Archive for the ‘Fuel Rules’ Category
Workout booster in a can
Looking for a way to enhance your workout? Try slamming an energy drink before hitting the gym, suggests a recent study published in the August issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Since hitting the shelves, energy drinks have continued to grow in popularity. But who would have thought that drinking one right before your workout could actually help you gain more muscle mass, lose more fat, and enhance your cardiovascular fitness?
Water and Weight Loss
James and Rick highlighted the importance of drinking water in Alpha Male Challenge, but didn’t go so far as to suggest it could boost weight loss. This was logical, as – at the time – there really wasn’t much direct evidence that it would help with anything but hydration. As they put it, “…it’s difficult to confirm whether drinking a glass of water before a meal really helps satiate hunger…“
Since the AMC was published, however, evidence has emerged that suggests drinking water before meals really does boost satiety… and subsequent weight loss.
Last year, a study published in the prestigious journal, Obesity, found that subjects on calorie-restricted diets lost approx. 2kg more when they consumed 500 ml water before each meal. As explained by obesity researcher/blogger, Peter Janiszewski, Ph.D.:
6 om dagen!
Just so you know, “6 om dagen” was the title of a campaign by the Danish government to encourage the consumption of more fibrous, non-starchy vegetables and fruits (“6 om dagen” means “6 a day”). Evidently, it was fairly successful – which comes as no surprise to me. Personally, I think the public service announcement on the right (click to enlarge) is positively inspirational!
Who says you shouldn’t play with your food!? 
But I digress… as James and Rick point out in Alpha Male Challenge,
“Fruits and vegetables provide the bulk of the carbs needed to fuel Alpha performance. They have a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as fiber…People who eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily have half the cancer risk compared to to those who eat only two servings.”
Can You Lose Weight by Drinking Beer?
That’s what the British “Campaign for Real Ale” (CAMRA) would like people to believe.
Switching to beer can help you lose weight and cut alcohol consumption
Great British Beer Festival Earls Court, London, August 3-7
- New research shows 34% of men and 29% of women incorrectly believe that beer has more calories than other alcoholic drinks
- Swapping wine for beer for a single week saves as many calories as a half hour jog!*
- Leading experts to speak out during Great British Beer Festival on how beer can help you lose weight
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, and the Beer Academy, have today come together to highlight to UK consumers that beer, when drunk in moderation, can help you lose weight, cut alcohol consumption, and more generally, help supplement a healthy lifestyle.
Unique Fats
CNA (conjugated nonadecadienoic acid) is a 19 carbon, free fatty acid with a pair of conjugated double bonds. Well that’s what the textbooks say anyhow. I can barely pronounce it. But this fatty acid adds evidence to the notion that not all fats are created equally! Interestingly, CNA’s effects are similar to a fat we all know and love, CLA or conjugated linoleic acid. When fed to growing mice (0.3% of diet) CNA reduced body fat by 81% whereas CLA reduced body fat by 25%. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Reasons to be Fond of Dietary Fat
1. Fat from nuts and legumes are healthy. One study determined the effects of chronic peanut consumption on diet composition as well as serum lipids, magnesium, and homocysteine concentrations in free-living subjects under different conditions of peanut intake over a 30-week crossover study. Energy intake from fat was increased through greater intake of monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fatty acids, while saturated fatty acid intake remained relatively stable under all conditions. What happened? Regular peanut consumption lowers serum triglycerides and increases the consumption of nutrients associated with reduced heart disease risk. Read the rest of this entry »
Do organic snacks have less calories?
While shopping at major chain supermarket, I noticed a box of Organic Oreo Cookies in another shopper’s cart. This is the first time I saw this product and I couldn’t help but talk to the shopper about this product. There are many junk/snack foods that are made with organic ingredients (and are not necessarily 100% organic) . The problem is that when people see the word “organic”, they immediately associate it with being healthier, which then leads people to believe it has less calories, making us believe we can eat more of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Watch Your Salt
I’m not talking about watching Angelina Jolie’s movie. I’m talking about sodium chloride. The white stuff in the shaker, and in many of the processed food stuffs most people eat. The sodium in salt helps carry nutrients into the cells of your body. But you don’t need a lot. And most Americans get too much — about 3,466 milligrams of sodium a day. A full 9 out of 10 Americans eat too much salt, according to a government (CDC) survey, and most of them are getting more than double the recommended amount. Processed foods and restaurant foods account for an estimated 77% of dietary sodium, according to the survey, and the prime culprit: grain-based foods. Read the rest of this entry »
John’s Alpha Male Challenge – Week 2
As I mentioned last week, we faced an additional challenge to the Challenge: a family trip to Spokane. This meant we had to shift John’s nutrition plan and workout into travel mode. I think it went quite well… and the scale apparently agrees with me. He wasn’t able to weigh himself until we got back home this afternoon – which meant he had a couple of meals under his belt vs. weighing himself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Yet he still came in at 214.5 lbs. – 1.5 pounds down from last Sunday.
He’s down 6.5 pounds to date… which ain’t too shabby for only two weeks work!
What not to eat … after your workout!!
Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet! A brand new article posted by Dr. Joseph Mercola is entitled “Two Foods You Should Never, Ever Eat After Exercise.” He asks, “Did you know that what you eat directly after exercising … can have a significant impact on the health benefits you reap from your exercise?” The question’s a great one. It’s his answer that misses the mark. If you’re looking to get the most out of your workouts, that is! Read the rest of this entry »
