Chipotle video

Resistance Training

In a recent study performed at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, researchers wanted to determine whether the composition of body weight (fat vs. muscle) regained after intentional weight loss is similar in composition to the body weight that was lost. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, which means that it's burning calories even while we are at rest. Fat mass, on the other hand, is relatively inactive tissue; it keeps us warm and protects our organs, but it's not burning any calories. These facts are important to keep in mind when thinking about losing weight and maintaining lost weight. This study included 78 women with an average age of 58, who recently lost about 25 pounds. Researchers assessed body composition (muscle mass vs. fat mass) immediately after the weight loss, then at 6 and 12 months after the end of the weight loss period. They found that when the participants lost weight, about 30% of that was due to a loss of muscle mass. When the regainers gained weight over the course of the next year, only 20% of the weight regained was muscle. This means that the women gained back a higher proportion of fat than they lost. For most people, losing that metabolically active muscle tissue and regaining fat makes it harder to lose weight in the future.

Barramundi

I'm excited to try this for dinner this weekend.

The Difference Between Men & Women

Aspartame- and a little bit more...

I read an interesting piece from Jay Robb this week as he answered a viewer email. The person asked about the difference between ASPARTAME, ASPARTAMINE and ASPARTIC ACID. They received the following response from Jay Robb which I found quite informative.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener made from a combination of ISOLATED phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Both are amino acids but never is this particular combination of amino acids found in nature as two concentrated and isolated amino acids. Both of those amino acids are naturally occurring in many complete proteins, including our whey protein isolate. This is natural and what you want. Aspartamine is NOT aspartame. Aspartamine is just another name for the amino acid aspartic acid.

Quick Home Training Session

I was crunched for time today and got thinking about how everyone always says they don't have time to work out. I used the "K.I.S.S. Principle" and kept things super basic. I simply did what I learned from a Yvonne Ward quote: "Push, Pull, and Do Something for Legs." Here's what that consisted of this afternoon:

• DB Renegade Rows (see above pic #1): 4 x 5ea
• Decline Push-ups (see above pic # 2): 4 x 10
• DB Goblet Squats (see above pic #3): 4 x 10

I followed this with some conditioning work on the Air Dyne Bike.

Can Diet Affect Your Alzheimer's Risk?

I was reading the Boston Globe this morning and came across MORE good news for those who supplement with fish oil and Vitamin D.* According to the article:

In the study published online in the journal Neurology, researchers measured the level of nutrients in the blood of nearly 300 seniors and found that those who had high levels of vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids -- both found in salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish -- as well as vitamins C, E, and B -- antioxidants found in fruits, nuts, and green leafy vegetables -- appeared to have somewhat more protection against early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. They were less likely to have cognitive difficulties, memory problems, and brain shrinkage -- an indicator of Alzheimer’s -- than those who had low levels of these nutrients.

*The researchers, though, didn’t distinguish between nutrient levels raised due to foods rather than supplements, so it’s tough to say whether seniors can simply pop supplements to reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s or whether they need to rely on a nutrient-rich diet.

Health Club trends

• The total # of US health club consumers reached 58 million in 2010, up 10.4% from 2009
• Over half of all new members (57%) are females
• The average age of club members is 39.5 years
• Consumers paid an average of $39.99 in monthly dues for their memberships
• The three states with the highest consumer participation rates are, in declining order, Massachusetts, Colorado, and California.

Your Own Personal Year in Review

I posted this article (http://articles.boston.com/2011-01-02/lifestyle/29343630_1_quiz-review-lists) last January 1 and challenged my clients to complete it. I took it upon myself to print it out and fill it in every year. It's interesting to see how my responses compared to last year. Give it a try and let me know what you discover.

"What Do You Work on With Your Clients?"

I get this question now and again. Interestingly enough, I assist clients in meeting their goals, in addition to what they need to improve based on variously types of analyses I run them through. Some of the agenda items we seek to improve upon are as follows:

• Muscular strength (concentric, eccentric, and isometric)
• Power
• Mobility
• Agility
• Reactive coordination
• Balance
• Cardiovascular endurance

DVD Recommendation

I had a chance to re-watch "Food Matters" over the weekend and forgot how good it was. It's a "Must See" nutrition documentary that proves food truly is medicine- as the great Hippocrates once said.