Fitness & Wellness

Whether you have hypoglycemia—low blood sugar—or hyperglycemia—diabetes, you can expect mood swings. With diabetes, the mood swings can occur because of the stress from the disease and the anxiety and depression it can cause. While a lot of focus is on managing the physical problems caused by diabetes, it’s also just as important to pay attention to the mental stress it causes.

Why do blood sugar levels affect your mood?

What’s the fuel for the brain? Glucose—sugar that’s in the blood. There’s a lot of evidence that moods follow high and low blood sugar levels. For instance, a quarter of the people with diabetes suffer from depression. Those with a history of hyperglycemia often have sadness, anger and depression, while drops in sugar or hypoglycemia, is associated with anxiety and nervousness—sometimes anger.

It’s not just diabetics that suffer fluctuations.

Sometimes, stress and poor dietary habits take their toll. People who are otherwise healthy can face the spikes and valleys of blood sugar levels, too. If you’ve been abusing your body with an unhealthy diet and one day, decide a sugary cake is the perfect lunch, you’ll get that nervous energy and sometimes shaking that occurs with a sudden spike or other symptom. It doesn’t take long before your sugar levels drop and you feel wiped out, sometimes angry, but definitely not good or at your emotional best.

Learn to identify times when you’re feeling mental symptoms.

One of the hardest problems is not knowing what’s causing the problem. Once you realize it’s the fluctuations that affect your mood, share that information with close family and friends. Explain that if you start acting angry, nasty or withdrawn, it’s probably your blood sugar levels that are causing it. Explain that at that time, they need to help you by providing aid in testing blood-sugar levels if you’re diabetic and teach them ways to help you offset the high or low. Sometimes, it just takes a glass of water or a high protein snack for high blood sugar or some crackers, fruit or raisins if it’s low.

• If you have diabetes, follow your diet closely, exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep. If you aren’t diabetic, but are having emotional issues you can’t explain, try making changes in your diet, get plenty of sleep and exercise. You’ll probably see it helps.
• Stress can take its toll negatively, so learning ways to manage stress levels help. Whether you learn breathing techniques, forms of meditation or simply use exercise to burn off stress hormones can help.
• Getting adequate sleep and a consistent sleep routine can help maintain blood sugar levels, too. It also provides other mental health and physical health benefits.
• If you find that your blood sugar is more unstable and your facing frequent dips and peaks, first talk to your health care professional. See if increasing your intake of protein and fiber can help.

For more information, contact us today at Craig Long Fitness

There’s been a lot of talk and questions about protein water recently. The first question is always, “Is there really such a thing as protein water?” The answer is, “Yes, Virginia, there is a thing called protein water.” It does start with water and does contain protein. The process of making protein water starts with whey protein isolate that’s taken from cow’s milk and adding it to water. It can also use other types of protein that are either animal-based proteins or plant-based, which offer more variety to suit special dietary needs.

You’ll get more protein without the calories in some protein water.

Just like anything, not all protein water choices are alike. However, there are plenty of choices that are higher in protein and lower in calories. Other brands may use added sugar, artificial flavor and color or other types of sweeteners. You want to avoid those brands, particularly if you’re drinking protein water regularly. Depending on the brand, protein water can fill some of your nutritional needs with vitamins and minerals. If it’s made with whey protein, it can contain calcium and magnesium. Other types may add vitamins and minerals to boost your vitamin B, C and D intake.

If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a great alternative for a protein shake.

Protein water contains fewer calories than most protein shakes and less sugar. So if you want some protein after a tough workout to help with recovery, it can help you. The protein taken after a workout increases the rebuilding process, but it’s not the best solution. Rather than grabbing a shake or protein water, you’d be better off eating food after a workout and getting protein from a plant based source like beans or from meat. Not only is that more satisfying, it also keeps you feeling fuller longer.

There is a downside to protein water.

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Everything has a downside and that’s also true for protein water. Anyone that has kidney problems should avoid protein water, just as those who have trouble metabolizing protein. It doesn’t overcome those issues with protein in the diet, just adds to them. For others, it might be a refreshing change of pace for a recovery drink. There’s about 15 to 20 grams of protein in a 16-oz bottle and 70 calories. If you ate a chicken breast, you’d get about 27 grams of protein and 240 calories, so protein water is a viable option, even if it isn’t as satisfying as a chicken breast.

• If you’re lactose-intolerant, beware of the protein contained in most protein water. Whey isolate is dairy, so unless you want to feel bloated or sick, read the label before you buy it.
• To build muscle throughout the day, you should aim for a daily protein intake of about 1.2-2.0 g per kg of target body weight, he says. So chugging a 16-oz. bottle of protein water after your workout isn’t really gonna do much.
• While protein water won’t hurt you, it’s probably unnecessary to meet your protein needs. Most people get enough protein. If you’re working out, there are yummier ways to meet that after workout protein need.
• Rather than focusing on protein water, focus on plain H2O with a side of protein. Drinking more plain water is better for you and far easier on your budget. Save even more by putting your own water in a bottle and taking it with you, rather than buying bottled water.

Contact us today at Craig Long Fit

In Florida, there’s a lot of fresh produce and it’s always a bit of a concern on how to measure fruits and veggies. While peas may be quite easy, measuring things like broccoli are not nearly as easy if you’re using a cup. The good news is that if you measure incorrectly and put too much broccoli on your plate, it won’t affect your weight loss program much and will boost your healthy eating. However, for people creating healthy recipes, it can make a difference in flavor.

You can use techniques used by chefs to get an accurate measurement.

It starts by cutting the vegetable in manageable pieces. From there, you can julienne them, dice them, chiffonade them or cube them. The problem many people face is not knowing how much to cut to begin with and that problem is solved easily. If you’re preparing dishes all week that require fruits or vegetables, when you get home, cut them up and store in one cup bags. Put them in the cup, pack them down and store. You’ll be ready for almost any recipe that way.

Here’s an easy way to estimate how much is in a cup.

Since healthy fruits and vegetables are relatively low in calories, estimating a cup is the easiest way. One large banana is one cup, just as 10 broccoli florets are. Twelve baby carrots equals a cup and a medium grapefruit is also one cup. Berries are easy to measure. For instance, eight large strawberries, normally fill a cup. If you want to feel like you’re eating a lot, snack on a cup of grapes throughout the day, that would be approximately 32 of them. Two large plums, one medium potato, one large ear of corn and about a third of a cantaloupe equal a cup. These may be measurements that are easier for you to use.

It’s all about increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you’re eating.

While it’s tough to eat too many vegetables and fruit, it’s easier not to eat enough. If you have an apple as a snack and aren’t sure whether it’s a large apple or small (one serving or two) count it as a small one. Do the same for peaches and pears. A vegetable measurement equivalent chart can show you how much to buy when purchasing by the pound. For instance a pound of asparagus is three cups, a pound of beets makes 2 ½ cups. These charts are easy to find and will help you both when you create menus and shop, while also aiding you in your eating plan.

• If you’re eating dried fruit, a half cup counts as a cup of fresh fruit.
• Leafy greens are harder to measure, since you don’t want to spoil them by packing them too hard. For leafy greens, use two cups as a one cup measure.
• Knowing cup equivalents via pounds when fresh or ounces when canned or frozen can help you save money and eliminate waste.
• While the USDA suggests people eat from five to nine (approximately ½ cup each) of fruits and vegetables a day, many health care and nutrition experts suggest that ten a day may keep you healthier.

Contact us today at Craig Long Fit

Most people know that lack of iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia, but they don’t realize that even a small deficiency, which doesn’t qualify as anemia, can affect their workout. Iron is necessary to transport oxygen, via the blood, to all tissues in the body. Iron is in hemoglobin and is what makes blood look red. There’s a lot of things that affect how much iron you have in your body. For instance, age can cause you to absorb less. Digestive problems, particularly issues like Crohn’s disease, blood loss, improper eating habits and heavy menstruation cycles can also lead to iron deficiency.

Iron is stored in other parts of the body, besides being in the blood.

The body stores iron in the spleen, liver, bone marrow and in the blood. The blood has about 2/3rds of the body’s iron. While you probably can’t tell whether you’re low on iron by simply looking at your blood, your body will tell you other ways. You won’t have the endurance you need and often find you’re out of breath. You look pale and are often tired. Low iron causes unexplained headache, heart palpitations, brittle nails, dry skin and hair, restless legs, cold extremities, a sore mouth and more frequent infections.

Athletic endeavors can rob you of iron.

You lose iron through sweat, the gastrointestinal tract, urine, skin and menstruation. While all exercise boosts the loss of iron, high intensity or endurance exercises increase the risk. In fact, athletes or people involved in exercise can lose up to 70% more iron than couch potatoes. Sweating, particularly after a rough workout, can lower your iron levels. If you have a higher heart rate, even though you’re fit, it might mean that you’re short on iron. Not only does sweating cause iron loss, red blood cells break down more quickly in athletes. Consider how your foot constantly hitting the ground if you’re a runner could affect your iron supply.

Depleted iron stores doesn’t necessarily mean you’re anemic.

You can face the problem of less energy and a poorer performance without actually being anemic.

If you’re low on iron, you’ll notice your endurance isn’t as good as it should be. That’s because it’s necessary to carry the oxygen from the lungs. Iron that’s more easily absorbed comes from eating foods such as shrimp, fish, chicken and beef. While vegetarian sources, such as tofu and pumpkin seed are good sources, the iron isn’t as readily absorbed.

• If you find yourself crunching ice cubes, you probably have an iron deficiency. One study hypothesized that ice might provide a mental boost.
• To boost your iron, eat food high in iron. Lean red meat, chicken seafood, dark leafy vegetables, beans and dried fruit are a few. Make sure you also have adequate vitamins B12, C and folate to boost the iron absorption.
• Don’t expect to see changes overnight. It takes as much as two months to replenish low iron stores.
• Iron from plant sources are harder to absorb, so vegetarians who are athletes have to be particularly aware of the potential and signs of iron deficiency.

For more information, contact us today at Craig Long Fit

Whether you’re a man or women, live in Florida or somewhere else, strength training is important. While you might consider it just for body builders or weight lifters, it provides more benefits than just building biceps or bulging muscles elsewhere. In fact, most women, unless they’re training excessively hard to build them, won’t get big muscles, but tone muscles instead. It all has to do with body chemistry. Even men must workout specifically to get that look, but they build muscle tissue faster.

Strength training helps you burn fat, while you do it and afterward, too.

When you’re doing strength training, you’ll be burning calories galore. Even hours after you do strength training, you’ll still get afterburn, boosting your metabolism. It keeps your resting metabolic rate higher long after you quit. It also helps build muscle tissue, which requires more calories than fat tissue does. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you’ll burn. Strength training is extremely important when you want to lose weight.

Slow down the aging process, while you prevent serious conditions with weight training.

Male or female, after we reach mid thirties, our bodies start to lose muscle mass. That loss of muscle is called sarcopenia. While muscle decline occurs naturally, it doesn’t have to be part of aging. You can slow it and even reverse it with strength training. Muscles tugging on the bones help prevent osteoporosis. It causes a chemical reaction that sends calcium to build bone density. Strength training helps prevent osteoporosis. Even people with thinning bones show improved bone density.

Functional fitness is important, especially as you age.

Building muscle tissue and strength not only helps keep fat off, but also aids your posture, balance and coordination. It can reduce the risk of falling, especially in seniors, by as much as forty percent. Muscle tissue helps protect internal organs and prevents other injuries to the body. However, even though strength training is part of functional fitness, you also need endurance and flexibility training, too.

• The more muscle tissue you have, the thinner you’ll look, since muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, so it takes up less space. Sometimes, people get discouraged when they fail to lose weight, but don’t consider that they lost inches.
• Research shows that strength training helps improve cognitive functioning. That’s true for everyone, but especially for seniors.
• You’ll improve your posture with strength training. Improved posture not only boosts your confidence, it helps digestion, breathing and prevents excess wear and tear on joints.
• Strength training gives a boost to your energy level. It can help you keep going strong to the end of the day. You’ll complete tasks quicker and have energy to spare.

For more information, contact us today at Craig Long Fit