Weight lifting, not cardio training, the key to weight loss, according to local trainer. The Plain Dealer

John Henry Creel sounds like someone I would like to meet. He runs a fitness facility in America and preaches the message that concentrating on muscle and not the cardio is going to allow you to lose body fat more efficiently. After studying and getting a double major in marketing and exercise science he ventured out and worked for National City Bank and part time for a gym. His part time work introduced him to lots of bodybuilders and he saw how much and how often they ate without getting fat. Some of them were eating up to 10000 calories per day but they were using those calories to fuel their bodies muscle building efforts. So he then goes on to say how he now runs his facility emphasising individuals to condition themselves to lose body fat by building up muscle stores. By getting his clients to think and condition their bodies this way they become fat burners 24 hours a day, even at rest. He then states that a pound of muscle at rest burns eight times the number of calories that a pound of fat burns. Multiply that by the pounds of muscle in your body, and you have an amazing metabolic furnace. Excuse the pounds as a measure of weight but he is an American and I just wanted to highlight the point.

John Henry Creel's methodology and mentality is golden. Don't get the wrong idea about the muscle builder analogy, as body builders are a completely different breed of fish. We all have lean muscle stores in our bodies. If we neglect to exercise lean muscle with resistance type of training we will lose it. The more we lose the more our fat burning potential drops also. But utilising basic whole body resistance training methods into your routine, you are guaranteeing lean muscle tissue strengthening and growth. And if your lifestyle habits which include nutrition are in alignment then fat loss will happen steadily and healthily. What more could you ask than for your own body to be burning body fat while resting!!!!

The article can be found at http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/2008/02/muscle_not_cardio_training_the.html

Eggs modulate the inflammatory response to carbohydrate restricted diets in overweight men. Nutrition & Metabolism 2008, 5:6

Due to all the mystery and confusion surrounding low carbohydrate diets and carbohydrate free diets. Are they healthy, do you lose weight on them? I thought I would let you know about this latest study completed on how eggs impact on a low carb diet. They restricted the carbohydrate intake on two groups of men, however one group were fed eggs and the other were not. I'll save you all of the boring details and cut straight to the chase. Both groups lost body fat however the group fed eggs were found to have decreased plasma C-reactive protein and increased plasma adiponectin compared to the non egg eating group. This indicated to the researches that eggs significantly increase the anti-inflammatory effect of a low carb diet. They think that due to the presence of cholesterol, which increases HDL-C and to the antioxidant lutein which modulates certain inflammatory responses the anti-inflammatory effect is increased.

From my perspective this is a real win for the all natural, unprocessed diet that stresses moderation and variety. There are so many theories and diets out there that you the consumer don't know who to trust and what to believe. So any study that highlights we can derive benefit from a natural food source is golden. You must be wary of the term low carbohydrate diet as carbohydrates are needed in your daily intake. Fruit and veg are natural carbohydrates. The carbs to eradicate are your processed ones such as pasta, white rice and breads. These are high energy foods with low nutritional value. One more point to be made by me before you rush out and buy your eggs. Be aware that free range organic eggs are a source of omega 3 also. Because the ckooks are free to eat from chemical free pastures and lead stress free lives the goodness is passed on in their produce. This makes the free range organic eggs golden in more ways than one.

For more information on nutrition you can get a free Nutritional Package by visiting Lifestyle Improvers to get yours sent directly to you. Now get cracking!!!!

Who needs a diet to lose weight? A Current Affair Sydney ninemsn.com.au

I have just been informed of an interesting article read on the nine MSN site for A Current Affair in Sydney. The organisation Bodytrim are describing what they say is important for losing body fat. Rather than the conventional advice of low carbs, low fat and lots of fat burning exercise, they are saying it is all about timing of meals and meal sizes. The exercise component isn't as important. Geoff Jowett goes on to say that fat loss efforts should be 70% diet and 20% everyday movement and 10% strenuous exercise. Geoff ends up by saying fat loss shouldn't need a diet, it should be eating regularly and the right type of foods to elicit a hormonal response within the body to spark up metabloism and in turn eradicate body fat. The article can be found at http://aca.syd.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=382067

I would love to hear more stories like these on our airways. Unfortunately it won't sell magazines or make celebrities endorse the product because it's a way of living, not a diet. I'm not so sure about the ratio of diet to exercise that Geoff has said however I must concur, nutrition should be a major focus in any fat loss campaign. Just look at how many meals you have in a week compared to how many times you exercise. And I maintain the best abdominals are made in the kitchen not in the gym. Everything seems pretty much the same as the my company Lifestyle Improvers stands for except that we have a Complete Nutrition Package consisting of an audio CD and an E-course. Oh and we give it away because it is an educating tool not a diet!!!!

Why Set Point Thinking Must Be Broken

You have probably heard the term set points spoken about before. Nothing to do with tennis either. Set points are limiting factors that you put on yourself up till now, unknowingly. You know you are going beyond your set point when you feel uncomfortable and out of your comfort zone. The uncomfortable feeling can come in many forms such as slight nausea, butterflies in the stomach, mild anxiety and unfortunately a lot of peolpe will retreat back to their safety or comfort zone - their set point. This can be seen in physical exercise and more specifically fat loss. You lose so much weight or body fat and then you hit your set point. Hormones will then get released in a bid by your body to hold onto that body fat and keep you at your set point. Also in a job where you get a fixed wage. You then accept and design your life around that monetary set point. It can be damaging and you need to address it and smash through it if improvement or growth is what you desire. This goes for anything, if you want growth; set points must be constantly broken.

This is why all successful people set goals, visualise them, develop a plan and then execute the plan with discipline and strong will power. It sounds simple but obviously it isn't otherwise everyone would be doing it. But for lifestyle success you need to follow this mental preperation before any success physically or visually will occur.

More and more in my capacity as a Lifestylist I am constantly reminded of how much we hold ourselves back via our set points. So my advise to any prospective lifestyle improving efforts you are going to attempt. Start by blasting away your own set points and be prepared to get way out of your comfort zone. Otherwise you are destined to retreat back to the safety of your limiting and sometimes self defeating set points. Success always leaves clues, they've been identified, why not have a go at following them.

Get Rid of Your Sleep Vampires

The following list is the most common reasons why sleep suffers.
Eating too close to bed time.
Exercising too close to bed time.
Coffee consumption too close to bed time.
Alcohol consumption.
Nicotine ingestion.
Watching TV or listening to radio in bedroom.
Lights or lamps on in bedroom.

Now these are pretty general and mainstream. You may have already eliminated these in order to increase sleep quality and quantity. More individualised problems I have identified from clients after a little more probing are as follows.
Working on computers till just before going to bed.
Outside light beaming into the bedroom - street lights.
Clock radio, stereo lights and mobile phones near the bed.
Not slowing down in the 3 -4 hours leading up to bed time.
No routine before going to bed.
Showering just before going to bed.
Stressing and thinking about problems and concerns.
Filling your head with thoughts and ideas.

A general theme has becomes more evident to me after these investigations. In summary I think you need to become more organised (get proactive) and plan your routine so that at least 3 hours before attempting to sleep, you start winding down. This may mean reading, listening to relaxing music, meditating, stretching or completing a brain dump where you record your worries, concerns and ideas onto a piece of paper. Go over your list, address what you can then and there, if the rest is out of your control, delete it, you are wasting time thinking about it. Keep that piece of paper by your bed and any new ideas or worries that arise, write them down. By doing this you have cleaned out another sleep vampire. Next day you must address the concerns on your list otherwise it'll be back for more sleep sapping duties. Keep all radiation production out of your room - Phones, computers, radio alarm clocks as far away from your bed as possible. And keep everything as dark as possible.

All of these actions will eradicate a number of sleep sapping vampires from your life. Oh and don't take a shower just before bed, the water will freshen you up. Again get proactive and shower earlier.

And if you can't sleep, get up and do something peaceful for 20 minutes and try again otherwise you will toss and turn yourself into a frenzy in bed.

Pesticide Levels in Strawberries, Choice Magazine

The most recent edition of the Choice Magazine has revealed extremely high levels of pesticides in Strawberries. Something like 22 out of 27 samples of strawberries registered higher levels than the maximum residue levels set for Australia and New Zealand. The tests were conducted in all states except South Australia and Tasmania. To quote from Choice magazine's opening lines, "We love our strawberries". " They look beautiful and taste good - but are poor practices a hidden cause for concern"? Strawberries have been a cause for concern since a 2003 study revealed high pesticide levels. Concerns are also expressed in the UK, USA and France about high pesticide levels in strawberries.

The concerns for me as a Lifestylist, is the way in which these farming practices aren't improving, in fact they seem to be declining. As suggested in the magazine, children love strawberries and their small bodies are being exposed to dangerous chemical cocktails. I preach eating natural, unprocessed foods and strawberries come under that category, obviously. So I feel obliged to inform you of this important fact. I'm not telling you to stop eating them but please - heed the warnings. Maybe organic strawberries may be worth the extra investment!!!!

Welcome to My Lifestyle Improving Blog

This is my first ever entry in the blogosphere. I know it's probably not a big deal for most people but it is quite exciting for me!!! Simple things for simple minds, isn't that what they say. Anyway welcome to my blog and please come back regularly as I will add thoughts, lifestyle ideas, and general information on how you can improve your quality of life in the simplest of ways.

Let me finish by saying the physical side of Lifestyle improvement is improtant, however if you neglect all other aspects of health and wellbeing, the physical aspect can actually be detrimental to health. Come back soon and we can discuss this further. My business website is www.lifestyleimprovers.com you can go there and check out what we are about.