I have recently introduced you to the book Body by Science by Doug McDuff, MD and John Little. This book offers a clear explanation of the actual science of exercise, how activity relates to hormones, and how this determines what happens in your body. In short, it answers the question I am frequently asked. “Why am I gaining weight when I am working out every day?” In the introductory article I summarized his key points. In this article I will address one of those key points. His recommended method of exercise is what he terms high intensity training (or HIT). It benefits both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways. Most “cardio” only works the aerobic pathway. High...
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Filtered by author: Bernie Rosen
Why and How You Can Work Out Every Day and Gain Weight
“I don’t understand. I work out every day and I’m still gaining weight.” Believe it or not I hear this question quite frequently. On the surface it seems to be quite the paradox. All the conventional wisdom tells us to lose weight all we need to do is watch what we eat (meaning to eat less) and exercise more. Follow this simple formula: use more calories than you take in. In the past I’ve explained part of this myth - how all calories are not created equal. Based on what the calorie is from (protein, fat, or carbohydrate) it will have a different effect in your body. If you need a refresher you can find that article on my blog at http://brwellness.com/nutrition-news/?p=99. Now...
Nutrition Made Simple - Why Sugar is bad for You
Of course this is nothing new. If there’s one thing that almost everyone in the nutrition world agrees on is that sugar is bad. It’s really quite simple. Sugar disrupts how your body works. Here’s how (in no particular order): 1.Sugar depresses your immune system for up to five hours after you consume it. 2.Sugar depletes key vitamins and nutrients, particularly your B vitamins and minerals. 3.Sugar feeds the “bad” bacteria, fungus, yeast, and parasites. 4.Sugar feeds cancer cells. 5.Sugar fuels hormone imbalances by raising insulin levels which effects thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormone balance. If you want to get the full picture click here and see over 150 reasons how...
The Three Minerals You Need to Balance Your Nervous System – The Importance of Phosphorus, Potassium, and Calcium
The nervous system has two main components: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is what connects the rest of the body to the central nervous system. There are three types of peripheral nerves: autonomic (involuntary nerves), somatic (voluntary nerves), and sensory nerves. For our purposes here we will focus on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) - sometimes thought of as the “automatic nervous system.” That is because what it controls are for the most part involuntary activities. It will conduct nerve impulses from the central nervous system to...
Nutrition Made Simple - New Blog Series
I’m pleased to announce a new weekly Blog series I’m calling “Nutrition Made Simple.” My tendency is to write longer articles with detailed explanations. It has come to my attention that some clients also like “short and sweet.” So, I will start offer these short blogs that get right to the point – Nutrition Made Simple – one blog per week on Thursdays. Topics will include: 1.Why sugar is bad for you 2.Why artificial sweeteners are bad for you 3.Why trans-fats are bad for you 4.Why saturated fat is good for you 5.Why you need cholesterol 6.Why protein is important 7.Why you need the right kind of stomach acid 8.Why you want to hang on to your gall bladder 9.How...
Probiotics: Do We Need Them or Not?
Digestion is one of my favorite topics. Many of my clients suffer from a variety of digestive issues: from gas, bloating, and occasional heart burn; to constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux; and then on to IBS, Crohn’s, colitis, Celiac, and diverticulitis. In my late teens, through college, and into my mid-thirties I too suffered with digestive issues. I was diagnosed with IBS and the “solution” was to eat more fiber. That didn’t really work. As I began to learn more about healthy eating it turned out to be a relatively simple fix – stop eating bagels and cereals for breakfast – and soon my digestion was vastly improved and my seasonal asthma was gone! To say we are only as...
Supporting Your Immune System or How to Give Your Body Its Best Shot Against Unwanted Viruses (Such as the flu, E68, HPV, or even dare I say Ebola)
I’ll admit right off the top I’m certainly no expert on Ebola, but it seems quite apparent neither are the “experts” be they in the Federal Government (the CDC) or your major medical institutions.And I’m no expert on the latest “new and mysterious” Enterovirus 68 (or E68) virus or the flu or any of the other viruses that wreck havoc on us – Herpes, Epstein-Barr, HPV, etc. But what I do know is that with all these viruses about us the best way to protect ourselves is with a strong immune system. Without that we are prone to these unwanted invaders. To best understand our internal immunity we look at the relationship between four important nutrients – Vitamin C, Vitamin...
B4: The Vitamin For Heart Health You May Never Heard Of
Vitamin B4 - ever heard of it? If I were a betting person I’d say probably not.Well perhaps there is a reason. Maybe someone doesn’t want you to know what it is you are missing. Here’s a little historical background. The discovery of vitamins began in the early 20th Century. One of the leading scientists was Casimir Funk who discovered what he called “vitamines” – short for “vital amines” or chemicals that were vital for life. The vitamins were named sequentially and initially associated with a specific deficiency condition. Vitamin A was for night blindness, B for beriberi, C for scurvy, and D for rickets. Initially, each vitamin was thought to be its own unique...
Healthy Kids: Back to School Ideas
In the spirit of “back to school” here are a few ideas on nutrition for kids. (Of course this information is good for adults too!) Nutrition for kids is the most challenging aspects I face when working with clients. While it is hard enough to get adults to eat healthier, kids are often a greater challenge. The food producers and manufacturers have developed special foods that they call “kid’s food”. If you take the time to read the list of ingredients you will find that most of it is not food and should not be consumed by anyone, particularly our children. Our children are growing and need the healthiest foods available to properly fuel their minds and bodies...
The Strong Link Between Nutrition and Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
Have you ever wondered why there seem to be so many advertisements for erectile dysfunction (ED) medication - Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra - on television and in the magazines you are reading?I did, and began an investigation that would ultimately become my Doctoral dissertation.The reason is quite simple – there is a lot of erectile dysfunction (ED).Over 30 million men in the United States suffer from it.ED affects over 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 and the incidence of complete ED triples between those ages.Even more disconcerting, experts expect cases of ED to more than double over the next 25 years. Erectile dysfunction imposes significant social costs.It impacts a man’s...