I challenge you to lose 5 Pounds This Month January 2011

Hello all!

Very stressful morning. My youngest has been having some stomach issues (nerves?) before school every morning. His grades are slipping. I am sending him out the door in tears every morning. He is crying because his stomach hurts and he misses my brother's dog. We have had him to the doctor many times....they cannot find anything physically wrong with him. Now after 5 months his grades are starting to slip his teacher thinks he is not adjusting to school well this year. Hello! I have been emailing you almost daily telling you there is something at school this year he does not like and we need to figure it out. Today she has him talking to the school counselor to see what we can do to help him out. This whole situation has been driving me crazy for months, not to mention the expense of all the doctor bills to find out he is healthy.

My husband told me how stressed out he is about this situation. I laughed and said you should be the one sending him to school in "pain" and tears everyday, feeling like the worst parent in the world...then you would really understand the stress of this situation. I need a nap. 4 hours of work done 7 hours to go.

Today's Myth

LONGER EXERCISE SESSIONS EQUAL BETTER RESULTS

The truth

Running for an hour straight is a great calorie burner and will undoubtedly help runners shed pounds. But you might actually accrue more fitness and fat loss by occasionally breaking that hour-long workout into two half-hour sessions, says kinesiologist Greg McMillan, and online coach and mcmillanrunning.com. "A person may run at a harder pace if tackling two shorter runs instead of a single longer one, so the cumulative calorie burn would be greater." A Journal of Applied Physiology found that healthy men who performed two separate 30-minute aerobic sessions burned more calories post workout compared with a single 60 minute trial.

McMillan often prescirbes same-day split sessions to help his clients overcome time constraints and boredom, and accumulate the same training volume with less injury risk He suggests doing a steady pace, moderate intensity run for one session and more intense calorie burner like interval training or hill running the second time. Conversely try a high-intesity morning run followed by an after work weight training session.

It would be great to do this, but I have a hard time finding one time slot a day to exercise let alone finding time for a second.

Maybe as the weather improves and it gets light earlier in the morning it will be easier to get up and exercise.

Have a great and Healthy Tuesday!

Terri

The myth

TO LOSE WEIGHT CUT CARBS OR FAT

The truth

Most get-thin-fast-plans revolve around the idea that restricting your intake of one particular nutrient , usually carbs or fat, is the best way to lose weight. But the results of a 2009 New England Journal of Medicine study suggests otherwise. For two years, participants followed one of four calorie-restricted diets with varying amounts of carbs, protein and fat. After 24 months, all participants lost about the same amount of weight (just nine pounds). "This study proves that calories are the most important factor for weight loss" says Tara Gidus R.D. Florida based sports dietitian and marathoner. "To lose weight you need to take in fewer calories than you burn-regardless of what percentage of carbs, protein, or fat you are eating" Gimmicky diets just distract us from this simple truth. Here's how you can learn to reduce your total caloric intake to kick start weight loss-and still have energy.

1. FIND YOUR CALORIE BURN

To estimate the humber of calories you use during daily living and exercise, go to nutritiondata.com/tools/caloriesburned. Plug in your sex, age, weight, height, lifestyle (meaning, you are desk-bound or you are always moving at work) and exercise regularity.

2. START SUBTRACTING

Trim 10-15% off of that calorie total-but don't cut more than 500 calories per day. "this is conservative compared to most dies but its realistic if you want to sustain training levels. Record what you eat and tally your calorie intake.

3. KEEP UP THE EXERCISE

A recent study reported that subjects who cut calories or cut calories and exercised lost the same amount of weight, but the diet and exerciser group improved their aerobic capacity, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, and blood pressure-without having to go into starvation mode.

4. BE PATIENT

A healthy weight-loss goal for overweight runners is one to two pounds per week. Trying to drop more than this can eat away muscle, leave you fatigued when you workout and slow your metabolism making weight loss more challenging.

For me patience is the hardest part! It is a slow process with good weeks and bad weeks.

Eat healthy! Get moving!

Terri