The first-ever scientific study of its kind was conducted recently on the popular PX90 weight loss and fitness program by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) with the help of the University of Wisconsin’s La Crosse program. The study was led by John Porcari, Ph.D. and Joel Woldy, M.S., who are both researchers with the University’s Exercise and Health Program and aimed to determine the true energy cost and exercise intensity of the PX90 program.

The concept of “muscle confusion” is at the heart of the PX90 program, which was created by trainer Tony Horton. In more scientific terms, this is known as “daily undulating periodization,” which is a fancy way of saying that you are changing up workouts so often that the body does not have time to adapt and become used to the exercise. Since this means the body is always operating at sub-optimal efficiency, it will burn more fat and build muscle more quickly. Although very popular among participants, until now PX90 had never been studied scientifically, leaving only anecdotal evidence regarding its effectiveness.

PX90 has sold more than 3 million copies by November of last year, with numbers undoubtedly reaching well beyond that as we approach 2012. Stars like Sheryl Crow, Billy Idol and Bruce Springsteen have backed the program, which bills itself as “The Ultimate 90-Day Home Fitness Bootcamp.”

For the study, researchers recruited 16 athletes, choosing healthy subjects between the ages of 19 and 26 who exercise regularly and had previous experience with either PX90 or a comparable circuit-style weight training and aerobic program. First, they established a baseline of fitness by performing tests to determine the maximum heart rate and VO2max for all subjects. Next, the participants were asked to complete up to three practice sessions of each of the PX90 workouts the study examined, which included Cardio X, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Legs & Back and Plyometrics.

After the subjects had become familiar with the workouts, testing began. Participants were asked to participate to the best of their abilities through all phases of the testing process, while researchers monitored their heart rates, perceived exertion (RPE) and the predicted VO2 that was exerted during the session.

“The basis of muscle confusion is to keep the body from becoming too efficient at performing individual and sets of exercises,” said Alice Burron, MS Exercise Physiology, ACE National Spokesperson and ACE Personal Trainer. “This type of inefficiency burns more calories because the muscles haven’t yet adapted to the new workload. Overall, more calories are burned, and as a percentage, then, more calories are burned from fat. That is if a proper caloric intake is maintained in tandem with the workout.”

The study results are clear, with male subjects burning between 441 and 699 kcals per workout and female subjects burning between 302 and 544 kcals per workout. These results prove that PX90 is an effective weight loss and fitness tool that researchers believe “meets or exceeds established fitness industry standards for losing weight and improving cardiorespiratory fitness.”

Sources: American Council On Exercise, SELF Magazine

We all know that the one of the worst things about drinking regular soda is the sugar, so sugar free diet soda seems like a logical alternative right? Maybe not. Over the past few years there have been quite a few studies that imply that that diet soda is actually bad for us over the long run.

There have been a variety of claims over the years (some proven and some nonsense) as to why diet soda is so bad for us, but let’s take a look at a few so that you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to pick up that can of Diet Coke or find something else to drink.

Increased Weight Gain

No, that’s not a typo! Diet soda can actually make you GAIN weight if you drink it for a long period of time.

According to a study performed by the University of Texas Health Science Center drinking diet soda more frequently has been correlated to a larger waist line. That study also determined that the sweetener aspartame increased blood sugar (glucose) levels in mice, implying that the same could be possible in humans.

There has been some opposition to these findings, citing the small sample sizes used and the fact that parts of the test were done with mice and not humans, but there have been similar studies done in the past that show similar results so at the very least it’s worth taking in to consideration if you’re dieting.

Increased Risk of Heart Attack

According to an American Stroke Association study of people who drank diet soda at least once a day they had an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other “vascular diseases”. The study followed around 2,500 New Yorkers for close to a decade and found that over 60% of them had a higher risk of vascular events.

As a resident New Yorker I would add that this state is one of the most stressful places to live in the world so I’m not at all surprised that they had an increased likelihood of stroke or heart attack. I’m taking these results with a grain of salt, but then again I’m not a scientist so what do I know?

Increased Risk of PreTerm Birth

There was also a study of Danish doctors published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that saw an increase in preterm birth rates for those women who drank diet soda, but there was no increase in those that drank regular, sugared soda. Despite the study Dr. Thorhallur I. Halldorsson who led the study said that “one observational study is not enough to justify strong statements” and there is a need for additional studies in this area.

Aspartame Side Effects

One of the most controversial ingredients in diet soda is the sweetener aspartame which was originally approved by the FDA in 1974. There have been literally hundreds of suspected side effects from aspartame since then, ranging anywhere from migraine headaches to brain cancer.

Despite the large number of claims about aspartame, the majority of claims have been disallowed by the FDA due to flaws in the testing of the sweetener. Despite the FDA rulings however many states and countries have proposed bills to eliminate the use of aspartame, and some stores in the UK have stopped using it all together. Many sodas have also switched to alternative sweeteners like Splenda which have a less controversial track record.

Personally the sheer number of claims about the sweetener it’s enough to make me think where there is smoke there is fire with this stuff. There may or may not be anything wrong with aspartame, but the fact that it’s a chemical made in a lab somewhere, combined with all of the claims about all of the bad things it can do to me, is enough to make me just avoid it entirely.

So Is Diet Soda Bad For You?

So far there is no evidence to prove that diet soda is 100% bad for you, but there is certainly a lot of controversy about it. Quite frankly anything that involves the possibility of getting brain cancer (whether proven or not) makes me think twice about drinking it, and the fact that it might spike insulin and make me fatter on top of it? I think I’ll just grab a glass of water instead!

So I’m reading this article about Ways To Combat Mindless Eating on WebMD and one of the tips they recommend is to use smaller plates and bowls with every meal.

The psychologists interviewed say that we eat until we are full, so if we have a bigger plate, bowl, box or whatever, we will continue to eat until it’s gone. Maybe it’s some kind of reaction to our parents always telling us to clean our plates?

My first thought was this was nonsense. I mean do you really not know that half a box of cereal is half a box of cereal, no matter how big the plate size is? So I started to put myself to the test and you know what? They were right!

We have three different sets of bowls in the house and just for the sake of testing I grabbed the biggest one and when I portioned out the recommended serving size for my morning honey nut cheerios (unhealthy but I like them anyway!) it seemed like I was getting totally shafted… as if a waiter just came out with a tiny steak on a huge plate.

So what did I have the urge to do? Pour more in the bowl of course!

Since I was doing a “test run” I resisted the urge to fill up the bowl but there were plenty of times I just filled it right up out of instinct.

The next day I did a test run using a smaller bowl and the recommended portion size fit perfectly and I had no urge to fill it up (after all if I filled it up anymore it would have all spilled over the side). I also didn’t feel any more or less hungry after eating the recommended portion size.

Now it has me thinking about all those times when I go out to eat and I have a huge plate of pasta in front of me and I eat the whole thing (or most of it) when I should really be taking some home. If they gave me half the portion on an equally sized plate I would probably be just as happy, and I would leave feeling like less of a pig for eating it all…haha.

What do you think? Does a bigger plate make you want to eat more? I think there might be something to this one.

How to Lose 10 Pounds In a Week

Losing 10 pounds in a week isn’t the easiest thing to do, in fact some people would say that you can’t do it at all, but I would disagree because I’ve done it. The typical person loses an average of 1 pound a week on a diet (or more like 5-10 pounds on a specialized diet like Medifast) but it is important to remember that that 1 pound a week is based on an AVERAGE so it’s totally possible to lose weight fast when you first start dieting.

So how do you lose 10 pounds fast exactly? Well I’m going to outline a few methods that I will call the “easy way” and the “hard way”. Why would I bother outlining the hard way when I know most people will just choose the easy way? Well to be quite frank the easy way costs money so I know not everyone is willing to spend money, so instead you have to bust your butt and hope for the best! Anyway enough build up… here goes!

The Easy Way To Lose 10 Pounds

There are a number of specialized diets out there that will help you lose weight extremely quickly. The one that seems to stand above all others is Medifast, a pre-packaged diet that has been shown to help people lose 10 pounds or more in a week’s time. Originally Medifast was only available through a prescription but now you can buy Medifast online just like you could most other fad diets.

For some people pre-packaged meals are a great thing because you don’t have to think about what you can and can’t eat throughout the week… you just eat what is given to you. You basically choose 5 of their pre-packaged meals and then mix in one meal of healthy regular food each day.

>>> More Information: Find out more about Medifast here

The Hard Way To Lose 10 Pounds

If you’re looking to lose 10 pounds without the help from any nutritional supplements you have your work cut out for you, but it’s not impossible either. The first thing you need to do is exercise and do lots of it. I would highly recommend either running or using a low impact machine like an elliptical machine that will help you burn calories faster than simply going on walks. I can’t recommend a specific amount of exercise because everyone is different but I don’t think I can go wrong by telling you to do as much as you can within reason. Don’t jog til you drop and have a heart attack but you should know what the line is between working hard and overdoing it. If you don’t, get a personal trainer or ask your doctor before doing anything.

The next thing you need to do is fix your diet. Most of you probably assume that I’m going to tell you to starve yourself and quite frankly that is the worst thing you can do. When you don’t eat much your body goes in to starvation mode and packs on everything you eat as fat for storage later… it’s a survival mechanism. What you need to do is eat lean healthy foods, in good sized portions. Don’t stuff yourself, don’t eat high sodium junk food and don’t guzzle down beer and soda because that defeats the purpose. Lots of veggies, lean meats and plenty of water will help.

The one issue with the “hard way” is that everyone responds different. Some people will lose a bunch of weight the first week and the next couple we may only lose a pound, some of us don’t lose anything at first but then the number on the scale drops big time two weeks later… everyone is different so you need to know how your body will respond. If you’re in a hurry to lose weight in a week then first of all shame on you for putting it off for so long, but know it can be done… good luck!

Healthy Weight Loss

A lot of us are overweight, and we are always looking for easy weight loss methods, but how can we lose weight quickly and still be healthy? We all want the secret to lose pounds with no effort in just a few days. If someone told you that you could make millions of dollars in minutes with no effort would you believe them? No, you wouldn’t, but we are always looking for instant weight loss solutions with little to no effort.

How much weight you can lose in a given time period depends on a lot of factors such as your body type, age, gender and how much weight you have to lose. A 22 year old male who weighs over 300 pounds is going to lose weight faster than a 43 year old woman who weighs 185 pounds, it’s just the natural way the body works.

If you follow a good weight loss plan, watch what you eat and exercise regularly you will lose weight faster during the first few weeks of the diet and then you will slow down. If I had to put an actual number to it the average person will lose 2-3 pounds a week, depending on the factors I listed above, but most especially how much you have to lose. The more you weigh the more weight there is to drop, just like on that Biggest Loser show on TV.

There are a lot of fad diets out there that promote rapid weight loss and boast claims of losing 10-20 pounds in a matter of weeks but diets and methods like that can cause dehydration, cause you to lose muscle, and some could do serious damage to your body. Getting rid of the water and muscle will reduce your number you see on the scale but you will gain it back and you’ll be in worse shape than ever without as much muscle tone. Sounds very appealing right?

As for the weight loss supplements, I highly… I repeat HIGHLY recommend avoiding diet pills, supplements, magical herbal elixirs found only in the jungles of South America and just discovered by a team of scientists… you know what I’m talking about. Honestly, if there was a magic weight loss pill that made us all lose weight don’t you think it would be all over every newspaper, newscast and website and we would all be taking it? Most of these pills are just caffeine based and make your heart beat really fast and suppress your appetite. They will make you irritable when you crash and when your appetite returns you will eat twice as much because your body knows it is starving. Magic weight loss pills don’t work like they say they do!

If you really want a healthy weight loss solution there is only one way to do it… hard work! Join a gym, get a healthy cook book, plan your meals and stick to it. If you need help hire a trainer, join a weight loss support group or get a friend to diet with you. The weight will come off a lot sooner than you think it will and your long term health will be in much better shape!

Healthy Weight Loss

How To Buy A Good Treadmill

We have had a lot of readers ask us lately how to buy a good treadmill. Buying a good treadmill can be a difficult task especially if you are not exactly sure what you are looking for. If you have not considered exactly what it is you want in a treadmill you could end up with the wrong kind. I bought mine from SmoothFitness.com who offers up to 45% off treadmills with a lifetime warranty

Before going out and buying a treadmill on impulse there are a few things you should consider. First, think about how often you expect to use a treadmill. Also consider your weight and height as some treadmills are bigger and stronger than others and are designed for heavy duty use. So if you are going to use one quite heavily then this is the type you should buy.

Many people buy treadmills from a catalog or magazine. These treadmills are great but are usually quite expensive. The best way to buy a good cheap treadmill is to go to a store that specializes in exercise equipment. This gives you the opportunity to try out several treadmills to better decide which one feels the nicest and suits your needs. The staff that works at fitness stores or sports departments are usually knowledgeable about the equipment and can guide you to the one that will be best for you. Treadmills can be quite expensive so it is something you want to be sure you are going to use for a long time. Do some research on treadmills before going out shopping for one. This way you are informed as to what to look for.

There are many different types of treadmills that are on the market today. Each one works differently according to what it is intended for. Always check out the motor on any treadmill. Motors on some treadmills have 1.5 continuous duty horsepower that can wear out easily if it is used heavily. Look for a treadmill that has adjustable speeds and a ramp that is easily adjustable. These are the types of treadmills that are great if you plan to give them a heavy duty workout.

Do some research on the Internet on how to buy a good treadmill. There is a wide variety out there, each one built for a different need. There are treadmills for long distance runners that have accessories to judge their speed and distance. Some treadmills are built for lightweight use such as daily jogging or brisk walking. Treadmills can be very plain only offering an adjustable ramp while others have all the accessories possible such as digital readouts and screens that show a background as you are running.

When you are ready to buy a good treadmill, make sure you find the best one for you, not just the cheapest treadmill you can buy. Sports equipment dealers likeSmooth Fitness have a great selection and offer great deals like 45% off with a lifetime warranty which is such a fantastic deal it’s really hard to pass up. If you’ve done your homework you can be sure that you’ll definitely find the right treadmill for you.

How To Buy A Good Treadmill

Medical Weight Loss Review: Gastric Bypass Surgery

There are many weight loss medical treatments you can choose. One most popular choice is gastric bypass surgery. what’s it? How is it done? What are the risks? And how can it help you lose your weight? Our series on diet reviews takes a brief look at gastric bypass surgery.

In simple term, gastric bypass surgery is one of the bariatric surgeries. It, as other bariatric surgeries, limits the amount of food you can eat and digest by changing the anatomy of your digestive system.

Gastric bypass surgery is popular in the United States. Surgeons and patients love it because it is safer and has fewer complications. As long as you sustain a healthy lifestyle after having this surgery, you can lose your weight constantly in a long time period.

There are several ways to do a gastric bypass surgery. The most often chosen is Roux-en-Y (RNY).

In RNY gastric bypass the surgeon basically creates a small pouch at the top end of your stomach, and then adds a bypass around the segment of your stomach and small intestine. Your stomach is stapled, sealing the small pouch on the top from the rest of your stomach. It is only about the size of a walnut and can hold an ounce of food. Then, the small intestine is cut and sewn directly onto the pouch.

This new connection alters the food direction. Food enters the second section of your small intestine, limiting your body to absorb calories. Though the lower part of your stomach never gets the food, it stays healthy and continues to secrete digestive juices to mix with the food in your small intestine.

There may also be common symptoms due to your body reaction to rapid weight loss, such as body aches, exhaustion, dry skin, hair thinning, hair loss and mood changes. These symptoms may occur for three months after surgery.

The Advantages of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is favored because:

• It helps you lose weight fast. If you are very overweight and can’t lose pounds with a healthy diet and exercise alone, this may be an option.
• It treats other medical problems such as diabetes, heart disease or sleep apnea.
• It is a clinically proven to be safe, and many surgeons have done it for years.

The Risks Of Gastric Bypass Surgery

However, there are some risks that you should be aware of before deciding to undergo the gastric bypass surgery:

• Pouch stretching
• Your stomach may get bigger; it may be caused by the pouch stretching back to its normal size (before surgery).
• Band erosion
• The band closing off part of the stomach may disintegrate.
• Breakdown of staple lines
• The band and staples may fall apart, causing a reversed procedure.
• Stomach leakage
• Should the stomach leakage occurs, its content may be flowing into the abdomen. It is hazardous because the acid can eat away other organs.
• Nutritional deficiencies

In all, gastric bypass surgery isnt perfect, and should only be explored as a last ditch option for weight loss. It isnt a miracle cure for people who want to instantly lose weight, it should be an option for the morbidly obese who’s health is at risk.

Medical Weight Loss Review: Gastric Bypass Surgery

Five Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight

We are all trying to lose weight quickly but most of us struggle to drop pounds. Don’t waste your time with a fast weight loss diet unless you are sure you are doing it the right way. Here are five reasons you may be struggling to lose weight now.

1. Your Diet Is Unsustainable

Too many of us want to lose weight fast and try diets that are unrealistic over the long term. If you want to make your weight loss journey a success you cant start by setting yourself up for failure. Do you really think you can sustain a low carb diet for more than a week or two? I know I couldn’t. Try a more moderate diet that is easier to follow and you will find it is a much better solution for easy weight loss.

2. You Are Lacking In Motivation

Many of us give up on our diets because we just cant keep ourselves going. Some of us are internally motivated and can keep focused but the majority of us need a little extra, a little extra push to keep us going. Try finding a weight loss support buddy that can keep you motivated, and support each other when you are feeling weak. There really aren’t any weight loss secrets, it’s just a matter of doing it.

3. You Aren’t Following Your Diet Correctly

Many diets, especially fad diets, need to be done in a specific way in order to achieve maximum results. Be sure to set your diet meal plans up properly, understand what foods you can and can’t eat, and don’t guess. A few years ago I spent two weeks on the Atkins Diet but was eating carrots the whole time. If I had known that carrots were not a low carb food, I wouldn’t have wasted two weeks and had a more effective weight loss.

4. You Aren’t Giving Maximum Effort

Most of us need to lose weight, and a lot of us complain about not being able to lose weight quickly but are we really putting in the effort we need to accomplish our weight loss goal? Get up off the couch, go for a walk, play your favorite sports, play with the dog, do anything to be more active and you will be surprised how easy it is to lose pounds.

5. You Cheat “Just A Little”

Whether it’s someone’s birthday at our workplace, or a get together with friends, or a night out with your significant other, diets are hard to follow. Do your best to stick with your diet though because every little bit counts. “Just a cookie” here or, “a little taste” here really add up quickly. You want to always be conscious of your caloric intake and make adjustments the rest of the day. You would be surprised how little adjustments will help you burn the fat!

Five Reasons You Can’t Lose Weight

Healthy Fast Food – Subway Subs

Unless you live in a cave, you have heard of Subway spokesman Jared Fogle. At 425 pounds, Jared ate nothing but Subway sandwiches every day and lost over 240 pounds. Certainly an astonishing success story, but are Subway subs really a healthy fast food choice like their commercials make them out to seem?

Subway offers seven 6” subs, all with 6 grams of fat or less and all fewer than 320 calories. what is important to note is that the subs are made using wheat bread and does not contain cheese, mayo or any other dressings.

The subs themselves are a reasonable healthy fast food choice, but where most dieters fall into a trap is with the toppings. Adding cheese for example can add approximately 40-50 extra calories per 6” sub, and an extra 3-5 grams of fat. Adding mayonnaise makes things even worse tacking on a Massive 110 additional calories and 12-13 grams of fat! If a dry sub (one with no dressing) is too much for you, try replacing the mayonnaise with mustard or one of Subway’s fat free dressings including Red Wine Vinaigrette, Sweet Onion Sauce or Honey Mustard sauce, all of which have less than 40 calories per serving.

Looking at the remaining subs on the menu, the fat content skyrockets. The Chicken & Bacon Ranch sub for example has 30 grams of fat per 6” sandwich. One particularly deceptive sub for dieters is the 6” Tuna sub. Most dieters would Think about a fairly healthy sub, but in reality contains a good deal of mayo and has 31 grams of fat! In fact, the Tuna sub actually has the most fat of any sub available on the standard Subway menu!

If you’re looking for a good place to dine out on a diet, take a look at off Subway’s menu of low fat subs. Overall, I found Subway subs to be a great way to maintain your diet but still enjoy going out to lunch, especially for those of us who love to get out of the office at lunch time. If you can avoid the cheese and high fat dressings, Subway sandwiches are an excellent healthy fast food choice.

Healthy Fast Food – Subway Subs

Healthy Fast Food – Quiznos Subs

Not to be out capitalized in the healthy fast food arena by Subway’s low fat menu, Quiznos has been touting their own menu of low calorie small subs, all with 420 calories or less, but unlike Subway, the Quiznos calorie totals include the recommended dressings, but no cheese.

While the Quiznos subs have a greater variety than the otherwise standard (read: boring) Subway low fat menu, the fat content in three of the five low calorie Quiznos subs is a Tiny high. The small Tusan Turkey, Steakhouse Beef Dip and Baja Chicken all have 13 grams of fat or more, despite being relatively low calorie. One note about the fat content however: the bulk of the fat content comes from the suggested dressing , without it the subs contain 9 grams of fat or less, making it a healthier fast food option.

The remainder of the Quiznos sub menu contains a number of high fat subs, and again the Tuna Melt sub is one of the highest fat culprits, weighing in at an incredible 54.5 grams of fat for a small! Quiznos features bacon and high fat dressings on the majority of their subs, which contributes to the higher fat and calorie content. Many of the subs would be a reasonable (not great, but reasonable) choice if you hold the dressings and bacon.

Quiznos offers an assortment of Flatbread Chopped Salads, which without the flatbread and dressings are 300 calories or less, but adding the flatbread doubles the calorie counts, bringing all salads over 600 calories.

Quiznos also offers their Flatbread Sammies, which are mini sandwiches that nearly resemble soft tacos, made with flatbread. Quiznos boasts that five of their six Sammies have 200 calories or less, however they’re very small, and the typical person will eat two in an average meal, so go ahead and double that calorie count. Additionally, the calorie count does not include dressings or cheese, so they aren’t quite the healthy fast food option that Quiznos would like us to believe.

Healthy Fast Food – Quiznos Subs