The not so sweet lo-down on sugar
Dominic matti
To get optimal results at the gym it takes more than just showing up and doing your workout. I am a firm believer that getting into good shape is 70% diet and 30% physical activity. Now days, the general population is starting to become more consciously aware with what they are buying and eating, but they are still not properly educated with reading nutritional labels on the back of food products. Most people are caught up by the marketing hype of “low fat” or ‘low calorie”, and when they see that splattered on a food package, they automatically think the item is a healthy choice and throw it into their cart. But I can almost guarantee if a product says “low fat”, then it probably contains an abundance of sugar, which is even worse for you than fat.
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Dominic matti—personal trainer/fitness writer
Flex appeal
E-mail: dominicmatti@gmail.com http://issuu.com/dominicmatti
Sugar can be broken down into two categories, “unrefined” and “processed”. And it’s the processed sugar that you want to avoid. Examples are: white bread, white rice, pop, cookies/ candy and juices with added sugar. The more highly processed sugar you eat, the greater the release of insulin from the pancreas. When your insulin levels spike, two things start to happen: (1) your body spends all of it’s energy trying to return blood-sugar levels to normal (2) your appetite increases which leads to overeating. Also, the remaining sugar your body isn’t able to break down gets stored as fat, a perfect recipe for a round belly Similar to fats, your body does need sugar to function and that’s when you turn to unrefined sugar sources, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and natural fruit juices. You do need to be careful with the timing of certain fruits like pineapple and mangos, as they are high on the glycemic index and will spike your insulin levels. Next month I will explain the glycemic index and how it can be a valuable tool when trying to control sugar intake. As well, I will discuss the one time sugar can really benefit you.
Volume 1, Issue 3
In this issue:
August 2012
Highlights:
The lo-down on sugar
1
* Sweet Sweet Sugar
Exercise of the Month
1
Coconut oil
Benefits of coconut oil
2
The Pull-Up
Exercise of the month –pull-up As you will commonly hear, the squat is the king of lower body exercises. But what would be considered the king of exercises for the upper body? I would probably go with the pull-up and chin-up. Both variations target your back, shoulder and arm muscles, with pull-ups (pronated grip – palms facing away) being better for hitting
the lower traps and lats, while the chin-up (supinated grip – palms facing you) isolates the biceps and chest more. For optimal results, I would recommend both variations and using wide and narrow grips. With that said, pull-ups are not easy and very few people can pull up their full body
weight, so start with someone spotting you from your ankles to give you a little boost. If you do not have a spotter or your body weight is still too much, you can use the gravitron, but this machine does take the stabilizing muscles out of the exercise, so it’s not completely ideal.
The benefits of coconut oil
Dominic matti Tel: 902-425-8226 Mobile: 902-877-7839 E-mail: dominicmatti@gmail.com http://issuu.com/dominicmatti
Recently I have noticed a growing awareness to coconut oil and I thought it would be a perfect topic to touch on this month. Like lemons, coconut oil has a lengthy list of health benefits and uses; it helps promote weight loss, increases immunity, helps with proper digestion and metabolism, provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer. And for the ladies, it makes for a great skin and hair care product. There has been a long misconception that coconut oil is unhealthy because it is 90% saturated fats, which we know are not good for our body. The difference between most foods that are high in saturated fats and coconut oil is the chemical make up. The unhealthy foods that we try to avoid are made up of longchained fatty acids, while coconut oil is
made up of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids, with about 40-50% coming from lauric acid. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, and even HIV. Lauric acid also helps prevent various heart problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. For those who are trying to lose weight, the fatty acids in coconut oil also increase the body’s metabolism by decreasing stress off the pancreas, which in return, you start burning out more energy. If you take a look at people living in tropical areas, you will notice a common similarity – they are all mostly healthy, non-obese individuals and this can be accounted to the daily use of coconut oil.
Dominic Matti - Personal Trainer Specialist I’ve been involved in sports and fitness since an early age and I have been heavily focused on strength and endurance training for over 5 years. I have achieved a lot of success at reaching my fitness goals and I am now using my passion and knowledge to help others. I have worked with a variety of clients, from former collegiate athletes to beginner exercisers of all ages. Whether it’s weight loss or adding strength and muscle, I aim for all my clients to be successful at reaching their goals and to have them walk out of our facility each time with a smile and newfound confidence!
“Exercise to be fit, not ‘skinny’ “