Something To Think About

If a doctor told you that you had do chemotherapy for 2 1/2 hours a week in order to eliminate cancer, you would do it, right? Then why do we not exercise?

The American Heart Association says that 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week is enough to lower the chances of these life threatening diseases:

 

1. Coronary heart disease

2. Stroke

3. High Blood Pressure

4. Type 2 Diabetes

5. Colon Cancer

6. Breast Cancer

7. High Cholesterol

8. Obesity

 

And along with a lower risk of these diseases, exercise also improves cardio respiratory and muscular fitness, improves our body composition, reduces symptoms of depression and increases our flexibility.

I know a lot of people say the reason they do not exercise is they don't have the time. You need to make the time. Exercise needs to be a top priority in your life. The lack of physical activity in our lives is slowly killing us and it is easily preventable. Instead of sitting down and watching 3 hours of American Idol (and eating a bag of chips in the process) go for a walk, ride a bike, go for a swim, lift some weights, do some yoga, etc. You can watch your show AFTER you exercise.

If we exercise for a 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week, we will start to see health benefits in as little as 3 weeks. We will start to feel better and look better.

Start today! Make a goal of doing some sort of physical activity for 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week for the next 3 weeks. Track your progress. I guarantee you will see improvements in your health and you will feel better about yourself.

 

Healthy Breakfast

Today I have a recipe for you that is a healthy and energy filled way to start your day. I found it in the Body Beast workout program which is one of the many programs created by Beachbody.

2/3 cups Instant Oatmeal

1 Tablespoon Walnuts

1/4 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Unsweetened Almond Milk (Can be found in most grocery stores)
1 Scoop Chocolate Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein (I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard)

 

Make the Oatmeal according to the package and then mix it with all other ingrediants. Simple.

 

Nutritional Information

 

Calories: 439

Carbs: 39 grams

Fat: 14 grams

Protein: 34 grams

 

I usually eat this on the mornings that I know I will be doing some cardio work later in the day. I've noticed that my energy level has also increased on the days that I've had this in the morning.

 

 

 

 



Fact or Fiction.....

I haven't written anything in a very long time but now I'm back. My topic today is Fact or Fiction....Does working out at lower intensities really burn more fat (the fat-burning zone) than higher intensity workouts? I have heard of a lot of people that don't quite understand what this means. The theory behind it is that if you exercise in a zone of 50-60% of your maximum effort, you will burn more fat than exercising in a higher intensity level.This is incorrect and I'm going to explain why.

It's true that a higher percentage of body fat is used as fuel at lower intensities. However, at higher intensities, more total calories are burned. Therefore, even though a higher percentage of fuel comes from fat during low-intensity exercise, more total calories are burned during high intensity exercise thereby increasing the amount of fat burned. Working out at higher intensities improves body composition more effectively and also contributes to larger increases in cardiorepiratory fitness.

Just remember, it's all about the calories. The more calories you burn, the more fat you are going to burn. That's it for today.