Category Archives: nutrition

What is Fasted Cardio and Does it work?

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What is Fasted Cardio and Does it work?

Simply put, this involves getting your heart rate up without eating anything prior. A true fasted state starts at about 8-12 hours after your last meal. However it can happen for some people if its been 3-6 hours, but most people do fasted cardio in the morning to ensure their body is in a completely fasted state.

According to science, there can be some benefits! You can burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach according to one study published in British Journal of Nutrition. Another study from University of Scranton revealed it may lead to a reduced calorie consumption in the next 24 hours that follow the fasted workout.

The idea that exercising in a fasted state burns stored energy (fat and glycogen) versus energy that you have just consumed.

What’s important to keep in mind, the intensity of the exercise should be low. Think jogging instead of a hard run or a sprint. Or slow climbing on the stair master, not attempting your Orange theory workouts.

Fasted cardio not only burns stored fat and carbs but it can also burn stored protein in the form of lean muscle–which is NOT desirable. Sipping on our amazing Recover BCAA product can alleviate some of this breakdown.

BOTTOM LINE: Fasting primes your body to take in nutrients once the effort is over, which means you should look for protein and carbohydrates to help refuel your muscles. The International Society of Sports Medicine recommends consuming .14-.23g of protein per pound of body weight very soon after a workout. That’s 20 g of protein for a 140 woman.

GOOD NEWS: There is room to experiment, feel out the right approach for you, whether or not fasting is pat of the equation.

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Does Sugar Belong in a Healthy Diet?

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Short answer: in controlled amounts, yes. When many people think of “sugar,” they often think of added sugar found in processed junk foods and desserts. However, simple sugars and other carbohydrates are naturally found in many nourishing foods that are important to a healthy diet like fruits, vegetables, dairy, legumes, and whole grains.

Working to reduce the amount of added sugar you consume each day is a worthy goal, especially because many common foods and beverages provide extra sugar and calories but very little of the quality nutrition our bodies need.

On its own, sugar isn’t necessarily good or bad. It becomes a concern when you consume foods that are high in calories and added sugar but low in essential nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Many everyday foods, beverages, and condiments contain a surprising amount of added sugar without contributing much nutritional value. Cutting back on these sources of excess sugar is a good idea for both your well-being and your waistline.

But, there is no need to eliminate sugar completely, especially if you want to eat in a way that supports your health and wellness goals. Sugar and other carbohydrates are essential nutrients that play a vital role in many bodily functions, including in the nervous system and immune system. Not to mention that naturally occurring sugar is present in many of the delicious, nourishing foods we should enjoy every day.

 

SOURCE:

How Much Sugar Is in the Food We Eat?

Do you struggle with cravings?

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😨🙅🏻‍♀️Cravings 😬😳
We all have them-its normal.

mindfuleating

 

My top tip?!
Outsmart your Cravings🤓

Some research suggests that trying to eliminate favorite foods from your diet can lead to increased cravings, particularly cravings for the foods you are trying to avoid. But other studies demonstrate that with sensible portions, commonly craved foods can be part of a healthful diet to support weight loss.

Based on the research, a trick to outsmarting cravings may be to enjoy your favorite indulgent foods in a way that is consistent with your health and weight loss goals. The following tips can help you create your own plan to outsmart cravings and enjoy your favorite foods in moderation.

1. Make it an occasion. 15% FUN 🎉

Save your favorite indulgent treats for a special occasion. For example, if you crave ice cream, go out with friends for an ice cream cone instead of keeping a gallon of ice cream in your freezer. When you decide to indulge, you’ll be sure to enjoy your craved foods to the fullest while avoiding constant temptation of these foods in your home.

2. Plan for a smart portion.

One concern with craving is that they often lead us to eat more than intended. Outsmart your cravings by planning for portion control. Whether you are craving something savory and crunchy or something decadently sweet, choosing an individually packaged, portion-controlled option can help you satisfy cravings without the guilt.

3. Balance indulgent foods with healthful options.

Including your favorite, most craved foods in a way that still supports your health and weight loss goals means making balanced choices. One way you can find balance is to include a sensible portion of craved foods as part of a healthful meal. Imagine you are craving pizza. Instead of eating only pizza, plan a more balanced meal that includes one or two slices of your favorite pie along with a large, crisp salad. Balancing indulgent foods with healthful options is likely to leave you feeling more satisfied and can help you consume fewer calories overall.

Choosing a more balanced, sensible approach to indulgent foods can help you conquer your cravings for weight loss success. Remember, attempting to cut out your favorite foods from your diet is not only unnecessary, but might be counterproductive for achieving your health and weight loss goals.

Second tip: Identifying WHY you have these cravings, is another strategy-maybe your body communicating with you and could be indicating you need a specific nutrient.

🍪 🍰Cookies,Cake 🍭
Needing quick calories, energy boost, minerals
Try to eat an Isalean Shake, rice, sweet potatoes, potassium packed produce like bananas and avocados.

Chocolate 🍫 often indicate that your body is deficient in magnesium, which is a common deficiency. Dark green leafy veggies are a great source!

Read more: https://www.isagenixhealth.net/conquer-cravings-weight-loss/

Importance of Hydration in Sports Performance and Health

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How much water do you consume a day? Water is the most vital nutrient to human existence. We can survive far longer without food than without water.
Sedentary women should be consuming at least 74 oz of water a day and men should be consuming 101 oz.
The body’s requirement for water varies in accordance with several factors: environment, activity level, functional losses, metabolic needs, age and other dietary factors.

Paul Chek provides a reliable calculation for meeting our body’s needs. For your minimum daily intake, one should base the calculation on one’s body weight in in kilograms, (lbs divided by 2.2) and then divide that by 0.024. This level of water intake works out at 1 liter plus 1 cup (1250ml) for each 30 kg of body weight.

Example

  • An 80 kg person would require 3 1/3 liters per day = 80 kg divided by 0.024 = 3.3 liters per day.

Drink your way to better health- Hydration changes everything!

  • Protects organs and tissues
  • Lubricates joints
  • Regulates body temperature
  • Carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
  • Helps dissolve vitamins and increases bio-availability
  • Reduces the burden on kidneys and liver
  • Moistens tissues of mouth, eyes and nose
  • Helps prevent constipation
  • Increases muscle tone
  • Reduces risk of disease-Studies have shown that an increase in daily water decreases the risk of colon cancer  up to 45%, reduces the risk of bladder cancer by 50%, and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer. It is also believed that water may prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infection

Stay hydrated with fruits and veggies!

Cucumber, Iceberg lettuce, spinach, celery(96%), raw radish, zucchini (95%) , Watermelon, strawberries, sweet peppers, green tomato (92%) , Cauliflower, orange, raspberries, peach(87%)

Signs of Dehydration

  • Increased thirst
  • Dry mouth
  • Weakness
  • Tired or sleepy
  • Decreased urine output
  • Urine is low volume and more yellowish than normal
  • Headache
  • Dry skin-skin will “tent” when pinched
  • Dizziness

If you are thirsty, then your levels are already low. Consume small sips during physical activity to not overload the body systems. Ideally you should sip every 15 minutes.

Dehydration’s effect on Athletic Performance

  • Reduction in blood volume
  • Decreased skin blood flow
  • Decreased sweat rate
  • Decreased heat dissipation
  • Increased core temperature
  • Increased rate of muscle glycogen use

Hydration Before, During and After Exercise

Before Exercise

  • It is recommended that individuals drink about 17-22 oz. of fluid ~2 hours before exercise to promote adequate hydration and allow time for excretion of excess ingested water

During Exercise

  • Athletes should start drinking early and at regular intervals in an attempt to consume fluids at a rate sufficient to replace all the water lost through sweating (i.e. body weight loss), or consume the maximal amount that can be tolerated
  • During exercise lasting less than 1 hour, there is little evidence of physiological or physical performance differences between consuming a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink and plain water

After Exercise

  • Drink 600 ml of water for every pound of body weight lost through sweat during exercise with a natural recovery aid or suitable protein shake
  • If training for a prolonged period of time (+60 min), it is essential to have a carbohydrate intake to prevent blood glucose drops and increase glycogen stores in muscles.

Hydration in Sports Performance

Sweat losses of as little as 2% of body weight (less than 3 pounds in a 150-pound athlete) can impair performance by accelerating the onset of fatigue. This is important because some athletes can lose 5 to 8 pounds of sweat or more during practice or competition. So it’s easy for athletes to become dehydrated if they don’t drink enough to replace what is lost in sweat.

There is clear research to show that working at different intensity levels and duration will decrease blood plasma volume, but as long as you have been maintaining hydration throughout the day you will be fine to train. If you have not been drinking during the day to maintain your hydration, your body will be fighting for the use of water.

  • 15-20% decrease in 1 min bouts of exhaustive exercise
  • 7.7% decrease when training at 40% of 1 rep max
  • 13.9% decrease when training at 70% of 1 rep max
  • Sweating causes additional plasma loss
  • Reduced plasma volume will increase blood viscosity which has been linked to impeded blood flow thus limiting oxygen transport

What is Blood Plasma? Plasma is made up of water, plasma proteins, and cellular nutrients (such as electrolytes, enzymes, hormones, antibodies and waste products). Its primary role is to aid transport of the red blood cells (erythrocytes), white blood cells (leukocytes) and platelets (thrombocytes) in and around the body at rest or during exercise.

Electrolytes are minerals (calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, sodium ions) in your blood and other body fluids that carry an electric charge. Electrolytes  affect the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood (pH), your muscle function, and other important processes. The body loses electrolytes as it sweats.

SODIUM: Maintains water balance, activates thirst response, prevents water intoxication & hyponatremia, prevents cramps by enabling normal muscle contraction.  Influences performance of other minerals; enables nerve impulse transmission and maintains normal blood pressure

Potassium: Maintains water balance, stimulates metabolism of proteins & carbohydrates; helps muscles use glycogen and prevents muscle fatigue; enables normal muscle contraction.

Chloride: Maintains water balance; prevents dehydration, helps the body break down protein, absorb minerals & vitamin B12, enables normal muscle contraction, relaxation and nerve impulse transmission.

Magnesium: Participates in the conversion of ATP (adenosine triphosphate),  stimulates the metabolism of carbohydrates & fats; helps the body build proteins, decreases pain from sports-related injuries & excessive physical activity; enables normal muscle relaxation; prevents muscle cramps & spasms. Also, influences performance of other minerals; enables nerve impulse transmission; decreases vulnerability to disease; alleviates symptoms of numerous medical and psychiatric conditions

Sports Drinks are to be avoided

Do not count on sports drinks to provide you with the adequate amount of electrolytes, as most only include sodium and potassium.  Gatorade’s latest product introduction, Endurance, which claims to have five electrolytes and yet contains only a whopping 400 mg of sodium and 180 mg of potassium. What about the other electrolytes? Calcium and magnesium are mentioned; however, Endurance provides less than two percent of the Daily Value for these two critical electrolytes. A 2005 study published in General Dentistry reported that some popular sports and energy drinks destroyed tooth enamel more effectively than cola due to their high sugar content.

A balance of all electrolytes is necessary to maintain optimal hydration and endurance. Not only do you lose sodium in sweat, but you also lose other critical electrolytes like magnesium, and since most people don’t get enough magnesium, serious deficits can be occurring. The bottom line is to not count on plain water and sports drinks to meet your body’s hydration and electrolyte needs. Plain water (including bottled “mineral waters”) doesn’t contain a substantial quantity or balance of the essential electrolytes you require to stay adequately hydrated, replace electrolytes lost in sweat, and maintain optimum performance. As for sports drinks, the high-sugar content of most of these beverages often causes bloating, stomach cramps, and can impair your hard-fought training and performance at the moment when it may matter most.

  Adding electrolytes to water is a simple idea.  It provides pure electrolytes and nothing else. It powers rapid hydration and quickly replaces all lost electrolytes—not just sodium. It supports performance, stamina, and recovery, and delivers electrolytes evenly to ensure optimal hydration. And unlike sugar-loaded sports drinks, this metohd doesn’t involve calories, flavorings, sweeteners, colors or sugar, all of which hold the potential to hinder performance.  I use ConcenTrance Mineral drops in my water daily.  

Water is the most vital nutrient to human existence. Hydration is vital to any successful athlete. I hope this inspired you to tune into your daily water consumption and electrolyte balance. Cheers to H20!

References:

http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/dehydration-and-its-effects-on-performance

http://www.acsm.org/

Click to access electrolytes_and_dehydration.pdf

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/behar12.htm

Click to access hydrationcriticaltoathleticperformance.pdf

http://www.kellygarsia.com/the-importance-of-hydration/

The POWER of having Belief in one’s self

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There are many reasons clients hire personal trainers. Individualized program design, accountability, to gain knowledge about specific equipment, effective workouts, injury rehabilitation or prevention are all superb reasons. But to learn how to believe in themselves is a skill that flies under the radar.

The concept of self-efficacy is central to psychologist Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, which emphasizes the role of observational learning, social experience, and reciprocal determinism in the development of personality. According to Bandura, a person’s attitudes, abilities, and cognitive skills comprise what is known as the self-system. This system plays a major role in how we perceive situations and how we behave in response to different situations. Self-efficacy is an essential part of this self-system.

People with a strong sense of self-efficacy:

  • View challenging problems as tasks to be mastered
  • Develop deeper interest in the activities in which they participate
  • Form a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activities
  • Recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments

People with a weak sense of self-efficacy:

  • Avoid challenging tasks
  • Believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilities
  • Focus on personal failings and negative outcomes
  • Quickly lose confidence in personal abilities

Self-efficacy is a concept I’ve been working on personally and with my clients for the last year. It seems to be a common theme amongst clients to want to avoid discussing nutrition or regular workout routines because it’s viewed as challenging and difficult.  The level of self efficacy reflects the confidence in the ability to exert control over one’s own motivation, behavior, and social environment.

As fitness professionals, imagine the possibilities for our clients when we focus on increasing their self confidence and improving mental attitudes! It could impact every aspect of their lives, not just fitness related goals.

So, where does self-efficacy come from?  According to Bandura, there are four major sources of self-efficacy.

1. Mastery Experiences

“The most effective way of developing a strong sense of efficacy is through mastery experiences,” Bandura explained. Performing a task successfully strengthens our sense of self-efficacy. However, failing to adequately deal with a task or challenge can undermine and weaken it.

As personal trainers, effective goal setting is a great way to

-build self-efficacy; effective meaning measurable and realistic

-carefully select short and long term goals to help establish a set path to achieve even the smallest accomplishments.

2. Social Modeling

Witnessing other people successfully completing a task is another important source of self-efficacy. According to Bandura, “Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by sustained effort raises observers’ beliefs that they too possess the capabilities to master comparable activities to succeed.”

As a personal trainer, you may help your clients select role models. Professional athletes, support groups, introducing them to past or current clients, friends and/or family that have had success in similar goals. Creative ideas like making a collage of activities and role models to put on the fridge or in their home gym. Keep in mind what works for others may not work for your client. The concept behind this is “If he/she can do it, I can do it!”

3. Social Persuasion

Bandura also asserted that people could be persuaded to believe they have the skills and capabilities to succeed. Consider a time when someone said something positive and encouraging that helped you achieve a goal. Getting verbal encouragement from others helps people overcome self-doubt and instead focus on giving their best effort to the task at hand.

As personal trainers, I believe this is the most important aspect of our interactions with our clients. Together you have set realistic and measurable goals and it’s part of our job to keep them motivated.  Increasing the awareness to their “self-talk” is key. While in session you can reinforce these beliefs by using their name and their goals while performing difficult exercises or tasks. You could try introducing the tools of positive affirmations and positive self-talk.

Examples:

“You’re doing great, Sandra! This exercise is strengthening your core and getting you in shape this upcoming summer adventures! I know it’s challenging and you’re doing it!”

“I really appreciate your honesty in your food journal, Sandra. It’s important that I’m fully aware of what you’re doing on your own time so we can accomplish your goal of decreasing body fat percentage by 2% in the next 6-8 weeks. You are doing great!”

4. Psychological Responses

Our own responses and emotional reactions to situations also play an important role in self-efficacy. Moods, emotional states, physical reactions and stress levels can all impact how a person feels about their personal abilities in a particular situation. A person who becomes extremely nervous before speaking in public may develop a weak sense of self-efficacy in these situations. However, Bandura also notes “it is not the sheer intensity of emotional and physical reactions that is important but rather how they are perceived and interpreted.” By learning how to minimize stress and elevate mood when facing difficult or challenging tasks, people can improve their sense of self-efficacy.

This aspect may be the most difficult to monitor. Personal trainers face the challenge of meeting with their clients only several hours a week. This might not allow us to be aware of the situations causing our clients stress, as well as their reaction to it.

What we can do is listen carefully when we are with them. Taking notes, remembering annoying co-workers and specific situations causing stress all go a long way with clients. By offering any self-care advice that you believe to be appropriate, your client can build upon physical fitness by improving his or her mental attitude.

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Sources:

References: Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.

http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm

https://www.acefitness.org/updateable/update_display.aspx?pageID=575

http://www.learning-theories.com/

The Importance of Pre and Post Workout Nutrition

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Your workout may be where you “feel” like you’re getting results, but it’s actually proper nutrition + your workouts that plays a larger role in the results factor.

🍌Nutrient timing is purposely choosing foods around your workouts that will nourish and support your cells for the upcoming physical activity. It was found that the net protein balance was greater when consuming the protein + carbs before exercise rather than post exercise.⁣ What does this mean?⁣ ⁣ You get a greater anabolic response (protein synthesis= growth) when consuming pre-workout nutrition compared to post workout nutrition. You get more amino acids into your muscles both during and after exercise when consuming pre-workout nutrition.⁣

💥 PRE-WORKOUT NUTRITION💥:

•Ideal pre-work meal is mostly carbohydrate based. •20 minutes to 1 hour before exercise: Simple carbohydrates from fruit like dates, raisins or banana, or a coconut water can give you quick energy. Or a small serving of yogurt with fresh fruit. My favorite is the adrenal elixir with some collagen. AIM for: 6 G protein & 35 g carbs minimum •1 hour (or more) before exercise: Complex carbs & simple carbs larger meal size & some fiber okay! Examples: Oatmeal+ collagen with fresh fruit or greek yogurt, rice cake with jelly and dates, sweet potatoes and eggs with fruit. ⁣ ❓What about protein before workouts? There is evidence that consuming protein before a workout is beneficial, and while these recommendations include protein, you could increase the amount in your pre-workout meal–experiment with anywhere between 6-20 g and see what works for you! ❓What about eating a high fat meal before a workout? Fat is the most complex fuel for your body to break down and absorb, and while it’s important for overall health, I recommend consuming low-to moderate fat intake with your pre & post workout meals.
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💪POST WORKOUT NUTRITION 💪

HYDRATION: The first nutritional priority after exercise is to replace any fluid lost during exercise. Consume 16-24 oz. of water post workout.

Eating post workout within the right time frame following your workout plays a huge role in your recovery and training progress. And when it comes to fueling after exercise, I bet there’s little surprise that women are different than men. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re trying to maximize your recovery: 👇 . 💪 Women’s metabolism comes back down to baseline within 90 minutes after exercise whereas men might take 3-18 hours, depending on the exercise.

💪 We need to eat protein (aim for 25-30 grams with 5-7 grams BCAAs) with a bit of carbohydrate as soon as possible after exercise – especially if you’re doing a depleting exercise like cardio. Ideally, aim to eat within 30-45 minutes after finishing your workout.

💪 If you delay calorie intake, you stay in a breakdown state. In short, your body won’t start repairing until you take in some food.

💪 Even if you eat enough in the rest of your day to meet what your body needs, not eating post-workout acts the same as not eating enough.

Benefit of protein shakes/post workout liquid meals: Liquid form of nutrition that contains rapidly digesting carbohydrates (e.g., maltodextrin, dextrose, glucose, etc) and proteins can accelerate recovery by utilizing insulin for nutrient transport into cells, can result in rapid digestion and absorption. Also, these products are often better tolerated during and after workouts. Whole food meals aren’t always practical for a few reasons. Some find they aren’t hungry immediately after exercise, and the process of digestion may take 1-3 hours before its absorbed into blood stream and your body needs replenishing within the hour. Protein and Carbohydrates: Research shows that combining protein with carbohydrate within thirty minutes of exercise nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen.   This is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued endurance training.  Endurance exercise is defined as repetitive prolonged exercise of sub maximal intensity greater than 45 minutes. Protein Data indicates a minimum of 18-20 g of protein after a workout to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis. This number will vary depending on lean body mass and your goals. Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows re-hydration and glycogen replenishment. Fuel for what you’re doing, and fuel for the recovery that your body needs afterwards! Now enrolling clients! Apply for coaching here! Not medical advice. Sources: PMID: 11440894, 16896166,
Doi: 10.37527.2020.70.3.005 #preworkout#nutritioncoach#nutrition#snacks#fuelyourbody#carbs#carbsarelife#sugar#coconutwater#fruit#carbscarbscarbs#sportsnutrition#onlinepersonaltrainer#personaltrainer#fitness#fitfam#nasmcpt#nasmcertified#nutritionist#nourishyourbody#explorepage#explore#onlinecoach http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12235033?dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1601794?dopt=Abstract http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.HTML