PJ’s Fitness Blog
A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.
Great question, huh? I bet you know my answer already. Of course it’s better! Science has proven it over and over. Science has also shown that Prozac is about as good as a placebo, so it’s not hard to beat that over-used drug for elevating your mood. Even so, exercise is definitely the king for getting you happy, and curing depression.
The reason exercise works so well is because it is better at changing your brain chemicals than anything else you can do. Ever wondered why? God created us to move and to keep moving all day. Our modern society however, requires most of us to sit down all day instead. This unnatural lifestyle screws up the chemical balance in our brains and causes a downward spiral of depression, junk food cravings, more sedentary choices, obesity, etc., etc., until we are dead (10-20 years earlier than we have been).
A recent article in Time points out that exercise is indeed the best drug out there. High intensity exercise like the X Gym workout or the X Gym DVD is of course best; and activities like stair climbing offer the most intense “high” with the least time required, but for those who are obese or just want to get moving again, a simple walk can be the first step in a process that will change your mood and entire life.
Many regular X Gym members have eventually fired their “shrinks” because they just don’t need them anymore. When they are exercising regularly, they find it easier to eat better too. The X Gym member who suggested I write this post said, “I knew there was a reason I was (more…)
I got this message in an email from Michael Lovitch, Co founder of the Hypnosis Network . I found it so interesting, I just had to post it. I have told people over and over that willpower isn’t a matter of personal strength, but more an issue of how much re-wiring needs to be done in their brain. Michael offers a great explanation on how willpower plays into how the brain works.
Will Power is not a “Character” Issue
Most of us assume that a lack of will power is a personality defect, and that if we had a better constitution we would meet our resolutions (stop overeating, stop drinking too much, quit smoking, get more done, create and follow a budget, etc…)
But the research is now clear that our brains simply aren’t designed for willpower – because willpower is a limited resource.
A series of experiments has clearly demonstrated that the part of the brain responsible for self control, the prefrontal cortex, simply can’t maintain the act of self control for an extended period of time.
Baba Shiv, a marketing Professor at Stanford University, conducted a really interesting experiment that I think really drives the point home:
Cake or Salad?
Baba Shiv’s team assembled two groups. Group One was tasked with remembering a (more…)
SAY NO TO NANO!
I’m sure you have heard of nanotechnology, but have you heard of nano foods? They are microscopic bio engineered ingredients that alter the way your taste receptors work, and you may be eating them already if you’re consuming processed foods.
A nano food that tricks you into “tasting” sugar or salt when it is not really there is already being used as an ingredient in many common foods. It allows the manufacturer to claim it contains “Less Sugar” or “Less Salt,” while still offering the full taste of the previous version.
Senomyx, the biotechnology company behind this particular food additive, has already developed several chemicals that,
The topic of how sleep affects fat loss is discussed more extensively in my book, “Cracking Your Calorie Code,” so be sure to check out the big picture there, but since I finished writing it, there have been some other interesting research studies that have come out teaching us even more about how we can strategically use sleep time to burn fat.
In a study to be published in the upcoming May Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology, scientists found that insufficient sleep disrupts the hormone balance responsible for signaling the body when it’s full. Before this study, no one had evaluated nocturnal levels of the two key energy balance hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, and leptin (more…)
COOKBOOKS ARE MAKING US FATTER
A recent study showed that recipes from “The Joy of Cooking” have increased substantially in calorie count and portion size since the book’s original publication. There was a nearly 40 percent increase in calories per serving for practically every recipe reviewed.
The study focused primarily on “The Joy of Cooking” because the well-known cookbook has been updated consistently from 1930 through 2006. Of the 18 recipes that have appeared in each version, 17 have increased 63 percent in calorie count per serving, due both to higher overall caloric content and larger portion sizes.
However, Beth Wareham, editor of the 2006 edition of “The Joy of Cooking,” argued that the book has become healthier overall by cutting out processed ingredients.
For a true fat burning recipe strategy that is constantly updated and never goes out of date, go to (more…)
DRINKING SODA MAY RESULT IN KIDNEY DAMAGE
Scientists suspect that the high fructose corn syrup found in soda may be the culprit in a recent study finding that women who consumed the most soda — a marker for intake of high fructose corn syrup — had an 86% increased risk of albuminuria, a sensitive marker for early kidney disease. [Shoham D, et al "Sugary soda consumption and albuminuria: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004" PLoS ONE 2008; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003431.]
New evidence has also exposed the fact that HFCS now contains high levels of mercury. Yet another reason to go organic! If this isn’t bad enough, soda also has been scientifically linked to (more…)
MORE VALIDATION FOR SHORT AND INTENSE EXERCISE:
British researchers have shown that rigorous workouts lasting as little as three minutes may help prevent diabetes by helping control blood sugar.
“You can make just as big as an effect doing this as you can by doing hours and hours of endurance training each week” said James Timmons, an exercise biologist at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, who led the study.
Timmons and his team showed that just seven minutes of exercise each week helped a group of (more…)
Lots of interesting studies have come out recently, and some are particularly applicable to the stuff I’m always talking about! Broccoli for instance, as many of you know, is my favorite superfood. It is the most intense “negative fat food” (meaning the more you eat, the leaner you get), it is the most nutrient dense and micro nutrient balanced food on the planet, and it is relatively cheap.
I also talk about its effects on fighting illness, disease, and even cancer! I have been affirmed once again in this claim by scientists in this month’s Journal of Carcinogenesis. Dr. Wilson and Dr. Jordan found a compound called “isothiocyanates” that contain a compound called “sulforaphane” which targets and attacks cancer cells with (more…)
