DID YOU KNOW???

Endurance Training Helps Cells Release Fat
Losing body fat and keeping it off is extremely difficult and only about five percent of dieters are successful after a year. Many studies suggest that the only way you can lose fat permanently is to diet and exercise at the same time. People who only diet usually gain back all the weight they lost and then some. Part of the problem is that fat cells in obese people like to hold onto their fat. French researchers discovered that endurance training made fat cells more responsive to the hormone adrenaline, which made the fat cells release fat into the blood more easily.
Int. J. Obesity, 26: 1371-1378, 2002.

Potassium Accurate Measure of Nutritional Health
Canadian researchers found the urinary potassium is a good measure of the quality of the diet. People with the highest levels of potassium were most likely to eat a well-balanced diet that met the United States Department of Agriculture Nutritional Guidelines. These people were also leaner and had lower blood pressures and resting heart rates. Low potassium levels suggests a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables. Urinary potassium is a simple test that doctors can do in the office or patients can do at home. Good food sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, tomato paste, beets, white beans, yogurt, clams, prune juice, carrots, bananas, soybeans, halibut, and tomatoes.
Paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting, Dec. 2006.

Your Real Fountain Of Youth

So, So, So....We all want to look younger, right? And we all want to feel younger too, right? Well, we must do the right things to do this. Whether to avoid wrinkles, protect you heart, or keep your mind sharp...PROPER EATING IS THE ONLY REAL FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH!

Here is a DID YOU KNOW fact for you..Dutch researchers found that people who took 800 mcg of folic acid every day--the amount in a serving of Total Whole Grain cereal--exhibited memories that were 5 to 8 years younger than those who didn't. WOW, THAT IS AWESOME!

Below is a list of some foods that you want to add to your eating plan because of all the great qualities they have to help you stay and feel young.

1. Sunflower seeds- have the highest natural Vitamin E content of any food around, and no antioxidant is better at fighting off the aging effects of free radicals. Other great sources of vitamin E include Swiss chard, Total cereal, and Propel Fitness Water.
2. Spinach and Beans- Researchers studied the diets of 400 elderly men and women, and found that those who ate the most leafy green vegetables and beans had the fewest wrinkles. The reason? Spinach and beans are full of compounds that help prevent repair wear and tear on your skin cells as you get older.
3. Red Wine and Grape Juice- Besides providing protection from heart attack and stroke, the antioxidants called polyphenols found in grapes can also help keep middle-aged skin from sagging.
4. Sweet Potatoes- Overexposure to the sun is one of the primary reasons people age prematurely. But European researchers recently found that pigments from beta carotene-rich foods like sweet potatoes and carrots can build up your skin, helping to prevent damage from ultraviolet rays.
5. Coffee- One of nature's most potent elixirs, coffee has been shown in numerous studies to retard the aging process, fight off Alzheimer's disease, and enhance short-term memory.

Zinczenko, David. Eat This Not That. Pg. 288.

Stop And Eat

We eat for three main reasons...to provide the energy we consume to stay alive, to build and repair the body, and to enable parts of the body to function efficiently. Energy for INTENSE physical effort comes principally from carbohydrate, which is stored in your liver and in your muscles in the form of glycogen. There are three forms of carbohydrates: natural sugars (fruits and their juices), refined sugars (jam, honey, and soft drinks), and starches (complex carbs and found in foods like potatoes, pasta, and bread.

The other major source of energy is the fat that is stored around the body.  Fat has a higher energy density than carbs, which means that per gram it supplies more fuel: it is estimated that if all the energy stored in the fat reserves of a lean, 150-pound bike rider were there as glycogen, they would weigh about 275 pounds. Most people have enough fat in their bodies to fuel many hours of activity, which means there is no need to eat fat in any great quantity, particularly as any excess carbohydrate or protein is converted to fat and stored for future use.

Proteins play the major role in building up and repairing the body: they are found in meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products, in vegetables such as beans, lentils and peas, and also in carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes and bread. In extreme situations, protein is also burned to produce energy.

Vitamins and minerals enable the body's processes to function normally. For example, Vitamin A is important for maintaining healthy skin, helping fight infection and maintaining good eyesight--One source of this vitamin is carrots. Fruits, vegetables, fish, dairy products, meat and eggs are all important sources of various vitamins.

The final element is fluid. The body can function for some time without solid food by running off  stored energy and protein, but without water, a vital part of  all bodily processes, death soon results. A drop in your body water, through sweating, of just two percent will reduce your performance, five percent will cause fatigue and ten percent could be fatal.

Your intake of energy providers is vital if you are not to run out of the "fuel" stored in the muscles and liver. Body repair materials are equally important if you are to rebuild the muscle fibers you break down as you train, and if you are to construct stronger ones, which is the whole point of training.

Fotheringham, W. Cycle Racing. Pg. 52.

The Little Things That Make Up YOUR Big Picture

• Pay Attention To All The Little Things In Your Daily Regimen...These Little Things Will Soon Make Up The Big Picture You Are Shooting For!!!!!

• Below Are Some Tips To Incorporate In Your Daily Regimen...Give Your Body What It Needs!

• Exercise is not enough. You must also include healthy eating habits.
• Make a list of all the benefits regular exercise provides you. Everything from feeling healthier, sleeping better, preventing depression, feeling stronger, etc. Post this list somewhere that you will easily see it everyday so that it can serve as a reminder why you should workout.
• Eat breakfast every day. People who eat breakfast consume fewer total calories during the day then those that don't.
• Don't waste your calories on drinks. Drink low-calorie or no calorie drinks instead (preferably water).
• Try to take at least 20 minutes to complete a meal. This is how long it takes for your brain to recognize that your stomach is full.
• Use a lot of spices and seasonings when cooking low-fat/low-calorie meals. They can make your meal taste so much better and therefore make you feel more satisfied.
• Decrease your caffeine intake. Too much caffeine can decrease the burning of stored fat.
• Consume at least 64 ounces of water per day, plus an additional 16 ounces for every hour of moderate-intensity exercise.
• Each day fill a container(s) with your daily water supply so you'll always know how much you've drank and ensure you drink the required daily amount.

Remember What Your Mom Said...Eat Your Breakfast

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is the meal that gets you ready for your day. Helps you focus, and it gives you the energy you need to get through your day. So if we know all these things, why do we continue to skip the most important meal of the day. Why don't we give our body the fuel it needs to help us get through our day. Keep in mind, that every time you skip breakfast your body has to play catch up for the rest of the day. Not to mention, without breakfast you will have a hard time focusing and will continue to slow down your metabolism. So try to eat breakfast daily...give your body what it needs to start the day. Here are a couple of breakfast recipes that you may want to try.

EGG WHITE VEGGIE SCRAMBLE (SERVES 3)

Cooking spray, olive oil preferred
1 Cup Mixed Bell Peppers (red, green, and yellow), diced
1/2 Medium onion, diced
6 Medium Mushrooms, diced
1 Cup Egg Whites
6 Tablespoons low-fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Coat skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place on medium heat.
2. Combine and saute all vegetables until tender, around 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add eggs and cheese; stir until egg whites are firm.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.


NUTRITION PER SERVING
Calories: 106
Fat: 2g
Protein: 15g
Sodium: 247mg
Fiber: 2g
Carbohydrate: 7g


BREAKFAST BURRITO (SERVES 2/SERVING SIZE IS 1 BURRITO)
4 Large Egg Whites (or equivalent egg substitute)
1 Tablespoon 1% Low-Fat Milk
1 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Dash of Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
Cooking Spray
2 Tablespoons Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided in half 2 (8-inch)La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortillas, heated
4 Tablespoons chopped, Seeded Tomato, divided in half 2 Tablespoons Bottled Chunky Salsa, divided in half


1. Whisk the first four ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl.
2. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the egg mixture, and stir with a heatproof rubber spatula to scramble.
3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese down the center of one tortilla; top with half the scrambled egg, 2 tablespoons tomato, and 1 tablespoon salsa.
4. Roll up burrito-style (fold bottom up and sides to center). Repeat with remaining ingredients.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
Calories: 139
Fat: 5g Protein: 
15g
Sodium: 247mg
Fiber: 1g
Carbohydrate: 5g

Michaels, J. Making The Cut. Pgs. 62-63.

Nutrition Tips To Consider

Hi. I hope that everyone is training hard, staying active, and overcoming any challenges/obstacles that may come your way. Never give up. It is okay to take a couple of days off and then resume back to where you left off. Remember the body doesn't grow and build when you are working out...it builds and strengthens during the period that you are not working out. Below, I am going to brush upon just a couple of tips you need to really pay attention to.

Tip #1: When you're on a short, intense, goal-oriented fitness regimen, it is crucial that you maintain stable blood sugar levels to prevent energy crashes and appetite cravings that could ultimately throw you off course. The most effective way to do this is to eat every 2-3 hours, without skipping a single meal or a snack.

Tip #2: Stay away from processed and junk foods.
*If it's a nonfood, don't eat it.
* The longer it lasts on the shelf, the worse it is for you.
* Never eat anything with the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils/fats in the list of ingredients.
* Avoid refined sugars and high-fructose corn syrup (sometimes labeled HFCS) at all costs
*Never eat any food product that has been "enriched."

Tip #3: Make sure that you regulate your sodium and water consumption. Excess sodium can raise your blood pressure and slow down your metabolism. When you eat sodium, the excess sodium is deposited just beneath the skin, where it attracts water, which is retained in your cells. This process will make you look puffy and feel bloated. Another downfall to all this is that when water is retained in your cells, it impedes the fat-burning process and slows down your metabolism. Don't get all worried and uptight about this because sodium is in everything. Just be aware and try to ingest under 1,000 mg a day in order to maximize your body's fat-burning potential and lower your blood pressure.

Tip #4: Have fun. Be happy that you are changing your lifestyle. Do what it takes to be healthy and fit. Smile big and long because the most important thing to know is that Fitness Is Fun...if you let it be.

Fill Up On Watermelon

Watermelon can help you in so many ways and I don't think many of us realize the effects it has on our overall health. Watermelon can help you lose weight, replace body fluids, prevent prostate cancer and provide a vital chemical called lycopene that fights free radicals. The body constantly produces free radicals as a normal part of metabolism. The chemicals are highly reactive and can bind with vital molecules in cell membranes, energy centers and genetic material triggering disease, genetic damage, inflammation and aging.

Lycopene--found in abundance in watermelon (15 to 30 milligrams per two-cup serving)- is one of the most powerful antioxidants in existence. It has the power to bind with cell-destroying free radicals, rendering them harmless. Watermelon is high in fiber, vitamins A, B6 and C. It tastes wonderful and contains few calories...so you can eat all you want. In fact, the more you eat, the less fattening food you can eat, so you end up losing weight.

Watermelon.org, May 2006.

Two Nutrition MVPs- Salmon And Spinach

SALMON FLORENTINE

6 ounces center cut salmon steak

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup packed fresh baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup *Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon *Red Pepper Almond Pesto

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the salmon with pepper.
Heat an ovenproof saute pan and spray with vegetable oil spray. Sear salmon 1-2 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat.
Top the salmon with fresh spinach, Red Pepper Almond Pesto, and Marinara Sauce.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until spinach is wilted.