Weight gain in girls blamed on drop in exercise

Teens in study who cut physical activity doubled their rate of excess fat. Research by scientists at the University of New Mexico ...

Pilates Vs. Weight training

I get many emails from people asking me what is better pilates or weight training. Well, pilates is an excellent toning tool and beginners can make a significant strenght gains and will improve your flexibility. But here is the problem: as you get stronger, you will reach plateau. You will come to the point (after few weeks) where you need to push your muscles a bit harder to continue building lean muscle tissues. And the only way to do that is with weight training. Read more about how to Elevate your metabolism with weight training
More lean muscle tissues you have, you will burn more body fat. And the best way to build lean muscles is to go with weight training.

Let's talk about weight training benefits:

1. Weight training tones your muscles which looks great and raises your basal metabolism... which causes you to burn more calories 24 hours-a-day. You'll even burn more calories while you're sleeping.
2. Weight training can *reverse* the natural decline in your metabolism which begins around age 30.
3. Weight training energizes you.
4. Weight training has a positive affect on almost all of your 650+ muscles.
5. Weight training strengthens your bones reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.
6. Weight training improves your muscular endurance.
7. Weight training will NOT develop big muscles on women....just toned muscles!
8. Weight training makes you strong. Strength gives you confidence and makes daily activities easier.
9. Weight training makes you less prone to low-back injuries.
10. Weight training decreases your resting blood pressure.
11. Weight training decreases your risk of developing adult onset diabetes.
12. Weight training decreases your gastrointestinal transit time, reducing your risk for developing colon cancer.
13. Weight training increases your blood level of HDL cholesterol (the good type).
14. Weight training improves your posture.
15. Weight training improves the functioning of your immune system.
16. Weight training lowers your resting heart rate, a sign of a more efficient heart.
17. Weight training improves your balance and coordination.
18. Weight training elevates your mood.

I gave you the facts, now you decide what is better for you.

Don't Let Food and Supplement Labels Fool You

Many people don't really know what they're eating or how much they're eating, because they don't know how to read a food label and are fooled by the claims on the front of the package. The majority of people are surprised once they learn how to read the food label and realize that they are consuming more calories, fat and added sugar than originally thought. Read more...

Get in shape for the summer

This article is brought to you by my friend Darren Anderson, Masters of Science and Education in Clinical Exercise Physiology. His website is Fitness Prescriptions


You’re sitting behind your office desk staring out the window daydreaming about summer, hanging around the pool, checking out new potentials, and tipping back a Corona. You set your empty beer bottle down on the end table and stand up from your lounge chair to get another. As you sashay your way, pool side, to the cooler, you notice a few discrete eyes checking you out over the tops of sunglasses. You came prepared packing two guns and a six pack (big biceps and defined abdominals). Then you snap out of it and realize you are still in your office and that you wearing a swim suit turn stomachs not heads.

Summer is around the corner and you haven’t even begun planning a new exercise program or nutrition regimen. There are so many exercise trends and fad diets, you’re overwhelmed by all the choices. Which one will give you the best results in the shortest time? Which one will require the least amount of work? If this isn’t challenging enough you also have to deal with living in a society that strives to exert zero energy and eat large quantities of food. From my personal experience, I would guess that 80% of people beginning a new exercise and nutrition routine will fail. Sounds futile? Changing the way we look takes time, patience, drive, and hard work!

The first step is to define your goal. The type of goal you set will determine the type of plan. Everyone may have the same goal in mind but the actions that are undertaken to reach there goals will be quite different. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help determine your goal:

Do I want to lose body fat, gain muscle, or both and how much?
What time frame do I have?
How much time am I willing to set aside to make the change?
Am I willing to change eating habits?
What is my current fitness level?
What is my current health status?
Once a goal is decided upon there are three components that will need to be addressed. These components include resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, and nutrition. Each of these components needs to be uniquely tailored to fit your goal and your characteristics. It is very important that every component be utilized. Each component is equally important and without one or the other you greatly decrease you ability to succeed.


Resistance training includes lifting free weights with barbells, dumbbells, weight resisted machines, or resistance bands. Resistance training is beneficial for increasing lean muscle mass. Increasing lean muscle mass can be both cosmetically beneficial and help to increase resting metabolism. Muscle is one of the most energy demanding tissue in the body. The more that we are carrying the more calories we will burn throughout the day.

When resistance training, muscle groups should be trained 1-3 times per week with at least 48 hours rest between workouts. This time allows for proper recovery and minimizes injury. Your muscles are improving and growing during these rest periods and not during the workout. The workout is merely the stimulus for muscle change. Exercises should be kept below 5 sets and 12 repetitions. There are no proven benefits produced with more sets and repetitions. A set is a group of 1-15 repetitions of the exercise. Repetitions are defined as the complete movement of an exercise from start to finish.

Different repetition schemes will produce different results. So again, it is important that you have a clear understanding which to utilize to produce the desired results. To increase muscular size weight should be low and reps high between 8 and 12. To increase strength weight should be medium and reps should be maintained between 4 and 6. To increase power; weight should be high and reps low between 1 and 3. Past theories suggested that high weight and low reps produced the best results for increasing muscular size, but newer research has suggests otherwise. Higher numbers or reps with lower weight produce higher workloads (workload = weight x #sets x #reps) and larger hormonal responses, thus a better stimulus for increasing muscle growth.

The next important component of the equation is cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise includes any activity that stresses the heart, lungs, and circulatory systems. Cardiovascular exercise is continuous activity that keeps your heart rate elevated. Examples of cardiovascular exercises include walking, running, swimming, or biking. Benefits include improved endurance, strengthened heart and circulatory system, increased metabolism, and better ability to burning fat during exercise rather than sugar. No matter what your goals, cardiovascular exercise should be performed a minimum or 3 days per week 30 min at time. The American Collage of Sports Medicine recommends moderate to vigorous cardiovascular activity 7 days per week for 30min. Keep in mind that this frequency and duration is great for improving cardiovascular fitness, if that is your goal, but can greatly compromise your ability to increase muscle mass. This is why you never see marathon runners built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. If your goal is to increase your muscular physique it is best recommended that you only incorporate light cardiovascular exercise 3-5 days a week into your routine.

The last and most important component in a new fitness routine is nutrition. This is the biggest determining factor for your success! It doesn’t matter how many hours you spend sweating in the gym if you fail to modify your eating habits. Poor food choices and amounts will bring your progress to a screeching halt. With too many calories you may gain fat, but restricting calories too much you could arrest muscular growth. The right proportions of protein, carbohydrates, and fat are just as important as the number of calories you consume. A runner has different protein requirements than a bodybuilder, and a bodybuilder different than a power lifter. It is very important to have the correct percentages of these nutrients. Your goal determines your nutritional needs. It would be in your best interest to find and invest in a registered or certified dietitian. You may attempt this on your own but a dietitian can prescribe a nutritional guideline that is specific to your goals and can identify your nutritional needs.

There is no such thing as the one magic workout or diet because everyone has different requirements. To achieve results in the shortest time possible, it is important that you implement resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, and nutrition into your routine. Each is an essential component to your success. It is up to you to take proactive steps in educating and motivating yourself to achieve your goals.

If you would like to alleviate some of the burden of trying to design a fitness routine hire a personal trainer and a nutritionist in your area. Set up a consultation and pick their brain, or better yet pay them to write up a program so all you have to do is follow what they say. Make sure the personal trainer or nutritionist has a nationally recognize certification or degree in a related field. A certification proves that they have the basic minimal knowledge to develop a safe and effective exercise program. The knowledge that you will gain is priceless tool that you can use to build a healthier lifestyle, so next year you won’t feel so frazzled.

Fitness Lunch

I had today for lunch healthy Walford Salad after jogging oudoors for more than 45 minutes on the heat. Call me crazy but I love running when is hot outside. I perfected this reciepe and it does better taste than real Walford Salad.
It has no FAT inside.

My hero Lance Armstrong - Inspiration

Lance wins 7th Tour de France. Go Lance, go! And I love his quotations a lot. This man is unbeatable.

"I believed in belief, for its own shining sake. To believe in the face of utter hopelessness, every article of evidence to the contrary, to ignore apparent catastrophe-what other choice was there? We do it every day, I realized. We are so much stronger than we imagine, and belief is one of the most valiant and long-lived human characteristics. To believe, when all along we humans know that nothing can cure the briefness of this life, that there is no remedy for our basic mortality, that is a form of bravery." "To continue believing in yourself, believing in the doctors, believing in the treatment, believing in whatever I chose to believe in, that was the most important thing, I decided. It had to be." "Without belief, we would be left with nothing but an overwhelming doom, every single day. And it will beat you. I didn't fully see, until the cancer, how we fight every day against the creeping negatives of the world, how we struggle daily against the slow lapping of cynicism. Dispiritedness and disappointment, these are the real perils of life, not some sudden illness or cataclysmic millennium doomsday. I knew now why people fear cancer: because it is a slow and inevitable death, it is the very definition of cynicism and loss of spirit... So, I believed."

"Cancer is my secret because none of my rivals has been that close to death and it makes you look at the world in a different light and that is a huge advantage."

"This is my body. And I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it. Study it. Tweak it. Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I'm on. What am I on? I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?"

"When hearing his diagnosis: What do I have to do? Let's get on with it. Let's kill this stuff. Whatever it takes, let's do it."

High performance personal training in NYC

My friend Alejandro Quiroga, former East Coast Bodybuilding Champion and personal trainer launched a new website. He is offering fitness training and Fitness Chef Service in NYC.
It's not just the rich and famous who can have personally prepared healthy meals anymore! His Fitness Chef Service is a unique service providing you affordable meals that are customized and prepared just for you in your home. I wish him a good luck. Check out his website, it is so awesome. If you are looking for a personal trainer or fitness chef in NYC, visit www.alejandroq.com

Picking a personal trainer - How to hire a top fitness pro

MSNBC brings a story about how to hire How to hire a top fitness pro

Customize your diet based on your unique body chemistry

I would like to ask you two questions about your diet?
1. Is there a one size fits all approach that works for everyone?
2. If not, what is the best approach to customized nutrition?

Everybody is a unique and therefore there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We are genetically different.
Cutting edge research shows that no single diet works well for everyone.
My clients telling me that before they came to me they tried Atkins diet and never got any results. Some people tried low fat diets and never got any results either! Why is that?
What works for one person won't necessarily work for you.
Some of my friends eat chicken and rice all day long and they are slim and muscular and other people when they try to eat same diet fail and gain fat.
The very same food that keep my friend slim, will keep me or you overweight and feeling fatiqued.
What you need to do is to discover your body type and see what type of diet will work best for you. It might be a low fat, high carbs diet, or a high fat, high protein diet or anything in between.
My point is that you need to find out what works for you and stick with it. Experienced nutritionist and personal trainer will be able to help you with your diet.
If your diet does not work for you, you should not stick with it and expect to get different results. Most probably you will not see results. Professional athletes
do it all the time, they always follow unique diets. What works for a tennis player, will not work for a marathoner, and what works for a fitness model won't necessarily work for average owerweight person. You got my point? In various magazines you can always read about celebrity diets. Jennifer Aniston follows the zone diet and now millions of people starting to follow zone diet because one of the hollywood movie stars follows it. And you might think it will work for me if it works for her. Most likely not. Well, it works for her because she found what diet works for her body type. That does not mean that will work well for you too.
Read more about Insane diets and workouts and why your diet and exercise programs could fail.

Workout music

Music is very important for my workouts and cardio. It makes me move, gives me more energy, gives me right attitude and makes me happy.

Here is what I am listening lately on my ipod while I am exercising.
This Mix is exploding with energy!

mylo - in your arms
groove coverage - holy virgin
danzel - put your hands up in the air
heiko & maik(o) - sonnenschein
dj shog - running water
axwell - can you feel the vibe
atb - humanity
party pimpz - give it up
disco kings - born to be alive
fox force five - touch me
armand van helden - clip into your eyes
sunset strippers - falling stars
dj sammy - why
royal gigolos - self control
beam -odin
deep dish - say hello
50 cent - just a lil bit
the housekeepers - go down

Exercise may make you a better worker - Smart Fitness

New research finds that busy professionals who exercise during the day feel more productive. Exercise may make you a better worker - Smart Fitness -

Eat vegetables. Live longer. The World's Healthiest and best testing Veggies

Today I had for lunch stuffed belgian endives with grilled chicken. I and my clients love this reciepe. This reciepe is courtesy of FITNESS CHEF Alejandro. As a personal trainer I have to motivate my clients daily to eat healthier and change their lifestyle and eating behavior.
I will try to explain here why you should eat more veggies in your diet if you are serious about your fitness goals.
Eat more veggies. Live longer. Look great.
Vegetables have so many benefits for your health.
Veggies have:
- minerals and vitamins
- flavonoids (plant chemicals that act like antioxidants)have been reported to have antiviral, anti-allergic, antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant activities.
- saponins (plant chemicals that have a bitter taste) helps humans fight fungal infections, combat microbes and viruses, boost the effectiveness of certain vaccine and knock out some kinds of tumor cells particularly lung and blood cancers. They can also lower blood cholesterol thereby reducing heart disease.
- phenols (organic compounds in foods) blocks the formation of carcinogens.
- carotenoids (vitamin A like compunds). Preliminary and experimental studies suggest that a higher dietary intake of carotenoids offers protection against developing certain cancers (e.g., lung, skin, uterine, cervix, gastrointestinal tract), macular degeneration, cataracts, and other health conditions linked to oxidative or free radical damage.
- isothiocyanates (sulfur containing compounds). They don't allow carcinogens to be activated. Isothiocyanates have been shown to be especially effective in fighting lung and esophageal cancers
- source of dietary fiber

The World's Healthiest and best testing Veggies:
Asparagus
Avocado
Belgian Endive
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard greens
Cucumber
Eggplant
Fennel bulb
Garlic
Green beans
Green peas
Kale
Leeks
Mushrooms, Crimini
Mushrooms, Shiitake
Mustard greens
Olives
Onions
Parsley
Romaine lettuce
Sea vegetables
Spinach
Squash, summer
Squash, winter
Swiss chard
Tomato, fresh
Turnip Greens

If you want to look younger, prevent cancer, loose weight or build muscle than eat more vegetables. Your body will thank you.

Are you skipping meals? Irregular eating patterns promote fat gain

Are you super busy? You never have time for breakfast? You are working all day long and have to skip meals because you have to run into the meeting? You have no time to eat regulary? You come home and you overeat for a dinner?
You are most likely owerweight.

The scientist from the University of Nottingham (UK) found out in the study that overweight people have the worst eating habits.
Overweight people are skipping meals, eating unregulary and when they come home they overeat for a dinner. Sounds familiar? Eh?

The results of this study suggest that skipping meals will put your body into starvation mode (energy conservation mechanism) that will slow your metabolism.

It is very hard to stay lean if you are skipping meals. If you want to stay lean, better do not skip your meals.

Insane fitness regimen. Are you insane with your fitness?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. - Albert Einstein.

This is my favorite quotation. Maybe because I was born on the same day as Albert Einstein, so we kinda think the same way.
Maybe because I speak German too. Maybe :)
But how we can translate this definition of insanity into fitness world?
Ok I will try to do so:

Have you tried many diets and exercise programs without any success? But you are still on the same diet?
Tired of the same boring workout routines, can’t seem to reach your goals? And your have the same training routine over and over again?
Have you been trying to gain muscle with no results? And your training has been the same in last 6 months?
Are you doing the same cardio routine over and over and you can not see any results?

Well, you can not be doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different results?
You gotta change something! How about changing your diet? Why don't you change your boring training routine? How about doing something different for cardio?
When I was a swimmer, my trainer always used to change my training in the gym and in the swimming pool. He was a former olympic champion and he knew what he was doing.

Many people from all over the world send me an email and always say something like this: Joe, something is wrong with my body, I can not loose fat from my body and I have tried many diets and exercise programs.
Well, it is nothing wrong with your body, your diet and exercise regimen must be wrong. Once you are ready to admit that, you can start doing it right next time you are ready for the change.
And remember one thing: you can rebound no matter what.

Elevate your metabolism with weight training

So many crazy diets out there, so many new diet commercials on TV, diet books, fat burning pills. But do they really work? What is a science behind it? Any scientific background to back it up? Usually when they do not have any science behind it, they hire a celebrity (movie star, rock star, model) to promote their products. Very sad. But it is true.
But let's talk about science and what scientists say about how you can burn body fat and not what Hollywood diets want you to believe.

Researchers from Wisconsin University found out that training with weights at fairly high intensities (70% of your max) can boost your metabolism for up to two days after a workout.
What happens with your body is following:
- your muscle temperature will increase
- energy production will be increased within your body
- Uncoupling proteins are stimulated. These proteins cause cells to metabolize and you will burn body fat (release excess energy).
Uncoupling proteins are a unique group of closely related proteins that are known to be involved in thermogenesis and play important roles in obesity, diabetes, fatty acid metabolism, suppression of oxygen radicals and nuerodegeneration.

Weight training will demage your muscle cells and that requires energy (calories) to repair your muscle fibers. This burns calories also.

Now you know if you want to burn body fat, you have to do weight training in combination with science based nutrition.

Fitness education: Our Intestine does a hard work

Did you know that our intestine in a human life processes about 30 tons of meals and 50,000 litres of liquid?
That's a lot of food.
The intestine is the portion of the digestive tract between the stomach and the anus. It is divided into two major sections: small intestine and large intestine.
The small and large intestines perform different functions. The small intestine is where the most extensive part of digestion occurs. Most food products are absorbed in the small intestine. The large intestine is responsible for absorption of water and excretion of solid waste material.

Fitness Cooking: Rosemary Chicken Branches

Today I was cooking for lunch: Rosemary chicken branches.
Chicken cubes are so tender and melting in the mouth. I am enjoying the Taste of Summer. Very light and refreshing. This is one of my favorite fitness recipes influenced by the Mediterranean cuisine of the sun. It is absolutely fabulous fitness food.

Get some sunshine. Vitamin D keeps bones strong.

The human body does not have a requirement for vitamin D when sufficient sunlight is available. However, vitamin D does become an important nutritional factor in the absence of sunlight. This is because the
body produces vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight.
Why do we need Vitamin D? It is necessary for your body to absorb and
utilize calcium, which keeps bones strong. So get your 20 minutes of sun a
few times a week. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in adults or rickets in children.

Other sources of vitamin D:

Cod Liver Oil, 1 Tbs: 1,360 IU
Salmon, cooked, 3 1/2 oz: 360 IU
Mackerel, cooked, 3 1/2 oz: 345 IU
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 3 1/2 oz: 270 IU
Milk, nonfat, reduced fat, and whole, vitamin D fortified, 1 c: 98 IU
Dry cereal, Vitamin D fortified w/10% of the recommended daily value, 3/4 c: 40-50 IU (other cereals may be fortified with more or less vitamin D)
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 1/2 oz: 30 IU
Egg, 1 whole (vitamin D is present in the yolk): 25 IU

NYC personal trainer Joe DiAngelo: TOP FIVE FAT LOSS FACTORS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

1.Psychological readiness
Fitness performance has three parts: physical training, technical skill, and psychological readiness. This model suggests that if any of the above areas are neglected, fitness performance will decline. However, psychological preparation is the component that is most often neglected by trainees and coaches alike.
2. Nutrition
Without a good nutrition plan you can not expect results, even if you have the best training. I am talking here about science based nutrition and not some
type of all you can eat bacon diet.
3. Training & Routine
Work hard, but smart! More is not better! Working out smart is always better.
4. Recovery
Muscles grow in bed, not in the gym. More lean muscle you have, more body fat you will burn.
5. Supplementation
Good supplements can help you loose body fat. But do not expect a miracle without factors 1,2,3,4


Joe DiAngelo - NYC personal trainer

Water makes you fit and thin. 5 reasons to drink more water

Did you know that over 50 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated?

I will give you 5 reasons why you should drink more water:

1. If you are dehydrated you will loose concetration because your brain can not work properly. Dehydration will make you tired too.
Reason is in decreased blood volume and poor supply of the brain with the oxygen. Water constitutes over 70 percent of the brain.

2. Beauty. You want to look young and have a beautiful skin? Than drink more water. With lack of water the depots of the skin cells are very strongly emptied. Skin starts to age. Maintaining well-hydrated cells is what forms the foundation of a comprehensive anti-aging program.

3. It makes you thin and fit. The benefit of 500 milliliter cold water directly before the meals increases the saturation feeling and increases additionally the energy consumption. If you drink 1/2 galon of water daily, you will burn approximately 36,500 calories per year. That means: 3 lbs less!
If you drink 1 gallon of water per day, you can burn 6 extra lbs per year.

4. Did you know that our body needs 0.42 gallon of water after one hour of jogging on 70 degrees? Dehydration can cause a collapse of your body.

5. Without water, no health. Water reduces risk of kidney stones and bladder cancer.

By the time you feel the symptom of dry mouth, your body is already in an advanced stage of dehydration from an optimum health perspective.

Personal trainer - one of the greatest investments in the world

Time is money. Doing exercise and diet on your own through trial and error can cost you a lot of money and time.
Low carbs? Moderate diet? Atkins? Zone diet? Slow burn workouts? 30 min speed workouts? 5 seconds abs workout? Im sure you are CONFUSED and you do not know what works for you.
You probably already tried one of the most "popular diets" and you hated results? Monkey see, monkey do diet.
When I was a kid I remember my grandmother was buying so called "ABS FAT ELIMINATOR" - it was some junk abs equipment that promised on TV that you will get 6 pack if you do it only 5 minutes per day!
Never worked!
People are confused. People are buying fat burning pills, exercise equipment seen on cheesy TV commercials, following all "Hollywood diets".
Here is my idea: stop wasting money on fat burning pills, unhealthy diets and all other fat burning gimmicks and hire a good professional trainer.

A good professional trainer is not cheap and it does cost money. Do you think you should hire a cheap one who never helped anybody lose body fat? With a bad record? Without education? Without any competitive experience or athletic background?
Would you hire the cheapest surgeon in NYC to operate your body? Someone who injured 4 people and has already a bad record?
Would you hire a cheap lawyer to protect you in a big lawsuit?
I think you got my point. Usually, you get what you pay for. Investment in your body is one of the greatest investments you can make. Not just that you will be more healthier, improve strenght and gain energy, you will start looking good. And there are so many studies out there that show that people who are in shape are better paid and promoted. My point is that you will get your investment back.
If you have a job where you see new people often, this could be important (example: sales, marketing etc). Better looking people have a better chance of getting the best jobs, getting promotions, making the sale and being respected. This may not be morally right but it is true. We naturally trust good looking people. Many people also assume that fat and out of shape people are lazy, dumb, rude and untrustworthy. This has been proven by many studies. Think of how a good personal appearance can benefit you in your current job.
A good professional trainer will motivate you to make the change to enter a new world of health, fitness, and wellness - and to stay there.

Motivation for your happiness

" Don't look up to champions, be one."

Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
-- Thomas Edison --

Stress makes us FAT. Cortisone causes fat gain

.

Stress is so bad for our health that it can actually KILL US. It kills us and make us FAT.
When we are under stress our body release a higher level of adrenalin to help our body cope with stressful situation. Another substance that is released into our body when we are under stress is Cortisone.

Cortisone is a hormone made by the adrenal gland, which definitely causes FAT gain. If made in excess or used in excess as a drug, cortisone also causes muscle, bone, skin, and other protein loss. Pretty flattering results, eh? So it slows our metabolism. You gain fat and loose muscle.

Cortisone also causes abnormalities in sugar metabolism. Talk about a vicious cycle:

· Weight gain causes increased insulin.

· Increased insulin causes increased cortisone.

· Increased cortisone causes increased weight and abnormal sugar metabolism!

· And on and on and on. . . .

Finally, cortisone causes pre-fat cells to mature to become fat cells, making storage of fat easier. Cortisone makes the brain less sensitive to the fat-cell-produced hormone leptin, which controls hunger, appetite, satiety, and cravings—so they become even more difficult to control.

Now you know that STRESS MAKES YOU FAT.
But there is a good news: If cortisone levels increase, diet and exercise also cause normalization of insulin and cortisone within days to weeks of starting a diet program. And now what happens is that your body is starting to produce Endorphins Hormone. ENDORPHINS IMPROVE OUR MOOD and your cortisol levels will be back to normal.
It is very important for us to understand how hormones in our bodies work, if we want to achieve results in the gym.
Please don't let anxiety and stress ruin your day.

Find healthy ways to fight stress:
- A poor diet can also contribute to stress or anxiety -- for example, low levels of vitamin B12
- Eat a well-balanced, healthy diet. Don't overeat.
- Get enough sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Cardio training helps with stress. Go jogging.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol
- Learn and practice relaxation techniques like yoga, tai chi, or meditation.
- Spend time with friends and family.
- Have a fun: movies, sports, traveling , etc...

Raspberry Yogurt Ice Cream

You are on the diet and you have an ice cream on your mind?
Cool Off Your Sweet Tooth With my Raspberry Yoghurt Ice Cream.

This Ice Cream is appropriate for weight loss or bodybuilding.

Serves 4
Preparation: 15 minutes
Freezing time: at least 8 hours

1 cup fat free yogurt
1 1/4 cups (about half of a pint basket) raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 large egg white, beaten until stiff
1 scoop vanilla protein powder - make sure it is low carb protein powder.
In a blender, puree the yogurt, raspberries and 1 scoop vanilla protein powder. Pour the puree into a large ice-cube tray and leave in the freezer for at least 8 hours.
Cut the frozen mixture into small pieces with a knife. Puree again in the blender.
Add the stiffly beaten egg white and mix thoroughly.
Serve immediately.

Believe me, this ice cream is on steroids, so consume in moderation.

Create synergy between weight training and your diet

If you exercise, you need a cutting edge information on diet and nutrition to get best results. Whether you want to achieve peak performance, gain muscle, loose fat, tone muscle, improve your energy, the High-Performance nutrition offers the key to success. With the right nutrition, you will get more value from any type of exercise. If your diet is neglected, even slightly, the synergy is broken and results will be limited. The key here is to create a synergy between nutrition and exercise to achieve maximum results.

As a former professional athlete, I know that what you eat and drink can significantly affect performance. Nutrition for Serious Results combines the latest science based research and the training experiences of top athletes. That's why US Olympic swimming team always combines the latest science based nutrition strategies from the top nutrition labs (One of the greatest nutrition labs that I highly respect and admire is a Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance at Georgia State University) with latest winning training experiences of the top US swimmers.

If you want to get results in the gym, you must have a synergy between:
- proper nutrition. Here I mean science based nutrition, not some type of a BS diet!
- weight training
- cardio training
- supplementation strategy

You have to ask yourself following questions: Do I have a proper diet designed to achieve my fitness goals? Is my weight training working in combination with my diet? Is my cardio training in synergy with my diet and weight training? Do you understand the impact food has on the many biochemical processes in your body that influence muscle growth and fat burning?
If you do not know answers to any of these questions, you are out of the synergy and the results will be limited.
Most people never get results in the gym, not because they have bad genetics (they often blame bad genetics), it is simple because they have no proper nutrition program, poor weight training and bad cardio training where they burn most of muscle, but not FAT.

A good nutrition game plan+muscle building weight training+fat burning cardio program=RESULTS

Refresh yourself with the right foods. Cool summer nutrition tips

It is hot here in NYC. That's why we need to refresh our bodies with the right nutrition. I was growing up in Europe and one thing that Europeans do
different than Americans is that they never eat same foods in summer and in the winter.
Let's say if the Europeans eat potato, beans, rice in winter, they will not eat potatoes, rice and beans in summer. Even menus in restaurants are different in summer
than in winter.
Why you would eat something heavy like rice and beans when you have so many seasonal fruits and veggies around?
No reason for that! First you want to get rid of foods in summer that make you feel heavy and tired. Instead we need to choose foods that will refresh our bodies
when outside is so hot.

I will give you few cool summer nutrition tips how to eat in summer months to refresh your body:
- Eat fresh veggies and fruits. If possible consume raw veggies and fruits, they are full of enzymes.
- Drink at least 1 gallon of water per day. Keep caffeinated drinks at minimum. Caffeinated drinks have a diuretic effect on your body.
- As protein source choose fish. Fish has all proteins you need plus good fats
- Reduce consumption of red meat, animal fats and dairy fats
- if you sweat a lot, consume a tea of garden sage. Reduce to minimum: coffee, salt, hot spices and alcohol.

You want to feel light and refreshed in summer months and not tired and heavy. That'ss why you need to eat foods that will refresh your body and sprit and
not make you tired. Enjoy your summer!

Fitness motivation. Prevent diabetes!

Nothing lifts me out of a bad mood better than a hard workout on my treadmill. It never fails. To us, exercise is nothing short of a miracle. -- Cher

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent." - Marilyn vos Savant, Columnist'

A lot of people always say to me: Joe, I do not have time to eat healthy and prepare healthy meals. I am always asking them: Well, do you have a time to be sick?

Did you know that more than 5 million people have diabetes and don’t even know it? Did you know that diabetes is reaching epidemic levels in children and adults? Did you know that physically, diabetes is related to the fast foods that we eat?

Last weekend I spent with people uptown talking about how we can prevent diabetes with right nutrition and exercise.

Did you know that nearly 9 out of 10 people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes are overweight? If you are overweight, losing some weight could help you better manage your diabetes.

If you have pre-diabetes (higher than normal blood glucose levels but not yet diabetes), you only need to lose a modest amount of weight - for example, 10 to 15 pounds for a 200-pound person - to prevent type 2 diabetes. You can do it by building up to 30 minutes of physical activity a day 5 days a week and following a low-calorie, low-fat eating plan.
Big Rewards: Preventing type 2 diabetes means peace of mind and a healthier and longer life without serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations.
Everybody can loose 10-15 pounds. Now it is up to you my friend to choose option to be sick or healthy. It is your choice.

Endorphins and Exercise: Get high naturally

Do you want to be more happy, reduce stress and postone aging process? Than you should exercise because your body will produce more endorphins.
Sports like bodybuilding, powerlifting, contribute to an increased production and release of endorphins. Because they are naturally produced by the body, endorphins are possibly the best (and most legal way) to achieve a natural high.
That's why my clients telling me always that they are feeling great after training.
They always say I always love the feeling when I finish my training and go home. I feel so happy and relaxed. That is endorphin hormone. It does wonders for your mood.
First discovered in 1975, endorphins ("endogenous morphine") is one of several morphine-like substances (opioids) discovered within our brains as recently as thirty years ago. Endorphins are polypeptides containing 30 amino acid units. Opioids are considered stress hormones like corticotrophin, cortisol, and catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline), and are manufactured by the body to reduce stress and relieve pain. Usually produced during periods of extreme stress, endorphins naturally block pain signals produced by the nervous system.
The human body produces at least 20 different endorphins with possible benefits and uses that researchers are investigating. Beta- endorphin appears to be the
endorphin that seems to have the strongest affect on the brain and body during exercise; it is one kind of peptide hormone that is formed mainly by Tyrosine, an amino acid. The molecular structure is very similar to morphine but with different chemical properties.
Endorphins enhance the immune system, they relieve pain, they reduce stress, and postpone the aging process. Scientists also have found that beta-endorphins can activate human NK (Natural Killer) cells and boost the immune system against diseases and kill cancer cells.

HOW DO ENDORPHINS IMPROVE OUR MOOD?
Endorphins are released into the bloodstream by the pituitary

Endorphins enter nociceptive afferents (neurons which carry pain impulses to the brain)

Endorphins then bind to opioid receptors in the neurons (mu, kappa, delta). These receptors are the same as the receptors which drugs like morphine bind to.

Endorphins have an antagonistic effect on the receptors and therefore block the release of neurotransmitter molecules from the nerve terminal.

NO PAIN SIGNALS REACH THE BRAIN!!
The endorphins are therefore said to have an analgaesic effect.

By having this analgaesic effect on the body, endorphin release results in a state of euphoria. As well as reducing pain this also aids in the reduction of stress. Due to these effects, endorphins are known as the body's "natural painkillers". Because they have similar actions to opiate drugs they are also known as the endogenous opioids.
Blood levels of beta-endorphins have been found to increase to as much as five times their resting levels during a prolonged bout of aerobic exercise (over 30mins). This measurement varies from person to person and is affected by how much regular exercise you take part in. Thats why I always feel like I am flying after doing cardio.