Does doing cardio make you lose muscle???

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Unlike resistance (weight) training, cardio exercise is traditionally based around repetitive bodyweight movements which maintain a medium to high heart rate for extended periods of time. What this means is that your body’s energy output is more centered around entering a catabolic state (tissue burning) rather than the anabolic state we need to build muscle. 

To put really simply, when doing cardio exercise, energy is burnt in this order;

1) Carbohydrates (both stored and direct from foods)
2) Fats (from foods and as stored cells)
3) Proteins (amino acids from muscle tissue)

Points 1 & 2 above are where you should aim to be and aim to stay. It is at those stages where one can rapidly reduce their body fat levels while maintaining their hard earned muscle mass. It is point 3 above that causes all the headaches! This is where your body transfers into a state of mass catabolism just to maintain energy output levels. It has burnt through the energy assigned for standard exercise and now needs an external outlet to keep the ball rolling. The body begins to feed off its own muscle cells as a key source of energy. Typically when we start to DIET we do 2 things increase our cardio and decrease our calories. What this does is create a deficiency in carbs and our body does not want to let go of the fat cells so the next thing would be protein (muscle).  How do we stop this from happening??? Well by eating yes eating 1-2 large servings of complex carbohydrates, you are ensuring your first choice energy stores are at full capacity, the higher they are, the longer they will last. You may ask how do I lose weight if I eat??? Our goal is to increase muscle density and jump start our metabolism. The way we do this is by increasing our resistance and cardio training and by feeding the body. Once our body understands that more energy is needed and it has a source of fuel (carbs) then it will speed up the process and let go of the fat cells. If our body thinks we are starving it (decrease calories) then it will go into survival mode and fight to keep those fat cells. The only other thing that is left to burn then is muscle and the body would rather burn protein (muscle) rather than fat in the survival mode. Cardio does not build muscle mass like resistance training and we need muscle mass to keep our bones healthy and fight the challenges of aging. Resistance training does increase heart rate as good as cardio so we need cardio to burn fat and help speed up our metabolism. Together resistance, cardio training and eating are necessary for losing fat and feeling great.

Next time I will talk about how much to eat and when to eat……

Related articles

• Proper Exercise Will be the Quickest Method to Burn Extra fat (bigsexymedia.com)
• Why Resistance Training? (over40experiment.wordpress.com)
• Frenzied Burn Stomach Fat Quickly Fast Advices (kimchidreadlocks.com)

5 tips to shop safely online during the holiday season

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The holiday shopping season is right around the corner and ’tis the season to be safe. These 5 tips will help you to safely shop online and to stay away from hackers, identity thieves and scammers.

 #1 – Use strong passwords and keep them safe

Creating strong passwords is an absolute must if you want to shop safely online during the holiday season. Having a strong password will help you to stay protected against password cracking attacks and identity theft that are deeply prevalent during shopping season.

Here’s a checklist to help you create a strong password:

• Your password has at least 8-10 characters
• Your password uses both lower and upper cases
• Your password contains at least one character symbol like ‘$*&_#-!@’
• Your password contains at least one number
• Your password does not contain any common words found in a dictionary and is not your username

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to all of the above, then you should have a strong password.

 #2 – Don’t use unprotected public networks and websites

Coffee shops, shopping malls or hotels are definitely not great places to shop online. Public places often provide open Wi-Fi networks for patrons to conveniently go online with their phones or laptops. However, these public networks are very often unprotected and can easily be spied on by hackers.

If you absolutely have to use a public Wi-Fi network to shop online, make sure that:

• You have a firewall and an up-to-date anti-spyware
• Encrypt the important files that are stored on your computer
• Always shop on sites with valid SSL certificates
• Consider only using a credit card with a low credit limit or a temporary card

 #3 – Be very careful of suspicious emails and links

Online criminals resort to phishing attempts in order to steal your personal information. Phishing is a social engineering tacking through which identity thieves pretend to be a legitimate institution or business (such as your bank, your preferred social network or even a search engine like Google) in order to steal your personal information.

To avoid being scammed into handing over your personal information, here are a few simple steps:

1. Always be very careful of suspicious emails and links. And never fill out forms or signup pages coming from these emails or links.
2. Never enter your personal information on a page you don’t know or trust. And always check the URL to make sure you’re not on a phishing site.
3. Never send your passwords via email.
4. Only sign in to your online accounts when your 100% certain that you’re on the right site. Remember phishing sites impersonate legitimate sites by copying their login page. But one thing online criminals can’t copy is the URL. So always check the URL to make sure it is legitimate.
5. Use an anti-phishing browser add-on to automatically warn you when you’re on suspected phishing sites.

 #4 – Always keep your system updated with the latest security patches

Cybercriminals constantly discover new exploit vulnerabilities in operating systems and its software. At the very same time, software companies work diligently to patch security exploits. This is why it is critical to always keep your system updated with the latest security patches and updates.

 #5 – Scan regularly for viruses and spyware

Always scan regularly for viruses and spyware by using an anti-malware softwarethat is updated with the latest malware definitions. This can pro-actively protect you during the holidays in case your computer gets infected with spyware or viruses.

10 Best Supermarket Drinks for Weight Loss

 

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1. Ocean Spray Sparkling Pomegranate Blueberry Beverage

Mildly carbonated soda water is sweetened with real fruit juices, not added sugar, and two of those juices come from antioxidant-loaded superfruits.

2. Sweet Leaf All-Natural Lemon & Lime Unsweetened Tea

Kicking sugar doesn’t mean boring your taste buds to death. This calorie-free black tea gets it just right–a hint of citrus plus antioxidants to help ward off heart attacks and kidney stones

3. Cheribundi Tru Cherry Tart Cherry Juice

Each bottle contains the juice of 50 cherries (the equivalent of two servings of fruit) and is brimming with anthocyanidins, nature’s anti-inflammatories, which may help soothe sore muscles post-workout.

4. Yogi Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy Tea

With energizing Ayurvedic herbs, this green-and-black-leaf blend has as much caffeine as eight ounces of coffee but with the mellow taste of chai instead.

5. R.W. Knudsen Sparkling Essence Cucumber Water

Gently sparkling water laced with organic cucumber extract and a touch of organic lemon juice is the ultimate in refreshment.(

6. Republic of Tea Red Velvet Cuppa Chocolate Tea Bags

Tame your sweet tooth with this no-cal dessert blend of caffeine-free rooibos tea, whose all-natural flavors could have come straight from a bakery window

7. V8 Spicy Hot Low-Sodium Vegetable Juice

Fiery flavor that’s just shy of mouth-tingling helps make up for the missing salt. One glass delivers two servings of vegetables, whether you drink it or use it for marinades, soups, or—best of all—Bloody Marys.

8. Hint Unsweetened Blackberry Essence Water

A lot of flavored waters are overly concentrated or super-sweetened, but the thirst-quenching power of this one comes from the just-right amount of pure blackberry juice.

9. Q Ginger

Cardamom, orange peel, rose oil, and agave give this skinny soda its amazingly clean, crisp taste. Just as good: Its central ingredient, ginger, is a natural digestive aid that also has anti-inflammatory properties.

10. Coco Exposed Peach Kiwi

Think energy drink crossed with bubble tea, only instead of tapioca pearls, there are chunks of digestion-aiding aloe vera afloat in coconut water, peach juice, and kiwi juice.

Just Google any of these drinks and pull up their labels or go and try them all. Personally I love the Ocean Spray and the Sweat Leaf but I will try more and let you know…….

 

Related articles

• Ocean Spray Taps SpyderLynk for Cross Country Mobile Tour Using SnapTags (prweb.com)
• What are low calorie drinks (wiki.answers.com)
• Are You Drinking Your Calories? (fit-happens-now.org)

DONT BUY THAT NEW CAR UNTIL YOU READ THIS!!!!!

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Hey it’s that time of year again when we get bombarded by car advertisements and yes me like you become sucked into the idea of buying a NEW CAR!!! But what is a good deal and why do I always feel complete and utter dread when I pull into a dealership. Well I think an informed consumer is better than a sucker (which by the way is born every day).  So I decided to do some research and this is what I found. The key to getting the lowest price on a car is to know how much negotiating room you have. That means knowing all of the current sales incentives, including behind-the-scenes dealer perks. That information is what makes the CR Bottom Line Price the best place to begin your new-car negotiations. It’s calculated by subtracting any rebates, dealer incentives, or holdback amounts from the dealer-invoice price. That gives you a good idea of how much negotiating room you have below the car’s sticker price. Armed with those figures, you can often save thousands of dollars when buying a new car.

Not all cars are created equal, and we have the data to prove it. Of course, numbers can tell a variety of tales and we understand every consumer has different priorities. To that end, we have compiled a series of best and worst lists to highlight performance in a wide variety of categories. These lists can be an excellent tool for filtering down your purchase considerations or for stocking up on vehicular trivia. Start with the lists below, and then explore topics from the left-hand navigation. Create your own custom lists based on the factors you find most interesting by using our interactive Car Selector tool (available to subscribers).  Overall test scores are based on more than 50 individual Consumer Reports tests and evaluations, and are presented on a 100-point scale.

Tops in our tests

Make & model	Overall test score
Lexus LS 460L	99
BMW 135i (manual)	97
Porsche 911 Carrera S (MT)	96
Infiniti G37 Journey	95
Infiniti M37	93
Nissan Altima 3.5 SR (V6)	93
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (manual)	92
Hyundai Genesis 3.8	92
Audi A8 L	91
Lexus ES 350	91
Nissan Altima 2.5 S (4-cyl.)	91

The lowest scorers

Make & model	Overall test score
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara	17
Jeep Liberty Sport	27
Smart ForTwo Passion	28
Dodge Nitro Detonator (3.7)	33
Toyota FJ Cruiser	36

Notice the Jeep Wrangler??? I did and this was one of the cars I have looked at and the sale person made a point to state that the Jeep Wrangler was one of the BEST rated cars in the Consumer Report List. Well reality is sometimes very different from fiction.  I also noticed the Hyundai Genesis and I can’t help but think about the very first Hyundai and how far this Korean car company has come.  The Smart car is a NO NO as well (got stuck behind one the other day and was not impressed).  So do your homework and let your MIND do the shopping not your HEART!!!!

Tired after Turkey Dinner? Don’t blame the Turkey!

Tired? Don’t blame the turkey.

For years, rumors have floated that the flightless foodstuff is responsible for the fatigue many eaters feel after a Thanksgiving feast. More specifically, the blame fell on tryptophan, one of the molecular building blocks of turkey meat that the human body turns into serotonin, a chemical that affects your mood and sleep, along with some melatonin, another sleep-altering hormone.

The hypothesis: Lots of turkey = more serotonin = sorry, Grandma, but that’s my La-Z-Boy.

There’s just one problem with that idea.

“It’s not really true,” said Kerry Martinson, a registered dietician with Kaiser Permanente’s Vancouver Clinic. “Just by eating turkey, you don’t raise your serotonin.”

If you’re tired after Thanksgiving dinner, she said, “it’s probably the large meal itself.” Gorging on anything can divert blood flow to your stomach from the brain and make you logy, she said. High-sugar meals can raise insulin levels, making you tired. Wine and holiday stress can also make you sleepy.

It’s not that turkey doesn’t have a hefty dose of tryptophan; it does. But so do chicken, tuna, milk and oats, and no one blames their afternoon naps on tuna melts. To understand why turkey doesn’t make us sleepy takes a quick tour of depression science, angry musclemen and amino acids, the Lego-like building blocks that make up our bodies.

As a limited set of building blocks can make thousands of cars and spaceships, just 20 standard amino acids hook together in chains to form the proteins that help make or run almost every aspect of life. Tryptophan is the clear plastic windshield of life’s Lego set, the biggest and rarest of the 20 amino acids. It’s also one of eight “essential” amino acids that people can’t manufacture in their own bodies.

“You have to take it in through food,” said Donald Dougherty, a tryptophan expert with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Once you eat tryptophan, it goes into many proteins in the body. But one of its most important jobs is making serotonin. The body can only do that by tweaking tryptophan taken in from turkey, tuna and the like.

Eating turkey doesn’t automatically make more mood-altering serotonin because the brain is like an exclusive nightclub: You have to get past a bouncer to enter. All the amino acids you eat are trying to get past the same set of molecules that work to keep unwanted poisons out of the brain. So lots of tryptophan alone won’t make more serotonin, Dougherty said. You need to raise the ratio of tryptophan to other amino acids to squeeze more into the brain and squeeze more serotonin out.

Related articles

• Tryptophan for your Brain Health (bodychangewellness.wordpress.com)
• Thanksgiving Food Truths and Myths We Just Can’t Shake (abcnews.go.com)

Water is good for you and burns calories too!!!

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Drink ice water

 The colder the water you drink, the more calories you burn, since your body expends more energy warming up the water. If you have 8 glasses (64 oz) of ice-cold water in a day, you’ll burn 70 more calories than if you drank 8 glasses of a body temperature beverage. In fact, this principle will work with any calorie-free beverage, as long as it’s ice cold,so you might want to ice up that coffee and tea mentioned earlier for cumulative calorie-burning effects. Keep in mind, however, that the weight loss impact of this one particular practice isn’t drastic: It would take 435 glasses of ice water (about two months, assuming 8 glasses a day) to lose one pound. And, don’t go overboard. There’s such a thing as water toxicity……

There are a variety of reasons to drink plenty of water each day. Adequate water intake prevents dehydration, cleans out the body, and promotes healing processes. Substituting water for alcohol can also help control weight. Follow the steps below to make sure you’re getting enough of this most basic necessity.

Drink water before, with and after every meal; it will help you to prevent overeating and obesity. Eat slowly, drink water and you will get satisfied with less food. But as with everything, be careful and don’t overdo it. Drinking too much water can be toxic, so exercise moderation. Water is not a substitute for food, and you can indeed cause severe health issues if you drink too much water daily, including severe heart and endocrine system problems. And make sure that you consult your physician before you make any radical lifestyle changes!

Coffee Anyone???

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Reach for the caffeine, pass on the sugar and cream

Caffeine tends to increase the number of calories you burn, probably because they stimulate thermogenesis — one way your body generates heat and energy from digesting food and because the boost in energy means you move around more (which means more calories burned). Having 250 milligrams of caffeine with a meal can increase the calories spent metabolizing the meal by 10%. Green tea, in particular, seems to be especially conducive to burning calories. So instead of having soda or any other calorie-laden drink with your meals, go for an unsweetened cup of coffee or tea. Skip the sugar, milk, cream, or any other caloric enhancements so that you don’t replace the extra calories you’re burning. Drinking coffee or tea plain will take some getting used to, but purchasing high-quality beans or tea leaves will certainly help.

NEAT!!!!

 

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Fidget

Studies show that lean people fidget for about 150 minutes a day more than obese people do. That kind of low-grade activity (tapping feet and fingers, twirling hair, gesturing while speaking, etc.) can burn 350 calories a day, which translates into 10-30 pounds a year! It’s called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), any movement that isn’t intended as exercise. You can burn an extra 00-150 calories an hour by increasing NEAT

• Standing burns 50% more calories than sitting.Stand while talking on the phone, using the computer, or reading the paper.
   
• Pacing is even better. By pacing, you can burn 90 more calories an hour than if you were sitting still.Make it a habit to pace whenever you use the phone.
   
• Buy a work station or desk that you can stand at or, if you can, set up a desk over a treadmill. By walking 1 mile an hour while you work, you’ll burn an additional 100 calories per hour which, if you do this for 2-3 hours a day, you could lose 44-60 pounds in a year. It’s recommended that you start slowly, though, walking 15 minutes every hour and then increasing gradually. Alternatively, you can use a mini-stepper under a tall desk, or while watching TV to achieve the same results

Related articles

• Do you burn a lot less calories when you sleep? (greenanswers.com)

How Can We Change FAT America???

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Obesity costs this country about $150 billion a year, or almost 10 percent of the national medical budget. Approximately one in three adults and one in six children are obese. Obesity is epidemic in the United States today and a major cause of death, attributable to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.  At its simplest, obesity results from people consuming more calories than their bodies’ burn, but it’s a more complex problem than that. People didn’t decide to become overweight. Their weight gain is a consequence of complicated changes in the environment, where food is more readily available and opportunities for physical activity are lacking. One contributing factor is the fact that the way we eat has changed over the last 50 years. Americans are eating more processed foods and eating out a lot more frequently. The foods that are offered in restaurants, snack shops, and in vending machines are higher in sugar, calories, and fat than what we typically prepare in our own homes. We are surrounded by food. We’re constantly bombarded by it. We’re consuming larger portion sizes and more calories than ever before. Another factor is that people who live in poor and rural communities may have less access to quality grocery stores that sell healthy and affordable options. In these areas, it might be easier and cheaper for residents to purchase less healthy foods and beverages.  Other factors, such as technology and the way we build our communities have influenced our lives. Both of these factors have left us more sedentary. Families must drive to work and school because it’s often too far to walk. Many communities are built in ways that simply make it difficult or unsafe to be physically active. For many families, safe routes for walking and biking to school or play may not even exist. Getting to parks and recreation centers may be difficult, and public transportation may not even be available. And we spend a lot of time sitting in front of screens for work and for entertainment. Also, too few students get daily quality physical education in schools.

 What can each of us do as individuals to be healthier?

 First, we can eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer foods that are higher in fat and sugar. We can also drink more water instead of sugared drinks. Everyone, including adults of all ages and ability levels and children, need to get the recommended amount of physical activity. Parents can listen to their pediatricians and restrict television viewing for their young children to less than two hours a day, and we cannot put televisions in our children’s bedrooms.  How can we work together as communities to resolve the obesity epidemic? Communities can expand access to fruits and vegetables through farmers-markets programs like this one in Brownsville, Texas.  The market was designed for the sole intent of reducing obesity rates and improving diabetes rates in our community. There is a wide range of people who come to the market from different walks of life. Low-income families, who may not be able to afford some of the fruits and vegetables – the voucher program has been very instrumental in getting healthy food into the low income households.  Local governments and communities can play an important role in developing environments that encourage and support active living. They can increase opportunities for physical activity by encouraging mixed-use development to allow for easy access to schools, businesses, parks, and grocery stores. They can implement traffic-safety measures and crime-prevention strategies. Building bike paths, sidewalks and crosswalks will foster safe and easy access to more physical activity. States and local governments can provide incentives to existing markets to offer healthier food, and they can also provide incentives for new businesses to establish their supermarkets in low income areas.  These are just a few ideas, let me know what else you think would work……..

Related articles

• Childhood Overweight and Obesity (education.com)
• Help Your Child Grow Healthy and Strong (education.com)
• Make Fitness Fun (education.com)
• Today’s teens will die younger of heart disease (eurekalert.org)
• Does Youth Sports Prevent Obesity? (drsharma.ca)
• Physical activity cuts effect of obesity gene (cbc.ca)

CAN WE TALK???

Let’s discuss what ever it is you want to talk about…….
Let me know what’s on your mind and I will go out and get information to either enlighten you or debate a topic. I really want this blog to be interactive and everybody has an opinion and something they want to know about so let me know.
I will start….
I have been watching the SHOWTIME series “Gigolos” and I cant help but think that SHOWTIME is promoting male prostitution. I mean I almost feel sorry for the people that pay for sex as they are betrayed as lonely and damaged by either lifes events or a bad relationship. I am sorry but everytime I check the arrest reports they are several women arrested for prositution and although these men are not technically being paid for sex we all know in reality they are!
What’s your take on this?
No big deal?
Society has a double standard?
It’s just a SHOWTIME special?
Hey let me know what you think…….