Newsletter
HotBod April 99
Welcome All:Welcome to all the new subscribers to the HotBod newsletter as well as those who have been with us from the beginning. Each month we'll explore issues relating to the three major areas of fitness: exercise, nutrition and supplementation. As always, your comments, questions and suggestions are always appreciated.
TRAINING CORNER: Aerobic Exercise and Overtraining
Because cardiovascular exercise is an endurance-oriented activity and therefore is executed at a decreased level of intensity, many women feel that there is no limit to how much they can perform. However, while your body can tolerate a greater volume of aerobic exercise than anaerobic activity, too much of it eventually will set back your fitness endeavors and have a negative impact on your physique.
While recovery ability varies among individuals, the body needs rest and recuperation to regenerate its glycogen stores. Glycogen reserves are your body's primary energy source, giving you the strength and endurance to perform everyday chores. Since cardio burns glycogen (as well as fat) during exercise performance, too much of it will deplete these reserves, ultimately causing you to become overtrained.
Overtraining will make your body less efficient in utilizing fat for fuel, and is apt to feed on your muscle tissue (due to a secretion of stress hormones) for energy. Moreover, it can throw off your biochemical balance resulting in a variety of complications including cessation of your period (amenorrhea), chronic fatigue and other anomalies. Therefore, keen attention must be paid to symptoms related to overtraining, modifying your aerobic capacity according to your physical state.
NUTRITION CORNER: The Glycemic Way
All carbs are not created equal! While most people know that it's important to cut back on fatty foods, they often are oblivious to the types of carbohydrates in their diet. When ingested, carbs elicit a rise in blood sugar levels, commonly referred to as a glycemic response. Carbs that cause a rapid elevation of blood sugar are termed high-glycemic, while those that are "time-released" and maintain stable levels of blood sugar are called low-glycemic.
The problem with high-glycemic foods is that they are rapidly broken down into simple sugars, causing a spike in your blood-sugar levels. Consequently, your pancreas secretes large quantities of insulin as a means to clear the sugar from your bloodstream. Excess insulin is detrimental to weight management. It is directly responsible for converting sugars into bodyfat as well as inhibiting the conversion of stored fat into energy. This double-whammy greatly increases the potential for bodyfat storage.
Additionally, the rush of insulin clears sugars from your circulatory system in such an expeditious fashion that it produces a dramatic drop in blood sugar levels. A hypoglycemic state results, causing severe hunger pangs and food cravings. This creates a vicious cycle that encourages you to binge out on high-glycemic foods, inevitably fostering gains in fat mass.
Hence, if you want to stay lean, keep your consumption of high glycemic foods to an absolute minimum. When eaten in abundance, they can be one of the biggest obstacles to maintaining a lean physique-perhaps even more so than foods laden with fat. Contrary to popular belief, just because a food is "fat-free" doesn't mean it won't make you fat-it also must be low-glycemic to qualify as a healthy choice. Accordingly, try to stay away from sweetened cereals, potatoes, white rice and white flour breads. Instead, replace them with oatmeal, yams, brown rice and whole grains. If you do choose to consume a high-glycemic food, make sure you eat it in conjunction with a protein-based source. This will help to slow down absorption and mitigate its effect on insulin secretions.
SUPPLEMENT REVIEW: Pyruvate
Pyruvate has recently received a great deal of hype. Several studies have indicated that it can help to reduce bodyfat, increase fat free mass and even improve athletic performance. Are these claims too good to be true?
Pyruvate occurs naturally in the body. It is derived from the breakdown of carbohydrates during intense exercise in the production of ATP (the body's anaerobic energy source). While some research has been promising, other studies have shown little or no benefit from supplementation. I have worked with several clients who have tried the supplement, and results were negligible.
However, more studies are needed before a conclusive opinion can be given on pyruvate. Until then, consider other alternatives.
SUPPLEMENT GRADE: Incomplete
