Are You Nuts?!?

Over the years there's been a seesaw battle about the health factor of nuts. We were told that although high in protein they are too fatty. Well, the scientists have been studying and as a result, nuts are back! You'll never guess what part of the problem with nuts was. Give up? Portion size. We were over consuming...yet again. Picture yourself at a party. Your wonderful host plops a small bowl of nuts in front of you. You partake, for it would be rude not to. The bowl empties and your fearless host tops it up for you. You, in full innocence only take little hand fulls at a time. Flash forward to two hours later you've been pounding nuts faster than you've been sipping chardonnay while you wait for the over cooked roast. In short, that's a lot o' nuts people. So keep the intake amount in mind.

Let's look at the top three nuts shall we? First place we have the always enjoyable walnut. Yeehaw! Walnuts not only have a good amount of protein but they possess the ability to attack bad cholesterol (LDL). They show up like a Clint Eastwood character and order the bad LDL out of town...or out of your body. Their also rich in omega 3s, the essential fatty acid that protects the heart. Walnuts also help cognitive function so we can appear like, ah smart and stuff. Also the nut contains the antioxidant ellagic acid which fights cancer. Dude, this nut is no joke.

Next up is almonds. These guys contain magnesium and vitamin E. Add to this potassium which many believe keep muscle cramps at bay during exercise. In animal studies almonds have been found to fight colon cancer.

And now, drum roll please. Rounding out the top three is a favorite of mine which I was even prepared to consume regardless of what scientists found. Wait for it; here it is; cashews. Yeah baby, yeah! My friend the cashew has been beaten up the most for being a fatty offender. Ha, no more. And a big au contaire, for the cashew is lower than most nuts in fat. Furthermore, 65% of this fat is unsaturated fat, and 90% of that is oleic acid which is the heart healthy fat found in olive oil.

There it is. Go nuts for nuts. Just don't knock back nuts for two hours straight while waiting for the lobster bisque to hit the table. Stay fit people, your life depends on it.

TRANS FATS!!! Attacking a heart near you

Welcome back everyone. My apologies for the blogular silence. There is an enemy amongst us and he's in our food. I'm talking about trans fats. This is one bad customer. What is it? Scientifically speaking (and not for long) when a fat molecule is double bonded between carbon atoms the bond results in fewer bonds to hydrogen and thus, its unsaturated; which is another name for trans fat. He's a bad dude because increased consumption of this culprit can lead to stroke and risk of heart failure. Trans fats raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and decreases our HDL (good cholesterol).Talk about a double whammy.

So where does this brigand hang his cholesterol abusing hat? Pie crusts, pizza crusts, biscuits, donuts, crackers, cookies and more. Ever wonder why these things end up in our foods and ultimately in us? I hate to appear conspiratorial but one must look to one's government. Get this: In the United States if a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat the manufacturer is allowed to place a label on the product that reads, '0 trans fats'. How do you like them apples? 0.5 grams may seem minuscule but suppose you eat a variety of those '0' labels-they add up, no?

Also look at your friendly food manufacturer who is not unlike a drug dealer. His bottom line is the bottom line-cost. Trans fats are easy to use as well as inexpensive. They cut our food like a drug dealer does his supply to expand it. So, once a gain we have the government in bed with the food company and WE pay the fiddler.

But let us not leave out some restaurants and fast food joints. Many of them use T-fats because their commercial fryers allow them to use the fat/grease over and over again. Yummy! Even in the good old days when we knew nothing and used real butter at least we didn't re-use the old butter. Where's the humanity? N.B. However, in my home we did re-use bacon fat. Ah, the 1970's-it was a different time, wasn't it?

Here's our bottom line fit friends; read the label...as best you can in a society where fraud and false advertising is legal, and keep exercising. Buy organic when you can and anything with a laundry list of ingredients; stop, drop it, and roll on out of there. And if you'd like to get more proactive write your local government representative and demand change. Stay fit, your life depends on it.

Shape Up or Ship Out...the gimmick

Have you ever seen some people walking around shoes with big bulges in the center of their sole. If you watch carefully it appears like they're walking on mini roller coasters with each step. Ever the skeptic I tend to wait until the jury comes back before I jump on these exercise/fitness trends. But let's break it down; the first shoe to toss its 'shoe hat' into the ring is the Shape Up. Former NFL great Joe Montana is the poster boy/ main endorser of the product. To wear these shoes one will be endowed with great calves and a sweet butt, they boast. STOP! Hold the phone! Is this where we are as Americans? Are we so lazy that we want our shoes to do our working out for us? Now I've seen it all. There is no magic pill people, remember that.

So as not to be a blow-hard pessimist I did a little digging into the product. It works like this: The shoe keeps one slightly off balance thus forcing calf, glute and other muscles to fire (so you don't fall on your face or butt) and thus one becomes toned. I've already pointed out that I don't like the notion of shoes doing our heavy lifting. Next, imagine you've just had your 30th birthday and your boss buys you a pair of these shoes instead of the usual Christmas bonus. (Thanks boss). You're now forced to change the way you've been walking for what...the last 27 years? Not cool.

They surveyed a variety of trainers many of which do a type of fitness called crossfit. Crossfit has a lot of dead-lifts, kettle bell exercises, squats and more. The verdict was unanimous. Thumbs down. They all said that for most if not all exercises balance is the key and there is nothing better that shoes with a flat sole or even bare feet. Does the phrase 'stay grounded' ring a bell here, people? Other theorists of which I concur with is that with these shoes and others that offer too much 'support' actually prevent many muscles in the foot from developing properly. This can lead to a weak arch.

Again, there are no magic pills, no short cuts and no magic shoes. Take the gimmicks off your feet and put in the work. Exercise and attitude go hand in hand. If YOU do the work you're attitude toward yourself and others will be totally positive. It will all be sunshine and lollipops (organic, sugar free lollipops). Now shut off your computer and get out there and move.

Bootcamp?

Just a quick note about boot camps. I run one for women-only, although not exactly. By that I mean my workout has women running, jumping, crawling, rolling, lifting, tossing medicine balls and more. But, and I repeat but, I refer to my workout as a Total Body Get Down (TBGD). The title is pretty self explanatory and the workout is similar to other fitness boot camps but the difference is in the name. Boot camps by definition are the training session soldiers go through in the military, agreed? I am not now nor have I ever served in the military and it is this reason that I do not call my workout a boot camp. I have nothing against the military in fact the opposite is true. I respect the military to the point that I'm not going to hijack their term to make myself sound more legit.

If men or women are or were in the military and they are running a fitness boot camp, then all the power to them for they are 'legit'. I'd be implying that I'm something I'm not if I called my workout a boot camp. Many will not agree but it's the way I see it. I ain't a hater nor am I an impostor.

And that my friends is the short story of how and why my fitness workout for women is called a 'Total Body Get Down' and not a boot camp. So come on down ladies and get strong, feel good and leave it all on the field!

jbthefitnessguy.com

THAT FRIGGIN' FRUCTOSE!

It's everywhere people. High fructose corn syrup is in just about everything you eat(except organic food). What is it? Simply put, it is a sweetener. But it is a sweetener that is not as 'good' for you as sugar. Up until the 1970's we got our sugar from sugar cane and sugar beets. But when businessmen who answer to a bottom line gave scientists a problem all hell broke loose. The lab coat dudes figured out a way to combine fructose with sucrose and voila: high fructose corn syrup from corn sugar. But why abandon cane and beets fellas? You guessed it: it's cheaper to produce than the traditional way. HFCS can be produced as a cocktail of 50% glucose 50% sucrose but as time marched on it is often being produced at a ratio of 80% fructose to 20% glucose.

THE BAD NEWS

Fructose is harder on our bodies. It is more difficult to process. It makes the liver work harder to absorb. The excess may come out in urine or be passed as diarrhea or...drum roll please...stored as fat. Obesity in America began to sky rocket in the early 1980's and I'm pointing my finger at HFCS. Nice work science guys! And I don't need to tell you where obesity is today in this country. HFCS is just about everywhere: breads, pasta sauces, bacon as well as health products like protein bars and 'natural sodas'. Imagine doing a kick ass workout and all you want to do is replenish your depleted protein with a tasty energy bar and Boom! Pow! Zap! it's loaded with a man made supplement that's headin' straight for your fat stores. There ought to be a law! Well, there ain't and if you're waiting on the Food & Drug Administration to protect you, HA! Don't hold your breath.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Ladies and gentlemen food manufacturers answer to a bottom line, often at the expense of you and me. It's time you set a bottom line for yourself. A health line that you won't go below. Read the label people and read it well. If High fructose corn syrup is in, then toss it back in the bin. If you care about your health, then leave the high fructose corn syrup on the shelf. If high fructose corn---o.k., o.k. I think you get the picture. Stay fit, your life depends on it!!!

When Do We Eat?

This topic is a hot button issue. Some believe eating late at night causes weight gain while others believe that a calorie is a calorie no matter what time of day or night it is. Let's break it all down (like digestion) shall we. Why do we eat? We eat to get nutrients, vitamins etc. which in turn can be converted into energy. With energy on our side we can move. If we have the right type and amount of nutrients and we move just the right amount we can attain balance. And with that balance we look and feel fit. We tend to eat during the day when we need the energy. (We're awake after all). At night when we sleep our body heals and repairs itself. If our body has any say in the matter restoration is what it wants to do when we sleep. But if we (you) have eaten too late at night and then head straight to bed then the body needs to spend energy digesting. If the body can't get the job done efficiently then the excess calories will be stored as fat. Yup, I said it-fat!

The general consensus is that the last meal should be all said and done by 7pm. Why 7pm? I don't know, it sounds kind of arbitrary to me. Let's try this: give your body 2-3 hours of digestion time after your last meal before putting head to pillow. That way when we are asleep the body can groove on what it needs to do. The bigger issue here is balanced meals throughout the day. Eating 4-5 small meals during the day keeps the tank balanced and makes for easier digestion than eating three huge meals. This eating habit leads to a lesser chance of you craving the late night munchies. But if you must; a fruit or vegetable will do it. If your last big dinner was at 5:30 and you normally go to bed at 11pm then by 10pm those potato chips, fries topped off with ice cream for desert are going to look pretty good.

Getting back to the school of 'a calorie is a calorie'. This is actually true. It's like that old joke/trick from the 1970's,"...what weighs more a thousand pounds of feathers or a thousand pounds of bricks?" A calorie, which is a unit of energy is the same at 6pm as it is at 7pm. But digestion time is the key. Furthermore, if you've done all of your running around during the day, and eaten right then the late night calories are not necessary. Your cup overflows and not in a good way. And as I said earlier what you don't spend or get rid of as waste heads straight for the fat party mezzanine to party with the other fat cells.

FURTHER PRICE TO PAY

Another side effect to the late night binge can be acid reflux. Here's the formula: Big meal. Lie down in bed with full stomach. Acid comes in to work on meal. Gravity moves excess acid up toward the esophagus as opposed to the other direction to the small intestine.

THE WRAP UP

Once again common sense wins out. If you must snack, eat the good stuff and not too much. If you've done your 4-5 meals during the day you won't be craving that big a snack. But in the event you do grab the snack give yourself ample time to digest before you hit the rack. Keep up the exercise routines, eat right and it'll all be cool.

Eat Right And Feel The Might

Lately I've been hearing a common theme from clients and friends. "I workout X number of days per week, but I'm not losing weight." As much as it pains me to say this (although not really) it may be time to look at your diet. And by diet I'm referring to what you eat not, a specific diet like Jenny Craig or Atkins. (And for legal reasons I'm not knocking those diets either, by the way). The first order of business is portion size. Generally speaking restaurants across this great nation give you far more than you need. If you don't believe me just look at the obesity rate in America. Next look at 'what' you are eating. If you eat fast food at all then just throw in the towel immediately. Don't do it! Stay away from the fast food light!

LET'S BREAK IT ON DOWN

You've got new sneakers and a cool workout outfit. You've joined a gym or in some other way you've managed to jump off the couch. Good for you. You've started your new routine but don't have a ton of energy and you're not getting the gains you want. Why? Your body needs fuel. This is then converted into energy which leads to a kicka** workout. But I'm here to tell you that fast food ain't gonna give you didley squat! You'll push and push but a lean mean fightin' machine you will not become! Eating fast food is like putting bad gasoline in your car. Oh, it'll move but it'll sputter, spit and cough and before you know it your're taking her to the mechanic. Comprendez?

TRY THIS ON FOR (A SMALLER) SIZE

Keep a journal of everything you eat for one whole week. No cheating. At the end of the week spread out your food map on a table like an international spy would before a dangerous assignment and ask yourself what you could cut? Were you getting enough greens and fruit? How many little donuts did you actually sneak? And yes you absolutely have to count those silly concoctions from a joint that rhymes with Carducks that truly have little to do with...coffee. Can you imagine? People get a 'coffee' drink with caramel syrup and whip cream out of a can!!! a can I say!!! And they wonder, "Gee Doc I get these funny chest pains when I run on the treadmill."

Next, drink lots of water. Try substituting it for a snack. Like when you feel that urge come on for one of your fave muffins that although contains bran is the size of a grapefruit. (And, ironically a grapefruit would be the better choice). But if you absolutely must snack then go for the carrot sticks or other veggies. They're non fat and energizing too! Yeehaw! Another good snack is nuts. Specifically almonds and walnuts.

TRIVIA

Little known fact, as Cliff Clayvin of t.v. show Cheers used to say, is after actor Christian Bale finished the shooting the movie The Machinist he needed to gain weight fast. (Not the muscle part, just weight, as his Machinist character starves and gets down to 122 lbs.) He gained the weight back quickly by eating...wait for it...bread! So be careful how much bread y'all intake.

And so ends this this first blog entry. Stop by again for more fitness facts, fables and funky words.

Peace, love and fitness to you all