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Can You Really Gain Weight From Eating Too Little?
It can seem like this is true when you are trying to do everything you can to lose weight and nothing seems to be happening. But is this really the case? The short answer is NO! So what is going on when you are eating a lot less and still not losing weight? You have probably heard the phrase “calories in, calories out” many times but doubt its truth. In fact the balance of calories burned and taken in DOES determine bodyweight and there are no exceptions even though it can seem like this is not the case. In every case when scientists tightly control or measure intake and…
- Cardio, Equipment, Featured, Health, Lifestyle, Motivation, Nutrition, Strength, Stretching, Training, Weight Loss
How Exercise Can Help Prevent and Treat Depression
Everybody knows exercise is good for you in many ways, but for many of us the most important benefit is psychological. Simply put exercise makes us feel better. But how? Molecular Mechanisms involved Exercise and Depression A key player in the anti-depression effects of exercise is biochemical called kynurenine which is created from the amino acid tryptophan. Kynurenine can be turned into kynurenic acid which is a neuroprotective agent OR quinolinic acid which is a neurotoxin and associated with depression. Exercising muscles take up kynurenine which prevents it conversion to quinolinic acid and thereby help prevent depression. Another biochemical involved in the anti-depressant effects of exercise is called…
- Cardio, Equipment, Featured, Health, Lifestyle, Motivation, Nutrition, Strength, Stretching, Training, Weight Loss
Stand-Up Paddle Boarding for Core Strength, Balance and Total Body Fitness!
Stand-up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is a fun activity that almost anyone can learn, and it is one of the best workouts available! Stand-up Paddle Boarding is low impact and provides a combination of balance, core, strength, and endurance. Since you are standing you have to use everything from your feet (wow do you use your feet!) all the way up through your entire shoulder girdle. Because you are standing your arms never have to go above shoulder height which means that there is much less stress on the rotator cuff muscles than kayaking. You use your shoulders heavily but your shoulders are stressed in the position where they are…
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Is the Barbell Back Squat Necessary for Athletes?
For most strength and conditioning experts, the answer is yes, but there is another point of view worth understanding. The purpose of all strength training for athletes is to improve athletic performance and building lower body and core strength is key for almost all athletes. Conventional practice is that the barbell back squat is THE way to develop lower body strength. However, if you think about it a second athletes do very little with both feet evenly spaced out beneath them. All running is about landing and pushing off on one leg and most jumping happens off one foot not both feet. One of the few exceptions is the…
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Some Keys to Preventing Migraine Headaches
Riboflavin deficiency linked to migraine A 2017 study looked at riboflavin’s influence on migraine and Parkinson’s Disease, highlighting its neuroprotective potential. According to the study, “riboflavin ameliorates oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation and glutamate excitotoxicity; all of which take part in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease, migraine headache and other neurological disorders.” Riboflavin may help by ameliorating many of these hallmarks of migraine, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, homocysteine neurotoxicity and glutamate excitotoxicity. Are you getting enough riboflavin? In conclusion, the authors of the study stated that: “Riboflavin has demonstrated its ability to tackle significant pathogenesis-related mechanisms in neurological disorders, exemplified by the ones attributed to the pathogenesis…
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How Many Repetitions Should You Do for Each Resistance Training Set?
Many hours are spent in heated debate on this topic, but the truth is that the number of reps per set and number of sets per workout are secondary measures. A close review of the scientific research shows that the weight of evidence does NOT support the idea that different numbers of repetitions have differential effects on muscular strength and endurance. Furthermore, a review on this subject concluded that “all these studies strongly suggest that within a reasonable range of repetitions, approximately 3 to 20, there does not appear to be a specific number of repetitions that will elicit more favorable gains in muscular strength, power or hypertrophy.” What…
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How Eating Sugar at Breakfast Sabotages Weight Loss Efforts
Many people notice that eating breakfast makes them hungrier throughout the day, and this is probably NOT their imagination! In this case the culprit is likely what they eat. Specifically, refined carbohydrates, including sugar, can drive hunger particularly if they are consumed with little fat or protein. A recent study tested this hypothesis with 16 healthy young women between the ages of 18 and 30 who had a stable body weight for the last 3 months. Anyone with diabetes or on medications that affect appetite was excluded along with people who were allergic to any part of the meals given as part of the study. Participants fasted for a…
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Resistance Training Reduces Heart Fat
A recent study at Copenhagen University Hospital recruited 32 people who were obese and did not exercise. Participants did either 12 weeks of weight training or cardiovascular exercise – which was cardio on an exercise bike – or no change in activity. The resistance exercise training in this study was designed as a 45-minute interval type, medium load, high-repetition, time-based training. Participants performed three to five sets of 10 exercises and the sessions were supervised. Each person had an MRI scan taken of their heart before and after the study to look at two types of heart tissue – epicardial fat and pericardial fat. Epicardial adipose tissue is…
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Does Vitamin E Really Cause Cancer?
One of the latest sensational headlines proclaimed that supplemental Vitamin E causes cancer, but to put it mildly this headline is very misleading. How and When Vitamin E Can Accelerate Cancer Growth A recent study showed that, in abnormal cells, vitamin E and NAC (n-acteyl-cysteine, another antioxidant) can dampen the p53 DNA damage response, meaning the tumor suppressor gene (p53) does not get activated because there is little oxidation/nitration to stimulte the response. It is important to understand that reducing DNA damage in normal healthy cells is a good thing since DNA damage is a cancer initiator. However, cancer cells may use supplemental antioxidants to their advantage because it allows them to continue to…
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Can Drinking Cold Water Increase Fat Burning?
Believe it or not the answer appears to be YES! A recent study looked at this phenomenon and found that after drinking 16 ounces of cold water increased metabolic rate by 30% in both men and in women. The increase in metabolic rate was observed within 10 min after finishing the water and reached a maximum 30–40 min after water drinking. This increased metabolic rate was sustained for more than an hour. The researchers estimated that increasing daily water intake by 1.5 liters would increase daily energy expenditure by approximately 47 calories. Over 1 yr, energy expenditure would increase by 17,400 calories which is 5.28 lbs of fat!. So enjoy that…
