Artificial Sweeteners and other Sugar Substitutes Follow @CoachFabs

In the last few years we have been living in a world obsessed with trying to find a culprit to blame for a society of people that are getting increasingly more over weight.

This is an epidemic of huge proportions, that does not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity or age.

Sugar consumption has increased drastically so it was only normal for people to point the finger at sugar consumption and say here is the problem. The solution, instead of moderating the amount of sugar we consume on a daily basis was to create substitutes for the sugar, which in turn would satisfy the craving for something sweet without the effect of pumping sugar through our system.

Understanding Artificial Sweeteners and other Sugar Substitutes

A sugar substitute loosely speaking is anything you use to add sweetness to your food that is not sugar. These can be divided among four distinct categories, based on their chemical composition.

Artificial Sweeteners

These are synthetic sweeteners, derived form herbs or sugar. This is the category where you will find the majority of your little packets. Also you can identify them with the following chemical names: Acesulfame, Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Sucralose.

There has been a concern about the safety of these sweeteners and they have been linked with cancer. There is also a established acceptable daily intake, which is considered to give you and idea of the safe range for your daily consumption.

Sugar Alcohols

You will normally find sugar alcohols in sugar free candy, chocolate and sugar free sodas. You can also identify them under the following chemical names: Erythritol, Isomalt, Lactitol, Maltitol, Sorbitol. 

There are a few health concerns associated with this type of sweetener, based on the amount of consumption, around 50 grams, these sweeteners can have laxative effects, cause bloating, intestinal gas and diarrhea.

Novel Sweeteners  

In the last couple of years a new type of sweeteners has emerged based on plant extracts. Often they will go under the name of Stevia or Truvia. But you can also find them as extracts of Tagatose and Trehalose.

Natural Sweeteners

Here is where you will find absolutely natural sweeteners like agave nectar, honey, maple syrup and molasses.

Natural Sweeteners are generally safe, but there are no health benefits on consuming added sugar in your nutrition. Also be aware that honey can contain small bacterial spores, for this reason it is not recommended to give it to children less than 1 year old.

How to Avoid Gaining Weight through the Holidays? Follow @CoachFabs

Back to school doesn't just affect students. It's the time of year when everything changes. The days shorten, it cools off, we get really busy, and the holidays are looming around the corner. In short, it's the easiest time of the year to let your health slide.

Fall is beautiful, but it's also the toughest season to transition through. Here are 10 ways to make it to New Year's without having to set a New Ear's resolution to lose all the weight we gained during the Fall and Winter Season.

Set a Time to Exercise. As the days shorten, it seems as though you've got fewer hours to schedule activities around.  Then there's the cold factor. Even if you work out indoors, it's so much easier to get back under your warm covers or bundle up and sit in front of a fire or the TV than it is to force a workout. Schedule your daily workout like it's part of your job, and stick to it.

Plan your meals. Plan your weekly meals ahead of time so you don't resort to pre-packaged foods. If your schedule is insane during the week, try taking an hour or two on Sunday to shop and prepare. Put healthy meal and snack options in your car, your office, your backpack, or anywhere you're likely to find yourself hungry. 

Hydrate. When we're busy, we'll often forget to drink water, especially as the weather cools off. Then, in a dehydrated state, we often confuse thirst for hunger and eat. Avoid this by ensuring that there's water everywhere you go. Carry a water bottle and refill it at every opportunity. Have an extra bottle in your car, your backpack, at your desk, etc., and behave as if you're in a race each day. Force yourself to drink a glass of water every hour that you're working or studying.

Avoid Alcohol. Another big contributor to gaining weight is alcohol, is very high in calories (7 calories/gram) and very low in nutritional value. Every drink you consume is about 200 calories of nutrition that you aren't getting from your diet, or that you're overeating to get. And this is before we consider the calories you need to get rid of a hangover. If you're a drinker, you'll never be faced with more temptation than during the fall. 

Plan for Parties. Let's face it, Fall and Winter is a season of parties. Beginning with Oktoberfest, you'll find a never-ending string of perfectly good excuses that last right through the New Year to ruin your health. 

Set a Plan for How to Start your Day. One of the easiest ways to live a healthy lifestyle is to begin each day by doing something positive. During the summer, we often let this slide because, well, we can. With long warm days to look forward to, there always seems to be time to do something energetic. As the days shorten, this takes more discipline. Beginning each day with something healthy.

Don't be too hard on Yourself. You can't be perfect. By planning ahead with goals in mind, you'll be far more able to relax about the holiday season and enjoy it too. So make a plan, do your best to stick with it, but don't forget to make enjoying the season and having a little fun part of that plan.

Am I working out TOO MUCH ? Follow @CoachFabs

One of the Biggest challenges we face as Fitness Coaches is trying to help people change unhealthy habits.

We often find ourselves abusing our body with foods that we eat. Almost everyone without exception can point out some of the worst foods that they can eat and they know that if they want to make a change then they need to eat healthier.


But let's admit it, eating some of these foods is tasty and easy, the last thing we want to do after a long day at work or running errands is going home and prepare a nice meal that tastes good.

We might have forgotten to thaw out meat from the freezer or nothing we have in our house sounds good right now.

Food is always an unhealthy habit easy to point out, but there is one that is a little trickier to notice. You have not worked out in a very long time, maybe even since High-school, and all of a sudden you want to become healthy, so you join a gym, or buy a home workout program and start working out, you know your nutrition might not be on point so you decide to take it up a notch and workout even more. As a result you end up getting hurt.

But you are "determined" to make a change, you are committed to do "whatever it takes" to get the body you have "always" wanted. So you keep pushing through because "I AM COMMITTED". You think that if you take time to rest or heal your body then you have failed.

After helping a lot of people and looking at patterns of behavior I can tell you that more than not, people tend to abuse their bodies, either with food or by not taking the necessary time to let their body heal. You want a shortcut to reach your goals, here is the shortcut "CONSISTENCY". Be consistent on your behavior, don't just diet most of the time, CHOSE to EAT HEALTHY.

When you are tired, when your body needs it, take time and rest, it is OK. Your progress will not be slowed down because you didn't spend 2 hours at the gym or working out.

REMEMBER this is about living a healthier and much more fulfilling life, so take time for those things that matter the most and enjoy the process, be consistent and that will bring you the results you desire.

Why am I not loosing weight? My Nutrition is ON POINT !!!!! Follow @CoachFabs

 

How many times do we hear or even tell ourselves that we are doing everything we need to be doing, we workout consistently and our nutrition is on point but we do not see results, WHAT IS GOING ON !!!!!!!

I must be predisposed to be fat, that is just how it is, I can't do this ......

Let's look at it a little bit closer.

Injuries. Many times we may have an injury or condition that is preventing us form pushing as hard as we need to in order to obtain the results we desire. This does not mean all is lost, if you have an injury or condition preventing you from pushing hard, make sure you are very diligent with your nutrition and that you stay active through out the day.

Food Portion. It is a common occurrence that when people are trying to lose fat they assume they need to starve their body. They are either not eating enough or eating the wrong types of calories at the wrong times. Your body needs nutrients, vitamins, minerals to function properly, it is only when we are providing our body all it needs that it will let go of those fat stores.

Effort. People often think that working out a couple of times a week is more than enough to get the results they want. Our bodies need consistent physical activity to perform properly, try to workout at least 25 minutes a day.

Emotional Problems. I often refer to this problem, we see it all the time on television shows where the trainers are trying to help individuals lose huge amounts of weight. Some people seek the comfort of food to protect or mask bigger problems, unless they are able to work through those problems they will not be able to make a permanent change.

Remember that Immediate changes are temporary, Permanent changes take time. Do not beat yourself up because you went of your plan for a meal or a day. This does not mean you should indulge on things that are bad for your body, just recognize it will take some time to establish permanent patterns in your life to replace the old unhealthy habits.

What is Acai and some Healthy Dessert Ideas Follow @CoachFabs

This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world! Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree.

Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, açaí tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate.

Acai berries are widely touted as a so-called superfood, with proponents claiming that they are helpful for a variety of health concerns, including arthritis, cancer, weight loss, high cholesterol, erectile dysfunction, detoxification and improving general health..

The fatty acid content in açaí resembles that of olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid is important for a number of reasons. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane; together they help make cell membranes more supple. By keeping the cell membrane supple, all hormones, neurotransmitter and insulin receptors function more efficiently. This is particularly important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and we know, inflammation causes aging

How to Make Acai Sorbet

Ingredients  2 packets of Acai (1 pack contains 4 packets)  2 Cups of Blue Berries  2/3 Cup of Coconut Water  Honey to Taste  To prepare the Bowls  Granola  1 Large Banana

How do I Reduce Joint and Muscle Soreness Follow @CoachFabs

As we start exercising it is not uncommon for our joints and muscles to get sore. That is ok, but often times people stop exercising all together because let's be honest who likes to be sore and achy?

A lot of people run to the heat packs to try and reduce the soreness and aid in recovery, but there are no medical studies that show that heat packs alone will have any effect in your recovery. You can increase flexibility through the use of the heat pack and extensive stretching, but this will not diminish your soreness.

The best way to deal with soreness is to prevent soreness, let me explain, chances are if you do not take proper time to warm up before a workout you will run into some injuries or pains, so take the time to do the warm up and if you are doing weights then take a minute or two and do a couple of sets to help your joints warm up. This should help your soreness decrease in future workouts.

Also take the time and make sure you stretch the joints and muscles after your workout, I know often times we are tired and just want to get on with our day, but really this is where our recovery starts.

You may also consider getting joint supplements, there are a variety of supplements in the market that provide vitamins and minerals to support the proper function and protection of your joints.

 Learn how to protect your joints

The Glycemic index Diet (GI) Follow @CoachFabs

Glycemic index diet is a general term for weight-loss diets that are based on your blood sugar level. Many popular commercial diets, diet books and diet websites revolve around the glycemic index, including Nutrisystem, the Zone diet and Sugar Busters.

The glycemic index measures carbohydrates. The index is a list of how blood sugar levels rise after you eat a small portion of a carbohydrate food.

Originally, the index was developed as a tool to help diabetics manage blood sugar control. In theory, if it works to help control blood sugar in diabetic people, then it should work for weight control.
Blood Sugar Imbalance

Some food is thought to disrupt this natural balance by creating large spikes in your blood sugar level. When your blood sugar and insulin levels stay high, or cycle up and down rapidly, your body has trouble responding and over time this could contribute to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is associated with a host of health problems, including:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart disease
• What Is The Glycemic Index?

All carbohydrates increase blood sugar levels, but the effect varies widely. For example, a glass of orange juice will cause a much quicker rise in blood sugar than a bowl of oatmeal, which takes longer because of the type of carbohydrate and amount of fiber.

The response is affected by many factors, including the quantity of food, the amount and type of carbohydrate, the cooking method, degree of processing, and more.

On the glycemic index scale, each food is assigned an index number from 1-100, with 100 as the reference score for pure glucose. Typically, foods are rated high (greater than 70), moderate (56-69), or low (less than 55).

Most, but not all, foods on the lower end of the GI scale tend to be healthier, nutrient-rich, less processed, and higher in fiber -- such as whole fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. Foods high in fiber can be very filling, especially when paired with protein.

One major concern with the glycemic index is that it ranks foods in isolation. But in reality, how your body absorbs and handles carbs depends on many factors, including how much you eat; how the food is ripened, processed or prepared; the time of day it's eaten; other foods you eat it with; and health conditions you may have, such as diabetes. 

So the glycemic index may not give an accurate picture of how one particular food affects your blood sugar. Glycemic load is a related concept that scores a food product based on both carb content and portion size. But the larger the portion size, the greater the calories consumed whether the glycemic index is high or low.

Beachbody, the creators of programs like P90x and Insanity have a great product called Shakeology, which ranks in the LOW Glycemic Index.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shakeology