Newsletter
HotBod September 00
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: What's the Best Time to Perform Cardio?
Recently, fitness professionals have been recommending that people should perform their cardio first thing in the morning, before breakfast. The theory goes like this: The absence of food brings about a reduction in circulating blood sugar, causing glycogen (stored carbohydrate) levels to fall. With a diminished availability of glycogen, your body tends to rely more on fat to fuel your workout. Sounds logical, right?
This theory, however, is somewhat misguided. There actually is some evidence that exercising after a meal burns more calories than exercising on an empty stomach. Although the exact reason has not been determined, it is theorized that an increase in futile energy cycles or the post-prandial thermic effect of food may be at least partly responsible. Consequently, it is debatable whether the potential for selective lipolysis (fat burning) is more important than increased caloric expenditure; there is good reason to believe it isn't.
In addition, not everyone functions well first thing in the morning. If you're more of a night bird, chances are that you'll sleepwalk through a morning workout. You'll have trouble generating sufficient intensity during training, resulting in poor exercise performance.
Therefore, in reality, the best time to exercise is when you are at your best. If you are a morning person, go ahead and train early. But if you don't really get going until you've been awake for several hours, by all means train later in the day. In final analysis, let your biorhythms determine when you should work out.
NUTRITION CORNER: Eat Right for Your Type?
The public's insatiable appetite for diet books has fueled a plethora of new releases. Each week, another new diet book seems to hit the market, with a new gimmick promising results. One of the best selling diet books is called "Eat Right for Your Type," by Peter D'Adamo. The premise of the book is that the types of foods that you eat should be predicated on your blood type. For example, D'Adamo proclaims that people with type O blood should eat lots of red meat while keeping carbs at a minimum. Alternatively, he states that those who are Type A should adhere to a vegetarian diet, consuming lots of carbs and little fat. Could this really be an effective nutritional strategy?
The answer is an unequivocal "No". In reality, there's not a shred of scientific data to support D'Adamo's contentions. By all available research, blood type has as much to do with your diet as your hair color or skin complexion. This appears to be just another huckster trying to capitalize on the naivete of the general public.
Thus, don't buy into the fad-diet hype. Nutrition is very specific to the individual. While there are certain fundamental dietary principles that are common to all, developing a sound nutritional philosophy requires attention to your own physiology. Formulate your dietary regimen based on nutritional fact, not fiction, and make adjustments based on how your body responds.
SUPPLEMENT REVIEW: Panax (Chinese Ginseng)
What it is: An exotic Chinese herb.
What it does: Panax has a variety of alleged benefits, most notably increasing energy and vitality. It is purported to increase run time to exhaustion, increase muscular strength, improve exercise recovery, improve oxygen metabolism and decrease lactate production.
The verdict: There is a reasonable amount of evidence that Panax has some efficacy. Although more research is warranted, Panax does appear to increase vitality and possibly even improve exercise performance to some extent. Since there are no major side-effects to the supplement, it can be worth a try.
Supplement Grade: B-
Until next month, stay fit!
