Who doesn’t love a good Super Bowl party? I may not be rooting for the Giants or the Patriots this Sunday, but I still plan on tuning in for the excitement of getting together with friends for football and of course, Madonna. Along with the commercials, another highlight of a good Super Bowl party is the food. Typical football foods include an array of high-fat chips and dips, fat-laden fried…
Hello tweakfit.com followers. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays and a recent move to the beautiful island of Oahu, I am back with more tips to keep you all fit and fierce. As I am writing this post, I am in a hotel room in Honolulu, since the lease for my apartment does not begin until February. One of my biggest challenges over the past week has been…
An oft-forgotten benefit of exercise is its effects on bone health. As adults get older, bones become more brittle and develop pores. While women are more likely to develop osteoporosis, this condition is also common in men, as is osteoarthritis.
Interestingly, the worst thing you can do when you develop osteoarthritis or osteoporosis is to become less active. An abundance of research has demonstrated that resistance training is effective for…
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It’s been 2012 for almost three weeks. How are your New Year’s resolutions going so far? If you’re the type to use the New Year as an excuse to redefine your fitness goals, I imagine you’re still mostly on track. But if you haven’t been severely challenged yet, or haven’t thought about abandoning your resolution altogether, you likely will in the near future.
The one-month period is a critical measuring…
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Caffeine is that magical drug that wakes many of us up in the morning and keeps us alert late in the day. But did you know that this widely-consumed drug can also enhance your exercise performance? In fact, athletes have been using caffeine as a performance-enhancer for more than 30 years, and many nutritional supplements and beverages are effective primarily for their caffeine content. Caffeine is a stimulant, and is…
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If you’re seeking to get stronger, build muscle, reduce your risk of injury, improve your posture, or just generally feel better, weightlifting is an effective means to accomplish these goals. Sometimes walking into a gym for the first time can be overwhelming with so many machines and stations available. Here are some helpful tips to get you started, as well as a sample program you can follow in your first…
With the holidays upon us, I though I might reach out to Tweakfit readers, Santa Claus, and anyone else who might be listening and provide the top fitness-related products I’d love to have this year. Here’s my list, and why I know they will help me get in better shape this year.
1. Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Why: It’s really, really cool. With all the features of its predecessors, the 910…
Ever wonder why you seem to prefer those early morning runs, or tend to work out harder late at night? A recent review, published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, highlights yet another factor that can possibly be contributing to your ability to perform your best in the gym. A group of researchers from New Zealand believe that by understanding your body’s natural rhythms and response to light,…
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It’s a story I hear all the time… You’ve spent the entire day focusing on eating right- you started out the day strong with a balanced breakfast, packed a healthy lunch, even ate baby carrots for a mid-afternoon snack. You did everything right, then just around 9pm,the sure-tell cravings begin…and they aren’t cravings for more baby carrots or even sugar plums…you’ve got visions of sweets and carbs dancing in your…
Recent research (e.g., Willardson, 2007) highlights the numerous benefits of core stability training for a variety of outcomes. A strong core region takes pressure off the lumbar spine and can prevent injury to the lower back. Core stability training is becoming increasingly popular in sports conditioning programs as well, as it can improve the transfer of force between the upper and lower body. Core stability can also promote better balance,…
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Gyms are great. I love putting on gym clothes, walking to my car, driving 20 minutes, finding a parking sport, doing 30 minutes of cardio, performing a weightlifting circuit, and then heading back out in the cold to drive home again (it’s really cold where I live right now). Since I have so much time to kill in my life, I try to take a one hour workout and turn…
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A quick internet search of weight loss programs will provide more information on the subject than any normal human being could possibly digest. From low-carb diets, protein-based diets, rotating carbohydrate intake, and popular weight-loss programs such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and Nutrisystem, you won’t have any trouble finding sites that claim they’ve discovered the secret to losing weight.
I’ve written about some of these diets in other posts, but…
Some days an extra ten minutes on the snooze button is enough to leave me running around flustered trying to get out the door in the morning. However I always make it a priority to make sure I have a lunch cooler filled with nutritious and filling foods to get me through the day at work. The key to healthy eating is planning ahead, but we have all encountered the…
Protein bars can be a great snack or meal substitute for people trying to lean up and lose belly fat. Although most bars will be a good source of protein, some can also be packed with calories, contain little fiber, and as much sugar as a candy bar. Below I have compared several different common protein bars to help you find the best fit for you. Take my advice, reading…
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An increasing body of research (e.g., Karp et al., 2006; Pritchett et al., 2009) is supporting the effects of chocolate milk as an effective post-workout beverage. One group of researchers from Indiana University investigated the effects of drinking chocolate milk following a workout in a group of elite cyclists. Following a series of interval workouts, one group of athletes consumed servings of chocolate milk while a control consumed another commercial…
As a Registered Dietitian, one of the questions I hear often is concerning Vitamin D. How much Vitamin D is too much? Where do I get it? Why is it important? Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin” is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes in several forms. One of the largest roles Vitamin D plays in the human body is in calcium metabolism. Maintenance of blood calcium is vital…
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While women and men tend to differ in body size and composition, as well as hormonal characteristics, they do not differ in measures of relative strength, nor do they differ in their responses to exercise. The same weight loss principles, therefore, apply to both sexes.
Is There a “Best Weight Loss Program?”
Much debate exists regarding the best weight loss programs. Advocates of Atkins, Paleo, Ideal Protein, and other low-carb…
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Dietary fiber is one of the most important components of a healthy diet. Fiber, a carbohydrate that enters the large intestine undigested, helps control weight, and people who consume high fiber diets tend to weigh less than those with low fiber diets. Along with weight control, studies show fiber can also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, colon cancer and Type 2 Diabetes.
There are two different kinds of…
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In order to reduce body fat, you should steer clear of a number of foods. Two categories of foods, in particular, can have a particularly adverse effect on body fat: most white foods and foods high in sugar — especially fructose. White-colored foods are often high in the carbohydrates starch and sugar. Carbohydrates are an essential component of a healthy diet, but many people are not active enough to burn…
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Fat-free, low-fat, part-skim, trans-fat free- huh?? With more options at the grocery store these days then stars in the sky, it’s often hard to distinguish the best choices when it comes to fat in your diet. Although fat has gotten a bad reputation among the major macronutrients, rest assured that including sufficient amounts of fat is your diet is not only o.k. to do, but it can also help you…
