.

University of Missouri-Columbia researchers Marc Hamilton and Theodore Zderic found evidence that sitting had negative effects on fat and cholesterol metabolism and that physical inactivity throughout the day stimulated disease-promoting processes.

Hamilton said that there is a misconception that actively exercising is the only way to make a healthy difference in an otherwise sedentary lifestyle but his studies found that standing and other non-exercise activities burn many calories in most adults even if they don't otherwise exercise.

"The enzymes in blood vessels of muscles responsible for 'fat burning' are shut off within hours of not standing," Hamilton said in a statement. "Standing and moving lightly will re-engage the enzymes, and it stands to reason that when people sit much of that time they are losing the opportunity for optimal metabolism throughout the day."

Common non-exercise physical activities include: household chores, shopping, fidgeting and standing while watching a ball game, watching TV or talking on the telephone.

The findings are published in Diabetes and are to be presented at the Second International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in the Netherlands.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Slim pickings for the women who are starving to look good
More magazine's latest offering serves up a depressing hotch-potch of information about dieting, resulting from interviews with 2,000 women across the UK. The headlines go like this: over a lifetime women spend, on average, more than £150,000 on diet products including books and dvds, gym membership, specialist foods and supplements. In spite of this, average weight loss is three pounds in any one year – most of which is put back on – so every pound lost costs £807.

The average length of time a woman tries to diet before a big event is four weeks, and young women now have a much more "short, sharp burst" attitude to weight loss than their mothers and grandmothers ever did.

Research says that women (the average age of the sample was 23) tend not to believe female celebrities whose bleating explanation for sudden dramatic weight loss is often either, "I just can't to keep weight on, no matter how much I eat..." or "It just dropped off after I had the baby...it must be down to breastfeeding."

Apparently 67 per cent of those surveyed thought the likes of Lily Allen, Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham and her Spice Girls colleague Geri Halliwell actually achieve their wafer-thinness by opting for the "No Food Diet".

And thinking seems to go that if these suspected drastically slim pickings are okay for the celebs, that's where ordinary young women follow. Maybe this accounts in part for the fact that, although women in general have got bigger since the Second World War, the shops are selling clothes in ever-tinier sizes. We have a generation of younger women now who either gorge themselves or starve to be fashionable and emulate their icons.

Ninety per cent of women have gone at least one day without eating to lose weight, 30 per cent have starved themselves for two or more days, and seven per cent have fasted for four days.

Nearly half of those questioned said they eat only one meal a day, and that they started on this regime at the age of 15. A fifth follow a day of eating by a day of not eating, in order to lose weight or maintain weight loss.

Some of these will be seriously threatening their health, and some will be those who consume hardly any food on a Thursday to mitigate the calories they'll take on board on Friday night from a pizza and eight or 10 glasses of wine.

More's target audience isn't the older woman who knows better than to follow fad diets. The younger women who are probably the core of its readership will read the figures on diet provided by this survey and devour them – they are, after all, calorie-free.

The magazine's editor, Lisa Smosarski, says : "A whole generation of women have a dysfunctional eating pattern of endless mini starvation diets... It's very a very unhealthy, short-term approach to food, and means one day nothing will pass a girl's lips so that she can look 'hot' for a party..." Read More.

The Skinny on Carbohydrates (And don't leave me snotty or know it all comments because you're anti-all-carbs or only eat crescent rolls during a blue moon or pass on the apples and bananas because Jupiter is in the wrong alignment with your treadmill's model number. I don't give a snot).

Melina Jampolis, M.D.

Carbohydrates have been making a comeback lately. In the late '90s, the bun-less double bacon cheeseburger was considered health food, but in the past year or two, with even more research emerging on the importance of whole grains in disease prevention, we have been forced to rethink our boycott of the bread basket. Nevertheless, the average person is still confused about the role of carbohydrates for optimal health and weight loss. When it comes to carbohydrates, it is important to understand that quality and quantity matter.

Carbohydrate Quality: When we think of carbohydrates, we think of bread, pasta, rice, cereal, baked goods and potatoes, but they are also present in fruits, vegetables and dairy. All carbohydrates (except fiber) are eventually broken down into simple sugars, your body's favorite source of fuel. How quickly foods are absorbed and broken down into simple sugars (and therefore raise blood sugar), a value known as the glycemic index (GI), is an important criterion for evaluating carbohydrate quality. Whole, non-processed carbohydrates (vegetables, low-fat dairy) and carbohydrates that are high in fiber (whole grains) tend to be low glycemic while refined, processed and sugary carbohydrates like baked goods, juice, soda, white bread, white rice and white potatoes are generally high glycemic.

Why does the glycemic index of food matter? High-GI foods increase blood sugar very quickly, causing an exaggerated release of insulin. This leads to a subsequent crash in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling tired and hungry - neither of which is good for your waistline or your general well-being. In addition, having too much insulin in your bloodstream regularly can cause dangerous fat to accumulate around your midsection, significantly increasing your risk of heart disease. While studies on GI and weight loss have shown mixed results, in my practice, I find that a low-GI diet helps control hunger and keep energy levels stable throughout the day. And studies suggest it may decrease your risk of heart disease, age-related macular degeneration, breast cancer and diabetes, so even if you don't lose weight, a low-GI diet wins.

Carbohydrate Quantity: When it comes to weight loss, low=carbohydrate diets outperform the rest, in the short term. But most, if not all of the weight loss, is generally regained within a year because it is difficult, if not impossible, to stay on these diets long term. If you tend to carry your weight around your midsection, the so-called apple-shaped body type, studies suggest that you will lose more weight, particularly around your waist, by reducing carbohydrates. But rather than cut them completely, focus on cutting back and eating mainly fruits, vegetables (except potatoes) and whole-grain carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, brown rice, barley and high-fiber cereal. In my book, "The No Time to Lose Diet," I developed a carbohydrate calculator (click here) to help customize the number of starchy carbohydrates you should consume for weight loss. Studies show that eating at least 3 servings of whole grains per day is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. And for athletes (even weekend warriors), you need carbohydrates to fuel your muscles, otherwise you will run out of steam quickly or worse, burn muscle for fuel.

So as you can see, there is no need to fear the carbohydrate. The right carbs can help you become (or stay) healthier and slimmer.

Dr. Melina B. Jampolis is a board-certified physician nutrition specialist. She is the host of Fit TV's "Diet Doctor" and author of "The No Time to Lose Diet" (Nelson Books, 2007). She is in private practice in San Francisco focusing on nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention.

This article appeared on page P - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle

What We're Thankful For...A Bardelli Thanksgiving List

This was Bruno's idea. He started making us list what we are thankful for before I had loaded the coffee pot. So we decided to post our list and repost as it grows.

Bruno is thankful for:

My LEGOS.

Myself. (? Kids.)

My computers Samantha and Rita.

My Family.

Thanksgiving holiday.

Christmas.

My cousins.

My teacher Mrs. Mills.

My classmates.

My best friends Freddie, Justin, Junior, and Bret.

My principal who's nice.

My collector cards.

My big box of arts and crafts stuff.

My cars.

My pets.

Chocolate milk.

Pokemon themes.

Puppet shows I put on myself.

Carol is thankful for:

My wonderful husband.

My healthy happy son.

My friend Jesus.

My good health.

No mortgage! No bills besides utilities. (We paid everything off in 1999 before Bruno was born).

Doing things I'm not supposed to be able to do like Power 90X and 55 push ups in one set and 8 sets of 8-12 different exercises in one workout.

Still groping and making out with my husband all the time.

My horse Fury.

My sweet natured cats and dog.

My oldest friends Julie and Jackie. We've known each other since we were five.

My warm and cozy home on a cold morning.

My big brother John.

My aunts and uncles and cousins (88 first cousins on one side!)

Enough exercise equipment to furnish a gym.

A husband who'll drive 75 miles one way to buy me a treadmill. Or a siamese cat. Or pretty much anything I want.

The wisdom of others who I learn from. Like today from Dave Draper who said: "LIFT, EAT, REST AND GROW. I left out the details as they are boring and no one seems to agree upon them. I figure the less said, the fewer the disagreements. It is
the holiday season, after all."

Eating out with my family occasionally. (The less you do it the more special it is).

Music. All kinds including Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Montgomery Gentry, Brook & Dun, Trace Atkins, The Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, I could go on and on and list my whole Napster list but I won't.

My husband's seemingly endless handyman and computer skills.

Yeah, football! McNabb is yummy.

TIVO.

Fond memories of my parents who passed in 1980 and 1995.

All the horses I've ridden or owned over the years (Rode borrowed equestrian friends Lucy, Margie, Star, Smoky and Pete (Narzpetar). Owned Candy, Oly, Margo, Margo II, Buckshot, Chantilly, Ginger, Roxanne, and last but not least Fury!)

A warm soft bed draped with satin and fur (fake you PETA loons).

Calcium chews that taste like chocolate and caramel.

Real Belgium chocolates whenever I want.

Champagne! Caviar and Brie! iGourmet.com! Luxuries!

Shopping.

Books. Lots and lots of Books.

Jerry is thankful for:

My hot wife.

My son who got his Mom's brain and looks.

A great job and a great boss.

All the free stuff my boss gives us.

Good health.

Being able to work at a physically demanding job at my age (58).

Yeah, no mortgage and no debt!

Cats to kick.

My wife's extraordinary stuffing.

Turkey AND ham.

All the fixings.

Tums and baking soda.

Football.

Two TV's in the living room to watch two football games at the same time.

Four running vans.

A project truck.

No in-laws.

Oh yeah, my brother-in-law who rarely visits.

Napster blasting on the surround sound.

Craig's List and eBay.

A wife and boss who buy me the best tools. (DeWalt, Craftsman)

Linux.

Money in my wallet and in the bank.

A wife who manages finances so I don't have to.

Buying what I need.

My wife saying what I'm thinking before I say it.

The delete button.

Give Me The Gift of Muscle Part Two

Post Power 90X Workout & Post Shower Recovery Protein Shake






































The Happy Holidays, Give Me The Gift of Muscle, High Protein Moderate Fat Moderate Carbohydrate Muscle Building Diet and Weight Training Plan

I based this nutrition and fitness approach on years of reading, research, trial and error, correction, and finally results. Not just mine but the trials and results of many other amateur and professional athletes, fitness buffs, bodybuilders, and backyard workout warriors. Below (at the end of this entry) is a list of links to a few good bodybuilding, nutrition, and fitness sources if you wish to read more.

My ratios of macronutrients (protein-carbohydrate-fat) differ day to day but stay within a boundary of roughly 40 percent protein 30 percent carbohydrates 30 percent fat on intense workout days to 50-25-25 on off days. A 2000 calorie day would approximately look like this: 800 calories protein (200 grams), 600 calories carbohydrates (150 grams) 600 calories fat (150 grams).

This approach is not intended to lead to measurable weight loss as I’m aiming for muscle gain and these two approaches don’t always dovetail well with each other. They’re certainly achievable together – I did just that this Summer and Autumn with Power 90X - but this round is for muscle gain.

The reasoning behind moderate carbohydrates versus low carbohydrates is based on sound science (one such study is even discussed in Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories) and anecdotal evidence from the bodybuilding world. You can not achieve the OPTIMAL results on an intense weight training program without the quick fuel carbohydrates provide.

On some days, I cycle calories lower and eat a diet more moderate fats and carbohydrates meaning out of 1800 calories roughly 100 grams of carbs and 100 grams of fat a day to support hormones vital to anabolism while lowering calories. And the protein remains around 1000 calories because high protein is like, duh? We’re aiming for muscle building here and that’s what they’re made of.

As for Power 90X, Tony Horton says these aren’t your momma’s workouts. Right now, I’m limiting aerobics to the integrated cardio in Power 90X and walking. No Power 90X Doubles cardio-licious, ass busting, body fat kicking for 60-90 minutes in the afternoon after a demanding P 90X morning session like I did all summer. Muscle building resistance workouts are KING right now. I want muscle.

Here’s an actual (not sample) line up of my present plan of action with my goal being to gain as much muscle mass as possible in 12 weeks (maximum goal of 2.2 pounds gained).

Holiday Muscle Mass Gain Plan

Day One – Thanksgiving

6 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories, 25 grams Protein

9:00 :am – Meal Two: Homemade egg salad, 2 ounces ham, whole wheat toast, Smart Balance margarine, 400 Calories, 38 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates

12 pm - Workout – P90X Shoulders & Arms

1:30 pm – Meal Three: Recovery shake, 200 calories, 25 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates

4:30 pm – Meal Four: 2 ounces ham, 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 12 ounces wine - 590 calories

9 pm – Meal Five: Repeat of 4 pm - 590 calories

Day Two – Friday 11/23

7 am – Meal One: Coffee, ham, eggs – Calories 235, 33 grams protein, 2 grams carbs

8 am – Shopping In Town (No Workout)

11 am – Meal Two – Subway Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich with water - 290 calories, 18 grams protein, 39 carbs

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein shake 130 calories, 25 grams protein

5 pm – One bottle of wine sipped through the evening – calories below

9 pm – Meal Four: 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 1 bottle wine over the evening - 975 calories, 34 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Day Three – Saturday 11/24

7:30 am – Meal One: Coffee ham and eggs, whole wheat toast, Smart Balance margarine, 400 Calories, 38 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates

10:30 am – Meal Two: Protein shake, fruit 204 calories, 25 grams protein, 19 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – P90X Back & Legs

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein shake, fruit 224 calories, 25 grams protein, 24 grams carbs

6 pm – Meal Four: ½ bottle wine sipped over the evening

10 pm – Meal Five: 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 1/2 bottle wine over the evening - 975 calories, 34 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Day Four – Sunday 11/25

8 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories

10:am – Meal Two: 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

2 pm - Workout – P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

3:45 pm – Meal Three: Recovery shake, 250 calories, 25 grams protein, 37 grams carbs

5 pm – bottle of wine sipped over the evening – 510 calories

9 pm – Meal Four: : 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

Day Five – Monday 11/26

7 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories

10:am – Meal Two: 2 ounces ham, 2 eggs, 1 whole wheat toast with SB Margarine -318
calories, 24 grams protein, 12 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – Power Half Hour Thighs & Buns (1 Hour Total)

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein recovery shake 200 calories, 25 grams protein, 25 grams carbs

5 pm – bottle of wine sipped over the evening – 510 calories

9 pm – Meal Four: : 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

Day Six

Rest Day – approximately 1800 Calories, 150 grams protein, 150 grams carbs in four meals

Day Seven

7 am –Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories, 25 grams protein

10:am – Turkey sandwich 275 calories, 30 grams protein, 12 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – P90X Back & Chest

3 pm – Protein recovery shake with fruit 220 calories, 30 grams protein, 25 grams carbs

6 pm – Beer, cheese & olives – 283 calories, 9 grams protein, 16 grams carb

9 pm – Pizza (ham & pineapple) & Beer – 590 calories 30 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Bodybuilding & Muscle Mass Links To Check Out

I'm Pissed Off by The Angry Trainer

In a society where we're led to believe that eating under 1000 calories per day will lead to the best weight loss, or where "working out" for only 20 minutes three times per week will result in a body resembling a fitness model's, or where Ben Affleck is considered to be a good actor, it's no wonder people aren't making the progress they'd hoped for. And that pisses me off.

Day in and day out, people start a diet or head to the gym on a mission to get a lean, strong, and healthy looking body. More often than not, their efforts are sabotaged by false information from mainstream magazines, books, television shows, infomercials, and "experts" in the fitness industry.

People are very eager to follow training/nutritional advice from the most obscure and random sources. As a result, many end up fatter, slower, weaker, and unfortunately, hurt. I'm not a know-it-all, but I have a fair idea of what works and what doesn't.

Carbohydrates & Bodybuilding

If you ask any bodybuilder to tell you about protein’s role in muscle building you’ll get an in-depth response about the way muscle builds, hypotrophy, anabolic rates and more! But what about if you asked the same bodybuilder about the role of carbohydrates and building muscle? I doubt you’d get a very lengthy response.

Carbohydrates are often overlooked when planning a muscle building diet. This is because a lot of people are not aware of the importance of carbohydrates and the role they play in muscle development. The truth is what type of carbohydrates you eat, when you eat them and how much you eat can have a great effect on the muscle building process.

Using Both Protein and Carbs

Dietitians and nutritionists too often look at the percentage of total energy intake for proteins and carbohydrates. It would be better to look at actual intake levels. Both protein and carbs are needed in high amounts in order to gain muscle for all the reasons discussed above.

The problem in giving general advice is that we are individuals and therefore our requirements for different nutrients vary. If you are trying to gain muscle at the same time as trying to lose body fat, your carbohydrate intake will need to be reduced. If you are a beginner bodybuilder who is very skinny, your protein intake will need to be high and you will need to consume high carb foods regularly to gain weight.


Anabolic Nutrition

Lots of times I will open my e-mails and find tons of questions from people who want to know what supplements work as good or nearly as good as steroids. If there was such a supplement, there is no way the FDA would approve it. There is something you can take though that is more anabolic than the strongest steroid. Most people call it food. Nothing packs on lean mass like a load of food


Carbohydrates Are Back

When you restrict carbohydrate intake, your body responds by converting proteins into sugar; too much = fat. That is sweet's revenge. Fight back: rules to consider the next time you think about leaving out carbs.

A Profile In Courage - The Story of A Nine Year Old's True Bravery

If you have a normal healthy body give thanks and remember it's a privilege to be able to move normally without physical challenges. Take care of this precious God-given gift of a healthy body and nurture it with proper nutrition and balanced fitness.

Meet Nick Nelson











NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams today picked up the amazing story--from local affiliate KARE-11--of Nick Nelson, a nine-year-old boy who requested that his leg be amputated.

Nelson was born with a rare inherited condition called Popliteal Pterygium Syndrome that caused a web of skin to connect the back of his leg to his heel. Because of that webbing, Nelson was not able to straighten his leg and was confined to a wheelchair.

Nick still races his friends around the track at school with a special wheelchair outfitted with handheld pedals and often "smokes them."

So he made a decision no young boy should ever face: He asked to have his leg amputated so that he could be fitted with a prosthesis.

"Sometimes you have to make hard choices in your life," Nick told KARE-11 reporter Joe Fryer. "And that's one of them."

NBC Nightly News isn't the end of the national exposure for this inspiring local story--tomorrow morning, Nick will appear on the Today show.

Watch Video of Nick on NBC Nightly News and to read more of his amazing story.

More about the advances in prosthesis design.

The next generation of prosthetic limbs will incorporate technology that provides a more natural gait and greater comfort and efficiency, and may restore certain sensory functions.

Prosthesis.com

Advances In Prosthesis Design For Paralyzed

Flipping The Holiday Calorie Equation In Our Favor

Or Putting The Happy Back In Happy Holidays or Give Me The Gift of Muscle.
















The majority of dieters, weight watchers, and casual exercisers view the holidays and feasting that accompanies them as a minefield. Each get-together or party is a potential calorie-laden bomb to be feared, viewed with suspicion, and pussy footed around. If I had a penny for every stressed out dieter who resented the Holiday season I could buy out Gold's Gym.

This is wrong thinking on two points (not the part about buying Gold's Gym, I could happily live in one). For one creating stress over your diet or anything is a bad influence on the hormones necessary for fat burning and can actually make you fatter. And two it overlooks the opportunity to put those extra calories to work for us by fueling a ramped up workout schedule. (Which by the way is a great way to cope with the holiday stress you can’t avoid).

Am I saying we should abandon all dietary reason and fall face first into the pumpkin pie and gravy soaked potatoes? No, of course not! But relaxing and enjoying the opportunities to eat luscious foods that can aid in changing your body composition is a wonderful thing.

Making judicious food choices like portion controlling calorie disasters like pecan pie and switching the full fat gravy for a lower calorie version are still essential for mitigating damage to your waistline. I am saying an extra serving of lean protein like turkey or ham (many delicious low fat versions are available) and a few extra carbohydrates like potatoes and stuffing can actually be beneficial to a well planned and well executed workout schedule.

To make this work forget about fat loss until after New Years Day and aim for muscle gain. If you gain a few pounds of body fat along with muscle so what. You can burn it off later and the extra muscle gained will help with that. How much muscle you actually gain will depend on your sex, protein intake, adequate rest, stress avoidance, and how intense you make your resistance training workouts.

With six weeks until New Years Day how much muscle could one expect to gain in this short period of time? The opinion on that varies but one informed source states “…know that beginner and intermediate trainers who train hard and train intelligently towards mass gain can and often do receive gains of 20 or 30 pounds over a 10-12 week period.”

Okay, for a little female squirt like me at five foot even and 115.9 pounds, and with little natural testosterone, this may be an unreasonable goal. But my numbers on Power 90X for two 12 week rounds was 9 pounds of muscle gained. That’s 0.375 pounds of muscle a week or almost 4 ounces. This is a very acceptable goal to me especially since I can eat more now and not gain body fat. I WANT MORE MUSCLE! So over six weeks I could expect to gain 2.25 pounds of muscle. That means I can expect to burn roughly 100 calories more a day from adding that much muscle.

Just think if you’re bigger than me, and particularly male, you can beat that number. How much will depend on the factors listed above.

So I’m game. Bring on the turkey, the free weights, and a butt load of Power 90X workouts.

My starting stats: 115.9 pounds (fluctuates between 116 and 114 in a week), 24 pounds body fat, 20.9 percent body fat, and 92 pounds lean mass. Bust 33.5 - Waist 27.5 – Hips 35.8 – Thighs both 19 – Biceps 11.5.

I’ll report on my progress here including what I ate and my workouts.

* Title: blogsticker
* Post: 5b64b6bb651f3f210870787a6cab5810

Thanksgiving Vacation, Mooning Over My Hammy, & Links To Get Fit and Healthy

Autumn In Mills Park, Carson City, Nevada















Thanksgiving looms and I’m about to get really busy. I finish up my shopping tomorrow and start cooking on Monsday to get a head start on the whole process. We’ll have turkey and ham as well as all our favorite fixings.




















Check out this delicious imported gourmet ham we bought last year and again this year, and at 99 percent fat free – a 2 ounce serving has 50 calories, 0.5 grams fat, > 1 gram carbs, and 10 grams protein - you get a good dose of delicious protein for less calories. And this ain’t your momma’s store bought ham, it’s oh so delic-i-o-so.

iGourmet.com Le Cochon d'Or Smoked Ham

This premium Canadian ham is prepared in the classic French tradition in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, a small town that lies between Quebec City and Montreal. The hogs in Cap-de-la-Madeleine are naturally raised with no growth hormones or steroids, which is a rare occurrence these days.

Their premium-quality hams are hard-carved from the leanest, most tender part of the animal and are 99% fat free. They are delicately coated with unique blends of herbed and spiced marinades and slow cured to develop a full rich flavor and uniform pink color. We offer three popular flavors - Baked Black Forest, Honey, and Cracked Black Pepper. Each ham weighs approximately seven pounds, making one perfect for a Sunday dinner for the whole family, a party on the weekend, or a team picnic. Varieties sold separately.

Price: $34.99
Size: 7 pounds

Assuming I don’t find time to blog in the coming week I’m leaving you with this super sized list of links chock full of information on fitness, nutrition, and a reminder to check out the website Wellness For Nancy and donate if you can.

Giving Thanks for All Our Blessings and Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving! Carol



7 Fat Loss Strategies For Busy Moms
Michael Jordan
November 16, 2007
Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.

Bodybuilding Fat Loss Tips for Women
From Hugo Rivera

Lose Fat With IFBB Figure Pro Pauline Nordin
Everyone knows what to do to lose fat, right? Then how come so few reach their goals and achieve that lean look if it's so damn easy to get ripped?

I could tell you the very same things as everybody else does, but I definitely won't. It's not only about the perfect diet plan and the right amount of exercise, the best supplements and so on; the most important part of a fat-loss strategy is your mental approach to it.

That's what I'm going to tell you about. Basically, what you've got to do is stick to your plan. Period.

The Most Unusual Way To Build Muscle
By Mark McManus

Can you build muscle without touching a weight?

Imagine the possibility of using your mind to reshape your body size and strength!
Strange? Indeed.

I recently remembered reading about a study a few years ago in Men’s Health in which the subjects increased the size and strength of selected muscle groups by simply ‘thinking‘ about working them out.

They simply visualized the process and their bodies responded in the same manner as if they’d actually hit the iron!

It’s well known by a lot of people in psychology and exercise physiology that the brain cannot distinguish the difference between a ‘real’ event i.e. one that is observed objectively, and a vividly imagined one i.e. one that is created subjectively. The implications of this could be quite exciting for bodybuilders.


Tony Horton’s 11 Laws For Lifetime Fitness

4 Tips To Fat Loss by Gregg Gillies

“Can You Burn Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time?”

How To Lose Weight By Eating More


Holiday Weight Management Survival Guide
From Paige Waehner


Holiday Pounds Forever - Consistent Eating for Long-Term Weight Control


7 Day Fat Loss Meal Plan


Fat Loss For Beginners-8 Tips For Getting Started

The No Weight Gain Holiday Guide

Harvard School of Public Health On Fruits & Vegetables

Increase Your Metabolism and Curb Your Appetite With This Fat Burning Food Group


99 Tips For Family Fitness Fun

The Season of Thanksgiving and Giving

" I will bless you; and you will be a blessing." Genesis 12:2

Please visit Wellness For Nancy

This is the season of giving thanks and counting our blessings, one of the most precious of which is good health. And it’s also a time of wonderful opportunity to share our good fortune with others who are less fortunate. Our traditional ways of sharing are giving time, money, or food to food banks and soup kitchens, or donating toys or cash to Toys For Tots. All of these are worthy charities.

This year I’d like to suggest another worthy cause we can all support. Many of our friends and neighbors are going through hard times of another kind. They find themselves facing a serious or life threatening illness without adequate resources or health insurance to get the treatment they need. Why not donate a little of your disposable income to these worthy people in need?

Below is the letter I received from my cousin about a friend of hers, a loving woman who is in just such a situation. Please take the time to read Nancy’s story, visit her website, include her in your prayers, and donate what you can to help her get the care she needs to live.

Hey Carol,

I have a friend who is in treatment for a virulent strain of cancer. Follicular Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. She worked for (Big Corporation, Name Deleted By Me) when she was in her 20''s in the "clean room". Her body was polluted by the chemicals that she was told were completely safe. She has had numerous bouts of cancer over the 30 years, but this one is going to take her life if she doesn't get treatment. She doesn't have medical insurance. The only income she has is the residual income from a MLM she sells products for. The treatment is going to take many months and cost her nearly $100,000. Her daughters are trying to raise money for her.

Is there a possibility that you could include her website somewhere in your website so that your audience could read about her and become part of the fundraising effort?

Her website is: www.wellnessfornancy.com There you can see all the information about her.

I met Nancy a year ago in August attending an essential oil boot camp in Salt lake. She was a phenomenal woman and a "healer". I find it horribly ironic that life has taken this turn for her.

If this is way too far off topic for your websites, I understand. No pressure from me at all, I'm just trying to find ways to spread the word about the great financial need she has.

Love,
Linda

Best Links of the Week

This Week’s Best Links

You knew I was going to do it. Cop out on really thinking, researching and writing a blog article because I have a new toy – my ProForm Treadmill. Now that Bruno’s back in school all day I have time to experiment with different treadmill workouts. Today’s goal is to log as many 15 minute sessions as I can throughout the day. And I have a date with Tony Horton. Well, a DVD Power 90X workout date anyway.

So here’s some great reads to check out. Click on the links to read more.


Never Hit A Bodybuilding Plateau Again

by Shawn C. Lebrun
Personal Trainer/Bodybuilder

Hitting a training plateau is much like meeting your significant others' parents for the first time. You know that sooner or later it is going to come, but you will do anything to avoid it. Seriously though, your workouts should be very demanding. They should be intense and very focused. With this intensity comes the need to rest to allow your muscles to fully recuperate from the demand that you have placed on them.

Muscle growth is achieved by progressively overloading the muscles and then allowing them to recover before working them again. This forces them to adapt by adding new muscle to handle future demands placed upon them. However, if you never allow your muscles to fully recuperate, they will not be able to handle any new demands placed upon them. They will start getting weaker from less rest. That is how plateaus happen.

We are going to take necessary steps to combat this problem. We are going to systematically wipe out long-lasting plateaus, forever. We do this by training smarter, not just harder. Proper rest and recovery from working out is so important, it literally is the deciding force behind results and no results. We need an in-depth look as to how to fully recuperate and ensure max recovery. Here are some steps you can use immediately to avoid over training and hitting a plateau.

Metabolism Mistakes

Experts discuss the TOP metabolism mistakes, how they affect your progress or overall health, and why people keep falling into these traps.

Are You Lifting Enough Weight?

If you lift weights, have you ever wondered whether you're doing it right? Specifically, are you lifting enough weight? According to a study done by the University of Michigan, many of us aren't. Researchers took beginners (both men and women) through a series of moves, allowing them to choose their own weight. After assessing their 1 rep max (the general standard for choosing weight), they determined that most chose a weight well below what was needed to stimulate muscle growth.

Are you guilty of going too light? If so, you may not be seeing the results you'd like. Learn more about why lifting heavier weights could change your entire body.

The Low Carb Craze and Other Dieting Mistakes By: Bill Belfert

Low carb this and low carb that’s that's all you hear nowadays. Kinda reminds me of something that was the craze a few years ago. The Low or No Fat Craze. Can you remember where that got us? Still Fat!

Well my friends this Low Carb Craze is going to bring us to the same exact place. Yep. Still Fat!

Listen, anyone who tries Low carb dieting will experience some short term successful but it's only short term. I know some of you are tired of hearing me repeat myself but any diet or exercise machine in and of itself will not work!

A Successful Fitness Program Must Incorporate 5 Strategies:
1. A Compelling Reason to Change
2. Proper Nutrition
3. Progressive Resistance Training
4. Moderate Aerobic Exercise
5. Consistency

If you're missing any one of these strategies you will not experience the success that you crave.

Why the low carb diets without progressive resistance training will not work in the long run.

We need to build lean muscle on our bodies. Why do we need to build lean muscle on our bodies? Building lean muscle will boost metabolism and that is what we want to achieve. You'll even start burning more calories even while you rest. Right now I'm going to let you in on one of the biggest secrets on burning fat ever revealed:
Lean Muscle Burns Fat!

The Muscle Confusion Training Principle

One of the most basic, and most important of the training principles, is the muscle confusion training principle. This principle is all about ensuring you have a variety in your workouts. This will be a variety of sets, reps, exercises, rest periods, etc.

It is also important to train the muscle from the most efficient position, in which it has the greatest mechanical advantage / stress. It remains critically important to supplement those exercises with others utilizing various angles for certain exercises. Muscles should never be allowed to accommodate to an exercise to the point where the exercise is ineffective and doesn’t result in hypertrophy or the goal you were looking for. This variety will improve your motivation, keep you mentally fresh, and keep your muscles growing

The Biggest Dieting Mistakes

If you can avoid the biggest dieting mistakes you will have a much better chance of succeeding in your quest to lose weight and experience a lot less frustration along the way.

Weight Loss Plateaus and Pitfalls

It's kind of like running into a wall - that feeling you get when, after a few months on a weight-loss program, you suddenly stop seeing results.

This is called hitting a plateau and it is not uncommon. In fact, unless you continually update your program to reflect the changes your body has already experienced, you can almost be guaranteed to plateau at some point along your journey toward reaching your goal weight.


The association between exercise participation and well-being

Exercise participation is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness. This association is non-causal and appears to be mediated by genetic factors that influence both exercise behavior and well-being.

Our New (Used) ProForm 740CS Treadmill

We Love Our ProForm Treadmill! Six Thumbs Up!

This treadmill is our latest Craig's List find (and believe me our list of Craig's List finds is long including my 1993 Ford Club Wagon, my Thoroughbred mare, my horse trailer, a travel trailer, Jerry's flatbed truck, a utility trailer, my Chef's Magic double oven / range, and more). We've all tried it and love it. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a high end treadmill. It has a lot of bells and whistles including 6 personal trainer programs and goes from 0.1 mile an hour up to 10.0 miles an hour. I love that you can adjust the speed by 0.1 mph increments. Check out our demo video below.



Before picking up the treadmill we had breakfast at the Sparks Denny's on Nugget Way. And yes, the meal was high carb and oh so good! Hey, we'll burn it all off on our new treadmill.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Annoucing Our First Exercise Video Give-A-Way!

Win this exercise video set and resistance band.
















Click on Photos For Enlarged Version.

We've weeded out all our duplicate exercise videos and we're giving them away! Watch our video about the giveaway below.

We have enough single videos and sets of videos for at least 12 weeks of giveaways.



Our first giveaway is a set of two new shrink wrapped Richard Simmons workouts 'Broadway Sweat' and 'Tone Up On Broadway' with a beginner level resistance band. (This is not the same band shown in the video and Bruno used this band a few times but it will work with it).

To enter to win simply post a comment here or email me and tell us in 25 words or less why you should be the winner of this video set. Humor is a plus. Be sure to leave an email address or a link to your blog or website where I can contact you if you win. I can't give away stuff if I can't get hold of you - I'm not psychic.

Below is a sneak peek photo of the other videos and three DVDs we plan to give away in the future.

The rules are there are no rules and I'm the final judge on who gets what or when we call it quits. Have fun and Good Luck!

Upcoming Giveaways Pictured Below - Videos and DVDs Only - No Exercise Machines Included, They Just Refused To Move Out Of The Way.

Link Up To A Faster Metabolism And Fitter Physique

Apparently I’m too busy, preoccupied with life, or too lazy to write a proper blog entry right now. My son had two short days of school this week due to parent-teacher conferences so I’ve had him home more. (He received straight A’s and has already passed all his 2nd grade targets. His teacher suggested he could skip a grade but seemed relieved when we preferred he stay with his class and peers). And I’ve maintained a full workout schedule this week.

Next week will be practically a repeat with Bruno off on Monday. And I plan a Power 90X boot camp. We expect to produce some new videos though. I’ll try to post a real entry soon.

Until then, here’s some cool links on metabolism, training, and nutrition to check out.

Happy Training! Carol


Dieting and Metabolism by Renee Cloe, ACE Certified Personal Trainer

“Low calorie dieting slows your metabolism, making it progressively more difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The failure rate of most diets is astronomical, yet people continue to try one after another, always hoping that each new scheme will provide the solution. If you’re a veteran of the diet wars, the one word answer to your dilemma may be muscle. Let’s take a look at why diets often fail and how strength training and a healthy appetite can rev up your metabolism.” Read more here.

SLOW METABOLISM PROBLEMS? How To Repair Metabolic Damage And Finally Get The Lean Body You've Always Wanted...

The Proven Science Of Increasing Your Metabolism From: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Do you seem to gain body fat quickly the minute you slack off on your diet or training?

Were you getting results at first, but then it seemed like your metabolism bonked?

Have you been dieting strictly and training hard but you recently hit a plateau and it seems like nothing is working anymore?

If so, then you may have caused metabolic damage. Your metabolism - the sum total of all the physiological, energy-expending processes that take place in your body - can slow down as a result of following starvation diets or losing weight too rapidly in past diet attempts. Once you have damaged your metabolism, it can be extremely difficult to achieve any further fat loss at all.

The good news is, metabolic damage can be repaired. All it takes is the right combination of metabolism stimulating exercise and metabolism stimulating nutrition (NOT just a diet), all done consistently over time.

The big irony is that most of the diet programs that claim to help you get rid of excess weight, only end up making it harder for you in the long run because they use harsh metabolism-decreasing diets and not enough exercise (almost never any weight training).

It may take a little longer if you have really messed things up with severe starvation dieting in the past, especially if you've lost a lot of lean body mass, but it is never hopeless. Do NOT lose hope! Do NOT quit! Anyone can increase their metabolism with this approach.” Read more here.

Nutrition For Newbies Part Two by Christian Thibaudeau (I linked to part one previously).

“In part 1 of Nutrition for Newbies, Coach Thibs gave you the rundown on the big 3 macronutrients, along with some incredibly useful info on fatty acids, cortisol, and the basal metabolic rate (BMR). He also told you which foods to eat and which foods to avoid.

Now he's going to fill your belly and mind with 14 nutritional nuggets and give some concrete advice on how to accomplish almost any physique goal you might have.” Read more here.

Real Fast Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove and Chad Waterbury

“This is a no bullshit fat loss article. There will be no motivational tips, no psychological analysis, no complicated nutritional plan, and no puny-ass exercises.

In fact, just one of the exercises in this plan is probably more demanding than your entire, out-dated fat loss training program. And that's a good thing.

Listen, your goal with each workout during any effective fat loss plan should be to rev up your metabolism and keep it revved up after you leave the gym. You need a tough workout to do that. Therefore, to lose fat and transform your body you must eradicate single-joint isolation exercises because they'll do nothing for fat loss. But there's more that you need to know. Let's break down fat loss into its five most important components.” Read more here.

Protein Wars. How Much is Enough and How Much is Too Much?

The Protein Prejudice
by John M Berardi

I was in the lab the other day, playing researcher, when an aggressive andself-assured undergraduate student burst in through an unlocked door.

"Excuse me. Is there anyone around that I can speak to about protein?"

Apparently, since the sign outside our door reads "University of Western Ontario, Exercise Nutrition Laboratory," it's clear to everyone that there's an exercise and nutrition help desk inside that's dedicated to dropping everything at a moment's notice to answer any and all questions.

"I guess that's me," I sheepishly replied, afraid of what was about to come. "What is it about protein that you want to know?"

"My question is this: Why do all the magazines say that athletes need more protein when it's clear that they don't."

Deepbreath…

Rather than debating my precocious friend, I just scratched out "T-mag.com" on a piece of scrap paper and sent him on his merry way. You see, I've long ago given up on the notion that I can somehow change the world's false dietary perceptions one person at a time. When placed in such a position, I try not to launch into a full-blown nutritional diatribe highlighting the fact that arrogance and ignorance should not be combined in the same meal. Or is that protein and carbs? I can never remember. Read more here.

PROTEIN: The Pros, Cons, and Confusion By NancyClark, MS, RD

Posted on NaturalStrength.com on September 8, 2007
THE ATHLETE'S KITCHEN - Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD September 2007

”Athletes who want to build muscles and recover well from workouts often feel confused by ads for protein supplements. They wonder how much and what kinds of protein they should consume—and if egg whites or chicken can do the job. The following information can help you optimize your protein intake—and your peace of mind.

Question: "I want to bulk up. I've started drinking three protein shakes per day between meals. Is this enough or too much?

Answer: To determine how many protein shakes you need, you should first determine how much protein your body actually can use. You need adequate protein to enhance muscle growth; excess protein is unlikely better.

Most exercise scientists agree 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is a very generous protein allowance for athletes building muscle mass. (More likely, 0.5 to 0.75 gms protein per pound will do the job if you are eating plenty of calories—but let's be generous.) This means a novice 180-pound body builder gets more than enough protein with 180 grams of protein per day. He can easily consume that much with one quart of skim milk, two cans of tuna (i.e., two sandwiches at lunch), and one hefty (8 ounces) piece of chicken, beef or fish at dinner. Consuming protein shakes on top of this simply adds (expensive) calories. You could more wisely get the calories from carbs to fuel your workouts.” Read more here.


Harvard School of Public Health on Protein

Surprisingly little is known about protein and health. We know that (non-resistance training) adults need a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day to keep from slowly breaking down their own tissues. That's just over 7 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight. Beyond that, there's relatively little solid information on the ideal amount of protein in the diet, a healthy target for calories contributed by protein, or the best kinds of protein.

Around the world, millions of people don't get enough protein. Protein malnutrition leads to the condition known as kwashiorkor. Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death.

In the United States and other developed countries, getting the minimum daily requirement of protein is easy. Cereal with milk for breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and a piece of fish with a side of beans for dinner adds up to about 70 grams of protein, plenty for the average adult.

Can you get too much protein? Digesting it releases acids that the body usually neutralizes with calcium and other buffering agents in the blood. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in the so-called low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following a high-protein diet for a few weeks probably won't have much effect on bone strength. Doing it for a long time, though, could weaken bone. In the Nurses' Health Study, for example, women who ate more than 95 grams of protein a day were 20 percent more likely to have broken a wrist over a 12-year period when compared to those who ate an average amount of protein (less than 68 grams a day).(1) Although more research is clearly needed to define the optimal amount of daily protein, these results suggest that long-term high-protein diets should be used with caution, if at all." Read more here.

In The News - Let's Get Physical

Bruno and Our Exercise Video Collection - Click To View Larger Version
















Just 30 Minutes Vigorous Exercise A Day Can Stabilize Body Mass Index

ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2007) — Don't slack off on exercise if you want to avoid packing on the pounds as you age.

A consistently high level of physical activity from young adulthood into middle age increases the odds of maintaining a stable weight and lessens the amount of weight gained over time, according to a new analysis from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

People who reported at least 30 minutes of vigorous activity a day such as jogging, bicycling or swimming were more than twice as likely to maintain a stable Body Mass Index (BMI) over 20 years. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. But even highly active people who gained weight, gained 14 pounds less over 20 years than those with consistently low activity. Read more here.

Good Calories, Bad Calories Take One - Carbohydrate Threshold

I planned a review of Gary Taubes book ‘Good Calories, Bad Calories’. Seems it’s already been reviewed six ways to Sunday. I decided to make references to it instead of reviewing it when its subject matter has relevance to what I want to write about.

The premise of Mr.Taubes’ book is that carbohydrates are unhealthy in the amounts recommended by the medical establishment, the US government, and the USDA food pyramid (the USDA Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2005 Chapter 7 states carbohydrates are part of a healthful diet).

"The AMDR for carbohydrates is 45 to 65 percent of total calories" or 900 to 1300 calories from carbohydrates for a daily calorie intake of 2000 calories. "Consequently, it is important to choose carbohydrates wisely. Foods in the basic food groups that provide carbohydrates—fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk—are important sources of many nutrients." From USDA Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2005 Chapter 7.

This is a startling contrast to many low carbohydrate advocates recommended carbohydrate levels that run as low as 20 grams a day (80 calories) on induction diet phases and 50 to 100 grams a day on Atkins For Life maintenance (200 or 400 calories a day).

And yet Taubes uncovered evidence that the low carbohydrate recommendations may be lower than necessary for good health. On page 159 of ‘Good Calories, Bad Calories’ Mr. Taubes actually states that one study showed even carbohydrate sensitive people could tolerate three times what Atkins recommended as a low end figure for maintenance.

When a researcher studying 286 atherosclerosis patients in which 90 percent had carbohydrate induced lipemia and an elevated sensitivity to carbohydrates “put his patients on a sugar-free diet with only five to six hundred calories of starches a day, both their trigyceride levels and their cholesterol lowered.”

Using this one index of what constitutes health or a healthy diet (for controlling lipemia, an indicator of heart disease risk) 500 to 600 calories of carbohydrates a day won’t harm you. That equates to a range of 125 to 150 grams of carbohydrates a day.

So what does this mean to healthy normal weight people pursuing fitness through aerobics and resistance training? Eat your damn oatmeal.

Seriously, if you’ve been exposed to the low carbohydrate message on the web lately you’ll realize we’re under pressure to become carbohydrate phobic in the same way we were pressured to be fat phobic by medicine, government, and big food for years. Both ends of the spectrum are unbalanced. Even going by Gary Taubes information listed above most of us, and particularly exercisers and athletes, can tolerate a lot more carbohydrates than the so-called low carbohydrate advocates preach.

There is evidence that exercise changes how carbohydrates eaten beforehand are used and how carbs eaten after weight training when muscle glycogen is depleted are used.

There is a big difference between sedentary or moderately active people eating a moderate to high carbohydrate diet of refined and unrefined carbohydrates, or overweight and obese people eating refined and processed carb indiscriminately, and serious exercisers and athletes who carefully carb load with unprocessed and unrefined carbohydrates like oatmeal and fruit for energy and performance. Taubes even admitted activity affected carbohydrate use as well as lowering cholesterol (page 14). Unfortunately I can’t find his reference on exercise and carbohydrate use.

But I found this:

”In the classic carbohydrate loading study of Begstrom et al. (1967), the ingestion of a high carbohydrate diet, following a period of relative carbohydrate deprivation, resulted in a marked increase (supercompensation) in muscle glycogen (to as high as 200 mmol * [kg.sup.-1] wet mass) and enhanced subsequent endurance exercise performance.” More.

And this:

“If you don't know by now that carbohydrates are important for exercise, you might want to take up a new hobby. Yes, the low-carb diets are currently all the rage, but those of you who have tried them can surely attest to the fact that your energy levels are much higher when eating some hearty, whole grains on a regular basis. Carbs are particularly of importance in endurance activities, such as cycling, running, or in this case, mountain biking.” More.

And this:
“To the average person who is not exercising, the principles of nutrient timing are not very important. Sure, glucose tolerance/insulin sensitivity is altered during the course of a day but these changes probably are not critical to determining one's dietary needs.

For these individuals (athletes), what and how much they eat is the most important thing. While nutrient timing isn't critical to the average person, its importance must not be underestimated in the athlete (including team sport athletes, endurance athletes, and weight trainers).” More.

I guess the bottom line in deciding how controlled you want to be about carbohydrate consumption is a matter of lifestyle, activity levels, and goals. If you’re sedentary or your only physical activity is a 30 to 45 minute session of moderate aerobic activity 3-4 days a week keeping your carbs under 100 grams a day (400 calories) is a viable option. Consuming under 75 grams (150 calories) is appropriate if you’re sedentary, overweight, or diabetic. But those carbohydrates should be those of maximal nutritional value including fruits, vegetables, a whole grains.
Not refined foods like potato chips, snack foods, desserts (including so-called low carb treats), candy, white bread, refined grains, etc).

But fit people who exercise intensely, be it mountain biking, bodybuilding, surfing, skating, or long distance running, need carbohydrates for energy and performance. Not to mention their burn rates won’t be the same as a couch potato. The beauty of exercise, serious bodybuilding aimed at gaining muscle mass in particular, is your energy needs are greater and you can eat more.

In a healthy, fit, non-diabetic person a one cup serving of potatoes at 138 calories, 32 carb grams and 3 fat grams served with a sirloin steak and salad isn’t going to mean a hill of beans health wise after an intense weight training or aerobics workout that burned 500 calories and depleted your muscle glycogen stores. It in fact is valuable to replace those glycogen stores for muscle repair, growth and adequate fuel reserves for the next workout.

Let’s put carbohydrates in perspective. Although our food supply is glutted with unhealthy refined and processed carbohydrates in serving sizes fit for giants there’s still plenty of healthy options that support a healthy lifestyle if eaten in appropriate serving sizes.

Portion control and calories still count for weight loss. There’s no way around this, not even the erroneous belief that lowering carbs totally negates the need to consider your calorie intake.

And this is not a black or white issue. Carbohydrate consumption is a rainbow spectrum. We have sedentary obese individuals suffering from an overload of refined carbohydrates and calories and the diseases associated with that lifestyle. We have fairly sedentary overweight individuals eating an average standard American diet flirting with illness or suffering milder cases of illness associated with excess. We have moderately active healthy people who exercise regularly and watch their calories and carbohydrates. And we have fit people, most striving to be fitter, who engage in intense or prolonged exercise and have a larger energy demand.

You cannot recommend the same diet or carbohydrate intake range for all of these groups.

One of the most persuasive arguments Gary Taubes made in his book was that it was a misguided and dangerous idea to recommend one set dietary policy – namely low fat - for the general public. Later studies bear out that low fat is of limited benefit to a healthy population and may actually be a harmful approach for many.

This is also why recommending a low carbohydrate diet to the general public is not a good idea either. It’s time to be precise when it comes to telling people what they should eat. Our diets should be specific to our personal needs. And a sweeping diet recommendation for a whole nation is illogical, possibly harmful, and negligent at best.

My carbohydrate threshold will not be the same as yours. Even if our lifestyles are similar our bodies and metabolism may not be. Some people are carbohydrate sensitive, some are not. The idea that a low carbohydrate lifestyle is healthy or appropriate for everyone at all phases of life is preposterous.

True or false?

1Carbohydrates provide the body with fuel for physical activity and organ function.

2Carbohydrates come from all types of foods, including bread, dairy, grains, fibers, starches and sugars.

3During digestion, the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar).

4The glycemic index measures how quickly food is converted into blood sugar.

5Diets that include a lot of high-glycemic-index foods (foods broken down quickly) have been linked to an increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.

6The more fat a food contains, the faster its carbohydrates are converted to sugar.

7Finely ground grains have no more impact on the glycemic index than more coarsely ground grain.

8For optimal health, select carbohydrates that include whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice or whole oats.

SOURCE: Harvard School of Public Health

ANSWERS: 1. True; 2. True; 3. True; 4. True; 5. True; 6. False; 7. False; 8. True.

The Biggest Weight Loss Myth in History

We all knew it was true, at least those of us who have been successful at weight loss and finally keeping it off.

Calories count.

Whether it's low carb or low fat eating too much ultimately backfires. And now Anthony Colpo, author of the Great Cholesterol Con, says so too.

Maybe a few low carb advocates will follow suit and own up to the necessity of limiting calories just as Dr. Atkins stated in his "Atkins For Life". This would certainly be a valuable realization and tool for those still struggling to reach their goal weights.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The Biggest Weight Loss Myth in History

Total Health Breakthroughs is a free, weekly natural health eNewsletter that offers alternative solutions for mind, body and soul and is your complete source non-nonsense, natural health information.

Total Health Breakthroughs
October 30, 2007

By Anthony Colpo

I'm about to reveal the biggest and most counterproductive weight loss myth ever told. Pay close attention. What you are about to read could literally mean the difference between successfully losing weight and getting fatter than ever.

The myth in question is perpetrated by diet "experts" of all stripes. It is a cause of untold frustration and misery among dieters. It distracts people from doing what they really need in order to lose weight, and instead causes them to focus on the irrelevant.

So what is this myth?

It is the widely held belief that calories do not count or are of only minor importance when it comes to weight loss. Make no mistake: If you wish to lose weight, calories are everything! To successfully lose weight, you must burn more calories in a given time period than you take in, no matter what diet you are following.

Despite this, diet authors commonly advise us to forget about counting calories! No wonder most people fail dismally in their weight loss efforts! Read More Here.


The Great Cholesterol Con website

Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Five

You voted for which exercise video you wanted to see us demonstrate and it was a tie between Power 90X Kenpo Karate and Jillian Michaels' Full Frontal which we'll do sometime soon. Below are all five parts of our demo of Kenpo Karate X, a video of about 58 minutes.

Here's our non-spectacular performance. You'll find all five parts in the five entries below.

Just a reminder or a head's up to those who are unaware, I have to modify some exercises because I have Cerebral Palsy, which means I have movement, gait, and balance issues. The objective of any exercise is to burn calories, not to be graceful, and I certainly accomplished both.

According to Fitday we burned around 465 calories in the hour it took to do Kenpo Karate X. Kenpo Karate X is one of three cardio workouts in the Power 90X set of 12 DVD workouts. And believe me by the end we were dripping sweat and close to wasted.

Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Four

Here's our non-spectacular performance of Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Four.

Just a reminder or a head's up to those who are unaware, I have to modify some exercises because I have Cerebral Palsy, which means I have movement, gait, and balance issues. The objective of any exercise is to burn calories, not to be graceful, and I certainly accomplished both.

According to Fitday we burned around 465 calories in the hour it took to do Kenpo Karate X. Kenpo Karate X is one of three cardio workouts in the Power 90X set of 12 DVD workouts. And believe me by the end we were dripping sweat and close to wasted.

Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Three

Here's our non-spectacular performance of Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Three - More Slaughtered Sweat Soaked Kenpo.

Just a reminder or a head's up to those who are unaware, I have to modify some exercises because I have Cerebral Palsy, which means I have movement, gait, and balance issues. The objective of any exercise is to burn calories, not to be graceful, and I certainly accomplished both.

According to Fitday we burned around 465 calories in the hour it took to do Kenpo Karate X. Kenpo Karate X is one of three cardio workouts in the Power 90X set of 12 DVD workouts. And believe me by the end we were dripping sweat and close to wasted.

Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Two - Upper Body Work

Here's our non-spectacular performance of Power 90X Kenpo Karate Part Two - Jabs, Punches, Blocks and more.

Just a reminder or a head's up to those who are unaware, I have to modify some exercises because I have Cerebral Palsy, which means I have movement, gait, and balance issues. The objective of any exercise is to burn calories, not to be graceful, and I certainly accomplished both.

According to Fitday we burned around 465 calories in the hour it took to do Kenpo Karate X. Kenpo Karate X is one of three cardio workouts in the Power 90X set of 12 DVD workouts. And believe me by the end we were dripping sweat and close to wasted.