Mt. Shasta Chamber Weblog

Strength training and aerobics for wellbeing

Submitted by Curves for Women

WANT TO KNOCK OFF WEIGHT and fire up your metabolism so it naturally keeps pounds and belly fat off for good? You can do both: The trick is to follow a workout that mixes cardio and strength-training.”Because high-intensity workouts have you working harder than low-intensity ones,you burn more calories in the same amount of time,” explains Gary Hunter,PhD, an exercise physiologist who specializes in metabolism research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Heart-racing exercise boosts your metabolism for 24 to 48 hours after you’ve done sweating.

Strength training builds muscles all over- and since muscle burns more calories than fat (even when you’re lounging around in your jammies), the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. “Every pound of muscle burns 30-35 calories a day, while a pound of fat burns only 2-5 calories per day.”says Liz Applegate, PhD, director of sports nutrition at University of California, Davis. That means if you replace fat with muscle, you’ll be torching loads of extra calories without lifting a finger.

So get started on a complete program of strength training and aerobics and a sound and sensible nutrition program and watch the pounds fall off.

Five steps to optimal health

Submitted by Curves for Women

The first step in a program is healthy nutrition and there is ten basic rules:

• Never skip a meal again ( keep the calorie burning furnace burning )
• Eat real, unprocessed foods
• Eat balanced meals ( protein, fat, and carbs in every meal )
• Choose a plant or animal protein as the main nutrient in your meal
• Add some healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds, cold water fish, and olive oil )
• Add real carbohydrates (whole grains)
• Add non-starchy vegetables (green and brightly coloured )
• Eat snacks ( keep the calorie burning furnace burning)
• Eat solid food (fiber)
• Drink enough water (body weight x .7 = no. of ounces to drink )

The second step of the program is stress management:

• Make downtime a daily practice  ( you are important )
• Put your life in perspective  (don’t sweat the small stuff)
• Keep track of stress signals (heart rate increase, blood pressure, anxiety, yelling )

The third step is to Avoid all toxic chemicals

• Nicotine
• Alcohol
• Refined sugar
• Artificial sweeteners
• Illegal drugs
• Msg, additives and preservatives
• Fake fats and fat blockers
• Caffeine
• Certain prescription drugs

The fourth step of the program

• Practice cardio, resistance and flexibility/relaxing exercises

The fifth step of the program

• Get plenty of sleep, 6 to 8 hours a night

Article reprinted from Murray Middlemost, a 17 year Health and Fitness Professional. As owner of Phoenix Fitness and YOU its about time! He has helped thousands of people achieve their health and fitness goals.

Health and Nutrition

By Mart Gross Manager of Curves for Women

Mt. Shasta is well known for being a “health conscious community.” It is filled with natural resources and beauty beyond words. Mt. Shasta’s mountains, lakes, parks, camps, trails and several fitness facilities give way to the predominate mindset that people have to enjoy the outdoors and invest in their health and fitness.

As manager of Curves, one thing I know for sure is that it takes both exercise and proper nutrition to create a healthy lifestyle. One is the ball and one is the glove, it takes both and neither can stand alone.

So aside from not smoking, the most important determinants of good health are what we eat and how active we are.

The Harvard School of Public Health replaced the USDA food pyramid in 2005 and updated it in 2008. Today it is the acceptable food pyramid because it is based on the latest and best science. The old food pyramid was quite flawed at showing people what makes up a healthy diet because their recommendations had been based on out of date science and influenced by people with business interests in their messages. The new food pyramid’s foundation is based on daily exercise and weight control, since these two related elements strongly influence your chance of staying healthy.

Below is a photo of the pyramid, showing that we should eat more foods from the bottom part of the pyramid (vegetables and whole grains) and less from the top (red meat, refined grains, and sugary drinks).

Exercise and weight control are also linked through the simple rule of energy balance: Weight change=calories in-calories out. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight, less that you take in and you gain weight, therefore, exercise is a key part of any weight loss effort. Also, if you are losing weight without exercise you are also losing lean muscle and exercise, strength training especially, prevents that from happening.

So, let’s take a good look at the pyramid.

Whole Grains
The body needs carbohydrates for energy and the best source of them are oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. It takes longer to digest these than refined carbohydrates, but in doing so it also controls blood sugar and insulin levels and keeps hunger at bay. In addition, there is plenty of research out that suggests they also protect against heart disease.

Healthy Fats and Oils
Surprised that the Healthy Eating Pyramid puts some fats near the base, indicating they are okay to eat? Although this recommendation seems to go against conventional wisdom, it’s exactly in line with the evidence and with common eating habits of Americans who get one-third or more of their daily calories from fats, so placing them near the foundation of the pyramid makes sense.  Good sources of healthy fats include olive oil, flax oil, raw nuts, and seeds, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon. These healthy fats can improve cholesterol levels and protect the heart from sudden and potentially deadly rhythm problems.

Vegetable and Fruits
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits has bountiful benefits. They can decrease the chance of having a heart attack or stroke; protect against some types of cancer, and certainly lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Nuts, Seeds, Beans and Tofu
These plant foods are excellent sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These are among my personal favorites and certainly are good for the heart.

Fish, Poultry, and Eggs
These foods are all important sources of protein, fish with all its omega-3 fats, is said to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Dairy
Building bone and keeping it strong takes calcium, vitamin D, exercise and a whole lot more. Dairy products have traditionally been Americans main source of calcium, but they cannot deliver the 1,000 IU of vitamin D as needed per day, and they contain a lot of saturated fats. The latest suggestion calls for non-fat dairy products and supplementation to get higher amounts of calcium and vitamin D.

In conclusion, use white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sugary drinks, salts and sweets sparingly, and that goes for red meat and butter as well. Choosing a variety of fresh, raw, whole foods from all food groups will ensure that you get the nutrients you need. A multi-vitamin is a wise insurance policy tool

The Healthy Eating Pyramid summarizes the best dietary information available today.  It is NOT set in stone, because we live in an informational age and undoubtedly, there will be new information in the years to come.