Whole Foodie Fitness

These are a few questions that I get asked on a regular basis and my answers.

FITNESS:

Q: Which is best for fat loss, cardio or resistance training?
A: Both! In order to for a fat loss program to be effective you need to burn calories through cardio and build muscle to burn even more calories after the workout is over. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns on its own, simple as that. Don't worry ladies you won't get "bulky", we don't have the proper hormone levels to reach that manly body builder look.

Q: What is the best type of cardio to do?
A: There's not one answer for this. First of all you should do the type of cardio you enjoy the most otherwise many of us won't do it at all. So if you enjoy going for a long run or bike ride go for it, if you like to jump rope that's awesome, or maybe you have a favorite cardio dvd. The most important factors are that you are enjoying yourself, the workout is challenging and raises your heart rate, and you walk away feeling like you accomplished something and gave it your all (when I say do what you enjoy I don't mean take the easy route). I personally prefer and HIGHLY recommend high intensity interval training or "HIIT". Your burn a ton of calories in a much shorter amount of time compared to endurance type cardio.

Q: I don't have a lot of time to exercise, how can I fit in a workout that is still going to get me results?
A: Circuit training is the best way to get in a great workout in a short amount of time and it never gets boring. Never heard of circuit training? You basically do a series of moves back to back one set each (usually 12-15 reps per move), rest for 1-3 minutes then repeat the series again until you reach the desired amount of sets.

Q: How can I lose fat in my stomach (or any other body part)?
A: Most people don't like to hear this (I sure don't) but you can't "spot reduce" any part of your body. Meaning do crunches isn't going to burn fat on your stomach, lunges and squates aren't going to give you skinny legs, and tricep dips aren't going to get rid of the flab under your arms. These exercises are great for building muscle but if you want to burn fat you have do a combination of cardio and strength traing and have a good diet. You will basically lose that fat like the layers of an onion but your genetics also play a huge roll when it comes to body fat distribution. Also, remember the phrase "Abs are made in the kitchen". It doesn't matter what exercises you're doing if you don't have a good diet.

NUTRITION:

Q: I'm trying to cut back on my sugar intake what is a good way to sweeten my food?
A: First off let me say you should ditch the artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Sweet n Low, Nutrasweet, etc.). My favorite sweetener is stevia, its calorie free and comes from nature, some also say its sweeter than sugar so you use less of it. You can find stevia in powder or liquid forms with powder being the most common and least expensive. Other natural sweeteners such as honey, 100% pure maple syrup, raw agave, and molasses can be good options as long as they're used sparingly (no more than 3 tsp in a day).  Any added sugar even if it is natural or organic has negative effects on blood sugar levels and your weight. Also avoid foods with refined carbohydrates such as bleached or enriched flour, white pasta, white bread, potatoes (sweet poatoes and yams are an exception), and tortillas.

Q: What is wrong with artificial sweeteners? They have no calories.
A: Artificial anything is not meant to be digested in the human body. Sweeteners such as Splenda have horrible effects on the body's metabolism and cause problems such as headaches, bloating, and nausea. Many people with good intentions of cutting out sugar go through life not knowing why the have these symptoms or why they are having trouble losing weight.  If your try cutting out foods with artificial sweeteners you may be surprised to learn that they were probably the culprit all along.

Q: Are there any specific ingredients I should avoid.
A: Yes there are and they include high fructose corn syrup, trans fats (look for hydrogenated or partially hrydrogenated oil on the ingrediants list), MSG,  and most sweeteners (Sucralose aka Splenda, aspartame, maltodextrin, glucose, fructose, maltodextrin). Be sure to check the ingredients list of the foods you're eating, food companies are very sneaky.