PJ's Fitness Blog – Page 35 – 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.

All Calories Are NOT Created Equal

I have been singing this tune for years, but sometimes it helps to hear it from someone else in their own words. Dr. Sears is very good at explaining things in simple terms, so I just cut and pasted his message on the subject below. Please enjoy!

I was reading The New York Times recently and came across an article, “Calories Do Count.”1 Doctors, public health officials, restaurant chain executives… are all jumping on the bandwagon about how much calories matter.

“Good old calorie counting is coming back into fashion,” the reporter wrote.

When it comes to your health, forget the fashion.

Your body treats calories differently depending on the source. A carbohydrate calorie is not the same as a protein calorie is not the same as a fat calorie. Your body “counts” them in completely different ways.

These three “macronutrients” provoke varying biological responses, some of them good, some not so good, depending on a number of factors.

You probably already know that carbohydrates kick your body’s

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If You Want To Climb To New Fitness Heights, Take The Stairs!

Stairs are the perfect activity for getting in shape fast. They are also one of the best fat burning workouts I’ve ever discovered I’m not talking about the StairMaster either, or even the Stepmill. I’m talking about real stairs. There is a big difference! X Gymer “Proby” pictured here is a good example of stair fitness success. He’s our last year’s Biggest Loser winner and one of our fastest stair climbers now!

Climbing real stairs in a building is both mentally and physically beneficial – beyond what you can imagine. Physically, it causes a visceral/instinctive reaction in your body that makes your heart and lungs change faster than any workout (outside the X Gym of course). It also burns fat better than anything besides X Gym methods.

When you push yourself hard up stairs, your body thinks you have moved to the mountains somewhere, and there are lots of sabertooth mountain goats chasing you. It then

Burn Fat With Your Brain

Did you know that your brain burns 15-25% of your daily calories? Even though your brain makes up only about 3% of your weight, it accounts for a very big part of your metabolic rate! Most people think of muscles as their only calorie burner, and while they are the main engine for that, the huge amount of energy the brain requires is hardly ever discussed.

The reason this is important is because a healthy brain uses more energy and therefore contributes more to your metabolic rate. Keeping your brain healthy is pretty easy too if you know how. Some of the ways are:

Is All Sugar Evil?

I was recently asked by an X Gym member to post a blog on the different kinds of sugar and their effect on fat loss. He commented that while I am always on my soapbox about the evils of sugar, it can get confusing because sugar is listed on food labels without any explanation between the kinds of sugars.

I do claim to be “sugar free” but even broccoli has sugar, so what is the difference between that sugar and the sugar found in Sugar Daddy candy? There are indeed good sugars that can actually burn fat off your body as well as bad sugars that put you into a fat storing mode, so understanding the difference is vital.

It really comes down to the good old fashioned

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