I've recently finished reading an article put out by the America Council on Exercise about the "claimed" beneficial effects of probiotics. Probiotics are live, active bacteria that are supposed to help ease gastrointestinal (GI) problems and other ailments. There are more and more products hitting the grocery store shelves that contain probiotics. Some of the more well known ones are Dannon Activia yougurt, Kashii Vive cereal, and Attune Wellness Bars. As with all supplements, these products claim to be able to make you healthier just by eating them.
So, are these foods able to do what they say?
Recent studies do support the ability of probiotics as treatment for rotavirus diarrhea and lactose intolerance. This is because probiotics from the lactic acid bacteria family can convert sugars like lactose and other carbs into lactic acid (ACE Fitness Matters, Nov/Dec 2008).
And while they may possibly aid with Crohns disease, irritable bowel syndrome, cholesterol metabolism, cancer prevention, etc.; research is inconclusive at best (ACE Fitness Matters, Nov/Dec 2008).
To be able to get any kind of benefits from probiotics, you must meet the following criteria:
1) Probiotics must be alive
2) They must be ingested in ample amounts
3) They must be capable of colonizing in the intestinal tract
If you have GI problems, then probiotics may be able to help. You can try eating probiotics regularly and see if your symptoms get better. If not, then you'll just have to decide for yourself whether or not to continue.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Fat Burning Workout
I've said before that the key to fat loss workouts is intensity rather than duration (i.e. quality vs. quantity). The best phrase I've heard to describe the type of workouts I'm talking about is "Metabolic Acceleration Training". I got this phrase from Alwyn Cosgrove, author of "Afterburn-Fat Loss Training System". Here is a great article Alwyn wrote on this concept.
Metabolic Acceleration Training
A better way
I'm a huge believer in using the "alternating set" system when training in the gym. For time management reasons, I tend to do exercise one for a set, rest 60 seconds or so, do exercise two for a set, rest 60 seconds or so, and continue. This allows me to increase work density while still getting "true" rest.
In other words, I perform a set of squats, rest 60 seconds, perform a set of push-ups, rest 60 seconds, and repeat. So in effect, I've almost tripled the rest period between squat sets (60 seconds plus the time taken for push-ups plus 60 seconds) as opposed to using a straight set system. And for fat loss training, it's unparalleled.
However, the biggest problem or complaint I get from clients who use commercial facilities is that it's really hard for them to tie up two pieces of gym equipment at peak hours. I have my own facility, but I realize this can be a real problem elsewhere. So I started experimenting with a few things--doing dumbbell lunges and push-ups for example or step-ups and dumbbell bench presses where I could use one set of dumbbells and one piece of equipment.
It was an okay compromise, but it started to somewhat limit my exercise selection. And to be honest, it still had the issue of people working in and possibly disrupting your rest periods.
So I went a step further. What if I created a fat loss or conditioning program based around one piece of equipment where you stayed in the same spot, using the same load for the entire duration? So I tried it. At first it was awkward, but after reading Istvan Javorek's work and talking with über strength coach, Robert Dos Remedios, I started to implement different variations of combination lifting.
I just hoped that it would work as well as alternating sets for fat loss and conditioning or at least close enough that it wasn't too much of a tradeoff. As it turns out, it worked better! In fact, it worked so well that it became a cornerstone of my conditioning programs with several athletes.
The rest of this article is filled with great information, but was to long to publish in this entry. If you want to read it, you can download it on the homepage of our website at www.fitnesswavetn.com.
Alwyn is one of the top fitness professionals in the world. To learn more about him and read some great articles click here.
Metabolic Acceleration Training
A better way
I'm a huge believer in using the "alternating set" system when training in the gym. For time management reasons, I tend to do exercise one for a set, rest 60 seconds or so, do exercise two for a set, rest 60 seconds or so, and continue. This allows me to increase work density while still getting "true" rest.
In other words, I perform a set of squats, rest 60 seconds, perform a set of push-ups, rest 60 seconds, and repeat. So in effect, I've almost tripled the rest period between squat sets (60 seconds plus the time taken for push-ups plus 60 seconds) as opposed to using a straight set system. And for fat loss training, it's unparalleled.
However, the biggest problem or complaint I get from clients who use commercial facilities is that it's really hard for them to tie up two pieces of gym equipment at peak hours. I have my own facility, but I realize this can be a real problem elsewhere. So I started experimenting with a few things--doing dumbbell lunges and push-ups for example or step-ups and dumbbell bench presses where I could use one set of dumbbells and one piece of equipment.
It was an okay compromise, but it started to somewhat limit my exercise selection. And to be honest, it still had the issue of people working in and possibly disrupting your rest periods.
So I went a step further. What if I created a fat loss or conditioning program based around one piece of equipment where you stayed in the same spot, using the same load for the entire duration? So I tried it. At first it was awkward, but after reading Istvan Javorek's work and talking with über strength coach, Robert Dos Remedios, I started to implement different variations of combination lifting.
I just hoped that it would work as well as alternating sets for fat loss and conditioning or at least close enough that it wasn't too much of a tradeoff. As it turns out, it worked better! In fact, it worked so well that it became a cornerstone of my conditioning programs with several athletes.
The rest of this article is filled with great information, but was to long to publish in this entry. If you want to read it, you can download it on the homepage of our website at www.fitnesswavetn.com.
Alwyn is one of the top fitness professionals in the world. To learn more about him and read some great articles click here.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
#1 Reason You Should Measure Body Fat
As most of you know, my main business is fitness testing. One of the tests we perform is the hydrostatic body composition test (underwater weighing). This method is known as the "Gold Standard" as it is the most accurate way to measure body fat. People often ask me why they should get a body fat test done. Here is a response I gave to that question on the blog of a body transformation contest where we were testing the participants.
Mr. Harris, I have read all about this competition and wonder about the getting dunked (hydrostatic test). Why can't you just use the scale as a measurement of weight loss?
Great question! The simple answer is body composition. The scale can't tell you how much of your weight is fat mass and how much is lean mass. Body composition is a much better indicator of overall health than just scale weight. For example, two women are the same height and weight. After "dunking" them, we determine body composition for one to be 25% body fat and the other to be 35% body fat. While they both weigh the same, the one at 25% would be in the healthy category and the one at 35% would be in the poor category.
Here is a real life example. We just finished the first retest of the Healthquest participants. Everyone made a positive improvement, however the improvement was different for each participant.
Let's look at the numbers for two of them:
Participant #1: Scale Weight-lost 8 lbs (sounds great!) Fat Mass-lost 4.8 lbs (woo hoo!) Lean Mass-lost 3.2lbs (uh oh).
Participant #2: Scale Weight-gained 2 lbs (yikes!) Fat Mass-lost 1 lb (good) Lean Mass-gained 3 lbs (yeah!!)
According to the scale, one of them lost 8 pounds and the other one gained 2 pounds, however both dropped 1% from their starting body fat percentage. Both ladies made a positive improvement in body composition overall, yet what happened on the scale was totally different. Losing Fat Mass is important but retaining Lean Mass is very important as well. While the scale is a good tool to use as a relative measure of the changes that you are making, you need to “get dunked” to see what the number on the scale just can’t tell you.
Mr. Harris, I have read all about this competition and wonder about the getting dunked (hydrostatic test). Why can't you just use the scale as a measurement of weight loss?
Great question! The simple answer is body composition. The scale can't tell you how much of your weight is fat mass and how much is lean mass. Body composition is a much better indicator of overall health than just scale weight. For example, two women are the same height and weight. After "dunking" them, we determine body composition for one to be 25% body fat and the other to be 35% body fat. While they both weigh the same, the one at 25% would be in the healthy category and the one at 35% would be in the poor category.
Here is a real life example. We just finished the first retest of the Healthquest participants. Everyone made a positive improvement, however the improvement was different for each participant.
Let's look at the numbers for two of them:
Participant #1: Scale Weight-lost 8 lbs (sounds great!) Fat Mass-lost 4.8 lbs (woo hoo!) Lean Mass-lost 3.2lbs (uh oh).
Participant #2: Scale Weight-gained 2 lbs (yikes!) Fat Mass-lost 1 lb (good) Lean Mass-gained 3 lbs (yeah!!)
According to the scale, one of them lost 8 pounds and the other one gained 2 pounds, however both dropped 1% from their starting body fat percentage. Both ladies made a positive improvement in body composition overall, yet what happened on the scale was totally different. Losing Fat Mass is important but retaining Lean Mass is very important as well. While the scale is a good tool to use as a relative measure of the changes that you are making, you need to “get dunked” to see what the number on the scale just can’t tell you.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
FitnessWave Body Composition Challenge Results
The inaugural FitnessWave BC Challenge is over and the results are in! Each participant did a great job and our overall winner put up some amazing results. The main goal of this contest was to motivate people to start living a healthy lifestyle and it was definitely met.
Thank you to all of our sponsors for not only giving some great prizes, but also for giving the participants what they needed to do their best!
And The Winner Is...
Beth Todd - Nashville, TN
Beth was "all in" from Day 1 of the Challenge. She took the information we gave her and immediately went to work. She set her goal, followed her program, and achieved some of the best results I've ever seen in a 12 week transformation contest.
Weight- She lost 19 pounds in 12 weeks! (That's 1.5 pounds per week)
Body Fat %- She dropped 5.3% of her body fat!!
Overall Body Composition- The number that won it all for her...She changed her overall body composition by a whopping 11%!!!
Here is what Beth had to say about the BC Challenge:
"I can't do it." never accomplished anything. "I will try." has performed wonders. ( quote by George P. Burnham)
I have been struggling with obesity for almost 20 years.. I turned 50 this year and now more than ever I have a sense of urgency to get fit. When I went to FitnessWave I was embarassed to get dunked and feared facing the "numbers". David Harris said something to me that helped me get past this " You have to know where you are to get where you want to go." He was right. I am glad that I did not let fear hold me back from taking this challenge. One of the things I learned this past 12 weeks is that anyone that wants to make a physique change whether it is 5 pounds or 50 needs these tests. David helped me to set a realistic 12 week goal which was important so I would not get discouraged. I read his fitness blog www.FITNESSU.BLOGSPOT.com and found useful information that helped me be successful. I was given a calorie chart that showed what my intake needed to be to lose, maintain or at what point I would actually start to gain weight. It helped me plan my day to work towards gradual steady weight loss. I am so excited that I won this challenge! I plan to use my prize of free testing for a year to help guide me towards my ultimate goal of being healthy and fit. I can tell a difference all ready in how my body performs with just 19 lbs lost. I can't wait to reach my goal in 2009!
Beth worked very hard on maintaining a proper diet throughout the contest. She realized eating right every day is a difficult thing to do. She also now understands that you don't have to be perfect with your nutrition, but if you'll be consistent then you can still reach your goals.
Her exercise program was designed by one of the best personal trainers in Nashville, Stephen Taylor. It matched up well with Beth's abilities, goals, and available time to get maximum results.
Congratulations Beth! You did a great job!
The next FitnessWave BC Challenge will start soon. If you want to be a part of it give us a call at 866-391-9283 or email us at info@fitnesswavetn.com. Don't miss out!
Thank you to all of our sponsors for not only giving some great prizes, but also for giving the participants what they needed to do their best!
And The Winner Is...
Beth Todd - Nashville, TN
Beth was "all in" from Day 1 of the Challenge. She took the information we gave her and immediately went to work. She set her goal, followed her program, and achieved some of the best results I've ever seen in a 12 week transformation contest.
Weight- She lost 19 pounds in 12 weeks! (That's 1.5 pounds per week)
Body Fat %- She dropped 5.3% of her body fat!!
Overall Body Composition- The number that won it all for her...She changed her overall body composition by a whopping 11%!!!
Here is what Beth had to say about the BC Challenge:
"I can't do it." never accomplished anything. "I will try." has performed wonders. ( quote by George P. Burnham)
I have been struggling with obesity for almost 20 years.. I turned 50 this year and now more than ever I have a sense of urgency to get fit. When I went to FitnessWave I was embarassed to get dunked and feared facing the "numbers". David Harris said something to me that helped me get past this " You have to know where you are to get where you want to go." He was right. I am glad that I did not let fear hold me back from taking this challenge. One of the things I learned this past 12 weeks is that anyone that wants to make a physique change whether it is 5 pounds or 50 needs these tests. David helped me to set a realistic 12 week goal which was important so I would not get discouraged. I read his fitness blog www.FITNESSU.BLOGSPOT.com and found useful information that helped me be successful. I was given a calorie chart that showed what my intake needed to be to lose, maintain or at what point I would actually start to gain weight. It helped me plan my day to work towards gradual steady weight loss. I am so excited that I won this challenge! I plan to use my prize of free testing for a year to help guide me towards my ultimate goal of being healthy and fit. I can tell a difference all ready in how my body performs with just 19 lbs lost. I can't wait to reach my goal in 2009!
Beth worked very hard on maintaining a proper diet throughout the contest. She realized eating right every day is a difficult thing to do. She also now understands that you don't have to be perfect with your nutrition, but if you'll be consistent then you can still reach your goals.
Her exercise program was designed by one of the best personal trainers in Nashville, Stephen Taylor. It matched up well with Beth's abilities, goals, and available time to get maximum results.
Congratulations Beth! You did a great job!
The next FitnessWave BC Challenge will start soon. If you want to be a part of it give us a call at 866-391-9283 or email us at info@fitnesswavetn.com. Don't miss out!
Friday, December 12, 2008
4 Interval Workouts That Burn Fat
If you are struggling to lose fat with cardio, I have great news for you. Men's Health expert trainer Craig Ballantyne sent me these 4 interval training workouts to help you burn fat!
There are all types of ways to do interval training, and research hasn't shown us a best way yet. There is NO best interval training workout for fat loss, however, some of my favorites are:
a) 1 minute on, 1-2 minutes off, repeat 6 times.
b) 30 seconds on, 90 seconds off, repeat 6 times.
c) 45 seconds on, 90 seconds off, repeat 6 times.
d) 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off, repeat up to 8 times.
Make sure to include a warm-up and cool-down after each.
And remember, you can use all types of interval training methods for these workouts.
You can do treadmill running, hill walking, stationary cycling, sprinting outside (if you do extra warm-up), kettlebell swings, medicine ball power woodchoppers, rope jumping, rowing, swimming, or even the elliptical machine (if you think it works).
One research study even used 8 seconds on, 12 seconds off for a total of 20 minutes, but these short intervals are almost impossible to do on regular gym equipment.
For more in-depth, step-by-step fat burning plans, visit:
Turbulence Training
There are all types of ways to do interval training, and research hasn't shown us a best way yet. There is NO best interval training workout for fat loss, however, some of my favorites are:
a) 1 minute on, 1-2 minutes off, repeat 6 times.
b) 30 seconds on, 90 seconds off, repeat 6 times.
c) 45 seconds on, 90 seconds off, repeat 6 times.
d) 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off, repeat up to 8 times.
Make sure to include a warm-up and cool-down after each.
And remember, you can use all types of interval training methods for these workouts.
You can do treadmill running, hill walking, stationary cycling, sprinting outside (if you do extra warm-up), kettlebell swings, medicine ball power woodchoppers, rope jumping, rowing, swimming, or even the elliptical machine (if you think it works).
One research study even used 8 seconds on, 12 seconds off for a total of 20 minutes, but these short intervals are almost impossible to do on regular gym equipment.
For more in-depth, step-by-step fat burning plans, visit:
Turbulence Training
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
#1 Way To Double Your Weight Loss
Write It Down...
Kaiser Permanente recently completed a six-month study of nearly 1,700 people who agreed to exercise and adopt a healthy diet. Results of the study show that two-thirds of the participants lost 9 pounds or more which is great. However, the study also showed that those who kept a food journal every day of the week dropped on average twice as much weight as those who didn't write everything down. Those participants who took the time to Write It Down lost 20 pounds or more over the same six month period.
Why does keeping a food diary work? The answer is simple--Accountability. The participants who kept food diaries consistently reported that they didn't want to write down in their journal the foods that they shouldn't be eating, so they just wouldn't eat them. The diaries helped them see where extra calories were creeping in and how some apparently "healthy" foods had much higher calorie counts than expected. In order to have the most success at weight loss, you must pay attention. So get your pen and paper, Write It Down, and turbo charge your weight loss!
For those of you who like to do things online, here are a couple of the better sites to go to:
Calorie Counter at MyFoodDiary.com
FitDay.com
Kaiser Permanente recently completed a six-month study of nearly 1,700 people who agreed to exercise and adopt a healthy diet. Results of the study show that two-thirds of the participants lost 9 pounds or more which is great. However, the study also showed that those who kept a food journal every day of the week dropped on average twice as much weight as those who didn't write everything down. Those participants who took the time to Write It Down lost 20 pounds or more over the same six month period.
Why does keeping a food diary work? The answer is simple--Accountability. The participants who kept food diaries consistently reported that they didn't want to write down in their journal the foods that they shouldn't be eating, so they just wouldn't eat them. The diaries helped them see where extra calories were creeping in and how some apparently "healthy" foods had much higher calorie counts than expected. In order to have the most success at weight loss, you must pay attention. So get your pen and paper, Write It Down, and turbo charge your weight loss!
For those of you who like to do things online, here are a couple of the better sites to go to:
Calorie Counter at MyFoodDiary.com
FitDay.com
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Right Cardio For Fat Loss
"What kind of cardio is best for fat loss?" This is one of the more common questions I hear day in and day out. Just about everyone I talk to thinks that the key to fat loss is more cardio, more cardio, more cardio, and even more cardio. I've met with clients who literally go to the gym everyday and spend two hours going from one piece of cardio equipment to the next trudging along minute after long, slow, boring minute until they finally reach that magic "calories burned" number that they just know is going help them reach their goals. However, they soon find this approach is not very effective, they're more frustrated than before, and they're asking "WHY?!".
Two Main Reasons
#1)Creates very little metabolic disturbance- long, slow cardio doesn't burn a lot of calories, doesn't work the body very hard, and is easily recovered from
#2)Body adapts to it easily- your body adjusts very quickly to long, slow cardio and so it loses its effectiveness; you will begin to burn fat more efficiently which sounds good, but actually works against you for fat loss as I've talked about in previous posts
Effective cardio for fat loss is more about intensity than it is about duration, more about quality than it is about quantity. In other words, you need to burn as many calories as you can in the shortest time possible. To do this, high intensity, short interval workouts are the way to go. Interval workouts cause a lot of metabolic disturbance (i.e. larger overall calorie burn) and you'll automatically go harder as your body adjusts so there is very little problem with adaptation. The bad news about these types of workouts is they are hard and they hurt, the good news is they are short (about 20-30 min) and you only have to do them 3-4 times per week. So get a certified personal trainer to design a proper interval training program and start burning the fat!
Two Main Reasons
#1)Creates very little metabolic disturbance- long, slow cardio doesn't burn a lot of calories, doesn't work the body very hard, and is easily recovered from
#2)Body adapts to it easily- your body adjusts very quickly to long, slow cardio and so it loses its effectiveness; you will begin to burn fat more efficiently which sounds good, but actually works against you for fat loss as I've talked about in previous posts
Effective cardio for fat loss is more about intensity than it is about duration, more about quality than it is about quantity. In other words, you need to burn as many calories as you can in the shortest time possible. To do this, high intensity, short interval workouts are the way to go. Interval workouts cause a lot of metabolic disturbance (i.e. larger overall calorie burn) and you'll automatically go harder as your body adjusts so there is very little problem with adaptation. The bad news about these types of workouts is they are hard and they hurt, the good news is they are short (about 20-30 min) and you only have to do them 3-4 times per week. So get a certified personal trainer to design a proper interval training program and start burning the fat!
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