the contemporary shopping lifestyle

Here are just 10 reasons why it is dangerous to be obese:

1. For every 11 to 18 pounds of fat gain, a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes is twice as high of individuals who are of normal weight and have not gained any weight.
2. Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of death in both the baby and the mother.
3. Individuals who are obese (BMI greater than 30) have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death from all causes, compared to individuals with a healthy weight.
4. High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight.
5. Atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, which may lead to the formation of an arterial blood clot, is an important pre-condition of many strokes and is associated with a high-fat diet, raised blood pressure and lack of exercise. Thus, obesity is now considered to be an important secondary risk factor for strokes.
6. Over 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight or obese.
7. Women who have gained more than 20 pounds between the ages of 18 to midlife double their risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer, compared to women whose weight remains stable.
8. Studies show that obesity is an important risk factor in liver disease, and show a strong correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the degree of liver damage.
9. The risk of gallstones is approximately 3 times greater for obese patients than in non-obese people.
10. Studies show that obesity is a strong predictor of symptoms of osteoarthritis, and show that the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases with every 2-pound gain in weight.

I’m hoping those are enough reasons for you to finally do something about your lifestyle and start losing some weight.

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. He is currently going through his own personal physical transformation. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

References:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/consequences.htm
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_consequences.htm
http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/risks-of-obesity.htm

This is the first of a series of monthly Ask Adam columns where you can ask expert Adam Gilbert anything about health and fitness.  If you have a question for Adam, you can send it to support [at] tastefullydriven [dot] com.

Adam - is it better to eat a meal before or after I workout?

Both. Here’s why:

Back in the day, people thought they should train on an empty stomach in order to burn more fat but that has turned out to be false. In fact, your body needs some glucose (blood sugar) for fuel in addition to what it can use from fat stores when working out. If you don’t have any blood sugar available, your body will eat its own muscle in order to convert them into glucose.

Low blood sugar will also make you tired and sluggish during your training session. For these reasons, I suggest you eat something 45 minutes to an hour before training: you’ll have more energy and endurance to work harder, burn more calories,
and improve your muscle tone.

After training, during a period known as the golden hour (45 to 60 minutes after a workout), muscles absorb the most nutrients, and glycogen, an energy reserve in your muscles, is replaced the most efficiently. You don’t have to have a huge meal but you should eat something with both protein and carbs in it for best results.

Next time, we’ll talk about some good pre workout and post workout meals!

About the Author

Adam Gilbert is the founder, owner, and Chief Body Tutor of MyBodyTutor. MyBodyTutor believes (and knows) consistency is the key to your health and fitness. Unfortunately, it’s just too easy to make excuses and procrastinate. MyBodyTutor helps you stay consistent by providing daily and personal accountability like no other company in the world.

Are you getting enough fiber in your diet? If you’re not getting the recommended the 20g - 35g of fiber a day, you may want to think about increasing your fiber intake. A high fiber diet is part of a healthy lifestyle that offers numerous health benefits. If fiber doesn’t cross your mind day to day, the listed benefits below might make you think twice about the importance of fiber:

• Lower cholesterol by slowing and preventing cholesterol absorption
• Maintains healthy blood sugar levels, extremely beneficial to diabetics
• Prevents constipation and promotes regularity in bowel movements
• Can help reduce the risk of colon cancer
• Help maintain or lose weight and control appetite

“It’s hard to believe that something we can’t even digest can be so good for us! A higher-fiber diet has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent constipation. High-fiber foods also tend to contain more nutrients and fewer calories, are digested more slowly, and help us feel full sooner.” - WebMD.com - Get the Facts on Fiber, by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

I’ve made it an effort to maintain a high fiber diet and personally I think you really have make a conscience effort in order to get the daily recommended fiber. Anything short of me having complete control of my diet by eating what I cook and make, it’s really tough to get all the fiber I need. Below I’ve made a list of some of the foods that I eat day to day to meet my daily requirement for Fiber.

High Fiber Foods I Eat

• Frosted Mini Wheats - 6 grams of fiber per serving
• Friehofers Double Fiber 100% Whole Wheat - 5 grams of fiber per slice
• Garbanzo Beans (chick peas) - 6 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup
• Clif Bar (Cool Mint Chocolate my favorite) - 5 grams of fiber per bar
• EAS Protein Bars -5 grams of fiber per bar
• Silk Soy Milk Fiber Plus - 5 grams of fiber per serving
• Smoothie with added fiber from GNC’s Natural Brand™ Colon Pure™ Unflavored ~ 7
• Assorted nuts, vegetables, and fruits

I personally try to eat foods that nutrition packed that has fiber, protein, and low in calorie. For the most part high fiber foods come from natural foods in soluble and insoluble form. Soluble fiber is known to slow cholesterol absorption and regulate blood sugar level while insoluble fiber promotes a healthy colon with regular bowel movements. Look for high fiber foods in nuts, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans to add to your diet. There’s a lot to choose from to get your fiber but if you aren’t eating a balanced diet it may be difficult to reach that intake level of 20 - 35 grams of fiber daily.

I’m 100% positive I don’t like being constipated and I’m pretty sure everyone hates colon cancer, Fiber is good, so get your roughage.

What is Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that our body’s can not produce, so the only way to obtain Omega-3 fatty acids is through the consumption of foods or supplements. Omega-3 offers many benefits and our body can’t produce it, makes it a great supplement choice. The notable Omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

The Benefits of Omega-3
Omega-3 offers a long list of benefits to your health that most anyone can take advantage of and I’ve listed some of the major ones here:

• Higher HDL Cholesterol (the good one)
• Lower LDL Cholesterol ( the bad kind)
• Lowers lipids in bloodstream (fatty substance in your bloodstream)
• Lowers blood pressure to a certain extent
• Prevents excessive blood clotting
• Reduces risk of heart disease
• Promotes joint health and decreases inflammation

Omega-3 Sources
Omega-3 fatty acids are readily available in a variety of foods and supplements, so there shouldn’t be any excuses not to get your Omega-3. Here are just some of the foods where you can you get your Omega-3 from:

• Omega-3 in fatty fish: salmon, tuna, and trout
• Omega-3 in oils: canola, soybean, flax seed, and olive
• Other Omega-3 sources: walnuts and mustard seeds

If you don’t think your diet is rich enough in Omega-3s, the other option would be supplements, which should easily get you a healthy dose of Omega-3.

Omega-3 Supplements
Supplements make it easy to get your Omega-3 fatty acids and two common Omega-3 fatty acids supplements that are readily available are fish oil and flax seed pills. It’s a simple pill and you can take advantage of the power of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 is Good for You
Omega-3 fatty acids are good for you, so if you’re not reaping the benefits of Omega-3 there are many ways to do so, either through foods or supplementation. Your body can’t produce Omega-3 fatty acids which makes it all the more important as a supplement choice and take the path to a healthier life.

*This article is for informational purposes only, always use supplements with caution, follow supplement directions, and consult a physician if you’re unsure about anything.

**More information on Omega-3 is available at umm.edu and MayoClinic.com

References

University of Maryland Medical Center – www.umm.edu
Omega 3-Fatty Acids – Accessed 4/15/2008
url: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm

MayoClinic.com
Omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil, alpha-linolenic acid – Accessed 4/15/2008
url: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/NS_patient-fishoil

The world of protein supplements can be a very confusing one. The most common types of protein supplements out there are whey and casein. These proteins are very popular due to the fact that it offers tremendous benefits for people who work out and it hasn’t shown any proven side effects. In this post I want to help explain the key differences between whey and casein.

First things first, the reason why protein is such an important supplement when you work out is because it assists in building strength, lean muscle, muscle mass, and decreasing recovery time. That makes it an essential supplement for athletes, bodybuilders, and anyone who works out.

Whey and casein proteins are both products of milk. Whey protein is a byproduct when milk turns into cheese and casein is filtered from milk. In conjunction with one another both proteins, you can develop a great supplementation program for optimum muscle building.

Whey Protein
Whey protein is the premiere protein for building lean muscle and shorter recovery times due to the promotion of protein synthesis. This means whey protein supplementation can speed up your progress to become bigger, leaner, or stronger depending on your goals.

Whey protein is the fastest digesting protein that absorbs quickly to the muscles that need it. This makes whey protein the perfect post workout meal to promote muscle recovery and muscle building. I’ve also heard of benefits of having a pre-workout meal of whey protein so that your muscles can recover during your workout.

Whey protein comes in two types; whey concentrate and whey isolate. The main difference between the two is the amount of pure protein in it. Whey protein concentrate is low in fat and lactose, containing an estimated 75% pure protein. Whey protein isolate is the purest whey protein containing more than 90% pure protein with less fat and lactose than whey concentrate. Comparably between the whey protein options, it is understandably that whey protein isolate is more expensive for its higher concentration of pure protein.

Casein Protein
Even though whey protein is the higher quality protein for building lean muscle and muscle recovery, casein has its role. Casein is a slow digesting protein that is digested at a slower pace serving a steady flow of protein for several hours. This makes casein the perfect evening supplement, helping prevent muscle catabolism in time periods longer than 3 hours without nourishment.

Casein’s anti-catabolic characteristics help prevent the break down of protein to prevent muscle loss. Casein doesn’t promote protein synthesis to the extent that whey does but its ability to counteract protein breakdown or muscle loss makes it important part of protein supplementation.

Simply Whey Protein and Casein Protein is as follows:

In conclusion, whey is a fast absorbing protein that excels in protein synthesis and casein is a slow absorbing protein that prevents muscle breakdown or catabolism. Personally I think you shouldn’t be using one over the other, but use both at the appropriate times to take advantage of their benefits to get the best results. I hope this information helps you better understand the two popular types of protein supplements and it helps reach your goals.