We’ve Moved this Blog

Yes, it has been quiet around here.  That’s becuase we’ve been getting ready to move to our new site:

http://motivpersonaltraining.com/blog

And now we are live. So please, update your bookmarks and feed readers.  And stroll around the new website, too.

See you over there.

More Nuts are Better?

Nuts have a bad reputation. But new research now indicates that more nuts are better for you than just a few:

Researchers found that, for the average person, about two servings of tree nuts did a better job of reducing blood cholesterol and triglycerides than one serving.

Researchers who examined the results of 25 previous studies on the health effects of nut consumption found a dose-related improvement in participants’ blood-lipid levels. The results are published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The lead author of the latest research, Joan Sabaté, says the study “confirms that nuts, indeed, lower cholesterol.” A professor and the chairman of the department of nutrition at Loma Linda University, in Loma Linda, Calif., Dr. Sabaté was among the group of researchers that first linked nut consumption to a lower risk of heart attack several years ago.

Dr. Sabaté said the research indicated that for the average person, a slightly higher amount of nuts—about 2.4 ounces, or two servings—does a better job than one serving of lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, another type of fat in the blood.

Still, he said, “we do not need many to get the benefit.” One serving of almonds is about eight nuts; a serving of smaller nuts such as peanuts is about 15 to 20 nuts.

Remember, as in all of nutrition, portion size matters.

Read more about it here.

watch those calorie counts

Those calorie counts may not be what they seem:

Researchers at Tufts University bought 29 dishes from 10 restaurant chains, including Ruby Tuesday, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s, and analyzed them to see whether the menu calorie counts were right. Turns out that on average, the tested dishes contained 18 percent more calories than the amount listed. The differences ranged from 36 percent fewer calories to a jawdropping 200 percent more! Denny’s grits topped the higher-calorie list, thanks to what turned out to be a supersized portion.

It wasn’t all bad news—the Taco Bell nachos, P.F. Chang’s Cantonese shrimp, and Domino’s thin-crust cheese pizza had around 30 percent fewer calories than the menu listed. Bear in mind that researchers sampled just one of each item and that all were purchased in the Boston area; calories might well be different if you order the same dish in your local joint.

Read more here.

a great feet

I almost let it pass by with out noticing. Sorry about that.

April is Foot Health Awareness Month!

But seriously, the feet are like your wrists. You really need them to do pretty much anything, but you rarely pay specific attention to them.

So, if you are training, check to see:

• Are you using a pair of shoes that isn’t warn out. If they are warn out, just replace them
• If you are doing indoor exercises or resistance training, are you using “cross-training” shoes (vs running shoes).  Really, it makes a difference. Especially if you workout and your feet feel poor or if your calves ache, it’s time to buy the right shoes.
• Do you keep your workout shoes clean? Don’t let dirt cause an injure (or cause someone else to have an injury). Save your workout shoes for just the gym

Feet do matter. Take care of them. One final note, do you have plantar fasciitis? Seek treatment. There are good therapies for this that only take weeks — it’s not a big deal or a medical mystery.  Don’t let it be your excuse for being out of shape.  Just fix it.

yes, change is tough, but…

A while back I blogged about a study that said ibuprofen shouldn’t be taken as a “preventative” medicine — e.g., before you exercise to prevent soreness.

Well, turns out it is tough to change peoples minds.

After a scientist found that runners’ widespread habit of using ibuprofen before long races didn’t help them, and may even cause more inflammation than doing nothing, a group of runners presented with the evidence still said they would continue using the drug, reports Miller-McCune, a Santa Barbara-based public policy magazine. The researcher who conducted the study said, “They really, really think it’s helping. … Even in the face of data showing that it doesn’t help, they still use it.”

“A surprising number of medical practices have never been rigorously tested to find out if they really work. Even where evidence points to the most effective treatment for a particular condition, the information is not always put into practice.”

This is not a surprising finding.  If you want to change your body composition, ask yourself: what are you doing that is holding you back? For example, are you performing exercises that you like to perform (read: jogging) vs the exercises that really do burn fat, such as  interval training and resistance training.

If you want body composition change, are you ready to change?  BTW: If you are ready, we can help…

“i can’t lose weight – it’s genetic”

As Lee Corso says, “Not so fast my friend.”

Yes, genetics are important — but so is exercise too.

[A new study] published in the last week highlight the protective effects of exercise. The study looked at teenagers who had a gene variation known to be associated with obesity. In effect, the genetic variation means these teens are programmed to eat more than their bodies need. You might think these kids didn’t have a chance of staying slim. Not so.

The researchers looked to see what happened to these teens, if they did the recommended one hour of moderate exercise a day. They found the more active teenagers had less body fat, were slimmer round the waist, and had a lower body mass index. Although their measurements were slightly above those of teens without the obesity gene, they were way below those of teens who had the obesity gene but didn’t get enough exercise.

So, don’t blame your genetics.  If you are stuck at a particular weight: Change Something — change your diet or you exercises habits.  You can do it!

You can read more here.

how many calories do you burn each day? let’s measure it!

Do You Know How Many Calories do you Burn Everyday?

Have a guess?  And the next questions is, do you know how many caloires you should eat each day if you want to lose weight? Are you just guessing about these numbers or do you have confidence in your estimate?

Did you know you can measure this?

I’m pleased to introduce metabolic testing to Motiv.  What is metabolic testing? Very simply, we can now test how may calories you burn every day while at rest (your “resting metabolic rate” or RMR).  Add to your RMR how may caloires you burn off in your everyday life and exercise, and we can see how may caloreis you burn everyday.

Knowing you RMR is powerful information. With the test results, you’ll be able to judge if you are eating too much food or if you are not eating enough (I see too many clients that don’t lose weight becuase they don’t eatenough!).

Our test is the same one that is used in hospitals.  For the test, you’ll come into the studio and breathe into our testing equipment for 10 minutes.  The only challenge is that you cannot eat or drink for 4 hours before the test (but water is ok).  After the test you’ll receive a printout with your results and we will discuss them with you.

Ready to go? Buy online by clicking here if you are Motiv client or give us a call or email.  For Motiv clients, the test is $59; for everyone else it is $79. We’ll call you to schedule your test.

neighborhood news

If you haven’t checked it out already, you should visit the new site Center Square Journal.  The CSJ bills itself as
“Your Definitive Neighborhood Guide to Northcenter, Lincoln Square and Ravenswood Manor,” and is acting as a neighborhood newspaper with new articles published daily.  And of course, since this is 2010, it is a web-only publication.

Click on over and check it out. Tell them Motiv sent you.

exercise and depression

Another benefit of regular exercise: improved mental health.

Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depressionand anxiety disorders, and it should be morewidely prescribed by mental healthcare providers, according to researchers who analyzed the results of numerous published studies.

“Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health,” says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be.”

“Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger,” Smits says. “Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.”

Read more about this here.

can’t say it enough

Yes, again: the best weight loss comes from lifting heavier, challenging weights. From the NYT:

For people who lift weights to tone up and slim down, experts say, a regimen that includes a combination of challenging weights and fewer repetitions can help significantly. In a 2002 study, for example, scientists looked at what happened when women performed various resistance exercises at different weights and repetitions (85 percent of their maximum ability for 8 reps, versus 45 percent for 15). Subjects lifting more weight fewer times burned more energy and had a greater metabolic boost after exercise.

Toning is not achieved by lifting light weights a bunch of times.  As Dr Oz says, the body is meant to go 60 miles per hour. You can’t keep plugging along at 25mph and expect to lose weight.

More here.