BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS>
The point of physical activity is not to be a fitness model or go to the extremes, although you can.
The point if it all is to be HEALTHY, HEALTHY, HEALTHY!!! To be able to walk a flight of stairs and not get winded, to keep up with your kids, to be heart healthy etc. Below is a list of the benefits associated with being ACTIVE.
1. Reduces the risk of premature death (active people live longer, with a better quality of life).
2. Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (strengthens the heart, cardiovascular system, and respiratory system to help fight cardiovascular disease).
3. Decreases resting heart rate (reduces the daily wear and tear on the cardiovascular system).
4. Keeps resting blood pressure normal (lessens the stress on the walls of the veins and arteries in teh vascular system and reduces the risk of stroke or other coronary event).
5. Improves heart efficiency (improves the ability to perform daily activites at higher intensities with greater ease).
6. Decreases body fat (reduces the risk of major life-threatening deseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes).
7. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol and decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol (reduces the risk of the hardening of the arteries).
8. Lowers the risk of developing diabetes (keeps the body fat in control, increases cellular sensitivity to insulin, and helps regulate blood sugar levels).
9. Promotes joint stability (increases strength of all connective tissue, decreasing susceptibility to injury).
10. Increases muscular strength (perform dailty activities with less effort).
11. Strengthens bones (reduce the risk of osteoporosis, injury and broken bones).
12. Increases muscle mass and decreases body fat (improves physique with a more toned appearence, and the body burns more calories at rest as well as during exercise to sustain increased muscle - since muscle tissue is an active tissue).
13. Increases resting metabolism (many calories are required by the body at rest, which helps with weight management).
14. Improves core strength (develops strong abdominals and back muscles for better posture and less chance of back pain).
15. Improves balance, coordination and agility (all movements in daily life become easier and safer when the body has better control).
16. Improves body image and self-esteem (exercisers experience improved mental health and self-image).
17. Reduces depression and anxiety (an improved outlook on life makes all activites more enjoyable).
18. Assists in stress management (everyday life becomes more enjoyable because the person has a positive way to dealith stress).
After reading all of this? Why are you still sitting on the couch??? Get up and get active! You only get one bdoy and one life...why not have the best one you possibly can??
Candice.
New-Fit-Land Fitness
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Plan for Good Nutrition!
Most Canadian's believe that they are well informed about Nutrition. Here are the basic guidelines for developing a healthy diet:
1. Eat a variety of foods. Follow Canada's food guide, comsuming the recommended amounts from each food group. You can find this online, and you can even use the site and entre your own information and it will give you your customized Food Guide.
2. Choose a diet low in fat and limited saturated fat and cholesterol for heart health.
3. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and grains.
4. Limit simple sugars! There are two categories for carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple are the kind that come from unhealthy and processed foods (jams, honey etc) and fruits. Clearly fruit is the only good option in this category. Complex carbs come from vegetables, legumes, grains, potato, pasta, rice etc (all whole grain please)!
5. Eat a moderate amount of salt and sodium (choose sea salt if you can). Your body does need salt (other wise you will siffer from Hyponatremia). However, if you eat a lot of precoessed foods, you're getting MORE than enough sodium in your diet.
6. Drink alcoholic beverages in MODERATION! If you msut have it!
7. Balance food intake with physical activity.
8. Monitor caloric intake (not just food, calories! Food, drink, chewing gum, candy etc.) to regulate a healthy body weight.
I suggest keeping a food diary because people have a tendancy to overexaggerate physical activity and underexaggerate caloric intake. It is important to do this so you can physically see what you are eating when you workout hard and don't lose weight for example. Diet is 70% of weight loss, you can control it only if you know what you are putting in your body. Food diarys people, it's a must!
P.S The color RED makes you hungry, so don't use red dishes or paint the kitchen red either! ;)
NOTE: For more information, review Canada's Food Guide. Visit online @:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html
Candice.
1. Eat a variety of foods. Follow Canada's food guide, comsuming the recommended amounts from each food group. You can find this online, and you can even use the site and entre your own information and it will give you your customized Food Guide.
2. Choose a diet low in fat and limited saturated fat and cholesterol for heart health.
3. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and grains.
4. Limit simple sugars! There are two categories for carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple are the kind that come from unhealthy and processed foods (jams, honey etc) and fruits. Clearly fruit is the only good option in this category. Complex carbs come from vegetables, legumes, grains, potato, pasta, rice etc (all whole grain please)!
5. Eat a moderate amount of salt and sodium (choose sea salt if you can). Your body does need salt (other wise you will siffer from Hyponatremia). However, if you eat a lot of precoessed foods, you're getting MORE than enough sodium in your diet.
6. Drink alcoholic beverages in MODERATION! If you msut have it!
7. Balance food intake with physical activity.
8. Monitor caloric intake (not just food, calories! Food, drink, chewing gum, candy etc.) to regulate a healthy body weight.
I suggest keeping a food diary because people have a tendancy to overexaggerate physical activity and underexaggerate caloric intake. It is important to do this so you can physically see what you are eating when you workout hard and don't lose weight for example. Diet is 70% of weight loss, you can control it only if you know what you are putting in your body. Food diarys people, it's a must!
P.S The color RED makes you hungry, so don't use red dishes or paint the kitchen red either! ;)
NOTE: For more information, review Canada's Food Guide. Visit online @:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html
Candice.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Think before you drink!
"People tend to turn a "blind eye" to the concept of liquid calories. If a liquid has color, flavor and/or bubbles...chances are, it has calories. The only liquid that definately has zero calories is unadulterated still water. So, let's take this opportunity to discuss two calorific drinks, namely alcohol and flavored coffees.
Now, I'm sure most adults can testify to the unpleasent aftereffects of too much alcohol. But in addition to the postbinge hangover, there's something else that fitness folk should be concerned about--consuming a calorie-loaded cocktail that kills your conditioning. Newsflash: Alcohol can be a big problem for fat-conscious bodybuilders. Why? There are several reasons. Alcohol adversely affects exercise performance and recovery. It can cause dehydration and nutrition deficiencies. Alcohol is also a source of unnessecary calories. It doesn't matter how meticulous you are with your diet, if you're drinking alcohol every day, you won'y get ultra-lean. What's more, alcohol interferes with the body's ability to burn fat. Your body uses alcohol as an energy source rather than deriving it from stored fat, so you body holds on to fat, contributing to that beer belly. Think before you drink, and check out these facts:
1. A regular beer has about 150 calories.
2. A six-ounce (180 ml) glass of red wine has 120 calories.
3. A margarita can contain 450 calories.
4. Partygoers who drink a Red Bull with vodka slurp down 250 calories.
5. Many cocktails contain more calories than a double cheeseburger.
6. Drinking a glass of wine every day adds up to an extra 40,000 calories per year.
You also may be tempted by the lure of a refreshing jolt of iced java. The trendy java huts have been busy creating new chilled recipes to tempt our taste buds during the hot summer months. But for the consumer, there's a heafty price to pay. These cold, flavored coffee drinks not only cost an arm and a leg but also pack a heavy caloric punch! How many calories?? Well, make sure you are sitting down, because you're in for quite a shock. Check this data out. First up, let's evaluate a medium-size 16-ounce (480 ml) cup of black coffee. As you might expect, this standard favorite contains only 10 calories from a couple of grams of carbohydrates. Next, a 16-ounce cup of cappuccino bumps the calorie count up to around 150 calories on account of the steamed milk. Now here's the shocker, a 16-ounce serving of one of those new blended iced coffee drinks contains nearly 300 calories. And when you add whipped cream to that drink, it delivers a whopping 430 calories with a massive 16 grams of fat. Yep, you read that right. Quench your thirst with this baby and you'll gulp down almost 500 calories. If you're looking for a fast-acting weight-gain supplement, this is it, my friend. Sadly, you probably won't find these nutrition facts on display in the coffee shops -- and that ought to be a red flag for any calorie-conscious bodybuilder. Personally, I think that any 500 calorie drink should come with a health warning on the cup! If you want anything that resembles an abdominal six-pack, you best stay clear of the java hidden with a jolt of calories. You could request that you drink be made less calorific by using nonfat milk, but even then you still get a drink that tops 200 calories. If you are serious about losing weight, choose a chilled ready-to-drink can of protein."
SOURCE: Men's Body Sculpting (2nd Ed.) by Nick Evans, MD.
Now, I'm sure most adults can testify to the unpleasent aftereffects of too much alcohol. But in addition to the postbinge hangover, there's something else that fitness folk should be concerned about--consuming a calorie-loaded cocktail that kills your conditioning. Newsflash: Alcohol can be a big problem for fat-conscious bodybuilders. Why? There are several reasons. Alcohol adversely affects exercise performance and recovery. It can cause dehydration and nutrition deficiencies. Alcohol is also a source of unnessecary calories. It doesn't matter how meticulous you are with your diet, if you're drinking alcohol every day, you won'y get ultra-lean. What's more, alcohol interferes with the body's ability to burn fat. Your body uses alcohol as an energy source rather than deriving it from stored fat, so you body holds on to fat, contributing to that beer belly. Think before you drink, and check out these facts:
1. A regular beer has about 150 calories.
2. A six-ounce (180 ml) glass of red wine has 120 calories.
3. A margarita can contain 450 calories.
4. Partygoers who drink a Red Bull with vodka slurp down 250 calories.
5. Many cocktails contain more calories than a double cheeseburger.
6. Drinking a glass of wine every day adds up to an extra 40,000 calories per year.
You also may be tempted by the lure of a refreshing jolt of iced java. The trendy java huts have been busy creating new chilled recipes to tempt our taste buds during the hot summer months. But for the consumer, there's a heafty price to pay. These cold, flavored coffee drinks not only cost an arm and a leg but also pack a heavy caloric punch! How many calories?? Well, make sure you are sitting down, because you're in for quite a shock. Check this data out. First up, let's evaluate a medium-size 16-ounce (480 ml) cup of black coffee. As you might expect, this standard favorite contains only 10 calories from a couple of grams of carbohydrates. Next, a 16-ounce cup of cappuccino bumps the calorie count up to around 150 calories on account of the steamed milk. Now here's the shocker, a 16-ounce serving of one of those new blended iced coffee drinks contains nearly 300 calories. And when you add whipped cream to that drink, it delivers a whopping 430 calories with a massive 16 grams of fat. Yep, you read that right. Quench your thirst with this baby and you'll gulp down almost 500 calories. If you're looking for a fast-acting weight-gain supplement, this is it, my friend. Sadly, you probably won't find these nutrition facts on display in the coffee shops -- and that ought to be a red flag for any calorie-conscious bodybuilder. Personally, I think that any 500 calorie drink should come with a health warning on the cup! If you want anything that resembles an abdominal six-pack, you best stay clear of the java hidden with a jolt of calories. You could request that you drink be made less calorific by using nonfat milk, but even then you still get a drink that tops 200 calories. If you are serious about losing weight, choose a chilled ready-to-drink can of protein."
SOURCE: Men's Body Sculpting (2nd Ed.) by Nick Evans, MD.
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