A new study published by the National Institutes of Health pulls together a body of previous studies and makes it clear that women should be doing anaerobic exercise – high-intensity wind sprints rather than standard, long, slow cardio.

Anaerobic sprinting types of exercise – running, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing – are shown by medical researchers to make the body produce significant amounts of anti-aging growth hormone.

It’s no secret that several well-known entertainers take growth hormone (GH) injections for its body fat cutting, muscle toning, youth rejuvenating properties, but there can be serious side-effects from GH injections.

Unquestionably “natural,” home-made, and free

Natural is always best. And producing growth hormone from high-intensity exercise is unquestionably “natural.”

Growth hormone injections are given to children with clinical stature growth problems to help them grow normally. Growth hormone does not make adults grow taller.” For middle-age adults, GH can reverse several measurable clinical factors of the middle-age bulge – officially named “the somatopause” by researchers.

The middle-age somatopause is signified by energy decline, weight-gain (around the middle, and hips), loss of muscle, and wrinkled skin after the age of 30.

Researchers report;

“Aging is often associated with a progressive decrease in the volume and, especially, the intensity of exercise. A growing body of evidence suggests that higher intensity exercise is effective in eliciting beneficial health, well-being and training outcomes. In a great many cases, the impact of some of the deleterious effects of aging could be reduced if exercise focused on promoting exercise produced growth hormone.“ (“The exercise-induced growth hormone response in athletes,” Godfrey, Sports Med. 2003;33(8):599-613.2003)

 

Do women get the same benefit as men from high-intensity exercise?
NO!
Women get a better response

Researchers show that women actually get a slightly better growth hormone response from high-intensity exercise than men.

Researchers from the University of Virginia Clinical Research Center conclude; “Gender comparisons revealed that women had greater production rate, and a trend for a greater mass of GH secreted per pulse than men,” (Gender governs the relationship between exercise intensity and growth hormone release in young adults, 2002, Pritzlaff-Roy).

Since researchers show that HGH growth hormone releasing exercise occurs in a linear dose-response to high-intensity training, you should evaluate your current fitness program and ask the question, “Am I really training hard, or am I just going through the motions.”   DIRT FITNESS IS HIGH INTENSITY!!    

Eating gluten free is quite simple because you are eating that which comes from the earth.  Proteins, vegetables, fruits and of course plenty of water provides a constant detoxification of the body.  A good rule of thumb is breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner as a pauper.  This is simple way to regulate portion control.

Like any other diet it is also important to watch sugar, salt, and fat intake, while selecting gluten free products to satisfy your palette.  We always suggest to our clients to stay away from all substitute bread products and focus on brown rice and sweet potato for good carbohydrates.  Utilizing greens such as kale, spinach, and broccoli will not only boost your energy levels, but are quite satisfying to the appetite.  Finally, select clean proteins such as chicken, fish, or beans.  A good protein source is critical to our bodies especially to those who engage in an active exercise program.  One of the biggest benefits of eating gluten free unanimously is no longer being bloated.  Losing weight, gaining energy, and not feeling bloated, one might think going “gluten free”is the miracle diet we have all waited for.

DIRT FITNESS APPAREL will also be launching the line at these following California EQUINOX locations:

                                                                                                                                                         Santa Monica 8-9-10

                                                                                                                                                         Palos Verdes 8-10-10

                                                                                                                                                        West Hollywood 8-11-10

                                                                                                                                                         Newport Beach 8-12-10

                                                                                                                                                         Woodland Hills 8-13-10

Food labels are required on almost all foods, except those that don’t provide many nutrients such as coffee, alcohol and spices. Although some restaurants provide information about the food they serve, they aren’t required to have labels. The FDA recommends that sellers provide nutritional information on produce, meat, poultry and seafood, but it’s strictly voluntary.

At the top of a label under Nutrition Facts, you’ll see the serving size and the number of servings in the package. The rest of the nutrition information in the label is based on one serving. In this example, one cup is designated as one serving, and the package contains two servings.

That means that if you eat the whole box of macaroni and cheese, you are eating two servings, not one, so you will have to multiply the number of calories, fat grams and other nutrients by two to get accurate nutrition information.

Until you become accustomed to reading food labels, it’s easy to become confused. Avoid these common mistakes when reading labels:

A label may say that the food is reduced fat or reduced sodium. That means that the amount of fat or sodium has been reduced by 25% from the original product. It doesn’t mean, however, that the food is low in fat or sodium. For example, if a can of soup originally had 1,000 milligrams of sodium, the reduced sodium product would still be a high-sodium food.

Don’t confuse the % DV for fat with the percentage of calories from fat. If the % DV is 15% that doesn’t mean that 15% of the calories comes from fat. Rather, it means that you’re using up 15% of all the fat you need for a day with one serving (based on a meal plan of 2,000 calories per day).

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the amount of sugar on a label means that the sugar has been added. For example, milk naturally has sugar, which is called lactose. But that doesn’t mean you should stop drinking milk because milk is full of other important nutrients including calcium. What you can do is look at the list of ingredients. If you see the words high-fructose corn syrup or sugar high on the list of ingredients, it probably means refined sugar has been added to the product.

A common mistake people make, especially with packages dispensed from vending machines, is to assume that a small item contains one serving just because the package is small. If you eat a bag of pretzels from a vending machine, for example, you may find that it contains 2.5 servings. So you need to multiply the numbers by 2.5 to figure out how many calories and the amount of sodium and other nutrients you are eating.

Quiona is high in protein and includes all the nine essential amino acid supplements.  It is the choice of grains for us in Dirt Fitness, as it helps take in the adequate amount of proteins,  required in a healthy diet for better endurance.  It also contains lysine,  an amino acid that is very important for the growth of tissues and repair mechanism.  It is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorous and even manganese.  Quinoa has slow releasing,  high level of carbohydrates, that give the stomach a full feeling for a long time.  Thus, making it good for people who are watching their weight and need to maintain adequate blood sugar levels.  You don’t have to feel guilty of the calories you have taken in.  Enjoy….:)

TO CLAIM YOUR FREE WEEK: Use our contact form, type FREE WEEK in the subject line and tell us why you want a FREE WEEK of DIRT FITNESS CLASSES.  It’s that simple (don’t forget your phone number).  All fitness levels are welcome as we have a class that can accomodate the most intense to the beginner.  Don’t be shy, come and GET DIRTY with the best fitness team in South Florida.

305-799-3070    Boca

305-333-0736   Delray

THE BENEFITS OF PUSHUPS

One of the best workouts that tones and strengthens the upper body is pushups. The benefits of push-ups are plentiful. They help keep you fit and healthy. They strengthen your muscles and bones. They create lean muscle mass that raises your metabolism. In a way, pushups are kind of like a miracle exercise. Workouts with pushups are important in order to get a complete upper body workout. Before having a full workout with pushups, it’s a good idea to learn why you should do them. It’s also important to learn how they benefit you and which muscles they affect.

Pushups have been used for exercise and fitness for more years than can be counted. People figured out early on that a pushup workout is very beneficial. So, what muscles do pushups workout? Well, it works out plenty of muscles. Your whole upper body gets affected when you perform a push-ups workout. All of the muscles in your arms get used. This includes the biceps, triceps and forearms. Pushups also help strengthen and tone your shoulders. Strong shoulders and arms help you lift heavier weight. They also help you avoid injury when lifting those weights. Pushup workouts also work out the chest. The chest is sometimes overlooked in exercises. If you don’t incorporate pushups into your routine, you may end up with an underdeveloped chest. Finally, pushups build up the muscles in your upper back. Back muscles are very important as they essentially carry the entire body. Stronger back muscles also help prevent serious back injury. This is important to anyone who does any lifting. That happens to be most of us. Looking back on this, it’s easy to see why pushups have stayed popular for so long. They actively work out many different groups of muscles at once. It’s the easiest way to get a fit upper body. As an added bonus, a pushup workout program doesn’t need any equipment. After all, you’re using your own body as your resistance weight.

One of the biggest organizations that use pushups is the United States army. For the Army Physical Fitness Test that every cadet needs to pass, pushups are mandatory. An army APFT pushup workout strengthens the muscles that all soldiers need to use. The best pushup workout is the one that has as many pushups as possible. You see the quickest results when you perform as many pushups as you can do

305-799-3070    Boca

305-333-0736   Delray

Over 400 Calories in 400 Minutes – Are You Ready For Dirt Fitness?

305-799-3070     Boca

305-333-0736     Delray