Some of us enjoy going to the gym and have no problem spending at least 50 minutes exercising. There are others who have made weight training a part of their lives simply because they feel it is necessary for a healthy living plan. For some who find it difficult allotting time for the gym it may not be necessary to spend as many minutes as you think. A study done at Lehman College in the Bronx and reported in the August issue of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise offers some new information. The study involved 34 fit young men. All had experience in resistance training. They were divided into 3 groups. The first group spent 70 min. completing 5 reps of each exercise. The second group spent 40 min. finishing 3 sets and the last group spent 13 brisk minutes performing each exercise quickly and to the point of failure (physically unable to perform another repetition). After 8 weeks and 3 sessions a week all were tested. All three groups had gained the same amount of strength. The difference was in muscle size. Whatever your goal is, gaining muscle or just supporting the health of your bones, resistance training can have significant benefits regardless of the amount of time you spend at the gym.
Category: Nutritional Advice
Are we Born Lazy?
Few of us exercise regularly even though we have been told time and time again of its benefits. Are we meant to be physically inactive? Physiologists, psychologists and health practitioners have been baffled by the fact that even though a person has the best intentions of beginning an exercise routine how easily they can be swayed to do the opposite. To find out what was going on in our brain, scientists recruited 29 men and women who expressed a desire to be active and yet never were. All were fitted with caps containing electrodes. They were seated in front of a computer screen and given their own avatar. They had the choice of moving the avatar toward an action figure or one resting. Although most of them moved toward the action figure, their brain scans showed that it took more of an effort to do so. The results may relate to the fact the our ancestors would remain quiet and rested whenever they could so as to keep a reserve of energy when food was scarce. Our brains may still be predisposed to having us remain inactive. This, of course, is no excuse since we no longer have to hunt for our food.
A Common Thread…
There are two places in the world that have the longest living people. One is Okinawa, Japan and the other is on the island of Crete, Greece. Both cultures have similarities in their diets. Each has a large consumption of fish making their diet high in Omega 3’s and low in inflammation. At the same time the diet is low in red meat, processed sugar and preservatives. Both consume large amounts of green vegetables, the Greeks from the land and the Japanese from the sea. A good deal of their protein comes from nuts, grains and beans and their salt comes from the sea. Finally, portion control is a big part of eating. Also learning to leave the table when you are contented is a plus. This simple, basic way of eating it seems makes life a pleasure as well as resulting in a healthier lifestyle.
Bubble Gum Flavored Broccoli…
Would it be easier to get children to eat broccoli if it tasted like bubble gum? McDonald’s plan was to revolutionize healthy eating for children.
In 2014 sales were down for the company. Because of pressure to address the obesity problem in children, the chain decided to incorporate bubble gum flavoring to broccoli.
Instead the flavor did not come over big and simply confused the kids that participated as tasters.Maybe simply sticking to broccoli with garlic, olive oil and a little pasta might have been the way to go.