Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
How to Start a Fitness Program at Home Beginner’s Guide to Exercise
How to start a fitness program at home is difficult at first, but it is one of the best things you can do for your health. If you want to get your body in a shape then it is important to start your own exercise regimen at home. It is important that you should start the fitness program slowly so that you do not get injured. Physical activity can help you in getting rid of excess weight and on the same side it also reduces the risk of getting some chronic diseases. It is also suitable for those who want to go for fitness program at low cast and cannot afford going out to a gym. An additional benefit is that there is no excuse to avoid exercise totally at home. This program will also allow you to go for exercise whenever you get time from your busy or hectic schedule.
The first important step on How to start a fitness program at home is to access your fitness level. You need to check your pulse rate before and after you walk for at least one mile. You should also check the time that how long it takes you to walk for one mile. Measure you body mass index and waist circumference. Start a fitness program at home after considering your fitness goals. Start the exercise cautiously and slowly. It is better to go for a written plan because it can help in motivating you. Replace your habit of watching TV with some particular exercise. You can also watch your favorite show and exercise at the same time. It is also advised that you must visit your doctor before starting and fitness program.
How to Start a Fitness Program at Home Beginner’s Guide to Exercise
If you want to go for bodybuilding workouts then you need to buy dumbbells and barbells. This smallest investment can allow you to do a variety of exercises. You can also create weights by using different items available at home. How to start a fitness program at home is easy even without using the fancy machines which you can get at a gym. You need to start with exercises such as push-ups, squats, lunges, crunches, and leg rises. In start, you can go for 3 sets of ten to twenty repetitions. Do not forget to go for a twenty minutes walk regularly. You also need to check out for different fat loss diet programs. The results are immediate, but you need to stay focused on this fitness program.
You must track your body measurements rather than checking your weight loss during your ongoing fitness program at home. Drink a plenty of water during your workout sessions and exercises. Sports drinks can be helpful for you during the intense workout sessions. You must spend your time on cardio exercises such asswimming, running, walking, jogging, dancing, playing and dancing. Make your weekly workout schedule depending upon your goals. Some DVDs and CDs are also available in market which can guide you in performing different types of exercises at comfort of your own home.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Exercise after weight loss surgery may boost health improvements
People who add a little walking to their routines after weight loss surgery decrease their risk of diabetes and improve their heart health more than those who stay sedentary, according to a new study.
“For a large percentage of the severely obese, they may exercise but don’t necessarily gain improvement in metabolic factors, so this is clinically significant,” said lead author Paul M. Coen of the division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
“The fact that we see this isn’t trivial,” he told Reuters Health.
For the study, researchers divided 128 adults, mostly women, who had recently undergone roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery into two groups. One group received only a health education program while the other group participated in a semi-supervised moderate exercise program as well.
The education-only group attended six sessions per month of lectures, discussions and demonstrations providing information on medication use, nutrition and upper-body stretching.
The exercise group also attended the education sessions plus engaged in two hours of moderate exercise, mostly walking, each week during the six-month study.
Researchers used blood tests before and after the study to measure insulin resistance and glucose tolerance, both indicators of how well the body processes sugar. Poor results are associated with a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
At the beginning of the study, both groups had similar glucose and insulin measures, although they were poorer than levels expected for similar people of healthy weight, the authors write in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Insulin tolerance levels improved for both groups after surgery, but the greatest improvement was among those who had exercised more than two hours per week.
The same was true of glucose uptake and metabolism, and of measures of cardiorespiratory fitness.
“Insulin sensitivity and cardiorespiratory fitness are both important indices of metabolic health,” Coen said. “Any improvement in both is likely to reduce future risk of cardiometabolic disease.”
Both groups lost a similar amount of weight and reduced their waist circumference by the same amount in the course of the study.
Within three to four weeks after surgery patients will have recovered enough to start exercising, Coen said, and should try any activity they are likely to stick with - whether a gym program, bicycling, swimming, gardening or another option.
Most patients are not very physically active before surgery, but The American Heart Association and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery recommend mild exercise before surgery to facilitate postoperative recovery, he said.
National organizations including The Obesity Society recommend that patients adhere to a healthy lifestyle including exercise for 30 minutes per day, but there are no more specific evidence-based pre or post-operative guidelines for physical activity, he said.
“We hope that this study will play a role in formulating patient recommendations in the future, “Coen said.
In addition to other health measures, exercise may help bariatric surgery patients lose more weight after the six-month period this study covered, he said.
“The common dogma is that (surgery) is a magic cure for diabetes and weight and maybe they don’t need to do anything else,” Coen said. “But our results show that there is still room for therapeutic benefit of exercise.”
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/03/exercise-after-weight-loss-surgery-may-boost-health-improvements/
Friday, March 6, 2015
Healthy Living Exercise and Weight Loss
CHARLOTTE — Lots of people work out and dont lose weight. Dietitian Alicia Knetsche says a big reason for that is because they arent watching what they eat.
"Its not realistic at all," she said. "A lot of people have the misconception Hey, Im exercising, I can eat whatever I want to."
Charlotte YMCA Health and Wellness Director Erin Karp Agrees.
"I think a lot of people feel that because theyre starting to exercise, the scale is automatically going to move down," Karp said.
In one study, researchers followed a group of mostly overweight women who didnt usually exercise through a supervised fitness program.
By the end of the program three months later, they were all significantly more fit. However, very few lost weight.
In fact, 70 percent gained fat. A few gained as much as ten pounds, and it wasnt muscle.
The researchers also found that timing is important. Researchers say that if people havent seen results from an exercise program after four weeks, its a good time to stop and take stock.
"Its really looking at the overall picture," Knetsche said. "Your eating habits, the intensity of your exercise, the frequency of your exercise, you have to take all that into account."
By Stacey Simms
Source: http://centralnc.twcnews.com/content/lifestyles/healthy_living/714265/healthy-living--exercise-and-weight-loss/
Sesame Powered High Omega 6 Diet Boosts Endurance Performance in Rodents High Omega 3 Diet Sucks Intra Muscular Lipid Ratios Determine Exercise Performance
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| At least in rodents omega-6s appear to make abetter match with exercise than in human beings. |
In view of the fact that the corresponding study in which Rogowski et al. observed a significant correlation between the omega-6 fatty acid content in the muscle and mitochondrial uncoupling and fat oxidation. The problem with the study is however that it was conducted not just with mice, but with genetically modified mice.
The results of the said study by Rogoswki, Patin et al. may thus form the basis for further investigations, but should not be taken as "hard evidence" that a high intake of omega-6 fatty acids will have similar effects. The accumulation of linolic acid in the mouse muscles was after all a result of the genetic modification and not the consequence of high n-6 chow.
So whats the effect of dietary linolic acid, then?
Unlike Rogowski et al., Kerry J. Ayre and A.J. Hulbert from the University of Wollongong did not just use normal male Wistar rats as their test objects, they also did what the scientists from Texas Tech didnt do: They supplied their rodents with diets with different fatty acid profiles.
Coconut diet: Designed as (almost) "essentially fatty acid free", the coconut oil based diet had a saturated fatty acid / mono-unsaturated fatty acid / N-6 / N-3 ratio of 95:4:1:0
Irrespective of the fact that it sucks for rodent endurance, coconut oil could help you approach a flat tummy like the one above| learn more - High N-6: Being based on sesame oil, the high N-6 diet had a SFA / MUFA / N-6 / N-3 ratio of 16:30:50:4 that translates to an N-3:N-6 Ratio of 0.08 (1:12.5); now that sounds crazily low, but the average Westerner consumes a diet with a N-3:N-6 ratio of 0.0625 (1:16; cf. Simpopoulos. 2004) in other words - that was not even "as bad" (?) as the Western diet
- High N-3: By adding both sesame and a commercially available omega-3 supplement to the diet, the scientists hit a 21:25:35:16 ratio for SFA / MUFA / N-6 / N-3 - thats still far from "N-3 exclusive" but much more like what current expert advice tells us we should strive for, i.e. 1g of omega-3 for every 2g of omega-6
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| Figure 1: Fatty acid composition of the diets and corresponding endurance performance of male Wistar rats after 9-weeks on coconut, high n-6 and high n-3 diet (Ayre. 1997) |
"So where is the connection to the new study from Texas Tech, then?"
If we look back at the initially mentioned results from the Texas Tech study, it appears logical to assume that the beneficial effects on the endurance capacity could be another downstream effects of an increased ability to oxidize dietary fats (which is basically what the Rogowski, Paton et al. argued). Compared to the minimal amount of blood glucose and the highly limited glycogen stores in the muscle and liver, the fat stores of mice (and man) do after all hold an almost inexhaustible amount of energy - they just have to be accessed.
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| Figure 2: Skeletal muscle fatty acid composition after 9 weeks (Ayre. 1997) |
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| "Making the Right Fish Choices" is important for your healths, so I suggest you learn how in the same-titled SuppVersity article. |
In view of the profundity of the omega-6 overshoot in the SAD diet and considering the fact that many of us have been consuming diets containing 15x more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s for decades, this does not appear unlikely. From a scientific perspective it would yet reaffirm that the "optimal n3:n:6 ratio" for someone with a well-balanced cellular level of the latter could be very different from the 1:1 optimum some experts currently recommend as target in the battle against diabesity - right?
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| Swine study says 1:5 ratio of N3:N6 or higher = optimal health | more |
As a strength athlete you may actually harm yourself as it appears that the high omega-6 intake favors the oxidative over the glycolytic pathway. As an endurance athlete, however you may reconsider how important it really is for you to avoid all omega-6 fatty acids as a plague.
On a more general note, it may in fact be worth to take another look at "optimal ratios". While some of the effects of the polyunsaturated fatty acids are in fact acute, their major effects appear to be brought about by their accumulation in our bodies.
The "optimal intake" will thus necessarily depend on the status quo, i.e. the current tissue level of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and their respective ratios. Against that background we should not be surprised that you can counter the negative effects of an imbalanced diet by administering another imbalanced diet. In our case this is a correction of a profound omega-6 overshoot that can be achieved by increasing our consumption of omega-3 rich foods and limiting our use of omega-6 laden vegetable oils and the products of which the "food" industry tells us they were good for us, because they contain only healthy vegetable oils... this is a practice I have recommended in the past and something I still recommend today.
What I would hope we could agree on, though is the idea that the study at hand, despite being conducted in rodents should remind us that simply switching from one scapegoat to another did not help us, when that scapegoat was saturated fat. Do you really believe the outcomes will be better, when we simply glue the "avoid like a plague" sticker to the omega-6s? Yes? Well, I guess the first thing you should do then, is take your beloved extra-virgin olive oil and pour it away! Why? Well, 10% omega-6 and basically no omega-3 - thats a no go ;-)
- Ayre KJ, Hulbert AJ. Dietary fatty acid profile affects endurance in rats. Lipids. 1997 Dec;32(12):1265-70.
- Pella D, Dubnov G, Singh RB, Sharma R, Berry EM, Manor O. Effects of an Indo-Mediterranean diet on the omega-6/omega-3 ratio in patients at high risk of coronary artery disease: the Indian paradox. World Rev Nutr Diet. 2003;92:74-80.
- Rogowski MP, Flowers MT, Stamatikos AD, Ntambi JM, Paton CM. SCD1 activity in muscle increases triglyceride PUFA content, exercise capacity, and PPARδ expression in mice. J Lipid Res. 2013 Oct;54(10):2636-46.
- Simopoulos, AP. Omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acid ratio and chronic diseases. Food Reviews International. 2004; 20(1).
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Exercise Supplementation Quickie Optimal Protein Blend for Protein Synthesis Gout Drug for Muscle Protection Plus 3 Suggestions for Optimal Protein Blends
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| Dont obsess about "optimal" supplement regimen, start training, eating, sleeping and exercise the patience it takes to reverse years of sedentary pizza eating. |
For todays installment of these "Short News", Ive selected a study that discusses the impressive effects of a "gout drug" on exercise induced muscle damage and a study that takes another look at the ever-so-popular issue of "optimal" protein supplementation - an issue some of you are investing so much energy in that it is no wonder that theyre not making the gains they would want to.
You can learn more about protein intake at the SuppVersity
Are You Protein Wheysting?
Cod protein for recovery
Protein requ. of athletes
High EAA protein for fat loss
Fast vs. slow protein
Too much ado about protein?
- Interesting observation: Xanthine oxidase inhibitor Allopurinol, which is usually used to treat conditions that are cause by increased uric acid levels (e.g. gout), dampens exercise induced muscle damage in trained individuals.
The results of a recent study from the University of Valencia clearly demonstrate that the use of 300 mg of allopurinol 4h before a soccer match, lead to significant reductions in all measured markers of muscle damage in those six out of twelve professional soccer players who had been randomized to the active arm of the study (Sanshis Gomar. 2014).
Now, unfortunately, a reduction in muscle damage that is facilitated by the inhibition of an enzyme that generates reactive oxygen species is - as you should by now have learnt from the dozens of posts on hormesis and the beneficial effects of exercise induced increases in reactive oxygen specie, not exactly desirable.
Figure 1: Changes in markers of muscle, heart and liver damage, as well as MDA levels, amarker of lipid oxidation due to soccer match with our without xanthine oxidase inhibitor (Sanshis Gomar. 2014)
The authors conclusion that their observation was a great thing and could be used by athletes all around the world is thus probably only valid with respect to in professional soccer players and other elite athletes who are trying to avoid overuse injuries... and even for their health blunting the ROS response to exercise permanently probably isnt going to be exactly conducive to their health. - Further evidence for the superiority of protein blends (vs. single sources as whey) for muscle building
Scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch, the Texas A&M University, the Arizona State University and the University of Utah found that a blend of soy and dairy protein slightly prolonged net amino acid balance across the leg as compared to whey protein alone, when it was ingested right after a workout.
Remember? Only recently youve learned here at the SuppVersity that Whey + Casein outperform Whey + BCAA + Glutamine and you bet that this combo will also outshadow the combination of whey, a fast digesting protein and soy, with an only minimally more sustained digestion pofile (for suggestions see bullet-points below).
- In the soon-to-be-published paper, to which I do unfortunately not have access, the scientists emphasize that it is not the fractional protein synthesis rate or the mRNA expression of selected amino acid transporters (LAT1/SLC7A5, CD98/SLC3A2 SNAT2/SLC38A2, PAT1/SLC36A1, CAT1/SLC7A1) which made the difference, but rather the fact hat "the ingestion of the protein blend resulted in a prolonged and positive net phenylalanine balance during post-exercise recovery as compared to whey protein" (Reidy. 2014).
Now, eventually this is no news. I wrote about a similar phenomenon with whey protein only recently (learn more) and some of the researchers who were part of the study at hand have actually presented very similar results (albeit from a rodent study) in the August edition of Clinical Nutrition last year.
In this study Butteiger et al. observed that a mixture of 1:1:2 of soy protein, whey protein and caseinate (="broken" micelar casein which has a significantly faster digestion rate than the original) produced the maximal increase in protein synthesis (dotted line in Figure 1), but with "fake casein" and soy, I am 100% sure that you can do better than that with whey hydrolysate, whey concentrate and micellar casein (1:1:1 would mean an identical ratio of the three). As far as the ratios goes, I would suggest the following combinations for specific purposes:
Figure 2: Fractional protein synthesis 0-270min after the ingestion of pure whey or soy isolate of blends containing soy, whey and caseinate in the given ratios (Butteiger. 2013) - 5:5:1 - immediately post workout, if you have a meal within the next 1h
- 1:1:1 - immediately post workout, if you have a meal within the next 2h
- 1:3:5 - as a snack, of if you dont have a meal within 4h of the workout
Bottom line: Eventually, there is just one practical conclusion to be drawn from todays news potpourri: There is no need to limit your net protein synthesis with "pure" whey proteins, because this is what most studies use and many of the bros recommend.
As far as the use of xanthine oxidase inhibitors are concerned, I have my doubts whether that is not going to produce more problems than solve. And as far as the "optimal" ratio of fast- to slow-digesting proteins for maximal protein anabolism is concerned, I can only tell you that it would require 100 studies to get a decently reliable idea of what the "real" optimum for a certain population and training style was.... but dont grudge. In the end those few %-ages of FSR certainly wont be the reason you are not making the gains you are aspiring - so keep looking for excuses and start removing the true obstacles that are standing between yourself and the physique of your dreams.
References:  |
| +43% Muscle Glycogen With Whey vs. Amino Acid Mix | learn more |
- Butteiger, D. N., et al. "A soy, whey and caseinate blend extends postprandial skeletal muscle protein synthesis in rats." Clinical Nutrition 32.4 (2013): 585-591.
- Reidy, et al. "Soy-Dairy Protein Blend and Whey Protein Ingestion After Resistance Exercise Increases Amino Acid Transport and Transporter Expression in Human Skeletal Muscle." Journal of Applied Physiology April 3, 2014 jap.01093.2013
- Sanchis‐Gomar, F., et al. "Allopurinol prevents cardiac and skeletal muscle damage in professional soccer players." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports (2014).
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