The Facts About Fats

Hello.

I’m Carolyn Small.  I want to share a few facts about fats with you.

Fats share some common traits.  For example, they all give your body energy and according to the American Heart Association (AHA) they all have 9 calories per gram. But some fats are better than others.  I didn’t say that there are good fats, only that some are “better” than others. 

Read on.

Both saturated fat and trans fats are bad for you because they raise your bad cholesterol (LDL), which means they can both increase your risk for heart disease.

On the other hand according to the AHA, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are better fats because they lower your bad cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease.

What was that you said?  You already know all of this.  You do?

Then why are you still stuffing yourself with foods that contain the “bad” fats - foods such as bakery goods (doughnuts and pastries) and fried foods like French fries?  Why do you still eat fatty meat, chicken with the skin still on it, butter and full-fat dairy products regularly?  Granted, you do not have to give up these food items entirely, but eat them infrequently.    

I know it isn’t easy.  I love to eat all the “wrong” foods myself.  I struggle everyday sticking to a healthy diet.  But I do it, and so can you.  Do I ever cheat?  Yes I do!  But, I work out harder at my next exercise session. 

Remember:  you want to burn more calories and fat than what you put in your body.  So if you “splurge” a little, you’re going to have to rev up the cardio to burn off the results of your splurging.

Let me put this differently, if you consume more calories that you burn, you will gain weight.  So make sure you eat all fats in moderation.   

Talk to you soon.  By the way, check out the link below for tasty recipes in the American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 3rd Edition: A Complete Guide to Reducing Sodium and Fat in Your Diet.

Best wishes,

Carolyn

Rich, fatty foods are like destiny:  they too, shape our ends.  ~Author Unknown



Fine Print:

This policy is valid from 12 November 2009.  I am Carolyn Small, the administrator for this blog.  For questions about this blog, please contact cvsmall.small@gmail.com. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions.  However, since I am an Affiliate of the advertisers in this blog, if you buy something I will get paid. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or post made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.  Even though I receive compensation for the advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those products.  The views and opinions expressed on this blog may not always be my own, but I agree with them.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.  This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.  

Do You Have the Right Balance?

Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)


Did you know that more than one third of U.S. adults are obese? Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories than your body uses. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight will help you prevent and control many diseases and conditions. The key is FINDING A BALANCE in your lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity.

Checkout the video below.

Running Time: (4:07) 

Take care of yourself, so you can be there to take of your family.

Best regards,

Carolyn


"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance." ~ Lee Iacocca

Cross Train Your Way to a Slimmer You!

Author: Carolyn Small


Hello Everyone.

I mentioned this in a previous article but I believe it bears repeating: The numbers on your scale do not indicate whether you are fit or fat. They only tell you how much you weigh. Far more significant than your total body weight is the composition of your body tissue. (Click here for healthy body fat percents.)


A small amount of fat is needed for padding the internal organs and as insulation under the skin. However, excess fat leads to such diseases as diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and gallbladder problems.

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Being fit decreases your chance of contracting diseases
while carrying excess body fat increases those chances!
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Many of you who are serious about your health work really, really hard to get those numbers down to what you believe are acceptable figures. But, you’re still fat…still in danger of having all sorts or medical issues. Don’t get me wrong, losing weight is good, but you must take your fitness program to the next level.

Winning the Battle against Fat

When you think of fighting fat with exercise, you probably think of hours of hard, sweaty exertion. If this is the case, then, you may not get any farther than just “thinking” about losing fat.

Why?

Experts contend that when people exert more effort than what they “think” they’re capable of doing, there’s a tendency to lose interest, become weary and dissatisfied. Hence, they give up, stop doing their routine exercises, and end up sulking in the corner with a bag of chips for comfort.

It’s at this point that a strong support group is worth its weight in gold. They will remind you of your goals and your purpose for starting the exercise program. They will help motivate you and get you moving again.

But what if your motivation level starts to decline because you’re bored with your workout program?

How do you combat boredom? Cross Training!

After some intensive studies and experimentation, health experts were able to come up with the concept of incorporating cross training in an exercise program to overcome or break the monotony or dullness of the routine.

Cross training refers to the integration of diverse movements or activities into a person’s conventional exercise routine. The main purpose of incorporating cross training into an exercise program is to avoid muscle damage, eliminate boredom and get improved results.

Cross training – 3 basic components:

• Endurance exercises to condition the heart, lungs and blood vessels.
• Exercises to strengthen the muscles. Because you’re doing a variety of exercises, cross training conditions the entire body, not just specific muscle groups. AND, since you’re not doing the same set of exercises every day, you’re not over stressing any particular muscle group.
• Exercises to improve flexibility, speed, agility and balance.

Cross training is indeed a great way to modify the concept of exercising and losing fat without having to endure monotonous activities.

You can develop your own cross training program, have someone else, such as a personal trainer or, a fitness expert at your local gym do it for you, or you can purchase one of the many fitness programs on the market today.

Two of the leading programs on the market are Shaun T’s Insanity and P90X. For more info on each program please check out Max Workout for the Ultimate Weight Loss – Fat Burn and How Does P90X Work? (Note: both of these programs are high-impact.)
 
In short, getting fit and losing fat does not have to be boring. It can be fun if you choose the right program to follow. Remember: everyone is not the same. You must choose the program that is right for you. If you don’t, you won’t stick with it. You will continue doing the same things that you have always done, getting the same results that you always have.

Best Wishes for much Success!

Carolyn

I keep trying to lose weight… but it keeps finding me!  ~Author Unknown