Within the first few weeks of starting any calorically restricted diet, people loose achieve drastic results. Regardless of if the diet is based on fad or facts, these results often cast validity onto the diet as proof that the diet plan works. Unfortunately the proof of any diet is in the long term success and the initial weight lost on any plan is typically water weight.

Our bodies take carbohydrates we ingest and brake it down into glucose. This is the preferred fuel for the body. When our intake is reduced (less food) the body turns to the glucose stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. For every one gram of glycogen the body stores it stored three grams of water. When the body begins to to break down the glycogen into glucose the water is released and removed from the body as unnecessary. This gives the false appearance of success and assuming victory over the weight would be premature.That is not to minimize your effort. The fact that this is occurring cites that a reduction in overall calories consumed has occurred and, assuming it is balance and healthy, can be taken as a sign of great things to come.

Remember that long-term and healthy weight management requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic lifestyle changes and you should consult your physician prior to starting any weight modification program or new exercise routine.

A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity is a recipe for success. This is what we strive for at Avatar with out personalized nutrition programs and personal training

At Avatar our staff seamlessly blends all following modalities Yoga, kettlebells, Pilates, Gyrokinesis®, Gyrotonic® and resistance training in all of our personal training. Using equipment that adapts to your body and training you with the knowledge of how to effectively and safely change your body and your lifestyle.

When you are ready to see why Avatar is the proud winner of the Best in Cities Personal Training by Citysearch.com and why our clients have such success contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com to schedule a complimentary consultation.

I am too much of a fan of pasta and bread to ever consider demonizing carbs. Whoever said that man can not live on bread alone did not have a good baker.

How bread, something that for over 6,000 has been a staple of our diet, can be deemed the reason for obesity is beyond reason and ignores our over-eating and sedentary lifestyle. In fact may traditional diet including Italian, Japanese and Chinese, are high in carbs with foods like grains, rice and vegetable compose the majority of the calories consumed. And in stark contrast Japan traditionally has some of the lowest rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes in the world.

High protein diets eliminate several foods like fruits, cereals, breads, grains, starches, backed goods, dairy products, starchy vegetables and sweets. In addition the foods that it allows, meats and fat, are very complex and stay take up to 4 times as long to brake down in the initial digestive process. In essence, people take away most food that is available (eat less) and consume food that leaves the feeling full longer (eat less). In fact, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine 2003, people on high protein low cab diets consume 1200-1300 kcals a day. Considering an active person needs 1500-2000 kcals a day on average, no wonder people loose weight. Its not the carbs, it’s the calories!

What gets people initially hooked, as with many diets, is the immediate loss of weight. This loss is taken as ‘proof’ that the diet works. But, this weight loss isn’t coking from a reduction in body fat rather it coming from water weight. Moreover, consuming a high protein high fat diet contradicts years of studies that have demonstrated that significant correlation between diets high in saturated fats and increased heat disease (1,2) and that diets abundant in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, in other words having the overwhelming majority of calories coming from carbohydrates, may reverse risks of CHD (coronary heart disease).

Long-term and healthy weight management requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic lifestyle changes and you should consult your physician prior to starting any weight modification program or new exercise routine.

A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity is a recipe for success. This is what we strive for at Avatar with out personalized nutrition programs and personal training At Avatar our staff seamlessly blends Yoga, kettlebells, Pilates, Gyrokinesis®, Gyrotonic® and resistance training in all of our personal training. Using equipment that adapts to your body and training you with the knowledge of how to effectively and safely change your body and your lifestyle.

When you are ready to see why Avatar is the proud winner of the Best in Cities Personal Training by Citysearch.com and why our clients have such success contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com  to schedule a complimentary consultation.

1http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4582

2 http://www.ajcn.org

There is plenty of credible information available on Gastric Bypass and anyone considering this procedure should consult their doctor and a bariatric surgeon for proper information about the procedure and programs available.

Gastric Bypass is a major medical procedure that makes over-consumption of food (at least in short term) impossible and is used as a last tool for weight loss for people who are morbidly obese.

Most patients see a drastic weight reduction within the first 10-14 months but need to take supplements and multivitamins (typically for the rest of their life) to ensure that they

are not nutritional insolvent and maintain their muscle mass. After the first 10-14 months, the patient’s metabolic rate adjusts to the new consumption pattern and reduces. Hence once the honeymoon is over, bariatric patients have a difficult time to continue loosing weight. Only with proper nutrition and exercise is this typically achieved.

Unfortunately, until recently, most programs do not address both the patient’s relationship to food and relationship to exercise. A good program should have a 3-5 year follow through procedure to address just this. Otherwise the weight may come back on due to a sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary decision. Locally Allina hospital is trying to establish a program to do just that. http://www.allina.com/ahs/unity.nsf/page/bariatric_center

At Avatar, we have worked with both pre and post bariatric patients and those looking for a long term non evasive means to combat obesity. We take pride in are ability to assist client achieve long term goals and overcome difficult and complex issued. Each client is unique. Each program is unique.

Long-term and healthy weight management requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic lifestyle changes and you should consult your physician prior to starting any weight modification program or new exercise routine.

A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity is a recipe for success. This is what we strive for at Avatar with out personalized nutrition programs and personal training

At Avatar our staff seamlessly blends Yoga, kettlebells, Pilates, Gyrokinesis®, Gyrotonic® and resistance training in all of our personal training. Using equipment that adapts to your body and training you with the knowledge of how to effectively and safely change your body and your lifestyle.

When you are ready to see why Avatar is the proud winner of the Best in Cities Personal Training by Citysearch.com and why our clients have such success contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com  to schedule a complimentary consultation.

The original grapefruit diet begin the 1930’s, surged to popularity in the 70’s and is now resurfacing; an article in the February 7^th , 1932 New York Times titled ‘American Fruit in Demand. Belgian Women take Especially to the Grapefruit Diet’ shows just how long this fad has been around. It is, a pure fad diet; based upon assumptions and not on solid scientific fat.

This diet claims that grapefruit contains a special fat-burning enzyme, activated when you eat half a grapefruit for each meal, along with small amounts of other food that will aid in weight loss. Most diet recommends a drastic reduction in consumption of food. Candidly this has for more to do to weight loss then any magical properties grapefruit may have.

In short there is no scientific basis to the claim that grapefruit contains a special fat-burning enzyme.

Aforementioned, most versions of the diet have the person consume 800-1000 kcals a day (including grapefruit). If you consider that the average person needs 1500-2000 kcals a day and a normal calorically restricted diet is 1200-1300 Kcal, its no wonder people loose weight.

Moreover, there is a danger as the reduction in calories may not be nutritional balanced. Starving your body of needed macro and micro nutrients; leaving you nutritionally insolvent. Also, depending on the diet and the individual, too drastic of a reduction of in ones daily total kcal’s can lead to the metabolism actually slowing down.

Grapefruit is a wonderful food and part of a balanced diet. But it is not a weight loss wonder.

Long-term and healthy weight management requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic lifestyle changes and you should consult your physician prior to starting any weight modification program or new exercise routine.

A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity is a recipe for success. This is what we strive for at Avatar with out personalized nutrition programs and personal training

At Avatar our staff seamlessly blends on all following modalities Yoga, kettlebells, Pilates, Gyrokinesis®, Gyrotonic® and resistance training in all of our personal training. Using equipment that adapts to your body and training you with the knowledge of how to effectively and safely change your body and your lifestyle.

When you are ready to see why Avatar is the proud winner of the Best in Cities Personal Training by Citysearch.com and why our clients have such success contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com  to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Green tea is popping up everywhere as the new wonder all natural food. Among it’s numerous praises are as an appetite suppressant, weight loss agent (it is the main ingredient in Dexitrim) and a glucose stabilizer (important for people suffering from diabetes and hypoglycemia). For once, as this is not typically the case with fad foods, there appears to be an ever increasing case of published research done to back up these claims.

First and foremost, green tea is a source of caffeine. Caffeine, of course, is a fat burner with a well-established track record. (1) Secondly it joints the illustrious ranks of vitamin C and beta-carotene as a powerful anti-oxidant.

Thirdly green tea may be useful as a glucose regulator; meaning it slows the rise in blood sugar following a meal. (2) It does this by slowing the action of amylase, an digestive enzyme. This enzyme assists in the breakdown of starches (carbs). By slowing down the processing it reduces the rate that glucose is released into the blood stream.

As for the weight loss claims, there have been studies linking consuming moderate amounts of green tea extract to an increase in patients metabolic rate (3) and it may inhibit fatty acid synthase (4,5,6).

Overall not to bad for one beverage!

Despite all of its benefits remember that there is no quick fix for health and fitness. Long-term and healthy weight management requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic lifestyle changes and you should consult your physician prior to starting any weight modification program or new exercise routine.

A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity is a recipe for success. This is what we strive for at Avatar with out personalized nutrition programs and personal training

At Avatar our staff seamlessly blends on all following modalities Yoga, kettlebells, Pilates, Gyrokinesis®, Gyrotonic® and resistance training in all of our personal training. Using equipment that adapts to your body and training you with the knowledge of how to effectively and safely change your body and your lifestyle.

When you are ready to see why Avatar is the proud winner of the Best in Cities Personal Training by Citysearch.com and why our clients have such success contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com  to schedule a complimentary consultation.

1 Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97).
2 NCBI PubMed Link

3 NCBI PubMed Link
4 NCBI PubMed Link

5 NCBI PubMed Link

6 NCBI PubMed Link

Determining your BMI (Body Mass Index)

Body mass index (BMI) is a easily accessible number used to gauge individual health and the potential for weight related health problems. Studies have linked individuals with mild to severe obesity with higher risks of developing such conditions as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension and coronary artery disease.

Please remember that BMI is primarily used by the fitness industry as a quick gauge of personal health and should not be used in lieu of proper medical attention. Only a physician can properly gauge your weight in its relationship to health and risk factors.

The method below is meant as a simple estimation. There are several methods to determine body fat percentage including calipers, bioelectrical impedance and underweight weighing that are far more accurate.

Calculating and estimate for your BMI.

1. The formula for BMI = weight ÷ (height x height). Weight is represented in kilograms; height is represented in meters.

2. Determine your weight in kilograms. To do this, divide your weight (in pounds) by 2.2.

3. Determine your height in meters by dividing your height (in inches) by 39.37. Remember that there are 12 inches in 1 foot.

4. Grab a calculator, and plug the number in!

5. For example a 6’ 1’’, 163 lb male would have a weight of 74.09kg and a height of 1.85m: BMI = 74.09 ÷ (1.85 x 1.85) or a BMI of 21.55

In general a BMI below 18.5 is underweight. A BMI 18.5 - 24.9 is normal and healthy. A BMI of 25.0 - 29.9 is deemed overweight and 30.0 and above obese.

· BMI estimations may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build

· BMI estimations may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass

Long-term and healthy weight management generally requires sensible goals and a commitment to make realistic lifestyle changes. A lifestyle based on healthy eating and regular physical activity is a recipe for success. This is what we strive for at Avatar with out nutrition programs and personal training

When you are ready to see why Avatar is the proud winner of the Best in Cities Personal Training by Citysearch.com contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com to schedule a complimentary consultation

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Those of you that know me, I am not a fan of diet crazes. Too often we demonize one nutrient and ignore the bigger picture. So I had to smile a few months back when an article in the BBC online noted the diet of the average person living in the Middle Ages.

These heavy laboring peasants would have done 12 hours of heavy labor per day and consumed 3500-4000 kcals per day. Half of the calories would be from 2 loves of bread, 3 pints of bear and 8 oz of meat. The other ½ would be in the form of vegetables (turnips, beans, parsnips to name a few). In other words a low-fat, vegetable rich diet and noticeably lacking in refined sugars. Noticeably lacking from their health conditions were coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Granted their overall calories are far higher then our modern needs, but they were appropriate for their activity demands. I find it funny that only in recent years has the industry that has sprung up around fad diets and nutrition start to turn away from good food bad food and back to what dieticians and our history of eating has been saying for years. Eating a low-fat, vegetable rich diet and activity is the recipe for health.

This is the philosophy at Avatar where we address diet, nutrition, and exercise from and educated vantage point and with common sense. We work hard with our clients to make certain that what they eat is real food that fits within and compliments their lifestyle.

Imagine that you have two sets of eyes. The first would be the ones we are used to viewing the world with. The second would be down in the center of you chest, by your sternum.

Now imagine that you have a laser light emanating from your sternum.

Where would it point? Up? Down? Level? For most of us, it would point down do to medial rotation of our scapula. If you wanted to raise this level, how would you do this without doing a back bend? The answer is, if you haven’t already figured it out, is to roll your shoulders back (not pinching your shoulder blades together, but moving them up, back and down).

Whenever you sit, stand, walk or move try to remember that this laser needs to be level, or in other words to bring you back to the eyes metaphor; you need to look at the horizon or the horizon plus one degree with both sets of eyes; the ones on your head and the ones in your chest.

To experience the difference in personal training that is the reason for our success, contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com or check out our website at www.avatartrainingstudio.com

Link

What is a MET?

MET is short for Metabolic Equivalent. A MET, as defined by the American Council on Exercise, is “a person’s oxygen uptake at rest”, or more technically at 3.5mL of oxygen per kg of bodyweight per minute. In essence, it is a measure of exertion.

Below are some standard MET readings. The higher the number, typically, the more energy is used.

    * backpacking: 5-11

    * playing basketball: 7-12

    * boxing in ring: 13

    * canoeing, rowing: 3-8

    * cycling 10mph: 7

    * dancing: 3-8

    * hiking: 3-7

    * judo: 13

    * mountain climbing: 5-10

    * jumping rope (60-80/min): 9

    * jumping rope (120-140/min): 11-12

    * running (10min/mile): 10

    * running (9min/mile): 11

    * running (8min/mile): 12

    * running (7min/mile): 14

    * running (6min/mile): 16

    * skiing downhill: 5-8

    * skiing x-country: 6-12

    * soccer: 5-12

    * stair climbing: 4-8

    * swimming: 4-8

    * tennis: 4-9

Granted, there are quite a few factors that are not taken into account:

body weight, over-all health and previous activity level, age, etc. so do not take these readings as set in stone, merely as guidelines and something to muse over. A 6ft 240lb sedentary male will burn more calories running a 10 mn mile, then his 180lb counterpart. In part, because the stress put on his body elevates his heart rate hence his body is working harder to perform the same activity.

Overall remember, at Avatar we recommend not be fixated on one or two estimations or indications of the severity of your workout. Heart rate, MET and other factors can have variable that deviate them from the norm and give you false readings. Instead rely on an internal assessment. How hard does it feel? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (very challenging and sustainable only over a short duration). When starting on a new program aim for a 5-6, after a while 7-8. This is not to exclude external readings but often an internal assessment will give you other factors (how you slept, soreness, glucose level, etc) that the externals do not. Plus it something that you can develop over time and is free!

To experience the difference in personal training that is the reason for our success, contact Avatar at info@avatartrainingstudio.com or check out our website at www.avatartrainingstudio.com

There are 5 pieces of equipment that are available for Gyrotonic. The primary one is called the pulley tower (nicknamed Cobra). This is mass produced and readily available. It is the first piece of equipment that all trainers get certified.

The other 4 pieces are all hand made in Hungary and is known as ‘specialized equipment’. As they are hand made, there can be a considerable delay in acquiring them.

The other four pieces are the: Ladder (Archway), Gyrotoner, Leg Extension Unit and Jumping Stretching Board.

All equipment in Gyrotonic® is designed to adjust to any bodily dimension; lending support throughout a 3 dimensional movement. Combining spirals, twists and circular motions with breath to leave you energized, exercised and increased proprioception.

As each pieces of equipment is unique, each is a key to exercise and unlocking your body.

Currently Avatar is the only studio in Minnesota that owns and uses any of the specialized equipment. For more information about Gyrotonic please email info@avatartrainingstudio.com and find out what an intelligent workout is like.