Jamcore Training Blog

So, you did it – you finally busted through that frustrating plateau, achieved a new personal best, or fit into those skinny jeans. That’s great, but the battle isn’t completely over – you’ve got to maintain your new physique. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done over the holiday season. Everyone complains about the binge-friendly family celebrations, calorie-laden holiday treats, and booze-heavy office parties, but it’s time to do something about it. This year, take control of your eating habits – and chances are, you’ll have an even more memorable holiday.

1. Stay active! Of course you’ll pack on a few pounds if you overindulge in homemade sweets and spend a ton of time in front of the tube. Yet tons of normally fit, active people fall prey to this cruel holiday tradition each year. Just because your routine is a bit different doesn’t give you an excuse to skip the gym. By setting a schedule – and sticking to it – you’re setting yourself up for success. With time off work, you may even be able to fit in MORE gym sessions. Go for a run while cooking a side dish, or while the prized Thanksgiving turkey roasts. Make a deal with yourself that you will squeeze in one hour of physical activity per day.
2. Involve the whole family. Visit a farm and chop down your own Christmas tree. You can start a new tradition and get exercise walking around and inspecting all the different pines. Take a weekend ski trip, or just visit the local ice rink. Even if your family members have health complications or problems that prevent them from partaking in more high-impact sports, you can always try to take a walk around the neighborhood (caroling, anyone?). After all, every little bit counts!
3. Track your calories. You may have to do some creative estimation with complicated recipes, but just keeping a simple log of everything you eat will help you stay aware of all the calories you’re consuming. Remember, the less aware you are, the more you eat. You can safeguard yourself from common ‘mindless eating’ habits by steering clear of nut or pretzel bowls, cookie trays, or cheese and cracker platters. Sit far away, and grab a big glass of water to stay hydrated and satiated.
4. Don’t deprive yourself of your favorites. When we restrict ourselves too much, we’re more likely to binge later. If you want a piece of Grandma’s famous pumpkin pie, by all means, go for it. It may be hard, but try to skip the whipped cream and ask for a smaller portion. Allow yourself to indulge your cravings, but do it in a conservative manner.
5. Don’t take a vacation from the scale. Be honest with yourself. Just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean your weight is. Instead of getting a big fat January surprise, weigh yourself each week and adjust your eating patterns accordingly. This way, when New Year’s rolls around, you won’t be making a resolution that has anything to do with weight loss!

Popularity: 98% [?]

By Dr. Sean Hashmi

We all know what a nuisance the common cold can be. For over 60 years people have thought that Vitamin C was a great defense. In fact, Vitamin C’s popularity in treating the common cold rose greatly in the 1970’s when the Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling stated its effectiveness based on an earlier trial. But the question remains that whether or not there is any evidence to support the efficacy of Vitamin C?

To answer this question, I turned to the Cochrane database. Their systematic review of thirty (yes thirty!!!) trials involving 11,350 participants showed that regular ingestion of Vitamin C had no effect on the common cold incidence in the general population. However, in a subgroup of 642 marathon runners, skiers, and soldiers on sub-arctic exercises had a reduction in the incidence of the common cold by almost 50%.

Bottom line is that for most people megadoses of Vitamin C is not beneficial for fighting the common cold.

Popularity: 94% [?]

We’ve discussed the benefits of raw food before, but I’d like to devote a little more time to the raw food movement. The push to eat all-natural, unprocessed, organic foods has taken hold of many dejected dieters. Unlike other fad diets, in which the weight piles back on the second you stop dieting, the raw food diet is a movement and a lifestyle change.

Proponents of raw food assert that the enzymes found in natural, uncooked foods stimulate digestion and prevent chronic and neurodegenerative disease. Critics nag that medical research hasn’t yet offered definitive proof of prevention, but it’s undeniable that a raw diet is full of healthy nutrition choices and benefits for the body. Raw foodists eat at least 75% of living or raw food. The goal is to consume a diet composed entirely of uncooked, unprocessed, natural food. While organic foods are prized for their low amounts of pesticides, they are not a required element of a raw food diet, just a recommended component. Health benefits can include higher energy levels, weight loss, and a more resistant immune system.

Popularity: 95% [?]

The next time you’re desperately trying a new diet or attempting to quench a craving with a quirky trick, remember this: no matter what lengths you go to in order to lead a healthy lifestyle, there’s always someone who’s even crazier than you. Food for thought:

• Julia Roberts eats on only blue plates in her home. Research has demonstrated that the color blue is an appetite suppressant.
• Katherine Heigl has recently lost nearly 15 pounds by using her latest diet tool – cigarettes. For lunch, Katherine dines on a small salad and a couple of cigs. Is being a few pounds lighter really worth it?
• Alicia Silverstone has actually trained her dog to bark every time she enters her kitchen. She believes this helps to prevent unnecessary snacking. Pavlov would be thrilled.

Popularity: 93% [?]

By Basheerah Ahmed

The greatest health risk affecting America’s children today is not a horrible disease such as Cancer or Leukemia. It is actually an illness that is almost 100% preventable; it is Obesity. The number of overweight children in the United States has risen dramatically since the early 1960s. In 1960 the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that out of children ages 6-11, 4% were overweight, and out of children ages 12-19, 5% were overweight. In 2000, the same survey reported that children age 6-11, were 15.3% overweight, and in the 12-19 age range, 15.5% were overweight (Irwin, Symons, & Kerr).

The increasing percentage of youth who are becoming overweight or obese has become a dangerous epidemic in America. Many illnesses associated with Obesity, and previously only applicable to adults, are being seen in very young children. For the first time in history, because of overweight and obesity, today’s young people may live shorter lives than their parents.

The 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health stated that physical activity is vitally important in reducing chronic diseases such as Obesity. Physical Education programs do not only provide children with physical activity, but also provide the skills and knowledge necessary to continue an active lifestyle through adulthood. There are many problems with the traditional models of physical education, and better quality programs are desperately needed in order to make a significant impact on the Childhood Obesity epidemic.

The ever increasing levels of Childhood Obesity and related diseases are an issue that has the attention of health and physical activity groups, and government alike. Many of these institutions agree that quality physical education can be the most powerful weapon available in the fight against youth obesity.

Popularity: 94% [?]

By Lauren Showers

Virtually everyone has something they would like to improve on whether it’s their diet, endurance, or even public speaking skills. Most improvements in our life require discipline, which takes us out of our comfort zone and into a new way of doing things. As the saying goes, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

We have all been there, a spark of inspiration occurs, a rush of motivation, and we are determined. In our minds at that moment, there is no turning back. Tomorrow, we will start our more focused, driven, and goal oriented lifestyle. How quickly that energy fades and we soon find ourselves back in old habits feeling a sense of failure once more, awaiting the next surge of enthusiasm.

As a personal trainer, I see many of my clients ride this very roller coaster. The problem is that many of us rely on the emotional drive of motivation to keep us going. The reality is that life is unpredictable and situations we come across can sap our energy and emotional “oomph”. As a fitness motivator, I strongly understand how motivation can only take you so far. While it is essential in the beginning to have an intrinsic motivation to accomplish your personal goal, it is not the only piece of the puzzle. It is the consistency in discipline that will manifest the results you are looking for.

“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun (3x U.S. Olympic Champion)

The challenges of consistency are plenty and so we must prepare for the battle by becoming aware the obstacles ahead. The first problem in the art of consistency is our ability to be kings and queens of excuses. If your goal is to lose weight through eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, don’t allow yourself to say it’s okay to skip out on your morning cardio because you are “too tired this morning”, or “you’ll do more tomorrow” or “it won’t happen again”. This type of deception will lead to more exceptions in the future despite any self-assurance otherwise. Whenever actions are performed, tendencies are reinforced. Then they are nurtured into full-blown habits. Keeping our actions on track with our goal is essential for them to become healthy habits that will lead us straight to success. There are no excuses!

Another issue is self-deception. Lying to yourself, whether stretching or twisting the truth, distorts your grasp on the reality of your goal. Being able to realize your weaknesses and admit to them is important when making a lifestyle change. For example: If your weakness is social events where the treats are free and plentiful, you must prepare to either eat a healthy meal before going so you are not tempted to indulge, or take along a healthy dish that you know is safe and will allow you to socially eat with your friends. Being aware of your weaknesses and temptations will help you prepare a strategy of resistance.

The third obstacle is the deep belief that your goal has importance. Who would work hard for something that is not important? If you don’t have a deep-rooted understanding of why you want to accomplish your goal, it is likely to get lost in the chaos of life and forgotten. Something that is truly important takes precedence over other things when a decision must be made. When that piece of birthday cake gets passed your way you will know that your fitness goal is more important than your taste buds; the decision will be simple. You’ll pass on the sugar rush and opt for the veggie platter with a smile.

Every person holds the potential to succeed and be great at whatever his or her life mission may be. However, in order to unlock that potential an everyday decision must be made to continue down the path towards achieving that goal. It is an ongoing process towards success and it requires consistent focused energy and zeal. So find that passion and determination inside of you, somewhere that the ever changing circumstances of life cannot touch. Go back to that place every day and refocus your energies with an unwavering mind and you are on your way to amazing victory at whatever you put your mind to.

Popularity: 25% [?]

As you all know, after we have engaged in high-intensity physical exercise our muscles are all but depleted of glycogen. Glycogen is typically the primary stored fuel source we use to push us through these workouts and also aid in our recovery so we can repeat our efforts next time. New research recorded recently has shown that athletes who ingested caffeine combined with their post workout carbohydrate drink had 66% more glycogen in the muscles up to four hours after finishing exercise than those who consumed a carbohydrate drink alone.

In order for us to be ready for the next workout, ‘re-fueling’ is paramount. However, if we can store a little more fuel in our muscles it can only result in us being able to give more effort in our activities and for longer period of time. That being said, if we are able to increase glycogen uptake in the muscles this can do absolutely no harm in our goals to increase muscle size long term either.

The study was done with seven well trained cyclists in a double blind setting, meaning neither the researchers nor the test subjects knew what they were ingesting (However they were prepared before hand into 2 regimens {carbs/caffeine and just carbs}). To ensure that the end results were fair and more apparent, the cyclists engaged in a stationary cycling session until exhaustion and then were only allowed to have a low carbohydrate meal afterward and nothing more until the next day prior to the actual test. This way all seven subjects would have low levels of glycogen.

After the completion of the second stationary cycling session, they then took either the carbohydrate/caffeine drink or the carbohydrate drink alone. Then during the rest time, muscle biopsies and blood tests were conducted to measure the amount of glycogen in the muscle, glucose, insulin, glucose regulating metabolites.

The sessions were then repeated 7-10 days later, only this time the athletes swapped the type of drink they consumed. (Regimens swapped).

It’s unknown how caffeine affects the uptake of glycogen into muscle but they believe it has something to do with possibility that caffeine may increase the activity of several signalling enzymes, including the calcium-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase B (also called Akt), which have roles in muscle glucose uptake during and after exercise.

Now the dosages used in the athletes tested were around 8mg per kilogram of bodyweight (125ml of filter coffee has between 60-100 mg of caffeine) which for some of us who are hypersensitive to caffeine could be a little too much. It should be stressed that you should apply caution if trying this for yourself and observe the implications surrounding stimulant usage. Maybe start off with lesser amounts and build this up as there are no indications to suggest that a lesser amount would have a lesser effect at this point.

Popularity: 21% [?]

We’ve talked before about how salads purchased in restaurants or at the drive-through are rarely what they appear to be, but I was shocked when I saw the cold, hard numbers. In the latest Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine review of fast-food and sandwich chain salads, only TWO out of 34 sampled salads checked out and received full marks on a five-star nutritional scale for fiber content and low saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calorie levels.

Some dishes, like McDonald’s Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad, pack an even nastier nutritional punch. This salad actually has more fat and calories than a Big Mac. In fact, the results were so stark that researchers explained that consuming many of the salad offerings at fast food chains is equivalent to eating a burger without the bun, dipped in fatty salad dressing.

HALF of the salads in the study were given a 1-star “Unacceptable” ranking. Some of the reasons they received this rating were for massive fat quantities (many were in the 30-40 gram range, with a few offerings topping the 50 gram mark) as well as absurd saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol levels. The PCRM lamented the fact that the salads relied on cheap, high-calorie, high-sodium toppers such as cheese and meat instead of protein-rich, nutritious beans or healthful vegetables.

Some salads were salvage-able – that is to say, you can still order them, with modifications. For example, try one of Wendy’s salads without the calorie-dense, carb-laden crispy noodles, and substitute fat-free dressing instead of the loaded dressing that comes with the salad. Avoid cheese and meat-topped salads, like Subway’s Meatball monstrosity. The report also listed salads that are simply to be avoided at all costs, such as the previously-mentioned Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad or Taco Bell’s Taco Salad, which packs upwards of 800 calories. So before you opt for a salad next time you’re at a fast-food place, check the nutritional guide before you make any decisions. You could be buying something that’s actually worse than the more obvious culprits on the menu!

Popularity: 23% [?]

Most women hit the treadmill or elliptical to drop their pregnancy poundage. But Gwen Stefani’s not like most women. The rock star (and mom to sons Kingston, 2, and newborn Zuma) has taken up boxing to shed her baby weight. In addition to her busy parenting and professional schedule, Gwen works out three times per week with her personal trainer. She loves training exercises like speed bags and jumping rope. Gwen and husband Gavin Rossdale have been longtime fans of the sport – they’ve been spotted at high-profile Vegas boxing matches. And the celeb couple is in good company – fellow power duo Brangelina and superstars like Tiger Woods and Sylvester Stallone have also been known to frequent boxing matches. Now that Gwen’s taken up the fight herself, watch out – you don’t want to get in this busy mama’s way!

Popularity: 20% [?]

Hey parents! How do you make the time to work out while juggling life, work, and your kids? A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found that having kids made both men and women less likely to exercise. Though it’s intuitive that new mothers have less time to work out due to demanding infant feeding and sleeping schedules, new dads also must fight the battle of the bulge because of dwindling workout time. Although new fathers got about two hours more exercise, on average, than new mothers, the fathers’ workout time was cut in half after their children were born. New moms, on the other hand, lost approximately one-third of workout time.

Do you use a jogging stroller, take a swimming class with your toddler, or go for walks and runs with older children? Experts agree that the best way to combat the stress of new parenting is by continuing to get healthy, regular workouts whatever way you can. For example, although 30 minutes is recommended three to four times per week, if you can only get 10 minutes of uninterrupted time, work out for 10 minutes, then sneak another 10 later, and the final 10 minutes whenever you can. Three brief workouts is far preferable to zero workouts. As your kids age, one of the healthiest examples you can set for them is by making exercise a priority. So though you might need to cut back on computer time, play dates, or television viewing, remember that what you are doing is not only in your best interest – it’s in the best interest of your kids.

Popularity: 25% [?]