Sugar is the Enemy!

I’ve discovered the reason we all plateau when trying to loose weight is because of the large amounts of sugar we consume, without realizing its in most of the food we eat and drink. Highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora of microwave meals, it takes a conscious effort to avoid those foods by buying organic or natural foods instead.

The effects of sugar on the body are well known . When we take in too much sugar the body reacts almost violently trying to normalize the glucose levels that are spiking after eating too much sugar by raising insulin levels. This constant internal war on sugar wears down your vital organs and their ability to control glucose levels and in some people causes type II diabetes and a number of other deficiencies like cardio vascular disease and immune system weakness.

Since I’ve been trying to seriously loose weight around my middle, I can attest that eating foods with too much sugar is noticed that day by an increase in fat on my stomach!. Until recently, I never noticed it so quickly because I had too much fat on my waistline. But now that I’ve lost much of that fat, I can see immediately how bad I was that day. Its quite remarkable, the experts are right, when you eat sugar its immediately transformed to fat for storage.

The health dangers which ingesting sugar on an habitual basis creates are certain. Simple sugars have been observed to aggravate asthma, move mood swings, provoke personality changes, muster mental illness, nourish nervous disorders, etc… I encourage you to read more about the dangers of sugar intake and the forms in which it can be found. Sugar has many disguises and in any form as an additive is no good for our health.

There’s good news here; I know many ‘crave’ something sweet as dessert and I do also. However, here is the news; if you eat sugar you will want more. The ONLY way to reduce or eliminate the craving for sugar is to reduce or eliminate the consumption of sugar! Since I’ve cut back on sugar intake, I’ve notice a reduction in the old craving for sweets. I’m close to the point where I don’t even want any of those sugary items. That’s been a real help in getting my weight down to new lower levels.

So to recap, if your food ingredients list any form of sugar in the top 5, its no good for you. The less sugar you eat, the more weight you will loose and you will reduce your cravings for the sweetness.

Good luck to all.

Weekends Are Tough!

Last weekend, I went to visit my son & daughter-in-law. We had to go out of town so there was a hotel room involved. Also, since we were out of town lots of eating out and buffets too. The long & short of it was we had more food than I’ve been used to lately and as an observation, I saw my waist expand almost overnight! I can attest its true that sugar goes right to the mid section. Its so difficult to eat healthy when you are traveling. I think there should be a pill for travelers so they can cope. The damage was about 4 pounds over 3 days, that’s rough. Now I’ll be spending at least several days trying to recover.

On the bright side, I had a fun time with my family and I enjoyed the food. So I consider it a treat. So now I’m back at the gym working it off.

My calf strain is healing well. After a slow start, and I’m planning to play ball on Monday evening. Of course I will be gun shy trying to run bases but I have to give it a try. Maybe I won’t have to play both games.

Too Fast

I broke my rule during rehabilitating my injury. Darn, its somewhat of a setback. I’m now having some bruising and my ankle is swollen too. So I need to go back to step 1 and resume slower! My calf strain injury is something I have to respect.

Healing

My injury is recovering fast. I’ve started to rehab by doing some easy stretches. In order to get the injured muscle working again we have to stretch it back into working order. We must go easy at first and gradually, as we get stronger, add more resistance. Finally, we can start to resume normal training, all the while resisting the urge to go too far too fast.

Play Ball

I was asked to play on our company coed softball team, so I said sure, because my boss looked like he was almost begging me to play. How could I say no, especially since I’m trying to stay active. It turns out that I’m the oldest one on the team but I figured that I was in better shape than most because I workout at the gym and get my share of aerobic activity. As it turned out the first game was Monday evening and all the games played each Monday are double headers, but they are timed at 1 hour each.

My first mistake, as I found out later was not properly warming up. The previous day I worked out my legs in the gym and the muscles were tight from that. So The first game went well I played SS and made a lot of plays. I only got 1 at bat and didn’t get a chance to run the bases. I have to say we got our butts kicked all night by the other team, that’s why I only got 2 at bats the whole night. Towards the end of the second  game I hit a single and advanced to second base. The next batter hit and I took off running to third, but as soon as I started I felt a sharp pain in my right calf and it felt like somebody smacked it with a bat! I was hobbled and done running for a while. I ended up pitching the last inning because we didn’t have enough people for me to sit out. Wow, I experienced the worst pain that night and most of the next day than I can remember ever having before. On day 2 its now getting better, the pain is subsiding. I stretched my calf muscle to the point of tearing, it didn’t tear, so I think I will have a full recovery in a few days.

Lesson learned, do pre-game stretches and warmup before engaging in sports activities!

Blood Pressure Numbers

Many people don’t take seriously enough their BP numbers. Everyone should check their BP once in a while so they can see if its in a normal range. Almost all pharmacies have a BP checker you can use for free. The following info is provided to assist you with your evaluation. If it is higher than 140/90 than you should consider talking to a doctor about your options for lowering it. My BP was at or above 140/90 for many years before I decided to do something about it. Lowering BP is a combination of diet, exercise and or medication.

His team (Dr. Ilke Sipahi) reported the findings in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The two-year study of 274 patients found that those with an average blood pressure level above 140 mm Hg systolic or 90 mm Hg diastolic showed a significant increase in the amount of plaque in their arteries.

In contrast, patients with blood pressure levels between 120-139 systolic and 80-90 diastolic showed no change in the amount of plaque over the two years, while those with a systolic pressure of less than 120 and diastolic pressure of less than 80 actually showed signs of reversal of coronary disease.

Current recommendations advise keeping systolic pressure below 140 and diastolic pressure below 90, regardless of whether a patient has heart disease.

New Training Workout

While browsing the bodybuilding.com site I noticed a new workout plan. They call it the workout from hell the 666 method. The concept is do six sets of six reps with a 30 second rest then repeat for a total of six times. Then you move on to another exercise. I tried this routine doing opposing exercises working different parts of the body and trading off between sets. It worked me good and before long, I was sweating pretty hard. Before starting those I did 12 minutes of cardio to get warmed up. Now according to the plan I’m supposed to keep this up for six days a week until I either cry uncle or go on vacation. I’m going to try for a while and see how it goes. They also allow for one of the days as strictly cardio. That will be my spin class day on Monday. Spinning is great by the way and I will talk more about it soon.

Difficult To Make; New Habits Are…

I am writing today to make a point about changing your lifestyle to include new healthier habits. I was thinking about several things that we should all get used to doing, such as:

Getting 7 or 8 hours sleep is essential to being healthy. The body needs time to recover from a long day.

Drink plenty of water is what I usually read on the web sites. I drink more water than ever and it is practically all I drink during the day.

Eat smaller portions of food. My take is the average person eats 40 to 50% more than they should at most meals.

Skip the dessert except for special occaisions.

Cut way down on sugar intake in food and especially drinks.

Here today, gone tomorrow…

I just returned from a work related trip. Last Monday I found out a friend of many years and associate passed away on Sunday. It sure ruined my whole week along with everyone else’s week at the office. My friend was an avid and highly qualified diver and had a heart attack after helping another diver in trouble. I guess it was the stress or excitement of the action that contributed to his demise.

Last night was the service and many turned out to honor him. It was a beautiful tribute to a man who was well loved by many. It must be an ultimate peace, knowing you had such influence on so many. I will miss him very much, he was a good and kind man.

My Testimonial for Gold’s Gym

I joined Gold’s Gym in December 2003. I decided it was time to start getting fit. At the time I was about to turn 50 and I felt like I was 60. It seemed like something was seriously wrong, I had no energy I tired quickly with any exertion and I got easily depressed.

Over the years, I’ve tried the at home workouts and the TV exercise programs and various diets but none seemed to work for very long. Since joining Gold’s and working out regularly, 3-4 days a week, I’ve trimmed down my weight, started building muscle mass and I must say I’m in better shape than many 20 years younger. I intend to continue my program and enhance it with new techniques and better nutrition.  

I feel better than ever and now have more energy than ever before. Join a gym near you and use it! When I travel I try to get in some swimming at the pool and if there is a Gold’s nearby, I keep my workout plan in motion.

http://goldsgym.com