Upcoming HOA announcement of the video interview with Karsten Jensen

My Moustache is Gray !!

Here is my fourth video showcasing the progress of my mustache growth for the Movember drive
Please donate and save a life  it is going for a good cause finding a cure and better treatment for prostate cancer
here are my links for the fund drive info and instruction on how to donate
www.movember.com
www.movember.com/fitblogger

My Movember fund raiser Intro

Hello all my fellow followers,
I am participating in my third fund drive for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Livestrong.com

It is a good cause to find a cure and more advanced  treatment and detection  for this disease.. I am a prostate cancer survivor myself so it is a personal mission for me.

 Below you will find more general information about the foundation and the fund drive.

I do apologize for the lengthy session , I tend to drag on some conversations and I am working  on that issue :)


Here are some links to my donation page and more general information about the disease

http://mobro.co/fitblogger
http://us.movember.com/about/

Gymchat 186 -Metabolic Typing with Stephen Duncan

This is one of my video projects that was recovered by Google. I am hosting a show every Wednesday at 9 PM Eastern standard Time called The Straight To The Bar Gymchats Hangouts On Air  and they showcase various health and fitness professsionals that want to promote and educate the public on their specified field of expertise within the Health and Fitness Industry Please view and comment

I will be posting videos I hope every week that showcase these guests.
The video below is an interview that took place on Sept 26th and the discussion reported on  the principles and philosophy of metabolic typing 

'Gymchat 185 - Training for Marathons & Triathlons (with Chas Melichar)

 Here is my first video project .please comment and suggest It ail be a weekly show  based on various health and fitness topics  'Gymchat 185 - Training for Marathons & Triathlons (with Chas Melichar) (by Kirk Fontaine)

Hyponetrmia What is it?

Hyponetrmia What is it?

Since we are in the midst of a hot summer , the issue of water intake during intense outside activity needs to be addressed. so here is my research on a condition called hyponetrmia which afflicts many of our athletes but it can affect the general population as well 

In terms of sodium intake and exercise, I learned that you need the sodium and other minerals to generate electrical activity in order for the neuromuscular system to function properly. During any intense activity, the body excretes certain amounts of sodium through sweat, urine and a percentage through fecal matter and it eventually has to be replaced through food, water, and certain energy drinks that contain sodium such as Gatorade. 

During my research, I was also astonished by learning about  how too much water can cause the kidneys to become overloaded and shut down and if not treated then eventually could lead to  death.

In terms of the amount of sodium intake one should ingest on a daily basis, the basic understanding is that too much sodium will cause the body to withhold water that may have implications on one’s overall health when referring to conditions such as high blood pressure. 

Therefore, the rationale is to cut back on salt in any form to daily levels below 2400mg. However, the research is different for athletes based on their activity level and the environment that these athletic events take place. 

Athletes are encouraged to begin exercise well hydrated and to consume sufficient amounts of appropriate fluids during exercise to limit water and salt deficits. (Maughan, & Shirreffs, 2008).

Available evidence suggests that many athletes begin exercise already dehydrated to some degree, and although most fail to drink enough to match sweat losses, some drink too much and a few develop hyponatremia a condition that affects the way the kidneys excrete water (2008). 

There is a tendency to replenish the water due to the initial sensation of thirst and by then the body is severely dehydrated. The athlete then tries to make up the perceived deficit by ingesting fluids over a shorter period of time, which leads to the stated condition 

A water loss equivalent to 2% or more of body mass appears to reduce endurance exercise performance in both temperate and hot environments especially when the duration of the exercises is around 90 min or more. It has been reported that oral replacement of even 50% of a 4% body mass loss during a 20­min break was effective in restoring exercise capacity (2008)

According to Anastasiou, Kavouras, Arnaoutis, Gioxari, Kollia & Botoula, Exercise-associated hyponatremia may result in confusion, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, pulmonary edema, cardiorespiratory arrest, coma, and even death'. (Anastasio, Kavouras, Arnaoutis, Gioxari, Kollia, Botoula, et al, 2009)

A study is done involving thirteen healthy, physically active, untrained men (age = 24.5 ± 2.1 years, height = 178 ± 8 cm, mass = 77.9 ± 10.4 kg. body fat = 17.4± 5.4%). (2009)

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of drinks with different sodium concentrations in maintaining plasma volume and preventing hyponatremia during long-duration exercises in the heat when fluid supplementation matches fluid lost to sweating (2009)

As of 2007, The American College of Sports Medicine suggested that fluid intake during prolonged exercise should be sufficient to limit body mass loss to less than 2 % body mass pre-exercise 

Therefore, water should not be ingested to the point that they gain body mass during exercise, but those principles do not apply to the athlete that is already dehydrated before beginning exercise.  

Individualized strategies have to made to educate athletes on how to hydrate before, during and after intense endurance activities, No single recommendation will work for every one. 

References

Anastasiou, C. A., Kavouras, S. A., Arnaoutis, G., Gioxari, A., Kollia, M., Botoula, E., et al. (2009). Sodium Replacement and Plasma Sodium Drop During Exercise in the Heat When Fluid Intake Matches Fluid Loss. Journal of Athletic Training 44(2), 117-123.

Maughan, R. J., & Shirreffs, S. M. (2008). Development of individual hydration strategies for athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 18(5), 457-472.

To Supplement or Not

Do you think fitness and/or health care professionals should recommend supplements?

I don’t think fitness and health care professionals should be recommending supplements of any kind unless they are qualified to do so, for example, if they hold a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s certification and/or license to prescribe individual diet plans based on their client’s goals.

With recommending pro hormone supplements, here is my opinion on that as well. 

I do not think hormone supplements such as testosterone, and fitness professionals of any level or discipline should not recommend some of those other banned substances because they are considered illegal to use in most states in the union 

 You are putting yourself at risk legally if someone takes these supplements based your recommendation. I have seen and heard of the many pro hormone supplements that advertise and market their product as ergogenic aids to dupe the consumer along with celebrity endorsements to further validate their claim.

 I believe with a sound diet and fitness plan you can attain the same benefits as the pro hormone supplements without the adverse effects. The process for practicing this methodology is slow but healthier and maximizes the benefits of your hard training and diet adherence.

 

The supplement question that I receive a lot is regarding the differences between whey and soy protein and their effectiveness in increasing lean muscle mass. 

The debate regarding whether whey or soy protein is better for non athletes and athletes for building lean muscle mass can be simplified to knowing that according to current research it was hypothesized that whey protein would be more effective compared to soy protein during resistance training. It was also hypothesized that protein supplementation, independent of source, would be more effective than resistance training alone. (Burke, et al, )

Also results across studies suggest that consuming additional dietary protein during resistance training, independent of source, may be responsible for the greater increase in lean tissue mass.

It was speculated that whey protein would lead to superior gains over soy protein. However, their findings did not support this hypothesis. One possible explanation for the lack of greater gains in the whey protein group was the duration of the resistance-training program. (Burke, et al) 

On a general note, the most asked question concerning protein supplementation is how much to take once you decide what type and brand one chooses.

According to my research findings, future studies will need to determine precise recommendations, current research indicates that as long as energy intake is adequate a daily protein intake of 1.2–1.4 g/d for individuals participating in regular en- durance exercise and 1.6 –1.8 g/kg for their counterparts involved in strength exercise should be sufficient and based on this finding, the client has to figure in their chosen protein supplementation with this formula along with the dietary protein he should be ingesting on a daily basis.(Lemon,2000)

Burke, N., C., Burke, D., G., Candow, D. G., & Palmer-Smith, T. (2006). Effects of Whey and Soy Protein Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training in Young Adults. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 16, 233-244

Lemon, P., W.R. . (2000). Beyond the Zone: Protein Needs of Active Individuals [Journal]. Journal of American College  of Nutrition Vol.19.

Exercise Adherence-What does it mean?

Adherence means in my opinion, creating and committing to a passion even if it poses great challenges and of course exercise ,whether it is hourly ,daily ,weekly or god forbid monthly, will with some consistency bring about positive changes in the body in a holistic fashion. 

Why is it so hard to commit to something that we all know will change our lives for the better. The intent is always there. Just talk to someone about health and fitness in reference to exercise and they will state they have the intent but not the drive.

 To rationalize that argument they stated various reasons why they cannot exercise , "No Time" is the usual   excuse for why they cannot become involved or committed.

Warm weather or designated dates have a way of calling attention to the importance of achieving healthy fitness levels for ourselves and our families.

Many of us have  spent at least the better part of our previous two or three seasons making the attempt and fallen short.

According to Adam Stone ,a writer for William Penn Life ( June 2012)

“Understanding the science of exercise is important for every single person participating in a fitness program”. 

One consideration is exercise referral, which is the practice of referring the person from primary care to a qualified exercise professional who uses relevant medical information about the person to develop tailored programs of physical activity usually lasting from 10 – 12 weeks. 

The purpose is to increase opportunities for exercise but the access to facilities & activities in the notion that it will encourage long-term exercise behavior can become a tricky situation

It could turn into a very complex issue for the person who has been referred by their doctor or  another health professional. Studies are still inconclusive as to how effective this practice is.

What is your opinion on the relationship between exercise adherence and referrals from your doctor?

My Post Graduate Experience from College

I am not real sure why I have this fear of failure but I have been trying to repress this feeling  and it always rears it ugly head when I get into situations that may trigger it such as what happened with my last job situation in 2011 beginning on Halloween Day

I am a recent graduate from a online college. I just earned my Master’s in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from California University. It was a intense  year-long Master’s program with a Post-graduate NASM certification  Afterwards I got some tips that several places were hiring ,and I took the first job opportunity where for all intensive purposes was the perfect job in reference to location and the type of job I was applying for.

I went through two interviews (one was via the phone and the other was in person) . As far as I know both  of the interviews went fine. Subsequently I was set to role play an intake session with one of the trainers at the facility and it went ok , he indicated what I am lacking in and it was duly noted. I needed to brush up my marketing and sales strategy skills .

 Ok so I was told that I will be contacted by the owners to set up a time to shadow a trainer so that I can find my “niche” therefore i will be matched with potential clients based on my marketing and sales skills. The first week passed with no notification from them , I then proceeded to contact them via email and phone and got no reply from them. The second week I proceeded to do the same thing and still no response.  So I just figured I was written off because for some” unknown reason “ I was not the perfect fit for their  company. Maybe I was overqualified since I just earned my second Master’s,(my other was a Master of Science  in Information Technology)

This was a wake up call and lesson for me since it has been several years since I worked and I know there has been changes in the world of the employed. Some changes are good as well as bad. - The message I get from this is timing is everything and you must keep your expectations high in spite on what may happen in the process of looking and securing a job. It could of been my worst case scenario but I doubt that. I was quite bitter ,embarrassed and  confused for a long time but I am still actively looking and I am sure that great job will come as long as I am vigilant in my search.

Thanks for reading

Unitl next time

Kirk Fontaine

The unemployed but content Personal Trainer :)