Health and Fitness Review

I seem to have notice there is a bit of a buzz lately on Clenbuterol. This seems especially so since retired first baseman David Segui admitted Monday that he used steroids and purchased shipments from former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski. Clenbuterol is an asthma drug that is said to melt body fat and is on baseball’s banned substances list.

I honestly have no opinion on teh ethics of taking something like Clenbuterol. I would think that an athlete would be working out enough, training enough and watching their diet enough to remain lean. However, I guess everyone is looking for a short cut. I myself have taken thermogenics in the past. I have never taken Clenbuterol. So, I can’t comment on its effectiveness, nor its safety. But, I would say to anyone thinking about taking Clenbuterol to first make sure you have the basics of diet and exercise right. If you do need a boost, like we all do from time to time, then try one of the over the counter weight loss supplements like BSN Thermonex first. And if you ar egoing to try something like Clenbuterol for goodness sakes talk to a knowledable doctor first.

Speaking of doctors, I am not an MD. I am simply giving my laymen opinion. take it for what it is worth.

Recently some of the biggest health news has been regarding the dangers involving the Cox-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex and non-steroidal anti inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as Aleve, which have been shown to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Out of curiosity, I attended a seminar last week given by a local doctor who discussed joint pain, medication safety and alternative options to aid in healing.

He provided a detailed scientific overview of the research regarding the pharmaceutical issues and where we stand regarding those medications. He made two really important points (or at least the one’s that I picked up on):

Naturally occurring supplements glucosamine and chondroitin are AS effective in relieving joint pain as the Cox-2 inhibitors, and Exercise and proper diet are the most important methods to alleviate joint pain, moreso than medications.

So why use medications when we have alternatives that are obviously safer and just as effective? Because popping a pill is easier than exercise, isn’t it? See the human body, unlike a machine, actually grows in response to stimulus such as work. Without work, it quickly begins to degenerate and pain ensues.

Now, let me tell you that I am certainly not a rheumatologist nor an expert in joint pain or arthritis. But I have dealt with it my entire career as a coach and an athlete. Almost every athlete (including myself) experiences joint- related pain from an injury or overuse symptoms, and it’s not uncommon for non-athletes to experience joint pain as well. In fact, recent research found that 85% of Americans experience some sort of joint related pain.

Even though the FDA has allowed the return of such products on the market (such as Vioxx), the understandable fear has sent throngs of customers to our store to seek safer alternatives.

Here are some well researched and effective alternatives that you can find at our store, Nutritec as well as other health-type stores:

Glucosamine Chondroitin - Both glucosamine and chondroitin are naturally occurring substrates within joints that provide the base on which rebuilding these tissues occurs. MSM - research has not shown that MSM is necessarily that effective and may have some side effects. The jury is still out on this one. Omega-3 Fats - use fish oil capsules or flax seed oils. Since joint pain is an inflammatory response to exercise or age related issues, omega-3 fats are one of the most effective anti-inflammatories as well as a potent heart protector. Hyaluronic Acid - a component of connective tissue that is widely distributed throughout the body and plays an important role in joint function Enzymes - I got a note last week from a reader named Susan in Mississippi who wrote: I broke my collarbone in a spill off my bike in August and apparently tore my labrum at the same time– although the labrum injury wasn’t diagnosed til months later. I was taking Bextra for the pain when I read an article about proteolytic enzymes. Long story short: They work for me as well as the prescription meds and I don’t have to worry about side effects. The brand I take is Wobenzyme, which is made in Germany and has been extensively studied there. label instructions say take 3 tablets 3X a day, but the article I read said take 5 tablets 3X a day, so that’s what I’ve been doing.

So there you go. A little bit about the little bit that I know about joint pain and natural remedies. With the known medication risks, the solutions lie in intelligent exercise (that I DO know about), proper diet (I know a little about that too) and the use of natural anti-inflammatories.

A little shameless marketing: Please visit my website (Click Here) an buy through my affiliate links. Just trying to earn a little extra cash through my website to help pay the bills. I appreciate your patronage.

Have a great week!

Walk out onto the street and grab a healthy 20 year old that has never lifted weights. Then call his grandfather to join him in the gym for a workout. Ask them to both lift 80% of their maximum ability, three times per week for 8 weeks. Know what’ll happen?

Well, Tufts University researchers wondered the same thing and discovered that they would both increase their strength the same exact percentage after 8 weeks. And that percentage increase was 300%!

What that means is that we never lose the ability to gain strength at any age!

So what about all those aches and pains that grandpa feels? Simple, we progress more slowly. Not because of his lack of ability or increased age, but only because of what he hasn’t done for so many years.

But that can be reversed fast.

Know what? I guarantee, we can fix almost any ache, pain, tightness or health problem in 12 weeks or less. Sound cocky? It’s not me. All the credit goes to those that use their muscles. I only teach it.

What type of program would we use? Probably the exact same one as I would use with a college student (keeping any limitations in mind). We would just start at a lower level and progress slowly.

Our bodies were created to move. If they don’t here is what we’ll lose over the decades:

Muscle Mass We lose 6.6 lbs of muscle mass per decade unless we use it. Ninety-five percent of lower back pain comes from lack of strength and/or flexibility.

Your Strength We lose significant neural adaptation over time. Up to 20-30% decrease in coordination simply by not exercising

Basal Metabolic Rate The body’s natural ability to burn fat drops drastically as we lose muscle.

Bodyfat percentage A decrease in 5-7% of your bodyfat can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 40-50%!

Aerobic Capacity Our hearts don’t have to get weaker as we age, nor do we have to lose the ability to pull oxygen from the bloodstream into the working muscles. Exercise and you can keep it all.

Blood Sugar Tolerance Type II diabetes should never happen. We allow it by abusing our cells’ receptor sites by overeating and not keeping our ‘exercising- hormones’ humming.

Cholesterol I have seen dramatic changes in cholesterol profiles, not because of medications but through simple exercise. Rising cholesterol levels are 100% within our control.

Blood Pressure Known as the “silent killer” since there are no symptoms, we can find a 34% decrease if we exercise within two quick months.

Bone Density Don’t be fooled into thinking that just taking calcium is enough. In fact, research at Tufts University found that exercise was far and away more effective in increasing bone mass density by 10- 20% at any age!

Use it or lose it. Age quickly or age gracefully, it’s your choice.

Click here for Quality home fitness and exercise equipment

Here is an interesting article that I found by Tom Venuto the author of Burn the Fat. His program is a top seller in the industry. Tom really knows what he is talking about. His advice and information could be very useful to you. I’ve gone ahead and re-printed his entire article with his permission for you to read here.

Foods That Burn Fat: The Top 10 Lists

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Burn the Fat
Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest. It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs. That’s why I decided to put together four separate “top 10” lists of healthy foods that burn fat and build muscle.

Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.

I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.

Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look. I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats.

This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research - in studying ALL types of diets - has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.

It’s not so much about the high carb - low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.

I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).

Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

* How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?

* How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories?

* How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here’s one good answer: Eat a wide variety of high nutrient density, low calorie density foods that you enjoy which still fit within healthy, fat-burning, muscle-building guidelines!

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.

Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”

These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.

My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains

1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal

My Top 10 top vegetables

1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini

My top 10 lean proteins

1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo
10. Trout

My top 10 fruits

1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple

Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement - not to cook with), avocado and a few others.

Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).

Last but not least, I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want (stuff that is NOT on these lists - like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods you enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term. In the fruits and vegetables categories alone, there are hundreds of other choices out there, so enjoy them all!

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: Burn the Fat

Walk out onto the street and grab a healthy 20 year old that has never lifted weights. Then call his grandfather to join him in the gym for a workout.

Ask them to both lift 80% of their maximum ability, three times per week for 8 weeks. Know what’ll happen?

Well, Tufts University researchers wondered the same thing and discovered that they would both increase their strength the same exact percentage after 8 weeks. And that percentage increase was 300%!

What that means is that we never lose the ability to gain strength at any age!

So what about all those aches and pains that grandpa feels? Simple, we progress more slowly. Not because of his lack of ability or increased age, but only because of what he hasn’t done for so many years.

But that can be reversed fast.

Know what? I guarantee, we can fix almost any ache, pain, tightness or health problem in 12 weeks or less. Sound cocky? It’s not me. All the credit goes to those that use their muscles. I only teach it.

What type of program would we use? Probably the exact same one as I would use with anyone (keeping any limitations in mind). We would just start at a lower level and progress slowly.

Our bodies were created to move. If they don’t here is what we’ll lose over the decades:

Muscle Mass We lose 6.6 lbs of muscle mass per decade unless we use it. Ninety-five percent of lower back pain comes from lack of strength and/or flexibility.

Your Strength We lose significant neural adaptation over time. Up to 20-30% decrease in coordination simply by not exercising

Basal Metabolic Rate The body’s natural ability to burn fat drops drastically as we lose muscle.

Bodyfat percentage A decrease in 5-7% of your bodyfat can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 40-50%!

Aerobic Capacity Our hearts don’t get have to get weaker as we age, nor lose the ability to pull oxygen from the bloodstream into the working muscles. Exercise and you can keep it all.

Blood Sugar Tolerance Type II diabetes should never happen. We allow it by abusing our cells’ receptor sites by overeating and not keeping our ‘exercising- hormones’ humming.

Cholesterol I have seen dramatic changes in cholesterol profiles, not because of medications but through simple exercise. Rising cholesterol levels are 100% within our control.

Blood Pressure Known as the “silent killer” since there are no symptoms, we can find a 34% decrease if we exercise within two quick months.

Bone Density Don’t be fooled into thinking that just taking calcium is enough. In fact, research at Tufts University found that exercise was far and away more effective in increasing bone mass density by 10- 20% at any age!

Use it or lose it. Age quickly or age gracefully, it’s your choice.

I just found this from Rueters on a glutamine study. I thought I would post it here.  Without know more about the research methodology employed in this study I can’t really comment on if I think this is a good study. But, it is interesting.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There is little evidence that supplements containing the amino acid glutamine can enhance athletes’ performance, according to a research review.

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid, which means that the body synthesizes its own supply. However, glutamine is also found in a range of foods — from meat and cheese to yogurt and spinach — and in dietary supplements marketed as performance enhancers, according to Dr. George C. Phillips of the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City.

Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins in the body, and one of the functions of glutamine is to help produce energy. Research shows that a person’s blood levels of glutamine decline after exercise, but that long-term training boosts athletes’ resting glutamine levels.

Glutamine aids in the synthesis of white blood cells of the immune system, which theoretically could counter the drain on the immune system that can occur with intense training.

All of this suggests that increasing glutamine levels with supplements could enhance athletic performance, Phillips notes. However, studies have not borne this out, he writes in the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports.

Phillips looked at a number of studies that tested whether glutamine supplements can increase muscle strength, speed up post-workout recovery or prevent colds by boosting immune function in hard-training athletes.

There was no consistent evidence of any of these benefits. This, coupled with the fact that glutamine supplements may raise cholesterol, “calls into serious question the appropriateness of glutamine as a dietary supplement,” he writes.

“Unfortunately,” Phillips concludes, “this appears to be another example of commercial marketing trumping scientific evidence that in this case demonstrates how nonessential glutamine supplementation is to athletic performance.”

SOURCE: Current Sports Medicine Reports, August 2007.

So, to day I just wanted to post a brief story of my exercise routine. I went to the gym today with a friend of mine. He has been looking to get back into training for a while now. Although, you would never think he was ever out of the game. He is huge and just a natural strongman. You know those kinds of guys that are just natural bodybuilder types? The ones with the genetics? The ones that seem to put on muscle when the sneeze? Well, that’s him. I was pretty proud of myself. For my age I was able to keep up pretty good. But, man did he have me on the amount of weight he can lift. I usually workout on the benchpress with 225. I’ll do that maybe 10 reps or so, and then, of course, as my continue with my sets, I do less reps, since it gets heavier. Or, I might reduce the weight and do the same amount of reps.

But, this guy gets on there and shoots up over 500 like it is freakin nothing. Long story short…I am weak. But, you know what, I look fit and in good shape. I do a good mix of cardio and weight training. So, moral of my little story is it is not how much you can lift, but how good you look. Or, at least I want to fool myself into thinkng that right now…LOL

Okay, guys…as always..please check out my exercise equipment website. Yes, I’m still working on it. But all the links do work. And the vendors that I chose are excellent with top notch service. So, help me out and buy from me. How’s that for asking for the sale?

UNFERMENTED BREAD.

1. COLD WATER BREAD.

1-1/4 lb. fine wholemeal flour to 3/4 pint water.

Put the meal into a basin, add the water gradually, and mix with a clean,
cool hand. (Bread, pastry, etc., mixed with a spoon, especially of metal,
will not be so light as that mixed with a light cool hand.) Knead lightly
for 20 minutes. (A little more flour may be required while kneading, as
some brands of meal do not absorb so much water as others, but do not add
more than is absolutely necessary to prevent the fingers sticking.) Put
the dough on to a floured board and divide into four round loaves. Prick
with a fork on top.

The colder the water used, the lighter the bread, and if the mixing be
done by an open window so much the better, for unfermented bread is
air-raised. Distilled or clean boiled rain-water makes the lightest bread.
But it should be poured backwards and forwards from one jug to another
several times, in order to aerate it.

_Another method_ of mixing is the following:--Put the water into the basin
first and stir the meal quickly into it with a spatula or wooden spoon.
When it gets too stiff to be stirred, add the rest of the meal. Knead for
two minutes, and shape into loaves as above.

BAKING.--Bake on the bare oven shelf, floored. If possible have a few
holes bored in the shelf. This is not absolutely necessary, but any tinker
or ironmonger will perforate your shelf for a few pence. Better still are
wire shelves, like sieves. (This does not apply to gas ovens.)

Start with a hot oven, but not too hot. To test, sprinkle a teaspoonful of
flour in a patty pan, and put in the oven for five minutes. At the end of
that time, if the flour is a light golden-brown colour, the oven is right.
Now put in the bread and keep the heat of the oven well up for half an
hour. At the end of this time turn the loaves. Now bake for another hour,
but do not make up the fire again. Let the oven get slightly cooler. The
same result may perhaps be obtained by moving to a cooler shelf. It all
depends on the oven. But always start with a hot oven, and after the first
half hour let the oven get cooler.

Always remember, that the larger the loaves the slower must be the baking,
otherwise they will be overdone on the outside and underdone in the middle.

Do not open the oven door oftener than absolutely necessary.

If a gas oven is used the bread must be baked on a baking sheet placed on
a sand tin. A sand tin is the ordinary square or oblong baking tin,
generally supplied with gas stoves, filled with silver sand. A baking
sheet is simply a piece of sheet-iron, a size smaller than the oven
shelves, so that the heat may pass up and round it. Any ironmonger will
cut one to size for a few pence. Do not forget to place a vessel of water
(hot) in the bottom of the oven. This is always necessary in a gas oven
when baking bread, cakes or pastry.

It must not be forgotten that ovens are like children they need
understanding. The temperature of the kitchen and the oven's nearness to a
window or door will often make a difference of five or ten minutes in the
time needed for baking. One gas oven that I knew never baked well in
winter unless a screen was put before it to keep away draughts!

ROLLS.--If you desire to get your bread more quickly it is only a question
of making smaller loaves. Little rolls may be cut out with a large egg-cup
or small pastry cutter, and these take any time from twenty minutes to
half an hour.