May 12, 2012 | Category: Fat Loss |  Losing weight is easy. Keeping it off is the real challenge. Most people do not successfully maintain their weight losses, and some individuals regain even more weight than they lost. Naturally, this is a discouraging scenario, and recent headlines which claim that being overweight or obese is primarily a genetic issue make it seem like there’s nothing you can do about it.
Before you succumb to the dubious doctrine of genetic pre-destination and give up on your weight loss goals, there are a couple of basic dieting principles that you should know about. These are not hard and fast rules, but if you’ve had trouble with weight loss in the past, then you may want to consider adopting a new approach.
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April 1, 2012 | Category: Miscellaneous | Ross Tucker from The Science of Sport posted an excellent article yesterday that highlights the polarization that has taken place among the debate on barefoot running. This phenomenon is not limited to the running community, of course, and I really appreciated how Ross compared the barefoot issue to all the paleo diet dogma that is currently being promoted. It’s not that barefoot or minimal running doesn’t profoundly benefit some runners. Likewise, some people are truly much better off when following a low-carb or even a no-starch diet. The problem arises when these positive experiences become the basis for what are portrayed as incontrovertible laws for all humankind.
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March 31, 2012 | Category: Nutrition |  If you like coffee, chances are fairly good that you don’t have to drink it alone. Over 2 billion cups are poured worldwide each day, according to the International Coffee Organization. In the United States, 2 out of 3 people drink coffee, and 1 out of every 4 U.S. residents consume more than 6 cups per day. Some just like the taste but for many, coffee is used to enhance mental alertness or even improve physical performance. As is typical of most other health and performance topics, there is a wide range of conflicting information available regarding coffee, and separating truth from fiction can be a daunting task. Can coffee really boost your performance? Are there any detrimental side effects to regular coffee intake, such as dehydration or excessive cortisol production? Does coffee provide any nutritional benefit at all, or should it >> Read full article
December 31, 2011 | Category: Miscellaneous | What have you learned in 2011? Hopefully, you know more now than you did one year ago. The real question is, how much of what you think you know is based on fact? Much of the information below will challenge some personal beliefs and popular opinions on health and fitness. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m not a status quo type of guy. I simply refuse to let other people do my thinking for me, and I’m not afraid to question anything. It’s amazing what you can learn when you’re willing to admit that you don’t already know everything. If that desire to uncover the truth is a quality you admire and share, then please stick around in 2012. Anyway, it was hard to limit this list to only 10 items (9 articles and 1 video), but here are my top choices for 2011:
1) Power Balance: >> Read full article
September 7, 2011 | Category: Nutrition | Are you drinking enough fluids? How much is enough? According to doctors, mothers and nutritionists everywhere, 8 to 13 glasses of water per day is absolutely essential for health and optimal function. If you exercise or participate in sports, then your trainer or coach may recommend drinking even more fluids before and after, as well as at regular 15-minute intervals during practice, training or competition. The emphasis is not merely on RE-hydration, but on PRE-hydration, the assumption being that any amount of dehydration is deleterious to performance and potentially dangerous to your health. I, too, shared this belief until I considered compelling reasons to question what is generally accepted as stock and standard protocol. It turns out that popular recommendations for fluid intake not only contradict what takes place during actual athletic performance, but may also introduce unnecessary health risks associated with overhydration.
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June 23, 2011 | Category: Running | There are more choices than ever before when it comes to running footwear, and toning shoes are among the recent trends that have gained in popularity. Do they really offer any benefit over traditional running shoes? Obviously, any company selling toning shoes will confidently state that to be the case. They stand to profit handsomely by convincing you, the consumer, that you will be better off with their product. Before you make any decisions, though, consider just a couple of the claims being made by the toning shoe proponents, and whether they stand up to even a basic level of scrutiny.
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February 28, 2011 | Category: Strength Training | In Part 2, we discussed how training volume and intensity may be manipulated to provide optimal strength gains. In order to realize those gains, sufficient recovery is also required and Part 3 will provide some general guidelines for nutrition and rest. Just because I’m presenting these topics last in the series doesn’t mean they are any less important. You can be doing everything right with your workouts, and then sabotage your progress with poor nutrition and/or insufficient rest.
5) Nutrition
Nutrition is a highly complex field, for sure, but the overall principle for losing, gaining, and maintaining weight is very simple. If you want to maintain your current weight, simply eat at caloric maintenance. Want to lose weight? Eat less and/or exercise more. Trying to put on some weight? Eat more and/or exercise less. This holds true irrespective of the macronutrient composition of your diet. For example, if you >> Read full article
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