5 Reasons the Glycemic Index is a Total Load…

Glycemic Index vs Glycemic Load

If you love to count and micromanage your food, the glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL) might be perfect for you.

The GI measures how quickly a food converts to sugar in your body and raises your blood sugar. Higher-glycemic foods spike your blood sugar quickly, whereas lower-glycemic foods create a slower effect.

What the GI doesn’t measure is how much of that food you eat. That’s where the glycemic load (GL) comes in: It measures quality and quantity.

You can determine a food’s GL by multiplying the GI times the amount of carbohydrate grams and dividing the total by 100. So while carrots have a GI of 47, whole-wheat spaghetti clocks in at just 32. 

You’re better off eating the spaghetti, right?

Nope. Carrots carry far fewer carbs than pasta, and the GL accounts for both. So: 

Carrots – 47 x 6/ 100 = 2.82

Pasta – 32 x 48/ 100 = 15.36 

Wait: Is this nutrition or math class? Are you getting excited yet? (Me neither.) 

While the GI and GL become infuriatingly confusing, nutrition experts

Why Pot Smokers Really Get Fat & Out of Shape

"...just a hit or two to relax me..."

A new study found young adult pot smokers had a 40 percent increased risk for pre-diabetes (but not Type 2 diabetes) as middle-age adults compared to those who didn’t use the drug. 

Researchers weren’t entirely sure why, but they surmised pot could have a bigger impact on blood sugar in the pre-diabetes rather than diabetes range. Just speculating, but munchie-induced, sugar-fueled midnight fridge raids might also contribute here.

Whatever the culprits, chalk up another reason why even recreational pot – marijuana, cannabis, whatever you want to call it – smoking becomes a bad idea, and not just in that OMG-afterschool-special-you’ll-eventually-become-a-heroin-addict way.

Ever wondered why pot got classified as a gateway drug?

The #1 Secret How Lean, Healthy People Stay Successful

Fail to plan or....?

During my two decades as a personal trainer, I’ve become very curious about why some people succeed while others veer off course.

Initially, I took quitters personally. You know the insecurities, like, had I been too much of a drill sergeant during our training?

But I dove deeper, and over time something revealed itself. One significant thing separates winners and losers:

The winners plan ahead.

They leave nothing to chance. That might mean prioritizing an hour workout on a crazy day, or packing raw almonds with protein powder for a three-hour layover.

Mind you, these tasks require forethought. You can easily neglect them among juggling kids, demanding jobs, and unsupportive significant others: Perfectly valid reasons to neglect planning ahead.

At the same time, successful people – those who show up for 3 p.m. lifting workout but still get a healthy dinner on the table –

5 Secrets Gyms Don’t Want You to Know

Gym?: Optional

“What’s the dirtiest secret in the fitness industry?” I half-jokingly asked a coworker recently as we hibernated in my office, sipping a late-morning organic dark roast between clients.

The answer, ironically, resided within the very building we sat.

You don’t need a gym to get in great shape.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been a personal trainer for two decades and love my gym, but you don’t need super-fancy equipment to get lean, toned, and healthy. You can transform your body at home without bells and whistles.

My favorite at-home workout includes squats, lunges, deadlifts, planks, chest press, push-ups, rowing exercises, and pull-ups.

Rather than focus on individual body parts, organize workouts into

One of the Most Important Habits for Making Progress

You HAVE to track your metrics!

What gets measured gets managed. A successful coach in my industry once told me this and I adopted it.  I've always been a note taker/writer so jotting things down comes naturally to me. Other people?  Well, getting them to write anything down in detail is like asking them to spend their weekend cleaning out the garage…every weekend.  

If there was a way to impress upon my clients the importance of logging/recording/journaling, I would do it. Unfortunately, I only have my words. I'm not the drill sergeant type and I’m not your mommy so getting you to write things down by calling you a maggot, or nagging you until you move out, aren’t going to happen.  

Back in 2011, Craig Ballantyne, trainer and fitness expert of Turbulence Training fame included journaling as one of his

Reduce AGEing with these 5 Strategies

Sugar is AGEing

It all started when the presenter poured maple syrup on protein molecules.

No, I wasn’t at IHOP. I was attending a grueling nutrition conference where, after sitting through a day’s worth of lectures, my brain felt fried. Feeling like an introvert with a low tolerance for hype or networking, I simply wanted to hang out in my hotel room and regroup before our evening social gathering.

Yet my coworker remained adamant about this late-afternoon seminar titled “How AGE-ing Destroys Your Life.” 

I reluctantly attended, where I watched as this doctor demonstrated how, in a maze-like structure, oyster-looking proteins slithered around in your body.

Turns out when you pour sticky sugar on proteins, they slow down and get sticky. “That’s what happens when you eat too much

The #1 Strategy to Maintain Vibrant Brain Health

Guess what helps minimize Alzheimer's risk?

As if you needed another reason to exercise: Three new studies found people with mild memory impairment who engage in vigorous workouts – we’re talking 45 minutes to an hour, three or four times a week – improve quality of life. 

“Physical activity improved mood, memory and ability to think for participants in all three studies,” researchers noted.

While participants were older (50s to 90s), these and numerous other studies clearly suggest you can never become proactive too early, and that regular, consistent exercise might be the best strategy to maintain brain health as you age.

"These findings [strongly suggest] exercise can impact Alzheimer's-related changes in the brain," said Laura Baker, lead author in one of the studies and a cognitive neuroscientist at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. "No currently approved medication