3 Tips To Boost Your Testosterone -- For Men Over 40 Only

Some great advice in this video from Mark Mcilyar. Most people don't even realise the connection between low testosterone and a health lifestyle allowing you to manage your weight. 

If you have had problems with low testosterone I would be interested to here how you got this under control? Leave a message in the comments below.

How To Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps!

This is all it takes, great watch! Even when things seem hard, you know who you are so stay true to yourself! 

"Change happens one step, one day and one action at a time"

Vitamin D Benefits: Weigh Less, Smile More!

Why getting your fill of Vitamin D can help you lose weight and improve your mood

As the moment of truth with your bathing suit inches closer, you might be cursing your sweet tooth for the belly bulge you can't seem to shed. But it could be what you're not eating that's actually responsible.

A 2000 study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that 77 percent of Americans are vitamin-D deficient. Numerous studies have shown D's crucial role in strengthening bones, fighting depression, and boosting immunity, but now, after decades of research and thousands of studies, experts may have finally proven that missing out on that one little letter could be a major factor in pushing the number on your scale higher and higher.

Heavy D, Slimmer You

Unlike most vitamins, D can be manufactured by your body, provided you're exposed to sunlight. But sunscreen—a must for preventing wrinkles and, of course, cancer—reduces your skin's ability to make D by 90 to 99 percent, depending on the level of SPF thoroughness of application. And even if you don't use sun protection (bad girl!), it's tough to catch the right rays. The sunlight you're most likely to get on a daily basis—in the early morning and late afternoon—is too weak to generate enough D. Not to mention that air pollution can filter out some of the UVB rays, so less of them are able to 
reach your skin at any time of day.

A far safer, saner, and more satisfying way to up your D level is to get more of the vitamin from your diet. A doctor can administer a simple blood test called 25-hydroxy vitamin D, or 25-OH D, which is the most reliable way to tell not only whether you are deficient but also how severe your deficiency is. And as you increase your consumption of D, your waistband could start to feel a whole lot looser. Every cell in your body needs D to function properly—including hated fat cells. Special receptors for D signal whether you should burn fat or simply store it; when D plugs into these receptors, it's like a key that revs your body's flab-melting mechanism.

Meanwhile, receptors in your brain need D to keep hunger and cravings in check, as well as to pump up levels of the mood-elevating chemical serotonin. (Good thing, since dieting often comes with a heaping side of crankiness.) D even optimizes your body's ability to absorb other important weight-loss nutrients, especially calcium. When your body lacks calcium, it can experience up to a fivefold increase in the fatty acid synthase, an enzyme that converts calories into fat. In a 2009 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, obese women who were put on a 15-week diet and took 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day lost six times more weight than women who followed the diet alone. The end result: By fueling your body with the D-rich nutrients it needs to get out of a fat-storage state and into a fat-burning one, you could potentially speed weight loss by up to 70 percent.

Here's more welcome news: To get enough D, it helps to snack. You may have heard that eating between meals is a weight-loss wrecker, but don't believe it. Snacking, when done properly, is actually one of the best ways to reduce cravings and stay focused on your slim-down goal. Right now, while the mercury's high and the sun is shining, you're probably less tempted by the heavy, carb-laden comfort foods that are so enticing midwinter anyway. So take advantage of that and choose from the following list of potent fat-melting foods. All are loaded with vitamin D and other nutrients that preserve muscle mass, turn up the heat on metabolism, and encourage your body to incinerate fat, not hang on to it.

Make sure your meals are heavy on D. Then add any two of these snacks each day to help you get the amount you need (around 600 IU in the summer months), plus a dose of the recommended 1,000 milligrams of calcium. 

Your Hunger D-fense
Here are a few tasty ways to up your intake of this essential vitamin.

1 D-fortified hard-boiled egg
(70 cal, 80 IU D, 27 mg calcium)

10 unsalted almonds plus 4 oz calcium-and D-fortified orange juice
(132 cal, 50 IU D, 209 mg calcium)

6 oz fat-free flavored yogurt
(80–100 cal, 80 IU D, 300 mg calcium)

1 medium tomato stuffed with 3 oz light canned tuna mixed with 1 Tbsp low-fat mayonnaise and 1 Tbsp chopped scallion
(138 cal, 154 IU D, 26 mg calcium)

16 oz iced cappuccino made with D-fortified nonfat milk
(80 cal, about 50–75 IU D, 150–250 mg calcium)

1/2 cup sugar-free, reduced-calorie banana pudding made with D-fortified nonfat milk
(70 cal, about 50 IU D, 150 mg calcium)

Orangetini: 2 oz D-fortified orange juice, 2 oz water, 1 oz vodka, 1/2 oz triple sec, 1/4 Tbsp grenadine, 1/4 Tbsp orange zest
(152 cal, 25 IU D, 92 mg calcium)

1/2 cup D-fortified cereal with 1/2 cup D-fortified milk and 1/4 cup blueberries
(139 cal, 117 IU D, 869 mg calcium)

3 oz canned wild salmon on 5 whole-grain crackers
(156 cal, 396 IU D, 235 mg calcium)

BY  ALISA BOWMAN

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/vitamin-d-weight-loss

Food Crimes - Worst Diet Fails!

This is something I hear all of the time and witnessed. Especially the Bulking excuses. Something  it seems that Slimming World are okay with!

It's not always easy, but if you want the results you have to be consistent. Food is such a big part of weight loss, training and results. Your only lying to yourself every one else knows the truth!!!!

Hack Your Life To Curb Sugar Cravings

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had an endless supply of willpower? No amount of temptation or distraction could throw us off course. Making a change in our habits would be as simple as deciding to do it. Unfortunately, this is not how human behavior works, which is evident by how hard it is for many of us to break bad habits, even when we understand the harm they are causing us.

One of the most prevalent bad habits affecting our health is sugar addiction. When people hear the word addiction, they think of chemical addictions like prescription pain killers, or behavioral addictions like gambling. But sugar addiction is just as serious an issue.Because of the ubiquity of sugar in our food supply, it is by far the most common addiction, even more than nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, or other drugs.

Bingeing on candy or slamming high-sugar energy drinks all day seems harmless compared to something like an opioid overdose. But even if your life is not in immediate danger, a chronic high-sugar diet will take its toll on your health, and can lead to serious conditions down the road. Besides just being a major impediment to achieving your physique and fitness goals, there is strong evidence linking excessive sugar intake with type 2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia, to name a few.

Willpower Is A Finite Resource

Once you get a taste for sugar, the cravings can become overwhelming. Resisting them becomes especially difficult when we see candy and junk food sold and advertised everywhere we go, and when so many of our foods have added sugar.

 

Relying on willpower alone requires huge amounts of mental energy, which is inevitably in low supply at the end of a long day or during stressful times. Instead, set yourself up for success by assuming that you won't be able to avoid sugar through sheer determination. Have a plan in place that will help you to stop, or at least diminish sugar cravings before they even start, so you don’t end up bingeing on Hershey bars and Sour Patch Kids when you get home from work (not that I would know anything about that!).

 

I divide these prevention strategies into three different categories:

 

1. Lifestyle factors
2. Meal choices
3. Nutritional supplements 

 

When deciding which of these strategies to implement, remember we are not trying to just eliminate a bad habit. We must replace a bad habit with a good one. For most of us, making small, sustainable changes will be more successful in the long run than trying to implement all of these strategies at once and becoming overwhelmed.

 

Get Consistent, Quality Sleep

One of the most important things you can do to prevent sugar cravings is get enough sleep every night. Sleep is when your body restores the brain and your neurotransmitter levels. When you don’t get enough sleep, you will be low on serotonin, the primary neurotransmitter responsible for a positive mood and overall feeling of well-being. Since carbohydrate consumption promotes the release of serotonin in the brain, you will naturally want to eat more carbs in order to balance your mood. Additionally, sleep deprivation also results in decreased levels of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, and increased levels of ghrelin, which is a hormone that increases appetite.

 

Good sleep hygiene will be key in your battle against sugar cravings. Here are the behaviors that are the most help for me:

 

• Turn off anything with a glowing screen an hour before I should be asleep.
• Use that hour to unwind by doing something not work related. I find reading fiction and listening to instrumental music (like jazz or classical) helps to prepare me for sleep.
• Have my schedule for the next day already planned out so that I’m not lying in bed thinking about what I need to do.

Allow Yourself a Cheat Meal

Cutting out sugar and excessive carbs is much easier if you know that you’ll be able to enjoy them from time to time. The use of a cheat meal (one meal, not an entire cheat day) is a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth but still stay on track with your diet. You will also increase your leptin levels which will decrease your feelings of hunger. The only two rules that I have for the cheat meal are to keep it to a one hour window of time, and make it the last meal of the day. As long as you stick to those, you can eat whatever you want.

 

If you want to get creative and keep things a bit healthier, I recommend making your cheat meal from scratch. That way you will know exactly what is in your food, and you can choose higher quality ingredients compared to what you will find in most stores or restaurants. This is especially useful if you want to enjoy your cheat meal but avoid allergens such as gluten or dairy. Pancakes, pizza, cornbread, brownies, and sweet potato fries are some of my favorite gluten free cheat meals.

 

Get Breakfast Right

Some people handle carbs and insulin differently than others. But in my experience, the best breakfast to give you energy and keep the carb cravings at bay throughout the day is one that is low in carbs, high in protein and fat, and includes a variety of nutrients.

The reason I don’t like a high carb/high protein/low fat breakfast (like egg whites and oatmeal) is because it can lead to a big spike in insulin and blood sugar. This can lead to reactive hypoglycemia, which results in low energy and hunger an hour or two later. Instead, I prefer a breakfast that is high in protein and fat, but low in carbs. This provides steady blood sugar levels and energy throughout the day because of the low glycemic load of those foods, which in turn keeps me from craving sugary junk foods.

 

High fat and high protein doesn’t mean that you are limited to bacon and eggs every morning. In fact, my ideal breakfast includes much more variety. I prefer to have a big salad with a variety of greens and veggies with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, along with a good source of protein, either mixed into the salad or eaten separately. The protein source could be eggs, but since eggs are such a common breakfast food, I like to mix it up. Foods like canned mackerel, herring, and ground beef patties require little to no prep time and are easily digestible in the morning.

 

Stick to Solid Meals Over Liquid Calories

Liquid meals like protein shakes and smoothies are convenient, but it is best to stick to solid meals if you are looking to stay more satisfied and keep your cravings at bay. Solid food takes longer to digest, is more satiating, and keeps your blood sugar stable for a longer period of time. Including a good balance of fats, protein, and fiber will keep you feeling satisfied and will keep your cravings down.

 

Hydration Is Key

Hydrate first thing in the morning. Drink a big glass of lemon or lime water as a habit to get the day started right. The lemon or lime juice will actually lower the glycemic index of your meal if you have it with food. It will also help prevent the temptation to drink a big glass of fruit juice. Add some good quality salt (e.g. Himalayan or Celtic salt) to improve hydration, especially if you are sweating a lot throughout the day.

Use Supplements Strategically 

Changing your lifestyle and overall eating habits will have a bigger impact in the long run on subduing your sugar cravings. That said, nutritional supplements are much easier to implement into your routine, so it can be a good first step when you are trying to limit your sugar intake. I have found the following supplements to be very effective and fast-acting to calm sugar cravings both in the short term and long term, depending on how they are used.

 

• Glycine: This amino acid has a sweet taste, which can help to satisfy you craving for sugar. More importantly, it has a strong effect on reducing your levels of cortisol, which will help you to fall asleep. And if you’re sleeping, you are not eating candy bars! You might notice that your dreams are more vivid as well, which I think of as a bonus. A 5-10g dose in your evening tea is good for most people, but take a smaller dose if you experience any nausea.
   
• Glutamine: This amino acid is an especially useful tool post workout. Even though glutamine is not a carbohydrate, it helps your body to efficiently replenish glycogen stores. The amount of glutamine you use post workout should be adjusted to the volume of training, meaning that the higher the volume of training on a given day, the more glutamine you should use. A good starting point would be to include 0.1g of glutamine per pound of body weight in your post workout protein shake, and increase from there if you feel like your recovery is lacking.
   
• Inositol: This supplement that can help you to manage carb cravings by balancing your neurotransmitter levels. It can reduce symptoms of depression, calm mood swings, reduce cravings associated with PMS, and improve sleep quality. Be conservative with your dosing when taking inositol. If you take too much in the evening, you might feel mentally foggy and sluggish the next day or have a bit of nausea. Start with 1/4tsp of powder before bed, and work your way up as necessary. If you wake up feeling unwell or your sleep is disrupted, you know that your dosage is likely too high.

 

It Gets Easier

The encouraging thing is that the longer you stay off sugar, the less cravings you will have. Feeling good on a day-to-day basis will eventually displace the temporary pleasure you get from sugar. You’ll even get to the point where you can enjoy a sweet treat once in a while without going overboard. Until you get there, make use of these tips and strategies to help you stay on the right track.

 

By : Javier Garza

http://breakingmuscle.co.uk/uk/fuel/hack-your-life-to-curb-sugar-cravings

How to Trick Your Brain to Create a New Healthy Habit

Have you ever started a diet or exercise program but didn't stick with it? If you're like millions of other people, you've set out with the best intentions but failed to keep the momentum going. Here's why relying on motivation and willpower doesn't work (and what works instead).

When you begin any new self-improvement program, your enthusiasm is high and you're motivated by the pleasure of what you want or the pain of what you don't want. But motivation naturally diminishes with time.

When your motivation wanes, you rely more on willpower. But no one has an endless supply of willpower. It's a resource that gets "used up." Every time you will yourself to do something that you don't really want to do, you use up some willpower. It's as if every temptation you pass up depletes your willpower reserve. By evening, you may find you have no willpower left. That's why most people blow their diet in the evening after eating healthy all day. If motivation and willpower aren't working for you, there's another way!

95% of our life is dictated by the subconscious mind, the part of our brain that runs our lives on autopilot. This is why you can do everything from brushing your teeth to driving a car without thinking about it. By consciously deciding to create a new habit, you can harness the power of your unconscious to create a new neural pathway. Once a new habit is established it becomes easy to do—motivation and willpower are no longer required.

Here are seven steps to turn any desired new activity into a habit. Once a habit is established, you'll find yourself doing it effortlessly. These techniques can be used for any habit you want to make or change—diet, exercise, meditation, stress reduction, sleep habits, etc.

Set Small Goals

Setting big goals is exciting but starting with small, boring goals is more likely to lead to success. A small goal, for example, would be to meditate for 10 minutes, or replace one unhealthy snack with raw veggies, or walk 15 minutes per day. Taking small actions tricks your brain. Your subconscious likes to be in control—it doesn't like change. A big change often sets up subconscious resistance, but you can sneak a small change by it.

Use Triggers

A trigger is something that leads you to automatically doing something else. Many smokers, for example, are often triggered to smoke after a meal. Use triggers to your advantage. If you commit to always meditating after breakfast, then after a few weeks you'll automatically think about meditating after your morning meal. Visual triggers work well, too. Laying your workout clothes on the bed in the morning will encourage you to work out when you get home from work.

Make it Convenient

The more difficult and time consuming it is to take an action, the less likely you will do it. This is why so many people who buy gym memberships drop out—it's just not that convenient. Get everything you need ready ahead of schedule so that when it is time to take action, you can, as Nike says, "Just Do It."

Make it Fun

If you don't enjoy doing something, you aren't going to stick with it. Find ways to make your lifestyle change as enjoyable as possible. Exercise with a friend, learn to cook healthy foods that are delicious, or find a meditation program that really resonates with you.

Don't Break the Chain

When Jerry Seinfeld was an unknown, he created the habit of writing new material daily using a wall calendar and a red marker. Every day that he managed to write, he would put a big red "X" on the calendar. He didn't want to see any blank days that "broke the chain." Use this technique for one month and you'll find your new habit will largely be formed.

By using these steps to create a habit, you're tricking your brain into creating a new neural pathway. Once the habit is formed, you can use it to serve as a gateway to bigger changes that can truly change your life. A journey of a thousand miles really does begin with a single step.

By : Deane Alban

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-trick-your-brain-to-create-a-new-healthy-habit-868231704

****Cold Weather Can Actually Help You Burn Calories****

It's one benefit of winter

This time of year is filled with opportunities to pack on extra pounds. Think Christmas cookies, eggnog, lazy days when your only exercise is shuffling from the couch to the fridge … you get the idea. But if you live in a cold-weather climate, you have at least one calorie-burning weapon in your holiday arsenal: that arctic blast that hits you when you step outside.

Yup, cold temperatures can boost calorie burn. We already knew this, thanks to recent studies on brown fat and the hormone irisin, both of which are involved in energy expenditure and are activated by involuntary muscle contractions—like shivering when the temperature drops.

But we love how the American Chemical Society spells out the science for us in this new video, and shows us exactly how the process goes down. It’s a great reminder of how hard our bodies are working beneath the surface, even when we’re barely moving a muscle.

To be clear, shivering on a ski lift or waiting on line outside a movie theater could never provide all the benefits of an actual heart-pounding, muscle-building workout—which can also, by the way, trigger brown fat to burn more calories. But at least we can take heart in knowing that it may help—even in the tiniest way—keep off some of that dreaded winter weight.

• By Amanda MacMillan / Health.com
  
  http://time.com/4617607/cold-weather-calorie-burn/

3 Fat Burning Foods to Eat at Your Desk

No one can afford not to know this information! 3 essential ways of staying full, beating this bad snack cravings at work and also burning body fat all at the same time. That is what I call winning.

2 Weeks Slim Waist Transformation: How to get a flat stomach fast

Frank Medrano - Calisthenics for beginners

Its quite rare for the calisthenic authorities to talk or explain things to the beginners. Often this leaves a lot of inspired individuals looking at these workouts thinking "I want to be able to do that" however very few complete zero to hero systems exist. 

Using just the body weight has so many benefits for the body including; 

• Weight Loss
• Added Strength gains
• Lean Physique 
• Sustainable results 
• Boosting the naturally occurring dominant hormone
• Flexibility 
• Range of motion

The list goes on and on. Any serious about training should look to adopt these practices in to your routines, I am not saying give up what you do or love just add some new things in. If you have tried calisthenic training and never seen results id be interested to here your comments. 

Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose 10 to 15 Pounds in Just 10 days!

Do you need to lose weight fast for your special day? Is your dream vacation around the corner and you'd love to ‎enjoy it in your dream body?‎ But you'd also like to lose that weight in a healthy way so you don’t feel sick and washed out? Then welcome to the 10-day green smoothie cleanse! This evidence-based cleanse program will help you lose 10 to 15 pounds and improve your health in just 10 days!

Wondering how this cleanse works? Well, it revolves around healing using REAL foods –the 10 days of the cleanse involve enjoying three specially formulated DELICIOUS and filling fat burning green smoothies daily plus two healthy snacks‎. Doing so helps:
• The body get rid of accumulated toxins that can make it hard to lose weight and keep it off.
• Nourish the cells from the inside out.
• Rebalance hormone levels to promote weight loss.
• Reset the brain to help eradicate food cravings that can thwart weight loss.
• Optimize energy levels by healing the metabolism thus putting the body in a fat burning mode.

The above, in addition to the simplicity of this program, is what makes it revolutionary and unique. The best part is that all these facts are based on scientific literature. The cleanse guide also provides:
• A master formula to create the perfect filling and FAT-BURNING smoothie.
• Tips on how to deal with unplanned events.
• A list of proven health benefits of green leafy vegetables.
• Details about the six foods that need to be avoided for optimal health and rapid weight loss.
• A thorough explanation about why blending is way healthier than juicing.
• A list of scrumptious meal recipes and snack ideas.
• Tips on how to optimize the cleanse, save time when making smoothies and how to blend the perfect smoothie.
• Suggestions on how to safely modify the green smoothie recipes to suit individual preferences.
• Tips on how to maintain the lost weight as well as factors that can cause weight fluctuations.
• Unique advice on how to choose the best protein powders out there and how to add them to the smoothies for those who are highly active and need more protein.
• And much, much more!

There is ZERO guesswork involved in this 10-day cleanse– everything is laid out in a very simple ‘start with this, then do that’ set of advice. Once the program is purchased, the user gets instant access to step-by-step instructional videos, printable shopping list and delicious recipes, as well as the PDF manual to guide you through the entire program.Worried that this program will break the bank? Don’t be: the ingredients required in the smoothie recipes are easily affordable and widely available – you won’t need to go on a safari to find the ingredients needed during the 10-day cleanse.

o lose more than 10 pounds? The cleanse also offers a 30 day challenge which consists of three 10-day cleanses and three to five days of rest in between each cleanse. If the challenge sounds daunting, you also have the possibility to try the modified daily cleanse plan during which one of the three green smoothies is replaced by a solid meal.

All the recipes are gluten-free and vegan and the smoothies can be consumed by everyone irrespective of age, ethnicity or amount of excess weight to lose. However, you may still want to get the green lights from your health care provider before starting this cleanse. Moreover, we do not recommend that you start the cleanse if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

For way less than you'd spend on a dietitian or personal trainer, you can download the complete 10-day green smoothie cleanse that has the potential to completely change your life. Pay only $47 today for immediate access to the program and, if for whatever reason you are not completely satisfied with the program within 60 days after purchase, simply ask customer service for a no-question-asked refund.

Top Fitness Trends for 2016: Does Your Favorite Make the List?

Is your favorite fitness routine falling flat or trending up? Based on a few surveys, I’ve got the “official” news on what’s hot and what’s not for 2016. 

First let’s get our semantics straight. This list is about trends, not fads. The difference being that a fad is a phenomenon that blows up quickly, lasts only for a short time, then, fades away. A trend is something that gains momentum and can create long-term impact in the way people think or behave. In other words, a trend is a “movement.”

The ACSM’s (American College of Sports Medicine) just released its annual “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2016,” in which nearly 3000 exercise pros predict what you’ll see in fitness next year. In anticipation of this report, I spoke with three colleagues at the IDEA World Conference earlier this year to see if their top picks were on the list. Sure enough, several of their predictions made the list. Are yours?

1. If you’re wearing it, you’re trending.  Wearable technology like fitness trackers, smart watches, heart-rate monitors and GPS enabled gadgets are the undisputed champs. Brett Klika, CEO of SpiderFitkids.com predicted this would be the #1 trend and he was right. Some industry analysts have predicted that the wearable technology market will approach $6 billion dollars by 2016. Wearables also include smart glasses, with a predicted $1.5 billion in sales (according to Juniper Research) and smart fabrics and interactive textiles, reaching sales approaching $2.6 billion by 2017, according to Global Industry Analysts, Inc. 

2. Do your workouts include push-ups, squat jumps, Burpees and pull-ups? Well done! You’re in the number 2 spot.  Body Weight Training is a back to basics, minimalist, no-gym-needed, approach to fitness. I’m a big proponent myself. My clients are probably sick of me telling them, “You’ll never pick up dumbbells that weigh as much as you do, so push your body weight instead.”

3. Do the words “Tabata,” or “Insanity” mean anything to you? If so, say hello to number 3, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). These workouts pack a powerful punch in minimal time and involve short bursts of high intensity activity followed by short periods of rest.

4. Still hitting the gym old school style to use their free weights and machines? Good ol’  Strength Training is still on trend hitting the list at number 4. Apparently everybody’s doing it.

5. Thinking of going pro? With the growing economy, the market for fitness professionals has become more crowded and more competitive. Therefore it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Hence number 5, the exponential growth of Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals.

6. Do you value one-on-one time rather than large group settings? You’re far from alone.  Personal Training ranks number 6 as more and more students are majoring in kinesiology, indicating that they have their sites set on entering the field. 

7. Do you prefer workouts that help you move better throughout your day? Functional Fitness uses strength training to improve balance, coordination, force, power, and endurance to enhance someone’s ability to perform activities they do in daily living.  Amy Dixon, National Creative Manager for Group Fitness at Equinox and IDEA Fitness Instructor of Year says the next step beyond functional fitness is “loaded movement training,” which includes moving the body in three dimensions and incorporates handheld props like ViPR, sandbells, kettlebells and dumbbells.

 8. Feeling like the fitness industry is just interested in marketing to the younger set? Not so.  Fitness Programs for Older Adults is number 8. The needs of baby boomers are high on the radar as retirees and older adults may have more discretionary moolah than younger generations. Therefore programs to keep mom and dad or grams and gramps healthy and active are on the rise. 

9. Surprise! People still want to workout and lose weight. Who knew? The 9th top trend in fitness goes to health and fitness professionals who provide a combination of Exercise and Weight Loss programs to help their clients shed the fluff. As we all know, you can’t out train a bad diet and, 80% (give or take) of weight loss depends on what or what doesn’t go in your mouth. Therefore, programs that incorporate nutrition and fitness routines make the list. 

10. Shut up and shivasana please! It seems there’s no stopping Yoga. With so many styles and methods from Power Yoga, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda and more, you can never get bored or plateau. Rooted in
ancient tradition, yoga is widely known for improving health and promoting relaxation. 

A few other notable trends making it to the top 20 include Outdoor Activities (#14) and Sport-Specific training (#15).  Krista Popowych, fitness & education consultant says she’s noticed a boom in training for obstacle course races like Tough Mudderand Spartan Race.

Wellness Coaching (#13) “integrates behavioral change science into health promotion, disease prevention, and rehabilitation programs.” Also known as Health Coaches, they provide support, guidance and motivation to clients either in a one-on-one setting, small group or remotely using technology or the phone. Klika says, “the ‘coaching’ industry has been exploding, for everything from business to behavior change and clients will be looking for professionals who can guide them thru a more holistic approach to wellness as opposed to just ‘looking good for summer’”.

Group personal training (#11) not surprisingly has made the list since 2007 (wasn’t there a recession in 2008?) and is a cost-effective way for people to get some of the benefits of having a private trainer. And, is a way for trainers to get to work with more clients that couldn’t otherwise afford it. 

Circuit Training (#18) because there’s so many ways to do it (think Barry’s Boot Camp and Curves) and Core Training (#19) because Abs. 

Also making the top 20 are Smart Phone Exercise Apps, Worksite Health Promotion, Outcome measurements (set a goal and be accountable!) and Flexibility / Foam-Rolling which can be used for warming up, cooling down, trigger points or just a DIY deep tissue massage for cheap.

Think the pro’s missed any trends? Chime in with your faves below!

Jill S. Brown 

Fitness Expert, Health Coach, Working on a start up & Co-Creator/Owner of a cool, suspension training product

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jill-s-brown/top-fitness-trends-for-20_b_8620856.html

Scientific Weight Loss Tips

What do you guys think? Simple and with over 5 million views tell me your opinions.

Cranky Fitness: Will Restricting Carbs Make You a "Fat-Burning Beast?"

So for years I've been intrigued by notion of "Fat Adaptation," a concept advanced by Mark's Daily Apple and others. The idea is that by strategically restricting carbohydrates, you can reprogram your body to use fat as fuel instead of glycogen.

According to Mark:

If you’re fat adapted, the genes associated with lipid metabolism will be upregulated in your skeletal muscles. You will essentially reprogram your body. 

With that comes great benefits!  Like more energy available during exercise and throughout the day, and an easier time burning fat and losing weight than if you are a "sugar burner."

However, most mainstream nutritional advice says almost the opposite: Watch the fat, eat more carbs. These experts claim you need a crapload of carbs for optimal nutrition, especially if you are doing something athletic.  

And yeah, everyone agrees you need protein and that you should avoid refined and processed foods as much as possible and you should be eating plenty of produce.  But as to what else you should be fueling with, the "Are Carbs Good or Are They Bad" debate rages on.

I got so tired of hearing the contradictions that I asked Tiffany Reiss what she thought.  As regulars may recall, Tiffany is a smarty-pants professor type who knows a lot about exercise physiology. (Her bio is below).

So, is her answer simple and straightforward?

Hell no! Because it turns out it's a complicated question!

So those of you who like to geek out, here's Tiffany take on the whole "Should I restrict Carbs" question.

--Crabby

To Carb or Not to Carb

It’s such a simple question: Are carbs good or are they bad? Should we eat them or shouldn’t we?

The answer is: Yes….and No. It depends. So what does it depend on? Genetics, muscle fiber type, activity level, activity type, gut microbes and age to name a few. For now I will just focus on the genetics of it all.

Genetics/Epigenetics

You are your genes, and your environment impacts your genes. We all have a genetic construct and everyone’s is slightly different.

But we now know that our environment influences our genes by turning some genes on and some genes off. It turns out both nature and nurture play roles in who we are and what we ultimately become.

What’s important is which genes are turned on and active, and that can be influenced by our environment. What constitutes our environment? Diet, activity, stress, smoking, exposure to chemicals, toxins, etc… Pretty much how and where you live your life. These are actually new fields of study called: Epigenetics and Nutragenomics. How our environment influences our genes (Epigenetics) and how what we consume influences our genes (Nutragenomics).

Now why is this important? Our bodies adapt. They are amazing machines that adapt pretty well to the myriad of environmental stimuli to which we expose them, if we have the genes that can adapt or turn on/off based on the environmental stimuli. Below is a good example of an adaptation:

Muscle Fiber Type/Activity Level/Activity Type

Your muscle fiber type is genetic. There are 2 basic types of muscle fiber tissue:

• Type I: endurance oriented and aerobic (long distance running, swimming, biking, yoga, etc….)
• Type II: strength/power oriented and anaerobic (resistance training, football, sprints, baseball, etc….)

You get the picture. Type 1 tissue dominates during long duration, lower intensity activity; Type II during short duration, high intensity activities.

Most people are a good combination of Type I and Type II and there are varying levels of isoforms that actually give us a broad spectrum or range of that muscle tissue based on the way we train or exercise. They may vary a bit one way or the other, say 55% Type I and 45% Type II, but the average individual is a good mixture.

Then there are individuals who are less balanced. One individual may be 75% Type I and 25% Type II or vice versa. They are predisposed to excel in a particular type of activity, whereas the more evenly balanced individuals will be good at both kinds of activities (and some sports like say soccer). More Type I than Type II will naturally excel at endurance oriented events. Switch it and you have a great linebacker, 100 m sprinter or running back in football. Of course, the percentages vary, but they influence our ability to gain muscle mass, efficiency in oxygen utilization at the cellular level, excel in different types of sports or activities.

But, coming back to the original question: muscle tissue composition will also dictate which substrate (carbs or fat) we like to use both at rest and during exercise.

In general, Type I muscle fiber tissue likes to burn fat as a fuel source when it is activated, and Type II likes to burn carbohydrate as a fuel source when it is activated.

So how can we tell the difference between Type I and Type II muscle fiber tissue, and what happens when we exercise?

Enzyme concentration and number of mitochondria are a piece of that puzzle. Type I has a lot more mitochondria…and you know what mitochondria do? Mitochondria help the cell utilize oxygen efficiently and the energy system that primarily can burn fat as a substrate is located within the mitochondria.

Type II muscle fiber on the other hand has way fewer mitochondria, doesn’t require oxygen to provide energy (hence their anaerobic nature) and have lots of enzymes to breakdown, you guessed it: glucose (or carbohydrate).

But what happens when say someone who happens to have more Type II muscle fiber tissue trains to run a marathon? This is where epigenetics comes into play. By training more aerobically, some of the Type II muscle tissue will start to become more like Type I muscle fiber tissue. Not all of it will convert and it won’t convert all the way but it will start adding mitochondria and fat burning enzymes while decreasing some of the factors associated with it being anaerobic. It will become more like Type I but to date there is no evidence it will become 100% Type I.

Now of course, muscle cells don’t just start adding more and larger mitochondria and fat burning enzymes, this has to initially happen at the genetic level. Once this individual stops training for the marathon, or completes it ideally and stops training for endurance, those genes will turn back off and back to the Type II muscle fiber tissue that is more, let’s say natural for that individual. This person, although well trained, will never be as efficient at endurance activities as the more Type I individual and there is some evidence, some people (up to 20% of the population) just don’t have the genes to convert at all. So regardless of all of the endurance training, they never increase the number or size of the mitochondria and can’t produce more enzymes for burning fat. 

Why is this important? Well, when engaging in lower intensity, longer duration activities (even sitting at your desk) our bodies prefer to burn fat, how much fat will depend on genetics and muscle fiber type. Burn more fat at rest and during exercise = ability to consume more fat throughout the day.

It makes sense that someone with more Type I muscle fiber tissue will likely burn fat more readily than someone with more Type II, even if they train for endurance oriented activities both at rest and during activity. Ironically, our brains (which actually suck up a lot of daily energy needs) prefer carbohydrates (glucose) as does Type II muscle fiber tissue. So individuals with more Type II, even at rest are likely not very efficient at burning fat and prefer glucose. Which means those individuals likely would do better consuming less fat and more carbohydrates (the good kind of course). 

Consumption of Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein

We adapt to our environment.  Some better than others.  We can up-regulate and down-regulate hormones and enzymes, change cellular structure (which changes efficiency of substrate utilization), all by changing our activity patterns (Epigenetics) and something else: what we consume (Nutragenomics).

So a logical question is “If I consume less carbohydrate and more fat (and protein) will my body adapt by becoming more efficient at utilizing that fat; will I then burn more fat?  Again, if the genetics allow for it, yes!  If not, not so much.

It’s important to remember here that both your brain and your muscle tissue use about 20% of your total daily energy needs respectively and for the muscle tissue that only increases when you are active. So ultimately what kind of muscle tissue you have, or can shift via training will play a role in your ability to burn fats and/or carbohydrates efficiently both at rest and during activity.

The real problem with carbohydrates seems to be the kinds of carbs we are consuming in the standard American diet.  Way too much sugar and processed carbohydrates and way too few vegetables, fruits and whole grains.   That however, is an entirely different post.

Dr. Tiffany Reiss is an an exercise physiologist and adjunct faculty member at Seattle University, Lake Washington Institute of Technology, American Public University and Walden University. She is also a contributor for the Sports and Fitness Network and the co-founder of TheHubEdu: A Learning Library.

What do you guys think about carbs?

By Tiffany Reiss; With a Long-Winded Intro by Crabby McSlacker

http://www.crankyfitness.com/2014/07/will-restricting-carbs-make-you-fat.html