Everyday Fitness

Ah, the age old question. You can't spend a day at a gym without overhearing this. Hell, I used to wonder what the golden number of sets and reps was. Truth be told, I should have spent less time worrying, and just lifted them weights. Still, it was nice to find some analysis on the subject. When looking at increase in muscle size, here's the conclusions of several compiled studies:

• 2-3 sets give a significant increase in size over 1 set
  
• 4-6 sets give a significant increase in size over 1 set, and may give a larger size increase than 2-3 sets
  
• Working out for 1 hour three times a week typically gives better results than working out for 2 hours twice a week
  

I should note, these studies were done with 7-10 reps per set. According to this, it looks like the benefits of an exercise start to plateau after 6 sets. That's something to keep in mind before doing bench press, then decline bench press, then incline bench press.. or 300 sit-ups. The third and final point in that list is nice in that, I think it shows how fitting exercise into your day can be easy; squeezing in 1 hour chunks of time here and there could be more manageable than scheduling a 2 hour workout session for yourself.

Here's another segment of current research I came across on my train ride, and it has to do with deadlift mechanics. A group from the University of Illinois found a link between a person's knee and back strength, and how this changes the way a person would lift a heavy box/crate. Laying it out plain and simple; if a person's back is stronger than their knees, they lift more with their back. If the person's knees are stronger with their back, they lift more with their knees. 

Imagine there was a heavy box/crate in front of you; how would you approach lifting it? At some point you were probably instructed to bend at the knees and lift with your legs. Let me stop and say, I think it's garbage to assume our legs need to do all the lifting. Of course you need to engage your back to stabilize the lift as well! The old saying "lift with your legs" has good intentions though; you don't want to bend the back too much and muck up your spine. Anyways, there's one less obvious point I want to take away from this research:

We're too comfortable using the strong parts of our bodies and ignoring the parts that need improvement

Sure, in certain aspects of life it makes sense to stick to our talents. I'm good with the sciences, so I'll make a career out of research. I won't try making a living by painting, for example, because I'll end up living on the streets (So much for a gym membership then!) But when it comes to our bodies, it's a "you're only as strong as your weakest link" scenario. Varying the sorts of exercises you expose yourself to will lead to an optimal full body fitness, and prevent injury down the road.

While on an 8 hour train ride, I had some time to look at recent research in exercise. I found one article that vindicates a personal bias of mine, so I thought I'd share.

A group from California State University found there's no difference in muscle activation between using a standard bench and using a Swiss ball. Every time I see someone rolling around on one of these Swiss balls, I shake my head. Now I have real reason to be against them. To me Swiss balls are one of those fads people buy into, with the advertised notion that the ball is somehow "better" than a real bench. In my mind Swiss balls are on the same level Shake Weights. Speak of the devil, it seems fitting to leave you with this:

With any new undertaking, it's one thing to read about and prepare for what you're about to do. It's another thing to do it. In actually carrying out a new task, trial and error finds what works, what doesn't, and what the whole experience means to you. Now when I say "any new undertaking" I mean anything; not just fitness related. Take a relationship for example: dating advice from your friends is no where near as valuable as what you learn from the date itself.

But I digress, let's get back to exercising. I guess you could say by now, I'm a gym veteran myself. It's been about 2 years of consistent working out. And if I had to sit a keen novice down and share my wisdom, here's some of the most important things my experience has taught me:

1. To both gain and lose weight, diet is more important than anything else. Eating whole/natural foods makes counting calories almost unnecessary; it's high sugar and fatty processed foods that tend to make you go overboard on calories.
   
2. We should be getting less carbs in our diets, and a lot more fat. The low-fat scare shifted everyone to eating more carbs and guess what; people got fatter.
   
3. Don't bother meticulously timing your meals; eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty. Listen to your body.
   
4. Eating 6 meals a day is no better than eating 3 a day either. In the end, net calories is what matters.
   
5. You can gain or lose 10 lbs a week in water; don't mistake this for incredible fat loss when starting a new diet.
   
6. There is no such thing as spot reducing fat; your body burns fat evenly.
   
7. Health supplements are a business just the same as any other product. Their claims are exaggerated or outright fabricated to get your money. Coffee is and probably always will be the best (legal) performance enhancer there is.
   
8. If you want to get better at a particular activity or exercise, do that particular activity or exercise.
   
9. It's better to prevent poor health in the first place than try to reverse it. There's never a bad time to start working out though, no matter what physical condition or age. Muscle and fitness are easier to maintain once you have them; the road to get there may be more trying on your willpower.
   
10. Size does not equal strength.
    
11. Working out more often does not mean more results. Exercising less often can give better results; you need to lift heavy to get stronger, not necessarily daily. Plus you'll save time.
    
12. Gyms may have some useful tools you don't but a gym or equipment aren't required to be fit.
    
13. It takes a weekend to become a personal trainer; experience is what makes someone qualified to train, not a certificate.
    
14. It's important to be realistic with your abilities and leave your ego at the door; lifting heavier is worthless if you aren't exercising properly.
    
15. One of the best things you can do for your health is try new things, and see how your body adapts. Variability is what leads to growth.
    

I never miss a day at the gym but today I felt so tired I didn't go. This was the first time in 7 months that I ever missed a day. Will it cause me to gain fat because I didn't do a lot of walking today, maybe 60 minutes of activity all day? I took in less calories than usual... Is this ok?

This above quote from the BodyBuilding.com Forums, inspired by a similar conversation I had with a friend recently.

Alright alright, I know I made a big fuss about exercise being a part of your life, and not skipping days. However, there's a line that needs to be recognized. If you are legitimately too tired and sore from your last work out, your body may benefit from an additional days rest. So even if you're used to exercising say, Mon-Wed-Fri, maybe one time you just aren't ready to exercise Friday after Wednesday's workout. Maybe you need to push that workout to Saturday instead. And that's perfectly fine, because there's a lot of factors that go into recovery: what time of day you work out, the food you eat, other physical work you do outside the gym, how much sleep you get, etc.

Matter of fact, I like taking a whole week off every few months to give my body a complete rest; this is called deloading. Deloading can trick you though! It's like my mind equates post-workout soreness with being bigger and stronger. So once that soreness leaves by the end of a deload, I feel small and weak; don't let this fool you. Once you do get back to the gym, you'll hit the weights with the fury of an angry god!

Sometimes I find myself with too many bananas than I can eat before they turn over-ripe. Recently, I came across the idea of freezing them to make banana ice cream! You freeze the bananas and put them through a food processor or blender, after peeling them of course. Simple as that. With a few minutes blending, the bananas turn into a creamy treat you can eat right then and there, or put back into a container in the freezer to scoop out later. You can get creative and throw in some additions before refreezing. Try blending in peanut butter, hand mixing chopped peanuts, mixing in other chopped fruit like strawberries, adding swirls of chocolate sauce, mixing in chocolate chunks, or even instant coffee if you'd like; anything goes!

Maybe you've been captured by a crime syndicate and forced to fight for your life, and you need to toughen up in your prison cell during the days leading up to your epic battle... or you're traveling and don't have a place to work out. Whatever the reason, here's some exercises you can do anytime, anywhere, with nothing but your own determination:

• Step-ups or Single Leg Squats: The single leg squats might feel a little awkward at first, but once you get used to the balancing they work great. To start off, you can use a chair or some object to help steady yourself. For step-ups, all you need is a sturdy chair or some sort of platform to step on to. With either exercise, you can add resistance by holding heavy house-hold objects in your hands.
  
• Chin-ups or Supine Rows: The chin-ups require a sturdy door frame you can get a grip over, otherwise they may be difficult to do around the house. I would say, you can bring a chin-up bar with you to hook onto a door, but the idea here is to get a workout with absolutely no special equipment. In that case, you can do supine rows by laying under a sturdy table and gripping the edge, pulling your body up towards the table.
  
• Push-ups, or Handstand Push-ups: You can do push-ups in many variations. You can do them leaning against a wall, on the ground with your knees resting on the floor, or as shown in the link. The real ambitious souls can try handstand push-ups. To do these, stand with your back against a wall, crouch down placing your hands on the floor in front of you, and slowly "walk" your way upside down into the handstand position.
  
• Jack Knife Sit-ups and Supermans: You can jack up the intensity of these exercises by holding them at the top of the motion for a few seconds, or a few minutes if you can handle it.
  
• Curls and Bench Dips: You can curl just about anything to work your biceps; it doesn't have to be a dumbbell! Backpacks or suitcases work well here. Also, it shouldn't be hard to find a piece of furniture you can do dips with. Honourable mention goes out to other auxiliary exercises you can do just about anywhere given a heavy backpack or suitcase: Shrugs, Wrist Curls, and Calf Raises on some stairs.
  

With all that, you should hit your legs, back, chest, core, and arms very effectively using no gym equipment what-so-ever. I like to do the above exercises in 3-5 sets of about 12-24 reps. To mix up the intensity, try performing explosive and powerful movements, do multiple exercises one after the other, or hold the exercise at its hardest point; you can easily find out the peak position which requires the most effort by experimenting.

Whether coffee is just a part of your everyday morning, or a cultural and artistic experience to you, it's good name needs to be cleared! You see a lot of news bits every now and again saying that coffee is good, then saying coffee is bad. Coffee is primarily a great thing to drink, especially over sodas and energy drinks. Taken in moderation, negative effects of coffee don't usually appear; agitation of the GI tract and heart. From what I'm reading, keeping it below 4 cups a day is about the ideal amount where you can reap all the benefits without worry. Note, the traditional coffee "cup" is 6 oz; your tall Starbucks or large Tim Hortons are around 14 oz. So you'd actually be getting just over 2 "cups" from these. Anyhow, I did a quick edit of this list from Wikipedia on the benefits of coffee.

• Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and Dementia: Several studies comparing moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 3-5 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (defined as 0-2 cups per day) found that those who drank more coffee were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. A study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had reduced risk of developing dementia in addition to Alzheimer's disease.
  
• Reduced risk of gallstone disease: Drinking caffeinated coffee has been correlated with a lower incidence of gallstones and gallbladder disease in both men and women in two studies performed by the Harvard School of Public Health. A lessened risk was not seen in those who drank decaffeinated coffee.
  
• Reduced risk of Parkinson's disease: A study comparing heavy coffee drinkers (3.5 cups a day) with non-drinkers found that the coffee drinkers were significantly less likely to contract Parkinson's disease later in life. Likewise, a second study found an inverse relationship between the amount of coffee regularly drunk and the likelihood of developing Parkinson's disease.
  
• Cognitive performance: In tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuospatial reasoning, participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests, with a positive relationship between test scores and the amount of coffee regularly drunk. Elderly participants were found to have the largest effect associated with regular coffee drinking. Another study found that women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on cognitive tests if they had regularly drunk coffee over their lifetimes.
  
• Analgesic enhancement: Coffee contains caffeine, which increases the effectiveness of pain killers, especially migraine and headache medications. For this reason, many over-the-counter headache drugs include caffeine in their formula.
  
• Antidiabetic: Coffee intake may reduce one's risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 by up to half. While this was originally noticed in patients who consumed high amounts (7 cups a day), the relationship was later shown to be linear.

• Liver protection: Coffee can also reduce the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver, which in turn has been linked to a reduced risk of cancers arising from preexisting cirrhosis. The exact mechanism and the amount of coffee needed to achieve a beneficial effect are as yet unclear.
  
• Cancer: Coffee consumption is also correlated to a reduced risk of oral, esophageal, and pharyngeal cancer. In the Nurses' Health Study, a modest reduction in breast cancer was observed in postmenopausal women only, which was not confirmed in decaffeinated coffee. Another preliminary study found a correlation between coffee consumption and a lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
• Cardioprotective: According to the study from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, coffee reduces the incidence of dying from heart disease.
  
• Laxative/diuretic: Coffee is also a powerful stimulant for peristalsis and is sometimes considered to prevent constipation. However, coffee can also cause excessively loose bowel movements. The stimulative effect of coffee consumption on the colon is found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.
  
• Antioxidant: Coffee contains the anticancer compound methylpyridinium. This compound is not present in significant amounts in other food materials. Methylpyridinium is not present in raw coffee beans but is formed during the roasting process. It is present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and even in instant coffee.
  
• Prevention of dental caries: The tannins in coffee may reduce the cariogenic potential of foods. Experiments have shown that these tannins may interfere with activity of certain bacteria, which may reduce plaque formation.
  
• Gout: Coffee consumption decreased risk of gout in men over age 40. In a large study of over 45,000 men over a 12-year period, the risk for developing gout in men over 40 was inversely proportional with the amount of coffee consumed.

Just something to think about. In health and fitness, there's a lot of myths out there about what one should do to reach their goals; regardless of what science says about the validity of these myths. This video says a lot about general public views on some pretty common health care topics as well.

This is a serious concern I hear from beginners. It runs along the same idea as women who don't exercise because they "don't want to get big muscles," and "look like a man." Simply put, this will not happen. If anything, this sort of thing sounds like an excuse not to try. So, why won't looking at a dumbbell turn you into this?

Well, it takes a lifetime of dedication to body building to achieve anything close to Ronnie Coleman's physique. It has to be your full time job. You need fabulous genetics that the average person doesn't have. It takes lifting hundreds of pounds. You need to stuff your face with as much food as humanly possible to the point of exhaustion. Not to mention it takes a whole lot of anabolic steroids and hormone therapies.

The typical gym go-er like me will never reach this level without divine intervention. Neither will any woman who doesn't take her fair share of steroids. This isn't an overnight transition either; as I said, it takes a lifetime of dedication. Doing one extra set of curls won't accidentally cause you to wake up with 225 lbs of lean body mass. If you ever reach a point in exercising where you like your build, then stop pushing yourself to lift heavy weights; do a lighter comfortable amount.

No more excuses not to workout!

This one is easy: none. Our culture has an obsession with taking some pill that will turn us into Superman with no effort at all. Supplements will not do the work for you. In some cases, supplements provide a marginal benefit at best. In other cases, they do nothing what-so-ever aside from making your wallet lighter. Here are a few popular supplements and whether or not they actually do anything:

• Multivitamins/Antioxidants: The supposed benefit is overall health. Every time I hear these come up in science literature, it's to say how supplementing them provides no measurable benefits at all. A better solution; eat fruits and vegetables. Eating actual vegetation does show a significant improvement versus multivitamin or antioxidant pills. Fruits and veggies have added fiber you won't get with pills too, and it's also thought there might be other beneficial substances in greens that we just don't know about yet.
  
• Fish/Flax Oil: Omega-3 fatty acids are supposed to improve your brain (fish) and heart (flax). These claims actually hold true. It's not a bad idea to get these in your diet through actual fish like salmon, and sprinkling ground flax seed over whatever you please.
  
• Weight Loss Formulas: These are the primarily made up of energy boosters like ephedrine, caffeine, green teen extract, and guarana. While they do give your heart rate a jump-start, it's not going to magically make you lose 5 lbs a week. You get an energy boost and that's it. Some people mistakenly "see" themselves getting leaner because caffeine/ephedrine strongly dehydrate your body. While dropping water makes you appear leaner temporarily, it's not the same as real results. A better alternative to weight loss pills are coffee or tea, as these will give you many other health benefits on top of the energy boost.
  
• Glutamine/BCAAs: These weight lifting supplements are supposed to improve your muscle recovery. They're simply individual amino acids; the stuff that makes up protein. Glutamine has been shown to do absolutely nothing, making it one of the worst perpetuated fitness myths. BCAAs have been shown to help with muscle recovery, but the effects are marginal. A better alternative is to rely on food; anyone eating a well rounded diet should get enough of these amino acids from the protein they normally eat.
  
• Creatine: Creatine is sort of a backup store of energy in your muscles. Supplementing creatine provides a boost in your anaerobic performance. That is, if you were lifting weights you can get an extra one or two reps before giving up. If there's any tried and true supplement out there, it's creatine. You can get creatine from red meat and certain types of fish, but the supplement is actually going to be cheaper. There are different kinds; monohydrate, ethyl-ester, citrate, magnesium-phosphate, kre-alkalyn.. All claim to be "better" in some way, but that's all garbage; creatine is creatine. Go with monohydrate as it's the cheapest.
  
• Nitric Oxide (NO): This is a vasodilator, which means your blood vessels open up to bring oxygen and nutrients to your muscles quicker. This stuff does what it says, increasing blood flow to muscle, and will increase performance in ways similar to creatine. However, NO is relatively new on the supplement scene and not surprisingly, more expensive. I don't know of any foods that give significant increases in NO production.
  

Always keep in mind though, that you should talk to a professional if you think these supplements might agitate some pre-existing condition of yours. And, supplements are just that; meant to supplement a well rounded diet and solid exercise. While some provide a little benefit, they won't do the work for you. In short, we can summarize and say:

Just as well eat your money:

• Multivitamins
  
• Antioxidant pills
  
• Glutamine
  

Marginal effects/you can get through diet:

• Ephedrine
  
• Caffeine
  
• BCAAs
  

Worth the cheese:

• Creatine
  
• Nitric Oxide
  

I say "steroid" because it isn't a steroid by scientific definition. First of all, myostatin is normally made in the body to stop muscles from growing. So the idea is this: block myostatin from working and you get muscle growth. This most certainly turns out to be the case. Clinical trials involving myostatin inhibitors are intended for treating diseases of muscle wasting, like Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

However, the obvious implications in competitive sports are hard to ignore. Myostatin inhibitors have the potential to achieve the desired results of anabolic steroids with none of the traditional draw backs. We've found cases of animals, and even the odd human, who lack myostatin in their bodies. A perfect example is the Belgian Blue breed of cow. Look at that beast! Scientists have been able to engineer mice with similar genetic changes as Belgian Blue cows. This link shows normal mice in the first column, genetically engineered mice in the second column, and mice treated with a myostatin inhibitor in the third column. Follistatin is one of the current therapies in development to block myostatin.

So what about human examples? There's little Liam; here's an exerpt from another blog:

"He could do the iron cross when he was 5 months old," said his adoptive mother, Dana Hoekstra of Roosevelt Park. She was referring to a difficult gymnastics move in which a male athlete suspends himself by his arms between two hanging rings, forming the shape of a cross.

Liam has the kind of physical attributes that bodybuilders and other athletes dream about: 40 percent more muscle mass than normal, jaw-dropping strength, breathtaking quickness, a speedy metabolism and almost no body fat.

Liam can run like the wind, has the agility of a cat, lifts pieces of furniture that most children his age couldn't push across a slick floor and eats like there is no tomorrow -- without gaining weight.

Liam Hoekstra was hanging upside down by his feet when he performed an inverted sit-up, his shirt falling away to expose rippled abdominal muscles. It was a display of raw power one might expect to see from an Olympic gymnast. Liam is 19 months old.

It makes you wonder how many Olympic athletes have altered myostatin genes...

Alright, what I'm about to write is the one thing you must know to lose weight. Promise to keep this guarded with your life... Okay, here it is:

Calories eaten < Calories burned = Weight loss

That's it, that's all there is to it. You need to eat less calories than your body needs in a day, and it will make up the difference by burning fat. I hate seeing so many ads on countless websites claiming you can get ripped in 2 weeks, and all you have to do is pay them $XX.XX for their product to do so. That's actually what inspired the title of this post; sort of a tongue in cheek way to lead into things.

• No magic pill, herb, or formula will do it for you.

You don't even have to exercise to lose weight, but it certainly helps. And why not do so to reap all the additional benefits of working out? Now, down to the heart of the matter. In order to eat less calories than you burn in a day, it helps to have an idea of how much you burn! A useful BMI Calculator site can help you work this out. First of all, find your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) with one of these formulas:

Pounds and Inches
Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) - (4.7 x age)
Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight) + (12.7 x height) - (6.8 x age)

Kilos and Centimeters
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight) + (1.8 x height) - (4.7 x age)
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight) + (5 x height) - (6.8 x age)

Your BMR is how many calories you would burn if you sat completely motionless 24 hours a day. Which realistically, isn't how we live. Even if you watch TV all day you still get up to eat and go to the bathroom! So, you multiply your BMR by a certain factor depending on your level of activity:

1. If you do little or no exercise : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
   
2. If you do light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week : BMR x 1.375
   
3. If you do moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week : BMR x 1.55
   
4. If you do hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week : BMR x 1.725
   
5. If you do very hard exercise/sports or a physical job : BMR x 1.9

Whatever your resulting number is, eating less calories will cause you to lose weight. Eating more calories will cause you to gain weight, if that's your goal. Remember, a pound of body fat is worth 3500 calories. If you can eat 500 calories less than you burn each day, that's 1 pound a week. That's a reasonable and easily reachable goal. Even though quick results would be nice, trying to lose too much too fast can really put a strain on your body and lead to binge eating, ruining all your hard work. Staying realistic will keep you on the right track!

I actually pulled this recipe from one of the ads on my site. I love cooking with Carnation evapourated milk! It's great for replacing cream in savoury sauces or sweet desserts. The calories I'm quoting are using Fat Free evapourated milk and yogurt. Most of the carbs in this dessert come from berries and dairy, which are some of the highest quality carbs out there!

Per Serving:
Calories: 125
Fat: 0.2 g
Carbs: 27 g                                                       
Protein: 6 g     
Prep Time: 15 minutes + 2 hours chilling time
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 pkg [1 tbsp/15 mL] Powdered unflavoured gelatin
¼ cup [50 mL] Cold water
1½ cups [375 mL] Regular, 2% or Fat Free (Carnation®) Evaporated Milk
¾ cup [175 mL] (Smucker’®) No Sugar Added Apricot Fruit Spread
½ cup [125 mL] Plain yogurt
1 tsp [5 mL] Vanilla

Sauce
2 cups [500 mL] (Europe's Best®) Frozen 4-Field Berry Mix
½ cup [125 mL] (Smucker’s®) No Sugar Added Apricot Fruit Spread
2 tbsp [30 mL] Water

PREPARATION
Combine gelatin and water in a small bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
Place evaporated milk and fruit spread in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in reserved gelatin. Mix until well combined. Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine.

Pour ½ cup (125 mL) mixture into 6 small dessert bowls. Refrigerate until set; about 2-4 hours. To serve, run a knife around the sides and turn upside down onto serving dish.

Sauce:
Place berries, fruit spread and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cool or ready to serve over panna cotta.

Tips:
• Try using (Smucker’s®) No Sugar Added Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, or Wildberry Fruit Spread or Orange Marmalade for something different.
• For a fun entertaining idea, let the panna cotta mixture set in different shaped glasses or ceramic bowls.

Makes 6 servings.

In this 2006 report, Statistics Canada puts 2/3 of Canadians at overweight or obese. That should sicken you. There's no end to the list of negatives involved in being overweight. Your mood, physical health, appearance, and overall quality of life; not to mention the inevitable burden on society when it comes time to take care of your failing body.

Also, research shows that overweight people are most often viewed as lazy, incompetent, overindulgent, sloppy, slow, and unintelligent. None of these things may be true about an overweight person, but it's how they're most often stereotyped. And that won't help you get ahead in life.

Seriously, two thirds! Since when did abnormal become the new normal? As a society, over eating or poorly taking care of one's self shouldn't be tolerated. Obesity needs to become the new smoking. Like it was put in the movie "Super Size Me" I believe; we might leer at a smoker and say, "what are you doing? Don't you know smoking is bad for you?" The same needs to happen with poor eating, as insensitive as it might seem to some.

I'm no psychology major, but I've heard of research that suggests people are more likely to act a certain way if they risk facing the scorn of their peers, rather than behaving that way for their own good. Sounds like the case to me; overweight people have a hard time kicking the habit for their own sake, and they may not feel pressure to have to. That's because being overweight is tolerated in day to day life, since we're supposed to be accepting of other peoples' appearance. But obesity is more than just appearance. It's killing our species.

Let's get it right Canada

Baking Substitutions:

• 1 Cup whole milk = 1 Cup skim milk
  
• 1 Cup buttermilk = 1 Tbsp lemon juice + 15 Tbsp skim milk
  
• 1 Cup heavy cream = 1 Cup evaporated skim milk, or 1/2 Cup low-fat yogurt + 1/2 Cup low-fat cottage cheese
  
• 1 Cup sour cream = 1 Cup fat-free plain yogurt, or 1 Cup chilled evaporated skim milk whipped with 1 Tsp lemon juice
  
• 1 Cup cream cheese = 4 Tbsp margarine + 1 Cup dry low-fat cottage cheese
  
• 1 Cup butter or oil = 3/4 Cup applesauce, or 1 Cup mashed banana
  
• 1 Egg = 2 Egg whites
  
• 1 Oz Chocolate = 3 Tbsp margarine + 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
  

Miscellaneous Tips:

• Use chicken broth to stir-fry instead of oil.
  
• In place of butter, use non-fat cooking spray to brown.
  
• Replace bacon with turkey bacon.
  
• Use extra lean ground beef, or ground turkey.
  
• No sugar added fruit spreads taste more fruity than jam, and are plenty sweet.
  
• Canned fruits should be packed in fruit juice instead of heavy syrup.
  
• Use low calorie or skim versions of dairy products.
  
• Try milk and sweetener instead of cream and sugar in your coffee.
  

A report compiled in 1995 on behalf of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that MSG was safe for most people when eaten at customary levels. However, it also said that, based on anecdotal reports, some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes "MSG symptom complex." A subsequent study found that while large doses of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react adversely to MSG, the frequency of the responses was low and the responses reported were inconsistent and not reproducible, and were not observed when MSG was given with food. While many people believe that MSG is the cause of these symptoms, a statistical association has not been demonstrated under controlled conditions, even in studies with people who were convinced that they were sensitive to it.

The big "scare" was started by people claiming to be allergic to MSG, and no study could show that was actually the case. Yet the widespread phobia of MSG persisted. This is one of those huge public health misconceptions I absolutely cannot tolerate, and can be down right idiocy in some cases.

What is MSG? Monosodium Glutamate. Sodium is an atom of salt, and glutamate is an amino acid. MSG is quite literally salt and protein. The two parts dissociate when mixed in fluids, meaning if you mix MSG in wet foods or when it hits your tongue, you instantly have two very common components to everyday life: salt and protein. The next time someone tells you MSG is bad for you, tell them to go suck a lemon.

Okay, so this video is a little extreme/harsh. I really just like it for the "can squats cure cancer?" line. The average person doesn't have to be THIS adamant about them, but squats really are the best exercise ever! Everyone (injuries permitting) should add a little squat to their lives.

Okay, maybe not zero carbs; we don't want that. Rather, low carbs are an effective method for losing weight. Atkins has to be the poster child of low carb diets. The idea is this:

Insulin is the hormone that triggers our bodies to store the food we eat as glycogen and fat. Insulin is made in response to elevated blood sugar. Without elevated blood sugar, there is no insulin. Instead, our bodies make the hormone Glucagon. Glucagon triggers our bodies to break down glycogen and fat for energy.

The state where your body relies primarily on fat for energy is termed ketogenic, which you might hear thrown around when people talk about low carb diets. That stems from ketogenesis; a process in your liver that converts fat into ketone bodies; a usable energy source for the brain. Because as it turns out, the brain is the only part of the body that can't burn fat directly. Which I think is a relief, considering your brain is made up of so much fatty tissue. Hate to have my brain eating itself whenever I get hungry.

What don't I like about low carb diets? Now this is all speculation mind you, but they are things I think about:

• For one, ketone bodies can make the blood more acidic if they aren't burned off with excercise.
  
• Some low carb diets advocate eating anything so long as it's low carb; I'd suggest staying away from too many saturated fats, which can be bad for the heart. Instead, I'd get more energy from poly-unsaturated vegetable oils. Poly-unsaturated fats tend to improve the cardiovascular system, lower bad cholesterol (LDL), and raise good cholesterol (HDL).
  
• It's important to take a multivitamin, and eat a few greens each day to ensure you're still getting the vitamins you need.
  
• Cutting carbs doesn't seem like a good thing to do for prolonged periods of time. I tried it, and felt like garbage. I feel like depriving your body of its favored nutrient for more than a month is cruel.
  

Right now, I'm trying something called the anabolic diet. You don't eat carbs during the week while you work out, but then eat carbs on the weekend to replenish your body's glycogen stores. It seems like the best of both worlds to me! If you're interested in slimming down and have the patience to cut carbs for a little while, I definitely recommend checking out the anabolic diet. And if at any time you feel uncomfortable, then stop. Always stay safe above all!

Adapted from an AskMen article, and a few other odd sources:

10. Better sleep
Regular exercise has been shown to improve the quality of sleep.
9. Better aging
Working out maintains skin and muscle tone, flexibility, and aerobic capacity as you get older. Exercise also helps prevent age related conditions like osteoporosis by maintaining bone density.
8. Better health
Working out improves immune function, and stimulates immune cell production or function.
7. Better mind
Exercise does more than just boosting your body. Working out has been shown to increase memory, reaction time, and concentration. Studies show activity stimulates parts of the brain associated with attention and goals.
6. Better confidence
Ask yourself this: do you feel better about yourself after working up a sweat, or melting into the couch eating a bag of Lays. That body and strength you're working towards is definitely a confidence booster.
5. Better stamina
It may seem counter-intuitive, but working out actually gives you more energy. This helps you get through the day and help stave off naps, which can ruin a good night's sleep. If you find you don't have the energy to drag yourself to the gym, do it anyway. In a few weeks getting to the gym won't be a problem with all the added vitality.
4. Better mood
Working out relieves tension, making you feel less jittery and anxious. Endorphins released after exercise improves your mood, and causes a state of relaxation. This can help with motivation, making it even more likely that you'll eat right and make it to the gym next time.
3. Better sex
It's been proven; working out increases the drive and satisfaction of sex. Even a little regular exercise helps increase blood flow, endurance, and hormone levels that contribute to sex.
2. Better body
As if this one isn't obvious enough. On top of the physical looks, people who work out have a lesser chance of suffering from heart disease, strokes, obesity, diabetes, and yes; even cancer.
1. It's fun!
Go for a nature walk, take salsa dancing. Whatever you like doing; do it.

I heard a radio segment the other day on binge eating. It's a demon many people come face to face with while trying to lose weight or eat well. From what I've learned in psychology, I'm going to give my take on why binge eating happens in the first place.

Let's look at a smoker. The smoker knows cigarettes are bad for them, yet the body madly craves them. Your body doesn't listen to reason; it wants what it wants and those desires don't disappear because we know better. The smoker can keep the body's desire for a cigarette in check with willpower, for a time. But the body can be pretty persistent..

Now let's look at a dieter; say cheesecake is their cigarettes. Remember, your body doesn't know logic. If the dieter likes cheesecake, telling their body it can't have cheesecake because they're trying to lose weight is a struggle of will. That desire for cheesecake will always be there, nagging at the dieter and making them all the more likely to breaking a very bad way; a binge. At the point of a binge, the dieter can feel ashamed and defeated, dropping their fitness goals altogether.

The best way for the dieter to avoid binging is easy.. Let them eat cake!

By telling your body it can't have certain things, you build up tension. A tension that will one day become too much to handle, and blow its top. Then you eat half a pecan pie and a bag of muffin mix all to yourself. A better alternative is to find a safe and controlled outlet for those cravings. Ask yourself; are you really never going to eat cookies for the rest of your life? Being reasonable helps maintain a proper diet over a lifetime; not just a few months' fad.

I have to give Weight Watchers credit; they recognize that you should still treat yourself to the foods you love while on a diet. Cake in itself is not terrible; surplus calories over a prolonged period of time is. So the key is simply moderation. Go ahead and eat a cookie. At the end of the week, so long as your calories aren't in excess you're completely fine! Not stressing, not worrying, and not repressing your desires help keep a diet manageable and fun; not a chore on the edge of being broken.