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Posts in the Wellness category

How to Improve Flexibility

Question: My wife and I exercise to your workouts. When it comes to the final stretch it is much easier for her. She has a much greater range of motion than I do. Is this something I need to work on?

Answer: Some people are more flexible than others. And, generally speaking, women tend to be more flexible than men. Much of flexibility depends on genetics but anybody can improve their flexibility through proper stretching.

Proper stretching means stretching when the muscles are warm, such as toward the end of a warm-up or at the very end of a workout. Cold muscles and tendons do not have enough elasticity to be stretched. They must be warmed first.

Proper stretching also means static stretching - holding each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. Avoid any bouncing movement when you stretch. Although you will sometimes see people do it, there should be no bouncing or ballistic movements in stretching. Movements of this type can actually cause tiny tears in the muscles being stretched.

You may never be quite as flexible as your wife but you can always improve on your flexibility.




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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, exercise, Healthy, Lord of the Abs, Motivation, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

How Can I Avoid Eating Salt?

by Gilad

Question: If I quit using salt on my food altogether is that too much? I know the body does need some salt. 



Answer: Salt, like sugar, is an acquired taste. Salt, or sodium, is needed by the body, but in very small amounts, amounts that occur naturally in the non-processed foods we eat. Too much sodium in the body can result in high blood pressure, which unfortunately often goes unnoticed until it causes a stroke or heart attack.

 It would be virtually impossible not to get enough sodium in our diets...unless we were starving ourselves. Sodium is found in nearly everything we eat and is found in excess in processed and canned foods. Some of the worst culprits are:

CANNED SOUPS * FROZEN DINNERS * FAST FOODS * CHEESES * SMOKED AND PROCESSED MEATS * POTATO CHIPS * SALTED NUTS * CRACKERS * CATSUP * SOY SAUCE * PICKLES * OLIVES * MANY CEREALS * TOMATO JUICE * VEGETABLE JUICE * ETC.  

As you can see, it would be impossible to eliminate too much salt from your diet.

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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, fitness, Healthy, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Protein Shakes: Yay or Nay?

Question: Are protein shakes good for you?


Answer: 
A Protein shake can be a good supplement as it helps supply the muscles with protein. I would take the shake immediately after or even during a strong strength training workout. Keep in mind that a protein shake is a supplement not a meal replacement!


Have a question for Gilad? Click HERE and send it in! Gilad will choose one question each week to answer.

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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, fitness, Gilad, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Are There Good Carbohydrates?

Question: What is the difference between complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates?


 

Answer: The carbohydrates in your diet should be complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates should be avoided. Simple carbohydrates are sugars that are converted into glucose and absorbed by the blood too rapidly. They will give you an immediate shot of energy followed by a sudden loss of energy. Simple carbohydrates include sweets like candy, cookies and desserts and anything made with white flour...like sandwiches made with white bread, white rice, flour tortillas, etc. You may notice that after you have a lunch of a sandwich on a French roll you feel tired an hour later. That is because white flour has almost the same effect on the bloodstream as straight table sugar.  
Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are made up of starches and fibers, and break down into glucose slowly providing a consistent supply of energy for a long period of time. 
Foods high in complex carbohydrates include vegetables cooked or raw, potatoes, whole grain breads, pastas and cereals, legumes (beans, peas, lentils) seeds and nuts.




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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, fitness, fitness success, Healthy, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

How Many Days A Week Should I Exercise?

Gilad: How often should I exercise?


Answer: 
This is a general question so I will give a general answer.
No matter what kind of training you do, I recommend that you exercise at least 3 times a week. If your fitness level is high enough you should be exercising more often, maybe 5 or 6 times a week. But I do believe that everyone should take at least one day a week off from any exercise program. One day of complete rest for the body will vastly improve your performance on the other 6 days.


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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, exercise, fitness, goals, Healthy, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

How Can I Make My Workout Less Boring?

Gilad: I started a regimented exercise program 3 months ago and have managed to lose 20 pounds. I feel better than I have since high school. My problem is that I am starting to get bored repeating the same routine day after day. What should I do?


Answer: 
Your program can and should change from time to time based on your goals. You have lost the weight and met your first goal. Now it is time to have some fun. Set a new goal and change your routine. With a little imagination you will find that you can tailor your program to your changing needs.

For example, if your goal is running track, your focus would be on 3 or 4 track workouts per week and you would supplement these workouts with swimming, weightlifting, a bike ride or an aerobics class.
Be creative! Use the resources available to you and your healthy lifestyle will never get boring.


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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, goals, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

What Does Being Fit Really Mean? (Part 2)

Two weeks ago Gilad responded to this same question by outlining the 5 components of fitness. (Read it HERE!) Today he explains how the body reacts to weight loss by diet only.

Question: I recently reached my goal of losing 35 pounds by altering my eating habits and counting calories. I didn't even have to exercise and I feel pretty good. Does this qualify as being fit?


Answer: Another important point to understand about dieting for weight loss is that if you lose weight that way once, and then, at a later date, try the same technique again, it will be much harder to do the 2nd time.  Why? Simply because you've trained your body to react to what it perceives as 'starvation,' a decrease in the number of calories it gets each day. Our very clever bodies don't like that. They respond by activating their 'starvation response'.  Your metabolic rate goes down and consequently requires less food.  In this mode, your body will store anything it can as fat. So by repeatedly following low calorie diets you are teaching your body how to better store food as fat.

What you want to do instead is alter your fat to muscle ratio so you get more active muscle tissue busily burning calories.  Muscle tissue, unlike fat, actually burns calories while at rest. This means that increased muscle mass raises your metabolic rate so you can become a lean, mean fat-burning machine instead of a fat-storing body that is expecting to be starved.




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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, fitness, fitness success, Gilad, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Coping with Sweet Tooth and How To Overcome Your Downfall

Gilad: I try desperately to eat healthy but 50 years of habits are hard to break.  Typically for dinner I will prepare a big salad, some type of lean meat, fish or chicken, a vegetable and starch.  Everything is good until later in the evening when I start to crave cookies or ice cream.  Do you have any tips to get me out of this cycle?


Answer: There are some very simple practical things that you can do to help yourself. 

You sound like you are using fresh ingredients in your meal preparation, but dinner is not the only meal you eat during the course of a day.  Avoid processed foods as much as possible because they are major sources of excess sugar, salt and preservatives.

Do not add salt when you are cooking.  Never add salt until you have tasted your food and are certain that it needs some....and then use 'lite' salt that is only half salt and half potassium chloride.

If you cook or bake at home try reducing the amount of sugar in your recipes by half.  The resulting product will still be delicious and, in most cases, you won't be able to tell the difference.

And finally, if cookies and ice cream are your downfall, don't keep them in the house.  Resist the urge to buy them when you are at the grocery store.  Try substituting fresh fruit.  Make sure you have plenty on hand.  Fruit is just like a dessert but with all those extra vitamins and minerals along for the ride.

Keep in mind that your food is the fuel your body runs on.  When you are deciding what to eat think to yourself, "What food will give me lots of energy and make me feel good if I eat it?"  The more you ask that question the better you will eat. 




Have a question for Gilad? Click HERE and send it in! Gilad will choose one question each week to answer.

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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, fitness, tips, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Is It Too Late For Me To Start Working Out?

Gilad:

I am 63 years old and I have never really been on an exercise program. Now I am overweight and starting to have health problems. My doctor wants me to start taking pills for high blood pressure and cholesterol but they don't agree with me. Am I a lost cause?


Answer:

I can see that a person in your situation could be nervous about trying to start a regular exercise program. It must seem like an overwhelming task to you. But let me assure you, the people that achieve the greatest and most noticeable benefits from exercise are those that have never exercised before! Many studies have proven that even people in their eighty's and beyond can achieve significant physiological improvements, in muscle strength, bone mass, lowered body fat and cardiovascular health, by beginning an exercise program and watching what they eat. Exercise does not discriminate. It is good for everyone! 


Have a question for Gilad? Click HERE and send it in! Gilad will choose one question each week to answer.

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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, exercise, fitness, Gilad, Motivation, Weekly Blog, wellness | 0 comments | Read more

Metabolism Verses Diet

Gilad: How does what I eat affect my metabolic rate?

Answer: If your goal is to lose weight you are going to want to increase your metabolic rate. Regular exercise raises your metabolic rate and plays a major role in building lean muscles and burning body fat. The more lean muscles you have the higher your metabolic rate will be, even at rest, for this very simple reason. Muscles burn calories. Fat does not!

To better understand how food works in our metabolism I will use a campfire as an example. The flames represent the body's metabolic rate and the logs represent the food. If we don't add logs to the fire eventually the flames will burn out. If we overload the fire with logs chances are good that it won't burn well. In fact, it could easily choke! The best way to keep a good fire going is to add logs on a regular basis. The same goes for your body. You need to feed it regularly with quality food to keep the metabolic rate burning most efficiently.

Maintain a healthy balance between a good diet and regular exercise and you will be amazed at how quickly you will see and feel the changes in your body and energy level!




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By Collage Video | | Ask Gilad, Gilad, Healthy, Weekly Blog, Wellness | 0 comments | Read more

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