Exercise and Leptin: The Happy New Couple

Pairing exercise with the leptin enables the hormone to fight fat in overweight patients.

The leptin hormone sends the body chemical signals to stop eating and use stored energy. But researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine said the hormone did not work in overweight people.

Once exercise is added to the equation, however, the leptin seems to regain its power.

The researchers studied overweight rats on a high-fat diet. Neither exercise nor leptin alone kept the rats from gaining weight but once the two methods were used together, the leptin began to work again and kept the rats from gaining extra weight.

Scientists will be testing the effects on humans next.

Kettlebells: The Latest Craze

The kettlebell is a big ball of black steel with a handle on it. Used as an alternative to dumbbells or barbells, the kettlebell was first use to train the Russian army.

Even better, 15 minutes with kettlebells will apparently burn more fat than 40 minutes on a treadmill.

Kettlebells lengthen and strengthen limbs for ultimate toning so it's no wonder it's favoured by celebrities like Kim Cattrall, Geri Halliwell and Penelope Cruz. The kettlebells are easier to hold than traditional weights so they allow people to focus on the muscles they are targeting rather than worry about losing their grip on cumbersome bars.

Considering we here at EverythingFit are huge proponents of variety in workouts, it's no wonder we're loving the kettlebells. By changing your workout, they keep your body guessing and improving.

Exercises involve a series of swift, continues movements which bring your heart rate up almost instantly. Nearly all exercises start from a squat position so they're great for sculpting your glutes, abs and arms.

Smaller Meals Won't Help You Lose Weight

It's a diet staple. Every dietitian, fitness specialist, etc. has praised the merits of eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals if you're trying to lose weight.
Well it looks like that advice is worthless.

A new study conducted at the University of Newcastle split a group of dieters into two. One group ate three times a day while the other added in three extra snacks to speed up fat burning but boosting metabolism.

Unfortunately, the group eating the extra snacks did not lose weight.

"We found it's not when you eat that matters, but what and how much you eat," said Dietician Michelle Palmer at the university. She added that dieters should be more focused on what they eat and not spend their time inventing creative eating plans.

Wow, and I was really enjoying my mid-afternoon cottage cheese.

Rationalizing the Personal Trainer: Worth the $

There are a lot of reasons why a personal trainer is a good idea.

First and foremost, if you're new to training, you need a trainer or someone experienced to show you how to do exercise with the correct form. This ensures that you will not risk injuring yourself.

A trainer can also put together a routine that makes sense for you. Cookie-cutter programs from a magazine can't take into consideration your health, time constraints, etc. because they're meant for everyone.

You should be able to get the basics of training within a few sessions with a personal trainer. So why do so many people stick with their trainers long-term?

Simply, because they work.

A recent study by Duke University Medical Center found that people who had lost weight were better able to keep off the pounds if they had continued support from a counsellor or trainer. A trainer can motivate and educate you and he or she can also help alter your program once you've hit a plateau.

Of course trainers are costly, but as long as you do your research and get a qualified, certified trainer, you only need to see him or her once a week to keep you on track.

If you can't afford your trainer, ask your gym for a complimentary session. Most are willing to offer those, in hopes of selling you more sessions. Use that session to ask questions about your program and gather as many tips from the trainer as you can.

Having someone point you in the right direction will always get you where you need to go faster!

Finished Your Resistance Workout? Now What

Almost as important as your weight-training workout is your recovery drink or snack.

Research shows that you should be having a drink or snack within 30 minutes of finishing a workout. It should contain some carbohydrate and some protein, and you should add more carbohydrate if you've had a particularly heavy work session.

The carbs replace the spent glucose in the muscle and liver which was used up during your exercise. The protein, meanwhile, will give you an anabolic boost to enhance muscle repair and growth. You only need about 20 grams of protein to make this happen.

So if you're going to put all that effort into working out, make sure your body has the nutrients it needs to make that work out count!

Some great / easy choices for a post-workout snack:

Protein shake with banana

Peanut butter sandwich

Hummus and pita

Yogurt and fresh berries

Tuna on whole wheat

Turkey and cheese with apple slices

... or any mix of protein and healthy, complex carbs and you're good to go!

Which way to go

Weight training can often be confusing. Do you use machines or free weights? Do you stand or sit on a sit on a stability ball? Well, not surprisingly, different methods will produce different results.

One published study found that men could lift more weight while doing a traditional bench press with free weights than doing a standing chest press on a cable-based weight machine. The study concluded that free weights target the chest muscles more effectively.

Another study found that bench presses performed using stability ball engaged more muscles, especially in the core, than the traditional bench press performed from a bench.

A third study concluded that exercisers get stronger using a free-form cable machine, in this case a FreeMotion machine, than a fixed machine.

Ok, don’t get too concerned. Overall, research shows that people wanting to train a specific muscle can get relatively similar results training with free weights and fixed machines. Free weights are advantageous because they also force you to stabilize your body, so your core muscles in the abs and back also get a residual workout.

Similarly, training on unstable surfaces such as a Bosu, stability ball or wobble boards do an even better job of working the core, but because your body focuses some of its energy on the core, the muscles you are targeting do not work quite as hard.

So which way to go?

Well the right answer as with all training is mix it up. Keep your body guessing and your muscles will grow to adapt to the change. Variety will also help hit small muscles that one type of exercise might miss. One exception: IF you are a beginner, it’s recommended that you start with machines, which will teach you the proper form for each of the exercises you perform and are less likely to risk injury.

Thinking of Spot Reducing? Think Again!

As the summer gets closer and people start thinking about hitting the beach, I tend to see more and more people in the ab studio at the gym.

Everyone wants a flat stomach, if not a full blown six-pack. Come to think of it, there's a lot more guys doing biceps too, probably in anticipation of wearing all those short sleeve shirts.

Unfortunately, these people who are only targeting problem spots on their body are destined for failure, if not injury.

We all have areas on our body where we store more fat. Doing 100 crunches a day while skipping out on cardio and eating ice cream every day may give you some toned ab muscles, but no one will see them under the layers of fat.

Just as important is the fact that spot training leads to unbalanced muscle structure. Strong quads with week hamstrings or vice-versa could lead to imbalance and injury.

That's not to say you should give up on improving your problem areas. If you perform intense exercises on all your muscles, not only will you be building muscles, but you will be revving your metabolism and burning fat. The key word is "intense"! As long as your work out is intense and is focused on your entire body, you will see results. Guaranteed!