Electrolyte Sports Drinks
Electrolyte drinks assist with rapid replacement of fluid and electrolytes lost during exercise training or hard physical labour. They help with muscle recovery and soreness, preventing dehydration, and providing stamina and increased endurance during strenuous exercise. Electrolyte drinks ingested during exercise aims at providing a source of carbohydrate fuel to supplement the body's limited stores and supplying water and electrolytes to replace losses incurred through sweating.
Electrolyte drinks are needed when you are exercising for more than 40 minutes, playing sport (football, soccer etc) or if your work involves hard physical labour.
1. Before Exercise
Sports drinks are ideal in the hour before sport. The carbohydrate tops up muscle glycogen fuel levels, while the added sodium reduces urine losses before exercise begins.
2. During Exercise
Sports drinks are primarily designed for use during exercise, for optimal fluid and fuel delivery. They will allow the athlete to perform for longer and more effectively in training and competition.
3. Recovery
Sports drinks greatly assist re-hydration. When aggressive re-hydration is required, drinks with a higher sodium content may be more useful. For complete recovery, sports drinks need to be consumed with a food source that provides carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals
Remember, sports drinks are often as high in sugar as most soft drinks so if your fitness goal is to lose weight water may be better for most workouts.
Exercise- it makes you smart!
Research has discovered that moderate intensity aerobic exercise can assist in boosting the memory centre of your brain. Our brain's memory centre (the hippocampus) shrinks over time; however research conducted at the University of California shows that exercise can prevent this.
Moderate intensity aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking or light jog) had the biggest impact, increasing volume in the hippocampus by 2% over the course of a year. Weight training and other exercise (e.g. yoga) also had an impact of an increase of around 1%. These studies were conducted on older adults (55-80yrs) however the benefits are still there for anyone who exercises.
Often people look at exercise as a weight loss tool only, so if they do not need to lose weight they figure, "I don't need to exercise; I'm thin”. The health benefits of exercise, however, go beyond weight loss. It is important to keep moving regardless of how fit, thin or healthy you think you are. For more information regarding this study check out the link below.
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2011/02/01/aerobic-exercise-boosts-memory
Glycemic Index
Glycemic index (abbreviated to GI) is a way of classifying carbohydrate foods according to their effect on blood glucose. It is of special significance to people with diabetes, but there is also evidence that GI has health implications for people in general (so there are high and low GI but that doesn't necessarily make them good or bad).
When a food containing carbohydrate is eaten it is digested in the small intestine and sugars are released from the carbohydrate. Glucose is the major sugar, but other sugars are also released and then absorbed into the blood, along with the glucose. The body responds to the increase in blood glucose by releasing insulin—a hormone that (among other metabolic functions) causes the glucose to be stored for later use. GI is a measure of how long it takes for the glucose from a food to be absorbed into the blood. The lower the GI, the slower and more even the rate of absorption of glucose into the blood. In essence, a food with a low GI means ‘slow release’ of carbohydrate into the body, while high GI means the carbohydrate is rapidly released.
Low GI foods (GI of 55 or less) include most mixed-grain breads, All Bran, legumes (peas, beans, soy products) and milk and yogurt. Intermediate GI foods (GI in the range 56-69) include Swiss formula muesli, white durum wheat spaghetti, Basmati, Arborio and long-grain rice and muesli bars. High GI foods (GI of 70 or more) include white and wholemeal bread, potatoes (boiled and baked), white Jasmine rice, some breakfast cereals (e.g., Cornflakes, Coco Pops) and sports drinks.
The Winter Dilemma
It is definitely colder, wetter and generally more miserable weather wise this time of year. This makes getting out and exercising (or just getting out) harder than normal. It also means all of the comfort foods that may have made us put on weight in the first place suddenly look very appealing again!
Some people do not mind exercising outside when it is cold, as they know they will warm up very quickly. However, for some people it is harder (particularly for those who get asthma in cold weather). There are always other options, and you will feel better for them.
1. Ask your trainer to take it inside! If you are near a studio an indoor workout session will ensure you are still getting your training, and it will not be weather dependant (even if it means you have to travel a little further to get to your session)
2. Get a home program. You don't need a lot of hi-tech equipment (or any equipment at all) to do a workout- ask your trainer to write a program that you can perform at home.
3. Lunchtime walk- during your lunch break is a good time to get out. It not only gets you away from your desk it gets you some much needed exercise (30 minutes is all it takes) and sunshine (most Australians are low on vitamin D)
4. Avoid the high fat comfort foods- try homemade vegetable soups, pastas with tomato based sauces rather than cream based, or tomato based casseroles (watch how much oil you use in cooking them)
Remember, if you want to look good for summer, now is the time to start- leaving it until the weather gets better is going to be too late and leave you disappointed.
For more tips check out the article below.
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/family/goodhealthandmedicine/8244283/how-to-avoid-winter-weight-gain
Diabetes Awareness Week
This week is National Diabetes Awareness Week. Type 2 diabetes is sometimes described as a ‘lifestyle disease’ because it is more common in people who do insufficient physical activity and are overweight or obese. It is also, unfortunately, considered by some as the "not so bad" diabetes as it does not require the daily insulin injections like Type I diabetes; however the health risks associated with the disease are still potentially life threatening if not taken seriously, even if not as immediate as Type I diabetes.
Lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight or obese (especially around the waist), low levels of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits (such as regularly choosing high fat, high sugar, high salt or low fibre foods), high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and cigarette smoking. Other risk factors include age, ethnicity and past medical history.
If you have any symptoms including being more thirsty than usual, passing more urine, feeling tired and lethargic, slow-healing wounds, itching and skin infections, blurred vision or mood swings you should consult your GP.
Would this make you quit?
Iceland has recently considered making cigarettes a prescription only product. This would ban the product being sold anywhere other than a pharmacy, and would be available only with a valid medical certificate. Although it is not sure to what extent this will actually stop people smoking, it is thought it will discourage people (particularly young people) from taking up the habit by ensuring they see a medical practitioner beforehand.
In Australia we have slowly made the move to ban smoking in public areas, and there are many programs available to assist anyone who wants to quit smoking. Despite this smoking is still the leading cause of preventable disease and deaths in Australia. Risks include cardio-vascular disease, heart disease, stroke, increased risk of cancer (including lung, mouth, brain, stomach, nose, voice box, lip, tongue, nasal sinus, esophagus, throat, pancreas, bone marrow, kidney, cervix, liver and bladder), emphysema, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and peptic ulcers.
Smoking also decreases your ability to exercise effectively. Smoking is a stimulant, therefore it increases your resting heart rate and blood pressure, making it harder to exercise effectively as these are both elevated before you even start moving. Smokers are often concerned about weight gain if they quit smoking. Smoking is a habit and most people replace one habit with another- in the case of smoking it is often food. The health benefits to quitting far outweigh the possibility of weight gain if you are aware of this during the transition.
To read more please follow the link below.
Phone apps and healthy eating
In an age where we Google, twitter, Facebook, blog and chat online it is amazing how some of us coped before the reign of the Smartphone. Our phones are not just for making phone calls anymore, they are a source of information and entertainment. The introduction of Applications (or Apps) has definitely resulted in us being able to use our phones for more.
Some of these apps can assist you in making healthy eating choices. From apps that count your daily caloric intake, recipes, fresh produce guides and even diet specific foods (for example, cooking for people with allergies) a range of diet and healthy eating apps can be found on our phones. Some of these are more for entertainment; however some of them people do find useful when trying to decide what to buy at the supermarket, or just need a new healthy recipe idea.
Why not check out some of the top apps available in the article below.
http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/app-a-day-keeps-the-kilos-away-20110618-1g8jk.html
Dietary fats- the good, the bad and the ugly
Dietary fat is a necessary nutrient for your health. It is an energy source for your body, to insulate your body to maintain body temperature, it is necessary for fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) to transport and absorb into the body and also assist in maintaining healthy skin and hair.
The Good:
Monounsaturated Fats- these are found in olive oil, avocado and other plant based sources. Monounsaturated fats are good as they assist lowering LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and increase HDL (“good cholesterol”).
Polyunsaturated Fats- these are also found in plant based fat sources, as well as seafood, eggs and nuts/seeds.
The Bad:
Saturated Fats- these are found in animal based products (meat, dairy and eggs) and some plant based (e.g. coconut and palm oil). Saturated fat raises LDL and lowers HDL. High quantities of saturated fat in a diet have been linked to increased risk to cardio-vascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers.
The Ugly:
Trans Fats- this occurs when hydrogen is added to a fat molecule (hydrogenation), generally during processing of food (e.g. to increase shelf life in baked goods). They are not a necessary fat for your health at all and should be avoided.
For more information please read the link below.
Pacemaker- for your stomach?
Doctors have developed a new device that is designed to tell your brain you are full quicker to assist curb the obesity epidemic. The device is surgically implanted into the patient’s stomach and sends of a signal when it senses food or drink to tell the body it is full. This device is specifically designed for patients that do not meet the weight requirements for gastric by-pass surgery or lap-band surgery.
Although not available to the public yet, human trials have shown that participants ate on average 45% less food with this implant and lost around 22% of their excess weight over the course of a year. Although the results were not as dramatic as gastric bypass surgery results, this initial weight loss would be enough to let most patients then go onto other weight loss surgery methods that they were not eligible for at their old weight.
Until this does hit our shores the best way to let your body know it is full is to slow down when you eat. It takes around 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full (we have all had that moment 30 minutes after a meal where we say ‘I wish I hadn’t had that 2nd donut’). Take your time with your meals and be aware of your portion sizes (protein- size of the palm of your hand, carbs size of your fist with vegetables/salad making up the rest of your meal).
For more information follow the link below.
http://doctorsofweightloss.com/2011/04/stomach-pacemaker-the-new-weight-loss-tool/
Exercise and lower back pain
Lower back pain can have various causes including acute soft tissue injury, postural issues, disc injuries, sciatica (which refers down the leg) or weakness due to bad core strength. Just because you have back pain it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to stop exercising all together- you may just need to adjust your training assist your recovery.
If you do suffer from lower back pain it is important to: -
- Get it checked out! See an allied health professional or your doctor to get a diagnosis so you know what type of back pain you are dealing with
- Let your trainer know! It is important that your trainer knows about any injury as while certain types of exercise can assist your back, other could potentially make your condition worse.
- Keep moving (unless instructed otherwise)
Exercises to assist your back can include strength training, core strength training, aerobic exercise and stretching. You do not want to work in pain, so ensure that the level of intensity you are working at is not causing discomfort. Always work with a trainer so that they can check you technique and posture while you exercise to prevent further injury, and they can ensure you are doing exercises appropriate for you condition.
Read the article below for further information, or contact MPT on 1300 855 727 if you would like to book a consultation with one of our trainers.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=142856