Michael Phelps…a Swimming Machine!

I recently wrote an article about exercise and the effects it has on the metabolism.  Like many people in the world I have watched in awe as Michael Phelps has done the inhuman.  Watching him, it confirms what I have known for over 20 years…Swimming is the perfect exercise!

Last night they showed a breakdown of his day and the night before they talked about his diet.  I am going to attempt to summarize.

Michael Phelps eats a whole days worth of calories at one sitting.  He averages 3000 calories per meal and continues to eat throughout the day.  That means that he eats over 10,000 calories per day yet he complains that he can’t break over 200 pounds.  Why he would want to do that, I personally don’t understand.  As far as swimming goes, his Tuesday at the Olympics started with a warm-up swim of 2400 meters followed by 200 meter gold medal swim.  He then swam a 2400 meter warm-down, accepted his gold medal attended press conferences and attempted to rest a little before he had to do it all again for the 800 meter relay.  With all of his swimming measured out throughout his day, he swam over 5 1/2 miles in one day. Read more

Exercise…Weight loss…Diabetes!

I was reading through health news articles online and came upon this article and it prompted me to make comment.  Here is the article

news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080728/hl_nm/exercise_weight_dc

This article talks about the relationship between type 2 diabetes, exercise and weight loss.

They recommend that we walk 45 minutes more each day.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t have 45 minutes per day or more to exercise each and every day.

As we all know exercise is an essential for weight control.  Hold on, let me clarify that statement.  Lean muscle is essential for weight control.  Walking as an exercise does not significantly increase muscle mass which is why you have to do a lot of it to get weight loss changes.

Before you start discrediting me, you first have to understand the mechanics of weight loss.  Lean muscle is what burns or metabolizes fat, sugar and protein in the body.  This means the more lean muscle fibers that you use, the greater the burn, the better the weight loss and the better control you have over your blood sugar. Read more

Calorie Control

Calorie control is what all of the “packaged food” diet plans are based on. Jenny Craig and NutriSystem diet plans are based on a 1200 calorie diet plan. Each of their meals are approximately 300 calories. Consider 3 main meals at 300 calories each and 3 snacks at 100 calories each and you have your diet plan.

It is very easy to create your own program and it will be fresher and much better for you. For example, and regular sized apple has approximately 100 calories.  All you need is a Calorie counting book and a few hours each week.   By portioning out your own meal base on their calorie content and freezing them, you can have a freezer full of healthy “Unprocessed” meals. Read more

Make a fist!

When determining a portion size of globe fruits such as apples oranges, peaches and pears just make a fist. If you can find fruits that are the size of your fist, you will easily be able to tell if you are getting the proper quantity of food for your body size.

SIT!…Don’t Stand

You should never stand to eat!

You are probably thinking, “Who stands when they eat?” Most people do, however, we’re not talking about meals.

If you think about this for a moment you will quickly realize that most people stand when they are snacking. This means that if you are standing while you are eating, you are probably eating something that you had not planned for, ie. Cookies, crackers or potato chips. This snacking translates into 1/3 more extra calories that your body does not need each day. These foods are high in all of the things that make controlling weight impossible.

So when it comes to snacking; Plan what you eat, and take a seat!

Water…the Secret Calorie Burner!

Water specifically is not a calorie burner. However, COLD WATER is! Cold water has to be heated to body temperature to be absorbed into the cells of the body. The body has to expend calories to heat the water. This is the definition of what a calorie is in the first place. This translates into a few things.

1. Water has no calories, so you do not have to do any extra work or exercise to burn it off.

2. Cold water has a net increase in calorie burn which results in loss of weight.

Keep in mind that this does not replace eating properly. The amount of calories burned is not much, but can result in 3-5 pounds per year if done consistently.

So if you want to loose a few extra pounds this year, start drinking COLD water.

You May Have to Eat More to Lose Weight!

One of the most common problems with dieting is that people think that they need to starve themselves. An interesting thing happens when we reduce our food intake. If you you take in too few calories, your body thinks that it is starving. This is similar to what happens to hibernating animals. This in turn creates a significant slowing in your metabolism which actually speeds up the storage of fat in the body aka preparing for hibernation. By just eating more food, you can get out of starvation mode and back into fat burning mode.

Stevia…Natures other sweetener!

Stevia, for those of you who do not know, is an herb that has been used for centuries in other countries as a form of natural sweetener. This form of sweetener can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and should be used sparingly. It is important to note that it has its own distinct flavor and takes some getting used to as with many of the “artificial sweeteners”. Some say it has a hint of licorice flavor. I personally have used it for years. As with artificial sweeteners, this natural sugar substitute does not affect blood sugar levels, so it is safe for use by diabetes patients. This is God’s natural sugar substitute.

The Best Vitamin on the market…In my opinion!

I have searched far and wide for a vitamin supplement that meets the 5 criteria that I need:

1. Replaces All other supplements
2. Derived from whole foods (fruits and vegetables)
3. Instantly Absorbable
4. Contains live pro-biotic cultures
5. Hypoallergenic to event the most chemically sensitive

I have only found one product that meets all 5 of these criteria. Read more