Long-term strength training and insulin.

I have been telling clients and people that are interested in weight loss the importance of strength training along with a healthful diet and cardiovascular training. The three go hand-in-hand. It is that simple. Strength training for improving one's health and body composition, including the long term effects on insulin sensitivity, is equally important to cardiovascular training. Click on the link to see the study by
Hernán Jiménez O, Ramírez-Vélez R, concerning this.

Hernán Jiménez O, Ramírez-Vélez R.
Source
Programa de Profesional en Deporte y Actividad Física, Escuela Nacional del Deporte, Cali, Colombia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the effect of long-term strength training on insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and body composition in overweight and obese subjects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A prospective, randomized, interventional study in 16 overweight or obese subjects aged 18-35years who were investigated before and at the end of 8weeks of strength training. The experimental group (n=8) followed a strength training program consisting of 4 sessions per week at 50% to 80% of repetition maximum (RM), estimated through the 1RM test. The control group (n=8) did not perform the training program. Glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, VLDL-C, and LDL-C levels and arterial index were determined. Insulin sensitivity was measured by calculating HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance). Indicators of body composition included weight, height, waist circumference, body fat, fat weight, muscle mass, somatotype chart and distance.

RESULTS:
At the end of intervention, the experimental group showed a decrease of insulin sensitivity (3.5±0.9 vs. 2.9±1.2; p=0.04), LDL-C (106.9±20.8 vs. 95.5±14.2; p=0.03), and arterial index (4.0±0.6 vs. 3.5±0.5; p=0.01), as well as an increase in HDL-C levels (43.7±8.8 vs. 46.9±5.6; p=0.04), while the control group remained stable. There were no significant differences between groups in body composition, somatotype chart and distance after training.

CONCLUSIONS:
In overweight and obese subjects, strength training for eight weeks improved insulin sensitivity and lipid profile without altering body composition.

Copyright © 2011 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Is your vegetarian diet really healthy?

So you have decided to go vegetarian for healthful reasons or because of your love of animals. Maybe you just buy into the misinformation about red meat and meat in general, but whatever your reason is you’re now a vegetarian. You’re not eating meat, so you don’t get as must iron as you once did. Your B12 levels are low, and your amino acids are incomplete. That’s on the inside. On the outside you’re pointing out to all your friends that you’re losing weight, but that’s the thing, you’re losing weight and not fat; there is a big difference between losing weight and losing fat. With weight loss you lose muscle, and your goal and focus should be fat loss.
The problem in your quest to be a vegetarian is you failed to learn the importance of protein and fats, including saturated fats, but wait you say, I’m getting my protein from soy, and that is a major problem. The health risks of American soy products are well hidden by the soy makers and the FDA. The adulterated soy that is sold in this country is an endocrine disruptor and possibly more harmful than BPA’s. Included in this quest of yours to be a vegetarian is eating the boxed soy meals in the frozen section of your grocery store. That’s great; too bad you replaced healthy meats with chemicals. Sorry, but eat a bunch of chemicals, and vegetarian it makes you not. Eating pizzas and bean burritos from taco bell without meat on it also does not make a vegetarian out of you; that makes you a crappy eater. Far too many people that choose the vegetarian lifestyle eat foods that promote an unhealthy diet such as chips and sugar-filled snacks.
So what is a vegetarian to do? Well, you need to learn some basics about complete proteins and how to mix your foods to get that full amino acid, protein profile for muscle building and use supplements to get your Omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds, walnuts, and pecans are great sources of fats. For proteins, hemp protein, rice protein, and pea protein are excellent choices, but the key is to stay away from non-fermented soy. If you can get fermented soy, that is good since the phytoestrogen are removed.
The three most important steps in becoming a healthful vegetarian are:
• Learn how to make a complete protein out of incomplete proteins
• Stay away from non-fermented soy
• Learn the importance of supplements and EFA (Essential fatty acids).

Obesity is it your only risk?

With the growing concerns over the rise of obesity many people focus on the wrong risk factor which is the weight gain, now weight gain is a risk, but by ignoring some real risks, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease that lead to premature death rates which totaling 250,000 per year which can be avoided by taking action. A sad reflection is that most people who have one of these preventable diseases don’t only have one; they have more. This not only affects you; it affects your family and society with high insurance rates and longer wait times in doctors’ offices. It is a troubling situation which can be controlled by you, and the key word here is you. No government, friend, or magic pill can help. It is about you making yourself important and doing what is right.
Health benefits from exercise are seen with the minimum effort of 2-3 RPE (Rating of perceived exertion), or an easier way to gauge your effort is to ask yourself if you can talk with comfort. If so, your exertion is about 2, and you need to walk at this level for 15 minutes continually five days a week. That is the minimum for health benefits. If you up the time and effort, you can see weight loss as well. But the goal here is to point out the health benefits, not weight loss. You can even improve your health benefits by changing your diet to eating more healthful such as eating protein within the first 15 minutes of waking and eating a small meal every two and half to three hours and not eating carbs with your last meal of the day.
So today, not tomorrow, go for a walk with your friends, pet, or even your loved ones for a minimum of 15 minutes five to seven days a week.