“Just In Time to Slim, Shape, and Sculpt Your Body For The Season of Shorts, Shirts, Swimsuits…And Just Being Comfortable In Your Own Skin. Let’s Sex Things Up For Summer!”

Body sculpting with explicit instruction in my body shaping secret weapon: Fit Quickies™

Conference call workouts and guidelines to build your best body sculpting routine ever.

Lift and Shape your seat, thighs, abs, and arms.

Coordinate targeted sequences with your favorite full body workout.

Get your gams, glutes, abs and arms ready for summer!

May is my birthday month and here’s my gift to YOU: Gams, Glutes, Abs, and Arms for Summer.

I’ll not only be sharing how I personally and successfully implement Fit Quickies™ in my workout rotation, but I’ll teach 8 of them to you as well.

These deliver big time in terms of body shaping, keeping you trim, flexible and energetic. And in concert with my dietary plan, you have a winning ticket.

Click HERE for the entire scoop, and reports from students in the February Class AND to jump to Earlybird Registration (save $75)

Including, from my FitDream Files:

• Top Ten Muscles to target for body sculpting – and specific exercises to do just that. If you’ve read my Special Report “The ‘Forgotten’ Body Shaping Secret That Gives You Results in the Places You Want Them”, then you’ve got a jump start on this topic; in May, you’ll learn specific exercises to target these areas.

• Research-proven, most effective exercises for glutes and hamstrings. Learn my customized combination for lifting the seat, sculpting beautiful hamstrings, and creating beautiful shape through that tough-to-target zone, the “bu-thigh”.

• Research-proven, most effective exercises for the abdominals. My customized combination for taking the melt off the belt and cinching in with your natural-girdles, the obliques.

• Topless Muffins: my secret weapon for taking the top off the back of the muffin. I do this move several times a week to lift the seat, make that cute little dent in the side of the seat, and create a flow from the back into the seat. It’s fun, effective, and it feels good, too. I promise you’ll likey!

• More 7 Seconds to a Flat belly: advanced variations on this move to target that place below the belt.

• Inner thighs: squeeze and tease, chair squeeze, and thigh mistress – it’s a favorite triple play for tightening up this tough-to-target area. I make it simple.

• Triceps: Take the “never ending wave” out of YOURS with my triceps challenging sequence. They’re tough, but they don’t take much time and they get the job done. Isn’t that what we’re looking for?

• Dietary Plan: what I do and tips to get your summer skinny on.

Join us!

Click HERE for the entire scoop, and reports from students in the February Class AND to jump to Earlybird Registration (save $75)

Chronic inflammation spells bad news for our health, plain and simple.

And though inflammation is a natural and necessary way that the body stimulates healing,  when inflammation becomes continuous and chronic, it becomes damaging.  The most common causes of inflammation in the body are physical inactivity and diet.

And until recently, high-intensity exercise has been considered a factor in inflammation as well.

However, new information tells us we've only been seeing a part of the picture.  This is good news!

Microscopic view of cell inflammation

Exercise scores again:  a new look at the evidence

For some time, high intensity exercise has been seen as a source of inflammation to the body.  By high intensity, we're talking something that pushes the muscle to perform and makes you reach deep to build new muscle:  interval training, intense resistance training, long distance running.

The kind of training that you know from the burn you feel in the muscle that the muscle is breaking down a little bit.

Yes, this natural response is inflammation at the muscle as the body scrambles to repair and build new muscle (see Taking the mystery out of how muscles are made).

However, that's just a piece of the puzzle.

This "pro-inflammatory" view has also been adopted also due to the detection of  the release in the body of myokines, a type of cytokine, as a response to muscle contraction.  And cytokines are seen as pro-inflammatory markers.  One cytokine that has been correlated with high intensity muscle demand is one known as IL-6.

But hang on a minute. This IL-6 release in response to intense exercise is evidently not the whole story.

Though the release of cytokines as been lumped together as pro-inflammatory when detected in the system, evidently it makes a difference what the cause of the cytokines release happens to be.

Are you still with me here?  Let's take a closer look.

Whenever we move, our bodies release signaling molecules that communicate to the rest of the body.  Muscle, like fat, has been proven to have endocrine properties. When it comes to muscle, myokines are released in response to voluntary contraction of the muscle.

These myokines give instructions to the body about how to function, and they hold the key to controlling chronic inflammation. The most important myokine related to muscle and inflammation is Interleukin-6 (IL-6). When muscle contracts, IL-6 is released. (4)

The myokine IL-6 has previously been linked with a pro-inflammatory response in the body.  It was thus concluded that intense muscle workload, stimulating the release of IL-6, was inflammation inducing.

But as it turns out, intense exercise is good anti-inflammatory medicine. What we're finding out is that when IL-6 is released during intense muscle workload, it is unique in that as part of this response, major anti-inflammatory inhibitors are released as well.

Thus, seeing the complete picture (anti-inflammatory cascade) rather than part of the picture (IL-6 release) makes a huge difference in how we can classify the effects of intense exercise.

IL-6 is a well-known cytokine and has long been thought to be inflammatory in nature as part of what is known as the inflammatory triad: TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6. However, like people, IL-6 seems to behave differently depending on its origin, amount, and other cytokines around with it. When released from muscle, and in high concentrations without TNF-alpha and IL-1, IL-6 is anti-inflammatory. In fact, IL-6 acts to reduce the amount of TNF-alpha and IL-1 in circulation by increasing the cytokine inhibitors IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-lra) and soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR). IL-lra antagonizes the IL-1 receptor, decreasing IL-1 effects, while sTNFR binds up TNF-alpha before it can react at its target cells. At the same time, IL-6 triggers the release of the major anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.

Properly performed exercise releases signaling molecules that stimulate a unique healing response that couples both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms to repair, regenerate, and grow stronger tissue.  Unlike drugs, which have single targets and ignore the web-like interactions in the body, exercise works with the body's innate intelligence to produce broadly beneficial effects that improve whole-body function. High-intensity, short-duration movement that is tailored to the individual, uses short rest periods… may be the chief means of attaining anti-inflammatory effects from exercise. (4)

Background

Increasing evidence demonstrates that persistent, low-grade inflammation is a predictor of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.  Not only that, but experimental evidence shows that markers of chronic inflammation, such as the proinflammatory cytokine [interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-)] and the acute-phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) play a direct role in the atherosclerosis and insulin resistance.

More about IL-6

Initially, IL-6 was thought to be a pro-inflammatory cytokine but recent results have suggested that IL-6 has an inflammation-controlling role and is important to the return to homeostasis after an inflammatory challenge….Interestingly, recent findings have shown that strenuous exercise is also a powerful inducer of elevated concentrations of IL-6 in plasma

The finding in two longitudinal studies that regular training induces a reduction in CRP level suggests that physical activity as such may suppress systemic low-grade inflammation.

Exercise and Inflammation

The health benefits of exercise are far – reaching: disease prevention, improved immunity, stress reduction, and improvements in sleep, mood, coordination, flexibility, bone density and insulin regulation.  Yet exercise that challenges the muscle also causes tissue damage, which causes an inflammatory response as the body's resources scramble to repair and build the damaged area. At the same time, though tissue damage turns on inflammation,  inflammation also promotes necessary growth and renewal, which is a positive effect.   It is, in fact, the only way to build muscle.

Making more muscle cells via regular exercise is good for you in a lot of ways. In each new muscle cell, there is an increase in the size and number of mitochondria, the "powerhouse" components of the cells that provide energy.  And trained muscle cells become more efficient in their uptake and use of fats and oxygen from the blood.

Exercise also increases the proportion of energy derived from fat and lowers lactic acid production as they develop endurance.

Acute exercise

In conclusion, regular exercise protects against diseases associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation. This long-term effect of exercise may be ascribed to the anti-inflammatory response elicited by an acute bout of exercise, which is partly mediated by muscle-derived IL-6.

Physiological concentrations of IL-6 stimulate the appearance in the circulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ra and IL-10 and inhibit the production of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-. Moreover, IL-6 stimulates lipolysis as well as fat oxidation. The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise may offer protection against TNF-induced insulin resistance. Recently, our group proposed that IL-6 and other cytokines, which are produced and released by skeletal muscles, exerting their effects in other organs of the body, should be named myokines. Here we suggest that myokines may be involved in mediating the health-beneficial effects of exercise and play important roles in the protection against diseases associated with low-grade inflammation. (3)

In English?

Several studies conclude that the levels of  IL-6 ideal for the anti-inflammatory response are best stimulated by exercise intensity.  Intensity that allow for periods of recovery within the session, such as interval training. Positive correlations have also been found between glycogen exhaustion of targeted muscles as a stimulus for the IL-6 anti-inflammatory cascade.

In other words, the kind of  exercise that uses short bursts of all-out effort that significantly alters muscle and dips into liver glycogen stores.  Such as when you dig deep into your reserves to work a muscle to its limit, pause to recover, then target another muscle or group of muscles.  Or when you do supersets, alternating muscle and muscle group activity.

This ushers coveted muscle workload interval workouts into the anti-inflammatory winners circle:  Interval training, Fit Quickies circuits, Supersets, and Bar Method.

There are other reasons that this type of activity is of benefit. Short intense bursts of exercise also stimulate growth factors – factors that offset chronic inflammation.  This is also the type of exercise that:

…creates a hormonal environment that produces sustained fat-burning as well as muscle growth.  The amount of glycogen reduction is directly correlated to IL-6 release, and high-intensity exercise is shown to increase IL-6 and catecholamines together.  Catecholamines have their own independent effect in lowering TNF alpha and IL-1, synergistically enhancing IL-6. Combining these known effects with techniques that can deliver the same benefit in less time presents the opportunity to supply these anti-inflammatory effects in short time periods.

Related studies conclude that any exercise, irrespective of the intensity and the individual's cardiovascular fitness, will elicit an acute anti-inflammatory response. (5)

Obviously, more data on the effects of different modes and intensities of exercise on inflammation is in demand.

But if you have been concerned that the localized inflammation of muscle that occurs when challenging it to change via resistance,  apparently you can rest assured that this inflammatory response is not only necessary for muscle to grow, but a stronger anti-inflammatory response comes along with it, hand in glove. Previous limited views of the IL-6 factor have been preempted by this discovery only recently.

There's more! Exercise induced IL-6 has multiple other positive effects on cortisol, adipose tissue, and insulin resistance.  The door has just been opened on this one.

There are several forms of exercise that by their nature perhaps have diminished IL-6 factor response in the first place, yet by their very nature of moving the body are powerful anti-inflammatory tools.

But as now know, the anti-inflammatory exercise window is bigger than we thought.

Note: In patients with a chronic inflammatory disease, both acute and chronic exercise might elicit different inflammatory responses (i.e., exaggerated after acute exercise & attenuated after training) compared to healthy matched controls. However, the results reveal a major gap in our knowledge regarding the effects of acute and chronic exercise on inflammatory markers in patients with a chronic inflammatory disease. Results are often inconsistent, and differences in training programs (intensity, frequency and duration), heterogeneity of disease populations studied, and analytic methods may be just some of the causes for these discrepancies. To optimize exercise prescriptions and recommendations for patients with a chronic inflammatory disease, more research is needed to define the nature of physical activity that confers health benefits without exacerbating underlying inflammatory stress associated with disease pathology. (7)

© Lani Muelrath, 2010

Resources:

1) Ostrowski, et al. "Physical activity and plasma IL-6–effect of intensity of exercise". European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2000;83:512-515.

2) Pederson, et al. "Searching for the exercise factor: Is IL-6 a candidate?" Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility. 2003;24:113-119.

3) J Appl Physiol 98: 1154-1162, 2005; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00164.2004  8750-7587/05

4) Jade Teta ND, LAc, CSCS "Exercise is medicine: the anti-inflammatory effects of high intensity exercise"

5) Fletcher, Emma; Betts, Jeffery J.; Harrison, Michael; Moyna, Niall M. FACSM; O'Connor, Paul; Visich, Paul S. Effect Of "Exercise Intensity On Pro-and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines In Trained And Untrained Men": 743: May 28 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM

6) PubMed: Epidemiology. 2002 Sep;13(5):561-8.

(7) Ploeger HE, Takken T, de Greef MH, Timmons BW. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2009;15:6-41.
"The effects of acute and chronic exercise on inflammatory markers in children and adults with a chronic inflammatory disease: a systematic review."

Jami, a contestant, lost 3 inches from her waist

Can fitness contests be motivating?

Not only for the participants, but for the bystanders who get to WATCH the progress of others?

Others who are investing their sweat equity in transforming their body shape, energy, and oftentimes health?

Others who have taken a stand on their weight loss and body shaping goals by committing to the public declaration of "contest?"!

Here's your chance to find out.

Looking for a late summer boost?

If you are looking for a late summer boost in your fitness motivation, the contest currently underway at Turbulence Training may be just the ticket.

Women's AND Men's divisions

There are two divisions in which you can place your vote – men's and women's.  Each contestant has a detailed essay of how they implemented Turbulence Training to bring them to their success.  They also include statistics trackers.

And impressive photographs to boot!

Voting ends Wednesday, August 26!

Hurry, though, to make your vote count!

Here again is the link:  Turbulence Training Transformation Contest Summer 2009 Edition.

And just an FYI – if you are not familiar with Turbulence Training, it is a form of SuperSet Training with multiple option for variety and intensity depending on your goals and condition.

Good luck to all the contestants!

More contest motivation at T-Tapp

Here are more success stories that may give your late-summer fitness quest a boost.  However, you will not be able to cast a vote on this one.  But you can still enjoy the benefit of seeing the results of the hard work of others!

Just pop on over the T.Tapp, and scroll down the section on the right until you see the link to "Success Stories".  Congratulations to all winners and participants!

© Lani Muelrath 2009 All Rights Reserved

Work out for that Wonderwoman feeling

With 3 weeks out of the last 7 being on travel adventure of one form or another, my usual fitness routine has been a mix of eclectic alternatives.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.

Central to my fitness dream is to have an exercise and eating lifestyle that WORKS no matter what kind of wild and woolly adventure I'm on.

So that I can have heaps of fun, eat freely, without any of the ravages of OCD (that's obsessive compulsive dieting, in the event you don't know) from the old days.

Happy to say it all went splendidly this time as well.  Starting with our Oaxaca trekking followed closely by scuba adventure in the Dutch Antilles, I returned right in the weight range per usual.  Eating foods I enjoy, and staying active, yes.

But without the structured workouts.

Or fretting about every morsel on my plate.

I enjoy theses forays from the usual workout routine for many reasons.

1)  It gives a great mental break

2) It gives the body a chance to regroup.

3)  When I return, I'm refreshed and motivated to get back to that good feeling that comes from a workout well done.

You know, where the muscles have been worked to the max and you feel like Superwoman?

Sure, I was plenty active on our travels.   Mostly walking, hiking, and schlepping scuba tanks.  For now, I"ll keep up the walking and re-up on targeting muscle work and overall conditioning.

Targeted muscle work cinches in the muscles and gives you the girdle effect from nose to knees.  I love the feeling.

My Summer Super-Shaper Plan

First, I swear on a stack of legwarmers (I hear they're back in)  that I can get all the "workout" I need to stay in primo shape in under four hours a week.

Not including my walk time, which is more like an amble to the lake.  That's just fun time.  Daily.

Plus, I like to keep it simple.  Like this:

Workout Plan:

2x/week: T-Tapp Total Workout variations

2x/week: Bar Method – for the dancer and leg woman in me – under an hour each, including extended stretching, which is one reason I like it so much PLUS I have made it a goal to specifically include more stretching so 2 mints in one.

2x/week: extra strength training – for upper body coupled with a splash of high intensity interval training

Dietary Plan:

Easy. Mountains of veggies and fruits with whole grains and breads, nuts and seeds, with room for red wine and chocolate to sweeten the deal.

Mini-fasts: intermittent mini-fasting (IMF) is less doable for me on the road;  usually I can manage 1 day every couple of weeks or so.  I miss the many joys of IMF and starting back in with my 2x -a -week schedule for now.   Eat Stop Eat is my favorite and recommended approach to this.

Results of my exercise and dietary plan?

Been home with this plan in place for a week and did a quick meaure this morning.  Notes:  down a shave in hips and stomach and feeling tightened up again already.

What's YOUR summer shape-up plan?

Take a stand and tell  about it in comments below!

© Lani Muelrath, M.A. All Rights Reserved

Yours truly at 35 feet with a hawksbill sea turtle, Bonaire, Dutch Antilles May  '09

Yes, fitness takes many forms.  And one of my favorites is scuba, as you can see in this short 9 second clip my husband – and dive buddy – took just hours ago.

All else aside – including the exhilaration of swimming with sea turtles – of which one admittedly never tires – here are some fitness afloat bits and insights:

1)  Calorie burn: depending on which resource you use, I'm burning off about 600 calories per hour during scuba.  This is not so much due to athletic activity as to the thermogenesis generated keeping core temperature stabilized.

Even at 80 degrees – which is the temperature of the water here in mid May according to our dive computers – that means the body needs to ramp up metabolic activity to keep things as close to 98.6 as possible.

Additional calorie expenditure happens kicking through currents, in and out from shore, and schlepping dive gear around.  The tanks can weight from 30 to 50 lbs.  Once underwater, they feel like nothing, but somebody has to get them there.  And as our diving here is walk-in style, guess what that means?

And EPOC generated by thermogenesis and the other activities here help offset airport food blunders and other holiday travel indulgences.

2)  Cardiovascular strength: once out to the reef and bobbing beneath the waves, the aerobic challenge can be minimal – or all out high demand.  When a current kicks up or when you are kicking like mad to keep up with the eagle ray or dolphin pod (impossible, but we try!), you better be fit of heart baby or you are going to last only a few kicks.  Interval training keeps one prepared for this.

At the same time, each shore dive has an aerobic component.  Initially the "paddle to the sea", out to where the reef drops, requires a straight kick on or right below surface

3)  Upper body strength: Scuba tanks themselves weigh up to 30 -50 lbs.  Add to that the rest of your gear and schlepping all of it into and out of the of the dive truck, and you have one heck of a workout you can sink your teeth into.  Last year's dive triip inspired motivation to build up some upper body strength (see Supersets for Super Shape) and it's paid off big time in this spring's adventure.

4)  Leg and kick strength: kinetically related to #2, cardiovascular strength, the athletic demands  of kicking out to the reef drop and the kicking intervals that are integral to the process build hamstrings, gluteal muscles, and provide a great butt workout.

5)  Core muscle development: Try loading up your back with over 50 pounds of gear and teetering through the sand and beach coral to the waterline.  The demands on the core muscles to provide balance, stability, and uprightness against gravity are huge.  That means abdominals (all of 'em!), spinal erectors, lats…you name it, it's recruited.

6)  Deep relaxation: all of the above may make this sound like it is all hard work and no play.  But actually the real prize with tropical scuba – and what is remembered most -is simply bobbing around in gentle warm water surges with lots of beautiful and funny finned critters and their companions. And breathing. Slowly and gently.  It's all slow motion.  It quiets the mind and transports.  That's the secret of scuba.

The perfect antidote to the stress of travel.  Case in point:  here's a snapshot from 24 hours earlier at the Curacao airport.

"Where's my private jet?"

© Lani Muelrath All Rights Reserved

As much as I enjoy working out with weights and other toys of the trade, there's nothing like having a whole arsenal of exercises that only require the use of your own body weight to keep you challenged.

And as a world traveler, this is something I need to have in my fitness toolkit!  For even though my travels often take me on active hiking, scuba, or walking ventures, there are other times when I need to be sure I keep up a muscle challenge so I stay fit.

There are several choices in this realm, I'm going to feature two of my favorites today.  The T-Tapp Wellness Workout and Turbulence Training Body Weight Workouts.

Both of these programs provide you with a challenging workout that you do not need to get to the gym to experience.  They both also have "bootcamp" features, signifying intense windows of opportunity to jumpstart your fitness.

And by the way, they both offer great workouts for not only travel, but any time, anywhere.

T-Tapp Wellness Workout Bootcamps

T-Tapp gets its curious name (no, it's not about tap dancing) from its creator, Teresa Tapp.  It is what I like to call a physical therapy approach to fitness, and no special equipment other than sturdy shoes are required to do it.

T-Tapp moves you through a series of movements that are specific in sequence.  And it utilizes body alignment, dynamic tension, isometrics, and compound (using lots of muscles at once)  exercises.  It's movements are reminiscent, and incorporate principles common to other disciplines such as yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, martial arts, calisthenics, dance, Callanetics, and gynmastics.

The best place to start with T-Tapp is with the Total Workout or Basic Workout Plus;  there is also a T-Tapp More program for those with deeper rehabilitation needs.  All of these sequences can be utilized in a 4, 7, 10, or 14-day bootcamp.

One of the best things about T-Tapp is that as comprehensive as it is, you can do the entire routine in a small space – you only need enough room to extend your arms and legs in all directions!  For more about T-Tapp, pop on over to T-Tapp.com.

Turbulence Training Bodyweight Bootcamps

Calisthenics on steroids? Well, maybe not but we have a close second!

Turbulence Training has resistance programs using weights, BUT there is also a whole fleet of workouts using just body weight exercises.

AND Turbulence Training has just come out with a new combination of body weight workouts combined into a bootcamp style regimen.  There's even a promo sale going on through midnight April 20 with $20 off if you're quick!  Here's the link:  Turbulence Training Bodyweight Bootcamps.

Turbulence Training uses a unique complimentary system of alternating large groups of muscles while you keep up a pace that keeps you challenged.  There are many similarities to Super Set training and utilizes that style with both its dumbbell and body weight exercises.

Each of these programs stands on its own – and compliments the other.  What's YOUR preference?  Tell me about it in comments below!

Let's face it. When it comes right down to weight loss and fat loss, it's the calories that count.

Yet how many of us have spent years – decades even – in the quest for JUST the right trick or tweak?

Report from Two Weight Loss Studies

Two studies have been completed and reviewed within the past 2 years with similar findings.

I'll review the details of the most recent study, which you may have seen referred to in the news over the past week.  Then, I'll jump back to the report of another study completed prior to.

The studies are a match in their findings: when it comes to dietary analysis of what works best for weight loss, it comes right down to one thing:  dietary compliance that results in a negative energy balance (overall calorie reduction) is the deciding factor on fat loss.

It doesn't matter which diet, it's the reduction in calories that does it bottom line.

Study One:  New England Journal of Medicine Report  (2009)

[Ref: NEJM Vol 360:859-873  February 26, 2009  Number 9; Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates;  Frank M. Sacks, M.D., et al]

Weight-Loss Intervention

Four groups were created for purposes of this study.  Each group followed a different dietary prescription in terms of the ratio of fat, protein, and carbohydrate calories.

The nutrient goals for the four diet groups were varied in the following macronutrient breakdowns:

Group 1:  20% fat, 15% protein, and 65% carbohydrates (low-fat, average-protein);

Group 2:   20% fat, 25% protein, and 55% carbohydrates (low-fat, high-protein);

Group 3:   40% fat, 15% protein, and 45% carbohydrates (high-fat, average-protein); and

Group 4:   40% fat, 25% protein, and 35% carbohydrates (high-fat, high-protein).

Thus, two of the diets were low-fat and two were high-fat; two were average-protein and two were high-protein.

Other goals for all groups included: that

1)  the diets should include 8% or less of saturated fat,

2)  the diets should include at least 20 g of dietary fiber per day, and

3)  the diets should include 150 mg or less of cholesterol per 1000 kcal.

In addition, carbohydrate-rich foods with a low glycemic index were recommended in each diet. Each participant's caloric prescription represented a deficit of 750 kcal per day from the level of calorie intake that would sustain their current body weight. This was calculated from the person's resting energy expenditure and activity level.

The goal for physical activity was 90 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Participation in exercise was monitored by questionnaire and by the online self-monitoring tool.

Results

Average weight lost?  For each group, an average of 13 lbs at six months.  Not surprisingly after the six month point, diet compliance tended to waiver.

Conformity to cultural norms, scientific novelty, and media attention are nonbiologic reasons for the success of specific diets. We used a generic approach to developing each diet and the instructions for following it, in order to minimize such influences. No diet was considered to be a control diet, and the dietary counseling and the attention that we provided were the same for all diet groups throughout the study period. … results suggest that any type of diet, when taught for the purpose of weight loss with enthusiasm and persistence, can be effective. When non nutritional influences are minimized, as they were in our study, the specific macronutrient content is of minor importance, as was suggested many years ago.

Study Two: The "A-Z Diet Study", Intl. Journal of Obesity (2008)

Quite possibly, the reference to previous studies includes that which was reported just last year by the International Journal of Obesity.

[Ref Intl J. Obesity (2008) 32, 985–991; doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.8; published online 12 February 2008]

In that study, 181 overweight/obese women averaging in the mid-forties age group participated in a one year long randomized clinical trial  referred to as the A TO Z study.

This study was designed to compare results from popular weight loss diets:  the Atkins Diet, Zone Diet, and Ornish Diet.  Subjects were tracked for diet compliance, or adherence.  Results of the A-Z Diet Study?

Regardless of assigned diet groups, 12-month weight change was greater in the most adherent compared to the least adherent tertiles. These results suggest that strategies to increase adherence may deserve more emphasis than the specific macronutrient composition of the weight loss diet itself in supporting successful weight loss.

In other words, there was NO difference in overall weight loss between these four groups that was not also specifically correlated with diet adherence.  Researchers concluded that it doesn't matter what diet you're on to lose weight, it's simply sticking to a reduced calorie load that does the trick.  Whether it's a specific diet,  Mini-Fasts, or any other strategy to influence energy balance.

Is A Calorie A Calorie?

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

There are some food choices and dietary guidelines that can make it easier to be compliant with a calorie reduction.  It is common knowledge that highly processed carbohydrates, for example, can drive up our hunger due to insulin surges, which makes a calorie deficit more difficult to maintain.

We also know that food plans high in dietary fats can mean bodyfat gain as well as reluctance of the body to let go of fat stores.

In addition, cutting calories TOO severely week after week only rebounds in makeup eating and excess hunger.  But you may well know that from experience, just like me!

Thus, it still makes sense to pay attention to the quality, variety, and availability of food when it comes to fat loss, weight loss, or optimizing body composition.  Specialized, deeply restrictive diets with a gimmick or two are simply a way to trick us into a calorie deficit.  I remember the grapefruit and egg diet.  Sure, it worked.  Because that was all you could eat, and who doesn't get sick of THAT after about a day and a half?!  This kind of diet brings the compliance issue quickly to a head, am I right?

Just the same, overall, it's the calories – and not the magic of a specific dietary tactic, taboo, or secret – that  count when it comes to weight loss, fat loss, and management.  An let's not forget that health is another matter.

If you'd like to read the abstracts/more details of these studies, here are the links:

International Journal of Obesity

New England Journal of Medicine

Looking forward to your thoughts in "comments" below.

© Lani Muelrath

]]> http://thetruthaboutfatlossforwomen.com/2009/03/04/its-the-calories-honey-two-studies-on-weight-loss/feed/ 8 http://thetruthaboutfatlossforwomen.com/2009/01/03/knee-sos-3-common-mistakes-that-can-cause-knee-damage/ http://thetruthaboutfatlossforwomen.com/2009/01/03/knee-sos-3-common-mistakes-that-can-cause-knee-damage/#comments Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:36:41 +0000 Lani Muelrath http://thetruthaboutfatlossforwomen.com/?p=176 image:  cacahuete

Knee S.O.S.! How often have I heard the cry of complaint when it comes to knee pain?

For those of us with a few years of mileage on our knees, the or plea for knee pain relief can be all too familiar.

More on Knee S.O.S.! 3 Common Mistakes That Can Cause Knee Pain And What To Do About It

image:  cacahuete

Knee S.O.S.! How often have I heard the cry of complaint when it comes to knee pain?

For those of us with a few years of mileage on our knees, the or plea for knee pain relief can be all too familiar.

From myself included.  Years ago, I was a regular runner – up to 7 miles a day, with a half marathon and a medal in a triathlon event my crowning glory!

Yet after a few years, the running took its toll, and with a repeated "tweak" on the knee, my running morphed to walking.

I still walk every day.  But there's more to the story.  Now, after years of paying more close attention to alignment of my knee joints during exercise as well as daily activity, I can now run and jog – should I so choose – without the tweak effect.  More on this later.

Here's the thing. The knees are a very vulnerable joint, and we place all kinds of challenges upon them.  Is it any wonder that they start to demand a little extra attention after while?  Click here for

(Brief) Knee Injury Overview

Officially, a knee injury can affect any of the ligaments, tendons or fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that surround your knee joints.  A knee injury can also affect the bones, cartilage and ligaments that form the knee joint itself. And because knee joints are so complex, combined with the amount of use knees get over a lifetime, along with the range of injuries and diseases that can cause knee pain, is it any wonder that the signs and symptoms of knee problems are so persistent?

There are common mistakes that we make in our daily movement that can cause knee damage, discomfort, pain – and even worse, injury.

The GOOD news is there are easy corrections that we can make to reduce negative impact on the knee joints, create a situation where we are diminishing the chance of inflicting further damage, and rebuilding them at the same time.   Read on.

Why Is The Knee Joint So Vulnerable?

The human body may be a fantastic design, yet we ask so darn much of the knee that does one really wonder how it holds up to the challenges?  We twist, turn, move laterally (think dashes side to side on a basketball court), leverage…just for starters.  And don't get me started on what sports ask of our knees.  (Actually, I already DID get started on that one.  And don't knee injuries top the list of current and veteran athletes?)

This all adds up to a heap of trouble when it comes to needs, leading to potential injury of ligaments, tendons, meniscus (cartilage that curves within your knee joint), dislocation, bursitis…and this is not even an exhaustive list.  Should you have recurring knee pain or malfunction, you should see an orthopedic surgeon to get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment.  For our purposes today, I'll stay focused on the preventative.

Briefly, it is a long, long  from ankle to hip and we ask our knees to process the whole challenge.  There are 3 big mistakes in carriage and alignment that are huge contributors to knee pain.  Let's look at them first, and then I'll provide some simple solutions that you can start to implement immediately.

3 Movement Mistakes That Lead To Knee Pain

1) Allowing the knee to pronate, or roll to the inside of the ankle, when bending.

This happens so often, we don't even think about it.  But thinking about it is just what I am going to ask you to do.  Here's how you can run a simple test to see if you are guilt of this one.

From a standing position, bend the knees as if to sit in a chair, or to pick something up off the floor.  Once your knee bend progresses beyond 45 degrees, observe which direction the knee starts to point as seen from your angle of vision above.  If you are like most women, the knee will start to roll to the inside of the ankle.  As a matter of fact, if you are already having some knee "challenges", it may be at this point that you already start to feel some knee discomfort or pressure, and may even have been avoiding placing this kind of stress on the knee in the past.

2)  Placing joint-centered stress on the knees.

This phenomenon occurs without our thinking about it, just as in demonstration #1.  Here's how to observe your own movements with regard to joint stress, or pressure.  From a seated position on a chair, or even lower (such as getting up off of the floor), move yourself up to standing position.  Chances are you engaged the muscles around the knees and initiated the move from there.  This places huge leverage pressure on the knees, and if we are already creating a compromised position (#1) with alignment of the knee joint when in bend, we have now multiplied our sins, when it comes to knee joint integrity!

3)  Turning the feet out when we walk.

This one is easiest to observe on others, but you can also do a self-check.  Here's how.

Stand, close your eyes, and without thinking about foot placement (promise) walk in place for about 15 seconds.  Stop, with both feet on the floor.  Open your eyes and look down.  If you were on skiis, would your feet ski straight ahead or to the corners of the room?  The stepping in place can be a fairly accurate reading of foot placement when you are actually walking, at least if you aren't thinking about foot placement during the self-check.

Foot out turn during walking is simply a re-creation of the same situation as knee pronation in #1.  If your toes are turned out, even slightly, then the knee is being invited to pronate – or roll inward – with each step. And as walking is the most common activity we do in terms of stress on the knees, with pronation upon each step, we are creating the opportunity for injury – and pain – with each step.  Think about it!

What You Can Do About It – Knee Rehab In A Nutshell

These solutions are so simple, you will be surprised that you didn't think of them yourself.  Or maybe you already have!

They are central to knee rehabilitation, core basics that came in my Kinesiology courses as a graduate student.

Quite simply, you counter the mistakes consciously – and then quite soon, this becomes a habit!  This is how I rebuilt my knee joints, and barring deeper injury, you can too.

Here's how:

1) Avoid allowing the knee to pronate when you bend the knee joint.

Go back to the self-check activity as described in #1 above.  But this time, as you start to deepen the flexion of the knee joint, consciously counter the tendency for the knee to roll inward by tracking the knees toward the outer toes.  This should be accompanied concurrently by strategy #2:

2) Avoid joint-centered knee stress by actively contracting other neighboring muscle groups.

This sounds a lot fancier than it really is.  I simply mean, activate the muscles through the thighs and hips to help spread out the work load, so that the knee does not bear all the pressure.  Play around with it a little bit and you'll see what I mean.

3)  Walk with your toes directly forward – whenever you walk!

This will probably take the most getting used to, because we are so habituated to just let the feet fall where they may.  And it is this very habit that has built a dangerous biomechanical situation when it comes to the knees.

This is all it took to rebuild my knees from "knee tweak" to "can run again!"

AND you can extrapolate the simple lessons above.  Simply include the basic principles in any of your activities, workouts, or athletic adventures.

More Resources: A Workout With Your Knees In Mind

These important knee principles are part of the powerful techniques as orchestrated in the T-Tapp Wellness Workout.  It includes a tremendous focus on rebuilding knee joints.  This is done by incorporating the principles of rehabilitative knee alignment throughout the sequence of the entire workout.  Thus, instruction places emphasis on correct placement and tracking of the knees along with compound muscle activation surrounding the knees during plies and lunges.

In my work as a fitness trainer and T-Tapp trainer I have had the opportunity to see these principles bring tremendous relief to many women.  You can find out more about the T-Tapp Wellness workout from me or at T-Tapp.  This workout is a great way to develop the habit of good knee practices while getting in an excellent workout at the same time.

For now, try the experiments above and see what you can apply – today!

© Lani Muelrath, M.A.

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Let's face it, I love feeling fit and strong!

There's nothing like lithe strength (yes these two can go together!) to make you energetic and shapely at the same time.  And the feeling of empowerment that comes with physical strength is not to be discounted.

And I love showing women the tools to get you there.

In last week's FitDream Ezine, I gave some specific pointers about how to play safe with weights by utilizing T-Tapp rehabilitative techniques.  Today, as promised, more about my own personal weight training workouts.

First, a little history.

Several years ago, I worked out with weights pretty regularly.  When I learned about T-Tapp, and the results of resistance training that I could achieve by using only the resistance of my own body with the initiation first of isometric contraction, I decided to give it a full-on shot to see what I could achieve with that.  To say the least, I was surprised and delighted with the results AND that I now had something with which to travel so easily!

So, why did I start lifting weights again?

Frankly, I missed the feel and now I enjoy BOTH!  NOTE: It is important to clarify that T-Tapp should NOT be done with weights – it is not designed to use more resistance than that which you can create with your own muscular contraction.  However, you CAN apply T-Tapp alignment principles to weight training, which I presented recently in FitDream Ezine. I hope that this differentiation is clear.

Also, I wanted to build up some sports specific strength. While scuba diving last summer, I noticed those scuba tanks were a little more difficult to schlep around than I remembered.  By the end of our two week trip, I had built up some good strength from heaving tanks into the truck – and it felt good! AND I wanted to be sure to keep that strength for our next upcoming trip.

So, when I returned from our trip in August, I pulled out my dumbells and resumed my  favorite, most time-efficient and results-delivering type of weight workout:  Supersets.

And finally, I love the feeling of targeted muscle work.  You can do this with or without weights – utilizing the extra resistance of weights can get you deep into specific muscles quickly.

How Do Supersets Work?

Supersetting is easy to organize.  Here's how I do it.

1)  I select 6 exercises: 3 that focus on upper body, 3 that focus on lower body
2)  I make sure that all exercises selected are compound in nature:  that means they are not isolated muscle exercises.

So far so good!  Now, here is the next part:

I combine 1 upper body compound exercise and one lower body compound exercise for each Superset.  This will deliver up a total of 3 Supersets made up from the 6 different exercises.  Are you with me?  Let me clarify with an example:

Upper Body Compound:   Push Ups
Lower Body Compound:   Split Squat with Dumbbells

The Superset unfolds like this:  I would do one set of pushups, immediately followed by one set of Split Squat with Dumbbells.  Rest 20-30 seconds, and repeat.  Twice.  One Superset, done!

Then, I proceed to a second combination.  Then a third.

Including my warmup, this is a 20 minute, total strength, body shaping, and renewal workout!

I then follow this with my Interval training, and the whole darn thing is done in less that 40 minutes.  How do you like them apples?

Supersetting is something to be approached with excellent warm up, moderate weights as you get going, and full attention to proper exercise form.  I was pleased and surprised at how rapidly I was able to increase the weights I was using, which told me I was building good muscle.

AND the fact that my strength went up while my weight stayed the same and my waist measurement went down, tells me that I was making optimal shifts in body composition.

And I'm counting on those scuba tanks being easier to schlep around come our next dive trip early 2009!

P.S. If you are looking for something out there similar to Supersets as I practice and coach it, I recommend Turbulence Training.

There's just so doggone much to do and so I like to get my energizing, muscle-building, stress-reducing, good sleep enhancing, body shaping (can you tell I have a long list of benefits to exercise?) workouts in in record time so the rest of the day I am N-R-GIZED and all my other "activity" can be play!

37 minutes from start to finish. Supersets with 2 moves each (total of 6 moves):

Split Lunges and Pullups

Dead Lifts and Front Planks

Squats and One-Arm Rows

and 4 intervals on my air bike

Oh yes, followed by some hamstring stretches and I still got it in under the 37 minute wire!