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Hi all.

The purpose of this article is to look briefly at some of the underlying factors of people struggle to lose stubborn body fat in those seemingly impenetrable fat storage compartments.

The short and disappointingly hard to hear answer is that you cannot spot reduce fat by targeting a specific body part by attempting to train it everyday with high volume sets and repetitions and burn off fat in that area. Ever heard some idiot in the gym mouthing off about how he likes to train abs everyday as it gets the abs leaner and more ripped. Sorry but your body doesn’t work quite like that on a Physiological level.

Basics:

Men tend to store fat in their upper body and trunk, whilst women store it mainly in their lower abdomen, hips, thighs & buttocks. These typical Male & Female body fat storage patterns tend to start showing up during adolescence, when girls and boys hit puberty. This change in adolescence comes about with the onset of different hormones that start to be produced by ones body, mainly being Testosterone in boys and Estrogen and Progesterone in girls. Thus giving us our first clue that fat storage and mobilization has everything to do with what is going on in the background with your hormones.

Hormones control their distribution in the body. Not rocket science now is it? Individual genetics however do play a role in a person’s specific make up when it comes to factors such as metabolic rates , bone structures and how much of each hormone will be produced in the body. There are general trends of fat storage though.

When fat cells are formed:

Fat cells are made most rapidly at specific times in a human’s development. The last 3months as a fetus until approximately 18months of age, between the ages of four and seven, and during early adolescence. After that fat cells only increase or decrease in size depending on whether you gain or lose weight.

However, if you become significantly overweight, you can develop new fat cells because there is a limit as to how much your fat cells can enlarge. This phenomenon is known in scientific circles as Hyperplasia. Another “danger” period for women to watch out for is during the last three months of pregnancy when studies have shown that new fat cells can be made during this period if the mother gains excessive weight. Research indicates that a person with more fat cells will have a harder time losing weight than a person with fewer fat cells. This highlights the importance of preventing childhood onset obesity, since childhood is the time that most fat cells are created.

Differing receptors in fat cells:

Now that you know that hormones have a big influencing factor on fat loss and mobilization it’s time to go a bit deeper into the physiology of fat cells. Scientists have discovered through research that fat cells have different receptors or triggers that respond in different ways. They have identified two kinds of receptors:

1) Alpha receptors, which cause or promote the storage of triglycerides (fat);

2) Beta-receptors, which cause the release or breakdown of fats into the blood stream.

Wouldn’t you know it?
The fat cells in the hips, thighs and buttocks have more fat retaining or Alpha receptors while the fat cells in the abdomen tend to have more Beta, or fat releasing receptors. Scientists have also found that hormones influence these receptors. Male hormones tend to trigger the Beta or fat releasing receptors, while female hormones tend to stimulate Alpha, or fat retaining receptors. This explains largely why hip and thigh fat is so stubborn to remove in females and, why men tend to lose body fat at a more rapid rate than females. Women have a higher body fat requirement because of the demand of childbearing and subsequent breastfeeding. So comparing yourselves to your husbands, ladies, is unrealistic, although some women are exceptions.

 Now you have a quite basic understanding of how fat works… the next article will focus on how you can use this information to help reduce fat storage.

Yours in Health & Wellness,

Jonathan Mannheim.

This is a topic I have been keenly waiting to write about. It is very close to my heart and something I notice immediately in clients is how fast their lives change because of improved health and well-being.

 

This leads me into the point about sedentary lifestyle and health risk factors… No body needs to tell you how bad smoking and drug abuse is (Same Thing), or alcohol over usage or bad eating habits are, or the fact that working too hard, under too much negative stress, causes heart problems … if you don’t know by now there is no hope for you! Give up now you are wasting space.

 

However, have you ever considered that all those lifestyle habits actually take years off your life? That is right. All those long hours you spend ‘killing’ yourself at work, then eating CRAP(carbs, refined sugar, additives & preservatives) to make yourself feel better, and boozing the weekend away to help you forget, is actually killing you for real.

 

In the past, it was thought that life security would be easily achieved by working harder and sacrificing everything so you could have the house in the right area, drive the car you want and eat at the right restaurants… This is what society used to present as a successful lifestyle. However, research is proving that the benefits of financial security to the detriment of family happiness, health and well being, sufficient down time is actually leading to diseases that are killing people… heart disease, hyper-tension, high blood pressure and –cholesterol, not to mention an epidemic of diabetes and obesity in people of all ages.

 

Naturally, this makes me think… What are people actually thinking if they know the risks and are dumb enough to keep practicing these behaviors? Aren’t these supposed to be the people who are our business leaders, decision makers, fathers and mothers? Are YOU not supposed to be the responsible one who cares for the people who love you and nurtures those who rely on you?

 

So how is Health the new Wealth?

• Well living a healthy lifestyle means eating right, not dieting to be skinny, it just means eating right. Stay away from CRAP.
• Getting moderate amounts of exercise helps to keep your heart and lung system functioning to supply blood and oxygen to your body. If you stop moving you will degenerate into nothing and you will probably be buried in your computer chair, hunched over the keyboard, one hand still clinging to your mouse.
• Muscles need to be flexed and stretched to keep you free from muscular tightness and stiffness related ailments like lower back pain.
• Keeping healthy lets you live longer and improves your quality of life… it allows you to enjoy your last days, instead of suffering the consequences of bad lifestyle choices.

 

 

 

Ok, so now I have to encourage you and tell you that everything will be fine and butterflies will fly around you as you go through the rest of your life! Sorry, I can’t sugar coat it.

 

This whole quality of life thing is actually the point… you have decisions to make about how you want to spend the last moments here on earth…

What seems more selfish to you?

1. Smoking and drinking now and living like you think tomorrow is the end so that you spend the last day of your life hooked up to a machine to breathe, take morphine to stop the pain of cancer, and while they amputate you legs to stop the necrosis from diabetes! Think of the drain on your finances, family and your life that will have!
2. Being selfish now and saying no to over eating, alcohol abuse, drugs and cigarettes, so that you can enjoy the final years of your life with those you love and cherish.

 

It is the quality of your life that makes you rich in the end; it is the ability to enjoy fruitful relationships with those who you care about that truly makes you happy.

 

The choice is yours… You have the power to make the changes needed. The first and most scary step is the mental decision to better your life, to leave those lifestyle habits in the past.  The benefits of your choice will be instant and you will reap the rewards of a better and improved life. Go for it…

 

Kind regards

 

Jason

Sports Massage – or deep tissue massage as it is also known, is a very beneficial form of massage.  Despite the implications, the benefits are not exclusively for the sports person or athlete.  Sports massage incorporats a variety of techniques which include deep swedish massage, compression massage, trigger point release, lymphatic drainage, cross-fiber frictions, joint mobilization and neuro-muscular energy techniques.

Applied properly, by a qualified professional therapist, sports massage can:

 

• · Alleviate low-back pain; muscle induced sciatic pain, and other forms of spasmodic muscular pain.
• · Lengthen tight, short muscle fibres – allowing a muscle to function at its optimal strength.
• · Increase joint flexibility and improve range of motion.
• · Aid in a quicker recovery time, following a hard exercise bout or specific event.
• · Improve performance.
• · Ease medication dependence. (e.g. anti-inflammatorys, pain tablets, sleeping tablets etc)
• · Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system. Also eliminates toxins and metabolic waste – such as lactic acid from the system.
• · Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
• · Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers.
•   Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Reduce post-surgery adhesions and swelling.
• · Lessen depression and anxiety.  
• · Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• · Reduce spasms and cramping.
• · Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• · Release endorphins—which work as the body’s natural painkiller and “feel good” hormones.
• · Relieve migraine pain.
• · Stress relief – especially in the neck, back and shoulder area

Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch—which range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site massage practitioners and even spas to treat post-surgery or pain patients as part of the recovery process.

So what is lymphatic drainage and how does this affect you?

The lymphatic system is a complex network of vessels and ducts that move fluid throughout the body and is responsible for moving toxins away from healthy cells and carrying germ-fighting materials to cells when they are under attack by viruses. Though fluid moves through the lymphatic system, it does not have its own pumping mechanism. Lymphatic drainage is a type of therapy that is intended to help the body produce a free-flowing lymphatic system.

Lymphatic drainage therapy consists of a manual massage performed by a lymphatic drainage therapist. A lymphatic drainage massage primarily focuses on specific lymph nodes and points of the body, as well as the natural flow of the lymphatic system. The process of lymphatic drainage massage can reduce blockages of the lymphatic system, which in turn promotes a healthier body.

When the lymphatic system becomes blocked, lymph nodes may become swollen. Further, the system fails to remove the body’s toxins and can even affect white blood cell counts. Lymphatic drainage is believed to reduce blockage, which promotes health in the lymphatic system as well as other bodily systems such as the circulatory, respiratory, muscular and endocrine systems. Some therapists believe that lymphatic drainage therapy can also reduce allergies, menstrual cramps, colds and other viruses.

While lymphatic drainage is about preventative health care and is considered safe, physical symptoms, such as swollen glands, can indicate a problem with the lymphatic system and should be evaluated by a physician. In addition to lymphatic drainage therapy, there is research that indicates there are additional measures people can take to promote a free-flowing lymphatic system. Some of these measures include things as simple as avoiding tight-fitting undergarments such as bras, underwear and pantyhose, and other restrictive clothing. Reducing stress can also help promote a healthy lymphatic system as well as regular exercise and a healthy diet.

¦lt;br /> Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting massage frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of massage therapy. Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how well you feel. Budgeting time and money for massage at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary part of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

This article was supplied by my colleauge Angela Paterson, who is the sports massage therapist at the Renaissance Body Science Institute. 

Angela graduated in 2000 with a degree in Biokinetics, after doing her Honours at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town.  Angela then went on to complete her diploma in Sport and Remedial Massage Therapy at the prestigious London School of Sports Massage. 

 Kind regards

 

Jason Hough

You may have heard the term before during a nutrition seminar, from a trainer, dietician or in conversation with someone in the gym, but how does this information affect you and your health?

 

When I first heard the term Free radicals I thought this referred to some type of nutrient deficiency or by product of human metabolism.

 

It was to my discovery that a free radical is formed in the following way:

The centre (nucleus) of an atom is surrounded by a cloud of electrons. Theses electrons surround the nucleus in pairs, but occasionally an atom loses an electron, leaving the atom with an unpaired electron. Now that the atom has lost an electron, it is termed a free radical. Now that the cell is unstable it becomes reactive and when other cells in the body encounter this free radical it causes damage or destruction. This happens to the cell because the unpaired electron in the free radical cell will have the tendency to want to pair itself with another and so disrupting another atom by taking one of its electrons away and in turn making it a free radical.

According to a Dr Harmon’s ageing theory related to free radicals, cells continuously produce free radicals, and constant free radical damage eventually kills the cell. When free radicals kill or damage enough cells they cause degeneration or ageing in that organism.

The above is obviously a shorter more concise description of what a free radical is but there is a lot more to it on a micro level that I won’t go into as I am sure I have given you a brief idea of what they are.

 

What increases free radical activity in the human body?

Ingested heavy metals in your body act to amplify and multiply the chain reactions of free radicals very significantly. Free radicals are multiplied by bumping into toxic metals in the body. Thus toxic metals are a cause for increased free radicals and gives us enough reason to make a conscious effort to reduce or eliminate these metals from our diets as much as is possible. One major source of heavy metals is drinking tap water. This is why you should invest in a good water purification system that is able to extract and filter out these unwanted metals.

 

Importance of free radicals:

I have mainly focused on the ill effects of free radical damage on cells of the body but as with everything in life there needs to be balance. This is one such example as free radicals are naturally produced by some systems in the body and have beneficial effects. The immune system is the bodies main system that utilizes free radicals to mark foreign invaders and damaged tissue. This allows the body to determine which tissue needs to be eliminated.

 

Antioxidants and free radicals:

Antioxidant means “against oxidation”. Antioxidants are effective because they are willing to give up their own electrons to free radicals. When a free radical gains the electron from an antioxidant it no longer needs to attack the cell and the chain reaction of oxidation is broken. In turn, the antioxidant becomes a free radical by definition but is not harmful in this state as it can easily accommodate change of its electrons without becoming reactive.

Antioxidants are manufactured within the body and can be extracted from the food humans eat such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, meats, and non hydrogenated or saturated fat oils.

There are also currently supplements on the market that have targeted certain plant or fruit extracts that are effective in helping the immune system deal with free radicals.

I also wanted to mention that free radical formation also happens when you do physical exercise that induces fatigue or a recovery process of damaged tissue through resistance training. A perfectly functioning immune system does have its own built in antioxidant mechanism but is often overwhelmed due to other factors influencing our modern lifestyles. This leads me to the point of saying that I am a strong believer in taking supplemental antioxidants on a daily basis to help the body diffuse free radical damage.

 

Three of the most commonly known antioxidants are vitamin C, Vitamin E and Grapeseed extract. There are many others too.

 

 

 

Other things that rapidly increase free radical damage:

• Excessive mental or emotional stress
• Physical stress
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• High saturated fat diets
• Diets high in sugar
• Living in polluted cities
• Drinking tap water containing heavy metals
• Consuming a diet high in preservatives

 

Hope you enjoyed this article.

 

Yours in Health & Wellness,

 

Jonathan Mannheim.

 

 

Hi readers, this weeks article is aimed at addressing and explaining the effects caffeine has on the human body and whether or not it should be cut out of the diet completely, or not.

 

What is Caffeine?

It is an alkaloid chemical that forms part of a group known as methyl xanthines. It has been widely classified as an Ergogenic aid (performance enhancing substance), a slimming aid, a stimulant and an addictive substance.

Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in over 60 different plants around the world. Most of the common sources that are known to most are from coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans & the Kola nut.

 

For many, that cuppa Java in the morning is a lifesaver and life just isn’t the same without it. It makes us feel alert, wakeful and above all else adds a bit of vooma to our day. For many years we have erred on the side of caution and have been warning people not to consume any caffeine from products such as coffee, energy drinks, and other sources such as some medicines and even chocolate. This is because it was seen to have an effect on elevating heart rate, increasing blood pressure and other side effects such as; irritability, disturbed sleep, increased diuresis (increased urination), diarrhea, heart palpitations, irregular heart beats, anxiety, nervousness etc.

 

However as new and ongoing long-term studies are conducted we begin to understand more about the effects certain chemical compounds have on the human body.

Caffeine in fact has even started to be dubbed the new super food as it is high in anti- oxidants and increases insulin sensitivity, among other things.

 

Here are a few of the following researched benefits of caffeine consumption:

• Improved concentration
• Increased oxygen uptake
• Increased time to exhaustion
• Increased muscular contractibility
• Reduced fatigue
• Enhanced alertness
• May reduce your risk of Parkinson’s disease
• May reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes
• May reduce chances of developing liver cancer

 

So we can see that the problem is not so much the caffeine itself in the coffee but what we add to it that makes it so bad. In fact without the coffee creamers, full cream milk, sugar and other liqueurs that go into some specialty coffee’s, the average cup only has about 10-15 calories. Add all the other stuff however, and you could be looking at 200- 380 calories.

 

Another thing to consider is that coffee is one of the most heavily sprayed crops in the world and is often contaminated with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Therefore it is advisable to stick exclusively to organic coffee if you can.

 

Who should avoid Caffeine?

It should be avoided by those with any of the following clinical conditions

• kidney stones
• ulcers
• osteoporosis
• iron deficiency
• chronic fatigue
• irritable bowel syndrome
• cardiac arrhythmia

 

How much Caffeine can I have?

Now that we have established that caffeine in itself is not a bad substance we should however realize that anything taken without moderation in mind will eventually unbalance something else in the body. The general recommendation is that the average person who is apparently healthy should stick to having no more than 300mg of caffeine per day. E.g. four cups of instant coffee or 6 cups of regular tea.

 

When do you think I should cut back on caffeine?

Heavy daily Caffeine intake can potentially harm you if consumed in amounts of 500mg – 800mg, or about 4- 8 cups per day.

If you start to experience any of the following side effects then perhaps consider cutting down:

• restless sleep
• anxiety attacks
• muscle tremors
• headaches
• nausea
• abnormal heart rhythms
• restlessness
• if you consume any medications or diet pills (fat burners) that contain Caffeine

 

Below is a table of the average Caffeine content found in different beverages.

Food or beverage	Typical caffeine content
1 mug of instant coffee	100mg
1 cup of brewed coffee	100mg
1 cup of instant coffee	75mg
1 cup of tea	50mg
1 can of cola	less than 40mg
1 can of caffeine-containing “energy” drink	80mg
1 chocolate bar (50g)	less than 50mg

 

Yours in Health & Wellness,

 

 

Jonathan Mannheim

 

Hi all and welcome to 2009!

Wow, the year of 2008 flew by and now we are looking ahead to set new goals and

conquer new personal challenges.

 

As a Functional Trainer, I am often asked by some of my clients why I find it necessary to test there fitness scores, measure their body fat%, take there weight and assess their current strength levels in various areas.

 

That is why I have chosen to wright this article that I may inform you about  the importance of having your progress measured, after all if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve on it.

 

Fitness testing is a broad term and actually encompasses two main categories which can be tested.

They are: Health related fitness & Skill related Fitness.

 

Health related fitness tests would be more appropriate to the non-sporting average PT client who seeks improved health and aesthetic appearance improvements.

Skill related Fitness testing is more appropriate for athletes or clients wanting to prepare for their first competition or for a specific sport.

 

Reasons for Fitness Testing

·         To highlight a person’s strengths and weaknesses and thereafter have an appropriate training programme implemented to address these areas.

·         It helps a Personal Trainer evaluate whether or not a current training programme is helping the client or athlete in achieving set goals.

·         To assist and use the test info to set appropriate and realistic goals.

·         To determine the clients health status at present and possibly pick up any possible risk factors that perhaps not covered on a screening form

·         Talent identification (more relevant for younger sporting population)

·         To aid motivation and enhance self discipline

 

The Health related Fitness category consists of testing for the following:

Cardiovascular Fitness (Aerobic Fitness)

This is more commonly known to some as stamina or endurance. It is your body’s ability to produce continued energy for a sustained period of time by supplying the muscles with enough oxygen to enable aerobic metabolism.

To test this, a person’s circulatory and respiratory systems must be challenged in a sub maximal aerobic test such as a Vo2max test done on a bicycle or treadmill, within a gym setting.

 

If we have good cardiovascular fitness, it benefits our health by:

·         Improving oxygen delivery to all living cells within the body

·         Improved lypolysis (fat metabolism)

·         Faster removal of waste products

·         Less fatigue

·         Decreased levels of stress

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strength

Strength is defined as the ability of a specific muscle or group of muscles to exert enough force to overcome an applied resistance.

It is important to have enough strength in the body as it affects everything we do, such as picking up a box, holding a child and other daily tasks and activities.

 

Strength benefits us more specifically in:

• Preventing injuries
• Causes joints to be more stable
• Supports good posture
• Helps us to stay independent and mobile as we age

 

Trainers usually test this with a 1 rep max strength test done on the bench press, leg press and chin up bar.

 

Flexibility

Is usually neglected by most and seen as less important than aerobic fitness or strength endurance. It is however as vitally important as the others as it affects the mobility of your joints. If muscles and other connective tissue are shortened or tight and knotted, it will limit you in your daily life. E.g. having the flexibility to squat down and pick up a heavy object such as a child without causing injury or strain on yourself.

 

Flexibility helps to:

• Prevent injuries
• Improve or maintain efficient joint range of motion
• Reduce lower back pain
• Improve balance during movement

 

Trainers usually test this with a Sit & Reach test.

 

Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance unlike strength, is the ability to perform repeated movements over a longer period of time. Muscular endurance is important in daily tasks such as climbing stairs, going for a walk up the mountain, moving furniture around the house etc.

Muscular endurance is also important in most sports where body parts are being put into repeated action such as swimming, rugby, football and so on.

 

Body Composition

Body composition is the amount of fat, muscle, bone and other tissue that makes up our bodies. The two most focused on however are the amount of fat you have and the amount of lean muscle mass you have.

Fat, which is measured in percentages, is often one of the most important tests as too much of it can negatively affect you by:

• Causing stress on joints, muscles and bones, possibly leading to future injury
• Increases risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, sleep apnea and just all round lousy health
• Makes you look unattractive as it hides your muscle mass or tone

 

Healthy averages vary with gender and age.

A healthy fat % for an adult male is roughly btw 13-18% and

for adult females btw 18-15%. (These are obviously guidelines as there are different norms available to specific age and gender brackets)

 

 

Trainers usually test this by taking skin fold sites with calipers, but this is not the only method as there are others such as:

• Bioelectrical impedance testing
• Hydrostatic weighing
• Dexa scan (the current gold standard, yet prohibitively expensive to have done)

 

Skill Related fitness testing consists of the following Components:

(As well as the traditional components of Health related fitness, the term fitness can be broken down into skill components. These are important in performing the more technical aspects of many sports)

 

Speed

 

Power

 

Agility

 

Reaction Time

 

Balance

 

Coordination

 

I will not be going into detail into the above skill related components as I feel it to be more relevant to sporting coaches or qualified individuals wanting to condition there clients for competition. This article was mainly to address health related fitness testing and its importance, as this is where the majority of Personal Trainers clients will need to be assessed and measured.

 

Yours in Health & Wellness,

 

Jonathan Mannheim.

 

 

 

 

 Hello there…

The effect that stress has on our modern day living is the subject of much debate in recent years. It cannot be doubted that stress plays a vital role in our quality of life. Stress has both a positive and negative effect depending on the amount and perception of the individual to the stress.

Although negative stress has received much of the attention, I would firstly like to highlight the role of positive stressors in our lives. Positive stressors in nature refer to those things that exert influence on our lives such as the need for water, food, sex, companionship etc. The need to fulfill these stressors drives or motivates us to perform daily functions like hunting, gathering and so forth. When one analyses stress in this way it is plain to see that this in vital for our survival as a species.

So where is the problem…?

The problem arises when these stressors reach extremes and because we live in a ‘modernized society’, we introduce non-essential stressors to the equation. This preoccupies our lives with additional stress like having a new car, or blue jeans, non-essential items but which cause great stress to be placed on our lives because we divert attention to them. This is the catch: Society promotes selling mankind things they do not need, exploiting the natural tendencies to want to succeed or be liked, you get the picture.

So this leads to cortisol…

Cortisol is a natural hormone that your body produces in response to stress. Natural levels are a good thing. High levels are bad. Coritsol is produced by your adrenal glands and influence glucose metabolism, protein synthesis, immune function, and your inflamtory responses to name a few. Corisol is one of the hormones released in flight or fight situations and has positive effects like in crease energy and lower pain threshold, but if this condition persists (Stress), the coritsol produces negative consequences associated with chronic stress.

These include:

• Impaired cognitive performance
• Suppressed thyroid function • Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
• Decreased bone density
• Decrease in muscle tissue
• Higher blood pressure
• Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
• Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

Cortisol secretion varies among individuals. People are biologically ‘wired’ to react differently to stress. One person may secrete higher levels of cortisol than another in the same situation. Studies have also shown that people who secrete higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tend to eat more food, and food that is higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol. If you’re more sensitive to stress, it’s especially important for you to learn stress management techniques and maintain a low-stress lifestyle.

Exercise is also a stressor. It also produces cortisol. Too much exercise can lead to burnout and also contribute to loss of motivation and muscle catabolism. It is important to know that the lifestyle you lead outside of your training environment can directly influence what your results will be. Stress directly affects your productivity and levels of enjoyment.

  

Managing your stress can help you to improve your quality of life and will assist you in dealing with stress in the future. Like anything relaxation takes practise. Take time to release tension through music, yoga, massage etc. You need to make this time available to yourself. Too often people skip this. Remember that YOU ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN YOUR LIFE! Act like it

Kind regards

Jason

Wow what a topic.

Alcohol has been termed one of the most socially accepted drugs of our time. Quite a bold statement! I agree with this statement largely because of the widespread abuse of this enticing, yet lethal substance, which happens in social circles around the world. 

Here is some food for thought: Have you ever stopped to ask yourself the question: “Why is it that I can’t just stop at one or two drinks when having a night out?” Is it because we get addicted to the feeling of being confident, talkative, friendly, happy, fun, carefree and able to take on the world?

Now ask yourself, why can’t I be confident, talkative, friendly, outgoing, fun and sociable without it?I seriously doubt that people get addicted to the feeling of waking up the next morning with a headache!

 Ok, anyway, let me not go off on a tangent.

Let us explore the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption on the human body. 

Malnutrition:

First and foremost, alcohol does not produce any of the carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins & minerals needed to maintain or improve bodily functions. In fact by consuming alcohol you start to fill the body with “empty” calories that are not nutrient dense. These empty calories then fill you up and trade places with calories that are nutrient dense, therefore leaving a deficit in your daily requirements.

In addition, Alcohol acts as an irritant to the gut wall leading to inflammation and ulceration. When your gastrointestinal tract is not functioning optimally, any healthy foods or nutrients you consume are not absorbed effectively, if at all. 

So  alcohol contributes to malnutrition by replacing the foods needed for essential nutrients and by interfering with absorption, storage or metabolism of the essential nutrients. 

Alcohol and fat loss:

Alcohol consumption has a severe effect on fat metabolism and therefore your weight loss goals. Please heed my advice and stay away Alcohol completely when your goal is to lose fat (you can be a little more lenient when your focus is on bulking/gaining size).

When alcohol is absorbed in the blood, it quickly heads for the liver. In the liver, alcohols are eventually converted to acetate. This is bad: Your body’s preferred source of fuel is determined by what you feed it. If you consume a high carb diet, then carb’s will be your body’s main source of fuel. This will block your body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, as it first turns to burn the acetate as fuel.

 Another thing that occurs is that alcohol acts as a sugar in the bloodstream, which leads to large amounts of insulin being released. When there is excess insulin n present in the bloodstream,  there is increased fat storage. Your body will only use what it needs at that given time and then most of the excess will be stored as fat for future use. With the rapid rise and fall of Insulin levels comes the need to consume either fatty or sugary foods as your blood sugar hits an all time low. Ever wondered why you naturally gravitate towards sugary or fatty foods when you get the munchies during a night out of drinking?  Ever woken up the next morning after a heavy night out and wanted to have a greasy breakfast such as bacon, eggs on white toast etc. This is why!!

Because alcohol is a liquid, it is very easy to overdue it on the calorie side of things and as you start enjoying your evening more and more, whilst gradually losing consciousness, you become less aware of exactly how much you are consuming.  Studies have shown that just two drinks of Vodka & lemonade WILL slow your fat burning ability several hours afterwards. 

Four ways alcohol hinders muscle growth:

1. Dehydration

 Alcohol dehydrates muscle cells by causing a diuretic effect as the body tries to clear the blood of this toxin mostly through increased urination. Muscle cells that are hydrated grow and repair far better than those that un-saturated, therefore giving you a more anabolic environment. 

2. Reduced protein synthesis

Protein synthesis is the process cells take in our body to grow and repair muscle tissue. Alcohol greatly interferes and slows down this process as the body’s energy is shifted, and focused rather on eliminating and metabolizing the alcohol. 

3. Decreased testosterone

 Much research has shown that alcohol inhibits testosterone production and affects your libido negatively. This is a bad thing as testosterone is one of the most anabolic hormones in your body. 

4. Ineffective workouts

Let me explain? Training with a hangover is a nightmare and you will be affected anything between 24 and 48hrs after a heavy night of drinking. That means you stand to lose two good training sessions per week (depending on how frequently you drink per week). Those could have been used to properly stimulate muscle growth!

To round it all off: If you are serious about losing some body fat and shaping up for summer, then drinking alcohol is out of the question.If you are looking for a more relaxed approach to weight and body at loss, which will take longer, then I say moderation is the key.

 What does moderation look like?

Well it would be having one drink per day or two drinks with a meal 2-3 times per week. Remember, you cannot count a 1-litre beer jug as one drink! Hope you enjoyed this article. 

Yours in Health & Wellness, 

Jonathan Mannheim. ¼/p>

This is one of the types of articles I like to write best: The kind where I get to tell seemingly intelligent, educated and ‘responsible’ people just how dumb they are when they do such blatantly damaging things to their health.

 Cigarette smoking is plainly the most damaging thing you could do to your respiratory system other than inhaling noxious gasses. Actually, wait. Smoking is inhaling noxious gasses.

 Before I get onto the physiological affects just consider the history of the drug. Tobacco used to be chewed or sniffed, remember, but the effects of the tobacco where mild and people developed nasal and dental problems. So what happened?  The ‘man’ started selling it in cigarette form where the doses of nicotine can be delivered straight into your brain/blood through inhaling the smoke! This is exactly what drug dealers did with coccaine, which too was chewed or sniffed, and which too caused the same problems. So they now try to sell cocaine in a smokable form as  ‘crack’. Do you see the similarity? Both are drugs. Both are sold to you to get you addicted.

  Studies, not the ones from the cigarette manufacturers, show that smoking retards physical growth and performance in all age groups.  Smoking markedly reduces endurance. Nicotine raises blood pressure, increases heart rate and smoking clogs up your lungs with tar and other by products.

 So what s the big deal? You want to exercise and achieve health benefits, yet you smoke. This is more than a paradox:  the heart/lung system involved in exercise is the same as the breathing system you use to smoke! So in essence you  are poisoning your supply system to your muscles which you expect to produce quality contractions.

 This puts double the strain on your heart, blood vessels, pulse, blood pressure, as well as reducing the quality and quantity of oxygen in your blood. So we see that smoking and Exercise are opposed.  Not to mention the effect that phlegm has on your breathing.

 So are their any benefits to quitting smoking?

After…

20 Minutes:  Heart rate returns to normal

8 Hours:  Blood oxygen returns to normal.

24 Hours: Risk of heart attack begins to decrease

48 Hours: Your sense of taste and smell will begin to return

3 Days: Your lung capacity will improve to let you breathe deeper and better

3 Months:  Lung functioning is up 30% and your circulation

9 Months: Lungs clean themselves effectively and your risk for infection decreases

1 Year: Risk for coronary disease is half that of a non-smoker

5 Years: Risk for Stroke is almost normal

10 Years: Lung cancer death rate is half that of a normal smoker.

Now I know this sounds very dramatic and fatalistic but I know how it feels. I too used to smoke so I can tell you about the benefits of stopping. I am interested in achieving the best possible lifestyle and health for my body and by extension yours too. I cannot help but alert you to the dangers of your addiction.

Ps I used Allan Carr’s ‘Easy Way to Stop Smoking’ 

Kind regards

 Jason Hough

 

  

 

The following article is intended to be a simple summary of the thyroid’s function and the way hormones are released from it. Also how these affect the body. 

The location and  function of the thyroid gland:?
The thyroid gland is located in the lower part of the neck, just below the Adams apple. The thyroid wraps around the windpipe (trachea) and has a shape similar to that of a butterfly.

The gland removes iodine from the blood and uses it to synthesize (produce) thyroid hormones T3 and T4.  T3 is the most biologically active of the two and has a greater effect on metabolism of cells. T4 gets converted into T3 eventually along the way during a conversion process.

The thyroid also makes the hormone calcitonin, which is involved in calcium metabolization and stimulating bone cells to add calcium to bone.

 Why is it important to know about the Thyroid?�
The thyroids production of chemical substances, T3 & T4 have an effect on the regulation of growth in the body and influence the rate of chemical reactions in nearly all the cells of the body eg. metabolism.This is  important to know as thyroid hormones increases the  sensitivity to all other hormones in the body, making them more effective.
The Thyroid regulates macronutrient (protein, fat & carbohydrates) metabolism, therefore deciding how much of each nutrient should be stored as energy and in what form i.e. fat or Glycogen, or burnt up as immediate energy. It does not do this directly but through its effects on other hormones such as Insulin etc. 

HYPOTHYROIDISM:
If you have an under active Thyroid (Hypothyroidism), it will not be releasing enough thyroid hormones, which in turn will lead to the slowing down of the metabolism and the way in which your body will metabolize macronutrients. Therefore rapid weight gain, even on small amounts of calories, can occur and body fat will increase with this.

It is important to note that one of the reasons it is not good to go on “yo, yo” diets or crash diets is because eventually it will exert its effects on down regulating (messing up) the bodies signals and hormonal (thyroid) system. This can be countered by medial dosages of the hormones but must be monitored and checked regularly. One can also control under active Thyroid production by keeping clear of eating certain high energy foods that influence blood glucose levels.

HYPERTHYROIDISM:
An over active Thyroid (Hyperthyroidism), leads to the thyroid over producing large amounts of T3 & T4 that circulate in the blood.This can be caused by an excessive intake of thyroid hormones or genetic predisposition towards this condition. Individuals that suffer with this often find it hard, if not impossible to gain weight, and usually need to seek medical advice for treatment options.  

Kind regards 

Jonathan Mannheim

Renaissance Body Science Institute?

 

 

Cape town