Music and Exercise

Researchers at Iowa University and Ohio State both concluded that fitness training is more productive with music.
•endurance
•strength
•coordination
•speed
(OnFitness Magazine 1/10)

Sports Medicine

This year the American College of Sports Medicine certified it's first group of Cancer Exercise Trainers.

Oncologist are beggining to prescribe exercise as a form of medicine.
-lowers recurrence rates
-reduced breast & colon cancer deaths by 50%.
Source:
(Prevention Magazine 1/10)
(R. Cotton, ASCM National Director)

Just another reason to continue.

Top Requested Fitness Supplements

These are the top requested.

1. Whey Protein

2. Creatine

3. Glutamine

4. Multivitamin

5. Maltodextrin

This is how I would list them. But the only ones I would reccommend is number one, two & three.

1. Multivitamin (most people don't get daily requirement. Hard to lose weight or build muscle without)

2. Protein(most people don't get enough. Hard to lose weight or build muscle without)

3. Fiber(produced naturally)

4. Creatine(produced naturally in your body. Time tested results)

5. Testosterone booster(women will not get cut/toned/defined without. Makes workout more productive)

I don't take any of them because I want to know what I can do naturally.
But it took me about 4 years. Supplements do it a lot faster. All of these are natural substances and/or produced in the body. Sodas, candies, processed and fast foods likely have worse chemicals. (as one trainer put it) But as a principle, two wrongs don't make a right. My position is neutral.

Along with these you will need a low carb calorie restricted diet for fine tuning. Of course weight bearing exercise is a must.
(to gain weight the diet will need more carbs and calories. Plus low rep/high weight.)

Orthorexia

Important for fitness enthusiast to know what this is.

Your Body is Trying to Lose Weight

To eating what the body considers real food takes large amounts to sustain your daily requirements. (nearly 6 apples for one snickers bar [537 cal])

-Most people will burn 1200 calories a day just lying in bed.
-imagine if you were on a 1200 calorie diet along with your regular daily routine.
-imagine adding 500 calories a week in cardio or muscle training. (2 hour treadmill walk 1.5 hour dancing or 45 min fitness class)

Forget about losing weight, but make a strong determination not to gain.
(trying not to gain actually often facilitates loss of weight)

It easier to keep weight off than to take it off.

Myofascial Release

I read as study a few years back by the Amer. College of Sports Med. It said that stretching before exercise had a minimal effect on reduction of injury. Still hard to believe.
I recently particapted in a myofascial release treatment and did a little research project.
The benefits of stretching after excercise, properly, are amazing. The way it affects change and reduces pain are almost immediate.

The Basics
-dynamic stretching before exercise (warm up)
-static stretching after exercise. Here is where we need to pay even more attention to soft muscle tissue (gentle, longer duration, feel barrier releases before moving on)

This has a noted affects on range of motion, pain management & blood flow.

Don't neglect the stretch.

Mediterranean Diet?

Latin and Greek words for diet originally meant, "way of life."

Cup & Saucer Diet

The name makes it easier to remember. It just a low calories diet designed to reduce your cal. intake by 500-1000cal a day. With two days of exercise you should lose at least a pound a week.

Weekends off (only 5 days)
Multi-vitamin a must.
Unlimited vegetables all day (raw, steamed, pickled)
-benefits: low cal, fiber, vita&mins
Water before every meal
-benefits: top way to boost metabolism.
Breakfast in a TEA CUP.
-benefits: low calorie amt. starts metabolism working.
Lunch is your main meal. Eat. Keep it reasonable.
Dinner on a SAUCER.
-benefits: less hungry in the morning. Cuts calories. Metabolism is slower when sleeping.

How to make it better?
-no carbs breakfast & dinner
-lunch make carbs whole grains (not white refined)
-No artificial sweetners! Ever. Sugar is real food. (unless diabetic)
-eat real food. (book 'In Defense of Food', also 'A Hungry Planet, What the World Eats')
-increase protein, good research indicates body doesn't like to use protein to make fat.

Breakfast250cal, lunch500c, dinner250c, snacks200c approx.

Notice this really doesn't restrict types of foods. Eat what you like. Just less bad stuff & more vegetables.

I stay on this diet at least 4 days a week. If I want to lose more I may push it to 6 days.

Thanks,

Jon Matlock CFT, NTA
NTFitness

Diet Principles

1. Calories
Calories are everything. 7 calories per pound to lose weight safely. Burn the calories or restrict the calories both work. But burn/restrict together is a powerful diet weapon.

2. Water
Number one way to speed metabolism, curb appetite & flush fats & toxins out of your system. Also helps in muscle recovery.

3. Nutrition
If you don't get what your body needs you will crave & hunger. So multivitamins or one of the three cereals I recommend. (total, smart start, multigrain cherioos) these provide the total RDA. RDA is the approved research most programs follow. It's the standard.Vegetables raw, steamed or pickled in unlimited amounts. They have very low calories, fiber to keep you full, & good for snacks. (beware of dips & sauces) *careful w/potatoes, too much starch.
Now we can get to the diet.

CUP & SAUCER DIET
Men/ Women-250/200 or less calories

breakfast
-500 or less calories lunch-250/200 or less for dinner
5 days for moderate diet. 6 days for faster results. The idea for breakfast is to fit inside a tea cup and dinner inside a saucer. (remember veggies are unlimited) Americans portions are too large.

Choices
-eggs are better than cereal. Eggs are real. Cereal is still a good choice for vitamins & fiber.-protein is said to be harder to digest so it takes energy (metabolism increase) to break it down. Protein also makes you feel full faster than carbohydrates.

-1st water then eat.
This helps you get the water you need. Start an hour before you eat if necessary.-B.A.S.S.P. Beware of Breads*, Alcohol, Sweets, Second servings, Pastas. Save these for you day off.*all breads aren't equal, small amounts of whole wheat are fine.

-Artificial Sweetners
simply put, recents studies suggest they make you gain more or hold on to more weight than sugar. (real food is digested in your stomach, artificial is processed in your liver. Next your liver stimulates fat production*)*see my blog also 2/09 issue of OnFitness Magazine-Supplements work... but I won't suggest any.

-Partner
don't diet alone. A timeless bit of wisdom written by an ancient middle eastern king and historian still proved true. "two are better than one"(some say that about chocolate)

Lastly the big secret!
Eat less, Move more.

More on Diets

You Guys must know by now I don't advocate any supplements although I do believe they work.
My reason is I would like you to see what your body can do naturally. But if you feel you need more help you may try the Vitamin Store, GNC, Smoothies or any other supplement providers.

But here is something I do advocate. Getting Vitamins & Supplements from foods.
3 Breakfast Cereals I recommend:
-Kellogg's Smart Start
-Total (any flavor)
-Multi grain Cheerios
The reasons are on the side of the boxes. They all have nearly 100% of the RDA as well as low calorie servings. (caution these are still processed foods, so real food is better) This is like taking a multi-vitamin for breakfast. (vitamins work better in conjunction with other vitamins, minerals & food proven!)

Its the same with any snack bars. Here are some principles:
-low calories, 250 or less (why should a bar contribute to weight gain?)
-protein 15 grams or more (builds & helps repair muscle, boost metabolism)
-no artificial sweeteners (real sweeteners are food, others are shown to contribute to weight gain)

Also if its a meal replacement bar let it replace a meal.
Of course, all this information is for individuals who want to lose weight, otherwise every principle won't apply. The overriding principle is 10-12 calories per pound to maintain weight and 7 calories per pound to lose in a healthy way.

Special populations should check with their doctor before starting any exercise or diet.
Are you part of a special population? If your not sure then consider yourself special. :)

Diet Tips

1. If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are cancelled out by the diet soda.
3. When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you don't eat more than they do.
4. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake.
5. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner.
6. Movie related foods (Milk Duds, Buttered Popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.
7. Cookie pieces contain no fat-- the process of breaking causes fat leakage.
8. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. Examples are peanut butter on a knife making a sandwich and ice cream on a spoon making a sundae.
9. Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and white chocolate. NOTE: Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.
10. Foods that are frozen have no calories because calories are units of heat. Examples are ice cream, frozen pies, and Popsicles.
11. Foods eaten while watching a major event on television do not count. Major events include: Super bowl, Hockey Finals, Indy 500, Jerry Springer show.
12. Power bars and other type energy bars make you thinner. In all my years of exercising (at least three times a year) I have only seen thin people eating energy bars. Therefore they must make you thin.
13. Snickers is the same as an energy bar (see #12)
14. Tasting other people's food does not add to your calorie count.
15. Containers of food that list the number of servings as greater than one are lying. Every container includes one serving. Half gallon of ice cream, box of cereal, bottle of soda, bag of chips are all one serving.

Exercises for Children

I'm really not a fan of children using heavy resistance. Their growing bodies and smaller bones may not be able to take the workload as an adult.
So when training children (not special populations) use exercises utilizing;
-jumping
-running
-skipping
-dancing
-socializing or team
-audio responses
-variety
-short term goals (counting)

Children often are bored quickly so short periods & rotation activities may help keep them in the game.

Simple Cardio Interval

The science behind this is; your body is like an airplane you use a lot of fuel at first, then it starts to cruise on the treadmill. By changing the speed often its like in town driving. You use more gas slowing down & speeding up. We turn homeostasis into hyperstasis. But you can build your own sets. 10min, 20, 30, 40 etc.

Simple Cardio Interval

10 minute Sets (treadmill, jogging or elliptical)
-6 minutes @ 60%
-2 minutes @ 80%
-2 minutes @ 30%

Eventually try 3min@60%, 6@80% and 1@30%

If you just roll away in a treadmill, bike, or elliptical you do your
self little good. Your body will compensate quickly.
*to trainers; I'm aware that the recovery is 4x longer than
reccomended. This is purposeful.