Balancing your blood sugar.

Here is an article from Patrick Holfords - New Optimum nutrition Bible
Keeping your blood sugar balanced is probably the most important factor in maintaining even energy levels and weight. The level of glucose in your blood largely determines your appetite. When the level drops, you feel hungry. The glucose in your bloodstream is available to your cells to make energy. When the levels are too high the body converts the excess to glycogen (a short term fuel store mainly in the liver and muscle cells) or fat, our long term energy reserve. When the levels are too low we experience a whole host of symptoms including fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, nervousness, depression, sweating, headaches and digestive problems. An estimated three in every ten people have impaired ability to keep their blood sugar level even. It may go too high, and then drop too low. The result, over the years, is that they become increasingly fat and lethargic. But if you can control your blood sugar levels the result is even weight and constant energy. Diabetes is an extreme form of blood sugar imbalance. The condition arises when the body can no longer produce sufficient insulin, a hormone that helps to carry glucose out of the blood and into the cells. The result is too much glucose in the blood and not enough for the cells. The early warning signs are similar to those of mild glucose imbalance, but they rarely go away as a result of simple dietary changes. One of the tell- tale signs is a continuous raging thirst as the body tries to dilute the excess blood sugar by stimulating us to drink.

So what makes your blood sugar level unbalanced? The obvious answer is eating too much sugar and sweet foods. However, the kinds of foods that have the greatest effect are not always what you might expect.
It isnt just about what you eat, its also about the quantity you eat, how you prepare it, what you eat it with - and what you drink.
Fast releasing foods are like rocket fuel, releasing their glucose in a sudden burst, for example Sucrose, cornflakes, banana, raisins, white bread, white spaghetti, white rice, potato (Baked), chocolate, rice cake, fizzy orange drink. They give a quick burst of energy with rapid burn out.

Slow releasing foods are fructose, oats, apple, pear, whole grain rye bread, wholewheat spaghetti, brown basmati rice, sweet potato, soya beans, oatcake, carrots, apple juice.

A bit about Sugar

When you eat complex carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, beans or lentils, or simpler carbohydrates such as fruit, the body does exactly what it is designed to do. It digests these foods and gradually releases their potential energy. What is more, all the nutrients that the body needs for digestion and metabolism are present in those whole foods. Such foods also contain a less digestible type of carbohydrate, classified as fibre, which helps keep the digestive system running smoothly. All forms of concentrated sugar - white sugar, brown sugar, malt, glucose, honey and syrup - are fast releasing, causing a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. If this sugar is not required by the body it is put into storage, eventually emerging as fat. Most concentrated forms of sugar are devoid of vitamins and minerals, unlike the natural stores such as fruit. White sugar has around 90 per cent of its vitamins and minerals removed. Without vitamins and minerals our metabolism becomes inefficient, contributing to poor energy and poor weight control. Fruit contains a simple sugar called fructose, which needs no digesting and can therefore enter the bloodstream quickly, like glucose or sucrose. However unlike them it is classified as slow releasing. This is because the body cannot use fructose as it is, since the cells run only on glucose. As a result the fructose first has to be converted by the body into glucose, which effectively slows down this sugar's effect on metabolism. Lactose, milk sugar, is similar. It is made up of a glucose and galactose. The glucose is fast releasing while the galactose is slow releasing. Some fruit, such as grapes and dates, also contain pure glucose and are therefore faster releasing. Apples, on the other hand, contain mainly fructose and so are slow releasing. Bananas contain both and therefore raise blood sugar levels quite speedily. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice and refined cereals have a similar effect to refined sugar, while oats are more complex and their release of sugar is slower. The process of refining or even cooking starts to break down complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates called malt (offically maltose), in effect predigesting them. When you eat simple carbohydrates you get a rapid increase in blood sugar level and a corresponding surge in energy. The surge, however, is followed by a drop as the body scrambles to balance your blood sugar level.

HOW FOOD FUELS YOU:

Although your body burns some stored fat when you exercise, its main fuel is carbohydrate that's been stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. When your glycogen stores are depleted, your body will indeed tap more of its fat reserves, but at what price? Without readily available fuel, you're not likely to feel too energetic. "And you won't burn more of anything if you can't muster the enthusiasm to master your toughest sets. On the other hand, if you eat before exercise, whether it's a large meal several hours in advance or a small snack only minutes ahead of time, you'll have the extra oomph you need for an energetic and effective workout.

Here's the reason: Before carbohydrate is tucked away in your muscles and liver as glycogen, it enters your bloodstream in the form of glucose (also called blood sugar), a readily available source of energy that helps perk you up when you're feeling hungry and fatigued. If the glycogen stored in your muscles and liver is low, your body can rely on glucose for fuel; if you already have a fair amount of stored glycogen, your body will use the glucose as a secondary source of energy and spare the glycogen. "It means that you have two sources of fuel as opposed to one, so you can last a lot longer," says Jackie Berning, RD, a sports nutritionist and assistant professor in the department of biology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
　
Something else you should consider is that the muscles and liver can only store so much glycogen. It's important to "top up" your reserves fairly often, even if you haven't been doing much: During a long night's sleep, the body depletes as much as 80 percent of the glycogen stored in the liver. "That's why eating a little something before you exercise in the morning can really help," says Nocton. Moreover, it doesn't take long to deplete stored glycogen during exercise, and it gets used up even faster when the weather is warm. "If you're playing an intense tennis match without having eaten and it's warm outside, it may take only 30 to 40 minutes before you deplete your glycogen," says Berning. Eating before a match will not only help you last a lot longer, it will also help settle the gastric juices that make your stomach growl and ward off the feelings of lightheadness and fatigue that can make it difficult to perform well.
　
　
　
　
WHAT TO EAT WHEN

Naturally, the fact that you shouldn't exercise on an empty stomach doesn't mean that you should eat a three-course meal 10 minutes before hitting the gym. In general, the closer you get to your workout start time, the fewer calories you should eat. The nutrients that make up those calories should also shift. Because it takes the body four to six hours to digest fat, about three hours to digest protein and about two hours to digest carbohydrates, it's important to winnow down the protein and fat content of your meal or snack as you get closer to exercise. "You're not going to want to eat a plate of french fries two hours before working out, because the blood is going to rush to your stomach to digest that while it's also trying to rush to your exercising muscles," says Berning. "In the end, it doesn't do a very good job of either one."

So, here are a few rules of thumb to follow: If your workout is four hours away, eat a regular meal that combines protein, fat and carbohydrates, then have a small carbohydrate-rich snack closer to your exercise session to tide you over. Three hours before working out, make it a smaller meal and lighten up a bit on the protein and fat. Thirty to 90 minutes before exercise, have a snack of easily digested carbohydrates (see below). If you only have the 15 minutes between, say, leaving your office and hitting the gym to grab something, go for a sports drink or a few Saltines. Also keep in mind that while eating high-fibre foods is important for good health, they're best eaten after or long before exercise, since they can cause bloating and other annoyances that will make you feel uncomfortable when working out.

A bit about our club

No matter who you are or what you do you - exercise is future proofing your health and life. Here we offer professionally designed personalised training programs, full fitness assessments, dietary advise, ongoing support and motivation specially tailored to help you be your personal best. We are conveniently located on the Bullaun road, just 600metres off the Loughrea bypass. We have ample free and secure parking and long opening hours to suit even the busiest of lifestyles. The club boasts luxury changing rooms, power showers, and pine finish saunas. The gym is well equipped with a wide range of cardio machines, free weights, and various resistance machines.
Our club's motto is "fit for life". If you think you don’t have time consider that research shows if you are physically active for at least 7 hours a week your risk for premature death is 40% less than that of someone who is inactive. So beat your excuses and stop letting them derail your motivation to improve your health and fitness. At our club we strive to provide a non-intimidating, friendly and approachable atmosphere. We realize many people believe the misconception that you can only join a gym if your fit, lean and look good in spandex and this couldn‘t be further from the truth, fitness is for everyone! We like to give our members the special one on one attention, its important to us that everyone feels confident doing their workouts. We provide for a variety of training goals weight loss, toning, rehabilitation, body building, sport specific and many more. We have a full range of classes available boxercise, body conditioning, circuit training for women along with weight loss challenges throughout the year.
We also have Shapes for Women an express workout that works every major muscle group and gives you results that last. Our 30 minute fat burning circuit is a definite favourite with the ladies, fun, fast, effective, and you can burn up to 500 calories per workout. It combines strength training and cardio and works your entire body, from head to toe. You can workout on your own at your own pace or join a class free of charge. Why not try a free trial workout call 091 870555 for your appointment.
Boxercise classes are also available exclusively to Fitness 2000. A widely popular and effective form of cross-training , its an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular fitness, strength and body shape.

Motivation:

It is very important that you do as many as the following tasks as possible. If you do not you will find that it is very difficult to stay motivated and you will find it hard to achieve your goals.
Decide exactly what your goal is and describe it as accurately as possible e.g. instead of saying “I would like to lose weight” you need to say “I would like to be 10 stone, have a 28 inch waist and fit size 10 clothes” Be as specific as possible.

Set a deadline on the calender for your goal and then set a target for the end of each month.
Accept that you are Fully responsible for your own weight and fitness. The bottom line is, you have the power to say yes or no. Resolve now to stop blaming others and life’s events from getting where you want.

Write out a list of the things that normally stop you from achieving your goals and work out a solution before you begin.

Write out a list of 10 small lifestyle changes you will make to help you achieve your goal. Over a 2-3 week period try to gradually implement all of the changes.

Write out 5 reasons why losing weight will be good for your life. Is it holding you back your social life? Is it knocking your confidence? Do you feel unwell? Write down the 5 reasons and hang it where you can see it easily and refer to it in tough times.

There must be a song that gets you in the mood for exercise. If not find one. This is a brilliant method of motivating yourself. Tape it a few times and leave copies in key places - kitchen, car, bedroom. Play it when you need to get in the mood for exercise. Examples - theme from Rocky or its raining men.

Spend €200 on a set of clothes that are 2 or 3 sizes too small. Might sound crazy but you are going to fit them soon remember. Take them out every now and again and see are you any closer.

Payback - if you have a bad day(and you sure will - I do too!) on your food plan or exercise. Don’t panic. Don’t quit. It is not an excuse to. Use a payback system. Either go extra good on your food plan to catch up or start to pay back the minutes of exercise you missed over a few sessions.

Give yourself treats and rewards for achieving results. This is so important. Buy yourself something you really want when you get to a successful level. Repeat this monthly.
The 15 minute rule. Okay, you don’t feel like exercising at all. So you make a deal with yourself. Go to the gym or go for your walk and set a goal of just 15 minutes agreeing that if you still feel the same after that you will go home. 9 times out of 10 you will stay and see the whole programme through. Normally after the first 5 minutes you feel 10 times better.

View your programme in stages or steps or as a ladder. Every step you climb is better and better. If the going gets tough get your weight to a new level and cut back and just maintain it there awhile. That in itself is a major achievement. Human nature means you will have good spells and bad spells. Standing still for a while at the same level is not a bad thing - you are still on the journey to your destination. You will get there - hundreds and thousands have with my programmes.

Tell people who are important to you about your goals so that they have expectations also. Feeling you can’t let them down will help you stay focused.
Sign yourself up to a walk or jog a 10k event in the near future and collect your sponsorship for it. A goal like this will help you keep to your own goals.
Nominate the exact days and the exact times you will exercise. Stick to these as much as possible. Put them in your diary and make them as important as critical meetings.
Keeping a diary of your exercise and healthy things you do helps you stay focused.
Place motivational pictures and articles at home and at work to constantly remind you of your own goals.
If you work at these tasks above and review them weekly, you will be amazed at how motivated you get and stay. The most important thing is that you are not leaving your motivation to chance but are actively working on it. Not continuously working on your motivation is one of the biggest mistakes of all when it comes to weight loss.
Do not just try 1 or 2 of these things. The more you do the better. Do them all and you will be super motivated all the time. I would say you should do at least 10 from the above list. Grab a pen and paper and write out your checklist of 10 items.

Dietary tips:

Drink 2 - 3 Litres of water per day.
Cut down on/out sugar.
Cut down on/out caffeine, tea, coffee etc.
Cut down on/out white flour.
Reduce your fat intake.
Reduce your alcohol.
Cut back to 30% Carbohydrates.
Eat more protein, fish, meat, egg whites, low fat cheese, nuts (12 per portion), seeds, legumes.
Eat protein with each meal.
Reduce your carbohydrates in the evening, try not to eat them after 6pm. If you do decide to eat them after 6pm choose lower GI carbohydrates examples include, whole wheat pasta, brown basmati rice, wholegrain bread, sweet potatoes etc.
Fruit like bananas, grapes and raisins are high in natural sugar so eat in moderation.
You should try to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
Keep track of your diet.
Eat slowly, it can take 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full.
Eat until your 70-80% full.
Try and eat 5 - 6 small meals per day.
Stay active, experts recommend exercising 30 minutes per day.
Remember portion control.
Eat fish 3-4 times per week, especially oily fish like salmon, mackerel and herring.
Try and choose organic where possible.
Avoid packaged and processed food.
Reduce your salt intake.
Eat vegetables that are in season and choose a wide variety, bright coloured vegetables and fruit are full of anti oxidants and nutrients.
Reduce your stress
Try and get between 6.5 - 9 hours sleep per night

Diet Tips

Time Your Meals
Set a timer for 20 minutes and reinvent yourself as a slow eater. This is one of the top habits for slimming down without a complicated diet plan. Savor each bite and make it last until the bell chimes. Paced meals offer great pleasure from smaller portions and trigger the body’s fullness hormones. Wolfing your food down in a hurry blocks those signals and causes overeating.

Sleep More, Weigh Less
Sleeping an extra hour a night could help a person drop 14 pounds in a year, according to a University of Michigan researcher who ran the numbers for a 2,500 calorie per day intake. His scenario shows that when sleep replaces idle activities – and the usual mindless snacking – you can effortlessly cut calories by 6%. Results would vary for each person, but sleep may help in another way, too. There’s evidence that getting too little sleep revs up your appetite, making you uncommonly hungry.

Serve More, Eat More Veggies
Serve three vegetables with dinner tonight, instead of just one, and you’ll eat more without really trying. Greater variety tricks people into eating more food – and eating more fruits and vegetables is a great way to lose weight. The high fiber and water content fills you up with fewer calories. Cook them without added fat. And season with lemon juice and herbs rather than drowning their goodness in high-fat sauces or dressings.

Go for Whole Grains
Whole grains such as brown rice, barley, oats, and whole wheat also belong in your stealthy weight loss strategy. They help fill you up with fewer calories and may improve your cholesterol profile, too. Whole grains are now in many products including waffles, pizza crust, English muffins, pasta, and soft "white" whole-wheat bread.

Eyeball Your Skinny Clothes
Hang an old favourite dress, skirt, or pair of jeans where you’ll see them every day. This keeps your eyes on the prize. Choose an item that's just a little too snug, so you reach this reward in a relatively short time. Then pull out last year's cocktail dress for your next small, attainable goal.

Sip Smart: Cut Back on Sugar
Replace one sugary drink like regular soda with water or a zero-calorie seltzer and you'll avoid 10 teaspoons of sugar. Add lemon, mint or frozen strawberries for flavour and fun.
The liquid sugar in soda appears to bypass the body's normal fullness cues. One study compared an extra 450 calories per day from jelly beans vs. soda. The candy eaters unconsciously ate fewer calories overall, but not so the soda drinkers. They gained 2.5 pounds in four weeks.

Sip Smart: Limit Alcohol
When an occasion includes alcohol, follow the first drink with a non alcoholic, low-calorie beverage like sparkling water instead of moving directly to another cocktail, beer, or glass of wine. Alcohol has more calories per gram (7) than carbohydrates (4) or protein (4). It can also loosen your resolve, leading you to mindlessly inhale chips, nuts, and other foods you’d normally limit.

Sip Smart: Go for Green Tea
Drinking green tea may also be a good weight loss strategy. Some studies suggest that it can rev up the body's calorie-burning engine temporarily, possibly through the action of phytochemicals called catechins. At the very least, you’ll get a refreshing drink without tons of calories.

Catch the "Eating Pause"
Most people have a natural "eating pause," when they drop the fork for a couple of minutes. Watch for this moment and don't take another bite. Clear your plate and enjoy the conversation. This is the quiet signal that you're full, but not stuffed. Most people miss it.

Chew Strong Mint Gum
Chew sugarless gum with a strong flavor when you're at risk for a snack attack. Making dinner after work, at a party, watching TV, or surfing the Internet are a few dangerous scenarios for mindless snacking. Gum with a big flavor punch overpowers other foods so they don’t taste good.

Shrink Your Dishes
Chose a 10" lunch plate instead of a 12" dinner plate to automatically eat less. Cornell's Brian Wansink, PhD, found in test after test that people serve more and eat more food with larger dishes. Shrink your plate or bowl to cut out 100-200 calories a day – and 10-20 pounds in a year. In Wansink’s tests, no one felt hungry or even noticed when tricks of the eye shaved 200 calories off their daily intake.

Get Food Portions Right
The top habit of slim people is to stick with modest food portions at every meal, five days a week or more. "Always slim" people do it and successful losers do it, too, according to a Consumer Reports survey. After measuring portions a few times, it can become automatic. Make it easier with small "snack" packs and by keeping serving dishes off the table at meal time.

Try the 80-20 Rule
Eat until they’re 80% full. We can adopt this healthy habit by dishing out 20% less food, according to researcher Brian Wansink, PhD. His studies show most people don’t miss it.

Eat Out Your Way
Restaurant meals are notoriously fattening, so consider these special orders that keep portions under control:
Split an entrée with a friend.
Order an appetizer as a meal.
Choose the child's plate.
Get half the meal in a doggie bag before it's brought to the table.
Complement a smaller entrée with extra salad for the right balance: half the plate filled with veggies.

Burn 100 Calories More
Lose 10 pounds in a year without dieting by burning an extra 100 calories every day. Try one of these activities:
Walk 1 mile, about 20 minutes.
Pull weeds or plant flowers for 20 minutes.
Mow the lawn for 20 minutes.
Clean house for 30 minutes.
Jog for 10 minutes.

Exercise Benefits

1. Improves digestion
2. Enhances quality of sleep
3. Adds a sparkle and radiance to complexion
4. Improves body shape
5. Tones and firms muscles
6. Provides more muscular definition
7. Enables weight loss and keeps it off
8. Makes you limber
9. Improves endurance
10. Burns extra calories
11. Improves circulation and helps reduce blood pressure
12. Increases lean muscle tissue in the body
13. Improves appetite for healthy foods
14. Alleviates menstrual cramps
15. Alters and improves muscle chemistry
16. Increases metabolic rate
17. Enhances coordination and balance
18. Improves posture
19. Eases and possibly eliminates back problems and pain
20. Makes the body use calories more efficiently
21. Lowers resting heart rate
22. Increases muscle size through an increase in muscle fibres
23. Improves body composition
24. Increases bone density
25. Decreases fat tissue more easily
26. Makes the body more agile
27. Its the greatest body tune up
28. Reduces joint discomfort
29. Improves athletic performance
30. May add a few years to life
31. Increases your range of motion
32. Enhances immune system
33. Improves glycogen storage
34. Enables the body to utilize energy more efficiently
35. Increases enzymes in the body which burn fat
36. Increases the number and size of mitochondria in muscle cells
37. Increases concentration of myoglobin(carries oxygen in muscles)in skeletal muscles
38. Enhances oxygen transport throughout the body
39. Improves liver functioning
40. Increases speed of muscle contraction and reaction time
41. Enhances feedback through the nervous system
42. Strengthens the heart
43. Improves blood flow
44. Helps to alleviate varicose veins
45. Increases maximum cardiac output
46. Increases contractility of the hearts ventricles
47. Increases the weight and size of the heart
48. Improves contractile function of the whole heart
49. Makes calcium transport in the heart and body more efficient
    

10 Reasons to Join Fitness 2000 Health Club Loughrea - (091) 870555

1. Convenient location, quick workouts its convenient to get a quick workout at any time


2. A club for every lifestyle however you live, the busy Mum to the active retired, we offer a way to shape up.

3. Free fitness assessment Have you a healthy body fat?

4. Flexible payment options and discounts You can either pay by the month or prepay your entire fee up front, couples and families are eligible for discounted memberships

5. Wide range of state of the art equipment Fitness 2000 provides a variety of training equipmentfor getting fit. Free weights, effective cardio workouts, group exercise classes, personalised training programs.

6. Reach your fitness goals sooner Lose weight, gain muscle, feel more alive. Whatever your goals, our fitness instructors eliminate the guesswork involved in structuring a fitness program, which helps you shape up sooner.

7. Shapes exercise classes mix up your routine with circuit training and achieve more in less time.

8. Long opening hours Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 7am - 10pm, Wednesday 9am -10pm and Saturday 10am -5pm and Sunday 10am -2pm

9. Fit Perks The benefits of membership. Loyalty is rewarded we know it...do you?

10. Ample free parking, luxury changing rooms and pine finish saunas