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Misleading Nutrition Labels

6/29/2015

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Whenever you are grocery shopping, what basis do you use when purchasing items? Do you always base your choices on the nutrition labels of the products? Perhaps, you do so that it can guide you on which among your choices are much healthier. If you are among those health-conscious people, you may have done the same thing whenever you are grocery shopping. But, do these nutritional labels truly mean what it displays?

Even the most conscientious label-readers can be misled by what is written on these labels. And with all the marketing that companies do, you never know which label claims is really true.

There is one thing you need to know about these nutritional labels. Terms like all-natural or fat-free are now often slapped on food items even if the products may not be truly healthy at all. Hence, it becomes more important for consumers today to be aware of these hype and know how they can better smarter choices when grocery shopping.

All-Natural Label

All-natural products are a smart choice for food items. So when you see this on nutritional labels, you will instantly get the idea that the product is also a smart and healthy option. Do not be fooled since all-natural does not really mean that much. Instead, you need to be aware that food items labeled with natural may actually mean that it contains food preservatives or sodium-injected. There are some natural products that contain high level of fructose corn syrup. Companies manufacturing products containing this would claim that it is healthy since it came from corn. Again, do not be fooled.

Multi-grain Label

Crackers and bread are snack food items that will always be present in most consumer’s grocery list. And as a smart shopper, you will look for these items that are labeled multigrain. But no, you should not and instead, you need to look for products labeled with 100% whole wheat or whole grain. Whole grains contain more fiber together with other nutrients compared to those that are refined. Products that have been refined only means that it is already stripped away with the healthiest part of the grain.

No Sugar Added Label

It is only normal for people to be concerned about carbohydrates and calories. In result, you only purchase food items that come with a no sugar added label. But you need to be aware that even fruits, milk, vegetables and cereals naturally have sugar. Even those products labeled with no sugar added still contain ingredients such as maltodextrin, which is a carbohydrate. Carbs, as described are simple sugars or can also be more complex starches, which raises blood sugar. Therefore, the label no sugar added does not necessarily mean that food items are free of carbohydrates or calorie.

Sugar Free Label

Products with sugar free labels do not mean that it contain less calories than its regular version. In fact, these products may even contain more! Products that are labeled with this still contain about less than point five grams of sugar per serving. But these products may still contain carbohydrates and calories obtained from other similar sources. At most these food items have sugar alcohols, which can lead to diarrhea. Hence, it is suggested that you do not consume products with this in just one sitting.

There are more misleading nutritional labels people are always encountering in the supermarket. That is why it is so essential for you not just to be aware of it, but also to determine which truly the better choices among those products are.

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Metabolism: How It Is Related to Fitness and Age?

6/22/2015

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Metabolism is defined as the set of chemical reactions involved in sustaining the living state of the organism and the cells. It is an enzyme-catalyzed reaction which enables the organisms to reproduce and grow, sustain their structures, as well as respond to the environment.   It is divided in two categories: catabolism and anabolism. Catabolism refers to the breaking down of the organic matter  to harvest energy through cellular respiration and anabolism, which  refers to the synthesis of the needed compounds of the cells such as nucleic acids and proteins.

Metabolism is closely related to nutrition and the availability of nutrients. Bio-energetics describes the metabolic or biochemical pathways in which the cell obtains energy and the formation of energy is one of the essential components of metabolism.

The chemical reactions of metabolism are arranged into metabolic pathways, wherein a chemical is changed into another chemical through a sequence of enzymes. Enzymes are important in metabolism, since they enable organisms to initiate reactions that need energy, by coupling them to reactions which release energy. Enzymes serve as catalyst, which allow reactions to occur in rapid phase as well as regulating metabolic pathways due to changes in the environment of the cells.

The term metabolism also refers to the burning of calories to provide energy needed by your body. The three ways that can burn calories include:

  1. The resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is the 75% of the burned energy daily. RMR is the calories burned during rest.
  2. The thermic effect of food (TEF): This refers to the over 10% of the used energy every day.
  3. The physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE): This accounts to the burned energy while doing any activities or while working out.

The PAEE is affected by your activity every day. The more fitness activity you do, the more calories your burned. Increasing the calories you burned through PAEE is one way of speeding up your fitness. If you want to speed up your metabolism, you must do fitness activities that drain glucose instead of fatty acids. Any high-intensity workout will also increase metabolism for a longer time after doing fitness activities.

Does Metabolism Decrease with Age?

The gain of weight as we age is due to the decrease in the calories burned by our body. Low level of physically fitness activity plays an important role in the decreased in the expenditure of energy as well as decline in the metabolic rate due to age. Basal metabolic rate, which makes up 50-70% of TEE, decreases to 1-2% every year.  As the person gets old, his or her energy expenditure also decreases. The declined in the expenditure of energy is due to increase mass of fats and decreased mass of muscles.

In order to prevent  declined metabolic rate and age-related weight gain, you must integrate a fitness program including muscle building and strength training to have a stable muscle mass that is metabolically active, as well as cardiovascular physical activity to avoid increased mass of fats and  maintain a high level of burning energy.

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WHY WOMEN SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF GROWING “BIG”?

6/15/2015

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It is a well acknowledged fact that a superbly muscled male, with a toned body to boot, might be considered the very epitome of masculine physique, and is even perceived as such, by both male and female alike. Equally true is the fact that overly muscular bodied females lose much of their femininity not only in the eyes of males but also of fellow females. While these commonly held beliefs on either side of the gender divide cannot be doubted or found fault with, the tendency of women at times to overdo or over express their apprehensions, results in misplaced assumptions and insinuations.

The presence of muscles in the female body is not detrimental to their femininity nor takes away from their soft looks or glamor in any way. The world of tennis provides enough evidence of female players who not only have the muscles in adequate measure where they need it most to pursue their sports, but at the same time have the bodily wherewithal to walk down any ramp without batting an eyelid. Sometimes these players can even put paid to the efforts of professional models to steal the limelight in their presence.

 So coming back to the central question of why women should be afraid of growing big - meaning having more muscles on their bodies? As a general reply, substantiated with the examples narrated above, the answer pure and simply is that they need not be afraid at all. Having said that, one would, however, hasten to add that most normal females are really not going to grow that big, and the scientific reason for this is that most females do not have that much of testosterone in their bodies to make them look like a muscled guy after putting in the same amount of weight training and exercise.

 Another related point to bear in mind is the fact that females typically do develop muscles at about half the rate of men. This again further proves that a female should not be concerned about the thought that she may suddenly end up with Hercules type muscles just by getting into weight training. To further assuage the fears of females about getting “big” let it be said that it is a fact, and also well supported by statistics, for both men and women, the same general principles apply for weight training, namely: heavy lifting, a proper diet, and enough rest to prevent over straining.

 Summarizing therefore, any doubts and misconceptions in the common female’s mind about growing “big” and muscular and thereby losing femininity through weight training should be laid to rest. Also, any aspersions that a female needs special circumstances for her own training are a myth. Purely because a female trains in the same way as a male, does not mean she ends up looking like a muscular male. The general principles of training apply equally to both sexes, but the essential differentiators between the sexes is the levels of testosterone in their bodies. This being much lower amongst females tempers the development of muscles in them, and thereby forever crashing a myth amongst many about the fear of growing “big”.

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Foam roller and its benefits

6/8/2015

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Do you usually suffer from pain after jogging, working out, participating in any kind of sports or even after getting out of bed?. The road to health and fitness will seem long, winding and a difficult. If most days give you injuries instead of making you feel great, which is basically what workouts are supposed to offer in the first place, what could be the reason why you end up feeling terrible after your physical activity? Could it be because you forgot to warm up and cool down after each session? Or possibly, you just don’t realize yet what a foam roller can do to help you recover from your intense workouts.

Simple, light and undoubtedly inexpensive, the plain design of a foam roller may seem trivial. But the moment you used it for your specific exercise or for recovery work, you will be shocked to discover that the benefits that it offers actually stretch from here to eternity.

The foam roller is used for deep tissue massages as well as rehabilitation and strengthening exercises. For athletes, they mainly use the foam rollers for intensive work on the muscles.

However, it does not really matter if you are a professional athlete, ordinary fitness buff or just a regular Joe because the benefits of using foam roller are all yours to enjoy.

The foam roller can help maintain and stretch your long and smooth muscles. It can achieved through the treatment of your trigger points with the help of deep tissue massage. What’s the importance of long and smooth muscles? These muscles are the ones that allow your body to become resistant to the different injuries because the network of the fibrous tissues that run through your body will become stronger. Once you start using a foam roller it will allow improved mobility. Your muscles will no longer feel sore as they used to feel every time you go out for your regular run or when you work out. It will also become easier for you to train for different physical activities and you can also heal and recover faster with the help of a foam roller.

Why will you suffer through all the pain every time you work out when there is now a chance for you to push yourself to the limits with the use of a simple foam roller? With the help of the best foam rollers, you can now address your muscle pain, stretch your muscles, perform recovery exercises to help in achieving better muscle mobility and strength and remain as pain-free as possible. Use foam rollers today.

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June 08th, 2015

6/8/2015

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    Certified personal trainer Roy Hanson blogs about fitness tips, workout hacks, and healthy lifestyle advice

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