Elite Physique

Sweetened to Death

Saw this great article/video on “Good Moring America” and thought it was relative to what we have been talking about, so we wanted to share it with you.

The average American consumes about 156 pounds (this is not a typo) of added sugar each year per capita, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

New study shows consuming processed foods with added sugar increases heart risk.

That’s troubling, especially when those statistics are coupled with the results of a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association which says there’s a significant correlation between dietary added sugars and an increased risk for diabetes, heart attack and stroke, “Good Morning America’s” medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard said this morning on the show.

Published this week, this is the first major study to look at sugar and blood fats. It found that added sugar has adverse effects on the level of blood fats and therefore, on the heart.   To see the full article and video follow this link: Good Morning America

Here is another great video from ABC News that shows the effect of sugar on your body: How sugar effects your body

Yours in health,

Colleen and John.

P.S.

Those that live in the Destin area look for Colleen  hosting a local health and fitness show on Cox local channel 2: Mon, Wed, Fri at 4:30 and 7:30pm, Tues 9:00am, Sat 9:30am, and Sun 5:00pm

Cox Channel 6: Tues 9:00am , Sat 4:30pm, and Sun 9:30am

It seems most of the emails we are receiving deal with confusion about nutrition.  With this in mind we wanted to attack some of these myths or wive’s tales if you will. Here are 3 common myths that we see all the time. These were taken from Spark People.com and if you would like to see more click on http://www.sparkpeople.com

Certain foods, like celery, have ‘negative’ calories:

Truth: The idea that there are negative calorie foods–foods that are so low in calories that simply digesting them burns more calories than they contain–is nothing more than wishful thinking. Certain low-calorie, water-rich foods like celery or cucumbers are often touted as negative-calorie foods. However, digesting and absorbing everything you eat each day uses just 10% of your total calorie intake each day (about 180 calories for someone who eats 1,800 calories per day). It is great to include low-calorie, high-fiber, and water-rich foods in your daily diet; these foods add nutrients, bulk, and volume to your diet, but they still contain calories and should always be included in your calorie count. No food is a “free” food. Eating too much of any food can cause weight gain or inhibit weight loss.

When going to a restaurant, the best choice for weight loss is usually a salad.

Truth: Salads can run the gamut of healthiness, depending on what is in them. Although that big bowl of greens may be packed full of antioxidants and fiber, it can also be laden with fat, cholesterol, and sodium–not to mention an overabundance of calories. Some restaurant salads can even contain more calories than a cheeseburger! That means ordering salad is no guarantee that you’re eating a healthy meal.

Bananas are so high in sugar that they cause weight gain.

Truth: One medium banana (approximately 7 inches long) provides 0 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 105 calories, and 27 grams of carbs—and it’s cheap. Those specs mean that bananas make great snacks, even for people with diabetes who need to follow special diets.   Why bananas are being called “fattening” or high in sugar compared with other fruits is a mystery. They do have a few more grams of carbohydrate than apples and oranges, but that does not mean they should be off-limits!

Thank you for being our loyal readers and we hope this helps.  Keep the great emails coming!

Yours in health,

John and Colleen.

P.S. Look for Colleen on the Ann Varnum Show on WTVY this Sunday, 4/18/10 at 9:30-10:30 central time.

In keeping with the grocery store theme of last week, we wanted to share this special report our partners over at Prograde just released.  I’ll bet you didn’t realize walking through your grocery store that these 4 items could send your metabolism soaring!  Let’s face it, we all need to take advantage of every option we can to keep our waist line under control, so if there are some foods that help, don’t you want to know about it?  Here is the introduction to the article, but to find out what these fat burning foods are you’ll have to click on the link below.  Enjoy!

REAL Slimming Secrets from the Supermarket:
“The Top 4”

Most of us don’t just want to lose “weight”. We want to lose body fat. This is what really concerns us, cosmetically speaking, at least.

Body fat, referred to by scientists as adipose tissue, is the stuff that can hide shapely, defined muscles from view, make your bikini fit awkwardly (or not at all), put rolls on your belly, and so on. To lose body fat and prevent it from finding you again, you must burn more of it than you store. When you achieve this scientists say you are in negative fat balance, and it can be a very positive thing. Indeed, if you stay in negative fat balance long enough, then you will unquestionably lose body fat.

The supermarket is a great place to go for things that can increase body fat. But it’s also home to some of nature’s most powerful tools for helping you lose it. In this exclusive report we reveal 4 natural “slimming secrets” that can immediately increase your calorie-burning rate, the first and most critical step toward achieving a negative fat balance and fitting into your swimsuit properly again.

4 Fat Burning Foods

Yours in Health,

Colleen & John Riddle

Time.  There never seems to be enough of it.  We get up, have a morning routine and we’re off to work.  We come home 9-10 hours later, and the after work routine begins.   Finally, exhausted, we climb into bed for, hopefully, a good night’s sleep.  The alarm wakes us in the morning, and we do it all over again!  Then, for a brief moment we get our heads above water, and WOW, it’s already March.

Where did the time go?  One of the unfortunate things about time is that it keeps on ticking whether you notice it or not. This brings us to this week’s email; finding that little time for yourself.  So take a deep breath and let’s focus on you for just a moment.  We always seem to fall to the bottom of our to-do list.  We maintain our homes because it’s an investment (well it use to be).  Same thing with your car; you change the oil, tires and then have it tuned up.  When does your body get a tune up? We say the time is NOW!

If you are going to achieve this it’s going to take a little planning on your part, but the “you” time will be more than worth it.  Here is a link to some tips on helping you plan your day: Managing Your Time.  Now, of course we would like you to take this new found time and exercise; your body will be very thankful.  With just 30 minutes a day you can spike your metabolism and burn calories.  Do this properly and you can burn calories all day.  Check out this link: Interval Training Well, we’ve helped you find some time and how to use it wisely.  There is only one thing left to do and that’s DO IT this part is up to you (just remember we are here to help you!)

Yours in health,

Colleen and John Riddle

P.S.

We also offer over the phone/online coaching to help keep you accountable and guide you to success!  Call or email for details.

As I lay in bed trying to go to sleep I started wondering, “What are we going to write about this week?”  Then it hit me, “What about the importance of sleep and how it affects our health?”  About 1/3 of our adult life should be spent sleeping.  According to the CDC, 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems.  Sleep deprivation can compromise our mood, work, and most importantly our health.  Studies have shown that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night are more prone to obesity and a high risk of cardiovascular disease, and even diabetes.  For most of us, the culprit is stress, but other factors such as lack of exercise, alcohol consumption and caffeine can also be problematic.

If you enjoy caffeine, stop your intake 4-6 hours before you plan on going to bed.  Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it affects your REM sleep (this is your most restorative sleep phase).  Exercise is the best medicine for relieving stress…sweat it out!  When all else fails, Mom was right, warm milk actually does help you fall asleep.  It has lactic acid in it which releases a chemical when warmed that triggers a natural sleep cycle.

Another way to combat sleep problems is through nutrition.  According to Lisa Tsakos, registered nutritionist with NaturallySavvy.com, foods that provide B vitamins promote wakefulness and improve your mood throughout the day while encouraging a restful sleep at night.  Whole grains, leafy greens, legumes, and lean meats are the best source of B vitamins.

Finally, try to go to bed by 10pm every night.  Making these small changes can help you sleep soundly through the night.

P.S

I hope you all enjoyed last week’s blog on preventing the flu with a healthy lifestyle.  This week, with the hint of Fall in the air, we are going to talk about spending some good, quality family-time outside.  It’s time to turn off the TVs, PlayStations, and other distractions, get out and enjoy the crisp air. It’s important to lead by example for your family.  If you make exercise a focal point, you are setting your children up for a successful healthy lifestyle in the future.

For us, this is one of the best times of the year for outdoor activities. We live in a wonderful place and there is plenty to do; most are even free.  The obvious ones are walking, biking, and hiking, but there is so much more.  Go to a park and throw a Frisbee. This is a great way to get the family moving while having fun (this is the key).  People tend to exercise more when they don’t know they are doing it.  Grayton Beach State Park is a great place to be outside. We rented a canoe there and had a blast and got a great upper body workout. YOLO boarding is another great workout while playing on the water. Here is there link http://www.yoloboard.com (let them know we sent you).  And if you don’t live by the beach, one of the best things about exercise is you can always find a place to do it if look hard enough. So as you can see what you do is irrelevant; it’s who you do it with. With a little planning, water, and snacks you can almost guarantee yourself a good time. So get your family out there and start moving and feel young again!  Exercise is contagious once your family gets a taste they’ll want more.  Let us know what some of your favorite outdoor activities include!
We look forward to seeing you out there!

In response to last week’s newsletter, one of our readers asked, “How can we prepare our bodies for the upcoming flu season?”

We’ll as you guessed it does start with what we eat. Up to 70% of our immune function is located in our digestive track.  Two flu-fighting compounds are Probiotics (the good bacteria), found in low fat Greek yogurt and Quercetin (antioxidant) found in red onions, broccoli, berries, and apples.  These seem to have the biggest positive effects.

Another way to combat the flu is….drum roll please….Exercise! Exercising on a regular basis reduces the amount of cortisol in your body. Cortisol weakens your immune system, not to mention causes fat to be stored around the belly area.  Stress and lack of sleep are large contributors to the amount of cortisol released into the body.  This is a sure fire way to knock down your immune system.  Exercise helps you sleep and relieve stress!

Now there is a fine line with your exercise, you want to stay around 70-85% of your maximum heart rate.  When you exercise above those numbers for a long period of time, like training for a long distance event,  can lower your immunity for up to two days. If you find your self training for a strenuous physical event make sure you are giving yourself plenty of time to recover.

If you already have the flu make sure you listen to your body.  Rest, drink plenty of fluids, and stay home from work (your fellow co-workers will appreciate it).  As you recover, start out with low intensity exercise.  Exercising too strenuously too soon can cause a relapse.  Take it slow, don’t worry, those intervals you want to tackle will be there for you the next week.

This was a great, timely question please keep them coming!

Do you ever wonder about those small things…you know, those little things we take for granted?  Or mom did it that way, so that’s the way I’ll do it.  We all do this because it’s what we have been doing our entire life and it is easy (we don’t even think about it). Change is never easy. So we want to show you that with some small, simple changes you can have big gains for a healthier lifestyle.  The first small change you can implement is breakfast.  If you are not eating one, start (spike that metabolism). If you are using milk with your breakfast, try using skim milk, and if you are using skim go to fat free. By just implementing this one change you can save 30 calories per serving and up to 2 grams of Saturated Fat (think heart disease).  Ok here is the next change, try taking one then two sweetened drinks out of your day and replace them with water (nature’s calorie-free drink). This also means no artificial sweeteners. There’s another 150 calories saved and more importantly, 39 grams of sugar in each 12 ounce soda. For the third change try moving from ground beef to ground turkey breast (not ground turkey).  With this change you will save 140 calories, 15 grams of fat and almost 6 grams of saturated fat (think clogged arteries). Separately you may not think thesechanges are worth the effort.  However, let’s take a look at these changes on weekly and monthly bases and see what happens.

By just looking at the calorie savings for the month it’s 14,500 calories. Divide that by 3500 calories (1 pound of fat) that’s just over 4lbs a month (BIG REWARD) and 48lbs for the year (MAMMOTH REWARD)!

Now we don’t expect you to make all these changes over night.  Start somewhere and do it in small steps. You are worth the effort and these are great places to start looking.  Let us know how you are doing!

Yours in health

Colleen and John Riddle

Stop rubbing your eyes you did read it correctly, you can burn calories in your sleep. How you ask? You can burn calories at rest and while you sleep by ramping up your metabolism.  First what is your metabolism? The process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories and determines how quickly we lose weight, or worse, gain weight.  As we get older our metabolism naturally starts slowing down.  You start to notice it around age 25 after that it slows down approximately 5 percent each decade. So compared to the 25 year old you burn about 100 calories fewer a day every 10 years.  The average 45 year old person could put on 12 pounds a year if they don’t exercise.  You can see how this quickly adds up around your waist line.