What Your Family Needs To Know About Hydration And Sports Drinks?

Hydration and Electrolytes

One of the major underlying factors of premature fatigue during exercise is excessive dehydration.

Dehydration strains your heart by reducing blood volume.

For every liter of fluid lost during prolonged exercise, body temperature rises by 0.3°C, heart rate elevates by about eight beats per minute, and cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute) declines by 1 liter/min.

These cardiovascular changes can not only significantly impair your athletic performance, but can also lead to death.

The factors that influence dehydration are exercise intensity, environment, clothing and equipment, genetics, fitness and acclimatization.

Athletes who exercise very intensely in humid environments, wearing heavy clothing and equipment, and have overactive sweat glands, while being less fit or acclimatized (accustomed) to exercise in the heat, are most prone to dehydration.

Sports drinks were formulated to help prevent dehydration in athletes in conditions like these, and reduce the strains on their hearts and cardiac systems. These drinks replace the fluids and electrolytes that are normally lost through sweat and urine, so that athletic performance can be maintained.

Early scientific investigations showed that substantial quantities of sodium, chloride, and to a lesser extent, potassium (collectively known as electrolytes) are lost in sweat during prolonged exercise, especially exercise in the heat.

However, evidence of a beneficial effect of electrolyte replacement during exercise exists for only a small handful of endurance athletes – specifically those that compete in intense, humid, long-duration events.

It was later found that electrolytes in blood plasma often increase during exercise without fluid replacement (Costill et al., 1970, 1974, 1976, 1981) which indicates that electrolyte replacement is not always necessary.

Furthermore, during repeated exposures to prolonged physical exertion, our kidneys are very effective at conserving sodium and potassium so that body electrolyte balance is usually maintained when an athlete consumes a normal diet, or a diet low in potassium (Costill et al., 1976), or even a diet high or low in sodium (Armstrong et al., 1985).

Instances of endurance athletes experiencing dangerous low blood sodium concentrations (known as hyponatremia) during exercise usually occurs when they ingest large quantities of water, which dilutes their normal blood sodium concentrations and leaves them in a deadly condition.

For most people, normal amounts of plain water is adequate enough to maintain hydration during many athletic events because sweat is mostly composed of water, compared to the losses of electrolytes.

Therefore, replacing water during exercise is far more important than replacing sodium, potassium or other electrolytes – but make sure don’t overdo it. As you learned above, if you take in too much water, then you risk becoming hyponatremic.

Replacing fluids during resistance exercise (i.e., weight lifting) is also important too.

In 2008, University of Connecticut researchers showed that as resistance-trained men were dehydrated at 2.5% and 5% of their body weight before engaging in weight-lifting exercise, their testosterone response to exercise was diminished, and they had increased concentrations of cortisol and norepinephrine (the stress hormones) (Judelson DA et al, 2008).

This study suggests that being adequately hydrated before and during weight lifting is very important for a proper hormonal and metabolic response to resistance exercise – in other words, if you are dehydrated before and during a weight lifting session, you won’t able to build muscle and burn fat like you would if you were properly hydrated.

So, for the benefit of your heart, your muscles, and your athletic performance, staying hydrated with adequate ( but not excessive) water is the key to a healthy body and effective exercise success.

Dehydration, Cramping and Electrolytes

Another reason sports drinks are so popular is that people feel that they need them to prevent muscle cramping during exercise (and if you’ve ever had a muscle cramp when you were lifting or running, you know it’s not pleasant).

Some athletes experience extreme, painful, muscle cramps while exercising intensely and they think it’s associated with low electrolyte status and/or dehydration.
However, a recent 2010 study argues that electrolyte imbalances have little to nothing to do with cramping.

Researchers from Cape Town, South Africa looked at risk factors associated with exercise-associated muscle cramping in 209 Ironman triathletes before and after a race, and tried to detect any differences between the 43 who developed muscle cramps and the 166 who didn’t (Schwellnus MP et al, 2010).

The major finding was that there was no significant difference in the levels of dehydration or electrolyte loss between the two groups, challenging the prevailing electrolyte-depletion hypothesis of cramps.

The cramping group lost 2.8% body mass compared to 3.1% in the non-crampers; cramper’s sodium levels dropped 0.1% (+/- 1.9%), while the non-crampers increased 0.4% (+/- 2.6%).

Researchers found that the three factors that predicted cramping were:

1. faster predicted race time
2. faster actual race time
3. previous history of cramping

Since training volumes and paces for the final week before the race were more or less identical in the two groups, it means that in this group of athletes, failing to taper exercise volume before the race was not to blame, like some people also suspect.

Overall, cramping during an event seems to be one of the many unavoidable risks associated with getting as close as possible to your limits, especially if you happen to have a history of cramping.

As such, sports drinks are probably not the answer to muscle cramping problems during exercise.

Dehydration and Performance

According to the American Academy of Sports Medicine - one of the leading authorities on sports nutrition, health and performance - if you lose more than 2% of your body weight, presumably due to water losses from sweat and urine, dehydration will impair your performance.

But it turns out that there is some debate about this claim.

Another scientific investigation by South African researchers published Dec 2010 (Zouhal H et al, 2010) looked at 643 runners at the Mont Saint-Michel Marathon and weighed them before and after a race. They found that the fastest finishers lost the most weight, with those under 3:00 hours averaging 3.1% weight loss, compared to 2.5% for 3:00-4:00 hours and 1.8% for greater than 4:00 hours.

Results showed that there was a significant linear relationship (P<0.001) between the degree of weight loss and race finishing times.

Thus, body weight loss greater than 2% during a race may not always confer decreased performance or dehydration.

This may be explained in part by two observations:

1) A genetic ability to withstand dehydration. A genetic variant of a gene called AQP-1 has recently been associated with superior endurance performance, and this gene variant was linked to a type of protein that transports water across cellular membranes. People with this gene variant are able to tolerate higher levels of dehydration while sustaining greater athletic performances (Rivera MA et al, 2011).

2) Body weight loss during exercise does not always equate to water loss. In a recent investigation, soldiers who marched for 14.6 km drank 0.85 liters of water per hour, but sweated 1.289 liters per hour. In other words, they technically should have lost fluid. However, results showed that their total body water (the marker of hydration status) did not change at all (in fact, it increased by 0.53%), meaning that using body weight losses to estimate dehydration is not entirely accurate and does not mean decreased performance (Nolte HW et al, 2010).

Carbohydrates, Glycogen and Blood Glucose

One of the major ingredients of sports drinks is carbohydrate (a.k.a., pure sugar, or high fructose corn syrup) because it was thought that another reason for decreased athletic ability was due to depleted muscle carbohydrate content…and this is partly true.

As you exercise, whether it be endurance or strength events, you deplete carbohydrate stores from your muscle (known as glycogen) and this often leads to decreased ability to exercise at the same intensity. At the same time, blood glucose levels may drop, leaving you yearning for energy.

However, these effects often do not set in until at least 60 minutes of consistent and challenging exercise.

If you happen to have blood sugar or muscle glycogen drops during exercise of a shorter duration than 60 minutes, it could be because you started out with low blood sugars or muscle glycogen to begin with, or because you ate a carbohydrate food before exercise that caused your blood sugars to fall from an over-sensitive insulin response.

For people training for more than an hour, such as a marathon or resistance training for several hours, you probably do need to ingest some carbohydrates during the session to maintain your performance (adding protein is also very beneficial too as researchers have shown that carbs + protein can benefit exercise performance even more than carbs alone (Valentine RJ et al, 2008)).

For exercisers training for about ½ hour to 1 hour at a time (if you exercise less than this, you definitely don’t need anything during your exercise session), research experts have had conflicting recommendations of what you should consume during exercise.

Some say you need carbohydrate (and protein) during this time, whereas others say it’s not needed. Some of it is personal preference and goals, while recent research may offer more insight:

A study by researchers from Loughborough University in Britain (Rollo I and Williams C, 2010) showed that carbohydrate and/or protein during exercise shorter than one hour in duration is only required under certain conditions.

In their study 10 trained runners did two running trials in which they ran as far as they could in one hour. In both cases, the runners ate a high-carbohydrate breakfast three hours before the run. Before and during the run, they drank either a sports drink containing 6.4% carbohydrates or a placebo (colored water).

The results: there was no difference whatsoever in their performance, blood glucose, lactate, respiration, carbohydrate burning, perceived exertion, or anything else they measured.

Previously, these same researchers showed that if athletes running for one hour were fasted (not eaten for more than 6 hours) before a run, the ones who drank a sports drink before and during exercise significantly outperformed the runners who only drank a placebo drink (Rollo I and Williams C, 2009).

This means that you really only need supplemental nutrition during a one-hour (or less) endurance/cardio exercise bout if you haven’t topped up your body energy supplies beforehand either from a overnight fast, or from not eating several hours before you begin exercising.

So who actually NEEDS to be drinking Sports Drinks? Stay tuned for the answer in Part 3.

===>>CLICK HERE LEARN MORE

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Krill Oil May Reduce Premature Death In People With Diabetes

If you have Diabetes, Omega 3-rich Krill Oil may be beneficial to your health.

It may reduce your risk of premature death sometimes associated with Diabetes. 

Diabetics have a higher than average risk of premature death with most attributed to cardiovascular disease.

2 out of 3 people with diabetes die from cardiovascular-related diseases

However, there are steps to control your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Heart Disease And Blood Sugar

There are several components that may increase your chance of developing heart disease.

Lack of exercise, a high-fat and carbohydrate diet, large portions and development of PAD, all may lead to increasing your risk.

High blood sugar may also be another cause.

Everyone has a little bit of sugar circulating through your blood.

And most people, when they eat carbohydrates see a sharp rise in blood sugar.

Non-diabetics see a sharp increase in insulin in response to this rise in blood sugar.

Insulin opens your cells enabling your cells to use sugar from your bloodstream, moving it into your cells.

Diabetes and Type II Diabetes are diseases characterized by a lack of insulin released from the pancreas or your cells not being able to utilize the insulin.

This may increase the sugar in your blood which is then transported all throughout your body.

Increased blood sugar makes it hard for the blood to travel through your body.

This may increase free radicals which damage the lining of your arteries.

Damage free radicals may increase

INFLAMMATION in your body

High blood sugar may also impair the benefits of nitric oxide altering how your veins and arteries relax allowing blood to flow easily.

Constriction makes it harder for blood to flow freely through your arteries, preventing nutrients to reach your cells

Heart Attacks And Ventricular Arrhythmias

Heart attacks are potentially life-threatening events where blood is blocked leading to lack of oxygen and nutrients reaching the rest of your body.

There may be blockages in the veins and arteries in your heart.

Other areas may be affected by blockages which may also lead to heart attacks and strokes.

A disease called peripheral artery disease, or PAD, causes blockages in your lower limbs preventing normal blood flow.

These blockages may become dislodged and travel through your body to the heart, lungs or brain

This may further impede blood flow at other blocked areas possibly resulting in heart attacks or strokes.

Most cardiac arrests and SUDDEN death is due to ventricular arrhythmias.

Ventricular arrhythmias are ABNORMAL heart rhythms whichbegin in the lower portion of the heart or your ventricles

A normal treatment includes a pacemaker and medications to maintain a NORMAL rhythm in your ventricles.

Implantable pacemakers may prevent premature death by stabilizing your heart rhythm

Prevention With Omega 3

There may be a link between Diabetics with increased omega 3 fatty acids and a decrease risk of sudden death.

DHA, EPA and ALA are all essential fatty acids which are not produced by your body.

DHA and EPA are found in high amounts in marine foods like fatty fish, krill oil and fish oil supplements.

ALA is usually found in vegetable sources, which are digested by your body and converted into DHA.

A study may point to the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids and its ability to possibly reduce another heart attack or ventricular arrhythmia.

A study published in the journal Circulation, attempted to see if Omega 3 fatty acids were able to reduce fatal MI and ventricular arrhythmias.

The study included over 5000 women who had no previous history of having a heart attack.

The participants were rated on their monthly, weekly and daily fish intake.

Their results were ASTOUNDING.

The group who ate fish up to 5 times per week, experienced less cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and sudden death.

Sudden death may be attributed to ventricular arrhythmia.

They concluded increasing omega 3 fatty acids in the diets of women suffering from Diabetes resulted in less SUDDEN DEATH events and less incidence of developing heart disease.

All patients were high risk and had experienced a heart attack within the last decade

Power Of Omega 3’s

Diabetics may have an increased risk of heart disease due to high sugar levels in your blood.

This extra sugar may increase free radicals and reduce the relaxing effects of nitric oxide on your vessel walls.

A particularly fatal heart rhythm, ventricular arrhythmia, may lead to sudden death.

High risk individuals, especially people who suffered a previous heart attack, are at increased risk for developing this potentially fatal arrhythmia.

Including omega 3 rich foods may decrease your risk for ventricular arrhythmia or even having another heart attack.

Increasing essential fatty acids like DHA and EPA may provide extra protection for your heart and overall health.

Krill oil includes many of the essential fatty acids which may provide protection to your heart.

Krill oil may reduce your risk of developing fatal heart rhythms and it may help control blood sugar and alter lipid profiles further protecting the hearts of people suffering from diabetes.


==>>CLICK HERE Could a change of diet reverse diabetes?

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Power Up Your Post Workout Nutrition

You go to the gym.

You do a CRAZY, STRENUOUS workout and then you leave.

You get in your car and start to drive, not really understanding what is happening in your body.

By the time you get home, your window of opportunity is closing to recover from the workout.

And it’s closing FAST.

Sometimes you may feel like eating after your workout and sometimes you do not.

Tonight is a night you do not feel like eating.

So you go about your night; then two hours later you eat something, and then go to bed.

Why can this be detrimental to your weight loss goals?

Let me explain…

Exercise

Exercising makes you a healthier and stronger person.

Strength training breaks down your muscle tissue and depletes glycogen stores.

Glycogen is many molecules of sugar bound together and stored to be used for energy.

Exercises and strength training utilizes most of your stored glycogen.

This depletes glycogen in your muscles and liver.

Post Workout, Catabolism, and the Anabolic Window

Immediately after your workout, your body is primed for growth and repair of the muscles you just taxed.

Your body has a small window of opportunity that YOU need to take advantage of.

This window is sometimes referred to as the “anabolic window” because of the perfect storm of things happening in your body.

The anabolic window increases sensitivity to insulin and increases the cells' permeability to glucose

During this window, your body is sensitive to two different elements: insulin and glycogen synthase.

One is a hormone which helps your body remove sugar from your blood, sending it into the muscles.

The other is an enzyme which increases glucose uptake and resynthesis of glycogen in the muscles and the liver.

Insulin and depletion of glycogen stimulate glycogen synthase.

High- Versus Low-Glycemic Foods
There are two types of carbohydrates to use after a workout, but only ONE is optimal.

They are low- and high-glycemic foods.

Low-glycemic foods give you a SLOW release of sugar into your bloodstream.

This slow release increases glycogen stores, but not fast enough.

Low-glycemic foods supply your body with glucose

over longer periods of time

This may not be the best source, since you want RAPID resynthesis in order to replenish your cells with glycogen.

High-glycemic foods raise blood sugar rapidly

This rapid increase in blood sugar may be a more efficient way to replenish your body of the glucose it so desperately needs.

High-glycemic foods may also re-hydrate you more efficiently.

But you can’t forget about the amino acids.

Amino acids are vital to the health and growth of your muscles, especially after a workout.

A workout breaks down muscle tissue, resulting in a catabolic effect in your body.

Catabolism is a destructive form of metabolism

where your muscles are broken down for energy

You want to avoid catabolism AT ALL COSTS.

Amino acids are vital to the success and resynthesis of your muscle tissue.

The anabolic window makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin.

Insulin does two things:

First, it may help glucose uptake, and therefore increase glycogen stores in your muscles.

Secondly, insulin also increases the uptake of amino acids into your muscles, resulting in increased muscle repair and growth.

Post Workout Nutrition

The optimal time for repair and resynthesis of glycogen stores is IMMEDIATELY after your workout.

Certain conditions need to be present to ensure you are having optimal glucose and amino-acid uptake.

They include:

• The amount of glycogen depleted

• The presence of insulin

• Presence of the enzyme, glycogen synthase

• The degree of muscle damage

The “anabolic window” is a period of time after your workout where your body is able to gather nutrients, and repair and build lost nutrients.

A drink or meal containing high-glycemic foods and protein, allows your body the proper balance of amino acids and glucose for tissue repair and growth.

High-glycemic foods allow a RAPID rise in blood sugar which your muscles quickly upload, due to increases sensitivity to insulin and permeability to glucose.

A post workout meal, with the right amount of protein and carbohydrates, may allow your body a perfect replacement for those lost nutrients after your WORKOUT!


NEXT: Perfect Blend Of Protein And Carbohydrates For Your Post Workout Nutrition CLICK HERE

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What They NEVER Told You About Eggs

The Egg: this three letter word invokes almost as much fear into the hearts of Americans as our other favorite “deadly” three-letter word: F-A-T.

However, it’s finally time to crack the misconception that eggs are bad for our health, because they’re absolutely not.
It’s unfortunate, but many people still think that you cannot eat more than one egg per day, or even more than 3 eggs per week because if you do, you’ll develop high blood cholesterol levels and fatty arteries. But, this could not be farther from the truth.

So, why do we think this way?

In the 1960’s consumers were first “warned” about eggs as being a major player in the development of heart disease… without any conclusive evidence to back up this claim. News articles overwhelmingly focused on the egg- cholesterol - heart disease link when there was no real proof for this message.

Eggs were so demonized that egg substitute products became all the rage for cooking and baking, but they were no better, and sometimes far worse, than the whole egg itself.

Today, consumers need to understand that eggs are not evil, but in fact are healthy and important components of our diets.

High Protein Quality

First and foremost, eggs an inexpensive source of high quality protein that almost everyone can enjoy in various ways – from scrambled eggs to deviled eggs to green eggs and ham, eggs are a versatile way to quickly and easily get more protein in your diet. And, they’re not just for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner too!

In terms of protein quality, most foods rich in protein are measured in terms of the availability of that protein to effectively promote growth (cell growth), and this term is known as biological value.

Based on the amino acids contained in an egg and its ability to stimulate growth, egg protein is only second to mother’s milk for human nutrition. CLICK HERE Read Next

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Want to Feel Better and Live Longer?

A Brand-New Anti-Aging Breakthrough Nutrient Available For The First Time Ever! This Tiny Natural Pill Contains 45 Times More Anti-Aging, Health-Improving, Illness-Preventing Antioxidant (ORAC) Power Than Fish Oil! 

May Help your HEART, WEIGHT LOSS, INFLAMMATION, BLOOD PRESSURE, BLOOD SUGAR, METABOLIC SYNDROME, NERVOUS SYSTEM, JOINT PAIN, EYES, EXERCISE RECOVERY and more!

Detoxifies your body – removes harmful oxidants to potentially prevent or reverse even serious health problems!

May even strengthen your Immune System!

Contains “The #1 Superfood in the world” according to Nicholas Perricone, M.D.

10 times more healthy Anthocyanins than drinking Red Wine!

Reduce cell damage, Restore damaged cells back to good health!

From Jayson Hunter, RD, CSCS

If you want to live healthier and longer, you need to know about the war going on inside your body.

“There’s a war inside my body now?” you say, surprised. Yes there is! And it’s a battle that will determine your health and how long you live!

Please read this urgent news now. Your health and lifespan are at stake.

The war inside your body now is a fight between your healthy cells and the dangerous free radicals that are trying to attack them, and turn them into damaged cells that research has linked to many serious health problems.

How do you keep your cells healthy? It’s simple. You must keep free radicals from attacking your cells, and the best way to do that is to get the right amount of free radical killing antioxidants into your body.

If you don’t think dangerous free radicals are attacking your cells now, you are dead-wrong! You see, even if you eat perfect and exercise like a personal trainer, your body’s cells are still being attacked by free radicals all the time due to stress, processed foods, the aging process and pollutants in the air. CLICK HERE Read next

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Secret Shortcut Lose Weight

Proven by clinical studies at University of Texas, Penn State College of Medicine, Colorado State University, California State University and hundreds of people like you:

New Research Reveals “Secret Shortcut” You Can Use To BURN OFF MORE FAT and LOSE MORE WEIGHT without exercising longer or harder!

M.D.’s and professional trainers say they get nearly TWICE the WEIGHT LOSS RESULTS from this breakthrough that is guaranteed to make your weight loss more successful, faster and easier.

Warning: If You Do NOT Do This, IT MEANS YOU ARE THROWING AWAY A LOT OF THE WEIGHT LOSS YOU SHOULD BE GETTING AND THE TIME AND EFFORT YOU SPEND WORKING OUT.

Do you want to lose weight faster and easier from your exercise?

Do you want to have more free time to do what you want instead of working out more?

Are you sick and tired of not getting the results you want fast enough? Are you afraid to look at yourself in the mirror when you are naked or when changing clothes?

Well then, I have very exciting news to share with you …

Remember back in school? How thin a lot of your friends were? I’m going to reveal a recent exercise discovery that is the difference between a friend who was thin back in school … and now looks great all these years later … and a friend who was also thin back in school … but now looks overweight and sloppy. Click here to continue

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15 Simple Rules For Easy Fat Loss

Follow these simple tips from registered dietitian Jayson Hunter, the Head of Research and Development for Prograde Nutrition, for a lean and healthy body.

1. Eat 4-6 small meals day a day instead of the usual 2-3 large meals. Eating frequently will help regulate and boost your metabolism to burn more calories.
2. Consume whole foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar, such as lean protein sources (lean beef, chicken, fish, and whey protein), fruits & vegetables (oranges, apples, strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, peppers, asparagus, carrots, nuts (almonds, cashews, & walnuts), and whole grains.
3. Eat low-glycemic carbohydrates such as vegetables, whole-wheat products and oatmeal instead of refined processed carbohydrates which usually come in a box or a bag.
4. Consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Fiber will help satisfy hunger pangs as well as control insulin and blood sugar levels which tend to promote fat storage.
5. Eat some type of lean protein at each meal. Protein helps to satisfy hunger and provide the necessary building blocks to maintain lean body mass while losing body fat.
6. Consume adequate amounts of healthy fat foods such as olive oil, walnuts, almonds, Omega-3 fortified eggs, or other Omega-3 products. Healthy fats are great antioxidants as well as help with brain function and many other essential processes that take place in the body on a daily basis. Essential Fatty Acids, according to clinical studies, could also help prevent certain diseases. To guarantee you’re consuming enough Omega-3 supplement your diet with EFA Icon.
7. Eat 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day to meet your micronutrient needs. Vegetables also contain a good amount of fiber and help to control appetites and curb hunger. Additionally, VGF25+ provides the power-packed nutrition of 25 whole vegetables, greens, and fruits in a convenient “super pill.”
8. Consume Green Tea or Water instead of calorie-filled drinks such as soft drinks. Green Tea has many health benefits and you should be drinking 1ml of non-caffeinated fluid for every calorie that you consume. This works out between (8-12) 8oz glasses of Green Tea or Water a day.
9. Balance your fat intake for the day. One-third should come from saturated fats, 1/3 from monounsaturated fats, and 1/3 from polyunsaturated fats. Again, ensure you’re consuming antioxidant-rich Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids by incorporating EFA Icon into your nutritional plan.
10. Consistent fat loss requires good habits. If you want to create good habits, then you need plan. Therefore, map out your meals every day and follow them. If you follow your plan everyday for 2-3 weeks, you will form habits that become part of your daily routine and part of your life.
11. Incorporate “superfoods” into your meal plan on a daily basis. Some examples are salmon, low-fat plain yogurt, tomatoes, spinach, mixed berries, whole oats, mixed nuts, olive oil, flax seeds(or flax meal), green tea, and various beans. Many of the super nutrition found in these “superfoods” are also found in VGF25+.
12. Keep total fat intake under 30% for the day. This can easily be accomplished by avoiding “extra” fats such as butter, sour cream, mayonnaise… This doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate these items, just use them sparingly and avoid adding them to foods whenever possible.
13. EXERCISE! Yes, you can lose weight just by changing your eating habits. But very few people succeed long-term - and it takes much longer to lose fat - when they don’t exercise. And something most people don’t realize is, just how critical ingesting the research-proven Protein to Carbohydrate ratio is to optimizing the results of your workout efforts.
14. Record what you eat and drink. You will be amazed by what you find. Keeping a food journal is critical to your success because you need it to evaluate and analyze your current eating patterns. If your fat loss efforts are stagnant, the answer can usually be found in your food journal.
15. Follow the 90% rule. If you can follow your plan 90% of the time, you will soon see unwanted fat melt off your body. However, if you find yourself breaking these rules more than 90% of the time, your chances of failing increase significantly. 

CLICK HERE Next: Possibly the most important weight loss discovery in the last 50 years 

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HALLOWEEN HANG OVER...?

So you did it again and you feel like ....!

what about the kids around you ? do they got the same message of party and indulgence on candy, cup cakes and soda?




What are you going to do about it... cause the holidays just began and if you're not wise you can end up like our friend on the picture plus as a human your body will get lots of other after party health issues....



For many people, holidays and family get togethers are a time for celebration. These celebrations often involve foods that are high in fat, sugar and calories and short on nutrition. With a few minor changes, however, special occasion foods can be both delicious and nutritious.

Dairy Products ...
Many holiday foods include dairy products. Enjoy these foods during your celebrations, but use skimmed milk and other 'low' or 'no' fat dairy products in your recipes whenever possible. Look for the growing assortment of low fat cheeses, cheese slices and cheese spreads that are now available in your grocery store. For example, use light or ultra-light cream cheese or cheddar cheese with only 7% fat. If you use spreads or other products that are high in fat, such as butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, spread them very thinly or use only a small amount.


The meat dish ...

• choose leaner cuts of meat for your holiday gatherings whenever possible. Turkey is one of the leanest types of meat. As a general rule, white meat is leaner than dark meat - so choose the breast meat of a chicken or turkey rather than the drumstick.
• trim the visible fat off of meats.
• remove skin from poultry.
• choose fish more often. Cold water fatty fish such as tuna and salmon have 'heart healthy' types of fat in them.
• prepare meats in ways that reduce the fat content, like broiling, stewing, or baking.
• drain the excess fat off of meats after cooking.
• cook meats on a rack so fat can drip away.
• cool soups, gravies, stews, etc. before serving and then remove the hardened fat that has collected at the top.
• use vegetable cooking sprays to prevent foods from sticking.
• when preparing a roast, baste with low fat broth instead of the drippings from the pan.

Vegetables ...

Fortunately, most vegetables contain little or no fat. It is what we add to the vegetables that increase their fat content.
Avoid smothering your vegetables with thick creamy sauces or butter. Potatoes, for example, contain no fat. They also contain very little salt and are good sources of Vitamins B and C and potassium. Potato skins are a good source of fibre (fibre may help lower cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of colon cancer). Try leaving the skins on the potatoes when you mash them. When mashing potatoes, rather than adding butter or sour cream, try whipping the potatoes with skim or 1% milk or low / no fat sour cream or yogurt.
Feel free to include two or three vegetables with your meal as long as they have been prepared with little or no fat. This can often be done by steaming, baking or cooking them in the microwave. Flavor can be added by using seasonings such as spices and herbs. Dark green vegetables (such as broccoli) and bright orange vegetables (such as carrots and sweet potatoes) are high in the antioxidant vitamins, folic acid and fibre. Antioxidants (as Vitamins A, C, and E) can be protective agents against heart disease and cancer. Folic acid may play a role in helping to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke. When choosing vegetables, pick the ones that are the darkest in color to ensure maximum nutrition.
Salads are a great addition to any holiday meal. Be sure to choose a low fat dressing or ask your host to let you add your own so that you can control the amount.
Cooking Tip: To prevent loss of flavor and vitamins when cooking vegetables, try steaming vegetables in less water or using a steaming rack. If you do boil vegetables in water, save the water to make gravy.


Stuffing...

If you have stuffing with your meat dish and the recipe calls for meat or giblets, replace half of the meat with dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins or apricots. This turns an everyday recipe into a colorful and seasonal dish.
Cooking Tip: Rather than cooking stuffing inside of poultry or a roast, cook the stuffing in a casserole dish or aluminum foil in the oven. This will reduce the amount of fat in the stuffing considerably.


Gravy...

Making gravy from a low fat broth rather than the drippings from poultry or a roast is a good way to reduce fat. If your gravy recipe calls for milk, make sure to use skim milk.
Cooking Tip: If you choose to use drippings for your gravy, pour or skim the fat off the top of the drippings before using. This can be done easily by letting the drippings get cold and, when the fat has become hard, take it off with a spoon. Or, when the drippings are cool, you can also add ice cubes, to which the fat will stick. Remove the ice cubes before making the gravy.


Cranberry Sauce ...

Cranberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C. Unfortunately much of the Vitamin C content is lost in the canning process. Luckily homemade cranberry sauce is easy to prepare and the nutrients are retained. Try using cranberry sauce on your turkey instead of gravy.
Cooking Tip: When making cranberry sauce, add sugar after cooking the cranberries to maintain the tenderness of the skin. You may also want to substitute some artificial sweetener for some of the sugar in your cranberry sauce recipe.


Dessert...

Dinner may be very filling, but what is a holiday feast without dessert? Here are some healthier suggestions:
mix applesauce with mincemeat to reduce the amount of fat and serve with frozen low fat or fat free yogurt.

angel food cake contains little or no fat and can make a great dessert when served with fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or a fresh fruit salad.

if making pumpkin pie – use evaporated skim milk and top with low fat or fat free ice cream or frozen yogurt. Also try our "crustless pumpkin pie"

try to make 'wise' dessert choices rather than deny yourself, have a smaller portion and savor every mouthful when you have choices, opt for desserts that are lower in fat and sugar. For example, if faced with a plate of cookies, you may decide to choose the sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies over shortbread cookies as they tend to be lower in fat.


Beverages ...

mulled cider or our lowfat eggnog are a good alternative to high fat eggnog. If you choose to have egg nog, have a smaller amount and dilute it with skim milk or use low fat or fat free egg nog. Diet carbonated sodas can make a very festive drink when added to your favorite fruit juice -- try cranberry or grape juice with soda. Nonalcoholic or de-alcoholized wines are improving all the time and make a great alternative for the holidays.

GET FISCAL AND BURN SOME FAT WITH ONLY FIVE MINUTES WORKOUTS.

Every day of during holidays will have a bit of excuses on why not to exercises to keep the body balance, have more energy to enjoy this seasons. That’s why I got this bits of info. For you to enjoy them as well to share it with friends and family.


In the mind time I will keep you posted of a simple tips to get you out of the cycle of seasonal weight gain....

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The Worst Restaurant for Breakfasts in America

Remember when Britney Spears was a baby-faced singer with some cute dance moves? Remember when Lindsay Lohan was a funny actress who made neat movies? Remember when Tiger Woods was a great golfer who never made a wrong move?

Remember when breakfast was the healthiest meal of the day?

Food marketers didn’t shave Britney’s head, or sneak rum into Lindsay’s Coke, or teach Tiger how to text message. But they sure have done a job on breakfast. And that’s too bad, because a smart breakfast ought to be the most important meal of the day. And eating a good one ought to be easy. Studies show that people who take time for a morning meal consume fewer calories over the course of the day, have stronger cognitive skills, and are 30 percent less likely to be overweight or obese.

But when food marketers get their hands on it, “a hearty breakfast” turns into something more like “a heart-unhealthy breakfast.” Because an unhealthy heart is exactly what many of the country’s most popular breakfast joints are setting you up for, by peddling fatty scrambles, misguided muffin missiles, and pancakes that look like manhole covers. These foods are loaded with unhealthy fats, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates, which catapult your blood sugar, sap your energy levels, and tell your body to store fat. Start your day this way and you’ll be ready for a second breakfast—and a nap—before 11 a.m. To help you avoid the morning mishaps, we searched out the good, the bad, and the greasy and uncovered some of the best and worst breakfast foods in America.



Starbucks Iced Peppermint Mocha#6: Worst Breakfast Beverage
Starbucks Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream (venti, 24 oz)
720 calories
27 g fat (17 g saturated)
103 g sugars



Pure black coffee is one of the world's most potent elixirs. In fact, research shows that a morning cup can help decrease your risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and type-2 diabetes. That’s good news, since 77 percent of U.S. adults over 18 years of age drink coffee on a daily or occasional basis. But here’s the problem: There's a big difference between an untainted cup of joe and the souped-up, sugar-loaded blends (this particular drink contains 26 scoops of sugar) that list coffee as one of the ingredients. And this Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha is the definition of caffeinated indulgence. You can switch to an equally delicious and refreshing drink (Starbucks has plenty, such as the caffe mocha, which is still coffee with chocolate in it, after all), and cut 520 calories in the process!

Drink This Instead!
Iced Caffe Mocha (16 oz, no whipped cream)
200 calories
6 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
26 g sugars 


Cinnabon Pecanbun#5: Worst Pastry Breakfast
Cinnabon Regular Caramel Pecanbun
1,100 calories
56 g fat (10 g saturated, 5 g trans)
47 g sugars

This isn’t breakfast—this is dessert. And an atrocious one at that. The only speck of nutrition to be found in the bun comes from the nuts. Too bad they’re coated in sugar. This dangerously bloated bun contains nearly an entire day’s worth of fat and more than half of your daily allotment of calories. That’s as much as you’ll find in 8 White Castle hamburgers. The Cinnabon Stix below are far from a healthy breakfast, but they're better than nothing (albeit barely).

Eat This Instead!
Cinnabon Stix
379 calories
21 g fat (6 g saturated, 4 g trans)
14 g sugars



Bob Evans Border Scramble#4: Worst Scrambled Eggs Breakfast
Bob Evans Border Scramble Biscuit Bowl
1,028 calories
57 g fat (25 g saturated)
3,055 mg sodium

Bob Evans also offers a Border Scramble Omelet, which contains nearly 400 fewer calories than this overflowing biscuit bowl. The difference in is the bowl itself (several hundred calories of carbohydrate-loaded dough) and the cheese sauce—this biscuit bowl boasts a cheese sauce that no one in his or her right mind would consider a healthy topping. Instead of switching to the Border Scramble Omelet, however, cut another hundred calories by choosing the Garden Harvest, which is also loaded with vegetables.

Eat This Instead!
Garden Harvest Omelet
542 calories
38 g fat (17 g saturated)
1,762 mg sodium


Denny's Grand Slamwich#3: Worst Breakfast Sandwich
Denny’s Grand Slamwich
1,320 calories
90 g fat (42 g saturated, 1 g trans)
3,070 mg sodium

Word to the wise: If a restaurant menu item is named for its monstrous size, there’s not a chance it’s good for you. Words like “Grand” and “Big” and “Double” are all tip-offs: Steer clear of this Frankenfood at all costs. This ginormous breakfast sandwich comes with a day and a half worth of sodium, as much saturated fat as you’ll find in 42 strips of bacon, and the caloric equivalent of four and a half cheeseburgers from McDonald’s.

Eat This Instead!
Veggie-Cheese Omelette
500 calories
37 g fat (12 g saturated, 0 g trans)
940 mg sodium



Friendly's Apple Caramel Walnut Pancakes#2: Worst Pancakes
Friendly’s Apple Caramel Walnut Pancakes
1,540 calories
30 g fat (11 g saturated)
2,290 mg sodium
Friendly’s has one of the worst breakfast menus of any restaurant we’ve seen—we had to customize the “Eat This Instead” order below to make it even worth considering. Quick tip: When eating at Friendly’s, never order anything sweet or pastry-like, like these pancakes. No matter what you’ve ordered, you’re guaranteed at least 900 calories. And that’s before you get to the sides. For the best breakfast meal, choose protein-rich foods, like eggs, and skip all sugar- and carbohydrate-laden sides, like toast, muffins, or pancakes.

Eat This Instead!
Super Sizzlin’ Bacon Combo (with 3 scrambled Egg Beaters, hold the toast)
570 calories
29 g fat (5 g saturated)
1,310 mg sodium

Cheesecake Factory French Toast Napoleon#1: The Worst Breakfast in America
Cheesecake Factory French Toast Napoleon
2,460 calories
61 g saturated fat
1,769 mg sodium
246 g carbohydrates

The Cheesecake Factory never fails to amaze us. This outrageous restaurant consistently earns the title of “Worst” on nearly every list we create. Their French Toast Napoleon is no exception—it contains well over a day’s worth of calories (that’s about the equivalent of 19 bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, to give you some idea). It also has 61 grams of saturated fat (three times your daily limit). The only saving grace here is that not all of Cheesecake’s breakfast items are inedible. You’ll be safe if you stick to the healthy (and healthy sounding) scramble, below.

Eat This Instead!
Shiitake Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Scramble
570 calories
16g saturated fat
994 mg sodium
13 g carbohydrates


Stay tune and LET'S MOVE!






Alfredo Zapata
CEO, Get Me In Shape Fast

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Low blood sugar?

Q. I have a lot of trouble with low blood sugar. Any tips for what I should or shouldn't be eating to help manage this?

A. My first question would be whether low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is really the problem.





Several years ago, my sister told me she had problems with low blood sugar. She hadn't actually been to see a doctor. But she'd noticed that when she felt head-achy, queasy, or shaky (which was fairly often), drinking some juice or eating some crackers usually made her feel better--for a little while. She started carrying little boxes of raisins and animal crackers around in her purse and eating them throughout the day to keep her blood sugar from dipping.

As she told me all of this, I wondered if her "treatment plan" was actually part of the problem.
I suggested that she try replacing the raisins with a similar-sized portion of peanuts. When she tried it, she found that the recurring symptoms she associated with "hypoglycemia" largely want away. (What are big sisters for?)


Although hypoglycemia is a real (and potentially serious) thing, most people who self-diagnose themselves with the condition are not actually suffering from hypoglycemia. Often, the problem is not that their blood sugar is too low but that it has been too high. Compare, for example, hopping down off a curb with jumping down from a 5-foot wall. You end up on the ground either way, but bigger the jump down, the more you're going to feel it in your joints.

Eating foods that are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can cause a sudden, steep rise in blood sugar levels followed by a "crash." Foods that that are lower in sugar and/or contain protein, fiber, and healthy fats cause a more gradual, sustained rise in blood sugar, followed by a gentler return to baseline. As was the case with my sister, "low blood sugar" problems can often be solved simply by getting off the blood sugar roller coaster.

Try cutting down on sugar (don't forget sweetened beverages) and adding protein and fiber to your meals and snacks and see if you feel better. If you don't, it might be time to check in with your doctor.
Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THIS…?

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HEALTHY SNACKS ARE LOADED WITH FAT?

I have a BAD news for you,
Snacks are fattening :(







This is a great article that I want to share with!
I know we all have some kind of sweet tooth an just because they say is fat free or sugar free or organic or healthy that will not have any bad stuff right. Well think about what you eat next time.



1. Flavored Yogurt
Brace yourself for culture shock. Plain yogurt naturally contains about 16 grams of sugar per cup. But if you eat flavored yogurt, you could be downing 15 or more additional grams of sugar, which is like shoveling in four extra teaspoonfuls.
What to eat instead: Choose plain, low-fat yogurt and stir in a teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, or all-fruit spread for a hint of sweetness. Or opt for fat-free Greek yogurt, which is lower in sugar than even regular plain yogurt but often has double the protein to keep you satisfied longer.



2. Sugar-Free Cookies and Candy
Don't fall for the no-sugar scam: When manufacturers remove the sweet stuff, they often add fat. One popular brand offers chocolate-chip cookies that each contain 160 calories and 9 grams of fat, so why not eat the real thing? You might save calories with sugar-free candy, but many contain sorbitol, which can cause bloating and diarrhea.
What to eat instead: Get your cookie fix with graham crackers, which have almost a teaspoon less sugar per serving than many other packaged cookies. Or find a 100-calorie snack pack of your favorite (try Keebler Fudge Shoppe Mini Fudge Stripes). Taking a trip to candy land? Grab a 60-calorie Tootsie Pop or a York Peppermint Pattie (140 calories and 2.5 grams of fat).


3. Trail Mix
Store-bought versions of this hiking staple should take a hike. A 1-ounce handful of banana chips packs 10 grams of fat (they're usually deep-fried), and yogurt-covered raisins are coated with partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, which contains saturated and trans fats.
What to eat instead: Toss your own trail mix with nuts, dried fruit (raisins or chopped apricots), whole-grain cereal, mini pretzels, and a few chocolate chips. Limit your portion to one cup.


4. Veggie Chips
The rainbow-hued chips are no better than their potato counterparts. While both may boast a little vitamin A or C, your hips won't know the difference: The salty snacks have about 150 calories and 9 or 10 grams of fat per handful. And that bag may contain plain old chips in disguise; sometimes manufacturers simply add food coloring to potato flour.
What to eat instead: Be sure your chips list a vegetable, not potato flour or corn flour, as the first ingredient (we like Terra Chips) and stick with just one portion. Or skip them in favor of baked tortilla chips: Pair a serving (about 12 chips) with 1/2 cup of salsa; you'll quell your crunch craving and get a full serving of veggies with only 153 nearly fat-free calories.


5. Granola
Pancakes drowned in syrup, eggs swimming in hollandaise sauce -- is there a healthy option on the brunch menu? Granola seems harmless, but it's no breakfast of champions. One cup contains up to 560 calories and 28 grams of fat before you add milk.
What to eat instead: Reluctant to give up that sweet, nutty taste? Skip granola at restaurants, where you can't control your portion. Enjoy it at home by mixing a quarter cup into a cup of low-cal, whole-grain cereal, such as All-Bran Complete Wheat Flakes, or sprinkle a tablespoon on oatmeal.



6. Ground Turkey
It seems like a no-brainer for burgers and lasagna, but ground turkey often includes fat and skin. A 3-ounce serving can contain 13 grams of fat -- almost triple the amount in lean ground beef. With 40-plus percent of your day's worth of cholesterol, regular ground chicken is no better.

What to eat instead: Look closely at labels. Extra-lean turkey is your best bet, with 1 gram of fat and no saturated fat per serving. Can't find it? Buy at least 92 percent lean ground beef. -- Sally Kuzemchak, RD

I always make sure I have a good balance and most of all research from trusted sources, I believed that if you have in your mind that a healthy life style is not a Fashion statement and to become healthy has to come from within making small changes everyday and learn that our bodies for the most part, work great when with think on the right way to treat them and no with emotions!

Love your comments and suggestions.






















Alfredo Zapata
Fitness Expert
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