Yearly Archives: 2014

July 25, 2014

IS EATING LATE PREVENTING YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT?

In order to burn the most fat, you should go 12 hours overnight without eating.

The reasoning behind it is that during the day your muscles use some of the calories you eat for fuel, the rest is stored as glycogen.

Overnight, that glycogen is converted to glucose. Once the glycogen is gone, your liver starts burning the fat cells.

Fasting for 12 hours overnight allows your body the chance to convert the glycogen and start burning fat.

Therefore, if you usually eat your breakfast at 7:00am, try to have your dinner by 7:00pm the night before.

July 18, 2014

A STRONG CORE = A FASTER 5K

Getting that desired six-pack is not the only reason to include the plank into your exercise routine.

A strong core stabilises your hips and pelvis when you run, enabling you to go faster and further.

In a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, runners who did six weeks of core training had significantly faster 5K times than those who didn’t.

When your core is weak, the leg muscles fatigue at a much faster rate. Your body compensates by engaging other muscles to pick up the slack. Eventually this can lead to muscle-tissue breakdown and an increased risk for injury.

To reap the benefits, incorporate core exercises, like planks, into your strength-training routine two to three times a week.

July 10, 2014

YOGHURT WARNING!

Plain yogurt naturally contains about 16 grams of sugar per cup. But if you eat flavoured yogurt, you could be downing 15 or more additional grams of sugar, which is the equivalent to four extra teaspoonfuls.

Choose plain, low-fat yogurt and stir in a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, or all-fruit spread for a hint of sweetness. Or opt for fat-free Greek yoghurt, which is lower in sugar than even regular plain yogurt but often has double the protein to keep you satisfied longer.

July 4, 2014

WHAT IS OIL PULLING?

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic procedure that is said to boost oral and overall health by withdrawing toxins.

The procedure is pretty straightforward: take any vegetable oil, such as coconut, olive or sunflower, and vigorously swish it around your mouth for 20 minutes, then spit it out.

Don’t gargle, don’t swallow. Repeat daily. In simplified terms, by doing this, the oil purportedly cleans and detoxifies your mouth by binding with oral bacteria (hence, the “pulling” away of toxins from your mouth) that you later spit out with the oil, and the healthier mouth in turn leads to a bunch of other positive physical effects, like clearer skin, eased PMS, cleared allergies and alleviated migraines.

There are two beliefs as to why this may work: first, it’s thought that by swishing the oil like a mouthwash, it cleanses the mouth of bacteria due to its antimicrobial properties.

Secondly, once the procedure is done, the oil is thought to coat the surface of the teeth, creating a slippery barrier that prevents bacterial buildup.

Now, if you’re raising your eyebrows as to whether this silver bullet is actually real, you’re not the only one. Skeptics may think that swishing mouthwash would be the same as swishing oils, but the bacteria in our mouth is covered with a fat membrane and is attracted to the oil, so oil is far better at pulling.

Newbies may find it a bit unsettling to swish for such a long time, and may even feel gum soreness afterward. This is normal, as when toxins are aggravated – pulled out of their hiding spots – they tend to be irritant and cause discomfort just as they do inside the body when you do a detox or cleanse. The discomfort will pass after those first few days, so stick with it and it will be worth it!

June 27, 2014

FOODS THAT BOOST YOUR BRAIN POWER.

Turmeric: A study has shown that older adults in India are 4.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than the same demographic in the UK. Turmeric also has anti-inflammatory abilities to protect cell erosion and carries antioxidant effects that fight against breakdown in cell membranes.

Berries: These sweet fruits are rich in polyphenols, especially anthocyanins, shown in studies to increase sharpness and speed of processing in areas of our brain function that are the first to go as we get older.

Avocado: Foods rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids will help your head and your heart. Stick to healthy fats only, of which avocadoes have many, and skip trans and saturated fats. Swapping avocado for butter in a lot of your traditional baked good recipes, such as cakes and breads, can provide the same emulsifying effect (and taste), but with an added cardiovascular and neuro-protective effect.

Orange fruits and veggies: Such as sweet potatoes, carrots, melon, butternut squash, and oranges serve as great defenders of cell breakdown, causing better brain function into older age.

Chickpeas: Chickpeas have high vitamin-B content (like B6 and folate), meaning lots of brain benefits. In our bodies, folate is responsible for the conversion of homocysteine, a byproduct of cellular metabolism, into methionine, which is another amino acid. High levels of homocysteine are responsible for blood vessel damage.

June 20, 2014

3 FACTS ABOUT VITAMINS AND YOUR HEALTH.

Fact 1: Vitamins don’t cancel out bad health habits.
There are many different disease-causing culprits in our lives, one vitamin cannot protect against them all. Vitamins can’t significantly undo the toll that risk factors like smoking, excess alcohol, air pollution, obesity, and lack of physical activity take on our health. In fact, research suggests that some people may be more likely to put their health on the line when taking vitamins, because they believe the pills will shield them from harm.

Fact 2: Megadoses are useless and possibly even harmful.
Our bodies have individual requirements for each nutrient, and once they’ve been met, we don’t get an additional benefit from taking more, either from food or supplements. Taking too much calcium, for example, can cause kidney stones and may increase your risk for heart attacks. What’s more, some vitamins and minerals rely on the same mechanisms for absorption. So if you flood your body with one compound, you may interfere with the absorption of other nutrients.

Fact 3: What you put on your plate matters most.
Supplements are not a substitute for the nutrients found in whole foods. Spinach, for instance, is a great source of iron, but it also contains literally thousands of other nutrients; an iron supplement contains only one. As long as you’re eating a varied diet, it’s extremely difficult to overdose on the vitamins and minerals you get from foods, but exceeding your RDA is easy when you’re popping supplements.

June 13, 2014

BEST FOODS FOR WEIGHT LOSS.

Chocolate: Savor one to three ounces of at least 70 percent cacao chocolate a day. Chocolate contains flavonoids called catechins, which seem to reduce insulin sensitivity and the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Erratic insulin levels and cortisol are powerful in their ability to pack on belly fat. Dark chocolate is also high in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which fight inflammation. Fat cells, particularly those in visceral fat (the dangerous kind in the belly that can lead to diabetes and heart disease), churn out molecules that set inflammation in motion. It’s a vicious cycle, because inflammation leads to belly fat, and belly fat leads to more inflammation.

Dairy: Dairy contains the two highest-quality sources of protein – casein and whey. This, in combination with nutrients like calcium and vitamin D, aids in muscle preservation, appetite regulation and fat loss. What’s more, dairy fat contains conjugated linoleic acid, which has been shown to help reduce visceral fat.

Green Tea: Like chocolate, green tea is rich in catechins that appear to whittle your waist by prompting your body to burn more fat and calories, particularly in the period just after each meal. The average cup of brewed green tea contains 111 milligrams of catechins, so just two to three cups a day could be beneficial.

Blueberries: You’ve heard that these little guys are packed with a host of health-boosting properties. Now preliminary studies suggest they’re effective at combating belly at too. Blueberries are filled with manganese, which helps convert proteins, carbs, and fats to energy, and is the key to shedding abdominal fat. The high antioxidant content also works to reduce stress hormones and inflammation in the body.

June 6, 2014

WHAT SHOULD I BE EATING AFTER A WORKOUT?

Breaking down your muscles burns calories for sure, but what really torches them is building those muscles back up – and that’s where post-workout nutrition comes into play.

Eating a mix of carbohydrates and protein within an hour of your cool-down helps increase your body’s levels of muscle-repair-signaling hormones. That way, you’ll not only build more calorie-torching muscle, but your muscles will actually spend extra energy during the repair process.

Carbs help replenish your muscles’ glycogen stores. Post-workout, aim to consume a snack with a 3:1 ratio of healthy carbohydrates to protein, such as a smoothie made with plain yogurt and water-rich fruits. Around 150 to 200 calories should do the trick.

Keep in mind though that your need to refuel isn’t an excuse to binge. So make sure you don’t fall into the trap of feeling like you ‘deserve’ a post workout snack and eat way too much, replacing all the calories they’ve just burned while training.

May 30, 2014

UPPER-BODY VS. LOWER-BODY EXERCISES.

When you work your lower body rep per rep, you burn a lot more calories churning out squats than biceps curls.

And while it’s good to work on a sculpted upper body, your largest muscles are in your legs. Plus, by working bigger muscles, and thus, more muscle fibers, you create more of those micro-tears your body has to spend calories to repair.

Furthermore, when you do work your arms, stand up whenever possible. As soon as you sit down, those big calorie-burning muscles will become dormant.

May 23, 2014

SHOULD YOU EXERCISE ON A FULL OR EMPTY STOMACH?

When you exercise on a full stomach food is fuel, and while hitting the gym straight after eating is not a good idea, having some (at least partially) digested food in your system means your muscles are stocked with the glycogen they need to work their best.

A study showed that exercisers who ate breakfast before working enjoyed significantly higher VO2 (a measure of energy expenditure) and fat-burn rates compared to those who hadn’t eaten breakfast before exercising.

The best part? The calorie-torching edge lasted for a full 24 hours after working out!

Lanima Fitness

Personal Training for Women