Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Body Building Basics Part Two
To follow up on last months, introduction to nutrition
and body building, here is the second half, enjoy!
We left off with appropriate ratios for carbohydrates,
protein, and fat (50-60%, 25-30%, and 20% respectively). Fat levels are kept to 20% as “a high-fat
diet appears to impair high intensity exercise capacity relative to a
high-carbohydrate diet” (Lambert, Frank, and Evans 317-327).
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| Source: basichealthtips.net |
A study in the journal of Sports Medicine, showed that a diet low in saturated animal fat and
refined foods/carbohydrates had a 20% decrease in the testosterone level. This is insufficient research to indicate if
saturated fat increases testosterone/muscle mass, more research needs done in
this area. A Journal of Applied Physiology indicated that an increase in
testosterone is related to an increase in muscle mass by increasing protein
synthesis.
Post-Workout nutrition and meals are a crucial component to
building muscle. The goal is to keep the
body in an anabolic state where the body is synthesizing protein vs. a
catabolic state where protein is being used as energy. This explains why it is difficult to lose fat
mass and build muscle simultaneously, during the weight loss phase of a
diet/exercise program an individual can expect to lose fat and muscle as muscle
is used over fat as energy when inadequate calories are consumed. Going back to post workout meal consumption, Esmarck
et al. reported that the consumption of 10 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, and 3
g of fat (roughly the equivalent of 10 oz of 1% milk) increased muscle mass
post workout immediately. “When this
same supplement was ingested 2 hours after resistance exercise in a separate
group of individuals, no increase in muscle mass was observed” (Lambert, Frank,
and Evans 317-327).
Esmarck B, Andersen JL, Olsen S, et al. Timing of postexercise
protein intake is important for muscle hypertrophy with resistance training in
elderly humans. Journal of Physiology 2001; 535 (Pt ): 31-11)
Rennie MJ, Tipton KD. Protein and amino acid
metabolism repletion after high-intensity intermittent exercise during and
after exercise and the effects of nutrition. Annual Review Physiology 1977; 42:
129-32, Nutrition 2000; 20: 457-83.
Monday, April 1, 2013
From Our SCAN Students: Do Our Bodies Really Need A Juice Detox?
Detoxing, juicing, cleansing, these seem to be the latest buzzwords. If you belong to a gym, yoga studio, or other exercise group, you have likely heard these words once or one too many times. Also, many gyms are even offering discounts on cleanses if you purchase them directly through them. This raises a couple of questions – what exactly is this doing to the body? Is this really healthy? Does this help shed pounds? How safe are these?
You’ve probably heard of some of the more popular examples of these detoxes and cleanses, which include the Blue Print Cleanse, The Master Cleanse, Organic Avenue, and Ritual Cleanse.
Let’s take a look at what these cleanses are actually doing to the body. While upfront it looks like these cleanses are good for you, reducing toxins, triacylglycerol, and cholesterol levels, it’s been found that the levels return to their normal state once the body is back on solid foods. While many individuals are jumping to these cleanses as a way to detox the body, it’s really unnecessary. The body already naturally removes most toxins, that is the function of our colon, kidneys and liver.
For those individuals looking to shed a few pounds, the juice cleanses may be a quick fix, but that is because most of what is lost is water weight. These cleanses vastly reduce your caloric intake, so your body release glycogen for extra energy. The glycogen then holds on to the water in your body, so when the glycogen is used, the water weight is lost. When resuming a normal diet, the water weight returns to the body.
Is this harmful? For a few days, no, you’re not going to do any major damage to the body. However, over time juices and cleanses are depriving your body of calories and essential nutrients. Calories are energy and the body needs this energy to function properly. Reduced calories can also lead to loss of lean muscle mass if there is a significant reduction in protein.
And if this isn’t enough to make you want to keep eating actual food instead of liquid for your meals, these detoxes are not cheap. They can run upwards of $100/day to drink your meals!
Laura Georgian, M.S., holds her Master of Science in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and is currently a part time Dietetics student at the University of Northern Colorado, working towards her second Bachelors degree, expected December 2013. She enjoys sweating every day, travel, and checking out new restaurants & wine bars. An avid runner, she has two half-marathons under her belt and looking to add a third to the list!
Follow her on Twitter: @NJNutritionista
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