You work out hard 3, 4 or even more times per week. Why have you hit that imaginary wall? The results seem to be stagnant. I can give you my personal take…SODA and HFCS(High Fructose Corn Syrup)! I cut this “junk” out of my diet and BOOM! A more lean body, more energy and just felt better overall.

What does soda (or “pop” as it is called in the Midwest) offer?

1. Empty calories

2. Aspartame

3. Sugar

4. Phosphoric Acid

More in detail:

“Non-diet sodas contain sugar, derived either from corn or from beets or sugarcane. Refined sugar spikes blood sugar levels for a short time, increasing energy, followed by a sugar “hangover” which can sap energy. Refined sugar  spikes insulin levels in the body which have been connected to heart disease and high blood pressure. Insulin levels also affect how the body processes carbohydrates and determine whether food energy is burned or stored.

Diet sodas contain aspartame rather than sugar. Studies continue to discover new health issues related to aspartame intake and it should be avoided in an emergency situation.The phosphoric acid content in most sodas can prevent the body from storing calcium and cause osteoporosis over long periods of time. It also changes the acid composition of the stomach which can lead to digestive difficulties.”

More:

Prevent Disease, The Real Dangers of Soda to you and Your Children

HFCS - YUk!

What does High Fructose Corn Syrup offer? Some links to answer the question:

Fructose: Sweet, But Dangerous

What are the Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Avoid HFCS

Personally…eliminating both diet and regular soda along with HFCS(High Fructose Corn Syrup) from my diet has made a HUGE impact, positively in my mental, emotional and physical well being.

What do you think?

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”
- La Rochefoucauld

As I work through my calf setback, I have been spending more time working on the core area. Why? I have (had) no idea!  Coincidence?  Maybe? Sure, I have always kept the midsection involved in the routine consistently, but over the past few months I have tripled my efforts.  Is my posture getting better? I think so… maybe a coincidence?  I used to have a nagging, lower-back ache that would sneak in occasionally…coincidence. Where did the little pest go?

Two solid core exercises:

Bicycle Crunches – Fit in 4 one minute sets and the burn will set in!

Planks -  work in 3 or 4 one minute holds!

Do a few sets during the commercials …time to work the core!

Is it all a bunch of coincidences, or possibly an increase in core activity is part of a healthy solution!

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The high intensity, zone 4 exercises have been my exercise of  choice for sometime now, but over the past six weeks I have been hobbling around with a calf strain. This annoying obstacle has my routine limited to low impact, cardio exercises that I might have continued to avoid under normal circumstances.  But after several attempts to get back at it along with re-aggravating my calf a few times over, I gave way to this new, carved out path that I stubbornly resisted. It was not a smooth transition by any means!   I now include 1-2 swim and 1-2 spin classes into the plan each week…of course I have my buddy the ice pack there to help things along.  With this steady regiment of low impact exercises I have actually started to enjoy the variety and find myself more rounded physically.

A typical week might look like this:

Mon- 20/20/20 (20 min. cardio, 20 min. body exercise, 20 min. cardio)

Tue- One hour swim along with some core

Wed. Boot Camp -

Thurs. One hour spin class, along with some core and

Fri. Total Conditioning- One hour full body work out with HR in zone 3 and 4

Sat. Rest?

Sun. One hour spin followed by one hour of swim

I do modify Wed and Friday keeping it low impact.

Some lessons I have learned (AGAIN) recently:

-More often much growth comes from setbacks…I try to take them as learning experiences.

-Don’t knock it until you try it!

A quote to sum it up…

“I don’t really think in terms of obstacles. My biggest obstacle is always myself.”
-Steve Earle

It is Link Love Friday. I thought I would start the first Link Love Friday of 2010…with some friends that I visit regularly:

Dr. J will see you now: Original weight now reduced

Blake -Kitchen Fun

Cathy – A Life Less Sweet

The Jungle of Life

FatFighter

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Thanks for stopping by…Keep the journey moving forward!