Personal Trainer Corner

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD It's been awhile since we've talked. I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. 95% of health, as we know, is what we feed our bodies. Most of us out there that are trying to lose weight may be under the impression that certain foods that are deemed "healthy" are actually that. Well that is not necessarily true. The best way to explain it is like this; when it comes to burning fat there are certain foods that promote this function and a LOT of foods that do not. Sugar is our enemy. Let me explain. The human body has a constant that is called a metabolism. Most think it changes as we age. That is not true. It is a constant affected by what we put in our bodies. The mechanism that our bodies use to burn and store fat is unchanging, but in fact our diet is what slows the process. When we eat foods that breakdown into sugar, our defense is to produce insulin that lowers the sugar levels which is then stored as fat. Ugh! Fat! So the solution is simple…learn what foods do this to our bodies and which foods promote healthy fat burning. The key when preparing to lose lbs. of fat is to eat foods that have a low GI (Glycemic Index). These are foods that do not spike our sugar levels but actually keep them very consistent. Believe it or not, whole wheat bread is bad in that it shoots blood sugar through the roof. It does have good fiber in it but it is not good for burning fat. The other myth is that you should not eat fat. There are very good fats that help promote the fat burning process....namely unsaturated fats found in fish, nuts, butter, eggs etc. Sound like Atkins right? NOPE. You can eat any fruit or veggie you want in any quantity and lean meats and breads low in processed sugar or wheat grain. So who wants a list of all these good foods? Send me an email and I will gladly send it to you. Live long and be healthy! LIVE LONG AND BE HEALTHY
Brian Byrd, CPT, LMT
Personal Training Director
The Boxing Gym CWE
314-369-6511or alldayfit1@yahoo.com.