Your Best Body Ever

9 Oct 2009

Spot reducing…and why it doesn’t work.

One of the most common questions I get from my clients at the Diversified Health and Fitness gyms is how to tone certain areas of the body. Most people have these spots – for women, it’s usually their thighs, butt, or abs. Men are usually focused on their “spare tire” region too. It can be frustrating to see these areas gain weight as we get older and are less active. Often, these “trouble spots” are the main motivation for people to get themselves in shape. But no matter how hard you try to weight lift and do cardio, can we really do anything about these areas?

Fat and muscle are two different kinds of tissue. So “fat doesn’t turn into muscle”, as I sometimes here when I train. Nor does it help to lift weight and then expect to see results when you have a layer of fat still lying over your newly stronger muscles. To really see a result in that area, you need to combine weight lifting with a lower calorie diet and cardio to burn off the extra pounds. I can’t tell you how many people I have with super strong abs but no six pack!

Spot reducing is also futile for another reason, primarily because you’re fighting your own genetics. If your genetics dictate that your butt is supposed to be pear shaped, there’s only so much you can do to change that. Your body also doesn’t know you’re trying to reduce a certain area, so when you do cardio and lose weight, your body may lose that weight in your belly instead of your butt. It simply depends on your personal genetics, and those are impossible to fight.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get into the gym though and start hitting the cardio machines! Even if you’re not seeing the results you’d like in your given trouble spots, over time you may see an improvement in that area as your body loses fat everywhere.

Hey, it would be great if we all looked like supermodels. But realistically, their body types aren’t what most people are going to look like. So even if you’re not satisfied with that little extra weight around your belly, it’s time to start accepting your body for the way it is and work out to lose fat and become healthy. Nobody, not even models, have “perfect bodies”, and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to get there.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

30 Sep 2009

Whole grains you may have not known about…

Let’s face it; it’s not easy to eat right all the time. We’re constantly rushed, on the go, and it’s hard to find healthy options while eating out or at fast food places. However, one way you can boost your healthy eating is by choosing whole grain products, whether or not you’re at home or not. Whole grain bread and other products are widely available everywhere, so you really have no excuses!

Whole grains are different than their unrefined counterparts. White bread, white rice, and other carbohydrates become unrefined when they are processed and the grain is stripped of its outer nutritious covering. This process makes these far less nutritious, and some say detrimental, for our health. Whole grains include vitamin E, iron, manganese, and zinc, and consuming them is vital to your diet.

Lest you think that the only whole grains you can find are wheat bread – think again! There are several varieties of whole grains that can be included in your daily diet for some delicious meals. Some, you may not have even heard about yet. Following is a list of some of the great options you can choose from.

Farro – Consistently used in Italian cooking, this grain is low-fat and low-cal, with a texture similar to rice. It’s a great alternative to Arborio rice, which is used in risotto, and other side dishes. You could also throw it into tossed salads or make a delicious summer salad with some grilled veggies and dressing.

Quinoa – One of my favorite alternative grains, quinoa is versatile and packed with nutrition. It’s high in fiber and protein, has a great crunchy texture, and is super easy to make. It’s pretty mild and can be used in so many dishes. I often make a casserole out of it with some sautéed veggies and some low fat feta cheese. Yum!

Millet – Another lovely choice, millet is gaining popularity in this country as a staple grain once more. It’s small and crunchy, and has more protein in it than brown rice and contains no gluten, so it’s great if you’re gluten free or have wheat allergies. It can beef up some of your dishes, such as soups or meatloaf, but is also great stuffed into zucchini with tomatoes, olives, and some low fat mozzarella.

Barley – A great addition to soups and stews, this is grain can help you lower your cholesterol and also contains the antioxidant selenium. If you can find pearl barley, this is a better option, as hulled barley loses its nutrition when processed. Try it as another alternative to Arborio rice, as it will absorb the broth and retain its crunchiness.

Bulgur – Chances are you’ve had bulgur if you’ve ever tried tabbouleh, a popular Middle Eastern dish. Bulgur is one of the first grains to be used by humans for consumption. It’s rich in folate, B vitamins, and fiber. To make tabbouleh, combine cooked bulgur with olive oil, tomatoes, a little garlic, scallions, parsley, and lemon juice and refrigerate for a few hours to combine the flavors. Sometimes I’ll add some kalamata olives, chick peas, feta cheese, cucumbers, or a jar of artichoke hearts packed in water to the recipe. Delicious!

You can find most of these delicious grains at your supermarket, generally in the organic or health food sections, or at specialty health food stores like Whole Foods. Give them a shot, you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

25 Sep 2009

Understanding Protein – Part 3

The Low Carb Diet Craze


In the past several years, the popularity of diets low in carbohydrates (Atkins, Zone diet) has soared. A lot of my clients at the Diversified Health and Fitness gyms ask me advice about these diets; in fact, it’s this type of diet that I get the most questions about. I love to answer questions about this topic, as I feel that most people are uninformed about how this kind of diet works and will look to it as a “quick fix”. And when you’re trying to achieve your best body ever, I know there’s no such thing.

Low carb diets are generally structured around eating minimal carbohydrates (breads, grains, rice, starchy vegetables) and lots of protein. Proteins that people usually go to when on this diet include poultry, fish, beef, pork, nuts/seeds, and cheese products. Unfortunately, a lot of people will ditch the leaner sources of protein on this list and eat a lot of bacon and cheeseburgers. I know firsthand – my father went on this diet and pretty much ate bacon the entire time. Not exactly a super healthy diet, right?

The idea behind these diets is that ingesting carbohydrates raises your blood sugar, which thereby causes a release of insulin into the bloodstream. The theory is that insulin then drives blood sugar into the cells, where it inhibits the breakdown of fat in the body, which will prohibit you from burning fat and losing weight.

The proponents of this diet feel that if you don’t eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar and insulin levels will be lower. And as carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy, if there is less of this to use, the body will turn to fat as its main source of energy, causing you to lose weight.

Sounds like a great theory, right? Initially, when you begin this kind of diet, you will end up losing more weight than if you had tried a more traditional, restricted calorie, low fat food based diet. However, most of this initial weight drop off is due to water loss. When the body needs to use protein as its main source of energy, a large amount of water is needed to convert the protein into a usable source of energy. In essence, it’s not fat you’re losing, its water. Eventually, though, this diet becomes like all others – a restricted calorie diet. Carbs make up the majority of the American diet, so when you remove those you end up eating less.

It might sound great to eat solely bacon and cheeseburgers every meal, but it can actually be pretty difficult to maintain this kind of diet without getting bored with your meal choices. So although you’ll see some initial weight loss, studies show that eventually most people who adhere to this diet for a little while will eventually go back to eating carbs at some point.

The safety of this diet is also in question with experts. In the case of my father, he had way too much saturated fat, which led to gallstones and emergency gallbladder removal. Other drawbacks of this diet include foul breath, low energy levels, and unhealthy looking skin.

Most people are also not “carb sensitive” as a lot of these low carb diet gurus would like you to believe. Those that are do often benefit from this kind of diet, but for the most part, it’s a better bet for long term weight loss if you go it the hard route – exercise, eat properly, and take care of yourself all around.

4 Sep 2009

“Keep coleslaw low-fat. Instead of mayonnaise, try a dressing make of 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt, 3 tablespoons apple juice, and 2 tablespoons vinegar. That’s enough for a pound and a half of shredded cabbage with 2 cups of shredded carrots, 2 shredded celery stalks, 1/3 cup raisins, and 1 diced apple. Each one cup serving has just 74 calories (5% of them from fat.)”
— University of California, Berkeley. 365 Tips for Better Health.

1 Sep 2009

“High nutritious foods are often low in cost. Among them are potatoes, bananas, carrots, rice, whole-wheat flour, and dried beans - the sort of high-fiber, low-fat foods that nutrionists now recommend. They also to tend to come with minimal packaging - an environmental plus.”
— University of California, Berkeley. 365 Tips for Better Health.