Why You Need Interval Training for Both Speed and Endurance

To have great endurance for any sport, you have to do interval training: short bursts of moving almost as fast as you can, slowing down until you regain your breathe and then repeating these all-out efforts a number of times.

The old theory was that lactic acid makes the muscles more acidic which causes them to hurt and burn and interferes with their ability to contract, so you feel tired. George Brooks of the University of California/Berkeley has shown that lactic acid buildup in muscles does not make muscles tired and can make muscle contract more efficiently, which increases endurance. This research contradicts what many instructors teach in their exercise classes. When you exercise, your muscles burn sugar, protein and fat in the presence of oxygen to produce energy. If you exercise so intensely that you become very short of breath and your muscles can't get enough oxygen, lactic acid accumulates in your muscle fibers.

When you exercise, muscles need to get a lot of oxygen to turn all food sources into energy. In fact, the limiting factor to how fast you can move in sports competition is the time that it takes to move oxygen from the bloodstream in your lungs into your muscles. When you exercise so intensely that your muscles cannot get all the oxygen they need to turn sugar into energy, the series of chemical reactions slows down and lactic acid accumulates in muscles and spills over into the bloodstream.

Since lactic acid is an acid, the acidity causes muscles to burn and you have to slow down. However, as soon as you slow down enough to catch up on your oxygen debt, the lactic acid is immediately turned into more energy to power your muscles. In fact, lactic acid is a much better fuel for muscles than sugar, the second best source of energy. It is converted to energy with the lowest need for oxygen.

The major effect of regular training is to teach your muscles to use the lactic acid for energy before it accumulates in sufficient quantities to make muscles acidic to cause the painful burn and loss of strength and speed. You turn lactic acid into energy only in the mitochondria, small chambers inside muscle fibers. The more intensely you train, the greater your oxygen debt, so the larger your mitochondria become and the more mitochondria you produce in muscle cells. This helps you to turn lactic acid into energy for your muscles and requires the least amount of oxygen. Intense training is the best way to teach muscles to use lactic acid for energy. Using lactic acid efficiently for racing makes you faster and stronger and gives you greater endurance, even in competitions lasting many days.

The best way to grow new mitochondria, and to enlarge the ones that you have, is to do interval training. You move as fast as you can for a short period, become severely short of breath, slow down until you regain your breathing, and then go as fast as you can again. According to Dr. Brooks, "The intense exercise generates big lactate loads, and the body adapts by building up mitochondria to clear lactic acid quickly. If you use lactic acid up, it doesn't accumulate."

More than 20 years ago, Dr. Brooks showed that lactic acid moves out of muscle cells into the blood and enters all your organs including the liver and heart to give them an extraordinary source of energy that requires less oxygen than any other source. So the harder you exercise, the more efficiently your mitochondria turn lactic acid into energy requiring the least amount of oxygen.

In my next post I'll explain the different types of intervals and how to use them in your program, whatever your level of fitness.

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Losing Weight The Healthy Way

Losing weight the healthy way is the only way! Health is more important than weight loss. Don't lose your health and self respect trying quick weight loss tactics. Check out this video about a former Biggest Loser television show contestant who experienced major weight loss (and disappointment):



Your goal should be to be the biggest fat loser. Losing huge amounts of weight can be gained back quickly if you don't build muscle mass. Build muscle, burn fat, speed up your metabolism and lose weight (and keep it off)!

So, here are some tips to help you achieve your best health and fitness:

1. Make a commitment TODAY to a lifestyle of health and fitness! Without this commitment, you will eventually go back to short-term solutions like quick weight loss!

2. Make the needed changes to your eating habits! Severely limit foods like sugars, processed foods, fast foods, fat-filled packaged foods, etc. Eat more foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.

Get help with your meal plan if needed! Get your nutrition mainly from food! Add in supplements like multivitamins and fish oil to support your meal plan and improve your health.

3. Commit to regular exercise and an active lifestyle! Walk as much as you can everyday!

4. Get enough rest! If you don't sleep enough, your body won't function as well as it could--that means about 7-8 hours of sleep every night for most people.

5. Schedule that doctor's appointment to see where your health stands! High blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. can be controlled, if needed.

If you want to lose weight the right way, get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Your Cellulite Reduction Strategy

Do you have a cellulite reduction strategy? Have you given up trying to reduce your cellulite? Don't give up, just be realistic about how to reduce your cellulite.

Cellulite is collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up.

There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite---your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite.

Research reports that over 80% of women get cellulite at some point in their lives. So, there are plenty of chances for these advertisements to deceive people.

Don't buy in to quick cellulite reduction stories! As usual, your best bet in reducing cellulite is with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Here is a cellulite advertisement I read just the other day:

"The only clinically proven dietary supplement to help reduce cellulite in 47 days!" (this statement has not been examined by the Food And Drug Administration)

"This scientifically advanced version.....can really help give millions of women the sexy bottom lines they dream about, and that's a formula for success that women everywhere find as easy to swallow as these little brown pills."

Spa treatments don't work either. Painful procedures like endermology and body wrapping have been proven to not reduce cellulite very much. There are plenty of desperate people who pay for these procedures that don't work.

Save your money! I will tell you the best way to deal with your cellulite problem.

Since health should be your main concern, reduce your overall body fat! This will, in turn, help to reduce your subcutaneous and visceral fat. The best way to burn body fat is with a healthy diet, interval cardio exercise and weight training (including bodyweight exercises). It's the same true story---exercise for health and fitness and you will also look your best!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Snackaholics At Risk For Weight Gain

Attention snackaholics! You could be gaining weight because of your snacks between meals. It doesn't have to be that way. What you eat for snacks can mean the difference between out-of-control weight gain or weight loss management/fat loss.

The American Dietetic Association also recommends healthy snacking. Snacks bridge the gap between meals and can help you eat less at mealtime.

Going too long between meals can cause you to load up on sugary carbohydrates to get quick energy. These types of snacks are usually high in calories, not very nutritious and cause rapid ups and downs in blood sugar levels (you will crash). You also end up wanting to eat more and more. That means out-of-control weight gain if continued.

I'm a person who snacks pretty much all day, every day. Here are some snacks that I eat regularly:

1. Popcorn is my favorite snack of all time! I can eat popcorn anywhere, anytime! Its high-fiber and low calorie. Skip the butter and excess salt! I like to pop it on the stove in canola or olive oil. On the run, I eat natural, microwaved brands.

2. Nuts.....my second favorite snack. Peanuts, pistachios, pecans and almonds are my favorites....it doesn't take much either (a handful will do). They are high-calorie so be careful. Again, skip the excess salt! Nuts have heart-healthy fats, fiber and vitamins. Great snack for people on the run.

3. Apples, bananas, watermelon and grapes. My favorite fruits to eat for snacks or anytime. Pick your fruits to eat. I've never heard of anyone getting fat from eating fruit! We all know the health benefits of eating fruit so enough said.

4. Peanut butter. I eat peanut butter almost every day, usually on whole wheat bread or crackers....a good protein source that will keep you full until the next meal. Peanut butter is high-calorie so two teaspoons will get the job done.

5. Green, leafy salads. I eat green salads on most days with very little dressing. You can't go wrong with green, leafy veggies any time of the day!

6. Low-fat yogurt is a great snack. I just don't like yogurt so I don't eat it. Smoothies are also great options (especially after a strength workout). Just watch the sugar and fat.

7. I drink water and unsweetened tea most of the time. Aim to drink half your weight in water every day. So, if you weigh 160 pounds, drink about 80 ounces of water every day.

Find healthy, nutritious snacks that you like. Use your snacks to fuel your energy between meals and help your weight loss efforts.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Taking Sugar When You Exercise Is Good for You

My last post showed how eating refined carbohydrates and drinking sugared liquids at rest can cause high blood sugar levels, increasing risk for diabetes, heart attacks and premature death. However, during exercise, sugared drinks help you move faster and stronger. It is usually safe to take sugared drinks while you exercise because blood sugar levels rarely rise too high during exercise or for an hour afterward. Contracting muscles draw sugar so rapidly from the bloodstream that there is no sharp rise in blood sugar.

• Contracting muscles help to prevent the high rise in blood sugar that follows eating refined carbohydrates during rest (1).
• Unlike resting muscles, contracting muscles do not require insulin to move sugar inside their cells (2).
• Contracting muscles remove sugar maximally from the bloodstream, without needing insulin, during & up to one hour after exercise. The effect tapers off to zero at about 17 hours (1),(3),(4).

How fast you can run, swim, ski, skate, cycle or move your muscle in any sport depends on the time it takes to move oxygen from your lungs into your muscles. Anything that reduces your oxygen requirements will help you to move faster in sports. Your muscles burn carbohydrates, proteins and fats for energy. However, carbohydrates (specifically the sugar, glucose,) require the least oxygen to power your muscles. Anything that sends sugar rapidly into your bloodstream increases passage of sugar into muscles and helps them to burn a greater percentage of sugar so you can move your muscles faster with greater strength.

Sugared drinks provide sugar to your muscles much faster than sugared solid foods. When food enters your stomach, the pyloric sphincter closes and the stomach can squeeze only the soupy liquid into your intestines. Sugared liquids enter your intestines immediately while some sugared foods can stay up to five hours in your stomach.

Recent data show that glucose-fructose drinks are far more effective than plain water or drinks that contain just glucose in leaving the stomach faster and bringing fluid into the bloodstream faster to improve hydration during intense exercise. (Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, February 2010). Therefore the best drinks to maintain endurance are those that contain glucose and fructose. Exercise drinks made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may have an advantage over those sweetened with cane or beet sugar.

ALL sugared drinks should be consumed only during exercise or immediately after. When you are not contracting your muscles, quench your thirst with water or no-calorie beverages.

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Tone Hips And Butt With Lateral Lunge Steps

Tone your hips and butt (glutes) better by including lateral lunge steps in your workout routine.



Butt, hips and thigh fat can be stubborn fat areas for many women and men. Doing dynamic leg exercises on your feet will help you burn more leg fat and calories.

Sprints also help you burn fat faster! Sprinting is one of the best ways to help get your legs and total body lean and toned.

You will also improve your dynamic flexibility with lateral lunge steps. As an exerciser, you MUST improve your dynamic flexibility in the frontal plane of motion (side to side movements).

The exercise is done by shifting your weight to the right and then to the left followed by a pivot. This leaves you facing in the opposite direction and the exercise is repeated.

The frontal plane of motion is often "under-trained" by exercisers and that's a big mistake! Many daily movements are done with side-to-side or lateral motions. You will prevent many injuries by developing strong, flexible hips and glutes.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Eat Quality Calories--What You Eat Matters

Aim to eat quality calories. What you eat really matters. Junk food like chips, pastries, candy, donuts and sodas aren't nutritious and have loads of calories. They also have you wanting to eat more in just a short time. Control your eating with a nutrition plan and food journal.

For instance, a 12-ounce can of soda has as much as 13 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). If HFCS is the first or second ingredient listed, the product is heavily "laced" with HFCS. Other sweet foods are also high in HFCS.

Nutritionists point to HFCS consumption as a major player in the nation's obesity crisis (the fact that we eat it is the real problem).

According to government data, sweetened soft drinks add about 10 percent of the calories in the typical American's diet.

Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, who is widely cited by obesity researchers, says that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain. "Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages," said Ludwig, who runs the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital in Boston.

Pack your lunches and snacks instead of eating out at work. If you eat at a restaurant for dinner, check out the menu online so you know what to order. Most restaurants now have a "healthy foods" menu. And, skip the appetizers loaded with calories.

One way to eat quality calories is to "eat your calories" instead of "drinking your calories." When you eat food, you have more satiety and you are more likely to take in fewer calories.

Another way to control calorie intake is to eat more water based foods (volume eating). The basics of it is to eat as many foods with high water content/low calories as you can.

Foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables are examples. These types of foods help you to feel fuller (satiety) while eating fewer calories. For instance, grapes with the same calorie amount as raisins will provide more satiety and theoretically help you eat less the rest of the day.

Energy density of food is a key component when trying to add volume to your diet. Energy density (ED) is defined as the amount of calories of a food divided by its weight in grams.

You would basically focus on foods rich in fiber with high water content (or low ED value). Fresh fruits (apples, etc.) and vegetables (such as tomatoes and broccoli) whole grain pastas, brown rice, whole grain breads and cereals, soups, salads and skinless white chicken/turkey are some examples.

Other dryer foods could be added to your diet on a limited basis. Dryer foods would be starchy fruits and vegetables, salad dressings, crackers, etc.

The old rule still applies: A caloric surplus (consume more calories than you burn) will cause you to gain weight! Hopefully a diet high in water content will cause you to consume fewer calories while providing all the nutrition you need.

And while you're at it, drink about half an ounce of water for every pound of your body weight every day. So, if you weigh 140 pounds, drink at least 70 ounces of water a day. If you workout, drink even more water (a cup of water for every 15 minutes of exercise).

Eat quality calories today!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Health Tips e-Course

Get your FREE Health Tips e-Course from Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst!


This e-Course will help you:

1. Fight off sickness
2. Look better and feel great
3. Lose weight and feel full of natural energy
4. Help limit diseases
5. Stop dependence on prescription drugs

Dr. Gudakunst has finally come forward to reveal her discovery of how to help get rid of toxic build-up in your intestines and parasites living in your stomach!

This toxic build-up eventually forms a plaque that coats the interior walls and lining of your colon. This "plaque" is something relatively new in the world of medicine and human anatomy, having its origin in the newer synthetic foods, preservatives, and chemically-enhanced materials now found in foods after the 1960s.

Check out Dr. Gudakunst's e-Course (loved by her TV audience)!

Get your FREE Health Tips e-Course here!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Fad Diets Never Work Long-Term

Fad diets will never work for you long-term, unless you count "going in circles" as progress. Actually, fad diets will place you further away from your weight loss goals as you yo-yo back and forth with glee (lose 40 pounds) and dispair (gain back 60 pounds)!

A "quick weight loss only goal" is a short-term fix for your weight problem and will not ultimately help you attain your goals! Establish eating and exercise habits that will help you burn fat and lose weight for a lifetime.

The type of food you eat and timing of what you eat is very important for your metabolism to work properly. Your body needs adequate amounts of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) to function properly.

Increasing muscle mass is critical to permanently speed up your metabolism. Your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass. And, increasing muscle mass will burn the fat off of your body. So, start doing your regular weight training workouts 2-3 days a week.

Protein's main role in your body is to repair and rebuild body tissues (especially so after an intense weight training workout). When your body doesn't get enough protein, it will take protein from other sources--mainly your muscles! Obviously, you don't want that to happen. Including foods with protein in every meal will help you eat less during the day. This happens because it takes your body longer to digest protein.

Carbohydrates, in the form of glycogen, are your body's preferred source of energy. Glycogen is stored in your liver and muscles and it is broken down into glucose. Glucose is then used by your body to make energy.

As a result, when your glycogen stores are low, your body's performance will suffer. When your body doesn't have enough carbohydrates, it uses energy mainly from proteins. As stated above, protein has another primary role in the body. And, again, your muscle mass will take the hit. Carb cycling can be useful in some situations, but don’t start with this method. Establish your eating foundation first.

Fat is important for your diet because it helps you feel full for longer periods of time and keeps skin, hair and nails healthy (among other things). You should limit your intake of saturated fats (usually solid at room temperature, such as butter) and trans fats ( partially hydrogenated fats found in packaged foods and fast foods).

Instead, increase your intake of heart-healthy unsaturated fats (they are usually liquid at room temperature, such as olive, canola oil, fish, nuts, seeds and avocados). Fats should not exceed 30% (closer to 20%) of your total caloric intake. Again, fats should not be used as your primary energy source.

Your body needs the macronutrients at all times to function properly. When your body functions properly, your metabolism will also function properly. That's why you should eat every 3-4 hours to give your body what it needs and to protect your vital muscle mass. If you are a person who skips breakfast, stop doing that! You are sabotaging your fat loss and weight loss efforts and throwing your metabolism out of wack!

Eat for health, fat loss and weight loss. You should not ever try a fad diet program to reach your long-term goals.

If you need to know how to lose weight the right way, get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Why Sugar Can Shorten or Lengthen Your Life

A high rise in blood sugar can damage every cell in your body. When blood sugar levels rise too high, sugar can stick to the surface of cell membranes. Once stuck there, it can never get off. In a series of chemical reactions, glucose (the only sugar that circulates in your bloodstream) is converted to another sugar called fructose and eventually to a sugar alcohol called sorbitol that destroys the cell to cause every know side effect of diabetes: blindness, deafness, heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage and so forth.

When you eat, sugar can go into:
• your muscles, to make you a better athlete and prolong your life,
• your brain, to keep you smart and alert, or
• your liver to store sugar for future use. Sending too much sugar to your liver can make you fat, increase your risk for a heart attack and shorten your life.

At rest, your brain requires more sugar than the rest of your body combined. Ninety-eight percent of the energy to fuel your brain comes from sugar, so your brain has to have sugar available all the time. A constant supply of blood sugar to your brain helps keep you smart and alert. If your blood sugar level drops too low, you pass out, so your liver always tries to protect you from low blood sugar levels. When blood sugar starts to drop too low, your liver works to save your brain by releasing stored sugar from its cells into your bloodstream. If not enough sugar is available, the liver converts protein into sugar to keep your brain supplied.

Resting muscles are passive and can draw sugar from the bloodstream only with the help of insulin. Contracting muscles can remove sugar directly from the bloodstream without needing insulin. Contracting muscles are also extraordinarily sensitive to insulin, so it takes far less insulin to supply your muscles with sugar during exercise. These beneficial effects are maximal during exercise and for up to an hour afterward and then taper off to zero about 17 hours after you finish exercising.

When your muscles are inactive, you should avoid sugar and all refined carbohydrates. When your blood sugar rises too high, all the extra sugar goes to your liver, and that's when you damage your health. The high rise in blood sugar causes your pancreas to release huge amounts of insulin. This increases risk for a heart attack because insulin constricts arteries leading to your heart to block blood flow there. Insulin converts sugar to triglycerides and your blood fills with this fat (high triglycerides). High triglycerides increase risk for clotting, so your body tries to protect you by using the good HDL cholesterol to carry triglycerides from your bloodstream to your liver (low good HDL cholesterol). The increase in triglycerides can cause liver damage (fatty liver). Insulin also causes the extra fat to be deposited into fat cells in your belly (fat belly). Full belly fat cells block insulin receptors to make the blood sugar and insulin levels rise even higher.

People who have small buttocks are most likely to deposit fat in their bellies and are at the highest risk for diabetes and heart attacks. If you have a fat belly and small hips, you already have insulin levels that are high enough to cause severe damage to your health and are at high risk for diabetes and heart attacks. The combination of high blood insulin, triglycerides and sugar, low good HDL cholesterol and deposition of fat in the belly is called Metabolic Syndrome which means you are at high risk for diabetes and heart attacks. It happened because you eat too much sugar and refined carbohydrates when you are not exercising.

On the other hand, taking sugar when you exercise is good for you. I'll explain why in the next blog post.

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Top 10 Nutrition Tips For Weight Loss And Fat Loss

Successful weight loss and fat loss comes to those of you who have figured out the nutrition puzzle. It takes more than just working out hard to reach your goals. Its important to eat enough but not too much or too little. What you eat matters. Eating 1000 calories of healthy food is more effective than eating 1000 calories of junk food.

Follow my Top 10 Nutrition Tips and you will have a better chance of losing the fat and weight and keeping it off.


1. Eat breakfast.....momma was right! I ate alot of oatmeal for breakfast growing up. She didn't say it was good for me......she just said eat it! A good healthy breakfast gets your metabolism kicked off for the day. Eat small meals every 3-4 hours to keep up your energy and to keep your metabolism humming along all day.

2. Plan and pack your meals for the day. This way, you are more likely to stay with your nutrition plan. Include foods such as lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat diary and nuts. Severely limit sugars of all forms, fast food and foods in a box or bag.
Comply with your meal plan at least 90% of the time.

3. Eat protein with every meal. Protein helps you feel fuller for a longer period of time (thereby eating less) and repairs your muscles after a tough workout.

4. Carbohydrates are not your enemy! They are your body's preferred source of energy (especially during exercise). Its important to have a meal plan that includes the macronutrients (carbs, protein, fats). The primary cause of weight gain is a caloric surplus (eating more calories than you burn). There are some instances where carb cycling can be a great strategy to burn fat. But, you should master the basics of nutrition first.

5. Build muscle and burn fat to change your body to lean and toned. Don't skip your post-workout meal. It is important to help your body recover from intense exercise (especially weight training).

You don't have to eat immediately after your workout (if you want to eat immediately after a workout, YOU DIDN'T WORKOUT VERY HARD)! There is a 45 minute to 1 hour "window of opportunity" where replenishing your body's fuel (carbs, protein, fats) will optimize your tissue's repair and growth. If you miss this "window of opportunity" it is gone forever. A carb/protein shake will work well.

6. Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan and fat loss if you keep a food journal!

By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better. It will also help protect you from binge eating and emotional eating if you write down why you eat what you eat!

7. Find out your basal metabolic rate (amount of calories you would burn if you did nothing all day). You will use this rate and your activity level (including exercise) to set the amount of calories you need each day to maintain a caloric deficit (burn more calories than you consume). If you have too large of a caloric deficit (like a 1000 deficit), your body will think it is starving and shift into survival mode (store fat). So, severe calorie restriction diets don't work long-term.

8. Drink water and unsweetened drinks (like tea) most of the time. Aim to drink, in ounces, about half your weight in water every day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink about 75 ounces of water every day.

9. Add volume to your diet (eating wet). Eat as many foods as you can with high water content/low calories. Foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables are examples. These types of foods help you to feel fuller (satiety) while eating fewer calories.

For instance, grapes with the same caloric amount as raisins will provide more satiety and theoretically help you eat less the rest of the day. Other good foods would be whole grain pastas, brown rice, whole grain breads, soups, salads and skinless white chicken/turkey.

10. Forget the quick weight loss gimmicks (they lead to yo-yo dieting and even more weight gain)! There are no quick solutions to permanent fat loss and weight loss. Change your eating habits permanently (step by step)!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Stop Yo-Yo Dieting With Exercise And Healthy Meals

Do you want to stop yo-yo dieting (or weight cycling)? Exercise, eat healthy and don't stop. Are you tired of losing 40 pounds and regaining 60 pounds? Exercise, eat healthy and don't stop. Are you tired of quick weight loss "solutions" that aren't solutions (the problem gets bigger with each yo-yo weight regain)? Exercise, eat healthy and don't stop. See a pattern developing?



You can stop the weight loss/weight regain cycle with regular exercise and healthy menus. Its that simple. But, somehow its not that easy for many people. Why? Because they buy in to the quick weight loss "solutions" that really don't solve the behavioral problem. The problem is that you need to change your exercise and eating habits to get and keep the lean body you want and need!

If you want to lose 20 pounds to get ready for your friend's wedding 3 months from now, that's great! Don't stop exercising and eating healthy after the wedding! Keep the good exercise and eating habits going---for life. There's no good reason to stop. That's how you can ultimately stop the yo-yo weight loss and regain. Otherwise, you will always regain more weight than you lost.

According to Marketdata Enterprises, an estimated 54 percent of people in the United States are currently trying to lose weight. This leads many of you to buy weight loss pills and "special foods" that promote weight loss. There's no need to do this. Just start with a regular exercise program and eat healthy based on your basal metabolic rate and activity level. Its that simple folks. Oh yeah, you have to be willing to go with this plan for the long-term. It takes a long time to change your body composition to more muscle and less fat. More muscle mass will speed up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass.

If you don't believe what I'm saying, listen to this: Most of us will regain almost all of what we lost, according to research, which is why the typical dieter tries a new plan four times a year. "We have this mentality that a diet is something to go on and then get off as quickly as possible," says FITNESS advisory board member Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, founding director of the University of Pittsburgh's Weight Management Center. "But lasting weight loss requires making lifestyle changes that will work long-term."

"With special-occasion weight loss, it's all about dropping pounds quickly," Fernstrom says. Do this too often and you may find that it's even harder to lose than before. "Constant crash dieting causes your body to cling to the calories you do eat because it's not sure when it's going to get more," she explains.

Rather than keep the pounds off just long enough to impress strangers on your vacation, think about rewarding long-term achievements. Maybe you want to train for your first half-marathon or get in shape to hike the Grand Canyon. Setting a big new goal each time you check one off your list will keep you headed in the right direction.

It's not only your waistline that suffers from yo-yoing. "Repeated crash dieting increases metabolic hormones, such as insulin, and elevates levels of sex hormones, including estrogen," says Andrea Pennington, MD, author of The Pennington Plan for Weight Success. "These changes cause you to start putting on weight around your middle, which research has linked to insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease."

Your confidence also takes a hit. "The more times you go through the gain-lose-gain cycle, the less convinced you become that you can break free from the constant ups and downs," says Keri Gans, RD, a dietitian in private practice in New York City. "No one wants to diet forever; it's hard work."

Here are my 5 tips to help you stop yo-yo dieting:

1. Concentrate on setting the lifetime goal of eating right and exercising regularly with weight training and interval cardio training. This will keep you from stressing about quick weight loss goals. This will also give your body the long-term health it needs. You may need to slowly replace sugary foods and drinks with water, unsweetened drinks and fruits. You could have this as a goal for the week.

"Even if you're doing everything right, your weight can fluctuate based on the time of day or how hydrated you are," says Evelyn Tribole, RD, coauthor of Intuitive Eating. In fact, research shows that women who fixate on counting calories and restricting their food intake report more stress and have higher levels of cortisol, which is linked to overeating.

"Instead of obsessing about every morsel, think about how eating right and exercising make you feel," Tribole says. "Do you have more energy? Are you able to keep up with your kids?" If you take the time to notice the positive effects of each healthy behavior -- whether it's pushing away from the table before you clean your plate or biking for 30 minutes a day -- it's easier to motivate yourself to stay on track.

2. Have a more active lifestyle. I make a habit of walking every where that I can. Walk to the store, walk the dog, walk to the park, walk at the park, walk during your kids' practices, walk during work breaks, etc. Walking will keep your blood flowing, fat-burn enzymes active and calories burning.

3. Get a healty meal plan based on foods that you like. You are more likely to comply with a meal plan that you like. Be prepared to eat less but more nutritious. Base your meal plan on your basal metabolic rate and activity level. You need to maintain a caloric deficit (burn more calories than you eat) to lose weight.

4. Track what you eat in a food journal for a week or two. Until you get good at eating right, you need to carefully watch what and why you eat.

Research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan if you keep a food journal. By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. You will also be forced to plan your meals better.

In your journal, list food, calories and serving sizes for every snack or meal. List details such as meats, drinks, vegetables, fruits, etc. For each meal, list why you ate--such as you were angry, sad, happy, hungry, etc. This is very important because moods can affect food choices. You need to know your motivations for eating.

5. Get a weight loss buddy for emotional support. Don't try to do your program alone. Research proves that those who workout with a friend, spouse or personal trainer are more likely to reach their goals.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Strength Training to Improve Endurance

Weight lifting can improve performance in endurance sports such as running, cycling or rowing. A study from Spain divided highly trained, competitive rowers into four groups:

1) four arm exercises leading to repetition failure,
2) four exercises not leading to failure,
3) two exercises not to failure, and
4) no resistance training.

All four groups did the same endurance training (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, June 2010). Those who did the four exercises not to failure improved the most in *rowing performance, *lifting the heaviest weight that they could lift once, and *the highest muscle power output.

Athletes who train primarily for strength must train to muscle failure. That means that they lift weights repeatedly until they can barely lift that weight another time. This causes muscle damage that is necessary for maximum muscle growth and strength. The next-day muscles soreness tells them that their muscles are damaged and when thy heal, their muscles will be stronger. Then they take easier workouts until the soreness goes away and repeat their muscle-damaging workouts.

However, athletes in endurance sports must take long hard workouts lasting many hours. If lifting weights causes so much muscle damage that they cannot do their endurance workouts, they cannot compete in their sports. This study shows that athletes in endurance sports can benefit from lifting weights, but they should not go to failure so often that it reduces their workouts that are specific for their sports.

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Lifestyle More Important than Genes for Longevity

How long you live is usually up to you. Extensive research show that most people who live to be 100 have never had any one else in their family also live to be 100. Longevity researcher James W. Vaupel of the Max Planck Institute in Germany feels that longevity is only three percent genetic and 97 percent environmental. Compare that to factors that govern how tall you will be, which are more than 80 percent genetic.

For most people, living to 90 or 100 requires a healthful diet, daily exercise and avoidance of exposure to life-shortening infections and toxins. Centenarians virtually never have diabetes or arteriosclerosis, the most common causes of death in North America today.

One of the best ways to compare the effects of genetics and environment on lifespan is to study twins (Twin Research, December 1998). The Danish Twin Study showed that a woman whose twin sister lives to be 100 has a four percent chance of living that long (the general population has about a one-percent chance). The Swedish Twin Registry Study followed 3,656 identical and 6,849 same-sex fraternal twins. By analyzing the age of death of twins born between 1886 and 1900, the authors found that longevity is determined a maximum of one-third by genetics and more than two-thirds by environmental factors.

Certain genes have been found to shorten or extend life, but reports on these genetic variations show that they are rare and exceptional. Paul Lichtenstein of the Karolinska Institute reported a gene called APO E4 that shortens life by carrying cholesterol into arteries to form plaques, increasing heart attacks and dementia. There is also a long-life gene called CETP-VV that prevents heart attacks and dementia. People who have CETP-VV have high blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol and large particle size cholesterol that prevent heart attacks.

However, most of the diseases that shorten life are caused primarily by environmental factors. The greatest killers in North America (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia) share the same primary risk factors:
• being overweight,
• not exercising,
• not eating enough fruits and vegetables,
• eating processed meats and red meat,
• smoking,
• drinking alcohol to excess,
• storing fat primarily in your belly, and
• lack of vitamin D.

The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance of suffering debilitating disease and dying prematurely.

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You Achieved Quick Weight Loss, Are You Healthy?

You can achieve quick weight loss. But, your body might feel like a total wreck. Ever lost 35 pounds in a week? I hope not (at least not voluntarily).

If you have weight loss, fat loss and good health, you're in a great place! Just continue to eat right and work hard to stay there!

Quick weight loss implies that it's something that probably won't last! Health should be stressed before weight loss and beauty! It does you no good to look great if your body is a total wreck and unhealthy!

Optimal health involves making lifestyle changes to improve your:

1. health
2. fitness
3. energy levels
4. quality of life

We are living longer on this earth so quality of life is important!

The "quick weight loss lifestyle" is narrow minded when you compare it to the "optimal health lifestyle!"

Quick weight loss leads to slowed metabolism, a weaker immune system, hormonal imbalances, loss of lean mass, increased body fat, decreased energy levels, disrupted sleep patterns, short-term results and yo-yo dieting!

I'll take the optimal health option any day over quick weight loss!

So, here are some tips to help you achieve your best health and fitness:

1. Make a commitment TODAY to a lifestyle of health and fitness! Without this commitment, you will eventually go back to short-term solutions like quick weight loss!

2. Make the needed changes to your eating habits! Severely limit foods like sugars, processed foods, fast foods, fat-filled packaged foods, etc. Eat more foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. Get help with your meal plan if needed! Get your nutrition mainly from food! Add in supplements like multivitamins and fish oil to support your meal plan and improve your health.

3. Commit to regular exercise and an active lifestyle! Walk as much as you can everyday!

4. Get enough rest! If you don't sleep enough, your body won't function as well as it could--that means about 7-8 hours of sleep every night for most people.

5. Schedule that doctor's appointment to see where your health stands! High blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. can be controlled, if needed.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Emergency Resuscitation

You are in a room where a person suddenly drops to the floor unconscious. You put your ear over his heart and hear no heartbeats. That person is dead unless you pump on his chest immediately to circulate blood to bring enough oxygen to keep his brain alive, and then shock his heart with an electrical defibrillator to make it start beating again.

He passed out because •his brain suffered from lack of oxygen, •caused by lack of blood circulating to his brain, •caused by his heart fibrillating (shaking rather than pumping) or having a heart beat too weak to pump blood. His brain will die in a minute or two if you don't circulate blood by compressing his chest, and his heart will not start beating again unless you shock it as soon as possible, within about ten minutes.

Recent studies show that:

Compressing the chest first is just as successful as using the electrical defibrillator first (BMC Journal, September 2010). A study of 1,503 patients showed that survival rates were the same for immediate defribrillation and after at least 90 seconds of chest compressions before electrical defibrillation.

• Interrupting chest compressions during resuscitation reduces the chances of heartbeat return to normal after electrical shocking (defibrillation). For every second of a pause in compressions there is a one percent reduction in the likelihood of success (BMC Medicine, February 6, 2009; Circulation, October 2009).

• Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is no better than just pressing on the chest (NEJM, July 29, 2010). You may not need to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in adults. However, this may not apply to children because of their small lungs.

• Place the heel of one hand between the nipples and the other hand on top of that.

• Keep elbows straight with your shoulders directly over your hands.

• With your upper body weight, push down on the chest two inches deep at 100 compressions a minute.

• Continue until signs of movement or until emergency help arrives.

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Prolong Life with Exercise

How does exercise prolong life? The leading theory is that exercise prolongs life and prevents heart attacks and cancers by causing the body to dispose of free radicals with increased production of antioxidants.

Exercise speeds up the reactions that turn food into energy, so exercise actually increases the production of free radicals. The body responds to this increased production of free radicals during exercise by producing tremendous amounts of antioxidants that sop up the free radicals and render them harmless.

Most cells in your body have mitochondria, very small energy-producing chambers that number anywhere from a few to thousands in each cell. As you age, mitochondria in muscles decrease in number and size. This interferes with your body's ability to burn sugar efficiently for energy, so they produce more free radicals. Anything that increases the number and size of mitochondria helps to protect you from free radicals. Exercising helps to prevent loss of mitochondria and even makes them larger (Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, April, 2007).

• Mitochondria convert molecules from the sugar in food that you eat to other molecules to release energy to power most cells in your body.
• They do this by shuffling electrons from one molecule to another.
• As electrons are shuffled to produce energy, extra electrons accumulate inside mitochondria.
• Free electrons must attach immediately to something.
• They can attach to hydrogen atoms to form water and become harmless, or
• They can attach to oxygen atoms to form free radicals that can damage cells.
• Free radicals attach to your DNA genetic material in cells to damage them which causes cells to act differently than they are supposed to.
• The genetic material in cells tells the cell what to do.
• If your genetic material is functioning properly, it directs the cell to divide a certain number of times and then die, called apoptosis.
• If you genetic material in cells is damaged, the cells can become defective and go on to live forever to become cancers. • Cells with damaged genetic material also can cause heart attacks and other life-shortening conditions.

Furthermore, a team from Yale University showed that as you age, you lose your ability to make the enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This enzyme functions to increase mitochondria in muscles (Cell Metabolism, February 2007). Anything that reduces the number or efficiency of mitochondria interferes with your body's ability to burn sugar for energy. As a result, blood sugar, fat and cholesterol levels rise. The extra calories that are not burned accumulate in your body as fat in your muscles, liver and fat cells. This causes you to gain weight. Extra fat in cells block their ability to take in sugar from the blood stream, so blood sugar levels rise and you are at increased risk for developing diabetes. Extra fat in the liver prevent the liver from removing extra insulin, so insulin levels rise to constrict arteries and cause heart attacks. Insulin also makes you hungry all the time to increase your chances of gaining weight.

AMPK is increased by exercise and by some of the drugs used to treat diabetes, such as metformin. The best way to increase the number and size of mitochondria in your cells is to exercise. If you do not have a regular exercise program, you are shortening your life.

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Burn Major Calories With Athletic Workouts

Athletic workouts will burn major calories and help you burn fat and lose weight---sooner! If you need to ramp up the intensity and break through your weight loss plateau, athletic workouts will work.



Athletic workouts are very intense and will improve your body's composition (fat loss, more muscle). These workouts will sculpt your body without your joints taking a pounding from lifting heavy weights!

To get your muscles to improve power (how fast your muscles can produce force), do some or all of the exercises full speed. Also, you will really burn fat and shape your bulkier, fast twitch muscle fibers when doing exercises at full speed!

Athletic circuit workouts are a tried and true method to burn more fat, increase strength/endurance and improve heart health.

Do each exercise (10 repetitions) one after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes and do the circuit 2 more times. Here is a good athletic workout:

--Medicine ball front chops, moderate pace
--Side shuffles (pictured above), full speed
--Pushups, full speed
--Walking lunges/Side Lunges/Tranverse Lunges, moderate pace (one for each circuit)
--2-Handed medicine ball soccer throw, full speed
--Squat jumps, full speed
--Back extensions, moderate pace

Use correct form and burn calories!

If you need to know how to lose weight the right way, get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »