 Featured Exercise
Hamstring Stretch:
Since most of us have been doing some shovelling lately, I thought I would share with you a stretch to help our poor tired lower back.
Benefits - Prevents/decreases lower back pain. Also helps with pain-free movement.
How to do it -
SETUP:
- Stick one foot out in front of you.
- Straighten your back (lift your chest up and stick your bottom out).
- Keep the knee straight on the front leg.
To Stretch:
- Push the bottom back while hingeing forward at the hip.
- DO NOT BEND YOUR BACK!!
- To get the most stretch try to pull your toes up towards you.
**As always consult your doctor before starting an exercise program. This exercise may not be for you. I share them to spread information, please be careful always while exercising. Know your abilities and your limits. If you have any questions please ask anytime. |
What Makes Us Fat?
Fat intake vs. Sugar intake
The answer here is "BOTH, EITHER, and NEITHER."
That is pretty helpful of me to make it so clear.
Let me explain it better so you can have the knowledge to choose your own path.
There have been diet revolutions based on limiting both of these macronutrients (fat and sugar/carbohydrates). The Low-fat diet came first. It had mass appeal and grew to diet craze status. It worked. The problem started when people started to view fat as the enemy. Some people tried to cut fat out of their diet entirely. If fat is completely removed from the diet it will stop your body from being able to absorb certain vitamins (A,D,E, and K). Not a good idea. Others cut fat intake down but added extra sugar/carbs in the process. So we americans found a way to get fatter even with low-fat diets as common place.
Then along came Dr. Atkins and told us carbs/sugar is the enemy. He was right since americans had increased their intake of sugars and other carbohydrates. But there is a problem here too. Our bodies main source of energy is also carbohydrates/sugar. When dipping down to extremely low levels of carbs people can lose energy, muscle cells, and get really irritable. Have you met very many happy dieters? How about grumpy dieters? I have seen many more of the latter myself.
Our diet seems to be on a swinging pendulum. We work really hard to get away from one area and end up going too far into the other. My fear is that we will ride the dieting pendulum back the way we came. I think if we focus too much on carbs/sugar we might find ourselves increasing our fat intake.
So Fat is Bad and Sugar is Bad? What else is there to eat?
They are not bad. They should only be eaten in moderation. (see my nutrition program to learn what your personal moderation level would be).
You should definitely be trying to limit your intake of overly sugary foods like sodas and processed snack foods (little debbie). Sodas are pretty much just sugar in liquid form. If you drink one 12 oz. soda per day that is equivalent to 16 pounds of added body fat per year.
Also keep your fat intake lower. Try to avoid cooking in heavy oils and adding extra butter to your food. Read the labels of the food you are eating. Try to eat foods that only have single digits for fat intake per serving. If it has a higher number stop and decide if its worth it before you eat it.
What nutrient has never been attributed to increasing fat mass?
PROTEIN.
Eveyone is always up in arms about fat and sugar but they never even mention protein. Most of the people I have worked with that are struggling with their weight are not getting enough protein. When you get enough protein it helps you get full while eating less calories and that fullness lasts longer.
How much is enough?
All the literature points to a recommendation of at least .36g per pound of body weight per day. If you are working out and weight training I have seen the recommendations go as high as 1 gram per pound.
Let me apply it for you:
A 150 pound person would be recommended to eat at least 54 grams of protein per day. For an understanding of how much that is, a 6 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast has about 48 grams of protein. Or there are 52 grams of protein in 15 egg whites. So it is possible to fall short of this recommended amount of protein. Remember the recommendations go up for individuals who are exercising.
See if you can apply these ideas into your own meal plan. In a short amount of time you will find yourself with good energy levels, losing weight, and feeling like you couldn't possibly be dieting.
*Recommendation levels taken from the ADA (american dietetics association) and FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
**Food Composition taken from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)
Please note that this information is intended
to provide general information on common nutrition/exercise topics.
It is not a comprehensive medical review and does not include all
the potential medical conditions, issues, or considerations. Therefore
it cannot and should not be relied upon as a substitute for seeing
an appropriate health care professional (who can provide individualized
and comprehensive assessment and advice)
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Canandaigua's
Extreme Makeover
Entries Due March 10th No entry FEE
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