FitSugar

Fit Tip: Finding "Moderate Intensity" For You

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:15:00 -0700

The new exercise guidelines recommend getting cardio exercise at moderate intensity. The question is what is moderate intensity for you - how do you find it and measure it? Well, Dr. Margolis, over at Yahoo Health has provided three ways to determine your intensity level.

The talk test. If you can hold an amiable conversation, then you are not working in the moderate intensity zone. You need to be breathing hard to be in this zone so a normal conversation should not be possible. Run by yourself? Then try singing with your playlist and if you can belt the entire chorus, you need to pick up the pace.
The "8 to 20" scale. Imagine a scale of intensity between 8 ad 20, with 8 being barely moving (like holding your toddler's hand while he or she navigates the early stages of walking) and 20 being working as hard as 007 in the "parkour/free running" scene in Casino Royale. You want to workout at and be able to maintain intensity of around 12.
Heart rate. Moderate-intensity exercise means working between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Check out the Fit Calculator to determine your numbers. You want to be work in the Endurance Training Mode - "going the distance."

Writing about all this makes me want to go for a run or a ride! See ya later!

Source

Speak Up: Kelly Osbourne Doesn't Weigh-In, Do You?

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:19 -0800

Kelly Osbourne's bod is on its way to "sick" status, thanks to her stint on DWTS. She's noticeably shed pounds from her middle, giving her an ultra-trim waistline that she's proud to show off. In fact, costume measurements for the show reveal that she's lost two inches from her waist.

Still, while she's focused and committed to getting in shape, she's not about to become a slave to the scale, noting that, "[if] I start weighing myself, I will start being like, 'Maybe I shouldn't eat so I could lose some more . . . I would get obsessed with that fact that I was losing it and I would keep at it."

Rather than fixate on pounds lost, Kelly's all about how dancing has helped her firm up, adding that, "I suddenly have muscles in my stomach that I never had before. It's all hard and it never was like that." Kelly's positive attitude and realistic weight loss goal is definitely something to be admired - clearly, she's found what works for her. But tell me, does weighing-in help you track weight loss, or like, Kelly, is it better to chart your progress without relying on the scale?

Can You Scale the Food Pyramid?

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:00:40 -0800

The old food pyramid you remember from grade school got an upgrade in 2005, but the basic sentiment remains the same. The government guidelines advise eaters to choose a variety of foods from the different food groups in order to eat a balanced diet. How much do you know about the food pyramid? Take my quiz and see how you measure up.

Take the quiz

Move Fat From Your Booty to Your Breasts?

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:25 -0700

Breasts come in all shapes and sizes, but some women are just not happy with what nature gave them, or how experience (read: breast feeding ) and age have affected their chest. Some women opt for breast implants if they feel the need to augment their natural shape, but there's also a controversial procedure available for those who want to add just a little volume. It's kind of a two-for-one procedure that goes like this: body fat is removed from areas where it is plentiful, such as the booty or thighs, via liposuction and injected into breast tissue.

Concerns that re-planted fat could harden and calcify, making mammograms difficult to read, led to a couple of studies to investigate the issue. To learn what the studies found and how effective the injection technique is, read more.

One recent study found that no abnormalities appeared on mammograms, and it was actually easier to see breast tissue in breasts that were augmented with fat injections as compared to implants. Another study of 50 women, who had fat from their thighs injected into their breasts, found that the women's bust measurement only increased by a small amount. That means more injections would be needed in order to achieve the desired size, so overall, this procedure takes more time than surgical implants. The fat injection technique is pricier as well.

Add to the discussion the fact that doctors aren't sure how much fat is needed to enlarge breasts to the desired size. The fat needs to develop a blood supply and if it doesn't, it dies and goes away. If it does develop a blood supply, the only issue then is that when a woman gains weight, her breasts will grow, and if she loses weight, her breasts will shrink.

The bottom line is that although this procedure seems like a dream come true, it's expensive, time-consuming, and may not provide expected results. Maybe don't mess with Mother Nature, but invest in a good bra?

Snickers Energy Bars?

FitSugar — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:30:06 -0700

Clif, Balance, and Luna are a few of my favorite brands when choosing energy bars, but the popular packed-with-peanuts candy bar company wants to get in on the action too with their Snickers Marathon bars. I know what you're thinking. Snickers? Making energy bars? Yep. They were designed to give good tasting energy to active, healthy people, and they come in three varieties - Energy, Nutrition, and Protein.

I find it ironic that the ingredients couldn't be found anywhere on the entire website. Wouldn't health-minded people want to know what they're eating? Seems a little sneaky. Then when I did some research, I discovered these bars contain corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup - just what I expected from a food that has Snickers on the label. The website did include the nutritional labels, so to see how these bars measure up, read more.

	Calories	Sat. Fat (g)	Chol. (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Energy: Multigrain Crunch	220	2.5	5	210	31	3	17	10
Energy: Chewy Chocolate Peanut	210	3	5	200	26	5	15	13
Energy: Chewy Peanut Butter	210	3	5	240	25	4	15	14
Nutrition: Dark Chocolate Crunch	150	2.5	5	140	22	7	9	11
Nutrition: Honey & Toasted Almond	150	2	5	125	22	7	10	10
Protein: Caramel Nut Rush	290	5	5	190	40	10	22	20
Protein: Chocolate Nut Burst	280	3	5	340	37	11	18	21

I was wondering, have any of you tried these Snickers Energy bars?

How Do You Measure Your Cardio Workouts?

FitSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:30:10 -0700

When I'm doing cardio to burn calories and get my heart rate up, I tend to measure my workout by distance. I have mapped my runs so I know the distances. I ride with a bike computer that lets me know my trip distance - very gratifying. When I swim, I like to measure by laps. I used to measure by time, but I find that having a distance in mind is a great goal and it makes me push a little harder.

When doing cardio, you've got to measure your workout somehow so you know when it's complete. So tell me . . .

The Skinny On: Measuring Body Fat Percentage

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:50:09 -0700

If you're in the business of trying to lose weight, the best way to monitor your progress isn't by stepping on a scale. Since a basic bathroom scale measures your entire body weight, it doesn't take into consideration how much of you is made up of fat, and how much is made of healthy stuff like bones, muscle, blood, and organs. For a more accurate picture of your body composition, it's best to measure your body fat percentage, and here are the many ways it's calculated.

Home scales that measure body fat. They use the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis method to measure body fat percentage. It sends a low level and harmless electrical current through your feet and uses the data to determine how much of you is fat. They are fairly accurate and easy to use, as long as you follow the directions. A scale like this will cost between $50 and $100.
DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan. This test is normally used to measure bone density to check for osteoporosis, but it can also measure fat percentage. It uses two different low-dose X-rays to figure out bone mass and soft tissue mass. Even though it's super accurate and considered the "gold standard" for measuring body fat, it's also super pricey, about $100 or more.

To see the other methods, read more.

Skin fold calipers (pinch test). You can buy a set to do on your own, or have a professional take your measurements. It basically squeezes your skin folds and measures how thick you are. This test is low in cost but tends to be less accurate than the DEXA scan.
Hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing). You sit on a scale in a tank of water, blow out all your air, and then are dunked completely underwater. The more fat you have, the more you'll float. This test is very accurate, but it can be scary for some people to submerge themselves underwater. It costs around $50.

Do you have a scale that measures body fat?

Another Reason to Stop After One Glass: Weight Gain

FitSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:00:27 -0700

You all know I am big fan of moderation, especially when it comes to vices like chocolate or red wine. While alcohol might be the new exercise motivator, another health study was recently published seemingly to remind us all to be moderate when it comes to beer, wine, and booze. The UK study found that binge drinking leads to weight gain. And not just all over weight gain, but it increases belly fat, which is known to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease.

Binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting and doing so has measurable health consequences - women who tend to binge drink were found to have waists four inches larger than those who did not. The study found that drinking one drink a day for five days didn't have the same effect of increasing abdominal fat as binge drinking. The study was unable to determine how long one would have to regularly binge drink to create the weight gain. Regardless, add this one to your lists of reasons to stop after one glass.

Measure Up: BMI vs. Body Fat Percentage

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:50:59 -0700

BMI and body fat percentage are weight-loss terms thrown around with little explanation, so if you're confused about what they mean or which you should pay more attention to, you're not alone. Here's a brief primer to help.

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It's a simple measure of the weight of a person scaled according to their height. You can use Fit's Calculator to determine your BMI, or follow these steps:

Multiply your weight in pounds by 703.
Divide that answer by your height in inches.
Divide that answer by your height in inches again.

A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.

Body fat percentage is the weight of a person's fat divided by the person's weight. It lets you see how much of your body is made up of fat, and how much is bone, muscle, blood, and organs. There are several ways to calculate your percentage. Your skin folds can be gently pinched with calipers, some high-tech scales can measure body fat, and there's also underwater weighing. Many people get their body fat percentage measured if they are into sports or trying to measure their progress while losing weight. Fit women should have 21 to 24 percent body fat. Female athletes have between 14 and 20 percent.

To find out which one you should be concerned with read more.

Body fat percentage is a much more accurate measurement in determining if you are healthy. BMI doesn't take into consideration how much of your weight is muscle and bone and how much of it is fat. So that means a person can have a healthy BMI, but still carry weight in their belly, which can increase their risk for heart disease. So if you're trying to lose weight, or just wondering if your current weight is healthy, it's worth seeing someone to have your body fat percentage measured.

You Asked: Increased Cardio but Gaining Weight

FitSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:00:42 -0700

Dear Fit,
I've been increasing my cardio workouts to help me drop the seven pounds I gained after losing my job. Previously I was doing 30 minutes twice a week, but over the last three weeks, I've been doing 30 minutes five or six times a week. I alternate between running, biking, and hiking. I lost a pound in the first week, but now I'm slightly heavier than I was when I started this new routine! When I look in the mirror, I do notice that my muscles have more definition, but the scale is not making me happy. My diet hasn't changed at all, so what gives? Does muscle weigh more than fat, or am I doing something wrong?
- Frustrated About Fat

Losing weight takes a lot of hard work, so it's completely understandable that the scale is upsetting you. To hear what I have to say about this read more.

When it comes to losing weight, try to think about it this way. You want to lose fat, but that doesn't necessarily translate to losing pounds as measured by a scale. Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat, it's just more dense and not as bulky and lumpy as fat. That means a pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat. So by increasing your cardio workouts, you're probably gaining muscle and decreasing your overall body fat. You can tell by how you look in the mirror or by the way your clothes fit.

I know you want to see the number decrease on the scale, but remember that weight isn't an accurate way to determine how healthy and fit you are. Think about your body composition instead, meaning your percentage of body fat. Exercising will make you stronger, so you'll have more muscle and less fat, which is what you want. My advice is to keep up your fitness routine and your healthy diet, and forget about watching the scale. Keep an eye on how lean and toned you look, and that's a much better indication of your progress.