Alki X Gym

Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Lactic Acid...

2012-01-04T12:09:00.001-08:00

Research review by Alki X Gym trainer Aaron Wagar

“Lactate—a signal coordinating cell and systemic function”

Andrew Philip, Adam L. Macdonald, & Peter W. Watt

For many years, the scientific, medical, athletic communities and the general population have accepted the fact that lactate is a just a by-product created by exercising muscle fibers.

It was first theorized to be the reason for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the feeling of pain and stiffness the day after a hard workout (or sometimes for up to 4 days after). This theory was proven wrong by a well-controlled study where participants were randomly assigned to 2 different groups. One group, which I will call the Lactate Group (LG), ran “up” an incline treadmill and the other group, the Sore Group (SG) ran “down a decline treadmill. Interestingly, the LG group accumulated the most lactate in the muscles, yet the SG was the group to feel significantly more soreness. Apparently, we got that one wrong.

Next, researchers came up with the “lactate-induced-fatigue theory.” Research dating to way back in the day (early 1900’s) has been correlating increased muscle and blood lactate with fatigue, or exhaustion. As more researchers looked into it, the clearer it became, apparently. Lactate is at its highest peak at or just following exhaustion, therefore lactate is the cause of fatigue, right? Wrong. This evidence is only correlational. Lactate does indeed accumulate as exercise intensity increases, and lactate levels are at their highest right around exhaustion, but this does not mean that the lactate is necessarily causing the fatigue. Much research around the subject has been done, and many theories have been tested as to how a muscle reaches fatigue and what exactly the role of lactate is in this process.

A major hypothesis in muscle exhaustion during the 1920’s and 1930’s was the Oxygen Debt hypothesis. This hypothesis was accepted after Hill, with his colleagues and Meyerhof et al.’s research in 1924 showed that lactate increased dramatically once exercise intensity became so great that enough oxygen was not be delivered to the exercising muscle. This led to the Anaerobic Threshold concept in the 1980’s. However, research has confirmed that lactate production is not associated with hypoxia (decreased O2 levels), or to put it in layman’s terms - running out of oxygen, which is one of the main endurance fuel components for muscles.

Although many scientific breakthroughs occurred during the 1980’s and early 1990’s, most researchers still assumed that lactate was at least in part responsible for muscle fatigue. Researchers came up with a new hypothesis—“intracellular lactate acidification” was most likely responsible for the reduction in force production (fatigue) observed in earlier studies. Basically the researchers hypothesized that the environment within the muscle cells was becoming too acidic (due to lactate production) that muscle contraction force was compromised.

In the mid 90’s to early 2000’s studies were published that seemed to show that lactate ions were not responsible for a decreased muscle contraction force. In fact, the effect of acidosis in muscle fatigue is questioned by many, and recent biochemical evidence suggests that lactate might retard intracellular acidosis, which if anything would delay the onset of fatigue and therefore help to improve endurance!

Further, research done in vitro (meaning in a lab using human or animal tissue) and in live rats have suggested that lactate might indeed contribute to increased force production. In an experiment by Nielsen et al. (2001), the reduction in contraction force in isolated muscle fibers caused by elevated potassium (K+) was almost completely reversed following the injection of lactate. Adding to these findings are the findings of Pedersen and colleagues (2004), which suggest that lactate “delays the onset of muscle fatigue by maintaining the excitability of muscle tissue.” However, both studies were done in vitro therefore it is hard to establish what is actually happening during live exercise.

Other evidence seems to suggest that lactate might play a role in the switch from fat to glucose utilization during periods of high-intensity exercise. Scientists found that lactate can also be reconverted to fuel. (It is actually the preferred fuel source for cardiac muscle). Moreover, following the observations of an in vivo (living human beings) study, researchers concluded that lactate seems to have a glucose-sparring effect. This could allow for glucose stores to be maintained (or at least utilization be slowed) during periods of increased exercise intensity, also contributing to delayed fatigue.

The notion that lactate accumulation causes pain during exercise (the feared quad burn), has been preached for a long time. I heard it, believed it, and even propagated it because I didn’t know any better until now. We all assumed that since it feels like acid burning the muscle, it must be from lactic acid, since we knew that was building up at the time. What I have found however, it that there is no direct scientific evidence supporting this assumption.

In fact, studies in which lactate was directly infused during exercise trials concluded that increased lactate has no effect on perceived effort or in the initiation of pain in muscle or joints. However, new research shows that lactate may influence and even modulate nociceptive sensation via acid-sensitive ion channels (ASIC). In other words, lactate may make certain nerve cells more sensitive to what is happening in the exercising muscle. These cells, in turn, send signals to the brain to cease exercise if the intensity becomes too great and they feel that injury is a risk. However, this has only been observed in vitro and the effects in live exercise have yet to be confirmed. What we do know is that lactate itself is not the direct cause of the “burn” pain during exercise.

To end on an exciting note, lactate may actually act as a pseudo-hormone. Studies have observed that lactate induces a pseudo-hypoxic state, which means that the cells’ environment appears hypoxic (low oxygen) but there is plenty of oxygen available. This pseudo-hypoxic state seems to stimulate tissue growth and repair (especially collagen deposition and increased blood vessels). Moreover, it seems to act as a signal for catecholamine release which regulates (usually adding to) the vasodilation effects and resulting circulation increases of active muscle tissue). Further, some in vitro studies have observed anti-oxidant effects of lactate as it bound free radicals.

In conclusion, the role of lactate during high intensity exercise is far from being fully understood. It most likely acts to delay fatigue (instead of cause it like we previously thought) It also increases or at least maintains force production in the active muscle (instead of decreasing force production as we previously thought). Additionally, it increases nerve and blood flow to and from the active tissue. The hormone-like effects of lactate are not clear and more research (especially in vivo) is warranted, however, lactate seems to be quite an impressive by-product, helping us to perform better, stronger and longer instead of the opposite as previously believed.

On a more anecdotal note, this could help explain why some runners perform at their best 1 or 2 days after a stair-climbing race. Stair-climbing is extremely intense and, just like in the “uphill” lactate group, it induces an incredible amount of lactate production. This increased blood-lactate circulation might be the key to their improved performance the next day.

For those of us merely trying to endure and improve our weight-training sessions at the X Gym, I am still undecided as to which strategy of lactate employment is best. Doing high intensity cardio (i.e www.tabataprotocol.com) the day before weight training could possibly increase force production during weight training. Performing high intensity cardio after weight training could produce recovery benefits. Over-loading the muscle with too much training however, could be detrimental to both force and recovery, and increases the risk of overuse symptoms. For now, I would recommend one high intensity cardio session per week after weight training. This will prevent the sprint training from negatively interfering with your physical and mental state during weight training, but could still likely aid in recovery.

Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Lactic Acid...

2012-01-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

Research review by Alki X Gym trainer Aaron Wagar

“Lactate—a signal coordinating cell and systemic function”

Andrew Philip, Adam L. Macdonald, & Peter W. Watt

For many years, the scientific, medical, athletic communities and the general population have accepted the fact that lactate is a just a by-product created by exercising muscle fibers.

What is better? Low weight HIT or high weight HIT?

2011-07-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

By Shephen Shocki, Alki X Gym trainer.

This HIT (High Intensity Training) study was performed by Canadian researchers, looking to show the differences in muscle protein synthesis (an indicator of muscle growth), as well as a few other indicators of muscle growth. They used healthy college aged men and had them perform either light weight exercise (low load, high volume) to failure or heavy weight exercise (high load, low volume) to failure. They also had a group match the amount of work they did to the heavy group, which means that they calculated the amount of work done (repetitions X load) in the heavy group and then had the work-matched group (WM) perform a higher number of reps with a lighter weight until they had reached the same level of work, just without muscle failure. While that group did see increases in muscle protein synthesis, they weren’t anywhere near the levels seen in the other two groups so I won’t be talking about the WM much.

In a nut shell, the study showed that working until failure produced a greater increase in all metrics when compared to the non-failure group. So that’s good for X Gymers, because this shows that our style causes more muscle protein synthesis, which means more muscle toning. Interestingly, in the heavy group, muscle protein synthesis was the highest initially, but when you looked at 24 hours after the exercise, the light weight group was the only one who sustained their elevated levels. So while going really heavy gives you more benefit initially, those levels aren’t sustained. Whereas in the light weight group, levels remained elevated at 24 hours and probably stayed elevated for longer than that, seeing as how MYO synthesis was still elevated 199% at 24 hours post exercise!

Side note: they differentiate between two kinds of protein synthesis: myofibrillar (MYO) vs. sarcoplasmic (SARC). MYO protein synthesis is the creation of new contractile fibers (actin and myosin), which means you are getting an increase in tone as well as strength. SARC is more characteristic of fluid being pulled into the muscles, which results in an increase in tone but not necessarily strength.

Because both the light and heavy groups reached failure, they both saw big increases in protein synthesis, but what explains the difference between the two groups? The authors attributed it to the total volume of the work done. The lightweight group did ~ 92 reps, and the heavy group did ~19. This shows pretty clearly that heavy weights/low reps is not the most effective way to tone muscle, but that light weight high volume (so either high number of reps or a high time under load, as is the case with X Gym style training) is more effective. While the heavier load did produce greater increases in certain metrics they were never sustained, and the lightweight group ultimately saw a greater increase when time is factored in. This is especially true with the X Gym style, which takes even less time than the style of workout used in this study.

So how does this apply to us? Well, considering our style of training would fall into the low load, high volume group I would say it applies quite a bit. Mainly this is a great tool to explain to clients exactly why it is that our style works so well. You could say that the evidence supports that high volume training to failure results in the greatest increases in protein synthesis, which means the greatest increases in tone and strength. You can explain that the muscle failure gives you the bulk of the benefit, but the lightweight and high load we use adds additional benefits.

Side note: One of the things the authors point to as far as the additional benefits go is the fact that this style of training causes the muscle to be worked in a state where there is not a lot of blood flow to the muscle. (This is called occlusion training; you limit the blow flow to an area and work it under a low intensity. Studies have shown that even just walking on a treadmill with a belt around your leg will result in significant increases in muscle protein synthesis.) When you contract a muscle, it pinches the blood vessels that are feeding blood to it, and you get occlusion. X Gym style workouts are more or less just one huge contraction, so you are occluding blood flow to that area the entire time. When you relax the muscle blood rushes back in, which can result in a light headed feeling, or "head rush," which many X Gymers comment on, clearly showing this beneficial training style at work.

The only issue I have with this study is the size. 15 participants divided into three groups means you only have 5 men in each group, which is tiny. Nearly all of their findings were statistically significant (p < .05), but I still think to show real significance, they would need to do another study with more subjects. One thing these authors point out that I absolutely loved, was that they said while all these things are interesting and show important correlations, at this point that is all they are: correlations. Correlation is not causation and the two should never be confused. Quote of the day: “… acute scientific studies simply supply the framework on which to build future training studies upon to directly test if a cause-and-effect relationship does in fact exist.”

Muscle Growth and the Hormone Connection

2011-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Muscle Growth and the Hormone Connection
by Steven Shocki, Alki trainer

X Gym's exercise protocols are specifically designed to NOT bulk you up. They were created to tone and strengthen, because that's what most people want. Even 97% of the men polled would rather look like the cover of Men's Fitness magazine instead of Flex magazine. 99.9% of the women feel that way too.

Some men however, would like to build some muscle and this is possible with X Gym protocols, to a limited degree, if the role of hormones is understood.

When building muscle is your goal, what you are really talking about is the control of hormones; specifically the hormones testosterone (T), human growth hormone (HGH), and insulin like growth factor (IGF-1). Different environmental stimuli (such as: diet, exercise and sleep habits, stress, etc.) effect how much of these hormones your body produces.

To truly get the most benefit out of these three amigos you need to structure your life in a way that gets you producing all three together, because when all three are present in the body, the benefits of the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. How exactly does this work?
First, let’s take a look at testosterone, the most well-known anabolic (tissue building) hormone. Testosterone is crucial to muscle growth, and it is naturally present in both men and women, albeit in much lower concentrations in women.

This is the reason women can't gain muscle at the X Gym. You will tone and shape at the X Gym much faster than other methods, but even with the proper hormone manipulation techniques, average Jane may gain a few pounds tops, so if that is your goal as a woman, sorry, you'll have to do traditional training at a regular gym. For men however, building 10-15 pounds of quality rock hard muscle is realistic at the X Gym with the proper strategy, so read on.

T is very good at building new tissues, but it is not its primary job. It has a whole host of other duties to fulfill, and as it turns out the biological mechanism that T uses to build muscle is not a direct one. This means that your body has to go through a few extra steps to get from T circulating in your blood stream to building muscle.

Now if we contrast that with HGH, we find that HGH leads directly to muscle growth. It too has some other beneficial effects on the body, one of which is to stimulate the production of IGF-1, but more on that later.

The other difference between T and HGH has to do with the conditions they need for them to be produced. They both love short, intense bouts of exercise, but depending on which hormone you want to get out of your workout, you need to alter the way your body is fed pre and post workout. T gets produced quite well when the body is fed and there is a healthy amount of insulin in your blood. HGH on the other hand doesn’t get along very well with insulin, and as such HGH production is highest when they body is in a fasted state. Insulin is another hormone, one that is released when you get an increase in blood sugar, which usually comes from eating carbohydrates.

So here we are with two hormones that are both very good at building muscle, but with two different ways of being produced. You might be wondering what the point is and why we don’t just have one super hormone? Well, as I said earlier, when you can get conditions right to get both of these guys working together, the result is far greater than either could do on their own. This is because one of those extra things T does is to actually speed up the effects of HGH on the body. T also changes the efficiency and makeup of your cells, giving them a further boost.

So what about IGF-1? Well this hormone is almost like HGH on steroids (forgive me – there is no better way to say it). IGF-1 increases muscle mass, decreases fat, and does all that in overdrive. The way the body produces it though, is a little interesting. It only comes about when your previously elevated levels of HGH drop to a certain point, then your body will give you a quick shot of IGF-1. So, IGF-1 (which in my opinion is the best hormone for building muscle) is produced in the presence of HGH, which works most efficiently in the presence of T. Our goal then is to get as much of those three going as possible.

Things that produce T are exercise (especially full body, high intensity workouts), higher saturated fat intake (which if you read the July 1st article The Facts About Fats you would know is a very good thing), and plenty of sleep and low levels of stress.

Things that increase HGH are full body, high intensity exercise (notice a pattern?), low insulin levels (which can be achieved through lowered carbohydrate intake and an increased intake of fats and protein) and plenty of sleep and low levels of stress. And of course IGF-1 comes as a result of the presence of HGH.

How does one apply this to everyday life? It’s simple! Here's the plan: Get two total body, high intensity resistance workouts per week and at least one sprint workout (Tabata style) per week. To emphasize HGH and IGF-1 production, plan your week so that your body is in a fasted state for one of the workouts (don’t eat anything before) and plan on fasting for an hour after a workout (you will get better results if your post-workout meals don’t have any carbohydrates in them). Eat lost of healthy fats and protein, get your 8 hours of sleep a night, and find ways to reduce stress (guided breathing is my recommendation as there are a multitude of benefits that come along with it).

For those of you worried about the infamous catabolism (tissue breakdown) that many a body builder fears if they don’t eat every three hours, don’t! It’s a myth that has somehow been supported over the years despite a lack of scientific evidence. For instance, take a look at HGH which is produced best when they body doesn’t have any food in it! This makes sense from an ancestral perspective as well, because pre-agricultural humans weren’t going to catch food every time they hunted, and when they did hunt, they had to perform a sprint workout far more intense than anything we could every do in a gym. It makes sense then that we naturally have some biological safe guards in place to protect all that precious muscle mass, which is exactly what HGH does.

So go ahead and try making a couple changes to your daily routine and see what happens!

X Gym and Human Growth Hormone

2010-08-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

by Mike Gavareski

You already know it’s wise to limit your sugar and fruit intake. High glycemic chemicals such as the aforementioned have a slue of negative side effects, and again, hopefully you’re well educated on those. One that often gets overlooked, though, is the inhibition of HGH (human growth hormone), especially right after a bout of intense exercise, such as an X Gym workout.

You might be asking what HGH is and why you need it? Well, here’s a hint: it’s a popular, illegal substance among many professional athletes. It’s illegal because the unnatural form of it can be dangerous, but maximizing its natural potential is perfectly safe. There is an array of benefits of HGH, but most importantly it increases protein synthesis and helps utilize fat as an energy source.

Only when you exercise to full capacity do you utilize your lazy muscles (fast-twitch b muscle fibers ). They don’t want to work if they don’t have to. But boy, when they do, the fat-burning benefits are significant. Part of that is due to the HGH release in your body. But exercising the normal muscle fibers don’t stimulate HGH release, only the ones when you push yourself to that last bit of fatigue, just like at the X Gym. If you work that hard and produce a healthy dose of HGH, don’t ruin it with a high fruit and/or sugar recovery drink! Curb that craving, hopefully forever, but at least for two hours to maximize the potential of HGH in your body.

The more you lay around, the shorter you'll be around!

2010-08-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

In 1982, researchers at the Cooper Institute in Dallas revealed an unfortunate symptom of inactivity. Originally the researchers were interested in the exercise habits of affluent men, and were gathering data to help support the idea that exercising was good for you. What they found was that not only is physical activity good for you, inactivity is bad for. While you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure that one out, the unfortunate truth is that inactivity is worse for you than previously thought. Until recently the effects of inactivity had been largely unexplored, but in May scientists at the University of South Carolina and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge published an article in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise touting the dangers of inactivity. Their findings showed that men who spent 23 hours a week sitting were 64% more likely to die from heart disease than men who sat less than 11 hours a week. When you add together all the hours the average American spends sitting at work, in the car, or in front of a TV, 23 hours a week isn’t that much.

Studies performed on rats have revealed the physiological mechanism behind all of this. In their studies rats and mice who were not allowed to walk around their cages or exercise actually developed cellular changes in their muscles, changes that resulted in an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. The worst part? Getting regular exercise isn’t enough to reverse these changes. The pathways for the benefits of exercise and the ill effects of inactivity are different, and as a result you need to do more than work out on a regular basis to avoid these consequences. Fortunately there are some simple ways to avoid this nasty little problem: limit the amount of time you are being inactive. At work you can try sitting on a balance ball as opposed to a chair, or you can just get up and walk around for a little bit. If you spend a lot of time in cars, try flexing the muscles in your core and in your legs as hard as you can for 10 second intervals, repeating 5 or 6 times. If you are watching TV at home get up and grab a glass of water or something during commercial breaks, or if you are feeling extra motivated drop down and do some pushups or squats. Our muscles want to do some work, so oblige them! (and your heart will thank you later)

Strength and Time

2010-07-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

A study by Finnish researchers published in the December 9th Edition of THE JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONCITIONING RESEARCH compared the impact of time-of-day specific training on strength gains and increase in lean mass in untrained men. In this study 24 untrained men where divided randomly into 3 different groups. One group performed a strength training regiment at 9am and another group performed a strength training regiment at 4pm, leaving the third group as a control performing no exercise. The training groups first underwent a 10 week introductory training regiment, and then where separated in to the time of day specific training groups, which continued of another 10 weeks.

The goal of the study was to determine if there was any difference in the strength and muscle hypertrophy increases of the quadriceps, between morning and evening training. The subjects where tested for maximum strength on the squat, as well as maximum knee extension. The testers also used an MRI to test for increase in muscle mass. The results showed that both groups improved strength in there quadriceps compared to the control group. There was however no significant difference of strength increase between the two groups.

This brings to a question that is frequently asked by clients. Often people want to know if there is a “best” time of day to work out. Since according to this study both groups gained strength and mass with no significant difference between the two, it would seem that there is no optimal time to train. People simply need work out when they feel the best, or at least at a time that is most convenient. Our work at the X Gym also supports this, given the fact that the people that we train early in the morning show increase strength and improve their body composition much the same as those who train at night. If you feel stronger and are more motivated to train at on time of day verses another, than go for it. But rest assured you will get results no matter when you decide to do it.

Another interesting note made in this article is that the researchers found that most of the strength gains the subjects experienced occurred in the initial 10 week introductory phase. They accredited this as possibly due to neuromuscular learning that occurs when you start a new exercise. This is why at the X Gym, we change exercises every 7 weeks so our clients can get the most benefit from their workouts, by avoiding the slow down, and eventual stagnation that occurs when one exercise is done of too long.

The Surprising Dish That Delivers Calcium

2010-07-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

If your taste buds, your intolerance of lactose, or your politics keep you away from the dairy case, you can still get calcium from food. What many dairy avoiders don't know is that plants can dole out plenty of this important mineral. But as with hunting for truffles and potential spouses, you have to know what you're looking for.

For an easy way to remember what foods contain calcium, think Chinese food. Stir-fry dishes often include broccoli (62 milligrams of the bone-building mineral per cup), bok choy (158 milligrams in a cup), and edamame (soybeans, delivering 97 milligrams in a cup). Try making this Sesame-Shiitake Bok Choy for a delicious calcium-rich side dish.

Even better, these and other Chinese stir-fry favorites have a chemical makeup that allows your body to absorb calcium. Plenty of other leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and swiss chard, contain calcium. But they also contain oxalate, an acid that limits the amount of calcium your body can absorb.

Considering you need a daily dose of 1,500 milligrams of calcium (and 1,000 international units of vitamin D with that if you're under age 65; 1,200 if you're over that) plus 500 milligrams of magnesium (to keep you from hating us for recommending the calcium) a day, you'll probably still want a supplement. But it's smart for many reasons to get as much as you can from nutritious veggies.

2010-07-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is urging meat producers to limit the amount of antibiotics they give animals in response to public health concerns about the drugs.

The FDA said antibiotics in meat pose a "serious public health threat" because the drugs create antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can infect humans who eat it. The agency is recommending that producers use the drugs judiciously, limiting their use unless they are medically necessary and only using them with the oversight of a veterinarian.

"Developing strategies for reducing (antibiotic) resistance is critically important for protecting both public and animal health," the agency said in draft guidelines printed in the Federal Register on Monday.

The agency said misuse and overuse of the drugs has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotics have been given to animals to kill pathogens for more than 50 years, and the FDA acknowledged that practice has had "tremendous benefits" to animal and human health.

Of greater concern, the agency said, is when producers use antibiotics on healthy animals to speed growth and reduce feed costs. The agency is also concerned about antibiotics that are given continuously through feed or water to entire herds or flocks of animals.

The agency said it is expecting to issue more specific guidelines soon, but FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs Joshua Sharfstein would not say whether the agency eventually plans to issue stricter regulations. He said the guidelines are just a first step and the agency will be watching industry response and also patterns of antibiotic resistance.

Advocates on both sides of the issue criticized the decision.

Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, Iowa, and president of the National Pork Producers Council, said reducing the amount of antibiotics given to animals could harm their health.

"As we know, healthy animals produce safe food, and we need every available tool to protect animal health," he said.

But Steven Roach, a public health advocate with the group Keep Antibiotics Working, a coalition dedicated to eliminating the overuse of antibiotics, said the guidelines don't go far enough.

"It shows the FDA still has no plan to take the necessary steps to protect public health by stopping the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture," he said.

Weighing the Evidence on Exercise

2010-07-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

How exercise affects body weight is one of the more intriguing and vexing issues in physiology. Exercise burns calories, no one doubts that, and so it should, in theory, produce weight loss, a fact that has prompted countless people to undertake exercise programs to shed pounds. Without significantly changing their diets, few succeed. “Anecdotally, all of us have been cornered by people claiming to have spent hours each week walking, running, stair-stepping, etc., and are displeased with the results on the scale or in the mirror,” wrote Barry Braun, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in the American College of Sports Medicine’s February newsletter.

But a growing body of science suggests that exercise does have an important role in weight loss. That role, however, is different from what many people expect and probably wish. The newest science suggests that exercise alone will not make you thin, but it may determine whether you stay thin, if you can achieve that state. Until recently, the bodily mechanisms involved were mysterious. But scientists are slowly teasing out exercise’s impact on metabolism, appetite and body composition, though the consequences of exercise can vary. Women’s bodies, for instance, seem to react differently than men’s bodies to the metabolic effects of exercise. None of which is a reason to abandon exercise as a weight-loss tool. You just have to understand what exercise can and cannot do.

“In general, exercise by itself is pretty useless for weight loss,” says Eric Ravussin, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., and an expert on weight loss. It’s especially useless because people often end up consuming more calories when they exercise. The mathematics of weight loss is, in fact, quite simple, involving only subtraction. “Take in fewer calories than you burn, put yourself in negative energy balance, lose weight,” says Braun, who has been studying exercise and weight loss for years. The deficit in calories can result from cutting back your food intake or from increasing your energy output — the amount of exercise you complete — or both. When researchers affiliated with the Pennington center had volunteers reduce their energy balance for a study last year by either cutting their calorie intakes by 25 percent or increasing their daily exercise by 12.5 percent and cutting their calories by 12.5 percent, everyone involved lost weight. They all lost about the same amount of weight too — about a pound a week. But in the exercising group, the dose of exercise required was nearly an hour a day of moderate-intensity activity, what the federal government currently recommends for weight loss but “a lot more than what many people would be able or willing to do,” Ravussin says.

At the same time, as many people have found after starting a new exercise regimen, working out can have a significant effect on appetite. The mechanisms that control appetite and energy balance in the human body are elegantly calibrated. “The body aims for homeostasis,” Braun says. It likes to remain at whatever weight it’s used to. So even small changes in energy balance can produce rapid changes in certain hormones associated with appetite, particularly acylated ghrelin, which is known to increase the desire for food, as well as insulin and leptin, hormones that affect how the body burns fuel.

The effects of exercise on the appetite and energy systems, however, are by no means consistent. In one study presented last year at the annual conference of the American College of Sports Medicine, when healthy young men ran for an hour and a half on a treadmill at a fairly high intensity, their blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin fell, and food held little appeal for the rest of that day. Exercise blunted their appetites. A study that Braun oversaw and that was published last year by The American Journal of Physiology had a slightly different outcome. In it, 18 overweight men and women walked on treadmills in multiple sessions while either eating enough that day to replace the calories burned during exercise or not. Afterward, the men displayed little or no changes in their energy-regulating hormones or their appetites, much as in the other study. But the women uniformly had increased blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin and decreased concentrations of insulin after the sessions in which they had eaten less than they had burned. Their bodies were directing them to replace the lost calories. In physiological terms, the results “are consistent with the paradigm that mechanisms to maintain body fat are more effective in women,” Braun and his colleagues wrote. In practical terms, the results are scientific proof that life is unfair. Female bodies, inspired almost certainly “by a biological need to maintain energy stores for reproduction,” Braun says, fight hard to hold on to every ounce of fat. Exercise for many women (and for some men) increases the desire to eat.

Thankfully there has lately been some more encouraging news about exercise and weight loss, including for women. In a study published late last month in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from Harvard University looked at the weight-change histories of more than 34,000 participants in a women’s health study. The women began the study middle-aged (at an average of about 54 years) and were followed for 13 years. During that time, the women gained, on average, six pounds. Some packed on considerably more. But a small subset gained far less, coming close to maintaining the body size with which they started the study. Those were the women who reported exercising almost every day for an hour or so. The exercise involved was not strenuous. “It was the equivalent of brisk walking,” says I-Min Lee, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the lead author of the study. But it was consistently engaged in over the years. “It wasn’t something the women started and stopped,” Lee says. “It was something they’d been doing for years.” The women who exercised also tended to have lower body weights to start with. All began the study with a body-mass index below 25, the high end of normal weight. “We didn’t look at this, but it’s probably safe to speculate that it’s easier and more pleasant to exercise if you’re not already heavy,” Lee says.

On the other hand, if you can somehow pry off the pounds, exercise may be the most important element in keeping the weight off. “When you look at the results in the National Weight Control Registry,” Braun says, “you see over and over that exercise is one constant among people who’ve maintained their weight loss.” About 90 percent of the people in the registry who have shed pounds and kept them at bay worked out, a result also seen in recent studies. In one representative experiment from last year, 97 healthy, slightly overweight women were put on an 800-calorie diet until they lost an average of about 27 pounds each. Some of the women were then assigned to a walking program, some were put on a weight-training regimen and others were assigned no exercise; all returned to their old eating habits. Those who stuck with either of the exercise programs regained less weight than those who didn’t exercise and, even more striking, did not regain weight around their middles. The women who didn’t exercise regained their weight and preferentially packed on these new pounds around their abdomens. It’s well known that abdominal fat is particularly unhealthful, contributing significantly to metabolic disruptions and heart disease.

Scientists are “not really sure yet” just how and why exercise is so important in maintaining weight loss in people, Braun says. But in animal experiments, exercise seems to remodel the metabolic pathways that determine how the body stores and utilizes food. For a study published last summer, scientists at the University of Colorado at Denver fattened a group of male rats. The animals already had an inbred propensity to gain weight and, thanks to a high-fat diet laid out for them, they fulfilled that genetic destiny. After 16 weeks of eating as much as they wanted and lolling around in their cages, all were rotund. The scientists then switched them to a calorie-controlled, low-fat diet. The animals shed weight, dropping an average of about 14 percent of their corpulence.

Afterward the animals were put on a weight-maintenance diet. At the same time, half of them were required to run on a treadmill for about 30 minutes most days. The other half remained sedentary. For eight weeks, the rats were kept at their lower weights in order to establish a new base-line weight.

Then the fun began. For the final eight weeks of the experiment, the rats were allowed to relapse, to eat as much food as they wanted. The rats that had not been running on the treadmill fell upon the food eagerly. Most regained the weight they lost and then some.

But the exercising rats metabolized calories differently. They tended to burn fat immediately after their meals, while the sedentary rats’ bodies preferentially burned carbohydrates and sent the fat off to be stored in fat cells. The running rats’ bodies, meanwhile, also produced signals suggesting that they were satiated and didn’t need more kibble. Although the treadmill exercisers regained some weight, their relapses were not as extreme. Exercise “re-established the homeostatic steady state between intake and expenditure to defend a lower body weight,” the study authors concluded. Running had remade the rats’ bodies so that they ate less.

Streaming through much of the science and advice about exercise and weight loss is a certain Puritan streak, a sense that exercise, to be effective in keeping you slim, must be of almost medicinal dosage — an hour a day, every day; plenty of brisk walking; frequent long runs on the treadmill. But the very latest science about exercise and weight loss has a gentler tone and a more achievable goal. “Emerging evidence suggests that unlike bouts of moderate-vigorous activity, low-intensity ambulation, standing, etc., may contribute to daily energy expenditure without triggering the caloric compensation effect,” Braun wrote in the American College of Sports Medicine newsletter.

In a completed but unpublished study conducted in his energy-metabolism lab, Braun and his colleagues had a group of volunteers spend an entire day sitting. If they needed to visit the bathroom or any other location, they spun over in a wheelchair. Meanwhile, in a second session, the same volunteers stood all day, “not doing anything in particular,” Braun says, “just standing.” The difference in energy expenditure was remarkable, representing “hundreds of calories,” Braun says, but with no increase among the upright in their blood levels of ghrelin or other appetite hormones. Standing, for both men and women, burned multiple calories but did not ignite hunger. One thing is going to become clear in the coming years, Braun says: if you want to lose weight, you don’t necessarily have to go for a long run. “Just get rid of your chair.”

New Gas Prices

2010-07-07T08:05:00.001-07:00

by Mike Gavareski

Go to your local supermarket to find gas on sale for under $1 per pound! Per pound? Yep, in the form of bananas. Most other fruits, as well. As you probably know already, fructose (and any sugar) is a major, major problem in human diets. Its excessive consumption leads to increased LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, and body fat, as well as obesity. Want another reason to avoid it? It can give you as a diarrhea. You may or may not know this from experience already, so this may serve as a friendly reminder. Fructose is absorbed in the small intestine, or at least supposed to be. If not enough GLUT 5 transporters (molecules that carry the fructose to the liver for processing) are present, fructose can reach the lower intestine where your body’s healthy, normal bacteria digest it. Guess what they produce? Gas!

Ask your trainers for hints on how to avoid fructose, or eat healthy sources and amounts of it.

The Facts About Fats

2010-07-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while it becomes evident that the scientific community gets things wrong. At one point in time scientists everywhere thought that the world was flat, that the world was the center of the universe, and that the atom was the smallest particle in existence. Now, obviously, we know better. It turns out that the evidence is now showing that what we all thought we knew about fats is also as incorrect as these former misconceptions.

1. Fats don’t make you fat. A study by the American Society for Nutrition showed that rats who consumed a high fat, high protein, carbohydrate free diet displayed the lowest amount of adiposity (body fat) when compared to rats who got more of their daily calories from carbohydrates. This is because rats, like humans, prefer to run their bodies fats. When we consume fats they get used for energy, not stored as fat as previously thought. The real culprit is carbohydrates. Carbs ultimately get converted to glucose, which is used to fuel our brains and our muscles during physical activity. When our bodies take in a large amount of carbs it releases insulin so that it can then store all that glucose for later use. Normally it is stored in the muscles, but when we take in more carbs than we can store in our muscles it then gets converted into body fat. The reason this happens is because early humans who lived in the wild had very limited access to carbs. When they did happen to stumble across a piece of fruit or some vegetables, their bodies would immediately store that precious glucose away to use later. After the advent of agriculture suddenly our bodies were inundated with glucose, and the result is higher levels of body fat.

2. Fats don’t cause heart disease. As unbelievable as it sounds there is actually no sound scientific evidence linking the consumption of fats to higher rates of heart disease. This even includes saturated fats, which in our culture are thought to be the bane of our existences. And this is unfortunate because when food item are labeled as low fat they are generally packed full of sugars to make them taste better, which as I said before is what is really going to make you fat. So where did this misconception come from? It all started with a man named Ancel Keys. Back in the day he conducted the infamous seven countries study, which plotted the relationship between the consumption of fats and the rates of heart disease in seven countries across the world. His resulting graph showed a near perfect positive correlation between the two. The problem with his results? His “seven countries” study actually took place in twenty two countries. What happened to the other 15 countries? They didn’t fit his nice line so he labeled them “outliers” and left them off. Interesting how there are twice as many outliers and valid points of data. What his results actually showed is that there is no correlation between the two. Some countries consumed high amounts of fat and had low rates of heart disease while others consumed very little fat and had low rates of heart disease. The real culprit is not the fat you eat, but actually just the physical state of being fat. Fat cells actually act like little endocrine organs, sending out signals to your body which cause inflammation which then results in hypertension and heart disease.

So the take home message in all of this is that fats are not the evil macronutrient we once thought they were. Our bodies want to run off them, and function quite well when we let them do just that. Its carbs that should be avoided, and realistically the only carbs we should eat are the ones that come from a healthy intake of fruits and vegetables. Pair that with a good protein intake ( ~ 1 gram per pound of body weight) and fill out the rest of your daily calories with a good mix of both saturated and unsaturated fats and you’re getting back to your primal roots. Trans fats should still be avoided though because you never want to eat anything created in a lab. For a much more in depth discussion on fats and the seven countries study visit this page http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/

And next time you feel like including some bacon with your eggs, go ahead! (Just leave out the oatmeal)

4 X Gym Workouts for $25!!!!!!!

2010-06-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Close your eyes and imagine a world where you could transform your body in as little as 40 minutes per week. Now open your eyes, stop dreaming and discover the reality of XGym, where real results can be achieved in a fraction of the usual time.

A revolutionary one-on-one personal training facility, XGym has proven to give clients results comparable to 156 hours of conventional training in just 6 hours. (Yes, you read correctly.) By putting clients through a rigorous set of high intensity exercises scientifically designed to produce optimal fitness, XGym gives individuals the tools they'll need to exercise on their own, without a trainer. That means the education at XGym goes far beyond the classroom, giving results and lessons that will last a lifetime.

Still skeptical? Here's how it works: XGym uses techniques called Triple Sevens. Triple Sevens is an exercise protocol that targets different muscle fiber types and energy systems. After seven weeks of working on one protocol, the client either graduates to the next protocol or repeats the current one, depending on his or her mastery at the time of evaluation. At the end of the Triple Seven cycle, you'll be leaner, stronger, and healthier.

Mind Over Muscle

2010-06-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Research recently published on the affects of supervision (having a trainer present) on muscle adaptation (strength gain) showed that people who had more supervision during a workout, gained more muscle/strength than those who had less supervision (less trainer feedback) during the same workout routine.

The mind can either be your biggest ally or enemy in the gym. Having someone else present, keeping you accountable for your efforts, can help your brain give the rest of your body an extra push during a workout (therefore giving you greater gains when compared to doing a workout by yourself). When left alone, the mind and body are lazy and not nearly motivated enough to do the work that they are capable of. The psychological component of having someone else present can push you to do more instead of settling for a sub par effort because of lack of motivation and integrity.

Your trainers at the X Gym not only see the importance and safety of one on one training, but the added motivation of having someone else there pushing you, encouraging you, and motivating you (even if that motivation is to not be splintered for 5 minutes straight…) to get the most out of each workout you do.

Eat Better by Eating More Good… More Good Foods

2010-06-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

The key to weight loss is to consume less calories than you burn, right? Well, to some extent. If one were to fast for a month, eating 200 calories per day, they would lose a lot of weight. But, a sizable portion of those pounds shed would be muscle, resulting in a less-than desirable weight loss. What to do, then? Feed your body more food, but more of what it wants!
High intensity weight training is a perfect way to increase your metabolism. Starving yourself is a perfect way to negate that metabolic increase! Conversely, to keep up that lean mass that you work so hard to gain, keep up the protein and good calories. At the X Gym, your trainers teach you how to eat the right kinds of food, and, if one heeds that advice, they can eat as much as they like. Not eating, even in the short term can lower metabolism. So eat, breakfast, eat lunch, eat dinner, and eat in-between. Just eat the right foods! Be full, be happy, and be lean!

2010-04-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

5 A Day…

Eat your vegetables! They’re good for you. Even Will Smith told his dog in the movie I Am Legend that she ought to eat her vegetables, clearly conveying the importance of their consumption! But if that doesn’t have you convinced, maybe fact that more, newer research is pointing their importance will. Especially for X Gym members.

Exercise increases reactive oxygen-based molecules in our bodies, especially long or intense exercise. However, antioxidants can help combat those harmful processes in our bodies. You can find a multitude of antioxidants in almost any fruit or vegetable. Obviously, certain fruits have other problems (mainly too much sugar), so better to grab for extra vegetables than fruits. Vitamins C and E are also antioxidants.

The research has shown no correlation between extra antioxidants and athletic performance, simply the body’s recovery on a chemical level. There aren’t many negative affects from exercise, and the positives far out-weigh them. The negatives that do exist, though, can be countered by eating your veggies. Bon-a-pu-feast!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/9509820?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713775807&db=all

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16089272

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/2/637S

Caffeine

2010-03-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

by Steve W.
A member brought us an article a while back that was quoting several studies saying that caffeine can boost athletic performance. Being an unabashed fan of caffeine (coffee) user myself I thought, “Wouldn’t that be awesome?” So I went into our stacks of NSCA journals and found a study that tested the effects of moderate caffeine intake on Colligate level football players in anaerobic (high intensity) activities. The test was published in the August 2009 issue and was conducted at Arizona State University.

In this study 17 colligate level football players underwent combine-like conditioning tests, including the 40 yard dash, 20 yard shuttle run, and a bench press, 185 lbs or 225 lbs reps to failure. One group of athletes was given a moderate dose of caffeine one hour before performing the drills and another group was given a placebo. Some of the athletes that where given the dose of caffeine reported moderate improvements in there tests. However, there was no significant difference in performance between the two groups.

The good news for us coffee heads is that there appears be no harm whatsoever in athletic performance either. I still feel however that one will be better suited to stick with water as their primary source of hydration. Other articles suggest that caffeine’s positive effects are more apparent in endurance type activities as opposed to anaerobic activities, which would agree with the NSCA article.

XGym Seminar

2010-02-27T22:26:00.001-08:00

The Soda Jerk

2010-02-24T08:01:00.001-08:00

by Evan Bylsma

There have been some new studies recently showing once again a very negative consequence to drinking America's favorite type of beverage: soft drinks.

A recent study came to the conclusion that as little as 2 soft drinks a week can almost double a persons chance of developing pancreatic cancer, which also happens to be one of the most deadly forms of cancer we face. The finger of blame once again points to the extremely high sugar content found in the soft drink industry.

This was all based on quite a large study which followed 60,500 participants in Singapore over a 14 year study. Of those participants, 140 were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and it was noted that those individuals having more then 2 soft drinks a week increased their risk of the disease 87% higher then those that did not drink as many soft drinks.

The pancreas is the organ in your body responsible for producing insulin which is the hormone needed to transport sugar from your blood into your cells for use as energy. Obviously the enormous amount of sugar contained in soft drinks puts a strain on the pancreas often times leading to pancreatic cancer.

There are some new soft drink products out there such as "Zevia" which is a soft drink sweetened by the stevia leaf, a sugar alternative that PJ has been preaching about for years now. Best of all "Zevia" has a Glycemic Index rating of zero which means your pancreas will not need to dump insulin as a result of drinking it. Bottom line is, keep sugar content low, and stay as far away from commercial soft drinks as you can.

XGym

2010-02-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

We at the X Gym pride ourselves in minimizing time spent in the weight room while still surpassing the results of traditional resistance training. More evidence recently published (in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research) confirm that shorter amounts of rest given between exercises and/or repetitions matches, and in most cases surpasses, the results (muscle gain) of longer amounts of rest and recovery during resistance training—thus decreasing the amount of actual time spent in the gym. The presence of serum growth hormone was greater in the individuals in this study who rested less in between sets than those who rested longer, resulting in equal or great muscle gain in less gym time. Once again, the X Gym philosophy is confirmed by the latest research, saving you valuable time.

Idaho Food Bank Foodraiser

2010-02-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Come out, have a drink, and support the hungry.

XGym Boot Camp to benefit Hati

2010-02-22T08:30:00.001-08:00

Come out, shed some fat, and show your support for Haiti!

Acid Rocks

2010-02-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Think of everything you’ve ever, ever thought about lactic acid. Now, throw it out the window. Actually, only some of it. But to find out what parts of it, read on…

Lactic acid is completely malignant. In fact, recent research has shown that our muscles create it intentionally. We actually use it as a fuel source. Some of the recent research actually believes it to be the preferred fuel source for our muscles, but the jury is still out on those details. So, why is it bad, then? Part of what we believed to be true before, still is. Too much lactic acid is bad. An accumulation will give you the “burn” you’re used to when you perform intense exercises.

What does this mean, then? In a nutshell, lactic acid is a great source of fuel that our bodies create, but can be detrimental to performance if levels get too high. But, like almost anything in life, you can get good at what you practice. It’s called the SAID principle: Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. In other words, your body will start to change for the better, according to what you tell it to do. Since lactic acid is only created when we exercise, exercising is the only way we can “practice” utilizing lactic acid. The harder we go, the more lactic acid we’ll produce, thus forcing our bodies to become more proficient at using it.

This knowledge can also be applied during interval workouts. Instead of completely stopping between hard bouts, try walking, slowly jogging (or the equivalent to your given piece of exercise equipment). This will use some of the lactic acid that has been produced during the hard bouts, thus help keep its levels at bay.

You should go for the burn when you workout, so you improve the way your muscles tolerate it and to teach them to use it as well. The burn is your friend! The more it burns, the faster you are conditioning that muscle for the most rapid results possible. You will also burn more fat after exercise as your muscles respond with metabolic, chemical and hormonal changes to adapt, change and get stronger.

Look for Dr. George Brooks to continue studies on lactic acid for more updates in science.

Endurance

2010-01-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

by Jamie V.

Training to build cardiovascular endurance can be a complicated endeavor. Knowing how long and at when intensity to maintain during a workout can be difficult to decipher, especially for beginners. Knowing that building endurance can be done a variety of ways will help hasten results and increase endurance capacity. A recent study on the Training Effects on Endurance Capacity (Comparison Between Continuous and Interval Training) found a strong positive correlation between interval training and endurance capacity in comparison to continuous training (increasing the intensity of a cardiovascular workout until exhaustion). After 15 weeks of training (3x/week), subjects training with intervals (10s. on and 20s. off x10 sets) showed a greater increase in endurance capacity versus those who did continuous training (working incrementally till exhaustion). In a short amount of time, the results were great…true X Gym style!

Feeling Better

2010-01-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

by Mike G.

If you’ve ever felt better after a workout, congratulations, you’re human. Part of being human is experiencing a mood lift after exercise, mainly caused by neurogenesis and the release of endorphins. Often, studies of these occurrences and their relation to exercise are examined through running or some type of cardiovascular training (as opposed to simply lifting weights), but a recent study has revealed that resistance training can improve your mood too. Conducted by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the researchers used the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale in order to survey the subjects’ self-perception of well being and attitude. Women, especially, were found to have a significant increase in positive well-being after one, single, bout of weight exercises, meaning that the affects were immediate. What does this mean? If you want to feel good, put down the drugs, and pick up the weights!

JSCR, Vol 3, Number 9

Take It Easy

2009-12-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

By Jamie Valentine

The best part about making the decision to live a healthy lifestyle, is that there are often small and easy steps than can be taken to do so. With so many things to regulate, count, and watch when it comes to balanced nutrition, the more easy tricks and tips we can implement, the better. The American Heart Association's recent urge to the public to cut back on sugar intake is one of those quick tips that is not only easy to follow, but has lasting health benefits. The AHA recommends that adult women consume no more than 6 teaspoons (100kcal) and men no more than 9 teaspoons (150kcal) of sugar daily. Yet the average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of added sugars on a daily basis (naturally found sugars don't count...this stat talks about those sugars above and beyond those found naturally in foods). One of the most common forms of added sugar is through soft drinks or fruit juices (like lemonade, etc). It is easy to forget about the added sugar when it comes in liquid form, but the amount that we are actually consuming can be extremely high. Kicking soda or juice habits is a quick way to decrease added sugar intake--Drink water instead! Sugar plays a major role in the obesity epidemic and taking small steps to cut it out our diet can have multiple positive repercussions.

If You Want to Increase Your REE, You’re at the Right Place

2009-12-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

by Johnathan Davis

One recent study was conducted to determine the effect of full-body resistance training utilizing an eccentric protocol. This study was done to establish how long this type of training can elevate our body’s metabolism compared to other methods of resistance training. Sixty to seventy-five percent of the total energy used by our bodies every day is due to our resting energy expenditure (REE). If we are able to elevate how much energy our bodies are requiring for our baseline REE, then we can increase our chances at burning fat and loosing weight. The cool thing about all of this is that the X Gym utilizes eccentric protocols a ton and has been doing so long before this study was even conducted!

The main finding of the study was that a person can significantly increase his or her REE up to 72 hours post exercise using an eccentric protocol method (Hackney, Kyle J; Engels, Hermann-J; Gretebeck, Randall J., 2008). Participants performed eight exercises, eight sets, and six repetitions using a 1-second concentric and 3-second eccentric muscle action duration. Additional information about the controls and methods used in this study can be found in the article listed below.

Previously, other similar studies were conducted using other lifting methods but either did not emphasize the eccentric protocol or did not include a full-body body workout (for instance one study was conducted using a single, lower-body leg exercise). Prior to this study, an elevated REE had not been observed for such a long duration post workout. This information is important because it demonstrates the increase in REE after the type of workouts we do at the X Gym may help members lose weight if they maintain a negative energy balance.

Yes, Resistance Training IS For Everyone!!

2009-12-14T08:31:00.001-08:00

By Steve Wakefield

Many people have this misguided notion that exercise, primarily with weights, is strictly for the realm of the young. But the fact of the matter is that the elderly stand to benefit tremendously from resistance training. In fact, they stand to gain even more dramatic benefits from strength training than the younger age groups!

One of the primary causes for detrimental effects associated with aging, comes not from the weakening of the heart and lungs as many people may believe, but from muscle atrophy. When you think about it, it makes sense. If a young strong person were to go out and chop a bunch of wood, or push a lawn mower around, or climb a flight of stairs, they could do it all with no problem. Then take someone who is 75 years old and severely deconditioned and have them do the same tasks, they will be much more tired and winded than the young person.

Again, there is probably nothing wrong with the older person’s heart and lungs. They have been keeping him or her going for the past 75 years after all. The reason they are more tired is because they have less muscle to accomplish the task. As we get older, beginning about the age of 45 or so (depending on who’s literature you read) we start to lose muscle mass. Bone loss is often close to follow as well.

Now for the good news. In 2007, a study out of McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1866181 found evidence that strength training can actually reverse the effects of aging in muscle tissue in elderly people. In this study, muscle biopsies were taken from a group of older individuals and a group of younger individuals. The biopsies indicated over 500 genes that where expressed differently in the older individuals compared to the younger. The group of older people then underwent a resistance training program for 6months. In that time, the subjects improved their strength levels by over 50 percent. But what was even more amazing is that the muscle biopsies taken after the six months of strength training showed a reversal in the expression of 179 of those 500 genes that where associated with aging! In other words, the muscle tissue from the older population resembled more closely the tissue from the younger population after 6 months of strength training. This change occurred at the molecular/genetic level. These genes, the paper said, are mostly associated with mitochondrial function. Mitochondria to put it simply, are the “energy power plants” in the muscles cell, and many of the detrimental effects of aging are associated with decline in mitochondria function.

We have said all along that an increase in lean mass can lead to an elevated fat burning metabolism, which will help prevent heart disease. Also as I alluded to in my earlier article, about EPOC, resistance training will utilize your body’s glycogen stores, preventing the build up of sugars in the bloodstream, which leads to decrease in insulin sensitivity, which is the primary cause of Type 2 diabetes. I find this study to be very fascinating. Now there is scientific evidence to support the notion that resistance training can not just slow down, but reverse some of the fundamental processes associated with aging. It’s the closest thing we have to a time machine for your cells, and it’s as close as your nearest X Gym!

Saturation Nation

2009-12-11T10:57:00.001-08:00

by Mike Gavareski

Red meat, eggs, and high-fat dairy products are all part of a disastrous health recipe, right? Well, yes, but only if you’re worried about the Y2K bug as well. The year is 2010, and the fear of saturated fat and cholesterol should no longer keep us awake at night. What once were thought to add pounds to a mid-section, the aforementioned nutrients do nothing of the sort, so says an array of more recent evidence.

The triple threat – cancer, heart disease, and diabetes – are all linked to weight and waist size. Both a higher weight as well as a larger girth of their waist correlates with a greater risk of the so-called triple threat. But don’t decrease your saturated fat intake! Well, you can if you want, but it won’t do any good. Two recent studies have shown that red meat, eggs, and high-fat dairy products do not increase the risk of these three factors. One study (tracking breast cancer in more than 319,000 women) showed that there was no link between breast cancer and foods with high amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol. The second study (examining both men and women) showed that waist circumference was inversely related to a diet rich in red meat, high-fat dairy products, vegetables, and even butter. The same study also showed a positive correlation between waist circumference and diets consisting of processed meat, potatoes, and snack foods.

So what should you do? Don’t worry about saturated fat and cholesterol, as long as it’s coming from the right sources. Eat meat. Eat red meat. Eat chicken. Eat eggs. But make sure it’s organic and grass-fed red beef, or free-range poultry. The dairy products you eat should come from the same, healthy, well-fed cattle. As long as your sources of these saturated fats and cholesterol are pure sources, the pounds will stay off, and you’ll benefit from an influx of high-quality protein, minerals, and antioxidants.

Telomeres and Exercise

2009-12-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

By Evan Bylsma

A new study has shown, through molecular science, proof that exercise keeps you young. Exercise helping you live longer hasn't exactly been a secret and the millions of people worldwide that pour sweat at gyms weekly testify to that help. But now, scientific evidence for the age fighting power of exercise has been found at a molecular level.

Investigators have been measuring the length of "telomeres", which are the DNA on either end of thread like chromosomes. As it was described in the article, these telomeres act in a similar way as the plastic tips on the end of your shoelaces. Just as those little plastic wraps prevent the shoe lace from unraveling, telomeres protect the chromosomes that carry genes during cell division.

Every time your cells divide during replication telomeres inevitably get shorter. When a telomere is too short, the cell can no longer replicate and then dies. Scientists believe that telomere length, and specifically health, is directly linked to aging. Having shorter telomeres puts an individual at a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

There was very interesting data however, when scientists studied telomere length between groups of exercising animals and humans versus sedentary populations. Specifically, a population of middle aged adults who ran 50 miles a week or more hand longer telomeres then a healthy population of similar age that didn't exercise.

Many scientists now believe that exercise, rather then a persons inherited gene background, could be the most important factor that keeps an individual healthy and young. Through the study it was observed that those individuals that exercised the most had a similar telomere length to people that were 10 years younger and didn't exercise. Other studies showed that as little as 2 hours of exercise a week showed a significant difference in telomere length between twins.

2009-11-17T10:41:00.001-08:00

Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) is the prolonged boost that the body’s metabolism experiences after exercise. This EPOC effect is most pronounced after intense resistance training. Just like the training that we do at the X GYM. High Intensity Strength and Interval Training force a trauma to the body that must be recovered from. The “burn” that we feel when we strength train is actually the accumulation of lactic acid. This lactic acid is the by product of anaerobic exercise. Meaning that it is done with such a great intensity that oxygen is not being used. When the workout is completed the body must remove this lactic acid from the muscles, and replenish its fuel stores, as well as re oxygenate the blood. All of this requires energy.

Your body then is continuing to “work out” as you are getting back into your car, and go back to work or home or whatever you do after your workout. During this EPOC phase your heart rate is elevated above resting levels, and your body is also in an elevated fat burning state. This fat is being utilized to fuel these processes. So essentially you are doing your “Cardio” when you are done with your weights.

Studies have shown that the duration and level of the EPOC effect is most directly related to exercise intensity, not necessarily duration. This is why we advocate doing interval training for cardio. When someone does conventional “steady state” cardio the get an EPOC effect that is roughly equivalent to the amount of time they spent doing that activity. In other words, a thirty minute jog will result in 30 minutes of EPOC. Whereas a 20 minute high intensity interval training workout, will yield an EPOC effect of more than 80 minutes. More calories may be burned during the steady state workout than during the interval workout, but the net calorie and fat burn from the interval training workout, and the EPOC that ensues will be much greater.

This is one of the primary reasons why the X Gym workout has to be so intense. The harder the person lets the trainer push them during their workout, the longer and greater the EPOC effect will be, and therefore the more cardio and fat burning benefit they will receive.

Will a Glass a Day Keep the Doctor Away?

2009-11-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

If you are one of the many people that think alcohol consumption may be leading you down a healthy path, you’re right. Well, partly. You’re also partly wrong. Study upon study relays evidence of alcohol’s (namely wine, but occasionally other drinks) benefit to the heart and preventing certain cancers. But don’t be so quick to smile if you have a glass of wine in your hand – that same beverage could be aiding other cancers in your body. Attention is being called to studies showing that alcohol consumption, even in moderation, may heighten the risk of mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon/rectum, and breast cancer. Not to mention the risks of what could happen when one consumes an amount deemed to be more than moderate.

Whether or not you give up your drinking habits is up to you. Drinking in moderation is still much better than heavy drinking. However, the consumer must be aware that drinking in moderation is not without risk. At one point in time, a drink per day for a woman, and even two drinks per day for a man seemed to fine, and even beneficial. Susan Gapstur, vice president of epidemiology for the American Cancer Society recommends further limiting alcoholic consumption if you are at risk for any of the aforementioned cancers.

What may burst the drinker’s bubble even more is the fact that there isn’t much excuse for alcoholic drinking in the first place. With today’s information, there are positive and negative affects of drinking alcohol. However, those on the positive side are mostly due to reservatol, a powerful antioxidant found in grapes. Thus, grape juice consumption can be equally as beneficial as wine, but without the negative affects!

How to Kick the Smoking Habit!

2009-11-03T11:30:00.001-08:00

A recent study done by the University of Exeter has provided evidence for the first time that exercise can help people that are trying to kick their smoking habit. The specific study involved 20 moderately to heavy smokers who were required to fast from smoking for 15 hours before the test. They were then given 15 minutes of moderate exercise on an exercise bike and then shown smoking related images while their very precise eye movements were tracked. The results of the study showed an 11% decrease in the amount of time a person spent looking at a smoking image after 15 minutes of exercise versus no exercise. Many other studies have shown that light to moderate exercise like a brisk walk have been able to help people curb cigarette cravings.

This study will hopefully open up a new door into the hundreds if not thousands of non-physical related ways that exercise can help people. For that matter, if light to moderate exercise is enough to help people curb one of the more addictive drugs in the world what can high intensity training help accomplish?

The growing amount of evidence that moderate exercise can significantly help smokers curb their habits is only the beginning. There is every reason to assume that many negative habits preventing people from turning a corner in their health couldn't similarly be helped with the inclusion of a regular regime of exercise.

PNF Stretching

2009-10-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

PNF which stands for Proprioseptic Neuromuscular Facilitation is a form of stretching that involves a series of isometric (static) contractions with the muscle being stretched in order to improve its range of motion. These contractions will temporarily deactivate the muscle spindle allowing the muscle to be stretched further. The muscle spindle is what senses that the muscle is being overstretched, and signals it to contract in order to prevent injury. If these stretches and contractions are done properly, injury will not occur, and the range of motion of a given muscle group will be increased in a short period of time.

These stretches are usually accomplished with the help of a partner or a trainer. Many studies A study out of England published by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) showed that using PNF stretching only three times per week was effective in increasing knee flexibility without compromising strength. This study supports the “Less is more” approach that we have here at the X Gym.

While flexibility is important, too much stretching can detract from results, especially if done right before strength training. That’s why we tell people at the X Gym to not stretch before their workouts. Stretching will take away the elasticity of the muscles and essentially make them weaker. This weakening of the muscles will lessen the effectiveness of the strength training workout, and also leave the person more prone to injury. I equate it to trying to use a rubber band that has had all the stretchiness taken out.

We therefore advise people to stretch after their workouts and on off days. This will help with recovery and prevent injury. Because of its intense nature, it is my feeling that PNF stretching should be done on separate days from your X Gym workout - preferably after a cardio workout, while the muscles are still warm and pliable.

A Supplement that Might Change Your Life!

2009-10-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to read about this great supplement!

http://bit.ly/vjpv3

Can't Lose Weight? Try This!

2009-09-04T14:38:00.001-07:00

What is HCG??

Human Chorionic Gonaotropin or HCG as it is abbreviated is a hormone that is naturally occurring in humans primarily during pregnancy. It acts directly on the part of the brain responsible for all automatic animal functions, i.e. sleep, breathing, and various aspects of metabolism. This tiny region is called the hypothalamus. One of HCG’s many actions on the hypothalamus is the mobilization of the mother’s fat stores to nourish the developing fetus.

In order to understand how HCG works as a weight loss adjunct one must first understand the nature of obesity itself. The body actually has three different reserves of fat. The first type of fat is structural fat. This is the fat that is stored around the organs and acts as an insulator, and protective “padding”. The second type of fat is the reserve fat. This is the normal healthy fat that the body readily uses as fuel. The third type of fat is the kind that is associated with obesity. This fat is stored when the body experiences a large caloric surplus. The problem with this type of fat is that it is not made readily available as a fuel source. So herein lays the downward spiral of obesity. This fat that gets accumulated around the hip, stomach etc, that people most want to get rid of, is the fat that the body is the least willing to let go. When a person goes on a crash diet their bodies are more likely to burn off fat from the first two sources, and even their lean mass before the third source is tapped in to.

HCG treatment involves taking the hormone twice daily in either oral liquid form, or once daily injections. Many undergo this treatment under the supervision of a physician or naturopath, and have their body fat percentage measured periodically to monitor progress. The treatment can be done on the patients own as well, but supervision is recommended. During the treatment which last between 23 and 40 days, patients are placed on a very restricted diet. This is to create a caloric deficit necessary for the excess fat to be utilized. This diet is only about 500 calories and consists largely of protein, fruits and veggies, with no refined sugars or starches. No carbs and very little fat are needed because the body is being run off the stored fat.

The theory behind HCG treatment is that it stimulates the hypothalamus to unlock this obesity fat, and therefore allows it to be used as a fuel source. The diet is geared primarily towards maintaining lean mass. One of the benefits to this treatment is that since the patients are being “fed” by their own fat reserves they do not feel an excessive amount of hunger, and feel satiated off those 500 calories, and are still able to maintain their lean mass, which is essential for keeping the weight off. Even with such a reduced calorie diet surprisingly very little supplementation is recommended. Vitamin C and Calcium with vitamin D are the only ones recommended. The calcium and vitamin D are recommended primarily for people with unhealthy teeth.

After treatment, a patient is allowed to increase their caloric intake and eat whatever they want with the exception of refined sugars and starches for a period of 3 more weeks, this should allow their weight to stabilize. After which point they can add carbs and sugars back in on a limited basis, returning to a basically normal diet without regaining weight.

There are some risks of side effects to HCG. The most dangerous side effect is potential life threatening condition called ovarian hyperstmulation. Symptoms of this include sever pain in the pelvic region, nausea, vomiting, and swelling of the feet and legs. If these symptoms occur, the patient is advised to stop treatment and get medical assistance. This condition is extremely rare however. Other possible side effects include local swelling of the injection sight, and some people report headaches in the first couple days of treatment, this is possibly due to the release of toxins stored in the fat tissue that is now being burned.

The FDA has criticized this treatment because the results in weight loss in some studies have not been significantly different than placebo treatment, or simple calorie reduction. But, what the FDA has not taken into account in these studies is the difference between fat loss and weight loss. Like I stated earlier when people are on an HCG treatment they are loosing fat weight and are able to maintain their lean mass. At the X Gym we tell people that the scale does not tells the entire story. The FDA has not been so quick to catch up on this.

At the X Gym we are not very keen on the usage of “weight loss treatments” or even supplements for that matter, with the exception of protein. We also feel that the best way to loose fat off of your body is through proper nutrition, strength training, cardio and rest. But after reading about HCG and how it actually works, and observing someone who has undergone the treatment, I must say that this stuff does appear at least to work. The training that one receives at the X Gym especially the nutrition guidance will make them much more successful with HCG treatment, especially when it comes to maintaining the fat loss post treatment.

Understand that I am not writing an endorsement for HCG. But this treatment for obesity makes a lot of sense to me. And obviously if someone where to consider it, I would encourage them to proceed with caution, and do their own research on the matter.

Chris won the BL contest

2009-09-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

Chris won the BL contest with a 39% change in fat percentage!

BLLB winners and their stats will be featured in the next newsletter, so stay tuned!

Chris won the BLLB

2009-09-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

Chris won the BLLB contest with a 30% change in fat percentage and over 40 lbs. of fat weight!

Chris's only objection to the contest (tongue in cheek of course) was all the money he had to spend on new suits and clothes!

You're Turning Violet, Violet

2009-09-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Juice to hopefully combat obesity/diabetes
By Evan Bylsma

I recently read a study from www.medicalnewstoday.com which was highlighting a study using the high antioxidant and low glycemic properties of blueberry juice to help obese lab mice to lower their glycemic index.

Basically in the study the scientists included in the water they were giving these mice a solution of North American blueberry juice. This in term caused diabetic and pre-diabetic mice to eat less food and in tern drop body weight.

Also cool to note they were using something called “biotransformed” blueberry juice which has something to do with using a specific strain of bacteria to increase the antioxidant quantity of the blueberry juice.

Now for the X Gym Spin: PJ has always been a big berry fan and one of the best tasting snacks you can include in your “X Gym Approved” diet is cottage cheese and blueberries. Its almost past time to get some awesome NW fresh blueberries but thanks to places like Costco, you can grab a bag of frozen blueberries anytime and include them in everything from cottage cheese, to protein shakes and they make a great addition to just about any spinach salad.

Here’s the link to the story, hope you enjoy!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162716.php

2009-08-31T12:40:00.001-07:00

2009-08-31T12:35:00.001-07:00

X Gym boot campers feel burn, lose fat faster

2009-08-19T09:10:00.001-07:00

X Gym boot campers feel burn, lose fat faster

Posted using ShareThis

2009-08-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

X Gym Biggest Losers flush the fat again! As you may know, we judge our contest based solely on fat loss instead of scale weight. This insures that it's healthy weight loss, and so muscle gain helps instead of hurts like in the popular TV show.

Camille won the overall title for the women with a % change in bodyfat, and Chris won it for the men with a % change. Camille dropped pure fat (instead of muscle and fat like conventional weight loss), and Chris actually gained muscle as he lost fat. According to traditional training, this isn't supposed to be possible! Ha! Proving the "others" wrong again!

Corrie won the Biggest Loser's Loser's Bracket (BLLB) for women with a 25.2% change in bodyfat, and Chris R. won the BLLB for men with a 30.4% change. The BLLB is the bracket for those who got knocked out of a previous round. This bracket allows a second chance consolation prize so all contestants are always in it to the end, no matter how they do at any point along the way.

2009-07-31T09:14:00.001-07:00

Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes

2009-07-21T09:57:00.001-07:00

I recently had client ask about sweet potatoes and yams, how do you discern one from the other, and which of the two are healthier. What I am going to attempt to do with questions like this is just present the information as I have it and allow my clients and readers to decide for themselves. So I will present the facts and allow you to make up your own mind. My information comes from one of my favorite websites: The World's Healthiest Foods http://www.whfoods.com/

Sweet Potatoes

Unique Proteins with Potent Antioxidant Effects

Sweet potato contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. In one study, these proteins had about one-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body's most impressive internally produced antioxidants.

Nutrition

This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C, which are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that damage cells and cell membranes and are associated with the development of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and colon cancer. This may explain why beta-carotene and vitamin C have both been shown to be helpful for preventing these conditions.and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Since these nutrients are also anti-inflammatory, they can be helpful in reducing the severity of conditions where inflammation plays a role, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to convert homocysteine, an interim product created during an important chemical process in cells called methylation, into other benign molecules. Since high homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, having a little extra vitamin B6 on hand is a good idea. If you or someone you love is a smoker (STOP IT), or if you are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-rich foods, such as sweet potatoes, part of your healthy way of eating, may save your life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.

While studying the relationship between vitamin A, lung inflammation, and emphysema, Richard Baybutt, associate professor of nutrition at Kansas State, made a surprising discovery: a common carcinogen in cigarette smoke, benzo(a)pyrene, induces vitamin A deficiency.

Baybutt's earlier research had shown that laboratory animals fed a vitamin A-deficient diet developed emphysema. His latest animal studies indicate that not only does the benzo(a)pyrene in cigarette smoke cause vitamin A deficiency, but that a diet rich in vitamin A can help counter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema.

Baybutt believes vitamin A's protective effects may help explain why some smokers do not develop emphysema. "There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers," he said. "Why? Probably because of their diet…The implications are that those who start smoking at an early age are more likely to become vitamin A deficient and develop complications associated with cancer and emphysema. And if they have a poor diet, forget it." If you or someone you love smokes, or if your work necessitates exposure to second hand smoke, protect yourself by making sure at least one of the World's Healthiest Foods that are rich in vitamin A, such as sweet potatoes, is a daily part of your healthy way of eating.

So, the next time you have the urge for something sweet, how about a thick slice of sweet potato pie? It's one dessert guaranteed to satisfy your whole body, not just your sweet tooth.

Description

Depending upon the variety, of which there are about 400, the skin and flesh of the sweet potato may range from almost white through cream, yellow, orange, and pink to a very deep purple, although white and yellow-orange flesh are most common. Sometimes this root vegetable will be shaped like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times it will be longer with tapered ends.

The intensity of the sweet potato's yellow or orange flesh color is directly correlated to its beta-carotene content. The beta-carotene in orange-fleshed sweet potato, which our bodies can use to produce vitamin A and is therefore called "Pro vitamin A," has been reported to be more bioavailable than that from dark green leafy vegetables. Purple-fleshed sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are a good source of anthocyanins and have the highest antioxidant activity among sweet potato varieties. In one study, the antioxidant activity in purple sweet potato was 3.2 times higher than that of a blueberry variety! Interestingly, the antioxidant activity in sweet potato skin, regardless of its color, is almost three times higher than in the rest of the tissue.

Sweet potatoes are grouped into two different categories depending upon the texture they have when cooked: some are firm, dry, and mealy, while others are soft and moist. In both types, the taste is starchy and sweet with different varieties having different unique tastes.

The moist-fleshed, orange-colored root vegetable that is often thought of as a "yam" is actually a sweet potato. It was given this name after this variety of sweet potato was introduced into the United States in the mid-20th century in order to distinguish it from the white-fleshed sweet potato to which most people were accustomed. The name "yam" was adopted from "nyami," the African word for the root of the Dioscoreae genus of plants that are considered true yams. While there are attempts to distinguish between the two, such as the mandatory labeling by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the moist-fleshed, orange-colored sweet potatoes that are labeled as "yams" also be accompanied by the label "sweet potato," when most people hear the term "yam," they think of the orange-colored sweet potato as opposed to the true yam, a root vegetable belonging to the Dioscoreae family, which are monocotyledons (have one embryonic seed leaf). Sweet potatoes belong to the Convolvulaceae or morning glory plant family, are dicotyledons (having two embryonic seed leaves) and are known by the scientific name of Ipomoea batatas.

Following are some common names by which sweet potatoes are known in different languages and countries around the world: batata, boniato, camote (Spain); kumar (Peru); kumara (Polynesian); and cilera abana,''protector of the children'' (eastern Africa); kara-imo, ''Chinese potato''(southern Kyushu, Japan); Ubhatata (South Africa); and satsuma-imo,''Japanese potato'' (most of the other parts of Japan). In the United States, "Jewel," "Garnet," and "Beauregard" are among the most popular varieties.

Concerns

Oxalates

Sweet potatoes are among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating sweet potatoes. Laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body. Yet, in every peer-reviewed research study we've seen, the ability of oxalates to lower calcium absorption is relatively small and definitely does not outweigh the ability of oxalate-containing foods to contribute calcium to the meal plan. If your digestive tract is healthy, and you do a good job of chewing and relaxing while you enjoy your meals, you will get significant benefits - including absorption of calcium - from calcium-rich foods plant foods that also contain oxalic acid. Ordinarily, a health care practitioner would not discourage a person focused on ensuring that they are meeting their calcium requirements from eating these nutrient-rich foods because of their oxalate content.

Yams

Protection Against Cardiovascular Disease

Yams are a good source of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is needed by the body to break down a substance called homocysteine, which can directly damage blood vessel walls. Individuals who suffer a heart attack despite having normal or even low cholesterol levels are often found to have high levels of homocysteine. Since high homocysteine levels are significantly associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, having a good supply of vitamin B6 on hand makes a great deal of sense. High intakes of vitamin B6 have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Yams are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps to control blood pressure. Since many people not only do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, but also consume high amounts of sodium as salt is frequently added to processed foods, they may be deficient in potassium. Low intake of potassium-rich foods, especially when coupled with a high intake of sodium, can lead to hypertension. In the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study, one group ate servings of fruits and vegetables in place of snacks and sweets, and also ate low-fat dairy food. This diet delivered more potassium, magnesium and calcium. Another group ate a "usual" diet low in fruits and vegetables with a fat content like that found in the average American Diet. After eight weeks, the group that ate the enhanced diet lowered their blood pressure by an average of 5.5 points (systolic) over 3.0 points (diastolic). Dioscorin, a storage protein contained in yam, may also be of benefit to certain individuals with hypertension. Preliminary research suggests that dioscorin can inhibit angiotensin converting enzyme, which would therefore lead to increased kidney blood flow and reduced blood pressure.

A Look at Yam, Diosgenin, and Menopausal Symptoms

Many consumers have found products in the marketplace that promote wild yam or wild yam extracts as substances that can help provide a natural alternative to hormonal replacement in women who have reached the age of menopause. Many of these products are provided in the form of creams that can be topically applied. Even though the food itself is not usually promoted by natural products companies, these yam-containing products have sparked interest in the relationship between yam and menopause. Yams do contain some unique substances called steroidal saponins, and among these substances are chemicals called diosgenins. Because of similiarities between diosgenin and progesterone, questions were initially raised about the ability of our body to convert diosgenin into progesterone, but research has shown that the answer here is clearly no. Diosgenin does, however, have an impact on hormonal patterns in studies involving animals, and may be helpful in lowering risk of osteoporosis, although we don't as yet have any human studies in this area.

Wild yam also has some history of traditional use in herbal medicine, especially Chinese herbal medicine, as a botanical that can affect organ system function. While the focus here has been on kidney function, wild yam (or Chinese yam) has also been used to support the female endocrine system. For example, there has been traditional use of this root in conjunction with lactation. We've only seen one high-quality, peer-reviewed research study in which women were actually given wild yam (in the form of a topical cream) to determine the impact of this plant on menopausal symptoms. Although this research showed some very limited benefits from the wild yam cream-and no side effects-none of the symptom changes were statistically significant. In summary, we'd say that there's no research evidence to support the claim that yam has special benefits when it comes to menopause, but that more research is needed in this area because there is a clear connection between yam, diosgenin, and endocrine function that is not yet understood.

We'd also like to add some information about yam and vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 has been an especially popular supplement with respect to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women, especially in conjunction with the depression that can be triggered by PMS. Some companies have also advocated the use of this vitamin for menopausal symptoms. One cup of baked cubed yam contains 15.5% of the Daily Value for B6, and we rank yam as a "good" source of vitamin B6 for this reason. In research studies, however, the dose of vitamin B6 required for help with PMS depression is about 50-100 milligrams-many, many times the Daily Value level of 2.0 milligrams. So if you're a woman, even though yam might be a food well-worth including in your meal plan in conjunction with PMS, the amount of vitamin B6 that you'd be getting from this food would be insufficient (by itself) to reach the therapeutic level shown to be helpful in research studies.

Blood Sugar and Weight Control

Yams' complex carbohydrates and fiber deliver the goods gradually, slowing the rate at which their sugars are released and absorbed into the bloodstream. In addition, because they're rich in fiber, yams fill you up without filling out your hips and waistline. And one more benefit, yams are a good source of manganese, a trace mineral that helps with carbohydrate metabolism and is a cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses. You've just got to hand it to Mother Nature; when She brings forth a food, She makes sure it integrates everything needed to contribute to your health and vitality.

Description

Yams are members of the Dioscoreae family. Depending upon the yam variety, of which there are about 200, its flesh may be of varying colors including white, ivory, yellow or purple while its thick skin may either be white, pink or brownish-black. Their shape is long and cylindrical (oftentimes having offshoots referred to as "toes") while their exterior texture is rough and scaly. Yams have a very starchy and slippery texture and when cooked, will either be creamy or firm, depending upon the variety. Their taste is earthy and hardy, with most varieties having minimal, if any, sweetness. Specific types of yams include Dioscorea alata (Hawaiian yam), Dioscorea batatas (korean yam) and Dioscorea esculenta (sweet yam).

Chances are this does not sound like the description of the "yams" that you had for Thanksgiving dinner. That is because most of the vegetables that are labeled "yams" in the United States are really orange-colored sweet potatoes. When the moist-fleshed orange-colored sweet potato was introduced into the United States in the mid-20th century, producers wanted to distinguish it from the white-fleshed sweet potato that most people were used to. They adopted the word "yam" from "nyami", the African word for the root of the Dioscoreae genus of plants. While there are attempts to distinguish between the two, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's labeling requirement that the moist-fleshed, orange-colored sweet potatoes that are labeled as "yams" also be accompanied by the label "sweet potato", for many people this does not help to clarify the distinction between the two very different root vegetables. Yet, once you experience the distinct taste and texture of the real yam you will definitely know the difference, appreciating each of these root vegetables for their unique qualities.

Individual Concerns

Yam is not a commonly allergenic food, is not known to contain measurable amounts of goitrogens, oxalates, or purines, and is also not included in the Environmental Working Group's 2009 report "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" as one of the 12 foods most frequently containing pesticide residues.

So, if you are still reading I will put in my two-cents. It is my opinion that in the end the benefits of yams and their slow release of sugar out way the benefits of sweet potatoes and their immediate effect on insulin. When you spike your insulin levels with foods that immediately release its sugar you promote fat retention. And what is the point of eating something that may have one benefit but can potentially cause a series of other issues. As always I believe that you need to way the pros and cons of anything, sorry Thomas Gray, but ignorance is not bliss, and then make an informed decision I also follow the idea that if you can't eat it raw, you probably shouldn't be eating it all. I hope this helps answer some questions.

New Boot Camps

2009-07-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

Boot Camp

X Gym Boot Camp Is Now Here! After 22 years of perfecting the highly effective X Gym multi-protocol workout in the weight room, PJ and his team are taking it outdoors. Each workout is a total body experience that will hurl you past your mental barriers and physical breaking point. You will be redefined inside and out!

This one is different from all the other Boot Camps, because you will enjoy:

The X Gym’s great high intensity workouts
The X Gym’s unique multi-protocol system
The X Gym’s amazing personal trainers
Quick, 20 minute workouts that save you time!

Your Boot Camp membership includes:
3 Boot Camp sessions per week
Access to X Gym Online
X Gym online food logs
Nutrition guidance
Email support and more!
Our current schedule is as follows:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6am, noon, and 5:30 pm at Jack Block park in West Seattle.
Tuesday and Thursday at 6 am, and Saturday at 7 am in the sculpture park on the Seattle waterfront.
Back Yard Boot Camp: If you have 3-7 people and a time slot that works for all of you, we will come to you! Now you can host your own boot camp in your own back yard with an X Gym trainer leading you to fitness with your friends!

If you are ready to succeed in fitness and want to Live Life Strong, then contact the X Gym at: Alki (206) 938-9496 or Kirkland (425) 822-9496 or email Kailyn (our boot camp wizard) at k@xgym.com.

Welcome to the Alki X Gym Offical Blog

2009-07-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the launch of the Alki X Gym Blog. This site will be dedicated to the West Seattle Facility. It's goal is to disseminate information specific to the Alki Club. We will be featuring clients, their businesses, as well as trainers, and other relevant health related information. If you are not a member of the Alki X Gym, please follow this link <www.xgym.com> to sign up for your 3 free sessions. If you are a member of a different facility please contact your club manager for details regarding your particular club. If you are a member and would like your business information, including your website, displayed on our blog please contact Kailyn Elliott .

As always we look to our clients for feedback, so please do not hesitate to send us an email with questions and/or comments.

Thank you,

The Alki X Gym Crew