::Fitness Blog::
5 Reasons Why Fructose is BAD
It is often hard to understand the dangers of consuming fructose, because it’s frequently found in nature with fruit and vegetables, but fructose is also found in our everyday sugar(sucrose). Sucrose is made up of about 50% glucose and 50% fructose. High Fructose-Corn Syrup has found its self into almost every food option over the past 30 years, mostly due to its extremely low price and ability to increase shelf life and make bad things taste good.
Sugars have increased by astronomical amounts and our kids are drinking soda instead of water and fruit juices instead of whole fruits. Consuming just 1 can of soda(12 oz.) a day will add 16lb/yr.
The harm comes from the amount of sugars we consume and how our bodies metabolized fructose.
5 Reasons Why NOT to consume Fructose
1. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver and can’t be used for energy by your body’s cells. It’s therefore not only completely useless for the body, but is also a toxin in high enough amounts. The main job of the liver is to get rid of fructose, mainly by transforming it into fat and sending that fat to our fat cells.
2. Fructose does not suppress the hunger hormone ghrelin, which tells your body when to stop eating.
3. Excess fructose damages the liver and leads to insulin resistance in the liver as well as fatty liver disease. FACT, fructose has the same effects on the liver and alcohol(ethanol), which is already well known as a liver toxin.
4. Fructose reacts with proteins and polyunsaturated fats in our bodies 7 times more than glucose. This reaction creates AGEs (Advanced glycation end-products), which are compounds that damage our cells and cause inflammation among other chronic diseases.
5. Fructose rapidly causes leptin resistance. leptin is the hormone that controls appetite and metabolism to maintain normal weight. Leptin resistant people tend to gain weight much easier.
Tips to limit Fructose
** Get rid of any sugary beverages — only water and milk
** Each your Carbohydrates with fiber
** Wait 20 minutes before a second serving
** Exercise regularly
It’s good to keep in mind that fructose, in small amounts, has been in our diets for a very long time and as a species we can usually handle small amounts very well. As a rule, anything above 50g a day becomes problematic.
If you want more information on the effects of fructose on your health, watch this video by Robert H. Lustig, MD . It’s not short but knowledge is power!
Summer Time! Get Outside and Workout…Here is a Good One!
It’s about that time where gym floors are starting to feel a little empty. People are spending their time outside more, and would rather enjoy the beautiful sunny days rather than sweat on the treadmill.
We understand the need for Vitamin D, but that doesn’t mean you can skip out on your workouts. Here is a fun 30 minute circuit that will hopefully have you outside and making moves to a better body!
Perform this Circuit up to 3X per week on non consecutive days for up to 4 weeks. Increase overall strength and burn crazy calories along the way.
Grab a friend or your significant other and spend some quality time together getting your workout on outside. It’s always a little easier when you have someone next to you.
Forget about the gym and get outside! No Equipment Necessary
This workout consists of 2 different circuits. Perform Circuit 1:REST 1 minute and then immediately perform Circuit 2: Rest 2 minutes. This completes one workout round.
Repeat the workout up to 2X more, performing the entire workout 3X. Each additional time you perform the workout try to decrease rest time or increase repetitions.
BEGIN WORKOUT
To view the full workout with video, login to your MBS account and be sure to let us know how you did!?
5k Run & Sip with Body Structure and Jean Farris
RUN AND SIP 5K
May 26th, 2012 8:00am
Come and join others from around the area for an afternoon of fun! Participate in our local 5k run with an afternoon of wine tasting from some of the best and locally established vineyards available in Lexington.
All Proceeds will go to the Lexington Cancer Foundation!
Location: Start & Finish: Jean Farris Winery 6825 Old Richmond Road Lexington, KY 40515.
Registration Form Click Here!
Additional Information:
Packet pick-up will be at BSC on the day before the race from 8am – 6pm and 7am on race day.
Parking will be available at Jean Farris Winery.
**We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are unable to give away a bottle of wine due to legalities. We will still be awarding a gift certificate and (or) a brunch entry to the winners of their age class. **
Wine tasting will take place after the race.
Visit any of the locations below to register
or contact Cosville Rogers at
(859) 268-8190, cos@bodystructure.com
Body Structure; 2600 Gribbin Drive
Lexington Tennis Club; 410 Redding Road
Jean Farris Winery; 6825 Old Richmond Road
How to get More out of Your Personal Trainer
A Personal Trainer has many different roles as a fitness professional, whether it be providing consistent accountability, teaching proper mechanics, or just providing some much needed encouragement; it’s sometimes difficult for your Personal Trainer to know exactly what you are seeking from their services. Here are a five pointers for you to get the most out of your fitness professional!
Give Detailed Goals
Your Personal Trainer cannot read your mind nor will they completely understand your fitness goals unless you tell them. You must be specific and provide detailed goals.
I want to lose weight is not nearly detailed enough!
If you have a goal to lose weight, ask yourself some of these questions and try to formulate exactly what you are after. No goal is too big!
How much weight do I really want to lose? How many inches off my waist would I like to see gone? How long have I been struggling with this weight? What areas make me most self conscious? Is this strictly cosmetic or are their underlying reasons why I want/need to lose weight? Does my Blood Pressure also need to come down? Do I want to become stronger? Run a 5k? Fit into a size 8 jeans? and so on…
No matter your current health conditions or fitness goals, you must provide your Trainer with as much specificity as possible.
No one knows better than you; so share everything with your Personal Trainer.
Honest Relationship
You don’t have to be best friends with your Trainer, but it’s important that you try and create a relationship and be completely honest with your daily activities.
Your Trainer will not judge. They need both the good and bad to be able to construct the best plan of attack.
Try sharing relevant information about your lifestyle. The more pieces of the puzzle they can put together, the better your fitness prescriptions and the better your results!
TIP: If you do not click with your trainer or find it hard to communicate, seek out another one!
Ask Questions!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! The best thing you can obtain from your Personal Trainer is their knowledge. Treat time spent with your Trainer as a college course.
Think about it…You meet a couple times a week and usually there is assigned homework, plus you’re paying money.
Take advantage of your time together and try to learn as much as possible. Eventually there will be a time where your trainer isn’t there.
Start here…
What are the major macronutrients and how does my body use them best?
What is Circuit Training?
Can I eat before bed?
What exercises are best for my abdominals?
When is the best time to stretch?
Should I be taking supplements?
Ask anything! If your Trainer does not have an answer right there, they will do their best to find you an answer for next time.
Give Consistent Feedback about Your Exercise Routines
Let your Trainer know how sore you are, or if you don’t like a particular exercise. Again, it’s your job to be vocal and let your trainer know what you like and dislike, or if you’re hurt from past exercises. There are plenty of exercises out there and not all exercising should be torture 
This doesn’t mean you get to skip out on all the really tough exercises; but if you really dislike a particular exercise, a good Trainer will be able to substitute another exercise or find one you dislike less.
Make Sure They’re Tracking Your Progress
An excellent Trainer will track the important information to ensure you are progressing and on track to reaching your goals.
Is your Trainer recording workouts, body measurements, food journals; and-or performing regular check ups? If not, just ask them to!
All Trainers are not created equal and each have their specific areas of expertise, so make sure to communicate with your trainer and let them know exactly what you want to accomplish.
How to Bulk on a Budget
Bulking on a Budget
Bulking requires a strong fitness training program, BUT more importantly an increased caloric intake. It’s inevitable that you’re going to have to make a couple trips to the grocery store and load up on food. So how do you go to the grocery store and not spend a fortune? Well, I am going to share with you 5 must have power foods that will keep you growing on a budget.
Brown Rice < $1 dollar for 1LB
An excellent kind of whole, natural grain (or) complex carbohydrate that will provide you the proper nutrients to build long lasting muscle . This carbohydrate will digest slowly, providing your body with a constant energy source and controlled blood glucose levels. Brown Rice is also an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium.
It’s simple to make and goes with just about any protein option, chicken, fish, tuna or steak. Try making a couple servings at a time and dividing into Tupperware for easy consumption.
1 CUP(cooked) or 1/2(uncooked) = 216 Calories, 44g Carbs(<1g Sugar), 5g Protein, 15g Fat (3g sat fat), 4g Fiber
Eggs < $4 dollars
Whether scrambled with breakfast or hard boiled for a snack, the egg is a cheap protein source with all the right nutrients to grow big. My recommendations are to eat no more than 3 whole eggs at a time because of their high fat content.
The egg is a powerhouse of disease-fighting nutrients like lutein. One egg has only 75 calories, 7 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, along with iron, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids. Try and buy eggs from free range chickens!
3 whole eggs and 1/2 cup egg whites = 288 Calories, <5 g Carbs, 35 g Protein, 15.5g Fat
Price for a dozen is roughly 3$ dollars and 5-6$ for 32oz of high quality egg whites.
Tuna < $1 dollar
A great source of lean protein packed full of vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids. No wonder why so many die hard body builders eat tuna straight from the can, it’s a quick protein snack containing about 22g protein in a 50z can and costs less than a dollar. 5oz can = 100 Calories, <2g Carbs, 22g Protein, 2g Fats
Oats < $3 dollar
Oatmeal is the quintessential whole grain option and should definitely be included in your diet. It’s Slow digesting and contributes to many healthy attributes such as healthy blood glucose levels, lowered cholesterol levels, and a healthy heart. Oatmeal will keep you from snacking on the bad stuff with its high fiber content and keep you feeling full longer.
1 cup(uncooked) = 300 Calories, 54g Carbs(2g sugar), 10g Protein, 6g fat, 8g Fiber
Pinto Beans < $1 dollar
Don’t forget about this bean. Its packed full of complex carbohydrates, little to no sugar and high in protein. A great carbohydrate source for any meal and costs about a dollar for 3.5 servings.
1 Can = 350 Calories, 59.5g Carbs( 0g sugars), 21g Protein, 15g fiber, 0g Fat
Try a can of pinto beans in the morning with your scrambled eggs. This muscle meal will have you adding weight in no time!
Visit our Calorie Allowance Calculator and calculate your exact meal plan and nutritional proportions.
To bulk try increasing your caloric intake by 20% and follow these macronutrient proportions for increased muscle mass and to fuel powerful strength gains.
Protein = 50%, Carbohydrates = 45% and Fats = 25% of your total caloric intake. For example; if your goals are to consume roughly 3000 calories a day, that equates to:
Fun Philosophy on Fitness
Have fun: We get way to caught up with six pack abs and the chiseled chest. Stop worrying about how other people look and start focusing on you! The goal is to become as healthy as possible and take advantage of how awesome our bodies can be if we take care of our selves, all the other stuff like a flat stomach, strong arms and sexy butt will come!
Motivation: Keeping yourself motivated is the key to staying on track and ultimately reaching your big goals. Set small obtainable goals along the way and celebrate EVERY time you achieve one! example; run a mile under 10 minutes! Go eat some ice cream!
Balance: You don’t have to give up the pizza or ice cream, but you can’ t endulge when ever you want either! Becoming a fit person is all about living a balanced life with weekly workouts and physical activity, a proper balanced nutritional intake(cheats meals are a must) and a balanced focused mind! Treat yourself often but stick to the plan!
Forget the hype: Stop believing in these ridiculous claims! There is no magic pill or supplement out there that is going to instantly fix your problems. It takes hard work and consistency to achieve a healthy body. Life is NOT better through chemistry. These are all false claims that successfully take your hard earned cash! Tell me! did that last one work?
LifeStyle: We must start making lifestyle changes EVERY DAY! Examples would include substituting french fries with a vegetable platter, or parking in the back of the parking lot and moving a little more, or making sure to get all workouts in for the week! Consistency is the name of the game here, and if we start making smarter choices everyday its going to help us reach our ultimate goal of staying healthy and looking better!
Information Diet: Educate yourself and don’t listen to just any body! Make sure you are getting the right information that will help you reach your goals! Read books, watch videos, and ask a ton of questions!
Share: Once you have achieved a healthy lifestyle pass on the knowledge that you have learned on your journey! Help counteract the onslaught of misguided people who think a healthy physique comes in an expensive bottle! Our society is increasingly becoming more obese and it only takes one person to help another to change for the better and not just look for an instant fix!
Just Get Started!
Nike got it right when they came up with the slogan “Just Do It”. How many times have you found yourself hitting the snooze at 5:30 am or hitting the couch after work instead of just doing it, “it” being exercise. Even the most enthusiastic exerciser has times when it is difficult to find the motivation to get to the gym. The difference between achieving your goals and not achieving them is those who “Just Do It”, SUCEED. But how do you get out of the door when your motivation is lacking?
The first step is to get your workout gear on. Just like any routine once you get the sweats, t-shirt and athletic shoes on, you can then begin to mentally prepare yourself for a workout. Still not motivated; just take the next step and get to the gym. There you will find enthusiastic, like minded exercisers to help you get motivated. A group fitness class is a good way to jump into exercise when you’re struggling to get started. Let someone else take the lead.
Make sure that you are prepared, because to often people find themselves cutting the workout short or not fully committing if a solid plan is not in action. The good thing is, we have made that step easy for you. Browse our workouts or put together your very own with our extensive exercise archive, or ask one of our trainers for some pointers. BUT, the most important thing is to just get started!
Still can’t find the motivation to exercise? Making an appointment with a personal trainer may be the best way to achieving your fitness goals. A personal trainer holds you accountable and can provide motivation when you Just Don’t Want To. Exercise is as important as brushing your teeth. A lack of motivation is no excuse for letting your exercise slide. Find out what motivates you and get to the gym.
Don’t hesitate to ask us for help!
The Push Up, Instructional Video with Cos and Josh
Learn How to Perform A Correct Push Up
A tip from Jerry Seinfeld, a life hack!
I found an interesting blog yesterday from lifehacker.com and knew I had to share it with everyone. If you have a chance, read the whole article, but for now I will summarize.
Your probably wondering what Jerry Seinfeld has to do with becoming a healthier person, but the tip he shares is extremely effective…read on!
In this article Seinfeld shared one of his biggest contributors during his grueling journey to becoming one of the greatest known comics. Seinfeld said the only way to become a better comic is to write better jokes, and the only way to write better jokes was to write every day. He revealed a calendar system he used to pressure himself into writing.
He said the best way to become better at something is to practice and stay consistent. Here is what to do!
Get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.
For each day you EXERCISE(or whatever), put a big red X over that day. “After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain.”
Jerry Said with emphasis! “Don’t break the chain,”
We can’t overcome large obstacles in one day, it’s the consistent pushing and pulling, inch by inch that result in extraordinary outcomes. Daily action builds habits, and habits are easier to maintain.
Just don’t skip a day, because it will be easier to skip the next!
Get your calendar(comment below if you would like me to email you a good calendar) and start making those X’s
and don’t break the chain!
For Paul Erway, lofty goals are key to life: what are you training for?
Paul Erway
For Paul Erway, lofty goals are key to life
Paul Erway isn’t ready to slow down. Not even close to it.
He completed the Boston Marathon in 2004 and more recently finished the Oita Marathon in Japan, but that’s small potatoes compared to the agenda he has set for himself beginning a year from now when he will embark on a year-long mission to compete in 50 marathons in 50 states in 52 weeks.
And to add to the challenge, he hopes to raise some $3 million in doing so.
Oh, and he’ll do it all in a wheelchair.
The 52-year-old wheelchair athlete, a Potter County native, has participated in dozens of races as part of his ambitious lifestyle. Since his accident many years ago, he has kept the pressure on himself to perform, to reach goals and to “continue living.”
But, the main reason he races is to “set an example for others” with disabilities— to help them see through the fog of their challenges so they can focus on the clarity of living life to its fullest.
“My hope is that people see what we do and get the hint realize that their disability isn’t the end of their lives,” Erway explained. “The first thing people have to learn to do is to ‘let it go’ and we hope that our efforts help them do that.”
Erway, a son of Eugene Erway and the late Dorothy Erway, is a rehabilitation products consultant for Superior Van & Mobility. He assists in vehicular modifications for people with disabilities.
That’s not the vocation he dreamed of when he grew up as a three-sport high school athlete. He was raised on a dairy farm and started riding horses when he was 4. He went to Morrisville (N.Y.) State College to pursue a degree in animal husbandry, intending to become a horse trainer.
But one May Friday night in 1980 — four days before graduation, with one final exam left — his life changed. Erway was on a double date with his best friend. He was in the back seat and was not wearing a seatbelt.
The car approached a curve on a road under construction in Shinglehouse, and his friend turned too late. The vehicle slid into a ditch. His spinal cord was severely injured.
Erway spent two months in the hospital and remembers being told he wouldn’t walk again.
“The doctor said, ‘You’re going to be in a wheelchair the rest of your life. Deal with it,’” Erway said. “It was pretty devastating.”
And in his typical style, even today he thinks more about the driver of the vehicle that fateful night.
“I know he has suffered emotionally terribly,” Erway, who hasn’t seen his long lost friend since shortly after the accident. “Every time he saw me for the first six months, he just broke down and cried. I want him to know that it was an accident. Let it go.”
But, that’s just how powerful this man’s resolve to live is and even though has no feeling below his chest, the fire to live and to push himself burns brightly in his heart.
It started with a minor challenge a long time ago when a disabled friend challenged him to a wheelchair race to a telephone pole.
Erway lost, but decided, “If I’m going to be in this chair, I’m going to see how fast I can push it.”
Shortly after in 1982 he began racing competitively and things were going smoothly for Erway for a couple decades. But, that all changed five short years ago.
He moved to Kentucky in 1994 and 12 years later he was training for a marathon when he suffered his second major accident.
In July 2006 he was going down a steep hill in Shelbyville when he encountered a pickup truck on the other side of the road. While trying to move over, he lost control of his wheelchair and slammed into the driver’s door of the truck. He suffered a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, a punctured lung, a spinal compression and the loss of part of his scalp.
It was 94 degrees that day.
“It’s an accident, so, ‘Don’t touch him, don’t move him,’” Erway said. “They left me lying on the hot asphalt, and I burned 60 percent of my back.”
The accident led to one helicopter ride, two hospital stays, three rehab stints, four operations and five months out of work. He says he was motivated by the need to race, to push himself.
So he set out to tackle the world’s premiere wheelchair marathon, the Oita.
Last year, he did just that. Having reached such an incredible goal, he was left wondering where he would find his next motivation.
“I had to ask myself ‘what’s next? What’s that next big goal,’” he explained.
It wasn’t long and a chance meeting helped him answer those questions.
Erway met a woman in a store who had a son who has a rare and deadly form of muscular dystrophy. She was renting a handicapped accessible van three days a week to take him to college.
“She related to me how difficult that was for her,” he said. “She said ‘I just have to do it. You should see his face when we pull up to that campus every day.”
Erway’s wheels started turning.
Vehicles retrofitted for handicap accessibility are pricey— anywhere from $30,000 to $50,00 or more.
Erway had found his new goal: helping to purchase 50 handicap vehicles to help 50 people in 50 states. To do so, he and two others would compete in 50 marathons in 50 cities and collect sponsorships to pay for the vehicles.
To make arrangements for such a challenge, Erway and his team has set next November as their hopeful starting point.
They’ll make the effort with help of the Ralph Braun Foundation, an organization that focuses on assisting those with mobility needs. Braun, whose story is quite amazing as well, owns the company for which Erway works, Supervior Van and Mobility (superviorvan.com).
There are marketing plans and copious details that will be worked out over the next several months, but Erway believes the majority of the details will be worked out by February. Endeavor News will update its readers as we learn more.
As for Erway, he’ll continue advocating for the handicapped at his full-time job and a through his racing passion. And, he’ll find time to get into shape for the grueling schedule that lies ahead.
But, that’s a typical schedule for a guy who simply doesn’t know the word “quit.”
“You always have to keep something out there to reach for,” he explained. “And it’s even better when your goals focus on helping other people. When you’re helping others, you don’t focus on you or what your situation is. You just keep going.”