Sunday, September 5th, 2010: Elite Athletes Prep..

Friday, September 3rd, 2010: It's Only a Couple of Pounds....

Awesome article from FuelasRx.

There's the "Freshman 15", the "Winter Cushion" and the "Seasonal 7".  All ways to describe little increases in weight that are more or less 'expected' and 'accepted' as normal in today's society.  These small weight 'creeps' often get downplayed as insignificant.  It is - "only a couple pounds", right? 

According to a couple of recent studies it might be time to seriously look at vacation and seasonal "no rules" eating.   A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism shows that overeating, even for short periods, may result in long-term negative health effects.  The study had subjects overeat and reduce activity for a period of four weeks, (think the holiday season...).  At the end of the four week period the individuals had gained an average of 14 pounds.  Now, here's where it gets good.  After six months the subjects had lost, on average, 50% of the weight gained in the four week food festival.  At 12 months, weights were still greater than starting and at 2.5 years post study the overeaters were an average of 11 pounds heavier and were carrying 2-4% more body fat than they were prior to the pigout.  The weights of control group subjects were nearly the same at the beginning and end of the study period....

So, what does all this mean?  What most of us already know...  The 'occasional' cheat meal is acceptable, healthy and normal, however; justifying eating 'off' for the entire holiday season or while on a two week vacation is not a good idea.  In fact, those frequent moments of indulgence may cost more than you think!

See full article..

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010: Moose Offer Trail of Clues on Arthritis

The arthritic Bullwinkles got that way because of poor nutrition early in life, an extraordinary 50-year research project has discovered. That could mean, scientists say, that some people’s arthritis can be linked in part to nutritional deficits, in the womb and possibly throughout childhood.

The moose conclusion bolsters a small but growing body of research connecting early development to chronic conditions like osteoarthritis, which currently affects 27 million Americans, up from 21 million in 1990.

For people, several historical cases may suggest a nutritional link. Bones of 16th-century American Indians in Florida and Georgia showed significant increases in osteoarthritis after Spanish missionaries arrived and tribes adopted farming, increasing their workload but also shifting their diet from fish and wild plants to corn, which “lacks a couple of essential amino acids and is iron deficient,” said Clark Larsen, an Ohio State University anthropologist collaborating with Dr. Peterson. Many children and young adults were smaller and died earlier, Dr. Larsen said, and similar patterns occurred when an earlier American Indian population in the Midwest began farming maize.

See full article.

Monday, August 30th, 2010: Easy Transition to Proper Nutrtion

In CrossFits model for sports performance nutrition is the bottom block, the most important aspect, the biggest influence effecting your athletic performance.  Proper nutrition doesn't just affect your how you perform in your WOD but most importantly how you preform during your day. Do you get tired in the middle of the day? Do you have trouble focusing? The quick solution and not necessarily the best is to reach for a 5 hour energy or Quad espresso. The best solution is to take a look at what you are consuming through out your busy day.

Here are some tips to hopefully simplify your thoughts on proper nutrition and keep you on the right track:

EAT: A common myth is if I don't eat I can't gain weight. When your body stops getting food it goes into a starvation mode and saves fat. The weight you will lose (not much) will be mostly water and muscle tissue. This is bad because not only will you have to start eating again but since you now have less muscle, and therefore a slower metabolism as opposed to when you began fasting, you will gain even more fat on top of the fat that your body stored while you fasted.

Don't skip breakfast, try to eat your larger meals during the day and don't fear fats or carbohydrates. Eat balanced meals a basic formula to follow is 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carb. Experiment to see what works best for you.

Have a plan: Just know that if you buy the bag of chips or box of cookies once you open it you will finish it. Do not buy them in the first place. Buy healthy foods and snacks.  Stick to shopping on the permitter of the store, where the produce, and meats are. Prepare you food for the week or a couple of days ahead of time.

Nothing Drastic: Have you ever made a drastic change to your diet? How long did that last? The best adjustments and changes in a sustained diet are the ones that are gradual. Don't think of your eating habits as being on a diet but rather healthy eating choices. 

Post WOD: Have a blend of protein and carbs to replenish the energy you burned off. Don't be tricked into more protein than needed. As a general rule the body can only process 25-30 grams of protein at a time the rest is waste. So supplement wisely. 

So start your day right. Eat a well balance breakfast. Have a light snack between meals. Steer away from the processed foods and added sugars. Just those simple adjustments will control the cravings and increase your performance and well being.

Saturday, August 28th, 2010: The dangers of high fructose corn syrup

Thanks Jim for sharing the article.

"Recently, lead researcher Georgina Coade of the University of Bristol in the U.K. presented her team's findings at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. What they found in a laboratory study of cells from healthy-weight children really should put the final nail in the coffin of HFCS. Coade's team found that when fructose is present as children's fat cells mature, those cells become more mature ("fatter") in belly fat. They also found that affected fat cells (both belly and subcutaneous cells) become less sensitive to insulin. The link between abdominal fat and higher risks of developing heart disease and diabetes is no secret. And decreased insulin sensitivity goes hand-in-hand with Type 2 diabetes. So kids who consume a lot of fructose are being more or less set up for a life-long struggle with these diseases." See full article.

1. Juice  -If a juice drink is not made with 100 percent juice, it generally contains a large amount of HFCS, along with other artificial and natural ingredients and flavors. Some examples include: Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, Capri-Sun Juices, and Tropicana OrangeAde.

2. Soda

3. Breakfast Cereal -Even healthy breakfast cereals contain HFCS. For instance: Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch and Smart Start Healthy Heart.

4. Yogurt - Once again, seemingly healthy foods like yogurt often contain HFCS. Often, it is found in those that contain “fruit” and other sweetened varieties, such as Dannon and Yoplait.

5. Salad Dressings - Believe it or not, HFCS is often added into seemingly un-sweet items like salad dressings.

6. Breads and Baked Goods - Wonderbread, as well as other “healthier” bread products, such as Pepperidge Farm’s line of 100 percent whole grain breads and Sara Lee Heart Healthy Whole Grain Bread are guilty of HFCS use. This is a classic case of ‘HFCS hiding behind whole grain marketing’.

7. Candy and Candy Bars Many name brand candy, such as Hershey’s Watchamacallet, and Lifesavers contain HFCS.

8. Nutrition Bars - Don’t let the word “nutrition” fool you. Many nutrition bars, such as Power Bars, Balance Bars and Zone Perfect Bars contain HFCS.

Thursday, August 26th, 2010: The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

Alecia..thank you for sharing the following Huffington Post.  So before reading on, answer the following question, do you think Vitaminwater is healthy?

"Now here's something you wouldn't expect. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company's vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

Does this mean that you'd have to be an unreasonable person to think that a product named "vitaminwater," a product that has been heavily and aggressively marketed as a healthy beverage, actually had health benefits? "

Continue Reading...

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010: Parents Oblivious to Overweight Kids

As obesity rates hit record levels, a new study finds that many adults don’t recognize weight problems in their children. The consequences can be severe.

The obesity alarm bells are ringing again. A new report out this week finds that more than two thirds of states (38 total) have adult obesity rates above 25 percent—a striking increase since 1991, when no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. Hardest hit: Mississippi, which weighed in at 33.8 percent, followed by Alabama and Tennessee (tied at 31.6 percent), West Virginia (31.3 percent), and Louisiana (31.2 percent). 

See Newsweek Article...

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010: A House Divided...

So you are on this Paleo thing but everyone else in your household isn't on board.  It is extremely difficult to resist sugar urges, resist the carb cravings while eating more and more vegetagbles. 

Awesome idea from Christie Tracy's Blog.  See article here.

"You see, when I made the decision to begin the Whole30 ("PALEO"), and make this way of eating a life-long thing, I tried desperately to get my husband to do the 30 days with me on a "trial basis". I love him dearly, but his eating habits had slid as much as mine had over the last 6 months, and they are starting to impact his health. In his defense, he has made an effort to improve the quality of the foods that he is eating (no more McDonalds/fast food, and he's cut down his Pepsi consumption from 2L a day to 20oz a day), but he was just not ready to go "all in" with me - and I have to respect his decision - you simply can't force this way of life on someone who is not ready for it - it has to be something that a person wants for themself.

As a result, I haven't been able to "purge" my house of non-paleo foods. Mainstays in my husbands diet are (white) bagels w/ cream cheese, toast, cereals with milk, sandwiches with cheese, baked beans, sodas, sweet tea, and frozen desserts like popsicles.

Fortunately, he doesn't complain when I cook Paleo dinners (I refuse to cook two seperate meals!), but I have found it hard over the last week to be sitting at my desk in the morning, and suddenly have the heavenly smell of a toasty bagel floating through the air, tempting me! It's equally as hard to watch him eat a popsicle after dinner, which is when my sugar cravings tend to kick into high gear. Lastly, I found out early in the first day that opening my pantry and seeing the bread, cereal, and bagles was not a good thing for my will-power . . or my sanity!

I know that many people who follow a Paleo lifestyle have family members or children who are not Paleo-Compliant - I would have to assume that it is difficult for them as well, especially in the begining as they are trying to go "cold turkey".

So what can be done to make things a little less difficult, without forcing the Paleo lifestyle on those that we live with who do not want it for themselves?

Here is my solution:

• I set up a seperate shelf in my pantry, above my eye level, and I put all of my husbands "non-paleo" foods on this shelf. I have two shelfs at eye level and below that are full of all of my Paleo-compliant foods. So when I reach into the pantry for olive oil or coconut milk, I don't have to reach past his bagels :)

• I did the same in the fridge - there is one shelf dedicated to his soft drinks, baked beans, cheeses, and anything else that doesn't fit into my diet - there are also two condiment shelves with the salad dressings, ketchup, mayo, ect. Then I have MY shelves stocked full of veggies, fruit, lean meats, and water :) When I open the fridge, I can go straight to my shelves, and don't even have to glance at the stuff on his shelf that would normally tempt me or set off a craving.

• I've also asked him not to leave the bagels or toaster on the counter-top, as both make me think of bagels, and tend to set off a craving - he's been great about putting these things away when he's done with them.

• Lastly, I just leave the room after dinner when he's enjoying his popsicle - I can easily use that 5 minutes to straighten up in the kitchen, lay my workout clothes out for the next day, or sort some laundry - it would be unfair of me to ask him to leave the room!"

Friday, August 20th, 2010: Vitamin A

So we never knew what caused the bumps on the upper part of the arm on occasion.  Thanks to Balanced Bites, here some great information on Vitamin A.

I've recently come to the realization that I'm not getting enough vitamin A. Well, either that or I'm not absorbing enough of it. Why do I think I'm not absorbing vitamin A? Well, one of the symptoms of this deficiency, according to WHFoods.com, is a "goose bump-like appearance of the skin." You may even have felt this on yourself before. The clinical term for this symptom appears to be keratosis pilaris. They're not like regular goose bumps that come and go with a chill; these stick around. They're follicles that don't feel smooth to the touch, and mine are on my upper arms. They aren't very pronounced, but if I touch my arms, I can feel them. On some people they're visible and can be much more unsightly, possibly resembling a form of acne.  Continue Reading..

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010: A Workout for Your Bloodstream

A new study that gauged the metabolic effects of exercise may significantly advance our understanding of what’s going on inside a body in motion. During the experiment, scientists actually saw how much being fit changes your ability to incinerate fat, moderate blood sugar and otherwise function well. They also uncovered proof, at once inspiring and cautionary, of just how complicated and pervasive exercise’s consequences are.See full article from New York Times