Aerobics. Images of lycra-clad women with big hair, earrings and blue eyeshadow spring immediately to mind. Retro beats pump out from the stereo as the high-riding stretchy girls step incessantly in their funky Reeboks. With bright hair bands to hold their massive ‘do in place, sweat seems to be non-existent and you get the feeling nothin’ was better in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s than aerobics.

Well I don’t know about you, but that image sounds kinda cool - except for the high-riding lycra gear! It was worsened somewhat in the 90’s - still highriding but less bright colours - just perfect manicures, etc. I have an aerobic video made in the 90’s. Hideous! There is a guy participating too and he just creeps me out.

Anyway - the topic of the day is aerobics. What is/are aerobics? Well the word ‘aerobic’ literally means ‘with oxygen’. Another meaning of ‘aerobic’ which I particularly like is when you perform an extended activity with large muscle groups that use regular movements, often to a beat, which raises the heart rate and causes heavy breathing. Like running for example. Its aerobic! You use oxygen and you’re hitting the pavement constantly one foot at a time - and boy is your heart rate skyrocketing.

The aerobics we’re all familiar with are probably the ones I mentioned earlier - stepping and performing all sorts of activities to a beat/music. I quite enjoy aerobics to be honest. Like I said before, I have a tape from the 90’s. Its pretty weird, but when you go through all the moves, you’re sweating - and get mad at the perfectly coiffed blond bombshell who looks like she just had a makeover even at the end! No fair - ah the skills of video editing. So, back to aerobics - yeah I enjoy it. Its hard work. You feel a little silly at times for lifting such piddly weights, but by the end of it, if you aren’t puffing, you just KNOW you haven’t given it your darndest.

So my top five reasons for including aerobics?

1) It improves your mood. Come-on, if you’re doing aerobics and you don’t start giggling at the thought of the original ‘aerobicers’, then you’re not doing it properly. Aerobics are FUN!

2) Aerobics burn fat. Its cardio, plain and simple. The more you do, the more you’ll burn. Don’t forget to combine it with weight training though. And it is nice and low impact so anyone can do it!

3) Improves flexibility. You’re doing all these strange movements with your legs and arms - all the reptitions help to improve your flexibility.

4) It improves your heart. The heart is a muscle and repetitive aerobic activity helps to stretch and tune that muscle, improving its performance!

5) Helps to reduce blood pressure. Repeated aerobic activity not only strengthens and improves the heart, it lowers blood pressure and gives you a healthier heart!

SO they are just 5 of my top reasons for including aerobics in your workouts. You don’t have to do it every day, but I reckon its a good alternative to other aerobic activity - say running. This morning it was too cold to run, so I spent a good while - about half an hour - doing all these aerobic movements. You may look silly, but if it works, it works!

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This is a follow-up article to our original post on MSG. MSG (or Monosodium Glutamate) is a food additive that is present in many package food products as well as a lot of the food served in restaurants today. In it’s most common form it looks like a powdery white substance (similar to salt). It actually has no flavor of it’s own but it greatly enhances the flavor of any savory food to which it is added.

During the 1970s there was much debate on the safety of MSG and whether or not it should be legal. People were complaining about severe headaches, stomach cramps and even brain tumors that were puportedly caused from consuming MSG. These claims were quashed by food experts who were only prepared to agree that for a few people it was highly allergenic, but for the majority of people it was completely safe to eat.

These days most potato chips, baked beans and a lot of other snack food will contain it, because quite simply, it makes food tastes better. Even people who vehemently hate the stuff agree that it does make whatever your eating taste better (albeit chemically).

The argument I want to bring to the table is this: Is an unnaturally good taste worth it, if it’s going to kill you?

“Kill you?” you ask? Yes, MSG is actually so destructive on our brain cells that it kills them.

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills is a book written by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock that goes into detail on substances like MSG and aspartame which are excitotoxins - substances that actually kill neurons. Basically what happens is when a human consumes MSG the excitotoxins reach our brains and cause a massive surge of movement in certain neurons. This hyperexcitement is so extreme that when the neurons slow down and stop moving, they die.

Imagine giving a 2 year old heaps of chocolate and sugar and seeing them run around the living room twenty times, then getting after getting too tired and dropping dead on the floor lifeless. Thankfully not even sugar has that bad an effect on our brains - but disturbingly MSG does have this effet.

Obesity - How does MSG make us fat?

To be honest, I can’t give a scientifically proven answer as to why MSG causes obesity. But statistics do reveal a much greater level of unexplained obesity. And a recent study in Spain has showed that MSG will actually increase appetites of mice by as much as 40%.

The damage caused to our brains from MSG is not just causing obesity though, it is also linked to Parkinson’s and other neurodegenrative diseases (and even partial and full paralysis on some humans).

It is becoming clear that MSG causes brain injuries that can affect humans in many ways - included in these effects is obesity.

Stay way from MSG as much as possible!

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I often see billboards advertising sporting events. Usually they don’t get much more of my time than a bat of the eyelid and brief glance. I don’t really know why - perhaps its because I’m a bit of a cheapskate and don’t like paying too much for something. I’m talking about things like marathons, half marathons, triathlons, swim series, cycle races, etc etc etc. They don’t interest me much because I lack the stickability to do it - and also ‘fear’ losing. Not that I’d ever win - you know, you don’t want to look like the silly twat who entered a race well above their league!

But recently I’ve had a change of thinking. Sort of. While I’m not about to go sign up for a marathon, I wonder if perhaps signing up for something would make me workout better? If I had a goal in mind - one that was unchangeable by me - that a lot of people were striving for, would that help me to be consistent with working out? Well it worked for my sister.

She took Physical Education at school this year. For her it was more about keeping fit than wanting to pursue a career in fitness. Anyway at school they have a cross country run every year. It is compulsory to join unless you have some sort of proof - medical or parental - that you can’t do it. So she decided she was going to do well. Not win necessarily, but keep up with her friends and make a really good effort of it. For someone who never runs, it was a great goal. She was outside often, going for jogs around the neighborhood. The year before she came 40-something-th in the race. Nearly 50th. She was determined to do better this time around - especially as she was enrolled in P.E.!

So she had a goal in mind and set out to achieve it. She isn’t by any means a serious runner, but she wanted to beat her previous placing. On race day, she was running with over 100 girls from age 14-17. Aged 16 at the time, she did her best and came 32nd.

Now I don’t know about you, but that kind of achievement is outstanding. For someone who never runs - to step up and beat a score of the previous year - thats motivation!

So lets let it be a lesson to us. Lets go sign up for something we know we can manage, and then set out to achieve that goal! It doesn’t matter if we don’t come first, or second or third - just completing it would be achievement enough. What have we got to lose? A few dollars for a bit of motivation and a good lot of exercise? Go for it!

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I love smoothies. But I wouldn’t buy one. Why? Because I don’t know what they put in them. And I’m afraid if I ask, they’ll put all sorts of things in! So I prefer to make my own. Its cheaper, probably fresher, and I know exactly whats in them.

For a while, that was breakfast for me. I’ll be doing it again soon - it sort of depends on circumstance and other factors. But I love smoothies! Especially for breakfast. They’re really simple and quick, and really nutritious. Its easy to eat too and not too much mess. You probably know by now that I’m a quick breakfast person and a fruit’n'veggie eater until the evening meal. So smoothies are ideal for me.

How to make them? Nothing could be easier. I go to the local vege store and buy a box of budget fruit - usually ripe or just over ripe. It comes prepackaged in a big box and the people at the store fill it with fruit that they can’t really sell at retail price - all the seconds basically. It costs about a dollar but for me its a treasure trove. Sometimes I bring it home and stew it and freeze it for future occasions, but a lot of the time I use it for my smoothies.

Now a smoothie is best fresh - fruit is best eaten when its just cut - juices are best up to half an hour after they’ve been squeezed. Thats why juice at supermarkets is not much good. Anyway, I put in a pile a whole lot of fruit - whatever the flavor of the day is. I like mango, papaya, banana, pineapple, kiwifruit, feijoa, berries, soft pears, tamarillos, the list goes on. Basically the softer a fruit is, the better it is for smoothies - so apples don’t really work that well.

I like to peel everything to get rid of the outer layer that can possibly house all kinds of unpleasant things - I generally do this with a small sharp paring knife. Then I cut everything up into chunks and chuck them into the blender. For a great colour I like adding berries - and I find frozen berries are just as good as fresh - and great for off season too. Black currants add an awesome colour and lots of antioxidants. I whiz the blender until its all smooth and liquid. If it needs a little more liquid I might add a little yoghurt, but usually its fine.

Sometimes if I’ve had a workout I’ll add some whey protein. Its flavorless but adds good protein. The best way to eat/drink a smoothie is with a straw. It gives the meal an exotic sort of flair and is a great start to the day!

I’ve made lots of different combination smoothies. I like pineapple and feijoa, pear-blackcurrant-kiwi, pineapple-kiwi, pineapple-banana, and the list goes on. Banana is a great base for a smoothie and makes it that much more filling. I love experimenting and hope you will too… Let me know your favorite smoothie combinations!

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You can do as many crunches as you want, but if you don’t work on decreasing your body fat percentage, you’ll never be able to actually see your abs. This leads to the obvious questions that all six-pack hopefuls (like myself) will ask…

At what body fat percentage will my abdominal muscles become visible?

10% for men and somewhere between 14% and 18% for women. This is the level that you’ll need to get to for those ’six-pack abs’ to emerge. At higher percentages, let’s say a guy with a BF% of 16.0% you’ll often see your top row of abs (the two just below your chest). But for the classic washboard stomach look that I think all of us are after, you should be aiming to get down to 10% if your a guy, or somewhere between 14% and 18% if you’re a woman.

The reason men need a lower BF% is because their stomachs are one of the first places in which excess fat is stored, whereas on the female body, fat actually sits better on their frames (believe it or not, women).

Great, so you know what body fat percentage you need in order to get those six-pack abs, but how do you actually measure your current body fat percentage?

There are generally 3 ways in which you can measure your body fat percentage:

1. Bioelectrical Impedance/digital body fat readers

These come in the form of body fat scales and handheld body fat readers. They are very popular because the concept is so easy. Just step on the scales or put your thumbs on the handheld device and you get a BF% reading in a few seconds.

The term ‘bioelectrical impedance’ sounds very fancy but essentially all that happens is an electrical current is sent through your body and the electronic device records how long it takes for that current to go from one foot to the other foot (or in the case of handheld devices, one thumb to the other thumb). Because an electronic current will take longer to travel through fat than it will to travel through muscle it can estimate the percentage of fat you are carrying in your body.

Advantages

• Very easy to measure (only takes a few seconds)
• Fairly cheap (prices can be as low as $20 for handheld devices and $100 or more for scales

Disadvantages

• The reading will have a margin of error of 4%
• They are known to be very inaccurate depending on how much water you have in your body - some studies show variances can be as high as 8%

2. Skinfold Calipers

Body fat calipers are a more traditional method of measuring your BF%. They are more accurate than the electronic devices mentioned above but only if it is done correctly. It involves pinching your skin and then measure the amount in the caliper.  You do this measurement several places on your body and then work out your percentage by following the instructions that will come with the calipers.

Advantages

• Can be very accurate if done properly (professionals can get measurements with 0.5% margin of error)
• Cheap (around $10 to $70)

Disadvantages

• Take a lot more time/work to perform the measurement (maybe 10 to 20 minutes compared to a few seconds with body fat scales)

3. Hydrostatic weighing

If you are looking for greater accuracy you can try weighing yourself underwater. It costs about $20-$50 to have this test done (try contacting your local university or health center for contacts). The theory behind this test is that your fat weights less than water does and as a result the more fat you have, the more you’ll float.

Advantages

• Margin of error will be around 2%

Disadvantages

• Have to pay each time you have the test done
• Can be uncomfortable - particularly if you don’t like being underwater

4. DEXA method

A DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan is the most accurate way of measuring a human’s body fat percentage. Tests will costs around $100 each time, but you’ll walk away with a near perfect measurement. The x-rays will read your bone mass and soft tissue mass and will determine which areas of your body are storing the most fat.

Advantages

• It is the most accurate method

Disadvantages

• It is the most expensive method (you won’t be wanting to have too many measurements taken)
• It is a hassle having to find a place that will perform this test

Conclusion

Of course all methods have their merits, but based on the advantages and disadvantages of each of the above methods, my personal preference is the calipers method.  Calipers are cheap and if the measuring process is done properly they can be almost as reliable as the DEXA method.

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I just spent 40 minutes on a stationary bike. I cycled about 12.2 km in that time - so I wasn’t really pushing myself. Actually, I alternated between talking to a friend and reading a magazine. So it was rather laidback. However, it still burns calories! And I was aching when I got off! I was thinking of all the benefits of cycling and came up with a few good reasons.

#1 - If you have a stationary bike, you can cycle at any time of the day, in any weather, and in any item of clothing. It can be terrible sometimes when you really feel like getting some exercise - say going for a run - and its dark out. I’m not a morning person at all, and going for a run in the early morning dark is the biggest turn-off to exercise possible. And then at night, its just not the best idea to go cycling because you are the least visible to cars. I often feel like going for a run or some other form of exercise - but either it is way too hot or too cold, or its raining or there is a storm. Its not fair and not wise to go out in extreme weather. I find one of the worst things to stop you exercising is not having the right gear. Running requires decent shoes and cycling requires decent wind-resistant clothing. Well, with a stationary bike, you can use it at any time and not have to worry about weather or correct gear.

#2 - You can multi-task! For example today I was talking with a friend, and then reading a magazine. Some things are not such a good idea to do while pumping the pedals, but if you’re game, you could try knitting, or crocheting - or some other sort of craft. Watching tv is another good one, or listening to your favorite music. If you’re really handy, you can set up a laptop and get some work done or emails sent. That way you get your work/play and exercise done at the same time.

#3 - It is safe. You don’t have to worry about being knocked off your bike, or ambushed by some random. The stress on your joints is a lot less than running, and if you cramp up, you won’t be stranded in the middle of nowhere. You’ll have a bathroom nearby, running water, heat and light - it is very safe!

So… they are just three of the many reasons why indoor cycling is good for you. If you have a digital doo-wacky on the machine, you can race with yourself and beat previous scores - and keep and eye on your heartrate. If I had a bike, I would use it more often than not probably. If its safe, easily accessible and flexible, then why not?

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I’ve wondered for a long time about kefir. What on earth is it? Where can I buy it? Should I consume it? Does it taste nice? Why would I want to consume it? Perhaps the biggest question for me is ‘what is it’? Apparently its really good for you. It has heaps of amazing properties that are great for health and all that - but for goodness sake will someone please tell me in DETAIL what it is!

After a long time of wondering and a fair bit of research, I’ve realised that Kefir is a grain. When I say grain, it isn’t in the same family as say, wheat or barley. This grain is really a bacteria and yeast combination - a culture, or symbiotic microorganisms. The result is very similar to yoghurt - and apparently tastes much the same. Kefir grains (looks like cauliflower florets) are placed into cows milk and left to ferment for 12-24 hours. So it essentially is very similar to yoghurt in that respect!

Kefir is said to have been a gift from Mohammed, but legend also has it that people in the Caucasus mountains discovered that milk carried in leather pouches (think goat’s stomach) fermenting into a nice tasting drink. They are legends, and really, the origin doesn’t matter! What matters is that we have it today and it is apparently a nutritious drink.

What is it good for? There is a whole list of advantages: It is good for digestive troubles, it is good for the lactose intolerant, as it turns lactose into lactic acid. It is high in calcium, B-vitamins, amino acids and folic acid. It is ok for babies to consume. It is good for intestinal recovery after surgery or antibiotics. It cleans the intestines. It is anti-carcinogenic. It helps repair the immune system. There are a whole host of other benefits, but perhaps the most interesting is that Kefir has been credited with the longevity of the people in the Caucasian mountains.

What does it taste like? Well I don’t personally know, but apparently it is very similar to drinking yoghurt. It can be a little more sour and perhaps more fermented, but many people like to flavor it with sugar. I wouldn’t personally, so another idea is to mix in berries or other fruit.

Do an internet search to find out where to source Kefir in your area. I’m a little reluctant to try it because I don’t want to do it wrong or poison myself! But I’m sure if instructions are read carefully and carried out accurately the result will be perfect. Hang, if they used to make it in goat’s stomachs and lived to tell the tale, what do I have to worry about in this ‘clean’ day and age?!

Filed under: Diet, Mckenna, Nutrition | 2 Comments »

Lets face it, we all quite enjoy looking at magazines. Perhaps we don’t all enjoy looking at the same ones, but there is something about high colour glossy pictures of beautiful people that just draws the eye. If you’re like everyone I know, you feel a sort of sense of inadequacy after flicking through these magazines. Perhaps for this reason you stay away from them. It can be disappointing! These people are so beautiful and toned and tall and have amazing physiques - and then we glance in the mirror and see dowdy, normal, blergh-ness.

Yup, I agree, it can be very discouraging. However, there is a bright side to it. We can actually learn to look at these magazines for inspiration. Did you know there is a program called Photoshop? Well of course you did. But did you know that every single ad agency, publication company, and professional photographer uses it? Perhaps I’m generalising, but I would say that 99% of all photos you see in big name publications have been touched up or altered.

Have a look at this for example. This is an average person using photoshop from home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljzi8fLZ0HY&feature=related

Well, I don’t know about you, but if this is a non-professional job, then think about what a professional could do! Glossy magazines just are not what they appear. The celebrities seen in there have been touched up, airbrushed, covered in makeup and photographed with perfect light conditions. When we see them photographed by paparazzi, we’re horrified because they look ‘ugly’. Well, truth is, they’re just normal people - and we could also look amazingly glamorous if we were professionally made up, dressed, airbrushed, and photographed with perfect light conditions. As for the fitness models, before a photo shoot, they workout hardout, and get pumped so their muscles appear larger. Then they cover themselves in fake tan and oils so the light reflects off their muscles just so. They don’t actually look like that when walking down the street.

So next time you look at a glossy magazine, please realise that it is just that - a glossy magazine. Touch ups, special effects, professional stylists. Yes, be inspired - for your next evening out. But don’t aim to look like that every day, because you’ll just end up disappointing yourself! None of the celebrities or fitness models walk around every day in their best outfits and perfect makeup and hair. Be inspired, but most importantly, be you!

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We’ve all exeperienced it right? You think to yourself, yesss I’m going to get back into working out… So you do and you go hard because you want to make that effort and you want to see that difference - fast!

Next day you feel fine. Then when you collapse into bed, you start feeling a bit of a twinge in a couple of muscles. It sort of feels good because you realise you’ve used your muscles a bit for a change. However, you get up the next morning, and ohhhh the pain! You heave yourself out of bed and every step makes you wince. Well I’m experiencing it right now. I had a workout not yesterday but the day before and I’m feelin’ it! Its not terrible, but I’m aware that it has been a little too long since I had a workout!

Why are my muscles soo sore? Because I haven’t used them in a while and actually it has a name. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness… or DOMS for short.

DOMS attacks around 24 or more hours after a workout. Basically its a whole heap of tiny little tears in the muscle tissues thats cause by something called eccentric contraction. Eccentric contraction is when the muscle stretches under pressure of something greater than the muscle can generate - so for example, lifting a heavy weight, or running downhill. Or working out after a long time of not.

So… when sore, should you keep working out? Well, I would say yes. Why? Well, often the soreness takes a long time to go away. And then you have to start all over again so its a never ending cycle. So, seeing as you’ll be sore anyway, why don’t you keep working out? In actual fact, I’ve found that if I continue working out through the pain (which really isn’t pain, its merely discomfort, depending on how you look at it!), the length of time for soreness is actually reduced. I think I wrote about this in an earlier article. But keep working out! Don’t take 2 steps forward and then 2 back. You’ll never get anywhere. Work through it because I find it sort of massages your muscles. It doesn’t make them more sore - it sort of eases it. And I don’t think it will damage the muscle.

I find it quite comforting when my muscles hurt because it shows I still have them somewhere!

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I find it hilarious when I read books or listen to people yakking away in a public place. It seems everyone is aware of the fact that fast food is junk food and that junk food makes you fat. Everyone knows this. Everyone knows that the food your grandparents used to make is more ‘wholesome’ and ‘nutritious’ than today’s supermarket produce. As well as finding it hilarious, I find it rather disturbing that everyone seems to know this, yet still are content to dash into the store and buy some pre-made, frozen heat’n'eat meal.

We may know whats right, but we don’t do it! If you were to just take the time to listen to your poor body however… you would hear it crying out for mercy. “Stop killing me! Stop feeding me this rubbish! Stop pouring plastic into me! I need nutrients, vitamins, minerals… fresh vegetables, fresh meat…. arggghhh the chemicals, they burn - they burn…’

You get the picture! I’m only starting to be able to listen to my body. Correction - I listen to it, but I don’t always pay attention. About a year ago now, I started a detox. It was fantastic. I used to get cold sores all the time, but once I did the detox, I hardly got any - and I could pinpoint exactly why I’d get them. I also was much less tired, had a lot more energy, and could eat more. As I began to eat better and better and eliminate bad stuff from my diet, I felt better and better as a result. There were a couple of weeks however, when I let everything slide. I was on vacation - a few vacations in a very short time (including Christmas) and I ate rather badly and consumed a lot of sugar. I was relaxed and felt great, but one day I woke up with a coldsore. Not just a small one, but a big coldsore. Not fun when you’re on vacation in another country. Suddenly I realised - my coldsore was not because my immune system was run down. It wasn’t because I was tired. It was because I had been eating too much rubbish, and this was how my body was telling me to stop. I knew I was eating too much junk - but I justified it because I was on holiday.

So… listen to your body! Do what I did… detox for a couple of weeks, and then go cold turkey. Eliminate all sugar. Eliminate wheat, all processed foods, alcohol and soy. Go completely cold turkey for at least 30 days. You might hate it while it lasts, but you may also acquire some new taste buds, and you may come to appreciate the natural flavors of raw unprocessed foods. You may also realise that it is cheaper to live like that. Your skin may clear up, you may have more energy - and you may be a complete convert! It can’t hurt to try can it? Now when you feel amazing, its time to start re-introducing those ‘bad’ foods. Only do one at a time.

Now because you’re eating more ‘healthily’, you’ll be more in tune with your body. When you re-introduce these foods, you will probably be able to listen to your body and understand what is good and what is not so good for you. For example. When I re-introduced grains and wheats in the mornings, I just slumped by 10am. I was so tired - digesting the grains just drained away my energy. It was rather scary to be honest. To think I’d lived so long thinking I needed more sleep when really I just needed different food! Now when I eat sugar I also feel incredibly tired and breakout in coldsores (upon excessive amounts).

What I can’t understand is the reluctance to try something like this. What have you got to lose? You have one body, one life. This body is supposed to last you the whole way through. Why would you not try it? Its 30 days of cold turkey. 30 days is such a small amount of time. Don’t wait for a Monday to start. Start now. Today. Don’t waste any more time! It is so so important to be able to listen to your body and start feeding it what it needs and nothing more.

Filed under: Articles, Diet, Mckenna, Nutrition | 1 Comment »