Weekly Training Tips - 2011

December 14, 2010
Holiday Health Tip -Traditional Meals Made Healthy

The holidays can present enough challenges without having to worry about our health and fitness. Family meals with large portions of calorie-dense foods can easily double our typical meal intake. A traditional meal including meat with gravy, rolls with butter, stuffing, green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes with butter weighs in around 1,000 calories. Add a tall glass of milk (200 calories) and a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream (400 calories) for a total of 1,600 calories. Larger, denser meals (high in fat, sugar and salt), compounded with more dessert and more football-watching can lead to the “Holiday 15” (the 10 to 15 pounds many Americans gain between November and January) . . .

January 12, 2010
New Year's Health Tip -10 Easy Ways to Cut Calories

The math is rather simple - 100 extra Calories per day can lead to 10 pounds of weight gain in one year! Likewise, cutting 100 Calories from your intake each day (20-30 Calories per meal/snack) can help you shed at least 10 pounds by the 2010 Holiday Season. Putting this into practice, however is not always that simple.

Here are 10 Easy Ways to decrease Calories in your daily eating:

• Switch from regular soda to diet and save an average of 160 Calories for each 12 ounces
• Switch from creamy salad dressings to oil based salad dressings and save an average of 50 Calories per serving (2 TBSP)
• Switch from regular salad dressings to low fat salad dressings and save an average of 80 Calories per serving (2 TBSP)
• Switch from 100% juice to water with lemon or lime slices and save and average of 140 Calories
• Skip the cheese and mayonnaise on your sandwich and save an average of 200-350 Calories
• Snack on fresh fruits and vegetable instead or cookies or chips and save an average of 85-100 Calories
• Replace 1/3-1/2 of your pasta or rice with vegetables and save 90-150 Calories
• Switch from whole milk to skim or low-fat milk and save between 45-90 Calories per 12 ounces
• Allot half of your dinner plate for vegetables, one quarter for protein and one quarter for starch
• Season foods with lemon, cilantro, basil and other spices instead of marinades and gravies

Justin Robinson, MA,RD,CSSD,FAFS,CSCS
Director of Strength & Conditioning - RU Sports Performance Center

December 1, 2009
Holiday Health Tip - The Tryptophan Myth!

Now that Turkey Day is over (or Tofurkey Day for you vegetarians), it is time to put a common myth to rest.  30 minutes, or so, after the last dinner fork drops, most of us are ready for the tryptophan nap, right?  Tryptophan is an amino acid (abundant in turkey) that increases serotonin production – serotonin can make us feel happy and sleepy.  The turkey likely did not cause the coma, but rather the mashed potatoes, the rolls with butter, the yams with marshmallows, the cranberry sauce, the pie, and whatever else you indulged on!

The culprit for your desired snooze in this case is called an insulin rebound.  After we eat, our body breaks down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into blood glucose (blood sugar).  The body normally responds to this by releasing a moderate amount of insulin which lowers blood sugar.  After a copious meal, however, the blood sugar increases tremendously, causing too much insulin to be released and a consequent rebound, or drop, in blood sugar (lower than normal blood sugar also causes us to feel sleepy).  Contrary to what some people believe, insulin is a necessary hormone – true, it can lead to more fat storage (if too much is consistently released) but it also increases amino acid and glucose uptake which enhances production of lean muscle and improves recovery from workouts.

The best way to prevent insulin rebound is to control portions – eat three modest-sized meals per day with 2-3 snacks.  Having a consistent, normal reaction to insulin will help increase energy and promote lean body mass. 

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