Three new studies have suggested that consuming meals after exercising may go against the overall health benefits that physical work outs create.

The three studies, published by kinesiology researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, suggest that, unless you are a competitive athlete, consuming sports drinks or high-carbohydrate foods such as energy bars right after exercising may negate the health benefits that physical exercise creates.

According to Barry S. Braun, associate professor of kinesiology and director of the Energy Metabolism laboratory at UMass Amherst, most people who exercise are not competitive athletes. They exercise to help their overall health, seeking to manage their weight and reduce risk for diabetes, heart disease or other health problems. For them, the potent benefits of exercise are quickly reversed by consuming high-carbohydrate foods such as sports drinks and energy bars after workouts.

But, for ordinary people who are using physical activity to improve their health, exercise is a medicine. Though each ”dose” of exercise gives benefits, the effects are lost in one to two days. Like other medications, exercise also has interactions with food.

Recommendations for athletes seeking to optimize their performance may be precisely the wrong advice for people using exercise to improve their health. “The latter might be wiser to avoid sports drinks and energy bars during, and for one to three hours following, exercise to maximize the positive effects of each exercise dose,” said Braun.

In three recently published studies, graduate students under Braun’’s direction looked at how the total calories, the carbohydrate content, and the timing of post-exercise meals influence metabolic health.

To understand whether the negative effects of the post-exercise meal were due to the total calories or to the carbohydrate content of the meal, Braun’’s student Kaila Holtz tested two different meals given immediately after 75 minutes of moderately intense bicycle exercise. The meals contained exactly the same amount of calories but one was high in carbohydrates and the other was very low in carbohydrates. Her results showed that the effectiveness of insulin to clear sugar from the blood was greater after either exercise/meal combination compared to participants who did not exercise. The effects were larger, however, when the meal was low in carbohydrates.

These results suggest that, when the post-exercise meal is low in carbohydrates, more of the metabolic benefits of exercise are retained. Although there were a few subtle differences, the results were similar among all three exercise/meal combinations, suggesting that timing of the meals was not an important consideration.

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Tags: associate professor, Barry S. Braun, carbohydrate content, competitive athlete, diabetes, director, energy bars, Energy Metabolism laboratory, food, health benefits, heart disease, Kaila Holtz, physical exercise, professor of kinesiology, sports drinks, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Sometimes we just do not eat very well and I ran across these 100 eating tips that would improve anyones diet very quickly in a very good direction, so gobble them up!

1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.
2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.
3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions–unless you want to supersize your clothes.
4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.
5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.
6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Are there Any Easy Tricks to Help Me Cut Calories?

7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.
8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.
9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.
11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you’ll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.
12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you’ll lose 5 lb in a year.
13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.
14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.
15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.
16. Follow the Chinese saying: “Eat until you are eight-tenths full.”
17. Use mustard instead of mayo.
18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.
19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.
20. Take your lunch to work.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: appetizer, Baltimore, beverage, Brown University School of Medicine, Cal Dinner, cancer, Coca-Cola, counseling, dehydration, dietitian, energy bars, food, food journal, food portions, Food suppliers, fresh fruit, heart disease, leftover food, microwave, no-cal beverage, nutrient-rich food, olive oil, online diet programs, online weight loss programs, peanut oil, Pennsylvania State University, Peter Pan, registered dietitian, smallest fast-food burger, sports drinks, veggies

Travel exercise, Working out and being healthy when out of town on business can be very difficult. Just ask anyone that does a lot of traveling and you will hear the not so glamorous story or too much fatty restaurant food and no exercise while working in a hotel room in the evening.

I have traveled off and on over the years for work and I still remember how exciting it was to stay in hotels and have the company pay the restaurant food bills but by the time I go home a week later I was not feeling very well. I really took this memory to heart for my trips from then on. Here are a few tips that may help you even with travel exercise even if it is for going on holidays.

Pack workout gear for travel exercise
Before going out of town make sure that you pack some workout clothes, not many just a shirt, shorts and sweats. When I travel I actually bring my running shorts (I am not much of a runner) and then I can workout in the shorts and let them do double duty as swim trunks for after my workout.

Choose accommodation wisely
When booking your hotel you will likely have a few options. I have always booked into one of these business convenient hotels with a small indoor pool, hot tub and basic exercise room. The price is never any different and you still have all you need for exercise. I also make sure there is a basic free breakfast so that I can have a fairly simple breakfast to start the day. I hesitate to write this but one thing you can check is wether your gym or health club has a deal with another one where you are going, if there is a deal and it is more than just a few blocks away it will probably do you much good though. Are you really going to leave the hotel and go very far to workout…don’t take the chance of giving yourself an excuse not to have travel exercise.

Buy portable food
As soon as you get checked into the hotel make sure you find a mall or health food store or gym and buy some protein or energy bars. These bars are the single best way to avoid eating too much food in restaurants and still allow you eat on a better schedule than just breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Exercise a schedule
The best way to get your travel exercise in first of all is to get up a little early in the morning and have a cardio workout. Getting that biking or treadmill time in will force you to get something done in case the day gets away from you later on. Usually when out of town I feel a little out of sorts and this gives me a good time as well to kind of figure out my schedule for the day in my mind. Also when out of town try to set up that morning schedule that you have a light breakfast most days as your business lunches and dinners will likely weigh you down more than they do at the office.

Stay of the road when running
This is a little bit of a tough one. Running is a great form of travel exercise. If you are a runner then you probably do like to run outside in new cities and although that can be a very nice way to get your exercise you should find out about the area beforehand. In most modern cities it is not very far from the downtown to the skids. You do not want to get lost on the bad side of the tracks and at the same time you definitely want to be aware of the traffic and pedestrian flows.

Grab a bottle of water
Flying and staying in hotels is a killer on your skin and body because of the dryness more than anything. Pay attention to the air conditioning and be aware of your fluid intake. It is always easier when you are away to drink more coffee and soda but you really need to drink a lot of water. During those hotel workouts you will probably notice that you are much thirstier than you would be at home so drink up.

Follow these tips and plan how you are going to treat your body out of town and you will feel much better when you get home.

Tags: energy bars, fatty restaurant food, food, health-food store, restaurant food bills, runner, Travel exercise

Many of us eat energy bars, protein bars or the like, I found this short article at  eVitamins  and though I would throw it in

Energy bars are fortified foods containing a blend of protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. The primary source of protein in energy bars is usually soy or milk, with fiber provided from grains, oats, apple pectin, or other sources. Some bars also contain additional herbs or nutrients thought to enhance energy, promote weight loss, or increase endurance. Energy bars can be consumed before, during, and after athletic events to ensure sufficient energy and replace expended nutrients. They may also be used as a snack or meal replacement.

Varieties
Energy bars come in a wide variety of flavors and textures. They may be high in protein, high in carbohydrates, low in fat, or contain a balanced ratio of these nutrients. They may have a taffy-like texture, or may be baked for a cookie-like consistency. Many are coated with chocolate, carob, vanilla yogurt, or other flavors. Natural energy bars with natural sugars, flavors, and colors are also available.

Buying and storing tips
Look for energy bars in the snack foods or supplement section of health food stores, or in the specialty foods section of most supermarkets. Store energy bars in a cool, dark location for 6 to 12 months.

Availability
Energy bars are available year-round.

Preparation, uses, and tips
Combine natural energy bars and a handful of grapes or cherries for a fast breakfast or healthful mid-day snack. Energy bars are easy to transport, so if youre going for a long bike ride or hike, pack some energy bars to satisfy your snack attacks.

Nutritional Highlights
Energy bar (High carbohydrate), 1.3 oz. (37g)Calories: 130Protein: 2.0gCarbohydrate: 26gTotal Fat: 2.5gFiber: 0.5g
Energy bar (Low carbohydrate), 2.5 oz. (72g)Calories: 290Protein: 30gCarbohydrate: 17gTotal Fat: 6gFiber: 0.0g
Vitamin and mineral content varies among bars.

Tags: energy, Energy bar, energy bars, health food stores, Highlights Energy bar, Natural energy bars, Store energy bars, sufficient energy, What

Renee has done it again. She promises on Saturday to let us know where she got these top 100 tips:

1. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3 pm.


2. Doctor your veggies to make them delicious: Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped nuts on green beans.


3. Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.


4. Don’t forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable.


5. Rediscover the sweet potato.


6. Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as “lettuce” in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.


7. Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.


8. Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons).


9. Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.


10. The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one. Period.


11. I’ll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere.


12. I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I can forgo a cookie now.


13. I am a work in progress.


14. It’s more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating.


15. Skipping meals. Many healthy eaters “diet by day and binge by night.”


16. Don’t “graze” yourself fat. You can easily munch 600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing it.


17. Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1 cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.


18. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for snacks.


19. Ignoring “Serving Size” on the Nutrition Facts panel.


20. Snacking on bowls of nuts. Nuts are healthy but dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.


21. Thinking all energy bars and fruit smoothies are low-cal.


22. A smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit, and wheat germ.


23. The smallest fast-food burger (with mustard and ketchup, not mayo) and a no-cal beverage. Then at home, have an apple or baby carrots.


24. A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of 1 percent milk and an apple.


25. Precooked chicken strips and microwaved frozen broccoli topped with Parmesan cheese.

Tags: energy bars, microwave, no-cal beverage, smallest fast-food burger