Archive for April, 2010

Cinnamon Burns off Fat?

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

A post about the potential benefits of Cinnamon and body fat

Ok, this spice that I’m going to mention is widely overlooked, but of the  
healthiest spices in the world…

 You might call it a “fat burning spice”… in a roundabout way.

 Yes, it can actually help you win the battle against abdominal fat if you use
it daily…let me explain why.

  So what is this miracle spice?

 Well… it’s good old tasty Cinnamon! cinammon

 Although cinnamon does not directly increase fat burning (such as by increasing
metabolic rate, etc), it CAN actually help you to burn off abdominal fat and get
leaner through an indirect link.

 Here’s how…

 Cinnamon has many health benefits, the main benefit that will help
you to get leaner is through it’s strong effect on controlling blood sugar levels in
your body.

 In a study published in 2003 in the medical journal Diabetes Care, groups were
split into people taking 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in capsule form
(the equivalent of approx 1/4th to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).

 The results of the study showed that all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting
blood glucose levels by 18-29% after 40 days.

 Cinnamon can also increase insulin sensitivity, which essentially means that it is
helping your body to control blood sugar while simultaneously allowing your body
to produce less insulin.

 As you know, chronically high insulin levels can make your body pack on the body fat.

 One of the best ways to benefit from cinnamon to lose more fat is to use cinnamon daily in your meals when you can, such as in yogurt or cottage cheese, in
smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else you can think of where it would go well.

 Also, you could use a cinnamon capsule before each of your meals.

 This could help to control blood sugar and insulin response from your meals and
thereby control your appetite and cravings throughout the day… hence, helping
you to lose body fat more effectively over time.

 So now you can see that not only is cinnamon a powerful antioxidant that can
help you stay youthful longer, it can also help you to control blood sugar and get
a leaner body!

 It also assists to:

*controls blood sugar levels

*helps maintain insulin sensitivity

*a powerful antioxidant

 Note: please make sure to consult your doctor before adding any new foods or
spices to your nutrition plan if you are taking any medications or have food allergies.

 Scott

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Posted in Nutrition | 77 Comments »

Women Over 40 – Fitness Secrets Part II

Monday, April 19th, 2010

SO WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING??

A combination of weights and cardiovascular all in the one session. Things like Boot Camps; Crossfit and circuit style classes are definitely the way to go.

SOME FACTS ABOUT DIETING

There are several truths about what you eat that applies to everyone:

The first thing is, going ‘on a diet’ is one of the most effective ways to GAIN weight!

 Lowering your calories excessively will result in a slower metabolism.  Eventually, this will lead to more body fat, and for most women, a revolving cycle.  Making sure that your food intake is loaded up with nutritionally dense whole foods will multiply the results you will get from any workout regime you decide to use.

The second is, you cannot ‘out train poor nutritional choices’.

 What this means is, regardless of how hard you train, if your diet is poor, you simply will never get the results you want.
 The fact is, you will never actually see those muscles, or improve your trouble spots unless you make sound nutritional choices.

My TOP 3 nutritional tips are as follows:

1. Eat 5-6 small meals daily. This ensures that you never get too hungry and overeat. As well, your body knows that there is a steady supply of food coming in.  This will help boost your metabolism, which helps burn body fat.
2. Include protein with every meal. This will help to stabilize blood sugar and help to control your appetite.
3. Lower your intake of starchy carbs, and eat more fibrous carbs.  Steer clear of refined sugar.  Your mother was right.  Eat your veggies!  Eat breads and pastas in moderation.  Never drink your calories. 

Fitness and fat loss is not rocket science, but it does take some will power, and the willingness to invest a small amount of time.

 These tactics are the latest and best practices available in the fitness industry.  I’ve done my homework, practice what I preach, and I’d like nothing more than share my passion for fitness to help you meet your goals as well.

Scott Williams

Australian Fitness Expert

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Facts on Protein Powder

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

proteinProtein exists in just about everything that moves and in almost any animal. Primary dietary protein sources include fish, eggs, chicken, turkey, pork, beef, venison, and many other wild animals.

But which is the best source of protein? No protein powder will match what Mother Nature provides on earth.

Natural proteins like meat, eggs, fish e.t.c deliver more quality nutrients to your body than any protein powder ever will. Still, protein powders do have their place.

Science has come a long way in the development of protein supplements, including how they taste. Not so long ago, the best you could hope for with a protein shake was being able to swallow it at all!!! Now they actually taste very good. There are plenty of protein powders and meal replacement shakes on the market. The key is finding the best quality products with the highest level of bioavailability.

Your primary source of protein should be meat, fish, poultry, eggs and other seafood. The protein source should be organic and grass-fed, free-range or wild. These furnish the body with the highest quality protein, provided that they are not cooked, or cooked very lightly, because heat denatures protein (kills proteins).

Other sources include commercial meats, farm-raised fish, and other genetically modified organisms like soy. Protein also can be found in other foods like nuts, legumes, some veggies and certain grains. However, your best sources of protein for putting on muscle are organic meat and fish.

Protein shakes or meal replacements should be the last place you should look to fulfil your body’s protein requirements. Although they can be beneficial, remember, nothing beats Mother Nature’s proteins – not even a scientist-developed protein – for making you healthy and strong.

Protein supplements are particularly useful for vegans, vegetarians and non-meat eaters, as well as for people with problems digesting heavy proteins or whose lifestyle prevents them from consuming proteins during the day.

A protein drink or meal-replacement shake is a great morning meal for those get-up-and-go types who only are short on time but understand how important breakfast is to losing fat and gaining muscle.

 Breakfast is the most important meal of any healthy diet, so a quick protein shake is a must for people who just don’t have time to prepare a good breakfast.

The best quality protein powders or shakes are made from egg or whey.

Leave a comment below and let me know some of your favourite Protein Powders?

Scott Williams

Australian Fitness Expert

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Posted in Nutrition | 85 Comments »

Women Over 40 – Fitness Secrets Part I

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

A blog post for all those women over 40 who still want to look good

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A blog post for all those women over 40 who still want to look good.

Are you over 40? Feeling like it is too late? What’s a woman to do?

 Sadly there isn’t a ‘magic formula’, but there is hope.

While it isn’t possible to ‘spot reduce’, which means to lose fat from specific target areas, (unless you resort to surgical procedures) you can do exercises that will help tighten those TROUBLE SPOTS.  Then, if you lose body fat, your problem areas will also be affected, giving you the look that you desire.

I find that many women in their forties experience weight gain around their stomach and backsides, specifically; their tummies and behinds, resulting in a thicker waist and wider hips.

Here are a few ‘SECRETS’ that you can employ to tap into the fountain of youth.  I promise, you can feel better than you did in your thirties, look your best, and have energy to spare.

GET OFF THE TREADMILL!

Yes, that is right.  If all you do on a treadmill (or any cardio machine) is long, slow, monotonous sessions, stop it!
Your body (and maybe a few pieces of equipment) is all you need.

The key and the way forward is that you must replace your long slow cardio sessions with short high intensity interval training sessions.

PUSH YOUR WEIGHT AROUND!

To lose body fat, every woman MUST add some resistance training to their workout regime.

Your GOAL is to add some muscle to your body.  Muscle is an active, calorie burning tissue that helps keep your metabolism going strong. The main reason why many over 40’s are gaining weight while eating the same quantity of food is that they’ve lost some lean muscle mass generally due to a more sedentary lifestyle.

It’s a fallacy that our metabolism will slow down as we age, thus leading to that inevitable ‘middle age spread’ as we gain fat.

By adding muscle building exercises 3-4 times a week, you will hold onto the muscle that you had in your twenties and thirties.  In fact, if you work hard, you can even build a little extra.

This doesn’t mean that you need to join a gym or buy expensive equipment. No, don’t worry you are not going to get muscles all over your body. The female body simply isn’t capable of that unless you train very specifically with that goal in mind.

 Using basic things like your body weight as resistance is often more than enough weight, and you will achieve a beautifully feminine body shape.

Here is a list of BENEFITS that you’ll get from a combination of weights & cardio:

  • You will burn more fat doing a combination of both
  • You will change the shape of your body quicker
  • You will boost your metabolism by retaining or building more muscle
  • You will increase strength, becoming more functional
  • You will build strong bones which will combat osteoporosis
  • You will improve joint stability and reduce the risk of injury

 This can be accomplished with a few simple exercise programs. Look up your local Boot Camp or get a trainer with plenty of experience to write you a program or go online and get an online Personal Trainer and program written for yourself if you wish?? We can help you out here, simply email my office and we will get you hooked up: admin@succeed.com.au or stay tuned for the NEW ‘Succeed Body Overhaul Program’ that will be on sale real soon….

Scott Williams

CEO, Succeed Personal Training

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Posted in Fitness Articles | 84 Comments »