Carbohydrates and Sugar Cravings

There are various types of food cravings such as salty, crunchy, spicy, sour and of course sweet. A sugar craving tends to the most common and very detrimental to your health, especially if you exercise on occasion or not at all. When people crave sugar, they may go for a quick fix and opt for sugary drinks, candy, cake, cookies or other processed foods.

All carbohydrates contain sugar and are simple or complex depending on their structure; in addition, they are our main source of energy. Most of your processed foods are simple and contain refined sugar with little vitamins and minerals. Think of packaged cookies and cakes. When large amounts of simple sugars are ingested in the absence of other nutrients, they enter the bloodstream very quickly, which provides that quick burst of energy. In a short time, the blood sugar drops and hunger sets in again. The body is looking for an even level of blood sugar so it tells you to eat something to bring it back up. So you may go for sugar again and this starts a cycle of ups and downs until you eat a meal.

When complex carbohydrates such as vegetables or whole grains are ingested, it takes more time for the body to process; therefore, the bloodstream does not get flooded as when drinking a sugary drink. The sugar takes a longer time to be absorbed, which provides a longer duration of energy. Also, when complex carbohydrates or (natural) simple carbohydrates such as fruit are consumed with other nutrients (a healthy fat, protein or fiber) the absorption rate is slowed.

Exercise is so important to how the body processes carbohydrates, as well. The more you exercise, the more the carbohydrates are transformed and used as immediate energy. If a person is not exercising, the body will use what it needs from those transformed carbohydrates and the remainder may be stored as fat.

When you are feeling hungry and sluggish and need a snack, go for a piece of fruit and yogurt. Other options are one tablespoon of peanut butter on a whole grain piece of bread or carrot sticks with hummus. Whatever you do, make it more natural and healthy and let go of the processed to let go of the cravings.

What Exercises Can I Do for my Abs?

This is a common question, which you may be thinking about yourself. One of my cousins emailed me recently and stated, “I’m not joining a gym and want to exercise at home. What are some things I can do to get rid of my stomach besides sit ups?” I also had a class member that asked if I had a workout designed specifically for abdominals.

All of my clients and class members know that I will do some type of abdominal work throughout and at the end of our workouts. I also tell them that they can do abdominal exercises day in and day out, however, if they do not clean up what they eat in addition to adding at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise combined with strength training at least 3 days per week, their tummy will stay. Abdominal exercises mean nothing if you continue to eat in the same manner that put the extra inches around your waist. If you are a woman and your waist is equal or larger than 35 inches and as a man your waist is equal or larger than 40 inches, you are at risk for weight related illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. Even if you are not in that category, you would still need to increase your exercise intensity and eat better if your abdominals are not where you want them to be.

First, reduce with intention to eliminate high sugar, high fat and processed foods from your diet. When your body consumes these items, there is no nutritional content. The greater nutritional value that your body needs is in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Once you have made the food commitment, add more cardiovascular exercise to your life. Find something that you love to do. See my last entry dated August 15, 2010 on Falling Off the Wagon. When these two items are part of your lifestyle, the abdominal work that you are doing will make more of an impact.

One of my favorite exercises for the abdominals is the Plank. Start by lying on the floor with your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your body into a full flat bridge. Tighten your core, glutes and quads as you push into your forefeet to keep your torso rigid. Without allowing your hips to hike up or your tummy to sag, try to stay in the position as long as you can while looking at the floor. Try it at least 3 times working toward 1 minute each time. If you are new, start with 10 seconds. This is something that can be done during the commercials as you watch your favorite TV show!

Falling Off The Wagon

So, it has been a few weeks since you worked out or maybe a month . . . or two.

You made progress when you were exercising, whether you lost inches, weight or maybe you felt stronger and had more energy. Now the weight and inches are creeping back or maybe you feel a little more sluggish. The benefits of exercise happen when you participate on a consistent basis. It has to be consistent with an activity that you find enjoyable.

There are so many different types of exercise formats to try. It could be machines at a fitness center, an aerobic/dance/boot camp class in or outside of the gym or your own DVD or favorite on-demand show in the privacy of your home. Whatever it is, stay committed and add it into your schedule. Make time. If you get distracted at home, the camaraderie of a class or partner helps because you are working on a common goal together. This could be two or three times per week.

Even if you have fallen off the wagon, it is waiting for you to jump back on and keep going. Only you can do the work for yourself. Yes, it is harder to come back after a hiatus, but it is not insurmountable. Get back on and keep plugging along. It is important for your health and fitness. Our bodies thrive on movement and degenerates without it. Vary your workout, but always include strength, cardiovascular work, balance and flexibility. Be experimental as you consider rock climbing, skating, in-line or ballroom dancing, karate, Pilates, tai chi and yoga. Your options are endless; just get back on that wagon.

Fuel Prior To Exercise

Working out on an empty stomach is not the best choice, but with so many choices, including supplements, decisions become harder to make. It may be difficult to know what to eat before a workout and when. What you eat has a large impact on your exercise routine. It may make a difference between an energetic workout or a workout in which you lose energy quick, feel dizzy and want to stop. If you are already consuming a healthy diet and getting enough calories, you can rely on your appetite, experience and energy levels to tell you if you need anything more. If you are just starting out, find what works best for you. Here are some basic guidelines for fueling your body before workouts.

Early Morning
If you have the ability to workout in the early morning hours, try to eat something small to avoid feeling dizzy and/or having hunger pangs. Try eating around 200-300 calories snack/meal if you are going to workout within an hour of waking up. Avoid too much fat or protein since these take longer to digest. Suggestions: 2 slices of whole wheat toast or low-fat granola bars or dried/fresh fruit.

Midday
In order to avoid hunger during your noon workout be sure to plan your day and have a snack or eat your meal one to two hours before the workout. Also, target 200 – 400 calories (close to 2 hours = 400 calorie meal/snack) for your consumption. Great options are shakes/bars or yogurt or fresh/dried fruit or even a small bowl of oatmeal. Upon your return from your noon workout, eat a well balanced meal to refuel your body!

After Work
The key for a post-work workout is to plan ahead. One to two hours before leaving work, eat a small, balanced meal around 300 – 400 calories. Suggestions: reduced-fat cheese/whole grain crackers or low-fat cottage cheese and veggies, a whole grain muffin and/or fruit.

After Exercise
Once you have completed your workout, you need to replenish the nutrients and fuel sources you have just used during your workout and during the day if your workout is later in the day. Correct portion sizes and consistency help to engage the body for optimal recovery. A balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and fat is important and an example meal is 3 oz. skinless chicken breast, 2 cups of vegetables, 1/2 cup of brown rice and 1/4 cup of avocado.

Keep hydrated before/during/after exercise
Your hydration is important before, during and after your workouts. Dehydration may cause headaches, fatigue and cramping. A good rule of thumb is to drink water throughout the day, then have 8- 24 ounces (depending on your body) an hour or two before a workout. Sip water during your workout and drink plenty of liquids after your session.

Shoud I Feel the BURN?

A question I often get from clients and class participants is: “Should I feel more of a “burn” after my workout?”

Sometimes people feel that if they are not getting a “burn” or muscle soreness, they are not getting an effective workout. This is not definitively true. I usually ask my clients how they felt after their last training session to see how their bodies responded to the workout. I get varying responses such as; “I felt the workout in this particular body part.” Or “I felt a good sore all over.” Or “I feel fine, no soreness.”

Muscles soreness is not always an indicator that you had a great workout and if you are not sore, you can still be productive. Muscles soreness usually occurs from your muscles doing something they are not used to doing or have not done in a while.

When someone is starting a new workout, his or her body will feel the effects and may get sore. After a while, the body will get used to it and may be not as sore in the weeks or months after. That person can change the intensity of the exercises by doing more repetitions, adding more weight or walking/biking longer on a hiking trail with inclines or maybe doing completely different exercises. Any of these changes could create muscle soreness.

There are some individuals that may be sore all the time and those that may not get sore too often or at all. Every person is different, so the only person you can listen to is you. Get in tune with your body as you travel your fitness journey. Are you getting stronger? Is your posture improving? Do you feel more balanced? All of these areas should improve if you are putting your all into your workout. You will only get out of your experience what you put in.

A better indicator of the effects of your workout comes from the scale, mirror, your clothes fitting, pictures and/or tape measurements. Remember, your workout is just one component toward a goal of a healthier you. The food you put in your mouth is a bigger component. More to come!

Age . . A state of mind and definitely Body

Getting older is a state of mind and body. You can allow your actual age to define you or maybe not. I want to discuss how exercising and eating healthier can help so that you are NOT defined by your age.
No matter if you are a man or woman, I ask if you take a look in the mirror can you tell me that you look and feel your age and maybe younger OR do you feel and look older? If you look older, there are so many ways to help stay young such hair color and make up, yet those methods of assistance cannot last forever. Now with hair color, that may be out of your control genetically, but with makeup ladies, it should be there to enhance your beauty without masking.

So maybe you are going out on the town with your partner or friends and you find ways to make you feel younger. It may not be just hair and makeup, but maybe something that your are wearing makes you look and feel younger for that moment, however, how do you feel the next day when you have an extra 20, 50 or 100 pounds that you should lose? You most likely feel your age because the weight is still there the next day, week, month or year. The makeup and outfit are not permanent. Are you tired? Do you have lack of energy? Do your joints hurt from carrying too much weight? All of the pampering and superficial stuff does not make that go away.

Think about when you see dramatic before and after pictures of people that have lost 50-100 pounds, you cannot deny that they look younger. They automatically have more energy because the body is not carrying extra weight that it is not meant to have. Everyone has an ideal weight range, which is your BMI or Body Mass Index. For the average adult, you can take a look at many websites to calculate this number, which is an indicator of where your weight should be for a healthier you. One of many sites I came across is, www.caloriecheckbook.com. Check it out!

You can reverse your age by exercising and eating healthier. With each decade of life there are changes that can occur if a person is sedentary. These changes can be a decline of aerobic capacity, body fat distribution around the hips and thighs for women and around the waistline for men, loss of balance, flexibility and core strength. Muscle mass has reached its peak in the late 20s and if the muscles are not challenged outside of what they do every day, they will decrease which contributes to the slowing of the metabolism and eventual weight gain for both women and men.

Eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables and other natural foods can only enhance your health. You have to take care of yourself from the inside out. Reduce or eliminate all of the processed, high fat, salty and sweet foods. The body knows what it needs. It needs nutrient dense foods that provide vitamins and minerals. When you take care of yourself on the inside with healthier food options, it shows on the outside and when combined with exercise, it definitely shows. So work on staying fit and healthy starting now and for your older years to come!

Ways To Include Fitness In Your Life

How much is enough? The bottom line is that, to achieve maximal gain, you need to get physically active every day for at least 30 minutes, preferably up to an hour (especially if you need to lose weight). Across the week, your fitness plan should include not only aerobic exercise, but also a routine to maintain your posture, strength, balance, and flexibility. If you don't know, or are having trouble starting, here are some practical tips to help you get going and stick to a very important component of your life.

1. Choose a time of day that works best for you to exercise. Is it early morning before your day starts? That way it is done and you have time after work for kids activities or anything else that requires your time. Or it may be after work. This time works better for your body and schedule.
2. Get your exercise clothes ready. If you are early morning, have them out waiting for you in clear view so when the alarm clock goes off, you are ready to go. Or if you decide to exercise after work, have your clothes in your gym bag so that you can change after work.
3. Find a partner who is at your fitness level and set dates to exercise together. That way, you keep each other encouraged and motivated.
4. Vary your exercises. Make sure you include cardiovascular challenges, strength training, balance and stretching into your regimen.
5. Discover ways to minimize boredom that may come with a routine. It could be different music, Fit TV clips, DVDs, fitness classes, books/magazines or podcasts when you are on your own.

Think about it. Would you go a day without taking a shower, brushing your teeth or combing your hair???? Include fitness in this list. It is possible; you have to make time to do it. Whatever it takes, GET MOVING!! When you start seeing results and change, you will be glad you did.