The Scoop about a Banana.....

1. ENERGY:
Because bananas containing three natural sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber), bananas gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a "MUST" to add to our daily diet.

2. DEPRESSION:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

3. PMS:
Forget the pills--eat a banana. The vitamin B6 that it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

4. ANEMIA:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood therefore helps in cases of anemia.

5. BLOOD PRESSURE:
This unique fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration recently allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

6. BRAIN POWER:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating a bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

7. CONSTIPATION:
Because they are high in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

8. HANGOVERS:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re hydrates your system.

9. HEARTBURN:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

10. MORNING SICKNESS:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

11. MOSQUITO BITES:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

12. NERVES:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

13. OVERWEIGHT & STRESSED AT WORK?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every 2 hours to keep levels steady.

14. ULCERS:
The banana is used as a dietary food against intestinal disorders because of it's soft texture and smoothness. It is the raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

15. TEMPERATURE CONTROL:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a coll temperature.

16. SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER(SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

17. SMOKING:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

18. STRESS:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

19. STROKES:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as a part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has 4 times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, 3 times the phosphorus, 5 times the vitamin A and iron and twice the the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.

The Truth About Cortisol

I'm sure we've all seen on tv adds claiming that cortisol is the main cause of weight gain brought on by all the stresses in your life. Your morbid obesity is not your fault-you've been exonerated for the last box of Krispy Kremes you scarfed down. Fitness enthusiasts need to know how cortisol works so they can better manage it's effects. In fact, the cortisol levels during and after training could be the most important factor affecting the anabolic response to your workout. Put more simply, the greater damage to the muscle, the greater the cortisol response.

However, things get dicey when cortisol levels reach unnaturally high amounts that are beyond normal. That's when negative side effects, such as weight-gain, bone-mass loss, and increased abdominal fat, can occur. Too much cortisol can also cause more ominous problems, such as muscle tissue breakdown. Cortisol can wreak havoc with building new muscle by inhibiting it's growth.

Catabolic activity is what you want to avoid-that's muscle breakdown. Anabolic activity is what you're shooting for-the process of building lean muscle

BOOZING & TRAINING

Alcohol is carbohydrate that is converted into a fatty acid instead of being turned into glucose like other carbohydrates. The result from this process is most likely extra fat storage, which is not what you're looking for, if you're trying to get in shape. This will put your fat metabolism on hold and you will just have to work harder to burn the same amount of fat than if you didn't drink.

Scientific research suggests that alcohol drops testosterone levels in both sexes. Lower testosterone equates to less muscle and more fat. Too much alcohol can literally make a man less of a man, and can lower a women's sex drive as well..Oh my!

Caloric Content Of A Few Alcoholic Beverages:

Miller Lite-bottle (12oz.) =96calories
Shot of 80 proof liquor (1.5oz.) =97calories
Shot of 100 proof liquor(1.5oz.) =124calories
Merlot red wine (50z.) =123calories
Pinot Grigot White (5oz.) =123calories
Pina Colada cocktail (4.5oz.) =245calories

Carbo-Loading for Athletes

There are two phases of carbo-loading. The depletion stage is where altering the diet soon after high intensity training depletes the glycogen stores. The replenishing stage is where glycogen stores are re-synthesised to above 100% to 150% by consuming an increased amount of carbohydrates.

Glycogen depletion- A few days before you begin glycogen packing, reduce your carbohydrate intake to about 55-60% of your total calories. This will prepare your body by depleting existing carbohydrate stores to make room for the excess carbohydrates.
It is recommended that your macro nutrient ratio is 60:20:20. Make sure to consume your full caloric intake to avoid muscle loss. Maintain high intensity training until fatigue during this period to ensure depletion occurs.

Glycogen replenishment- Glycogen packing is usually about 3 to 4 days before an event. Increase your carbohydrates to about 70% of your total calories.
It is recommended that your macro nutrient ratio be about 70:15:15. Another variation of this phase may be 70:20:10, where about 20% of your intake is from fat and 10% is from protein. However to avoid excess weight gain, it is suggested to limit macro nutrient ratio to 15% fat and 15% protein to 70%carbs during the first 24 hours. Reduce training intensity to prevent burning glycogen stores. When carbo-loading, it is important to consume low-glycemic-index foods. This will help to ensure only moderate levels of glucose will be entering the bloodstream over a duration of time. Carbohydrates high on the glycemic index will lead to quick, large amounts of glucose entering the bloodstream causing insulin levels to fluctuate. Maintain a good source of vitamin and mineral supplements.

Carbo-loading frequency- If one carbo-loads too often, performance levels can actually be inhibited and if done over an extended duration carbo-loading can become ineffective. Carbo-loading should be limited to no more than 3 times a year.

OMEGA-3 BENEFITS

If you haven't already been swept up in the net, here are some proven facts you should know about Omega-3.

1.) Freedom from pain and inflammation. Omega-3 fish oil fatty acids, particularly EPA, has a very positive effect on you inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body's inflammation cycle, which relieves painful conditions like arthritis, cystitis, and anything else ending in "itis".

2.) Better brain function and higher intelligence. Pregnant and nursing mothers can have a great impact on the intelligence and happiness of their babies by supplementing with Omega-3 with DHA. For adults, fish oil improves memory, recall, reasoning and focus. You'll swear you're getting younger and smarter.

3.) Feeling better with much less depression. Making you smarter is not all fish oil does for your brain. Psychiatry department researchers at the University of Sheffield UK, along with many other research studies, found that fish oil supplements "alleviated" the symptoms of depression, bipolar and psychosis. [Journal of Affective Disorder Vol. 48(2-3);149-55]

4.) Lower incidence of childhood disorders. Just to show you how fish oil fatty acids leave nobody out, studies show that children (and adults) with ADD and ADHD experience a greatly improved quality of life. And those with dyslexia, dyspraxia, and compulsive disorders have gotten a new lease on life thanks to fish oil supplements.

5.) Superior cardiovascular health. Fish oil's DHA, EPA and DPA have always been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help lower cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL's and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol. This adds years to your life expectancy.

OPTIMAL EATING PLAN

The traditional 3 meals a day simply won't do it for burning fat. Every time you eat, your metabolism kicks in to start burning what you've eaten and you begin to break it down instantly, taking everything it has to offer,from energy to nutritional content.
While eating only 3 meals a day, your metabolism has time between meals to slow down. This is not very efficient for burning fat. Your goal here is to keep your metabolism going and burning as much as fat as possible. This is done by spacing your food out to 5 or 6 smaller meals a day, or by eating approximately every 2-3 hours. The advantage of this is 2 fold. First, it keeps your metabolism going, and second it will allow you to be less hungry during you next meal, in turn causing you to desire less food.
Also remember that it is important to eat the right combination of foods at each meal. 1 source of lean-protein, 1 source of starchy carbs, and 1 source of fibrous vegetable.

TRAIN LIKE A PROFESSIONAL FIGHTER

For martial arts, a proper exercise and fitness program is very important, but MMA requires different workouts than bodybuilding. In fact, training for combat, weather your a grappler, Muay Thai fighter, wrestler, Boxer or other martial arts practitioner, is training for any other sport in the world. Even if you don't want to be a fighter, you can still train like one. The same attributes that a fighter wants in the ring or octagon like strength, endurance, cardio-conditioning and flexibility, are exactly what most people want from their workouts. Whether you are expecting to compete in the sport of MMA or any other style of combat, MMA workouts will improve your physical conditioning in a very usable, functional way.