WHAT ARE YOU REALLY HUNGRY FOR?

Okay, before you reach for that chocolate or that danish pastry....stop and think about it for a second. Are you truly hungry? Chances are if you can't put your finger on what you really want, what that craving is really for, maybe you aren't really hungry for food after all. I know, I know... you may not want to really think about this, but you don't have to be a slave to this type of emotional eating. Could it be it's your heart that needs some nourishment? Eating to fill an empty space in your life or heart never really fixes anything. It just seems like a good idea at the time until eventually you can't buckle your pants or zip up your jeans and then on top of heartache you get depressed from the added pounds. It's a vicious cycle. Feelings of depression, disappointment, sadness, loneliness, and boredom often come disguised as hunger cravings. Next time you feel like grabbing a bowl of ice cream or a candy bar ask yourself, "What is making me feel empty right now? What am I missing or needing in my life? Will eating change this?" Try a warm bath or a massage or maybe light some candles and put on some music that you love to listen too. Consider learning a new hobby or taking a class to challenge your brain. Think about doing some volunteer work or read a book (to yourself or someone else). Go for a hike or take a walk outside. Plant flowers or a garden. You have options. Try filling your hungry heart with things that make you feel good instead of food that makes you feel bad. You might just realize that you've got a lot to be thankful for and even lose some weight in the process. Next time you get a craving, think about it and make sure you are feeding the proper hunger. No matter how good it may taste at the time, there is not enough food in the world to fill the hungry hole of an aching heart. But doing some random act of kindness for yourself or someone else is a great place to start. So tell me, what are you really hungry for?

Sweet Words of Wisdom from Nutritionist Karen

Question: Artificial or the real thing? Sweetening that is. As in, should I be using that Splenda, Nutrasweet, etc., in my coffee and tea so long as it's in moderation? Or is it better to just use sugar? I mean, is my left ear really going to fall off from 2-3 packets of artificial sweetener a day?

Answer: The golden question real sugar vs. artificial sweetener, which is better? If only this could be answered with a cut and dry answer. Sorry guys no can do, but I will give you a little food for thought (pun intended), and hopefully you can make your own healthy decision. Sugar has gotten a bad wrap from the "diet industry" here in the last 30 years. Where some of the concerns are absolutely valid, others have us running as far as possible from anything that contains sugar. Sugar is not the enemy. Excess sugar and lack of self-discipline and self-control are the problems. We can switch to nothing but artificial sweetener and still gain weight. How is that possible? Again, it falls into the moderation and self-control category. I try not to use the word "diet" when discussing the topic of weight loss with my clients. Diet to most people means short-term fix. Not the case when it comes to weight loss. Weight loss is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE!! There are no short-term fixes in this case. You can lose 5 lbs before Suzy Smith's wedding by avoiding all sugar and consuming nothing but things with artificial sweeteners. You will look great that day. But when Sunday comes and Suzy's on her honeymoon and all eating goes back to "normal" here comes those 5 lbs back and most likely 5 more. Now that being said, how do we make an educated decision on what to choose? Moderation is the key to all weight loss. If you can't drink your coffee without 1 tsp of sugar in the morning, then have the coffee with the sugar. If you only like oatmeal with a TBSP of brown sugar, eat it. Simple as that. Now, if you do have your sugar coffee and brown sugar oatmeal, learn to cut out the extra added sugar you may be eating in other foods. Become a label reader. Look for the added sugars in foods. We are a society that has gravitated to "Fat Free" yummies. While it looks good on the shelf, once you read the nutrition panel, it should probably go right back on the shelf. They are fat free of course, but to make up for that fat and make it taste good it is LOADED with added sugars. Here are a few numbers for you to consider. The World Health Organization recommends no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake from added sugars. That would mean 37 grams on a 1500 calorie-a-day plan, 40 grams on 1600 calories, 43 grams on 1700 calories, 45 grams on 1800 calories, 50 grams on 2000 calories and 64 grams on 2500 calories. Now let's take a look at some information on artificial sweeteners. Right now three common brands come to mind, Equal, Sweet n Low and Splenda. Sweet n Low has been around the longest and is 300 times sweeter than the real thing. Sweet n Low (or saccharin), which is commonly found nowadays in toothpaste and some diet soda, tends to have a bitter aftertaste. Next, there is Equal (or aspartame). Equal is 180 times sweeter than the real thing and leaves less of the bitter taste that Sweet n Low does. Finally, we have the new Splenda (or sucralose). Splenda is an amazing 600 times sweeter than sugar. That's why a little goes a long way with these products. Back in the 1970's we had a few little studies that were leading the general public to believe that saccharin was linked to the increased risk for cancer in rats. There have since been other studies that say that there is little evidence that this has caused problems for humans. There have been studies to show that some people do report headaches with the use of aspartame. So, if you are prone to headaches, you may want to avoid the little blue packets. Sucralose is pretty new, but there have been no negative reports out that I can find. According to the February issue of Women's Health, the FDA has established maximum intakes for sugar substitutes - a 150-lb person can take 8.5 packets of Sweet n Low, 87 packets of Equal, or 25 packets of Splenda daily with no adverse effects. So here you go guys, enough information to make an educated decision on your sweetener of choice. Just remember, whatever you choose, do it in moderation and all will be fine.

Karen Halter
AFTA Certified Personal Trainer
AFA Certified Sports Nutritionist

Now That's Stretching, The Truth

Recently at the gym I was talking to someone who asked me if I had seen this segment on the Today Show about fitness and stretching. They said that some (can't remember his name) trainer was on there and had said something about stretching being bad for you...something about studies showing that it wasn't beneficial and could even cause injury. Now, this caught me quite off guard, and I immediately thought that my friend must have misunderstood. When I got home that day, I went online and found that clip and watched for myself. Not only was my friend accurate with his recounting of what the trainer had said, but he was pretty much word for word right on the money. I really couldn't believe my ears. It is bad enough that stretching is one of the most ignored aspects of a fitness program as it is, but give that kind of information out and it is exactly the kind of excuse people will use to keep on ignoring it. While there may be certain times a person should not stretch (never stretch a cold muscle) and stretching may not be a cure-all for preventing injury or soreness as once thought, I believe that trainer spoke way out of context and should have really not said what he said. The last time I checked there are five, count them, five components of fitness. They include cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition, and last but not least flexibility. Cardio endurance is the ability to perform sustained physical activity such as walking, swimming, running, etc. Muscular strength and endurance are linked and are improved by using weight-bearing exercise such as weight lifting, resistance bands or machines, etc. The proportions of muscle, fat, and body water make up body composition. Now here is my point...and you knew I was trying to make one, didn't you? Flexibility is related to range of motion and is improved by gently and consistently stretching muscles and the connective tissues surrounding them. So, unless the ACSM or the powers that be have gone and decided that there are really only four components of fitness instead of five, I think I will continue to stretch and I will keep it as an important part of my routine personally and also for my clients. You should always do static (long, held stretches) as opposed to ballistic movements. You should hold the stretch for around 10-15 seconds or more and never stretch past the point of comfort or past the range of motion. Just stretch! It feels good and you have to do something between sets anyway, right?

JUMP-START YOUR SUCCESSFUL DAY WITH GRATITUDE!

This is the first thing I read this morning and it completely put me in my place and made me think hard. Hope it does the same for anyone reading this who may need a reminder of things they take for granted that they should be grateful for.

Are You Blessed? - Author Unknown

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States. (Mine are.)

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you prayed yesterday and today... you are in the minority because you believe God does hear and answer prayers.

If you can read this now, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Now, count your blessings and have a blessed day!

MORE Q&A

Question: Which is better, free weights or machines?

Answer: This is a really good question, to which I have a really good answer. My short answer is: Why choose between the two when you can have both? I really do believe that a mix is the best of both worlds. Just alternate them out and it's a win-win situation. But, you knew I couldn't just stop at the short answer, now didn't you? Hence, therefore, and thusly, I digress. I will try to keep this short, but you may want to grab a snack (a healthy one of course) just to be safe.

Here goes: Both forms of strength training have their pros and cons, so I will quickly touch on them here. Machines are great for novices, seniors, and recreational athletes because they provide a controlled motion and they specifically isolate certain muscle groups. For this same reason though, they also provide even the seasoned lifter with the option of going heavy without the need for a spotter. Free weights, on the other hand, require more balance and coordination and recruit more muscle groups than machines do, and research has shown that they promote quicker strength gains. Since free weights do require balance, they tend to induce the joint stabilizer muscles as well as the actual muscles used to perform the chosen exercise throughout its full range of motion, whereas a machine may restrict the range of motion and tends to isolate muscle groups more than many free weight exercises. Therefore, both modes have their place in a well-thought out routine. Of note: Free weights can require a spotter and may result in injury if you are not careful, so a PERSONAL TRAINER truly is a great investment if you want to take full advantage of your workout playground and learn proper and safe technique with free weights. Come on, you didn't expect me to get through this whole blog without tooting the personal trainer horn just a little, did you?

Now, there are several ways to alternate these fine exercise options. Let's use the chest press for example: One workout you may do a free weight chest press and then the next workout you could do a machine chest press. Or that same workout if you do a free weight chest press you may want to follow that with a machine chest fly. Another option would be to do a machine chest press and follow that with a free weight fly. Get the picture?

Of course, if you are working out at home then free weights may be more practical, but even then you may want to try a mix of tubing, free weights, Swiss ball, etc. Or even at home if you have a piece of equipment such as a Total Gym (excellent choice in my opinion) or a Bowflex (haven't tried one of those yet) you would still do well to incorporate some free weight work into your workout along with any of the other accessories I just mentioned. There are so many options out there that you really can get a good workout at home these days too. However, the plethora of choices a gym has to offer is the best way to ensure variety and an optimal workout. Plus, at the gym you have the added benefit of being with others of like mind and broadening your horizons with the likes of all us folks who just can't seem to get enough of the sound of clanking dumbbells and buzzing treadmills whilst swapping new ways of doing old exercises in the latest attempt to tweak our bodies into optimal health, or at the very least to try and lift our sagging butts and defy gravity just one more day. Let's face it: There is no magic pill, but the closest thing to the fountain of youth you will ever find truly is EXERCISE AND FITNESS. So, there you have it!! Now let's hit the gym and grab a dumbbell (and I'm not talking about your partner) and work that body! Happy lifting!!