http://www.optimumnutrition.com Optimum Nutrition - The Bigger Picture en-us http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=715 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=715 Want to lose weight and boost your body's natural defenses without dieting? A study published in November's <em>Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism</em> suggests that it's possible. All you have to do is stop cooking your food. Baking, frying and grilling produces toxins called advanced glycation end products that can oxidize tissues within your body. Researchers found that when these high-heat cooking methods are replaced by steaming, poaching and stewing, the result can be weight loss and reduced inflammation even if you don't reduce calorie consumption. <strong>The Bigger Picture:</strong> While it would be difficult to stick with an eating pattern that keeps you from using your barbecue grill and oven, there's a much easier way to reduce glycotoxins in your diet. All you have to do is cut back on your consumption of overly processed foods. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=713 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=713 Think about it. Aside from dumbbell exercises, you're almost always pushing or pulling weight using both limbs at once. Not with unilateral training, which focuses on working one arm or leg at a time. There are a couple of good reasons to try it. First, you'll get better core muscle activation raising and lowering a dumbbell with one arm while its opposite isn't holding onto a counter weight. Secondly, you might discover some strength imbalances between right and left limbs. How many times can you squat body weight with your right leg versus your left? <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: One of the biggest advantages to experimenting with unilateral training is the newness. Changing up your routine is one of the most effective ways to push past plateaus. You can add resistance, increase repetitions or volume, even rearrange the order of the exercises you like to perform. Unilateral training is an outside the box way to really change up your routine. Try some one-limbed variations on machines until you get the hang of this novel approach to training. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/poll/14/ http://www.optimumnutrition.com/poll/14/ Take this 10 second survey to tell us how you feel about Optimum Nutrition's Lift Bar Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:59:01 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=712 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=712 With the holiday eating season looming large on the horizon, plenty of fit people are wondering what they can do in the gym to optimize fat loss. Research recently published in the <em>International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism </em>examined different strategies for increasing post-exercise fat oxidation. Scientists compared the post-workout fat burning of subjects who exercised for a long duration to those who only trained for a little while in the gym, compared low intensity to high intensity effort, and weighed the fat burning advantages of a continuous versus interval approach. As you might expect, the long duration and high intensity exercises burned more fat post-workout. Surprisingly, continuous and interval training had no effect on after-exercise fat oxidation. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Despite the apparent benefits of high intensity exercise for a long duration, researchers summarized their results by stating that the whole idea of post-workout fat oxidation may be inconsequential when compared to the fat you burn during exercise. So use the approach that suits you best, as long as you don't skip any sessions with the treadmill, cycle or barbell. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=710 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=710 Knowing that the holiday eating season looms large in so many households, let's focus on what happens after the banquets are consumed. Even a little weight gain will likely reignite your passion for diet moderation and exercise, which is good. Consider a study published in the journal <em>Obesity</em> and its message about workout dedication. Researchers had 97 volunteers restrict their diets to 800 calories per day and undertake either aerobic or resistance training. Both groups lost weight, an average of 24 pounds. What happened next is more important. The weight lifters and treadmill runners were asked to perform 40 minutes of exercise twice weekly for an entire year. Although some did experience modest weight regain, it wasn't the dangerous visceral fat that accumulates inside the abdominal cavity and can surround vital organs. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Eighty minutes of exercise a week would be considered the bare minimum for most active adults. But even active adults go through periods of inactivity. If it's a 2-week vacation, then your time away from the gym was probably well spent. But if the shorter, colder days of winter have you hitting the snooze button instead of suiting up for a workout for weeks on end, it's good to know that even a slow 80-minute per week reboot can get you headed in the right direction. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=709 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=709 At ON, we view <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/vassiveno-p-228.html">Vassiveness</a> as a state of appearing both massive and vascular. We have a whole line of products dedicated to supporting this goal. Now the American College of Sports Medicine offers a scientific study on the topic. Researchers wanted to know if increases in arterial size (aka: vascular remodeling) is regionally limited or more systemic. In other words, does Vassiveness occur only in the muscle being worked? Twenty four previously untrained men and women were recruited for a 12-week unilateral strength training program focused on the biceps and triceps of nondominant arms. Scientists used magnetic resonance imaging to determine brachial artery diameter and muscle cross sectional area. The results showed that arterial diameter increased only in the trained nondominant arms. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Because the physical changes were localized to the muscles being worked, those just beginning a resistance training program should consider whole body training during each gym session. Then, after gaining experience and muscle mass, you can graduate to split workouts where upper body muscles are worked one day, and lower body muscles the next. Another popular way to break training into split sessions is pushing and pulling movements. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=708 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=708 Back in 1961, then Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Newton Minow referred to television programming of the day as a “vast wasteland.” Whether or not the quality of TV shows has improved is a matter of debate. But a study of 19 year olds in Finland is a testament to TV's negative impact on muscular fitness. Researchers had 381 males and 493 females record daily physical activity (moderate to vigorous intensity) and TV viewing habits. Regardless of their levels of physical activity, subjects who typically watched 2 or more hours of television per day exhibited lower levels of muscular fitness. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Whether or not the avid TV watchers over-reported the extent of their daily physical activity, spending 2 or more hours every day laying on a couch in front of the flickering box says a lot about lifestyle habits. If these teenagers had more energy, they'd be expending it outside or in a gym. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=707 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=707 High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been used as a relatively quick and efficient path to weight loss and fitness enhancement. But what if you could push past the burn and keep working? Research published in the <em>Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition</em> published a study on this hypothesis. The muscular burn you feel toward the end of a taxing workout is caused by an accumulation of metabolic byproducts and <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/threshold-p-253.html">beta alanine</a> has been shown to boost the intramuscular buffering system, helping athletes push beyond this 'burn' threshold. Scientists had 47 recreationally active college aged men supplement with beta alanine or a placebo during 6 weeks of HIIT. Both groups lost weight and improved their aerobic performance, with the beta alanine group recording more significant increases in endurance and lean body mass. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Beta alanine can serve as an effective muscle fatigue fighter when used as a stand-alone pre-workout supplement or 'stacked' as an unflavored powder into your protein shake. If you've been looking for some assistance with pushing past a training plateau, it might be the supplemental edge you're after. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=706 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=706 Seen those calorie content posters hanging in chain restaurants? A study conducted by the New York City Health Department suggests that they have an impact. As reported in <em>USA Today</em>, researchers surveyed 10,000 lunch customers at 275 fast-food restaurants and coffee shops in 2007, and followed up with interviews of 12,000 people in 2009. In 2008, New York City began requiring these food outlets to post calories on menu boards. Study results showed that 56% of these customers noticed the calorie information and 15% applied this knowledge when ordering. Hamburger chain customers who weighed the advantages of certain selections over others consumed an average of 754 calories for lunch, while those who ignored it took in 860 on average. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: A 754 calorie lunch is nothing to brag about, but cutting your intake by 152 calories is. Numbers-weighing sandwich shop customers spared themselves 73 calories and coffee shop patrons cut 23 calories out of their orders. Those numbers represent a single meal. Imagine what can be accomplished if you consider the nutritional implications of everything you eat. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=705 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=705 There's a time and a place for everything, as the saying goes. According to researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine, the time for exercise is right before getting a flu shot. Moderate level activity right before your shot may boost your immune system. If you do catch a cold, the ACSM suggests that it's okay to do some light exercise if the symptoms are just sinus related. But don't go at it hard. Just a brisk walk. If the cold progresses to your chest, or you come down with a fever, get rest and stay out of the gym for a week or two. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Research has shown that people who exercise for at least 45 minutes four or more days each week take between 25% to 50% less time off work due to colds or the flu. The trick is knowing when to back off and give your body enough time to recover. Once you recover, don't hit your routine with the intensity you used before catching the cold. Going slow can help prevent a relapse of symptoms. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=704 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=704 Conventional wisdom has been that the relatively high fat content of cheese, milk and other dairy foods is counterproductive to dieting. A number of recent studies suggest that everyday dairy consumption may actually help with weight loss. Researchers from Australia's New Curtin University of Technology had volunteers consume 5 serving of milk, cheese and yogurt daily as part of a restricted calorie diet. After 12 weeks, they not only lost weight and total fat mass, but lost a greater total percentage of abdominal fat. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: These scientists speculated that the protein, calcium and vitamin D content of dairy foods were the catalysts behind these impressive results. Keep in mind that the research group restricted their total caloric intake and consumed low-fat dairy selections. Of course, exercise would have helped. Which sets you up with another alternative for adding low-fat, low-calorie protein and calcium to your diet: <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-whey-gold-standard-p-201.html">Protein powders</a>. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=703 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=703 In yesterday's Breaking News post, Harvard Medical School weighed in with tips for maintaining a healthy immune system. Today we offer supplemental assistance in the form of <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/glutamine-powder-p-237.html">L-Glutamine</a>. Glutamine accounts for about 60% of the amino acids present in skeletal muscle, so its role in during workout muscle contractions and post-workout muscle rebuilding is obvious. Glutamine also helps support your immune system. The white blood cells that fight bacteria and participate in other immune response functions contain very high levels of glutamine. When glutamine levels are reduced through physical exertion or stress, these cells can become less efficient at doing their job. Supplemental glutamine may offer some assistance to hard-training athletes, especially with so many germs present in the gym. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: To get the biggest returns from supplementing with sports nutrition products, you have to eat a healthy balanced diet of whole foods, get plenty of sleep and give your muscles enough time to completely recover from the rigors of training. Those same healthy living suggestions can also help support immune system health. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=702 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=702 This cold and flu season could turn out to be an especially challenging one. With that in mind, Harvard Medical School has issued some healthy-living strategies for keeping your immune system 100% on the job. With your commitment to fitness, we'll skip over the advice about exercising regularly while avoiding tobacco and alcohol. Here are the other recommendations: • Eat Fruits, Vegetables & Whole Grains • Take A Daily <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/optimen-mens-multiple-p-180.html">Multivitamin</a> • Monitor Your Blood Pressure • Control Daily Stress Levels • Manage Your Body Weight <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Your immune system is your best defense against seasonal colds and the flu. This advice for supporting your immune system could apply to numerous other aspects of healthy living. Of course, there's no down side to remaining vigilant on all these points throughout the entire year. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=701 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=701 Many phytonutrients contain powerful antioxidants which help guard against cellular damage in the body. A fruit or vegetable's color is a good indicator of which phytonutrients they supply. For instance, purple/blue produce is generally a rich source of anthocyanidins and resveratrol while the yellow/orange choices are likely to contain alpha- and beta-carotene. Getting just some of these phytonutrients isn't as beneficial as getting a broad range in your diet. This is where the term 'eat a rainbow' comes into play. A study entitled <em>America's Phytonutrient Report</em> suggests that 88% of us aren't getting enough of the purple/blue fruits and vegetables, and 69% of American adults don't even eat enough of the much more common green varieties. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: For those living outside a tropical climate where fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available year-round, finding quality whole foods can be a challenge. Your alternatives are specialty stores, the freezer section and <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/optimen-mens-multiple-p-180.html">multivitamins</a> augmented with fruit and vegetable extracts. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=700 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=700 Go to any gym pretty much anywhere in the country and you'll notice that most women avoid the weight room. They typically stick to the steppers, treadmills and stationary bikes. Research published in the journal <em>Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise</em> suggests that they have much to gain along with something to lose by working resistance exercises into their routine. Scientists recruited a group of healthy active females and had them perform either 25 minutes of bench step aerobics, 40 minutes of bench step aerobics or a combination of bench step aerobics and upper/lower body weight training. While all groups improved all measures of fitness, the cardio/resistance combination group significantly improved in every benchmark measure. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Imagine 32% more upper body power, increased strength and endurance along with enhanced overall fitness. These women realized improvements in all of these attributes without developing bulky muscles. Instead they ended the 12-week training program more toned and with less body fat. Seems like resistance training has a lot to offer in terms of both gains and losses. Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=699 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=699 If you live within a mile of a green space, chances are you're healthier and happier than those surrounded by concrete and asphalt. That's what a study published in the <em>Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health</em> suggests. Researchers analyzed the medical records of 345,143 people in Holland. Those living in urban environments had a higher prevalence for 15 of the 24 health conditions they tracked. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: While few city dwellers can afford to keep a house in the country, the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature is open to almost anyone. Most cities set aside space for parks and the countryside looms not very far outside the city limits of most major metropolitan areas. You don't have to live in the woods to spend some quality time hiking through them. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=698 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=698 If your fall sport is soccer, the NSCA's <em>Performance Training Journal</em> has a workout regimen for improving your kicking game. Researchers recruited 38 soccer players and had them perform inclined leg presses, leg extensions, half squats and leg curls every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 6 weeks. On the same day, these athletes also engaged in plyometric conditioning, performing both depth jumps and hurdle hops. After 6 weeks, researchers measured the progress these players made against a control group. The resistance training and plyometric group significantly increased muscular strength, maximum power output and vertical jump. Kicking performance also improved as measured by on-field performance. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Whether you're taking the field on a fall sports team or just playing around with friends at the park, a program like this is easily incorporated into any gym training routine. To keep getting better, you have to try new exercises, techniques and challenges. Just like in school or the workplace, you can learn something new in physical fitness each and every day. Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=697 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=697 For those who keep a watchful eye on cholesterol numbers, Harvard Medical School offers a dozen food choices for lowering the 'bad' cholesterol known as LDL. Included are foods that deliver soluble fiber that binds with cholesterol in the digestive system and removes it before circulation, along with plant sterols and stanols that block cholesterol absorption. There are also foods rich in polyunsaturated fats which can directly lower LDL. 1) Oats & Barley 2) Beans 3) Eggplant 4) Okra 5) Nuts 6) Grapes 7) Apples 8) Strawberries 9) Citrus Fruits 10) Soy 11) Fatty Fish 12) Fiber Supplements <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Just as smart investors reduce their risk by buying a diverse portfolio of stocks and bonds, the Harvard Medical School advises adults to consume as many of the foods on this list as possible. Remember, when you're in a hurry and don't have time to cook breakfast, the industry's first smooth drinkable <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-oats-whey-p-265.html">oatmeal protein shake</a> contains 4 grams of fiber from whole grain oats to help keep you on top of your game. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=696 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=696 You don't have to run a marathon or break a bench pressing record to feel good about working out. In fact, you don't even have to have goals. That's what a study published in the September edition of the <em>Journal of Health Psychology</em> suggests. Researchers analyzed every intervention study ever published on the subject of how exercise affects body image, and came to the conclusion that exercise positively changed the way people viewed their body regardless of whether they achieved any fitness benefits. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: Something like 60% of adults surveyed in national studies report not being happy about the way they look. Those experiencing the highest degrees of body dissatisfaction tend to exercise the least. The people who reported feeling good about themselves after exercise didn't necessarily spend lots of time in the gym or push for any level of intensity, but they did exercise frequently. You know what they say: the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=695 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=695 At the corner store, a little more than $1 will get you an 8-ounce soft drink, bag of chips, candy, gum and a popsicle. That adds up to about 356 pretty much empty calories. And about half of all urban grade school students stop by that corner store at least once a day, 5 days a week. Even worse, 30% go twice a day. These results were taken from a study of 800 Philadelphia students enrolled in grades 4 through 6, which is published in the November issue of the journal <em>Pediatrics</em>. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: That same dollar and change would have bought a fresh banana and an apple or an orange. Convincing young children to eat their fruits and vegetables might not be an easy task, but sparing them an extra 356 less-than-nutritious calories a day will be well worth the effort. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=694 http://www.optimumnutrition.com/news.php?article=694 The word 'sugar' strikes fear into the heart of every dieter. To active athletes, sugar is another word for glucose. Those who are really up on nutrition and metabolism facts might even make the jump to glycogen. But how much is enough, or more precisely too much? According to the NSCA's <em>Performance Training Journal</em>, the acceptable macronutrient distribution range for carbohydrates is 45% to 65% of total calories. This includes both simple carbs (sugars) and the complex variety found in green vegetables, brown rice and sweet potatoes that digests much more slowly and keeps glucose blood levels more stable. The maximal intake of added sugars should be limited to no more than 25% of total energy, or 500 calories for someone adhering to a 2000 calorie diet. <strong>The Bigger Picture</strong>: These upper limit figures may apply to marathon runners, long-distance bikers or someone training to swim the English Channel, but for most people it's way too much sugar. Then again, according to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes 33 teaspoons (or 90 grams) of added sugar per day. That 355 extra calories can really add a lot of unwanted pounds on a day to day basis. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST