Archive for July, 2009

July 14, 2009

A natural result of aging is loss of muscle and loss of bone density.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Most muscle and bone density loss is due to inactivity. Lack of stress or resistance on the muscles.

You hear people blame their lack of activity on “getting old”. There’s saying that goes like this. “As the mind goes – so goes the body.” Is your vision one of “getting old” or vibrant health.

When you start losing muscle because of inactivity, you start losing bone mass as well. When you lack muscle tone and bone mass, it takes more energy to do things. You get tired faster. It’s a downward spiral. One thing leads to another.

You can reverse this trend with simple resistance exercises. When you properly exercise your muscles it puts a good kind of stress on your bones. This causes a chemical reaction in your bones and increases their density over time. Even people with Osteoporosis can in many cases reverse it and start building stronger, denser, bones.

What type of exercises do I recommend? Simple body weight exercises like squats, lunges and push-ups.

If you’d like to stay young and have strong muscles and strong bones – Exercise. You can get all the results you need in an hour or less per week.

You can learn more about my 1-5-3 Fat Burning System that helps you build lean, strong muscles and strong, healthy bones at http://www.kevinfurey.com

All the best,

Kevin Furey

July 9, 2009

Did you know that your body burns different fuels depending on how long you exercise and the amount of intensity exerted?

If you do low intensity exercise over a longer period of time, your body burns 15% fat and 70% carbohydrates.

Moderate intensity, longer duration exercise, lasting 45 minutes to an hour burns 55% fat and 40% carbohydrates.

High intensity, short duration exercise burns 3% fat and 95% carbohydrates.

Logically, if you’re trying to lose weight, most people would choose moderate intensity exercise because it burns the most fat DURING exercise. But that’s the problem.

Our bodies create an adaptive response to the type of exercise we perform. When you move into your fat burning zone DURING exercise… your brain tells your body to replace that fat for the next time you exercise. It even robs your muscle tissue to do it.

The truth of the matter is, you burn 60% fat while you’re RESTING or not doing any exercise at all.

So what type of exercise is best for burning fat?

The answer is short duration, higher intensity. This type of exercise burns 95% carbohydrates and 3% fat DURING exercise. Studies show that doing this type of exercise burns up to 9 times more fat than traditional cardio exercise. And it does it AFTER you’re done exercising.

Doing short duration exercise also creates an adaptive response. Since you’re burning primarily sugar during your workout, your brain senses that it doesn’t need the excess fat and tells your body to get rid of it. So the fat starts melting off your body while you’re resting.

You can have these types of results exercising for an hour or less per week. You’ll exercise less, burn more fat and create long toned muscles that’ll be the envy of your friends.

To find out more go to www.kevinfurey.com and learn about The 1-5-3 Fat Burning System.

All the best,

Kevin

July 7, 2009

Where I live, in Texas, we had over 20 days in June in triple digits. Needless to say keeping sufficiently hydrated was at the top of my mind on a daily basis. But when it’s not so hot, it’s easy to get lured into thinking that I’m getting enough water.

How much water is enough? You may have heard you need to drink 8 glasses of water per day. Another source says to take how much you weigh and divide by 2. That tells you how many ounces you should drink per day.

Dr. David Brownstein, M.D. has been practicing holistic medicine for 17 years. His feeling is dehydration currently exist at epidemic rates and is an often overlooked contributor to serious illness.

Two things that contribute to dehydration in a large way are coffee and soft drinks (otherwise known as soda here in Texas). In addition, soda consumption contributes to diabetes, heart disease and even osteoporosis. Now before you go cussin’ me, I’ll be the first to admit, a can of coke really hits the spot for me on occasion. Especially if I’m feeling like my blood sugar is low. But avoiding and reducing the amount of soda you drink will help keep you hydrated and avoid diseases that can have a serious impact on your future.

If your body is composed of 70% water it stands to reason that your kidneys, liver, brain and all of your internal organs will work better when properly hydrated. Water is to the body what oil is to a cars engine.

Water also helps to detoxify the body. With all of the toxic chemicals and metals in our food and environment it’s hard to completely avoid them. Water helps dilute them and in the process flush them out of your body.

In summary, drinking more water helps you:

1) Avoid dehydration which can lead to sickness
2) Fend off illness because your internal organs are working as they should
3) Detoxify your body of foreign chemicals and free radicals

All the best,

Kevin Furey

P.S. To find out more stuff on how to be healthier visit http://www.kevinfurey.com and read about The Untold Secret To Fitness Fast After Forty.