Newsletter #5

Welcome to spring, I hope everyone is motivated to get in great shape for the summer. This month I want to talk about some frequently asked questions and some observations I've made at the gym.

Will alcohol cause me gain weight?

Alcohol is a carbohydrate but is not converted to glucose to be used for energy as other carbohydrates are. Instead, it is converted into fatty acids and thus more likely to be stored as body fat. So, if you drink and train alcohol puts fat metabolism on hold. Alcohol is not your friend if you're trying to stay lean. A shot, 1.5oz, is approximately 110 empty calories (calories which will not be used for any function) A 12oz. Beer contains 146 calories. A 31/2 oz serving of table wine is 72 calories. So if you are working hard in the gyms to be lean do you really want those extra calories?

Is Diet Soda bad for me

Critics of diet sodas point out that artificial sweeteners cause the brain to react to sweet taste by preparing the liver to receive a new supply of sugar. And if no sugar appears, the liver signals an urge to eat, or possibly over-eat.

Why do I need water when I workout? Ever wonder why some days you're so pooped, weak and can't lift your usual weights?

One reason may be dehydration. To move muscles, you need water. Water is found in it's highest concentration in metabolically active tissues such as muscles. Muscles are controlled by nerves. The electrical stimulation of nerves and contraction of muscles occurs as a result of the exchange of electrolyte minerals dissolved in water. If you are low on water or electrolytes, the muscle strength and control are weakened. A water deficit of just 2 to 4% of your body weight can cut your strength training down by as much as 21% and your aerobic power down by 48% if you are dehydrated. Your body's thirst mechanism kicks in when you've lost 2% of it water, but by that time you are already dehydrated. If you don't replenish your water during exercise your performance will be affected. To prevent dehydration, drink often throughout the day, and during and after exercise. Remember to drink prior to feeling thirsty.

Is Coffee bad for me? According to leading medical and scientific experts, normal coffee consumption produces no adverse health effects. Yes, coffee will also count toward your daily fluid needs, as well vegetables and fruit.

Please remember any nutritional tips I may suggest are for healthy active people. If you have any health concerns please refer to a registered dietician for proper care.

Most people continue to do the same exact cardio routine week in and week out. They don't add more time or intensity. They also continue to believe that this approach is still helping them. Are any of these people seeing results? Should I inform them that they're wasting time With a goal to shed excess fat, many men and women implement an exercising strategy that includes walking, running, aerobics, and long sessions on the cardio machines at the gym. They might include some strength training, but aerobic exercise seems to take priority. It seems that these hard-working exercisers find it more and more difficult to stay lean, get lean, or just lose fat in general. How can this be? Isn't it time for you to really re-evaluate this 'cardio' obsession. It's time to put aside outdated methods and attempt new strategies for fat loss. Simply put, most trainers and exercisers have been going about this fat loss thing ALL WRONG. The cardio obsession was not unfounded. There are many health benefits of aerobic, cardiovascular exercise (decreased blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, improved blood flow and heart function, increased control of blood sugar, etc), long cardio does burn calories and it does burn fat. Is extended low intensity 'cardio' bad?. Walking, running, swimming none of this is bad for your body. Eating a Big Mac every day for lunch is bad for your body. Aerobic exercise is 100% healthy. And long cardiovascular exercise has its place. Steady-state cardio can also be used in an initial program for beginners or as a way to increase one's overall activity. Otherwise, continuous aerobic exercise as a beneficial fat-loss weapon has been greatly over-emphasized for way too long. Past research caused most exercisers and trainers to implement lots of long, steady aerobic exercise. Many add this type of cardio to their strength training programs as a source of extra calories burned (especially fat calories!). However, many, people have interpreted this information by deciding that aerobic training is superior for fat loss.

Do you want to burn a lot of calories in a shorter amount of time AND experience an elevated metabolism for the rest of the day? Then your best bet for a cardio workout is High-Intensity Interval Training involves performing your preferred cardiovascular exercise for only 15-20 minutes. During that shortened time frame, a series of short, high intensity bursts and longer low intensity intervals are performed. When an exerciser begins interval training the low intensity intervals will be fairly long. In the following weeks, the low intensity intervals can be progressively decreased, the high intensity intervals can advance to greater intensities, and more interval sets can be completed.This type of cardiovascular training is so much more effective for fat loss! The intensity of the exercise causes you to burn more calories in less time, and it helps to raise your metabolism for a period of time after you have finished. If you implement interval training on the days in between your strength training, you will be sustaining an elevated metabolism all week!

Add intensity to your exercise program for a more effective workout!!!!!

The same people that are pounding away on their same cardio- machines week after week believe that strength training solely grows muscle and cardio solely burns fat. This is not true.

The purpose of strength training is to build muscle. However, muscle is the body's calorie burning equipment. Muscle burns calories 24 hours a day. Therefore, the more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, and the more calories you are able to burn. During high-intensity, anaerobic exercise, metabolism increases for an extended amount of time. This increase in metabolism causes extra calories to be burned for up to 48 hours after strength training! The higher the intensity of the strength training session, the longer the metabolism remains elevated, and the more calories burned during exercise recovery.

One important reminder: It is necessary to receive medical clearance before starting a vigorous exercise program

Best Wishes for continued good health,
David White
david@maximizefitness.com
Please let me know if there is anyone else that may benefit from future E-mails I would be glad to add him or her to the list.
Any questions regarding training or this newsletter please E-mail the above address or call
213-760-3144