Posts Tagged ‘Diet’

Bruno_Personal_Trainer_Sydney

Below are 10 reasons why you should hire me as your trainer.

1. I am always honest and reliable

I have over 5 years experience as being a personal trainer. I have a lot of passion for my job, I have been training in and out of gyms since I was 14 years old. I have studied and have over a decade of knowledge along the way. I am not that sort of trainer who has been training for 2 years or has gotten his/her Personal training certification, and then pretends I he or she knows everything. That is not my style or my character. Along the way I have done both, studied the physiology of the human body and have trained at the highest physical possible level.

2. I always plan and organize realistic goals and expectations for my clients

Again I am not one of those trainers who will put you on a ridiculous diet and put you on supplements. Which will only give you quick-short term result, which will only be wasting your time and your money. I never take short cuts with my training and dieting, so why should my clients?

3. My clients come first

I always find time to get back to all my clients questions and demands. Some trainers leave there clients with a program and diet plan. But don’t bother explaining to there clients what is going on with the program. Its like a doctor giving you a program for your sore lower back, and not telling you why its going to work for you. So why should you hang onto his or her words?

4. I give out proper programs

I give out workouts and nutrition programs to all my clients, which are easy to follow.
While other trainers can’t be bothered and simply copy and paste there workouts and diets off other websites, or even had out there own workout or diet programs. God made us all made different, so why would a work out or diet program from someone else work for you? Simple answer is: it wont! We are all born different from one another, and our bodies are all unique. So in the end, we all need a workout program and diet program that is specific to our body, shape and size needs.

5. I have never used steroids

Why have a trainer who has taken the easy road? I don’t understand how people can pay someone money, who has taken the easy way. Its like going to church and the priest telling you cheating on your wife is a sin, yet he goes out on the weekend and has sex with married women at the local pub.

6. My physique never changes

You can have a look at my photo gallery and progress results at
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Scarfdaddy

Why have a physique that changes? My body stays the same all year round, wouldn’t you like your body looking great all year round? Why go threw those ridiculous cutting and bulking diets? Its very taxing and unhealthy on your body, also majority of body builders are on steroids. Also a study was done saying symmetrical bodies attract the opposite sex. Makes sense, seeing as there was another study done saying symmetrical facial features attract the opposite sex. So why wouldn’t you want to look and stay symmetrical to your body type all the time?

7. I evaluate my personal training sessions

When I was getting my business started, I used to watch other trainers. I would look on and question, would I pay money to be trained like that? So in doing that, I have a lot of pride that comes along with my training sessions. So I make my sessions that good, that I even I would pay for them.

8. I have friends who are professional athletes, doctors, nutritionists and kinesiologists-Sports doctors, surgeons and lawyers

My life is always heavily influenced in the right way, sometimes its good getting other opinions. While other trainers will get opinions and ideas they have either heard at the gym or off the internet. They follow myths and stories of secret supplements, myth diets, and all sorts of bizarre ideas based on myths. Just have a look at my body building myths on this web page. So my views and opinions are always approved by all the right sort of people that they should be approved by. I Consult with doctors, physiotherapists, dietitians and other allied health professionals to create health and fitness programs for my clients.

9. You get educated

I don’t simply tell you do this and eat this. Without first knowing, how, why, what, where and when.
Most trainers will get you to do this and take these supplement shakes in your diet. I will tell you why and what is going on with the program. I will never put you on supplement shakes or even supplements for that matter. Would you like drinking meal replacing supplements your whole life?
Supplement means to: to make up for a deficiency.
So its obvious the trainer, is to lazy or does not want to go threw the effort of making you a proper program or diet. When you have a proper diet, you don’t need any sort of supplement. I give you results you keep for the rest of your life. You will never be given diets and workouts that you cannot maintain for the rest of your life. For me its never about the money, the fitness industry is embarrassing.
Lucky enough if you choose me to be your trainer, you wont have to deal with cons and scams ever again.

10. I TRAIN AND HAVE TRAINED WITH FRIENDS COMPETING AND TRAINING AT OLYMPIC AND PROFESSIONAL LEVELS

WHY SETTLE FOR A SECOND RATE TRAINER? FUNCTIONAL-PRODUCTIVE MUSCLE IS THE WAY TO GO. HOW CAN YOU TAKE GUIDANCE OR PAY SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT COMPETED AT OR IS EVEN TRAINING AT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL. WHY PAY AND SETTLE FOR A SECOND RATE TRAINER???????????

11. I Help you to Become a Personal Trainer
How do I do this for you? Read all of they above.

Bruno.Abs

In general, people will practice cardiovascular activities and forget about weight bearing exercises when it comes to burning fat. Yet there are still many trainers who will say that aerobic exercises burn off fat and weightlifting is only used to build muscle bulk. This statement is not entirely correct because the more muscle mass one acquires through weight-bearing exercises, the more he will burn fat calories even at rest.

Cardiovascular activity combined with weight training will result in much more effective fat loss. Cardiovascular exercises will raise muscle metabolism during the activity and for a short time after the exercise session. Weight training, on the other hand, will raise your muscle metabolism during the exercise session and for a long time after the exercise session. Some high intensity trainers have even seen their metabolism rise for several days following their training session.

Performing adequate weight training exercises should limit your repetitions anywhere from 1 to 20 (more or less). Such resistance on muscles will make their tissue leaner and stronger. The muscle development will take place during the rest period following the resistance training. Therefore, sufficient rest periods are essential.

Whether your goal is to tone or build muscles, it is important to know what happens during the muscle training process. When lifting weights, muscle tissues are torn apart (at the microscopic level) from the stress, and it’s in the recuperation period that your muscles become stronger and, therefore, able to support the extra stress. Usually the recuperation period required is 24 to 48 hours after the weight lifting activity.

The last most important factor to consider when trying to burn fat or lose weight is that lots of muscle mass can be lost as a result. As muscle mass will keep your metabolism high, try to avoid quick weight loss through miracle diets or starvation. This weight loss will be regained just as quickly. Instead, opt for a gradual fat loss routine by combining weight training and cardiovascular activities, and allow muscle mass to build up and increase your metabolism. Results may take a little longer, but they will last for a longer period of time.

Bruno_Ripped

The days of trying to bulk up as much as possible and look like a bodybuilder are out. Now the body image most men are looking for and most women find attractive is that of a professional sprinters and swimmers. They are lean and toned with just the right amount of muscle and body fat to turn heads wherever they go. This is not a simple look to achieve, though. You must follow the right training protocols and make sure your diet is in check.

Top 3 things to avoid at all costs.

1. Taking long rest periods during sets

The general guideline for building a great deal of mass states that you should allow ample rest time between sets to let your muscles recover. This enables you to lift maximally on your next set. While this principle still holds true for putting getting big, reducing this rest time will increase your metabolism, helping you get leaner.

Since your goal is not to achieve your maximum size, the shortened rest breaks will not hinder you in getting good muscle definition. You still need to rest enough so that you can challenge yourself, but there is no need for two-minute rest periods anymore.

2. Neglecting all forms of cardio

If you want to get that lean look, you have to do some cardio training. Former methods enforced the principle of boycotting all cardio as it burned precious calories that could potentially go toward muscle growth. This is fine if you don’t wish to control your body-fat levels, but in order to see your hard-earned muscles, cardio is essential.

3. Eating everything in sight

This was fairly typical during the “beefcake” days when every guy wanted to pack on as much mass as possible. He would eat anything he could get his hands on in the hopes that it would help add muscle to his frame. Doing this will add mass, but a greater portion of it will be body fat, bringing you further away from the toned physique you’re looking for.

Top 4 things you should do.

1. Cardio sprint training

When it comes to cardio, the preferred method is interval training. This allows you to push your body for a short period of time, and then take a period to rest and recover before going once again. It is preferable because it will also help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers and will kick your metabolism into high gear.

Any form of exercise that is very intense will help with your fat-burning process as the body will expend a great deal of calories repairing the damaged muscle tissue once you are finished your workout. Try to incorporate at least two sessions of interval training into your week — one focusing on longer intervals of one minute with two minutes of rest, and the other focusing on shorter intervals of 20 to 30 seconds with one to one and a half minutes of rest. Note: The shorter the interval, the more intense it should be.

2.Plyometric training

Plyometric training uses exercises that require you to move very quickly using only your body weight. They are great for developing explosive power and strength. Since you are not acting against a heavy weight load, you will not get the same hypertrophy effects that result in the bulky muscle look. Typical plyometric exercises are:

Box jumps: Jump onto as high of a box as you can, and then back down again. For added difficulty, try doing this off one leg.

Squat jumps: Begin by moving from a standing position down into a full squat, then rapidly push off the ground using your thigh muscles to propel yourself as high as possible. Land once again in a full squat position and repeat 10 to 15 times.

Clap push-ups: Perform the normal push-up action, but use your muscles to propel your body off the ground in the up phase. While in the air, clap your hands together and then land back into the push-up position to complete the downward portion of the exercise.

3. Circuit speed training

Circuit training is another good option for those looking to get lean and toned. It works in a similar way to supersets, but instead of working opposing muscle groups, you complete an entire circuit of exercises for your whole body. Perform one set of each exercise before moving onto the next one with little or no rest in-between. Once you finish one whole circuit, take a few minutes to rest, and then complete it again one to three more times.

Additionally, you may want to focus on increasing the velocity in which you perform the concentric (working portion) of your exercise, as this will help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers more.

4. Supersets

Supersets are an exercise technique in which you perform one set of an exercise for one muscle group, and then another set for an antagonistic group. For example, complete one set of bicep curls followed by one set of overhead tricep presses. Since these muscles oppose one another, while one is working, the other can rest. This both cuts down on your total workout time and increases the overall amount of calories burned during your training session.

Getting lean and toned is dependent on burning more calories than you take in to remove excess body fat, so anything that helps you accomplish this is a step in the right direction. Try to incorporate these types of exercises into your workout as much as possible. Good examples are chest presses supersetted with bent-over rows and leg extensions supersetted with hamstring curls.

*Also note
If you are looking to develop a defined yet muscular body, put some of these principles into effect. You do not have to be huge to be strong, and most people these days prefer a more toned appearance over a bulky look. Don’t forget to stretch, make sure your diet is free from all junk and processed foods, and make sure you are eating five to six times a day to keep your metabolism up. Once you have mastered both the workout and the diet, your physique will get noticed.

M3Habib

Question:
What is your take on cheat meals ?

Answer:
After the cardio session day, I will allow you to have something sweet to go with your meal.
Sort of like a cheat day but not, I don’t believe in them either. You should be eating good
everyday, all year round. But one treat a week wont hurt, especially after a good cardio session your body willlove those sugars. Its also the only time where its sort of exceptable, because your body will
break it down straight away and wont store all of it as fat. But if you had a cheat day and did no exercise, its
all going to get stored as fat straight away. Also I don’t believe in teasing your body one day a week is good.
Its like if you had a brand new Holden HSV, and one day you decided you want to fill it up with diesel instead of premium. Need to run your body on good foods always, your body works more efficient that way.

Question:
Are you looking at me to put on weight or cut with this diet ?

Answer:
Thats an easy answer: Both

Question:
Should I feel hungry or satisfied on this meal plan ?

Answer:
Satisfied, there alot of low gi foods in this diet,
Your body will digest these foods slowly leaving you feeling full for longer and allowing you to eat less calories without feeling hungry.

Question:
Do you eat like this all year or do you have breaks from the diet. From your pics your physique looks great all year round.

Answer:
All year round, and I encourage it in all my clients.

From my website:
My physique never changes Why have a physique that changes? My body stays the same all year round, wouldn’t you like your body looking great all year round? Why go threw those ridiculous cutting and bulking diets? Its very taxing and unhealthy on your body, also majority of body builders are on steroids. Also a study was done saying symmetrical bodies attract the opposite sex. Makes sense, seeing as there was another study done saying symmetrical facial features attract the opposite sex. So why wouldn’t you want to look and stay symmetrical to your own body type?

Question:
What macronutrient breakdown do you recommend for me – am I right in saying about 150 gr protein and rest make up in carbs and good fats ?

Answer:
Exactly, the next 6 weeks we will see how your body reacts to it. I can give you my diet and workouts, but that wont work on you. This is all specifc to what you want, abs and more muscle tone.
You have your own cron o meter, so that is really good. But I was surprised you didnt see or question the fact that you lacking in vitamins and minerals? With my diet your at 100%, your last diet was at 50%
Anyways we live and learn, I have been down that paths too. I have tried this and tried that, I have an open mind to it all. But alot of things you can tell are just not right. But know I have the knowledge in explaining why.

Dont worry about the questions, its all good.

The more you ask the better, you need your body and mind working together.
If I tell you to jump a bridge you wont do it, but if I tell you why, you will do it.
haha, not such a good analogy, but you know what I mean. :)

Have a good day at work,

Anymore questions feel free to ask,

Your Mate, and Online Trainer,

Bruno

www.brunosfitness.com

Boot Camp

They are very rapid growing trend. The 3 main reason why they are is as follows.

1. Its is very affordable.

2. You can go with all your friends and try holding each other accountable.

3. There is usually one or two people leading the boot camp, so you can relax a little bit.
But the most important thing you are not being assisted with in boot camps, is efficient resistance training and nutrition. Which are the two main components in weight loss and muscle definition.

Boot camps stress on cardio, yes cardio is a great thing, but in order to maintain your goals of weight loss and definition you have to eat right and train right. Lifting a 5-8lb dumbbell in your bootcamp is not sufficient enough, and the amount of repetitions you are doing are too high in order to stress the muscle enough so it can grow, which is the point in resistance training. More muscle will increase your metabolism, which will then allow your body to burn fat. After 20min-30min all your carbohydrate stores are done. After that, your body relies on easily accessible protein to use as fuel!! This is BAD! This is called catabolism, and your body ends up using your protein stores for energy, this makes it harder for your body to add muscle tone, as you have no proteins no longer in your body to do so.

You are probably wondering. Will you lose weight doing boot camps?
Yes, but it isn’t just fat, you are burning fat and protein stores, which could have potential lead to muscle.
So why would you want to do that, when muscle is what speeds up your metabolism?
Also in boot camps you will very quickly reach a plateau. Which means your body will not change much. I am just here to inform you about what bootcamps are truely doing, it is a money market for most trainers.

The main thing also is that they charge everyone $20 each time. If there are 30 of you that is a quick and easy $600 in ONE hour of work! Do you think they really care about your results?

Whether you already row or are considering rowing to keep in shape, lose weight, cross-train for another sport, compete on the water or rehabilitate from injury or surgery, rowing is the complete exercise for you.

Arms, legs, chest, back, abs—even your mind. Your whole body gets a complete workout from the efficient, rhythmic motion of rowing. Rowing is such a great exercise in so many different ways.

* Low-impact (easy on the knees and ankles)
* High calorie burner (because it uses so many muscle groups)
* Great for joint health (joints move through a wide range of motion)
* Upper body (completes the stroke)
* Lower body (the legs initiate the drive)
* Works the back and abs too!
* Superb aerobic fitness (great for cardiovascular fitness)
* Relieves Stress (for overall health and well-being)

This is different from the rowing you may have done as a kid in a rowboat. The difference lies in the sliding seat. Your legs compress and extend with every stroke—in addition to the more obvious work being done by the back and arms.

Legs: You begin each stroke with your legs compressed and your shins vertical. You initiate the drive with the powerful muscles of your legs, and finish with your legs fully extended. Rowing promotes both strength and flexibility through this wide range of leg motion.

Arms: At the catch, your arms are outstretched; at the finish of the stroke, they have pulled the handle into your abdomen. As with the legs, this range of motion promotes both strength and flexibility.

Core: chest, back, abs: At the start of the stroke, the power of the legs is connected to the handle by means of the arms and the core muscles of the body. Then the back is more fully involved as it swings open through the middle of the stroke. Finally, the body is stabilized at the finish by the abdominal muscles.

Wanderlei-Silva-wearing-Gi

If your goal is to become a fighter or to be able to defend yourself completely, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has significant advantages over most other martial arts. It remains the only single style that addresses all areas of fighting completely without the need for cross-training. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was designed as a fighting style to defeat other martial arts, where styles like Boxing, Karate, Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do all specialize in striking someone, none of them present solutions for someone who is pinned on the ground; conversely, Jiu-jitsu offers solutions for defending against striking attacks while standing and on the ground in addition to all methods of grappling attacks. With the popularity of contests like the Ultimate Fighting Championship, you will see people naming their styles as Wrestling or Kickboxing, but they all (and must) supplement their training with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. To this day, there are still fighters entering the cage with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as their only method of training to ensure their victories.

The Military has recognized the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as a martial art not only for sportive contests, but in the real world as well. America’s Army cannot afford to buy into theories or Hollywood myths about martial arts; for a soldier, knowledge of martial arts is life and death, not a hobby or a film script. Through a scientific method, trial and error and process of elimination, The United States Army chose Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to be the core of their Combatives Program. In 2002, SFC Matthew Larson re-wrote the Army Combatives Manual (FM 3-25.150) and made Brazilian Jiu-jitsu the backbone for the entire work. Today, it is hard to find any elite Military or Law Enforcement agency that does not incorporate Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as a serious part of their doctrine.

12 reasons why Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is great for your mind and body:

1. Losing weight and gaining a ripped functional body

2. Helps release stress through riveting physical activity

3. Teaches you to protect yourself and your loved ones

4. Surprise yourself with what you’re capable of achieving

5. Avoid confusion and unnecessary situations

6. Make lifelong friends

7. Gain greater vigor and energy throughout the day

8. Quit cigarettes and other bad habits

9. Become full of self-confidence and self-love

10. Learn ways to change what you don’t like about your life!

11. Jiu Jitsu teaches you to move and to use your body improving your coordination

12. Gives you another goal to achieve in life, should you choose to master the art or achieve success in competition

Fat-loss

1- Small-meals

Ideally, every time you eat, your plate should have some protein, a little fat and a little fibrous bulk to ensure that you feel full and satisfied. This takes some planning. It ultimately means losing the "mindlessly munching on pretzels" habit.

Even if you eat fruit as a snack, healthy as it is, you won't feel completely satisfied because it doesn't have any protein and fat.

An apple followed by, say, some plain yogurt, will do more for satiety than two apples. A baked potato, which has 100 calories, contributes more to satisfaction than 20 potato chips, which, at 114 calories, adds up quickly. Top that spud with a quarter-cup of low-fat cottage cheese (100 calories), and you have a filling, healthy snack for 200 calories.

2- Don't deprive yourself
You don't want to feel deprived or hungry; drastically cutting calories will only slow down your metabolism by driving your system into famine mode.

Don't count calories; just eyeball your portions. Let's say you hope to reduce your daily caloric intake from about 2,500 to 2,000. Focus on reducing your portion sizes by about 20%.

Within a matter of a couple of weeks, you will be adjusted to the new serving sizes and they will seem
normal.

3- Eat delicious and well
Every diet regimen should permit the occasional treat and nice meal out. Eat delicious food, but eat it in smaller portions.

Obviously, cream sauces and fudge brownies at every meal will thwart your weight loss goals. Learn to enjoy ordinary food as well as extraordinary delicacies.

4- Eat your calories, don't drink them
A can of Dr. Pepper soda contains 150 calories. Three of these a day is an extra 450 calories. If you add commercial beverages, juices and sugary lattes to your diet, you practically need a calculator to tally the calories that don't do a thing when it comes to fulfilling your appetite.

Stick to water and tea and get your calories from more filling and satisfying foods.

5- Exercise is the perfect partner
Your diet will be all the more successful if you combine it with regular exercise.

Approach your exercise and diet plan with a focus on how you look and feel, not how much you weigh. In other words, think in inches lost, not pounds. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat.

6- Make meals last
Yes, two Balance protein bars have only 360 calories and also contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, fat, and carbohydrates. But you can down these suckers in a matter of seconds. Where's the chewing satisfaction? A couple of nutrition bars are not a meal or even a mini-meal for that matter.

The satiety centers of the brain may not get the message right away that you've had enough. Eat slowly, chew carefully and don't put more food in your mouth when you haven't dealt completely with the last bite.

7- Discover your food triggers
What makes you succumb to temptation? Do you turn to the pantry the instant you turn on the TV? For some, if it's in the house, that's all the temptation they need. For others, stress is a trigger. The stress hormone cortisol fuels cravings, according to Pamela Peeke, M.D., author of Fight Fat After Forty.

Everyone knows that bigger portions won't fill the empty spaces of our lives or give us lasting relief from unpleasant moments. Discovering your triggers is a step toward self-control, which is the basis for eating less.

So next time you see one of those annoying infomercials, follow this two-step exercise: pick up the remote, turn the TV off, then go do something more productive with your time.

No-carbs-diet

Dropping carbohydrates is a good way to lose weight

Many people who try protein-heavy, carbohydrate-limiting diet myths report dramatic weight loss, but at what expense? By focusing your diet on high-protein foods like meat, cheese, eggs, and pork rinds (all foods that are high in cholesterol) you could be risking a heart attack, and buying right into this diet myth. By cutting out carbohydrates, which the body craves for a reason, you can become irritable, nauseous and weak. Lack of fruits and vegetables, a key source of dietary fiber, can lead to constipation. And eating too few carbohydrates puts you at risk of developing ketosis, a condition in which fats in your blood (ketones) build up, leading to gout and kidney stones.

Low-fat food is healthy

The diet myth behind low-fat food’s popularity is simple: Less fat equals fewer calories, which equals a healthier alternative to the full-fat version, right? Not necessarily. Low-fat versions are often full of added ingredients, like sugar and flour, there to improve the flavor of the newly fat-deficient food. However, extra doses of refined carbohydrates like sugar and flour can just cause you to become hungry again much faster. Sometimes, low-fat foods even contain more calories than their full-fat cousins, in which case you’d be better off indulging in the regular version. To be sure that a low-fat version is really healthier for you, you’ll need to do some grunt work. Compare ingredients and nutritional information in both varieties. If the low-fat food beats this diet myth, then feel free to stock up.

Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight

Skipping meals is not only unhealthy, but you’ll also often ingest more when you eventually do eat because you’ve been starving yourself all day. Besides, scads of studies prove that people who eat a wholesome breakfast and small meals throughout the day weigh less than those who buy into this diet myth and skip meals and eat fewer times throughout the day. The reason? Inconsistent eating makes it hard for your body to regulate its metabolism. By going hungry, you’re making your body believe that it’s time to enter starvation mode, and it does this by conserving calories and storing any extra calories as fat. Even if you aren’t giving it any more of either, it’s going to store what it currently has and not burn the extra you want burned during the day.

Don’t eat after 7 p.m.

This has been a long-standing piece of diet myth weight-loss advice: any food you eat in the evening will automatically be stored as fat. The truth is that calories can’t tell time. Your calorie count over a 24-hour period matters more than that bucket of popcorn you had at 10:30 p.m. What might be more important to note is not to eat just before you’re about to hit the sack. Once asleep, your body functioning is much leaner than it is during the day; while sleeping, you just don’t burn the same amount of sugar/fat/calories that you would if you were awake. So, a big bowl of pasta with cheese might not be the best midnight snack.

Cholesterol is bad for me

Without good cholesterol in our blood, our bodies wouldn’t be able to create new cells or make new supplies of crucial hormones — that’s what high density lipoprotein (HDL) is responsible for. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) (aka “bad cholesterol,” this is the notorious artery-clogging cholesterol) we could do without. Most LDL cholesterol comes from saturated fats like butter, meat and pastries, while HDL (the good stuff) can be derived from unsaturated fats like nuts, seeds and vegetable oils.

I can lose weight quickly by cutting out calories

When you drastically cut calories, your body won’t lose weight in a healthy way. As with people who regularly skip meals, your body will go into starvation mode. Your metabolism will slow down as your body holds on to the fat it would need if you really were starving. Any fat you lose will take muscle with it, which causes your basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body needs to support its functions) to decline. That’s why healthy weight loss is a slow process and requires muscle-building exercise to go with it.

Fat is bad for me

As in the case of cholesterol, there are good kinds of fat and bad kinds of fat. Fat is a key player in the overall health of the body, and it has a diverse resume. Fat helps clot blood, cushion organs and build cell membranes. Just make sure your diet is rich in unsaturated fats like olive oil, flaxseed oil, trout, salmon, and avocado.

If I exercise I can eat what I want

Thirty minutes of bike riding doesn’t give you a guilt-free pass to the buffet. While exercise does burn calories, you’re still susceptible to weight gain if you’re eating large portions of unhealthy food. A half-hour on the treadmill doesn’t come close to balancing the calories contained in the average super bacon cheeseburger meal with onion rings and a strawberry milkshake. That doesn’t mean you can’t indulge every once in a while — just don’t make it a pound-packing habit, and don’t expect your normal exercise routine to pick up all your slack.

Sugar

The health dangers ingested sugar creates when habitually imposed upon human physiology are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to aggravate asthma, muster mental illness, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, nourish nervous disorders, hurry heart disease, deliver diabetes, grow gallstones, hasten hypertension, add arthritis, and on top of all of that…It will kill you!

Certain harmful refined dietary sugars (which are specifically discussed below) almost always turn directly into fat! Glucose, Fructose, Sucrose, Galactose, Maltose, and actose are digested and absorbed with such speed that the body must convert them into saturated fats. Saturated Fatty Acids are “sticky” by nature, and, when introduced into the vascular system, clog arteries, increase the chance of stroke, diabetes, and definitively decrease athletic performance.

Muscle mitochondrial cells (internal energy cell units that produce muscle movement) break down 6-carbon glucose molecules for all muscle energy. One of the byproducts of the energy cycle is a 2-carbon acetate, vinegar. Acetates form the building blocks for cholesterol. If Acetates are produced faster than they can be burned, enzymatic reactions within our cells “join” Acetates end-to-end to make excess cholesterol and saturated fat, which makes red blood cells sluggish, sticky, and inefficient, deposits excess saturated fatty acids around organs and in subcutaneous skinfolds, or, deposits clogs of cholesterol within the vascular system, impeding blood transport of vital nutrients and oxygen to peripheral muscle cells.

Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy the moment of sweet taste, this process tends to go one way, i.e. sugar transforms to fat; but fat tenaciously tends to remain as fat deposits, and only severe starvation or extreme caloric expenditures will mobilize it as a burnable fuel source. Most of our organs burn off fat for their fuel needs, which is why master’s aged athletes store more fat around organs than do younger athletes, simply from the passing of time and the nature of human physiology.

The brain, as an organ, commands a pre-eminent role in the sugar equation. Human survival and efficient maximal performance depends upon this organ’s need for specific fuels such as glucose, glutamic acid, or ketones to be constantly supplied. If glucose is absent, low from a dietary insufficiency, or perhaps from high caloric expenditure during intense muscular exercise, the body must harvest or convert it from two tissue stores: amino acids found in lean muscle mass, or chemistry from the adrenal glands (activity/secretion) initiates a conversion process which transforms liver and/or muscle glycogen stores into glucose.

A diet high in refined carbohydrates stimulates an abnormal pancreatic insulin response in order to moderate blood sugar levels, while high sugar intake may also increase adrenal cortisone and cholesterol levels fourfold. Constant high intake of simple dietary sugar over-stimulates or “burns out” normal, healthy pancreas and adrenal function. Sub-normal or lackluster performance of these two important endocrine glands leads directly to adult-onset diabetes, cardiovascular complications, hypoglycemia, and chronic fatigue. The direct result of high sugar intake is a significant increase in blood serum saturated fatty acids, which depresses the oxygen transport system dramatically during athletic performance. Red blood cells stick together and move slower, delaying delivery of much needed oxygen to muscle cells. Cellular hypoxia is the constant companion of numerous degenerative diseases previously mentioned.

Because refined dietary sugars lack vitamins and minerals, they must draw upon the body tissue micronutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system. When these storehouses are depleted, metabolization of fatty acid and cholesterol are impeded, contributing to higher blood serum triglycerides, cholesterol, promoting obesity due to higher fatty acid storage around organs and in subcutaneous tissue folds. Increased obesity contributes to increased cholesterol levels by lowering resting metabolism. A lower resting metabolic rate has been implicated directly to feelings of fatigue or lack of energy, increased rate of aging, arthritis, and coronary heart disease. Athletes need a high metabolic rate for a minimal body fat percentage and explosive energy expenditure upon demand.