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!

Read more »

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!

Read more »