Why is cholesterol important for your health? Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is measured in the fat of your blood. You can’t live without cholesterol, nor would you want to. Cholesterol is important for healthy cell membranes, producing hormones (no cholesterol means no sex drive), vitamin D levels, and your memory. In fact, cholesterol is so important for your health, that your…
What to Avoid at the Salad Bar: Creamy Dressings Dressings like Blue Cheese or Ranch (my personal favorite) can be tempting, however just this one addition can double the fat and calories of your entire salad. Just two tablespoons of Ranch Dressing has 145 calories, 15g of fat and over…
Naturopathic Tips To Avoid Getting Sick This Flu Season Instead of focusing on the impending "flu season", we should all be thinking about prevention, keeping our immune system strong and healthy. Most flu like symptoms, like coughing, sneezing, and aches, are not bacterial but viral. These symptoms are the body's way of expressing discomfort when trying to eliminate toxins. Stifling these symptoms with…
The Basics of Balanced Eating Fifteen years ago, everyone had the same understanding of what "balanced eating" entailed. Today, it is a much more complicated topic with many conflicting opinions and new trends. A “balanced meal plan” to one health expert is not always the same to another health expert. The textbook definition of…
Hearty Vegetarian Soups To Keep You Warm This Fall It seems as though fall was made for soup. The cooler nights make you crave something warm and savory and the flavors of the in-season vegetables shine brighter together than on their own. In fact, soups are an excellent way to sneak in nutrient…
What To Do With Bruised Tomatoes Tomato season is upon us. You may have gotten some tomatoes from the farmer’s market, your neighbor’s garden, or perhaps you grew your own. Either way, you may encounter some tomatoes that appear less-than-perfect on the exterior, especially if they are at their peak of ripeness. Keep…
Breaking Down Your Diet Based on Your Goals: Professional trainers have to be educated in all aspects of fitness to provide the best outcome. A great workout routine WILL produce results, however, the correct diet accelerates your success! Everyone will have a different experience and approach for what works best.…
In prehistoric times when I went to college, the weight gain characterized by freshman year was called the freshmen ton; meaning that if you added up all the weight the freshman gained by throughout the school year, it would equal a ton. The Freshman 15 is close enough and is defined as the amount of weight an average freshman will gain by the end of freshman year. Some folks are spared but unfortunately many freshmen end up with the extra pounds. This type of weight gain is likely to follow us throughout life, as we encounter similar life stresses. The gain is blamed on a variety of issues, including:
How can young, vibrant 18 year olds be gaining that much weight? Is it a myth or urban legend? Aren’t they walking to class, meeting with friends, dancing, and partying? They’re too busy to gain weight right? Unfortunately, researchers followed 131 students over four years of college and found that a whopping 70% of them packed on pounds by graduation (average of 12 pounds). The overall percentage of students found to be overweight increased from 18% to 31%. The researchers noted gains in body fat composition and waist circumference as well.
A new study, published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, flies in the face of previous studies, which found that the average student gains merely 2.5 to 3.5 pounds and accused the media of fomenting the Freshman 15 myth.
But the researchers in the Auburn study observed that the “growth” they found in the college students consisted primarily of fat mass (meaning natural growth patterns could not account for it). And all the above factors were significant contributors to the gain.
Carol Holland, D.Ph., an associate professor and a psychologist in the counseling center at Slippery Rock State College in Pennsylvania, says that the stress of adapting to a new situation and academic and social challenges can be a problem. Students may miss the support system of friends, family, and activities that they had in high school, so they use what’s available. Food becomes a pacifier, and this coping skill can follow after college leading to adulthood obesity, if it’s not recognized early.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”- Einstein
We all have good intentions when we start exercising. We commit to working out three times a week, eating a healthier diet, and going for a hike with friends on the weekends.
The first week goes great. Most of us are sore because the only movement we’ve done in the last couple months is the move from the couch to the bed to the office chair. The next few weeks go by without any issue. Around the third week, the soreness has lessened, energy levels have increased, clothes are fitting a little looser, and people are starting to notice positive changes, both mentally and physically.
You think to yourself – I just need to maintain this consistent routine and the positive changes will continue. Results are happening. Life is good.
You are now 6 months into your healthier lifestyle. You miss a workout now and then but, for the most part, you’ve been getting your 3 workouts in every week. You lost weight and dropped a few inches around the waist. Sadly, when you step on the scale now, it seems to always be on the same number as the week prior. The compliments from family and friends have tailed off as well. You are working just as hard as you were in the beginning, but the strength gains and fat loss results have hit a wall.
This is a critical time for folks. Unfortunately, many get frustrated and revert back to their unhealthy lifestyle citing it’s too much work for such little progress. Others will continue to exercise but really just go through the motions and remain stuck in “plateau limbo.” The last group is the determined group. The mentally tough and focused group who will do whatever it takes to overcome this sticking point. The final group is the group that will find a solution to this all-too-common problem.
How to Get a Flat Stomach by Eating Right Let's face it… having a flat stomach is something that most people desire. I would go as far as to say that it's as exciting as say… winning the lottery! As we all know, flat abs are achieved by BOTH exercising…