Personal Trainers in Delaware

Why is breakfast so important?

admin — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:05:00 +0000

What a common topic of discussion! Breakfast is just that, break the fast, but what really does that mean? Let's cut through the BS of so many opinions and touch on the real science behind breaking the fast. Once you awaken, you're in the beginning of a mini fast, which will initially result in hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) as nearly all glucose stores in the liver and muscles have been depleted. Yeah, so you'll feel fatigued if you don't eat… big deal. It is a big deal in fact.

Metabolic debacle occurs and you change gears to slow your metabolic rate and find alternative sources of glucose. Whether you consume carbohydrates or not, you will ultimately turn protein into glucose because several bodily systems can only run on glucose (your brain is one of them). During prolonged periods of fasting, your brain can use ketones made from fat stores, but it will take a lot longer to reach this point than one nights sleep.

So, now you're fatigued, your metabolism has slowed and worse, your muscle tissue is being broken down to extract the necessary amino acids that can be turned into glucose vie gluconeogenesis. Bummer! But we can use fat for this, right??? To a degree, yes, but the dominant substrate used for gluconeogenesis are amino acids (muscle protein). And we really don't want to lose muscle tissue, which is exactly what happens when we skip breakfast.

So, that's just a glimpse into what changes occur in your metabolism when you skip breakfast. What's a good breakfast to eat, you ask… A great first meal would include enough protein and fat to slow the absorption of whatever carbohydrates you consumed. A nice example is 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup whole oatmeal with 1Tbsp natural peanut butter and a fresh fruit.

What can I eat at night?

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:06:42 +0000

I’m frequently asked the question, " what can I eat at night when I’m craving junk food later in the evening?" Your best options are always lean meats and veggies, but I realize this is not exactly what everyone has in mind. It’s the tastiest foods (fats and starches) that need to be ixnayed in the evening… bummer, I know. There are several hormonal reasons why carbohydrates are not so good before bed, but I’ll focus on the most relevant for now. Starchy foods elicit a strong insulin response. Many of you will probably remember my explanation (I tend to go off on a tangent when asked) of how insulin works in the body and my bulldozer analogy. It (insulin) acts like a bulldozer pushing the glucose (starch broken down into sugar) into your cells (muscle and liver). This is all well and good, but as the bulldozers are spending time pushing those heaping piles of glucose into the cells, they’re also blockading the fat cells so that nothing can be extracted and used as fuel. In other words, when our insulin levels are high, we don’t burn much of our fat stores at all. Ironically, it’s when we sleep that we burn the most fat as a fuel source. This is highly simplified, but should make sense. So in order to keep those bulldozers at bay while we sleep, best to avoid the starchy foods at night. My default answer is usually to nibble on air popped popcorn (not microwaved) with spray butter at night since it’s so high in fiber, it elicits a very minor insulin response. Hope this helps. As always, thank you all so much… you rock!!!

Glycolysis

admin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:38:10 +0000

Buckle down… this is an interesting one! We’ve all heard the term glycolysis thrown around when talking about nutritional and or exercise matters, but what really is this mysteriously scientific sounding word? It’s actually not that complicated DON’T READ THE PARANTHESIS (OK, if you look deeply and discuss glucose 6-phosphate and hexosemonophosphate shunt, then it’s complicated). But, let’s keep it simple. The carbohydrates we eat are ultimately broken down to glucose, which hopefully, you are all familiar with. Well, glycolysis is like taking an ax and splitting all those glucose molecules in half. Once the ax severs the glucose in half, the carnage we’re left with is two molecules of pyruvate. Pyruvate is a really important part of this discussion because this is where two different paths can be taken. You hear the words aerobic and anaerobic spoken when discussing strength training vs. cardiovascular training. Those terms are simple… think of aerobic as “in the presence of oxygen” and anaerobic as “without oxygen present.” OK, so we have “the amazing” pyruvate and let’s say you’re walking or jogging on the treadmill. Pyruvate would follow the aerobic (in the presence of oxygen) path and enter the evil (not really) Krebs cycle to be broken down into ATP (think of this as the actual gasoline that we burn to make things move). The exhaust from this process is the CO2 we exhale. It’s a long and complicated process I’ll save for another newsletter. Now, instead of jogging on the treadmill, let’s say you’re squatting with weight to failure. Failure happens so quickly (under a minute[unless you're Angie Hall]) that the long and evil Krebs cycle takes too long to produce the gasoline (ATP) needed. So, instead pyruvate is converted into lactate, which is broken down to ultimately produce the gasoline (ATP), but it has some nasty exhaust… lactic acid! Yes, you’ve all felt it and it burns. The cool part about the lactic acid is that once removed from the muscle tissue, it’s taxied back to the liver via the Cori cycle and turned back into pyruvate to enter back into the system once again. Get it? A bit complicated, but read it a few time and it will make sense.

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Diabetes Melitus

admin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:10:14 +0000

I promise to only get slightly technical in this piece… here we go! Diabetes is classified as either type I or type II and is a disorder in which the body cannot metabolize glucose. Type I, also known as insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus (IDDM), describes an inability to secrete insulin, due primarily to the failure of the b-cells in the pancreas. We need exogenous insulin in order to avoid life-threatening situations, hence “insulin-dependant.” Type II, non-insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), is thought to be due to insulin resistance in peripheral tissue. In other words, insulin is produced, but the target cells in the body fail to recognize its presence.

First, let’s take a closer look at insulin as a hormone. Insulin is responsible for energy metabolism after we’ve eaten a meal. It signals specific enzymes to increase glucose uptake in the muscles and liver and increases the production of glycogen and fatty acids. It also influences production of stored fat (lipogenesis) by promoting the entry of glucose into adipose tissue (fat) and inhibits the use of stored triacylglycerols (fat). A good analogy for insulin is to picture the hormone as a big bulldozer, which not only pushes substances into cells, but also blocks many substances from exiting the cell.

Now that we better understand the effects of this “bulldozing” hormone, we’ll apply it to diabetes. Regardless of the type, the bulldozer (insulin) is powerless in pushing glucose into cells in a person with diabetes, which causes hyperglycemia. Prolonged hyperglycemia begins a chain of events (osmotic diuresis, water and electrolyte loss, dehydration, hypotension, hemoconcentration and decreased renal and cerebral blood flow), which leads to a coma or death. Individuals with type I diabetes must inject insulin daily to prevent hyperglycemia and be careful not to induce hypoglycemia (too much insulin and not enough glucose). Type II (non-insulin-dependant) diabetes is typically caused by excessive food intake and a lack of exercise. In time, receptor cells in peripheral tissues down regulate, becoming insensitive to excessively high levels of insulin. There’s a picket line in front of the bulldozer! Type II diabetes can be prevented by incorporating fitness and sensible dietary habits early in life.

Exercise is important for anyone with diabetes. It helps patients control weight, improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, decrease blood pressure, bring about a healthier mental outlook and reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Exercise also reduces the effects of those hormones that counter-regulate insulin by finding different bulldozers (hormones) to push glucose into the cells for utilization. It is important to monitor both pre- and post- exercise blood glucose levels to be safe. Also, packing a snack while exercising outside or away from home prepares patients for times when they feel poorly. Those of you who have diabetes and are exercising… keep it up, your body will thank you!

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Fuel Systems II

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:19:42 +0000

It’s time to turn the complicated information from lasts months piece into something you can use. Let’s do a quick refresher. The three fuel systems we discussed were the phosphagen system, glycolysis (fast and slow) and the oxidative system. Remember that all the fuel systems are active at the same time, but the level of involvement depends on the intensity of the exercise.

• The phosphagen system is heavily taxed by sprinting, power lifting or interval training (<10 seconds). Training the phosphagen system improves overall power, speed and maximal oxygen uptake. This is good for athletes who incorporate explosive movements in their sport.
• The glycolytic system is heavily taxed in the fifteen second to three minute duration with interval training, circuit training (weights), heavy cycling, etc. Training the glycolytic system improves blood lactate threshold levels and is good for high intensity endurance.
• The oxidative system is heavily taxed during a long duration of exercise (20-75% maximum capacity) such as step, cardiovascular equipment, jogging, walking, etc. Training the oxidative system improves aerobic endurance, cardiovascular and pulmonary tissue, and maximal oxygen uptake.

Low intensity aerobic exercise does not heavily tax any of the fuel systems, but does rely on fat as a primary fuel source. Don’t get excited yet! Training the phosphagen, glycolytic and oxidative system at a moderately high intensity increases the post exercise oxygen deficit. This stimulates the metabolism for many hours after exercise, which equates to a larger percentage of fat burned overall. If your goal is to improve your sport, train the fuel system that best resembles your sport. If your goal is fat loss, train all three systems equally. If the goal is cardiovascular improvement, train all three, but spend more time training the oxidative system at a moderately high intensity level. I wish you well in your training.

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FUEL SYSTEMS PART I

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:11:50 +0000

My objective with this topic is to raise the level of awareness about metabolic fuel systems (energy sources) used during exercise. How can this information benefit you? It’s important to know which fuel system to tax to better prepare for a particular sport or activity or to burn fat more efficiently. Bear with me; this material is complicated and may require rereading this piece several times before you grasp the information. The first of this two part series will explain the actual fuel systems. They are the phosphagen system, glycolysis (fast and slow) and the oxidative system. The phosphagen system supplies the body with the energy needed for short-term, high intensity activity and lasts only a few seconds (sprints or heavy resistance training). Glycolysis is the breakdown of carbohydrates and has two stages, fast and slow. Fast glycolysis creates the byproduct we all know and love called lactic acid. It occurs when the intensity is too high and minimal oxygen is available. Slow glycolysis occurs when there is sufficient oxygen present and leads into the oxidative system. Both stages of glycolysis occur between 30 seconds and 3 minutes upon initiation of exercise. The oxidative system can burn carbohydrates, fats or protein in the presence of oxygen to “fire-up” the Krebs cycle (TCA). You can think of the Krebs cycle as this big machine that gobbles up amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrate byproducts and spits out usable energy. As carbohydrate sources are exhausted, the ratio of fat utilized increases in the oxidative system. It’s important to note that all the fuel systems are active at a given time, but the level of involvement depends on the intensity of the exercise. Next month I’ll further discuss the application of taxing particular fuel systems to better improve your activities.

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OVERTRAINED

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:11:13 +0000

You’re athletic performance has gone down hill; you’re tired all of the time and common injuries keep reoccurring! Does this sound familiar? One possibility (not to rule out any possible medical problems) is training too hard or too often, better known as overtraining. Before going into a solution, let’s look at some indications of overtraining. The five most outstanding are: mental and physical fatigue, diminished physical strength, mild depression, reoccurring injuries and a weakened immune system. Overtraining can cause these symptoms, which could also be due to other ailments, so please see a qualified physician if the symptoms persist. How do we quantify overtraining?

1) Spending excessive time on the ice each day with very little time off (applies more to figure skaters than hockey players)
2) Training a muscle group (legs, back, etc.) with weights too often (>one time/week intensely and >three times/week moderately is too much).
3) Doing cardiovascular work (off ice) greater than five hours a week is more than enough if you are not preparing for an event.
4) Getting too little rest or sleep.
5) Extra physical labor can contribute to overtraining (your body doesn’t know the difference).
6) A poor diet will prevent proper recuperation from training.

A combination of the above factors is not necessary to induce overtraining. It only takes one to slow your progress. My suggestions… they’re simple!
• Avoid spending excessive amounts of time on the ice (work efficiently)
• Take at least one day off a week to recuperate
• Incorporate off ice strength training that compliments your sport without overdoing it
• Make your cardiovascular work more efficient by incorporating interval training
• Make sure that obtaining a good night’s rest becomes a habit
• Most importantly, make sure that your diet compensates for losses induced by exercise or physical labor. Remember, we have to “fuel up” with high-octane fuel to perform well!

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GOALS

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:10:14 +0000

It’s that time again for the almighty new years resolution and because a fitness resolution ranks so highly in our society, it’s only appropriate to discuss what it takes. Many of us have a goal in mind of where we would like to be as far as health and fitness is concerned. A few of us have a plan to achieve this goal, but many forego the necessary steps needed to be healthfully successful. Neglecting to set goals leads to monotony and stagnation. Few of us desire to exercise day in and day out only to look and feel the same. I realize you have heard this all before, but I cannot stress enough what experience has taught me about goal setting and fitness. The decision to exercise and eat well are great first steps and should be commended. The key words being “first steps.” A plan of attack, including large and small goals of how your desires shall be obtained is essential. It may be necessary to speak with a fitness expert to determine a clear path to follow. An experienced and educated trainer can map out this path, which will clearly define how and when to eat and exercise efficiently. Another important issue is actually following this clear path rather than just discussing it with others. Consistency is key! Decide where you are going, stick to it and attack it as if your life depended on it… because it does! Until next time, I wish everyone a positive and productive workout!

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HORMONAL RESPONSE TO FAT

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:54:07 +0000

I would like to change gears this month and revisit some important nutrition issues. Dietary fat always seems to be an issue for many people, so let’s talk about fat and some of its important functions in our bodies, specifically, hormones. I will try and cover the few benefits of a high fat diet versus the many benefits of a low to moderately low fat diet as they apply to hormone levels. The two hormones that will focus on are testosterone and estrogen. Research has found that a diet high in fat increases total testosterone and free estrogen. The increase in these hormones has been linked to numerous cancers such as prostatic and breast cancer. The amount of fat corresponding to a “high” amount is approximately 40% of the diet. This amount will be less detrimental if carbohydrate consumption is kept to a minimum (~5-10%), but, low carbohydrate consumption has its problems and shouldn’t be maintained. The only positive aspect relating to a high fat intake would concern weight lifters trying to gain more muscle mass. A reason for this may be that an increase in fat allows for more cholesterol production to take place. You see, cholesterol is a precursor for the sex hormones that we value so deeply! Simply put; don’t cut your fat intake down too far when you are trying to gain muscle. It’s probably safe to say that fats should be kept around 25-30% of the diet (<10% from saturated fats). Saturated fats include those fats that stay solid at room temperature, which are primarily animal fats. Keeping fat intake too low (~5%) will also cause other problems such as depression of the immune system, nervous system and decreased blood platelet aggregation due to low prostaglandin levels. A few good sources of fat are fish, safflower oil, canola oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, and natural peanut butter. A few of these choices contain essential fatty acids, which we need. So, please don’t fear all fats!

D. M. Ingram, et al..”Effect of Low-Fat Diet on Female Sex Hormone Levels,” JNCI 79.6 (1987): 1225-1229
E. K. Hamalainen, et al., “Decrease of Serum Total and Free Testosterone During a Low-Fat, High Fiber Diet,” J. Steroid Biochem. 18.3 (1983): 369-370.

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IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH AND SPORT SPECIFIC TRAINING

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:53:19 +0000

This seems like an old and tired subject, but I can’t stress enough the importance of strength training for the general public and sport performance training for the athlete. A well-conditioned body is better prepared to handle the physical and mental stresses that daily living and sports inflict. Rather than spend an eternity discussing the many benefits, following is a list of the most important and relevant points.

Strength and sport performance training will:
• Improve postural alignment
• Improve balance
• Decrease the rate of injury
• Improve reaction times
• Improve kinesthetic awareness (knowledge of location in space)
• Improve cardiovascular conditioning
• Increase metabolic rate
• Improve anaerobic and aerobic fuel systems
• Improve neural innervations of muscle
• Improve muscle to fat ratio
• Decrease risk of osteoporosis

The benefits are many, but the acquisition of theses benefits requires a key knowledge gathered via education and experience. This type of training is more than just squats and bench presses… it encompasses speed-training, plyometrics, proprioceptive training (balance), functional and sport specific training. What does this mean to you or your child? It will lead to a prolonged athletic career and a healthy, life-long endeavor. In other words, strength and sport performance training are very beneficial to all individuals and is often overlooked. Happy training!

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