News
News 5/10/12
Sharing the Challenge
One of the great things about the FIT Challenge is how simple it is to get results. As you follow the program and see improvement you gain confidence and a greater understanding of how the program works. The simple design is easy for you to follow so why wouldn't it be easy for others to follow as well? Sharing the FIT Challenge is one of the best ways to share the gift of health.
Become your own billboard. As you follow the program and get the results you desire the difference will be noticeable. This is one of the easiest and simple ways to share the challenge with others. Become a product of the program and let others ask what you are doing. Sharing results is easy because others can see the proof right in front of them. If it worked for you, it can work for them.
Getting the word out. Remember there are so many ways to share your results now that you have them and a great way to do that is before and after pictures. The old saying a picture is worth a thousand words? It is as true today as it was then. Take good before and after pictures that you can post on facebook or other social networking sites to let people see what you've been doing and how it's working. This will invite questions and opens the door for you to invite them to join you in the challenge.
Open your mouth. In other words, don't be afraid to share. There are millions out there who are looking for help. They have tried other diets, pills and all kinds of things with little to no success. By becoming your own billboard and not being afraid to share what you know you could be the solution to a problem someone has struggled with for years.
Remember the FIT Challenge isn't just about loosing weight; it is about creating healthy habits that ensure a higher level of fitness. Allowing people to get the most out of life. So become your own billboard and don't be afraid to let others know what you are doing.
Nutrient Timing
The timing and quality of foods you eat, especially pre- and post workout,
often means the difference between a successful diet and another failed attempt at physique enhancement. Skipping breakfast, avoiding post workout meals and consuming high glycemic (high sugar) carbohydrates before workouts can easily transform a sound meal plan into a disaster. In addition, even the most sensible diets ignore the crucial nature of nutrient timing.
Elevating the metabolic rate (your fat-burning furnace) is one of the most efficient ways to burn fat. The process of digestion of meals requires calories by itself; so the more often your body must break down food, the more efficient it becomes. Therefore, you should eat small meals throughout the day to maximize your metabolic response—and breakfast is the most important meal of the day, although the post workout meal may be equally important. Studies have shown that diets that include a large breakfast result in significantly greater fat loss than diets that avoid it. Since the metabolic rate is fastest in the morning and slows throughout the day, it's more likely that the calories you eat at breakfast will be used by the body and not stored as fat. Skipping breakfast, on the other hand, may result in vital losses of muscle and a subsequent decrease in metabolism.
The post workout meal is equally essential for much the same reason. Your body exhibits an elevated metabolic rate after you exercise, much as it does when you awaken. Not eating food after you exercise results in muscle tissue breakdown and, of course, a corresponding tumble of the metabolic rate. Research has proven that the rate of protein synthesis doubles following exercise and remains elevated for more than 24 hours. In other words, the body is primed for the acceptance of protein for muscle maintenance and growth – SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PRO WITHIN 1 HOUR AFTER A WORKOUT!
These are two important tips that are integral parts of the Agel Fit Challenge nutrition plan:
- A nice, big breakfast to start the metabolism firing.
- Take your PRO within 1 hour of finishing your workout.
So remember that with the nutrient timing on the nutrition plan:
- Sugars only before 1 p.m. (Burned as fuel early in your day, otherwise stored as fat)
- Starchy Complex Carbohydrates (breads, pastas, cereals) only before 3 p.m. (Burned as fuel early in your day, otherwise stored as fat)
- Fats (breads, pastas, cereals) only before 3 p.m.
(Burned as fuel early in your day, otherwise stored as fat) - Non-Starchy Complex Carbohydrates (vegetables) All Day Long!
(Won't store as fat) - Proteins (lean and clean) All Day Long!(Won't store as fat)
Healthy Fats, Carbohydrates and Proteins
You are what you eat. This may have been viewed as a clever saying to get kids to eat their green vegetables at the dinner table, but we are learning more and more that this simple saying has significant relevancy on the course that our bodies take over a lifetime in regards to health and disease.
It is well known that the basics of our nutrients consist of the simple building blocks of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, as well as minerals and other specific nutrients. What makes fats, carbohydrates and proteins different from most other nutrients are that these three groups of molecules is where we get the great majority of our calories for energy. Energy, or calories, is good in that it enables us to have the fuel to do what we need to do. It can be detrimental when we take too much of it into our bodies. The specific way in which we choose to include these energy-providing products in our diets can have a variety of effects on our body composition and health over time. A diet of hot dogs, donuts and soda can provide you with all the fat, carbohydrates and protein that you will need to have energy during the day. But, you will be missing key portions of each of these three nutrients.
Complex carbohydrates, such as those found in vegetables, grains and legumes, tend to digest more slowly in the intestine due to the more lengthy process of being broken down. This slowed digestion typically leads to a more gradual increase in blood sugars versus a quicker spike seen in simple sugars. This more gradual absorption is gentler on the system, particularly on the pancreas. Slower absorption is believed to lead to less storing of energy as fat. One key carbohydrate that is essential to our diets is fiber. Soluble fiber can have benefits related to our cholesterol and heart disease. Insoluble fiber helps keep a healthy digestive system. Naturally occurring simple sugars, such as those found in fruits, are usually accompanied by fiber that slows the absorption.
Many sources of protein exist. Animals and dairy products are prominent sources of protein. Vegetables and legumes are also excellent sources of protein. It is important to get protein from a wide variety of sources in order to obtain the essential amino acids, or protein substrates, that our bodies are unable to make. In obtaining protein, take time to recognize the complete nutritional makeup of the source of protein. Some sources can have a high saturated fat content. It is not necessary to sacrifice nutrition in one area in order to benefit in another area.
Our diets should focus on healthy unsaturated fats. In a common diet it is nearly impossible to not get enough saturated fats. The average person should limit their saturated fat to about 15 grams per day. A small serving of dark chocolate can have up to 10 grams of saturated fat. These fats tend to increase cholesterol, which can have a negative effect on the heart and blood vessels. Our focus on monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats lies in the benefits of these molecules on improving health and preventing disease.
There have been a number of studies to help recognize the importance of distribution of types and consistency of foods and the benefits on our health. The following study is recognized by the Center for Disease Control:
"In the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial the participants were counseled to reduce fat and increase fruit and vegetable consumption to help lose weight and improve blood lipids and blood pressure. The recommendations emphasized fat reduction (to less than 35% of energy from fat), increased intake of fruits and vegetables (to 5 or more servings per day), and an increased consumption of grains. An increase in fruit and vegetable intake was related to maintenance of weight loss, and participants who lost more weight also showed a greater intake of fruits and vegetables. Participants made significant increases in their intakes of grains, fruits, and vegetables and decreased fat, all of which made an important contribution to weight loss."
Another excellent study recognizes this same principle:
"In a study by Fitzwater et al., 213 obese adults were encouraged to change their eating habits to an energy- restricted diet of low-fat, high-complex-carbohydrate foods emphasizing unlimited fruits and vegetables. Over the time period of the study, 147 (69%) of the participants were successful at losing weight, with the average loss of 6.3 kg (13.9 lb). Over an average of 25 months of follow-up (range 4 to 76 months), 53% of participants continued to lose or maintain their weight, and the mean net weight loss from the pretreatment to end of follow-up was 8.0 +/- 1.0 kg (17.6 ± 2.2 lb)."
Your grandmother was spot on when she told you that you are what you eat. Our appetites are primarily driven by hunger and the sense of taste. A healthy variety of carbohydrates, protein and fat in the right foods and amounts can not only satisfy hunger and taste, but also lead to a healthier body.
Agel FIT
One question I get quite often is how does FIT work? Well today I'm going to answer that question about FIT. FIT is a key component to the FIT Challenge and really helps you in the fight to trim down and change your body composition. FIT was designed to help you with weight loss and approaches the problem from a few different angles so it can work for a variety of individuals. With that let's dive in and see the science behind the magic.
First FIT uses a compound called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which comes from the rind of a fruit called Garcinia Cambogia. In clinical trials HCA has been shown to decrease weight by reducing appetite, inhibiting fat synthesis (your bodies storage of fat) and increasing fat metabolism. What is great about HCA is it does all this without artificial stimulation of the nervous system. So that jittery feeling you may have had with other products you will not get with FIT.
HCA works with many of the natural processes in the body. Studies have shown that it increases levels of serotonin, which has been linked to appetite control. It also works with an enzyme called ATP citrate lyase. HCA can block this enzyme thereby blocking the bodies ability to synthesize, store, fat.
Another advantage of FIT is that we don't just use HCA we use a highly specialized form called Super Citrimax. This form has be bond to calcium and potassium, which significantly increase the bioavailability of the compound. Combine that with suspension gel and you have an unbeatable product.
While this is the short version of how FIT works, you should have a better understanding of what the ingredients are and how the affect the body. You can learn more by visiting www.agel.com and reading about the ingredients on the FIT page. So until next time remember to take your FIT as a critical part of your FIT Challenge.