Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.
Vince Lombardi

Are you a young women and having trouble increasing muscle mass? A study recently presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society stated oral contraceptives may be the problem.

The study included 73 generally healthy women aged 18-31, 34 used oral contraceptives (OC) and 39 did not (non OC). Both groups exercised under the supervision of exercise physiologists, they were encouraged to eat 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight daily to stimulate muscle growth. Exercise included chest press, lat pull, leg extension, tricep extension, arm curl and crunches.

The scientist reported that non-OC women experienced greater muscle growth than OC women. Strength improvements and arm circumference remained similar. Anabolic hormone levels at rest were lower in OC women and cortical levels were higher. OC users had lower levels of muscle building hormone DHEA at the end of training. Researchers reported they were “surprised at the magnitude of differences in muscle gains between the two groups, non-OC women gaining more than 60% greater muscle mass than OC participants. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism behind the differences.

IDEA FITNESS JOURNAL/ SEPTEMBER

Recent news headlines of flu outbreaks has created much anxiety . How could it not you would have to be living on another planet not to notice all the media coverage, especially on college campuses. I am a firm believer that prevention is key to avoiding illness, the flu is no exception.

1. Keep your distance – Germs can travel up to six feet, stay away from sick coworkers.
2. Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes.
3. Wash hands frequently and use a alcohol based hand sanitizer.
4. If sick stay home.
5. Stay hydrated.

Take home message-Keep to the basics, wash your hands, eat right and get enough rest.

“If it weren’t for dogs, some people would never go for a walk.” —Anonymous

Exercise plays a valuable role in controlling blood pressure. In fact, experts recommend engaging in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes five to seven days of the week. In this Health Alert, Johns Hopkins explains which exercises yield the greatest rewards.

People who are physically fit are less likely to develop high blood pressure, and exercise may stop people with prehypertension from developing full-blown hypertension. In people with mild to moderate high blood pressure, studies have demonstrated that regular aerobic activity can decrease blood pressure by up to 10/8 mm Hg. In some people with high blood pressure, beginning a regular exercise program can allow their doctors to reduce the dosage of their high blood pressure medication or even eliminate the need for it altogether.

What Kind of Exercises Should You Choose to Lower Blood Pressure?

• Resistance exercises: Studies show that resistance exercises — weight lifting and the use of resistance equipment (like Nautilus machines and resistance bands)-are not an effective way to lower blood pressure. In fact, in people with high blood pressure, very high resistance activities can cause blood pressure to rise, sometimes to dangerous levels.

Nonetheless, experts still recommend the use of resistance exercises as part of an overall exercise plan because these exercises improve strength, balance, and bone mass. But older people and those with high blood pressure need to take special precautions. For example, they should use light weights (no more than 10 lbs.) and do more repetitions. They may also need to avoid activities that involve heavy lifting, such as shoveling snow.

• Aerobic exercises: Aerobic exercises — such as walking, bicycling, swimming, jogging, and dancing — can help lower blood pressure when done for 30 to 60 minutes at least three days a week. If you are unable to exercise for 30 minutes at a time, try breaking up the exercise into sessions of 5 to 10 minutes. Initially, these activities need not be formal exercises but can be everyday activities that you incorporate into your daily routine. For example, try parking your car further away from the store or mall to increase the amount of time you spend walking. When possible, take the stairs instead of an elevator.

Bottom line advice: Before beginning an exercise program, you need to know what intensity of exercise is beneficial and safe for your age and health status. So, first check with your doctor to determine if you need to take any special precautions.

Essentially, exercise should cause you to sweat but should not be so intense that you cannot hold a conversation during the activity. You should always warm up and cool down before and after exercising with activities like light walking and stretching. If you are just getting started, remember that even small increases in physical activity have a beneficial effect not only on your blood pressure but on many other aspects of your health as well.

There are many reasons that people are motivated to exercise, weight loss and contributing medical health factors are at the top of the list. Short burst training is effective in helping people reach there fitness goals. Traditional training is also effective, but as I mentioned in my previous blog there is a time and place for each mode of exercise .

Benefits of Short-Burst Training

High intensity intervals are short which provide patients who are recovering from a cardiac event, pulmonary problems, cancer, or orthopedic surgery a option to exercise at a more conservative pace.
Greater improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
High density lipoproteins increase.
SBT is effective in stress reduction and achieving a positive mood state.
In a study published in the journal Circulation, SBT improved aerobic capacity and quality of life in patients who suffered from heart failure.

The possibilities are endless in working SBT into your exercise routine. What I would suggest is to pick your favorite cardiovascular, strengthening, flexibility and core exercises. Design your own program utilizing 60 second SBT followed by a four minute recovery incorporating recovery exercises. Mix it up and have fun!

Short burst interval training, a new twist on circuit training, uses a series of high-intensity short duration exercises with a lower intensity exercise such as walking, cycling or any other low activity mode of exercise you enjoy.

During a SBT session your goal is to go all out for 30-60 seconds before entering a recovery period with repeats of the high/low intensity intervals for the entire workout utilizing carbohydrate as a fuel source. By contrast a traditional endurance training program is designed to keep the body moving at a more moderate intensity for longer periods of time utilizing carbohydrate and fat for fuel. The benefits of traditional training include improved cardiovascular function, reduction of diabetes,high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and body fat.

Why SBT? Recent research is now suggesting a new theory that SBT is even more effective  in achieving the same goals as traditional training in a shorter period of time. As stated in my previous blog, traditional aerobic training may not improve the body’s efficiency at fat oxidation after an exercise session ceases. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that a SBT workout may increase the body’s efficiency at burning fuel even more effectively than a more moderate workout.

How do you decide which workout is best for you? I am a firm believer everyday is different. There are days that are jam packed with everything from carpool lines to corporate meetings and there are days life throws you a bone and you have the time for the nice long bike ride or run. Educating yourself on SBT gives you just one more choice in making time for fitness and one more reason not to make excuses.

Fitness professionals often purpose to clients the metabolic enhancing benefits of exercise long after the exercise session is over . A recent study published in the April issue of Exercise and Sports Review states that an exerciser can burn fat up to 24 hours after exercise may not be true.

The authors reviewed several studies and compared fat oxidation rates on exercise and non-exercise days. The mode of exercise was either  low  intensity cycling or high intensity cycling for less than an hour. The participants burned 400 calories during the exercise session. To the authors surprise, exercise had little effect on 24 hour post exercise fat oxidation. The authors went on to suggest that a more significant factor in fat oxidation is carbohydrate intake.” Ingesting as little as 60 grams of carbohydrate before exercise can reduce  fat oxidation during subsequent exercise.”

This study emphasizes the importance of  how diet effects our weight loss during exercise and after exercise. For those of us trying to lose those unwanted pounds a carbohydrate rich meal prior to exercise may not be the way to go.

The American Heart Association has recently established new dietary guidelines pertaining to sugar. American’s should drastically reduce the amount of sugar added at the table, during cooking, and food preparation. AHA  reported in a scientific statement ” added sweeteners-sugars not found naturally in food- should not account for more than 100 calories a day for women and150 for men”.

American’s current intake averages 22 teaspoons/day or 355 calories, mostly from soda and other sweetened beverages. A single can of soda contains about 8 teaspoons of sugar! Soda remains to be a major cause of childhood obesity and has replaced milk in many of our childrens diet, leading to vitamin D deficiency.Studies,although not conclusive, have reported added sugar may raise blood pressure, lipids,inflammation,and oxidative stress.

The AHA has recommended a reduction of dietary sugar intake since 2006, however this is the first time they have recommended a upper limit. With obesity and metabolic syndrome on the rise these recommendations are timely, let’s just hope the at risk population follows these recommendations.