Life Skills
Banish Flabby Arms
Think it’s impossible to turn your saggy underarms into sleek, toned arms? Time to change your thinking and tone up your triceps!
If It Jiggles It's Fat!
Do you dread wearing sleeveless evening gowns? Wish your swimsuit covered your arms down to your elbow? Fear waving to family and friends when they’re leaving town? Then it’s time for you to get rid of those flabby underarms! To make it happen, you’ve got to do five things.
Number One: Know the Muscle
The muscles that are causing your underarm sag are your triceps. So while doing exercises that strengthen other parts of the arm are helpful for your overall health, they aren’t going to give your underarm the upper lift you seek. Rather, you’re going to have to go after the muscle that is causing the sag – your triceps. But before you do that, you’ve got to consider something else that is more basic than overcoming flabby arms.
Muscles come and go; flab lasts
- Bill Vaughan
Number Two: Remember Your Body Is the Spot
When you have fat stored in your arms, you can’t simply make it disappear with a few magic exercises. You’re going to have to tone up the rest of your body as well. Along with triceps-specific exercises, get plenty of cardio in your routine. This will get you sweating and help you burn fat from your head to your toes.
Without this full-body burn, your spot-specific exercises will reap very little visible benefit for your triceps. So before you spend hours in the gym, working out your underarms, you should spend half an hour on the treadmill or the Stairmaster.
Number Three: Feel the Burn
If you stop working out when you start to sweat or begin to feel a little fatigued, you aren’t giving your triceps the full workout they need. In order to push your triceps to the position and shape you want, you’re going to have to work them harder than ever. That doesn’t mean you should work your body to exhaustion every day. Like every other body part, your triceps need some days off between being worked out.
Good exercises that are tailored specifically for your triceps include the following:
- push-ups with your hands close together or touching
- bench press with your hands close together
- overhead cable extensions
- weighted dips
- dumbbell triceps presses
Number Four: Go under the Knife
For some people, reducing the sag under the arms isn’t as easy as hitting the gym. After losing lots of weight, some people are left with excess skin on various parts of their bodies – including the under arm. In the event you find yourself with skin hanging off your underarms that isn’t covering fat and won’t go away, you may need to have the extra skin surgically removed. This is a relatively fast and easy procedure that helps you show off the new body you worked so hard for through your weight loss efforts. But don’t use surgery as an easy way to trim your arms. Surgery should only be used when medically necessary and there is no other way to trim up your triceps. And once you undergo surgery, you have to be careful to avoid regaining the flabby arms you have removed.
Number Five: Never Give Up
It may take some time to cut away the flab under your arm, but if you keep yourself focused and really want sleek arms, it’s worth the effort. So know what you want, push yourself to reach it, and never give up. With perseverance and plenty of hard work, you’ll have the arms you’ve always wanted!
HCG…Should I? No!
I have been asked by several of our athletes and prospective clients what I thought about the HCG diet. I am extremely vocal about fad and crash diets and say so all the time. I didn’t know much about the HCG diet, so I did some research. Here are some of the things that I found. I listed my resources so that you too can read up and form your own conclusion.
What is the HCG Diet?
This diet plan was formulated by Dr. Albert T Simeons, who stated that a hormone HCG, can help men and women lose unwanted body fat, thereby assisting in weight loss.
The human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is a glycoprotein hormone naturally produced in pregnant women by the placenta, to nourish the growing fetus and provide nutrients.
The function of the HCG hormone is to signal the hypothalamus gland in the brain to mobilize fat stores and release the fat from the reserves. The hormone thus fuels the body with required energy by using up the fat from the reserves in the body.
Okay, okay enough of the science…
The HCG diet plan claims that it can help a person lose 1-3 pounds of weight per day. A person on the HCG diet plan is required to take HCG hormone (125 i.u. to 200 i.u. of Hcg everyday) on a daily basis. The number of days in this particular weight loss will depend on whether a person is taking injection or drops and the amount of weight wants to lose. Mostly, this diet plan runs over a period of 23 days.
One of the many things that scares me is that a person on this diet is strictly allowed to consume only up to 500 calories. Thus, besides taking HCG hormone, one also has to supplement the hormone intake with an extremely low calorie diet. The diet comprises of raw, steamed or grilled vegetables like spinach, celery, cabbage, etc. Organic fed veal, beef and skinned chicken are also permitted.
But is this diet plan safe?
HCG Diet Side Effects
Nevertheless, there are some human chorionic gonadotropin side effects that people on such a diet face. They are as follows:
Some HCG diet side effects in women are stomach ache, swelling of extremities, pelvic pain, etc. which occur due to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), that has been caused as a result of an HCG diet. People on HCG diet injections are also seen to experience additional side effects of HCG diet, such as muscle cramps, lumps, gynecomastia, premature puberty in men, etc.
Another side effect is sudden weight gain. What!!!
Well, an HCG diet calls for consumption of only 500 calories a day, which is not enough for supporting normal brain function. The body compensates the deficit by using up the stored glycogen, protein and fat. The additional hormone will suppress appetite, however, once one is off the diet and begins to eat normally, the weight lost is gained back. Moreover, since people have starved for over 3 weeks (500 calorie diet!) they usually tend to eat more once the diet program is over.
Irregardless of the alleged HCG diet side effects, it is important to remember that even though the HCG diet proposes to help with weight loss, it is yet another crash diet and is not a healthy way to lose weight.
Here is what our Food and Drug Administration has to say about HCG as a dietary supplement,
It is not FDA approved for weight loss at this time for the following reason, and I quote ” It is not possible to obtain uniformity in the reporting of results solely through the use of a common standard, since hCG is a complex molecule.”
To lose weight in a healthy manner there is no shortcut. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is mandatory for losing weight the right way!
Just get yourself to the gym and do Boot Camp! Call me at 254-247-4999
American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/29/9/940.pdf
American College Of Bariatric Physicians http://www.asbp.org/resources/uploads/files/HCG%20Position%20Statement.pdf
http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/06/hcg-diet-reviewed-by-fullbars-dr-michael-snyder/
Best Black Beans
This simple black bean side dish works well with Mexican or Cuban meals.
Categories: Lunch, Low Calorie, Dinner, Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy Diet, Dairy-Free, High Fiber Diet, Vegetarian
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
- In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.
Servings: 4, Calories: 112, Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 510mg, Carbohydrate: 20.7g, Protein: 7.1g
Eat Your Age
What your age does to your need for calories and how you can help your body respond appropriately.
Keep It Real...
When you were a kid, you only ate when you were hungry. Everyone said you ate like a bird until you became a teenager. Then you couldn’t eat enough.
By the time you hit your 30s you stopped listening to your stomach and started listening to your eyes.
But you were working out enough to keep off unwanted pounds. But now you’re starting to see the effects of eating too many calories.
So how can you avoid age-related weight gain?
By keeping these three age-appropriate tips in mind the next time you decide to grab your favorite fattening treat.
1. Age Changes Everything
You may feel like a teenager, but when you’re out of your teens and into your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond, your body tells a different story. Whether you’ll admit it or not, you realize that you can’t move quite as quick in your 50s as you could in your 20s. Likewise, your body can’t burn through calories like it could a few years ago. With that in mind, the need to curb your calorie intake as you age makes sense. Because if your body can’t use all the calories you’re eating, consuming excessive calories only leads to excessive weight.
Live your life and forget your age. – Norman Vincent Peale
2. Activity Takes More Effort
When you were a kid, getting out and about for a two-hour game of neighborhood football was no problem. Ever since you started working at an office, stuck behind a large oak desk, getting physical activity has become more and more difficult. Thanks to this increased difficulty of getting a work out, your body’s metabolism has dropped dramatically since your skinny high school days. Ideally, you should get at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise five days a week. Since this isn’t always possible, you’ll need to chop even more calories from your diet to make sure the calories you eat are being used rather than stored as fat.
3. You Have to Cut
Regardless of how much exercise you get, you’ll probably need to reduce the amount of calories you consume as you age. A good guide to help you understand your calorie need is to start with 1,800 calories for women age 31 to 50 and 2,200 for men of the same age. If you’re younger than 31, add another 200 calories. The over 50 crowd should subtract 200. With certain levels of activity, you can also add calories to your diet. However, since every person’s caloric needs are different at every stage in life, you should consult with your physician before making any minor or major changes in your diet. To get a more precise idea of how many calories you should eat each day, a number of calorie calculators are available on the Internet. Using your age, height, weight, gender, and level of activity, these calculators help you have an idea of how many calories it will take for you to maintain a healthy weight. If you find the amount of calories you’re eating isn’t helping you meet your weight goals, modify your diet as needed.
Junk It Up
Along with all those healthy calories that you chow down on each day, you may be wondering how many of the delectable and not-so-healthy calories you can eat on a daily basis.
An easy way to keep your bad calorie consumption in check is to have no more than one-eighth of your calories come from foods that offer no nutritional value. This includes cookies and cakes, potato chips and bonbons, and those sugar-filled drinks that you can’t live without in the morning and afternoon.
Five of the Fattiest Foods
You may love these foods, but they’re no good when it comes to your good looks and good health.
Oh Man!
Need to hit the store or a restaurant to pick up something to eat? There are some things you’d be better off avoiding. What makes these foods even worse is that the fat found isn’t just your everyday, run-of-the-mill fat. Much of it is trans-fat. These do much more than add unwanted weight to your arms, legs, and middle. Trans-fats are a highly dangerous fat that turns into cholesterol once in your body. In other words, these fats increase your weight and instantly increase your likelihood for suffering heart disease and stroke.
Here is where to watch for fat in the course of your dietary day.
Breakfast
Overflowing with 659 calories and 45 grams of fat, the Bob Evans Country Biscuit Breakfast may be the worst way to start your day. While it may taste good going down, the long-term effects of eating such an unhealthy breakfast counteract any happiness the flavor may provide. And if you’re drinking soda with your breakfast, it’s time to stop. There is no nutritional benefit to drinking soda, and when matched with the Bob Evans Country Biscuit Breakfast, you’re setting your body up for a short and diseased existence.
Lunch
If you’re heading out for lunch, you may want to steer clear of the Wild Buffalo Chicken Strip Basket at Dairy Queen. While you may expect chicken to be relatively healthy, these fried up goodies pack an 870-calorie, 96-gram punch. In the event you choose to take a drive to pick up some fries from another establishment, stay away from Jack in the Box’s large order of Natural Cut Fries. Dipped in grease and fried to fattening perfection, they come with 300 calories and 33 grams of fat.
Snack
Between meals, you need something to keep your energy level on high. What you don’t need is excessive fat. So stay away from Nacho Cheese Doritos. If you think there is nothing dangerous about those little chips, you may be surprised to learn that a single ounce (approximately 11 chips) has 8 grams of fat. Since you probably never eat a mere 11 Nacho Cheese Doritos, you’re probably getting a lot more fat than you think. Oh yeah – there are also 140 calories in that tiny bag, another reason to steer clear of the chips.
Dinner
It may not be the fattiest dinner dish available, but the 12-inch Blimpie Veggie Supreme is listed here because of the cunning nature of the item. The Veggie Supreme sounds like a perfectly healthy option for you and your family. However, with 1,106 calories and 56 grams of fat, this sandwich is not nearly as healthy as its name implies. If you’re hungry for a hoagie loaded with all kinds of goodness, you can easily cut the fat grams in half or more by making it yourself at home.
Dessert
If there’s one food item to avoid purchasing, Baskin Robbins’ large chocolate Oreo shake is it. Containing an amazing 2,600 calories (yes – that’s more than you should eat in an entire day), 139 grams of fat, and 1,700 milligrams of sodium, this seemingly innocent after-dinner delight is one of the most dangerous additions to your diet. While it may look beautiful and taste fantastic, eating a large chocolate Oreo shake cannot be excused by anyone with a desire to live healthily
Swap It Up
Feeling down because some of your favorite foods are on the fatty list? Cheer up! With a few substitutions, you can easily make your favorite dish a little less fatty. Sometimes, all it takes is asking your server for a lighter option. At other times, you may need to request a food be cooked a different way (grilled instead of fried). In yet other circumstances, you may have to cook it yourself or change your order altogether.
Whatever it takes, remember – you’re doing it for the health and longevity of your body, so any sacrifice you have to make is well worth it.
Kissing (or Kicking) Unwanted Pounds Goodbye
Got some extra pounds hanging around? With the right steps, you can get rid of them and get on with a thinner, fitter life.
Bust The Fat Away!
Pounds, pounds, go away, come again another day! If only losing weight were as easy as singing this simple rhyme over and over. Though shedding unwanted pounds is a good deal harder than that, you can do it. Do the following four action items and you’ll get rid of those unwanted and unsightly pounds faster than you can say fad diet.
Don’t Binge
You’ve had a rough day and the only thing that could possibly help you feel better is a tub of ice cream. Or so you think. In actuality, gorging yourself on super double chocolate chip ice cream isn’t going to do you any good right now or in the future. If you want to get rid of weight, you’re going to have to learn self-control. When you’re by yourself and feel hungry for something unhealthy, find something else to do. Pick up a good book, call a friend, or drink a glass of water. If you’re especially intent on losing weight (which you must be if you’re reading this article), follow the next tip.
Be Exercise Minded
In the comfort of your own home, it’s easy to eat whatever you want whenever you want. Learn to identify what causes you to want to eat unhealthy foods or unhealthy amounts of food. Then, begin to modify your behavior when you come face to face with the trigger. If coming home from work is usually followed by an hour on the couch, bonbons in hand, redesign your post-work routine around exercise. When you first get home, don’t hit the couch. Hit the closet for a change of clothes, and then get to the gym or go for a walk around the neighborhood. Changing your mindset takes time and dedication, but putting exercise first on your to-do list is vital to taking off excess pounds.
Deny the Treats
Many dieters feel they’re obliged to a cake or cookie now and then to celebrate their small victories. Unfortunately, this good idea can often become a trap, as the treats become more and more common. Just remember that every time you’re offered a special treat, you have the option of accepting or denying the offer. Force yourself to say “No” 10 times more often than you say “Yes,” and the special treat will actually be a special treat instead of an everyday necessity. By doing this, you’ll also watch your weight slowly and steadily decrease.
Sweat It Off
For the best chance at losing weight, you’re going to have to sweat. While a quick set of push-ups during lunch break will help your body a little bit, you’re not going to get the results you seek without making yourself sweat. No matter if you choose to walk or run for miles on end, participate in a local spin class, join a kickboxing class, or work out with free weights or elliptical machines, you need to sweat. If your workout leaves you dry, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough to lose weight. Increase your workout intensity and prepare to become the thinner, healthier you that you’ve always wanted to be.
Something Extra Needed
If you’ve been working to stay fit and eat healthily but you just can’t seem to get rid of extra pounds, it may be time to stop going at it alone. Instead, contact your physician, dietitian, and personal trainer to find out what specific steps you can take to begin dropping unwanted extra pounds from your body.
In the event you’ve never interacted with a personal trainer, be ready for the shock of your exercising lifetime! It is your personal trainer’s job to make sure you work harder than you’ve ever worked in the gym. Follow your personal trainer’s rigorous recommendations to the letter, and you’ll be utterly exhausted. Of course, you’ll also be on your way to losing the extra pounds you’ve picked up over the years, and shedding pounds is well worth a little sweat and soreness – right?
Good Turn Out For Nutrition Seminar
Yummo
Just wanted to thank all the athletes who came to the nutrition seminar yesterday on a sunny Saturday. We even had two folks who had heard of the gym and dropped in to hear the class. Thanks again! Now go clean out your kitchen!
Obesity: Nature Vs. Nurture
Are there answers to the great obesity debate?
Is This You?
For a long time, there was no question regarding the cause of obesity. It was accepted that people who did not watch what they eat and never got physical exercise were putting themselves at great risk for becoming overweight or obese. And then medical science stepped in, evaluated the various cause of obesity, and found that some people may be genetically disposed to becoming overweight or obese.
So what is the real answer? Is obesity brought on by genetics or what the individual eats and how much exercise he or she gets?
Nature
Much ado has been made recently over the finding of what has been politically incorrectly named the “Fat Gene.” Supposed to indicate an individual’s likelihood to wind up obese, the fat gene is at once a major scientific breakthrough and the cause of heartbreak for everyone found to have inherited this seeming inescapable fate of obesity.
However, this new finding isn’t the only known reason for an individual becoming obese. There are a handful of other conditions that normally lead to an individual gaining weight, often to the point of obesity. One of the most common is hypothyroidism. When the thyroid gland in your neck isn’t working properly, your body doesn’t make enough of a chemical that helps control the amount of energy it uses. As a result, you don’t burn enough calories to maintain a healthy weight, making it easy to become overweight or obese.
Nurture
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity comes down to a simple formula: bringing more energy into your body than you’re burning off over a long period of time. So when you eat more calories than you burn off during the course of a single day, you may not wind up gaining weight. But do this day after day, month after month, year after year, and you will be on the path to weight gain and potentially obesity. Work hard to burn more calories than you eat, and you should be able to maintain a healthy weight.
Regardless of any conditions that may make someone predisposed to weight gain, with enough work, many are able to maintain control of their weight. In fact, research has found that even individuals with the fat gene are given the upper hand against obesity if they’re willing to spend 60 minutes a day exercising, and medication for hypothyroidism helps improve the condition and make exercise more effective.
Together at Last
Though nature and nurture put an individual at risk for becoming obese, the combination is a guaranteed recipe for obesity. So if you find yourself living with a condition that puts you at risk for obesity, the fastest way to gain weight is to ignore your condition, eat whatever you want (whenever you want), and never exercise.
Other Gaining Conditions
In addition to hypothyroidism and the “fat gene,” the following conditions have also been linked to obesity:
- Brain tumor – specifically, a brain tumor in the part of the brain responsible for controlling your appetite or how much energy your body uses.
- Cushing’s syndrome – this is the name for a condition that causes the body to make too any chemicals that are in control of your body’s use of sugars and fats.
- Insulinoma – occurs when a pancreatic tumor causes the pancreas to create excessive amounts of insulin, a process that results in more sugar being turned to fat.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome – caused by the growth of cysts in the ovaries, this condition results in women not ovulating on schedule. Whereas the other conditions listed are clearly linked to obesity, researchers are unsure whether this comes first or whether it is caused by obesity.
Please Welcome New Fighters In Kids Jiu-Jitsu!
Please welcome the new following fighters!
Jayden Grigley
Chase Smith
What’s Your Real Reason For Not Commiting?
Do you have a REAL reason for not training, for not working hard to lose fat? A REAL reason for it?
Look at this picture and tell me yes...
Sunday Focus Punch
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill
Energy Drinks and Beer Anyone?
A dangerous and even deadly combination.
ZZZAP!
During the early days of energy drinks, there was some skepticism that they were not safe for regular consumption. As more energy drink companies began promoting their products and regular people began safely drinking them on a regular basis, the public has become less wary. Now, the energy-boosting beverages are treated like ordinary soft drinks. Unfortunately, not handling these caffeinated cans with care can lead to some serious issues. Especially when mixed with alcohol.
A Collegiate Conundrum
College students and college-aged individuals are at the highest risk for chasing energy drinks with alcohol, a phenomenon known as AMED (alcohol mixed with energy drinks). In fact, it has become commonplace for these youngsters to mix energy drinks and alcohol into a caffeinated, alcoholic cocktail. To the drinkers, the mixture seems heaven-sent. The desired alcoholic buzz is achieved, but the energy drink keeps them from growing tired.
What many of these AMED drinkers don’t know is that while they’re not getting tired, the other effects of alcohol remain the same. That means that while downing an energy drink and a beer may leave the drinker wide awake, the alcohol still results in impaired judgment, lapses in social graces, vision problems, and slowed reflexes. And surprisingly, though the caffeine in energy drinks keeps folks drinking longer and stronger, it actually increases intoxication.
Dangers Abound
When these regular effects of alcohol are ignored and the drinker decides to depend on the energy drink for good judgment and reflexes, the results can be catastrophic. AMED cocktail drinkers are more likely to leave a bar with high levels of alcohol in their system, putting them at risk for serious automobile accidents that result in injury or even death.
During a small study, it was found that people who drank AMED cocktails or who drank energy drinks and alcohol separately consumed more alcohol and drank for longer time periods. But the dangers don’t stop there.
Sipping on an AMED also puts you at increased risk for heart problems. As an energy drink and alcoholic beverage each do different things to your heart (one slows it down, while the other speeds it up), these mixed messages confuse the heart and can result in dangerous heart palpitations. These drinks also increased the likelihood of becoming dangerously dehydrated, as alcohol causes dehydration and caffeine is a diuretic – a.k.a. a dehydration-causing factory.
Still considering chasing a few beers with an energy drink? Remember this: those who drink AMED cocktails are more likely to attempt to take advantage of someone else or be taken advantage of in a sexual manner.
A New Confusing Danger
As if there aren’t enough problems keeping kids away from alcoholic beverages, some companies have made it even more difficult with new marketing techniques. With the energy drink market firmly established, some alcohol companies are marketing their drinks in packaging that is ridiculously close to that used by energy drink products.
The potential result? Underage children buying alcoholic beverages on purpose or on accident, without anyone being alarmed. In order to prevent this from happening on a large scale, businesses that sell both types of drinks will require extensive and ongoing education on all products available to ensure underage juveniles don’t purchase the wrong drink. Parents should also be aware of the differences and be on the lookout for premixed alcohol-energy drink cocktails.
