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The Free Fitness
Tips Newsletter - September 2008
brought to you by
http://www.freefitnesstips.co.uk/
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The Free Fitness Tips Newsletter -
September 2008 is sponsored by:
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Hey everyone. Welcome to the
September 2008 edition of the Free Fitness Tips Newsletter.
This month I have been doing a number of posts on the topic of
diet and nutrition with a particular focus on
dietary fibre. Read on for the full contents of this
month's newsletter:
1)
Featured Article
As I
mentioned above, this month I have been writing a number of blog
posts on
dietary fibre. I enjoyed writing each of these articles
BUT only one can be featured and that article is...
The
Benefits of Fibre
GENERAL BENEFITS:
1) WEIGHT LOSS:- Fibre contains no calories which
means that fibre rich foods generally contain less calories than low
fibre foods. Although the difference in calories is not huge,
wholemeal breads and pastas generally contain less calories than
white breads and pastas. Fruits and vegetables are also relatively
low in calories compared with other types of foods.
Fibre is
also effective at satisfying your appetite, with both types of fibre
making you feel fuller for longer. Insoluble fibre absorbs water
and expands in the digestive tract meaning that it swells and helps
fill up your stomach. Soluble fibre also helps satisfy your
appetite because it holds food in the digestive tract for longer.
The
combination of being both filling and low in calories means that
fibre is a fantastic weight loss food. By substituting white bread
with wholemeal bread, white pasta with wholemeal pasta and eating
fruit instead of processed snacks you can cut your daily caloric
intake without feeling hungry or deprived.
INSOLUBLE FIBRE BENEFITS:
1) REDUCED CONSTIPATION:- Probably the most well
publicised benefit of dietary fibre is that it promotes regular
bowel movements and reduces constipation. When insoluble fibre
reaches the digestive tract it absorbs water and expands, whilst
continuing to move through the digestive system. As it travels
through, insoluble fibre helps make waste materials soft, bulky and
easier to move whilst also scraping the walls of the bowel (lower
part of the digestive system) clean. Doing this makes waste
materials easier to excrete, makes bowel movements more regular and
therefore reduces constipation.
2) REDUCED BOWEL DISEASE:- Since insoluble fibre helps
clear waste materials out of the bowel more quickly, it has also
been linked with reduced bowel disease. This is because waste
materials are not able to stay in the bowels for very long and so
harmful toxins do not get the chance to accumulate. Specifically,
consuming insoluble fibre has been associated with reduced
occurrence of piles (swelling inside the anal canal), irritable
bowel syndrome and other digestive problems.
SOLUBLE FIBRE BENEFITS:
1) GREATER ABSORBTION OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS:- As
already discussed, soluble fibre holds food in the digestive tract
for longer. This allows your body to fully absorb the nutrients
from the food before it is fully excreted. Therefore, getting
enough soluble fibre will ensure that you get the maximum benefits
from the foods you consume.
2) BETTER BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL:- By holding food in
your digestive tract for longer soluble fibre also slows down the
digestion process. This means that food is converted into
glucose/sugar and released into the blood at a slower, more
controlled rate. This benefit is particularly important for people
with
diabetes where blood sugar control is a common problem.
3) REDUCED CANCER RISK:- A growing bank of evidence
suggests that fibre (particularly soluble fibre) can help prevent a
variety of
cancers. In my article on the link between
fitness and cancer I discussed how fibre can reduce your risk of
colon cancer,
prostate cancer,
lung cancer,
breast cancer and
ovarian cancer. In the majority of studies, fibre from fruit
and vegetables (soluble fibre) was cited as the top source because
of the additional anti-oxidants and vitamins they contain.
4) REDUCED HEART DISEASE:- Soluble fibre has been
linked with reduced heart disease because of its cholesterol
lowering effect. It does this by binding with the cholesterol in
foods. This bind of soluble fibre and cholesterol is then excreted
as a waste product during bowel movements, lowering overall
cholesterol levels.
Fibre has
long been touted as an excellent way to reduce constipation but the
other benefits are often ignored. Making soluble and insoluble part
of your diet can really help improve the health of your bowel and
your heart whilst also helping you get the most nutritional benefit
from the foods you eat. On top of this it can also help you manage
diabetes and reduce your cancer risk. If you currently feel you are
not getting enough fibre (18g per day is the recommendation) then
what better reason to start? Whether your goal is to lose weight,
improve your health or prevent disease fibre can help.
2)
Free Fitness Tips Blog Updates
As I have already discussed this month
I mainly covered
diet and nutrition and
dietary fibre in particular. The full list of articles
added to the
Free
Fitness Tips blog this month are listed below:
-
Can
Improving your Fitness Reduce your Cancer Risk
-
What is Fibre?
-
The Benefits of Fibre?
-
How to make sure you are getting enough Fibre
-
The Disadvantages of consuming too much Fibre
-
Fibre: The Perfect Gym Food
-
4 Benefits of Consuming Wholemeal Products
-
4 Highly Recommended Wholemeal Substitutes
-
How To Get Back on Track with your Fitness Training
3)
Featured Fitness Blog Post
Since it's winter and a lot of you
will be focusing on keeping your immune systems healthy. Well
luckily for you that's exactly what this month's featured fitness
blog; '7
Immune System Boosters' post is all about. It comes from
Chris at Zen to
Fitness and could really help you fight the flu this year.
Read on to learn what Chris's 7 immune system secrets are...
7
Immune System Boosters
Photo credit:
curly_exp( l)osure
Stay Strong
With
winter on its way, its time to start keeping our immune
systems in top shape. Boosting immunity can come from a
variety of different factors including how you handle
Stress, Exercise and Eat. This post is going to run through
what are in my opinion the best ways to keep your
Immune System strong and bug resistant in the coming
months.
1- Keep Stress to a
Minimum
I
know this is a tough one as stress catches up with us all
and is a part of everyday life, we must learn to deal with
it as best we can. Don’t get frustrated over the smaller
things in Life sometimes we just need to let go and accept
what is…..
Chronic stress has been shown to alter our immune response,
this basically means that things like Stress, Frustration,
Anxiety and Anger can all dampen our body’s defenses. Check
out my blog post on handling these negative emotions here:
Free Yourself from Stress, Anxiety and Fear
2- Get Some Fresh Air
Regardless of the weather this Winter always make your best
efforts to get outside and stay active; Go for long walks
(See
Walking your way to Health and Fitness), or try to do
some outdoor exercise. The fresh air that comes from nature
is the best tonic for our physical health and immunity, it
pumps your blood full of fresh oxygenated air which simply
isn’t available from Gyms smelly air conditioning….
“Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the
joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and
smelling the fresh air, is not worth
all the suffering and effort which life implies.” -
Erich Fromm
3- Drink Green Tea
We
hear is so much these days how good green tea is for us and
how we should drink it all the time. Well this isn’t for no
reason; on top of doing things like boosting your metabolism
and providing an
alternative to generic fat burners. Green Tea is also a
potent anti-oxidant which is key to keeping your body strong
as it fights off the free radicals we find in our everyday
environment (pollution, pesticides etc).On top of this Green
Tea supports the growth of “good” intestinal bacteria, while
stopping the ‘bad’, namely e-coli, clostridium and
salmonella which can reak havoc on our digestive system.
“Up to 70% of your immune system is located in your
digestive tract,” says Susan Bowerman of the Center for
Human Nutrition at the University of California
4- Cod Liver Oil
This
stuff is amazing and something I always keep a bottle of in
my Fridge. Its packed with absorbable forms of Vitamin A and
D. Vitamin D is essential for the Immune System and due to
it only being available from the sun, the bleak months of
winter are times when we are in dire need of an extra hit to
boost our immunity. Check out this post on Vitamin D from
Matt Metzgar:
Vitamin D and the Flu
I
would suggest taking 1-2 Tea Spoons of Cod Liver Oil a day,
its probably the best bang for your buck supplement you can
buy. Just make sure you get a high quality version that
hasn’t had its Vitamins removed/distilled and keep your
bottle in the Fridge.
5- Up Your Vitamin C
Firstly always keep on hand a good quality Vitamin C
supplement for times you are feeling run down or stressed.
Not only is it a great anti-oxidant Vitamin C is a potent
Cortisol blocker. More importantly than taking it in
supplement form though is to eat your local and fresh fruit.
Its no Coincidence that just as the flu/cold season starts
all the amazing Citrus fruits come into season they are
packed to the brim with Vitamin C and will help keep your
immune system in top shape. So load up on Oranges as soon as
they come into season, Eat them whole and avoid the juice
from packets the nutrients are all gone as is the fiber,
plus its just more fun to peel an orange and eat it!!
6- Relax
Do
whatever you enjoy doing to relax and feel your body. Things
like deep meditation, Hot Baths and Massages really let your
Lymphatic system work to flush out toxins and detox your
body. If your lucky enough to be able to afford a neck and
back massage once a week its a worthwhile investment……And if
your a shower person make sure you give yourself a god soak
in a hot bath a few times a week. Try taking up Yoga or
learn to meditate, all these things will help you to no end
when dealing with what life throws at you…..
"Put duties aside at least an hour before bed and
perform soothing, quiet activities that will help you
relax." - Dianne Hales
7- Get Some Color On
Your Plate and Cook
Eat
variety, make sure when your shopping you get all kinds of
fresh and exciting foods to cook with. Experiment with
things like peppers (Great Beef/Pepper Recipe
@ Modern Forager) and buy loads of Fresh Herbs and
Spices these things will keep you in great shape all year
round not only staving off ilness but they will allow you to
feel great! Have a look at these sites for some great
wholesome recipies:
My Paleo Kitchen
Cindalou’s Kitchen Blues
Cooking is not only a great stress reliever, it will save
you money and allow you to experiment with fresh and tasty
produce. Also add Loads of Chili to your food there
mouth-melting capsaicin can help fight infection and keep
inflammation down…
Source:
7 Immune System Boosters
-----
I only discovered
Zen to Fitness
recently but I am completely hooked already. Chris writes in
an easy to follow, enjoyable way and blogs on a variety of
interesting health and fitness topics. Plus, his blog looks
pretty sweet too. If you haven't done so already go and check
out Zen to
Fitness today.
4) Final Words
I'm quite pleased with this month's
fibre articles and plan to continue on the topic of
diet and nutrition next month. I also plan to provide
readers with a free ebook as I haven't released one for a couple of
months.
Happy reading :-)
Tom Parker (Owner and Creator of Free
Fitness Tips)
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September 2008 is sponsored by:
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