Healthy and fat, not two words you normally put together, but that doesn’t have to be the case.

So what is the best food to eat for weight loss? Do we all need to cut out fat from our diet and see a personal trainer? Or is there a better more sustainable way?

Most people know that we should be cutting down on fat. But did you know it’s even more important to try to replace the saturated fat we eat with unsaturated fat?

There are four kinds of fats: monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. Monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are the “good” fats. It is generally accepted that consumption of saturated fat should be kept low, especially for adults. Trans fat (which means trans fatty acids) is the worst kind of fat, far worse than saturated fat and should be avoided.

Partial hydrogenation is an industrial process used to make a perfectly good oil, such as soybean oil, into a perfectly bad oil. The process is used to make an oil more solid; provide longer shelf-life in baked products; provide longer fry-life for cooking oils, and provide a certain kind of texture or “mouthfeel.” The big problem is that partially hydrogenated oil is laden with lethal trans fat.

Saturated and Unsaturated Fats.

Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature and is usually from animal sources. It’s found in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk and anything that contains these ingredients, such as cakes, chocolate, biscuits, pies and pastries. It’s also the white fat you can see on red meat and underneath poultry skin.

How much saturated fat you eat is associated with increased blood cholesterol concentrations and an increased risk of heart disease. Eating less helps to minimise the risks it poses to heart health.

Unsaturated fat is usually liquid at room temperature and generally comes from vegetable sources. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are both included in this group.

Unsaturated vegetable oils are a healthier alternative to saturated fat and can be found in sesame, sunflower, soya and olive oil, soft margarine and in foods such as oily fish, including mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon. Where possible, you should ensure the fat you eat is unsaturated.

Practical ways to cut down on saturated at and hydrogenated vegetable oil

• Cut down on foods high in these types of fat such as meat pies, butter, cakes and processed food.
• Choose lean cuts of meat and always trim off any fat.
• Try boiling, steaming, grilling or poaching rather than frying or roasting.
• Try dry roasting which is frying with no oil.
• Eat more vegetables

Healthy Sources of Fats Include:

·    oily fish

·    avocados

·    nuts and seeds

·    sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil and spreads

·    vegetable oils

Healthy unsaturated fats contain fatty acids that are vital for heart health, alertness and can be useful for lowering blood pressure.

Healthy eating, body function and weight loss is not just about low fat low calorie diets. In fact healthy unsaturated fats are crucial for health and optimal function, helping with weight loss. The key is not to look for low fat products but look for products that naturally contain healthy unsaturated fats and do not contain unhealthy, saturated or trans fats.

Healthy eating is about what IS IN the food, not WHAT ISN’T!

Tight body, taught arms and rock solid abs , a good thing right? 

Well no not necessarily, muscle tension can be a real problem.

We have all at some point experienced muscle tension. It’s a common side effect to being both mentally and physically busy, tired and stressed, worried about losing weight or working too hard in the gym without consulting an exercise physiologist. Combine this with the repeated use of the same muscles over the course of the day or for the duration of the task you are completing and you are a prime candidate for experiencing the wrath of muscle tension and pain.

To visualize how it works, imagine a section of rope and all the tiny strands that you would find are intertwined within it if you were to pull it apart. This is much like a muscle, where each strand is a muscle fibre that can to some extent work and be stressed separately to other parts of your muscle.

If a group of these fibres are repeatedly activated, over time they will not be able to relax back to their pre-contracted state. They will become shorter and bunched up and can become what is characteristically known as a trigger point. It will feel like a lump or knot within the muscle and is usually quite sore to touch. This pain will either stay at the site or radiate to other areas.

As parts of the muscle become tense and shorten, the whole muscle function is affected prevemting it from working normally. Other muscles get called on to help which then increases the risk of the assisting muscle getting injured as it is overexerting itself to achieve an action that it wasn’t designed to do.  Not only that bur there us an increased risk of  injury to bones and joints. Imagine your body as a finely tuned piece of equipment with millions of internonnecting parts. When one part is out of whack it pulls on the areas it is attached to creating further issues, pulling bones and joints out of position or altering their ability to move freely. The body is so intricate that just a 5% shift in one area could be enough to cause major function errors – which you guessed it, causes pain or injury.

Mentally induced stress has been found to keep some motor units or strands within the muscle active, even in the absence of physical demands. Constant activation can cause muscle fatigue and disturbances in the exchange of nutrients and wastes within the muscle, which starts degenerative processes and causes increased pain sensitivity. It also prevents repair of damaged muscle fibres. Mental stress is often longer lasting than physical demands and therefore mental stress is a strong contributor to the risk of motor unit overuse, tension and pain.

To help avoid the effects of tension, stretch and take some slow deep breaths for immediate relief, schedule a massage or a yoga session, but undertake a strengthening program to enhance the ability of your muscles to sustain activity long term and cope with stress. Tension should be the sign for action, think of it like when the wheels of your car need balancing, if you ignore it you will only cause further damage. Pain is like a flat tire, ignoring it will at some point become impossible.

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. 

~Author Unknown

So if I said to you it comes from microscopic organisms inside your body that developed from bacteria - would you believe me? Well probably not, but read on.

Aerobic energy production in the body happens in a process called Krebs cycle outlined in the picture below.

Now before you say ‘What the…’ let me explain its significance. Krebs cycle takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria which are also known as the powerhouse of the cell. There are some fascinating facts about these strange little powerhouses.

• Firstly they actually have their own DNA. That’s right, we have DNA that makes up who we are and then DNA that belongs to the mitochondria.
• The actual origin of these powerhouses is unknown, but they are thought to originate from bacteria. You have living organisms within you that power you and provide you with energy. Fascinating, and a little freaky!
• Another thing about mitochondria is that they are found in differing quantities from one person to the next and from one cell type to another. They are found in large quantities in the liver cells in particular.
• Mitochondria are involved in a number of processes from supplying cellular energy through to signaling, cellular differentiation, control of the cell cycle and cell death. Mitochondria are also thought to play a role in the aging process

A dominant role for the mitochondria is the production of ATP. ATP is the primary source of energy production in the body. The process that occurs to produce ATP is the process that produces energy. ATP is produced through oxidizing the major products of glucose (food), pyruvate (once lactic acid) and NADH. This process is known as krebs cycle. This requires oxygen to occur and therefore is also known as aerobic respiration or energy production.

This process has many complex sub plots that is beyond the scope of this article.

So I know that was a little heavy going but I hope you are still with me on this.

• Firstly understand this, mitochondria are important, they give you energy and are instrumental in the aging process.
• Secondly know, that oxygen is required for their function.
• Finally that there is a complex system happening within you constantly that is providing you with energy. A process that is fuelled by organisms that originated from bacteria millions of years ago.

It’s important to get a basic understanding of the above to understand how your body produces energy and therefore what you can do to hot wire it and produce more.

Mitochondria the ‘powerhouse; they have

their own DNA and are thought to have

originated from bacteria millions of years ago

It is hard to say exactly how much energy (ATP units) are produced from aerobic metabolism but it is approximately 38 units of ATP per glucose unit. Each time the ATP unit is broken down you are looking at approximately 7 Calories of energy release per breakdown cycle (of which there are three) Or approximately 3 seconds of exercise. Hence there is a need for a constant supply of glucose (food) water (required in the process) and oxygen (air) to sustain energy production.

When there is no oxygen present a different form of energy metabolism will take place, known as anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism occurs independently of the mitochondria and yields 13 times less ATP than aerobic metabolism, meaning you run out of energy much quicker than when oxygen is present. The only upside is, due to its more simplistic processes, it takes less time to produce this energy then when oxygen is present for aerobic metabolism.

So if you hold your breath during exercise you will produce energy fast, but not much of it. Not only that, but you will produce lactic acid as a by-product. So remember only in extreme circumstances.

Hopefully now you have a basic foundation in the complexities of energy metabolism at a cellular level. To recap, remember this:

1)     More energy is produced with oxygen than without

2)     Energy without oxygen is produced along with lactic acid

3)     Glucose (food) and water are required for energy production

4)     Treat your mitochondria well, give them what they need and in turn, they will give you what you need

Next article we will look at how food impacts on this process in the formation of glucose units. Until then, take a deep breath…..

Go on click on the picture….

1) Does a Cats purr have the same romance-enhancing frequency as Barry White? True or False?

True - Barry White and a Cat’s purr have been tested as the same sound frequency…!

2) Never hold your nose and cover your mouth when sneezing, as it can blow out your eye balls. True or False?

True - The force generated from a sneeze could easily pop out a persons eyes!

3) 1 person in 5 can’t lick their own elbow. True or False?

False, no-one can. If you are an exception to this please contact us for a free prize, worth $420! (enquiries@the-lab.com.au)

 4) As a group, 35 to 45 year-olds deprived of sleep suffer more from impaired performance than other age groups. True or False?

False - people between the ages of 20-35s performance suffers more with sleep deprivation.

This time of year it seems as though every second person is fighting a bad case of the flu or a chest infection; resulting in time spent away from the office curled up in a blanket on the couch.  Apart from not being much fun, this results in a large increase in stress and a drop in our productivity affecting our corportate health.

 So what can we do to give ourselves the best chance of avoiding illness?

There are the obvious few.  Don’t go out in the rain and cold in your underwear; try your best not to get coughed on; and don’t share coffee mugs with everyone else at the office.

A less known fact is that regular moderate exercise can boost your immune system and decrease your risk of catching the flu.

Moderate Exercise:

·       Reduces the secretion of stress related hormones (shown to have a close relationship with the onset of the common cold); and

·       Increases the body’s circulation.

When the body’s circulation in enhanced, it causes an increase in the distribution of immune cells; allowing them to better kill bacteria and viruses.  Although it seems that your immune system returns to normal after a few hours, recent research has found that repeating this exercise on a near daily basis has an accumulative affect on immune function.  This same research has shown that those who walk at 70-75% of their maximum heart rate for 40 minutes per day have half as many sick days due to colds and sore throats as those who don’t exercise.

Although exercise is an important factor in maintaining immune function it is important that we also remember the other factors contributing to good health and well being.

Eating a balanced diet; keeping work and personal stress levels to a minimum and getting ample rest are all weapons against the flu that we have in our arsenal.  Add exercise to these and the battle against the common cold is all but won.

In terms of muscle hierarchy your legs generally don’t rate that high when compared to the more “showy” muscle groups such as the chest, back and arms.However, were you aware that by increasing your leg strength and mass you are laying down the foundation to sculpting that perfectly toned athletic body!!Your legs including your gluteals are your largest muscle group in the body, meaning that by increasing the size of your legs you are increasing your lean muscle mass and in turn increasing your metabolism and therefore energy. Furthermore when you train large muscle groups (like legs) with heavy weights your body responds by releasing testosterone and growth hormone.  Both hormones aid in stimulating muscle growth all over the body.

Additionally, the condition of your leg muscles determines how much strength, agility and power you have in your movement. With these three reasons in mind you can note that by increasing your leg strength you can have a positive benefit in burning more fat and laying down more muscle right in time for summer.

Here are some of my favourite exercises to really get those legs pumping!!

1. Jump Squats:

-  Start standing upright with the dumbbells (pick a weight that you can do multiple jumps) at your side

- Begin the movement by bending at your hips (keeping your back straight) and then bend at your knees

- Maintain your weight through your heels and keep your knees behind your toes

- lower yourself and at the bottom of the movement explode upwards by pushing your feet into the ground and jump so that your feet leave the ground.

- Land softly and repeat, do three sets of 6 reps.

2. Lunges:

- Start the exercise standing upright, with the dumbbells at your side,

- Step forward with one foot and then bend your knees. Lower your body until your front leg is at 90 degrees.

- Push through your feet and stand back up to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

For a more intense work out, you can combine the lunge with a bicep curl or a shoulder press.

3. Squats:

- Starting position is similar to the jump squat start, except the weight is on a bar held across the shoulders either in front or behind.

- Begin the movement by bending the hips and the knees, lower yourself to the end and then push through your feet to straighten up.

A very important note, when using heavy weights the risk of injuring the back is increased, therefore the importance of maintaining good technique and a strong core is paramount. If you have any questions about technique or weights your Exercise Physiologist at the lab is always there to help so don’t hesitate to ask. 

 Here are my Top 5 tips to get your energy levels racing and you highly motivated to smash through an exercise session and really ramp up your weight loss and toning!!!

1. Keep hydrated. Regular drinks throughout the day and a big class of water 15-20 minutes prior to a work out can improve your performance by over 20%.   The extra hydration will help to provide more oxygen to muscles as well making you feel ready to tackle your workout head on.

2. Set realistic goals. ‘getting fit’ is a very broad term and without setting clear goals may leave you unlikely to stick to a routine,. Having clear objectives and a challenging, yet achievable goal—such as losing half a stone before holiday—will motivate you to get to the gym or take that afternoon walk on days when you just want to toss out your trainers.  Don’t forget to set short term goals as well, in order to provide yourself with regular challenges. One way to encourage yourself to keep a fitness commitment is to sign a contract with yourself stating your goals. 

3. Choose a workout you enjoy. Thirty minutes on the treadmill is torture if you’d rather be strolling outdoors or taking a spinning class. ‘It’s imperative to make exercise something you like doing, otherwise you’ll dread making it a part of your life,. If solo sport-orientated exercise like skiing or running is your game, go for that over class-based workouts

4. Find a Buddy. Meeting and working out regularly with a friend, especially one who is at about the same stage as you, will improve your attitude immensely! This is one strategy that has helped many to stick to their program. Watch each other, help and encourage each other, rejoice and commiserate together and enjoy the company. You will begin to rely on each other for moral support and accountability.

5. Think of all the benefits of exercise!  Increased energy, increased mental focus, increased self-esteem, increased sense of control over your life, reduced chances of heart attack, osteoporosis, breast cancer, increased strength and stamina, reduction of stress…etc…etc…Why not make up a list of these benefits, stick that list to, or near something you see regularly like the fridge or tv and you will be reminded on a regular basis of how good exercise is for you.

 Five exercises tips that will have you maximising your weight loss, stopping bad posture and back pain as well has decreasing your stress while maximising your energy levels everyday. All of the exercises that I have chosen can be done anywhere anytime!!!

1. Best Kick-Starter/All Rounder 

Gentle Burpees

Wakes up your arms, shoulders, chest, trunk, butt and legs. 

This exercise is great because it’s not as high impact as the traditional ‘burpee’, but still works many major muscle groups all at once. Perfect for squeezing into all those spare 5 minutes time slots while you are waiting for the bathroom/ the kettle to boil/ the ad breaks to be over etc…

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Squat down and place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet. Jump your feet backward and land in a pushup position. Do one pushup, then jump your feet back toward your hands and push back up using your legs to return to standing. Do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds. Rest for one minute, then repeat 3 times.

2. Best Butt Blaster

Bridge And Heel Push Up

Works core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves

This one is very versatile. If you don’t have a fitball, use the edge of a chair/sofa/stack of books or even the footrest on the bottom of a stool instead. 

Lie on your back with your feet on a fit ball which is against a wall. Press your heels into the ball. Raise your hips until they’re aligned with your feet and shoulders. Slowly lower hips back down to the floor and push back up again. Repeat for 12 to 15 reps. To make it harder, raise one leg off the ball. Do three sets, resting for 30 seconds between sets.

3. Best for Summer

Cross Over Crunch

Works Abs

Warm up for summer and remember that these muscles are the ones that get you out of bed in the morning-so they are in there somewhere! 

Lie on your back with your right knee bent so your foot is flat on the floor, your right hand behind your head and your left leg outstretched and raised just off the ground. Use your abs to curl your right elbow up and across at the same time as you use your lower abs to bring your left knee in to meet in the middle as you crunch. Repeat 10 times on each side. 

4. Best Core Exercise- modified

Plank with Leg Lifts 

The Plank is a classic old favorite because it works to hold you in nice and taught. Another great take anywhere, do anytime exercise. To make it a little different and a little harder, try this modified version. 

Hold yourself face down, balancing on toes and forearms. Once the original plank position is achieved by keeping the bum down, tucked under and holding the body in a straight line between the shoulders and toes, attempt to lift one leg a few inches off the ground while keeping the back straight and not allowing the hips to twist or drop. 

5. Best Stretch

Standing Scapular Wall Slide

This is great for posture as well as feeling good. However, you will have to be careful to restrain yourself from the endless opportunities that you will find to do this stretch! 

Stand with your back to a wall a few inches away from you and lean your head, back, and butt against the wall. Bend your elbows 90 degrees and raise them out to the sides so your hands (palms facing out) are at shoulder height. Keeping your arms pressed into the wall, lower your elbows as far as possible. Hold for a second, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then slide your arms up the wall as high as they will go without losing contact with the wall. When you start to lose contact, bring your arms back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do 8 to 10.

According to einteins theory energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Whilst this is a phenomenon in science it doesn’t quite add up when we consider the human body and the practical implications of energy.

So I have given Einsteis theory some thought and have come up with my own, I believe the actual equation should look something more like this when talking about energy and people:

E = (N + Ex) (EmM) R

So let me explain. To be energetic is to feel alive, to feel like you can do anything that is thrown at you comfortably enabling high performance. Most of the literature around at the moment is focussed on de-stressing or managing stress or even time. Unfortunately this is impossible; time is constant unless you are travelling at high speeds (according to Einstein who believes it actually lengthens the faster you travel, but that’s another story). Stress is unavoidable; and in fact, in many situations it can be desirable, giving urgency and heightening the senses.

Not only is it impossible to control time and stress it is not actually what is needed to produce optimum performance, well not exclusively anyway.

People are looking to distress for a purpose or manage time for a reason and that is normally to enhance performance, the quantity of things they get done and the quality, in whatever field of life they are concerned with.

The thing that affects performance directly and has an impact on everything we produce as human beings is energy. Energy is required to live, to breath, to move, to focus or to think. When someone is lacking in energy their performance will obviously suffer as will the quantity and quality of the things they do and experience.

Let us consider this: When was the last time you felt lacking in energy, did you perform at your best? Alternatively think of the last time you performed at your best, were you lacking in energy at the time?

The answer is a resounding no. Energy and performance in anything go hand in hand. If you are a sports performer you know you better have the necessary energy to complete your race or event, if you are an executive with a to do list that is expanding at an exponential rate, you know that you need energy to complete it. Zap all energy from your body and you will struggle to get through even the simplest of tasks in acceptable time periods. Furthermore if you lack in energy your life will be affected as a result, your relationships, your experiences and your mood will all suffer as you struggle to get through the events of your day.

There is no question severely low energy levels will result in poor or even non-performance. Low energy may be ok for a short period but if it is ongoing tasks will require more effort (energy) to complete then normal and results will be poor, leading to further energy deficits before once again you come to a standstill.

If you are bristling with energy it allows you to focus on the things you are trying to do, it frees your mind from effort and allows you to be more precise in your actions or your tasks. You move through potentially stressful events effortlessly with enhanced resilience and an increase in momentum that frees up time. High Energy = High Performance Potential.

HE = HPP

With this realisation I have decided to do a series of articles on energy production and how it relates to performance and health. You can expect to learn how energy is utilised in the body from foods and how it translates to movement. I will look at how exercise relates to energy, how emotions can fuel or drain energy reserves and the power of your mindset in driving up energy reserves. These articles will be released through our new e-weekly starting soon. So watch this space and contact me if you want to make sure you are registered to receive this new improved circulation aimed at improving performance one small step at a time.

Send me an email alex@the-lab.com.au

1) Male Rhesus monkeys often hang from trees by their amazing penises..true or false?
Amazing and totally true!

2) Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%… true or false?
True, in fact in Canada there is a significant drop in car accidents on the day when the clocks change giving people an extra hour in bed!

3) You can survive for longer without sleep then you can without food… true or false?
Lack of sleep will kill you sooner in most cases

4) Eating too much suppresses your hearing… true or false?
Again amazing but true. Testing on the senses revealed that overeating caused a drop in hearing sensitivity. Think carefully about how much you eat, particularly before going to the cinema or gig!