Is Your Body Fat Stressing You Out?

By Mike Roussell

We can all pretty much agree that extra body fat stinks – right? It hides your abs from the world, makes your favorite clothes not fit, and increases your risk of heart disease and cancer ….but did you know that you know that it can impair how your body responds to stress?

Here’s how.

Increased levels of visceral fat (i.e. not the stomach fat you can pinch, the fat sitting around your organs) lead to increased levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that have been shown to decrease mental performance.

I just came across a pretty cool study that looked at body fat and its effect on one’s ability to handle emotional stress…the results were not good if you have extra belly fat.

The researchers found that the people whom had the lowest body fat percentage had the greatest ability to rebound from bouts of emotional stress (in the study they used sky diving).

So the connection is

More belly fat –> More cortisol –> Decreased brain power and ability to cope with emotional stressors.

I’m sure that some of you may question whether body fat is the cause or not (as NNN readers are pretty savvy) but I don’t think that whether or not body fat is the cause really matters.

The people with lower body fat percentages are probably more active and thus their bodies were accustomed to dealing with stressors or they may have better nutrition which could also help them cope better with stress.

Better nutrition and more exercise are important factors that allow them to have lower body fat levels and deal with stress better.

The key point is that you need to get rid of the extra body fat hanging off your body as it is literally stressing you out. As I write this January has just ended.

Did you set any weight loss related New Years resolutions 30 days ago?

How are you doing with your 2009 weight loss goals?

What do you need to achieve them faster?

-Mike

Exercise is Good for Your Health ....and Your Wallet

Exercise is Good for Your Health and Your Wallet, Evidence Shows

This is an excerpt from an article Shannon read....not that we didn't know this already but thought it was great information to pass on....


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(ARA) - Budget-minded families are looking to cut expenses that seem like a luxury, or even just frivolous -- including gym / exercise memberships. Yet mounting evidence suggests that cutting out the gym / exercise memberships may be exactly the wrong move for even the most cash-strapped family.

In its just-released report of annual health spending figures, published in the journal Health Affairs, the federal government confirmed that chronic illness accounts for 75 percent of all health spending. Yet exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can significantly reduce your risks for chronic illness and your medical bills.

"To put that in financial terms, for every dollar you spend on wellness, you can save as much as five dollars or more on illness," says Dr. Richard Kreider, director of the exercise and sport nutrition laboratory at Texas A&M University.

"The women in our studies have been able to lose weight, gain muscle strength, raise metabolism, and make significant medical improvements in blood pressure, resting heart rate and aerobic fitness," Kreider says. "Many of them no longer suffer from the chronic conditions that cost them so much money for medications and doctor visits."

This can add up to a bundle of savings. The Health Affairs report shows that the average annual out-of-pocket expense for someone with cancer is $8,411, but the good news is that regular exercise can help you avoid the disease and the costs associated with it. A major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research published in 2007 found that obesity plays a key role in increasing the risk for many cancers -- including breast cancer -- by as much as 60 percent. And a study just published in the journal Cancer found that obesity increased women's risk for ovarian cancer by a whopping 80 percent.

The benefits go beyond reducing the risk of cancer. A recent landmark study by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota found that people who went to the exercised at least eight times a month had significantly lower healthcare costs than those who did not. These frequent exercisers had:

* 39 percent fewer emergency room visits
* 41 percent fewer hospital admissions
* 18 percent lower overall claims costs

The research, then, is clear. "Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can save not only your life, but your money as well," says Kreider. "Your health is your most precious asset, and not taking care of it is going to cost you more in the long run."

So how can you continue exercising (BootCamp) without breaking the bank? Did you know you can check with your health insurance provider to see if they have a wellness program that offers rebates on dues and membership fees.

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So how has your life changed from working out on a continuous basis?
What benefits have you seen?
Reply to this blog with your comments!

"Sure hope I dont get sick..."

I was recently reminded of an old wives tale following one of our early morning Ventura County Adventure Boot Camp Classes (Adventure Boot Camp is an outdoor fitness program).



After a week and a half of absolutely fabulous summer-like weather (60 degrees at 6am in Thousand Oaks, CA) we have had the onset of what we refer to as "bad weather" in Southern California, or in other areas what is referred to as "showers".

In fact, yesterday morning it was downright pouring almost nonstop! Brave, addicted, dedicated souls that my awesome group of ladies are, we still met and did our workout -IN THE RAIN!! It was exhilarating!
We did have a bunch of fun.
And we did get extremely wet.
Soaked, in fact.

At the end of the class one of the ladies said it was fun but she sure hoped she didn't get sick from being out in the rain like this... HUNH, say whaaaat?!!

I replied by saying, "You mean getting wet makes you sick? Oh WOW.. I mean Sham WOW!! I had better stop taking showers then, right? Because I get REALLY wet in the shower... and I don't even have any clothes on either!!

Yea I know, it was a facetious retort, but hey... I enjoy a good healthy repartee'! ;-)

"Oh", she clarified, "I mean getting wet OUTSIDE!"

"OoooHhhhhhh. OK, well, I suppose I had better not go swimming, surfing, or get in a Jacuzzi anymore -cuz THAT will make me sick!"

And then of course she tried to maneuver out of that position by saying that was different.

Well, not really. Being outside, in the rain, or in the cold does NOT make one sick.

Having a depressed immune system and being exposed to a virus makes one sick.

So, next time you fell like being 5 again -or want to rediscover what fun and adventure could be found back then -go ahead and venture outdoors... for a walk or to exercise and take power back into your life. Have fun... No regrets.

Next post we will talk about what you are doing that lowers your immune system!!

make it a great weekend wherever you are... and remember...

GET UP, GET OUT, HAVE FUN, ..... GET FIT

Practicing What You Preach - Being the Best We Can Be through Mentoring

WOW, friggin A, WOW!!! What a way to start a new year!! I just spent the last 4 days in the presence of greatness (both instructors and colleagues) and it was AWESOME!!! It was singularly one of the most refreshing times I have had since Shannon and I leapt full time into fitness coaching back in 2003! I was surrounded by a great group of fitness professionals all learning from one another as well as from two of the top icons in the business, Rachel and Alwyn Cosgrove. What a pleasure to meet, talk with, and train under these two for a week.

Rachel Cosgrove, Me, Alwyn Cosgrove @ the Results Fitness Studio

So to back up for a moment. One of the goals we have for True North Fitness & Health this year is to expand our service options and delivery into "in studio training" for exercise programs. There are many things we need to accomplish to make this happen and attending the Cosgroves' Fitness Business Mentorship Program was one of our must do items prior to doing it. [And WOW, am I glad we did!] We take the approach that if you want to be the best, you must study from the best (and then apply and evolve from that study).


There is not an area about fitness coaching and business that I did not learn things about and improve our ability to deliver a better result. And that goes for my own fitness as well -shoot, as you can see here to the side I learned an awesome new variation of the spidey pushup!! Alwyn added in a dynamic hand movement instead of my regular static hand position...

WOWW!! That is just KILLER!!


All I can say as I still am absorbing and processing the plethora of coaching provided, is THANK YOU to Rachel & Alwyn for sharing their knowledge and making the time to mentor those of us wishing to improve our business methods. Due to professionals such as the Cosgroves, I am sure the business of Health and Fitness Coaching will evolve to a higher level of professionalism and expertise.

And, residents of Ventura and Ventura County.... WOW, stand by for the REAL DEAL for REAL RESULTS in your fitness efforts!!

We will get you Feeling Good, Performing Better, and Being your BEST!! every day