29 Sept 2005 - Positive spin on coffee? Watch the video

Did an interview for the Today Show on coffee covering a US study that revealed coffee contributes the greatest amount of antioxidants in the US diet. Click here to watch the video.

Media headlines around the world claimed "Coffee number one source of antioxidants", "Java Joy in coffee study" and "Study touts coffee's benefits".

Just before you dash off to Starbucks, consider what the study actually discovered. It combined the antioxidant levels in 100 foods with per capita US consumotion to work out which foods provide the most antioxidants in the US diet. Coffee came out on top, followed by black tea, bananas, dry beans, corn, red wine, beer, apples, tomatoes and potatoes.

This doesn't mean that coffee is the best source of antioxidants. It's just that American drink so much of the stuff, it contributes the greatest amount of antioxidants. Half the US population report drinking coffee and average 3.4 cups a day.

Study leader, Joe Vinson PhD from Scranton University said, "Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source."

Foods such as nuts (walnuts, peacans and hazelnuts), berries (blueberries, cranberries, blackberries and rasberries) and dates can have higher concentrations of antioxidants on a per serving basis but they aren't consumed as much and as often. Vinson said, "Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall nutritional point of view due to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fibre."

So, while Vinson says, "One or two cups a day appear to be beneficial" this research doesn't give the all clear for excessive consumption. A cap on coffee consumption of around 4 cups a day is still good advice.

Source: PhysOrg.com. Read more

28 Sept 2005 - Now I'm annoyed!

I collect popular magazines that feature diet stories like some people collect stamps. Some have useful advice, but every once in a while one really annoys me. The September 19 issue of Australian New Weekly magazine featured a free booklet, "Bikini Diet - Lose 6kg in just 14 days". That's 3kg a week, and whilst its an impressive result on the scales, the hidden facts are that this large weight loss will come from not only water loss but also muscle mass.

Muscle mass is so important for maintaining metabolic rate. Achieving this weight loss is likely to decrease rather than boost metabolic rate. The possible outcome after someone fails to maintain the diet after 2 weeks is a greater gain in body fat compared to muscle. And that makes it harder to lose weight at the next attempt. There's even the possibility that trying this diet will increase your future health risk.

The diet in the booklet was extracted from The Ultimate New York Body Plan by David Kirsch.

In the booklet David says, "Because this program lasts just 14 days, you must minimise kilojoule consumption and maximise kilojoule burning. To accomplish this task, you have to strictly adhere to my a, b, c, d, e and f of nutrition, which basically means no alcohol, bread, starchy carbohydrates, dairy products, extra sweets, fruit and most fats."

Analysis of the menu plan shows it is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet providing less than 5000kJ a day, which explains the rapid weight loss. Below this kJ level its hard to get all the vitamins and minerals you need.

Now of course I'm advocating a slow steady rate of weight loss, where a diet is more likely to work in the long term and less likely to result in a drop in metabolic rate. Sure, David also provides a fitness training program, but with such a low energy intake this diet is likely to produce ketosis (the biological state of rapid fat burning that kicks in when your body is in starvation mode) and still result in loss of muscle mass.

Many people want to believe that quick results are possible with no side effects, but please take it easy and look after your body for the long term.

26 Sept 2005 - How to increase fitness centre member retention?

If you are a gym goer, here's what you need to ask for to increase the chances you'll still be attending the gym in 6 months time by a whopping 57%. If you are a gym manager, it's what you need to provide to your members to increase retention by the same figure.

Last week at the FitPro Business Convention at Birmingham, UK, Melvin Hillson, PhD shared his insight from fitness industry research on 1000 gym members.

Members were 57% more likely to still be a member at 6 months when they received:

• An induction
• A personal programme
• A welcome from staff at each visit, &
• A follow-up call within a month

And it seems the key concept that boosts the chances of sticking at your membership is confidence. Members who rated themselves at 12 weeks into a membership as "very confident" that they would be still attending at 6 months, were considerably more likely to be there at 6 month follow-up.

Melvin said, "You rarely find one question in a questionnaire that is so preductive of a future event... If they say they are not confident, do something urgently or watch as they go out to the car park."

He also revealed that members who were "very confident" attended the gym at least once a week and that the weekly visit should be a benchmark goal for attendance. Leaving it more than 2 weeks between visits increases the chances members won't come back.

The take home messages here for anyone who wants to join a gym and boost their success:

• Ask for the key customer service elements above before you sign a membership contract.
• Aim to attend at least once a week to keep the habit. Trying to go more often is a good target, but make a minimum weekly commitment.

26 Sept 2005 - When is your favourite Aussie fruit or vegetable in season?

If you want to know when a wide range of Australian fruits and vegetables are in season and their nutritional value, check out the produce information at Woolworths supermarket. You can download fact sheets, which are really cool.

26 Sept 2005 - How to get kids active?

"You can't tell a kid that it's time to exercise; that's a turn-off...you have to say 'Let's go to the park and have some fun.' Then you get them to do some running, play on the swings, practice on the balance beam, basically get a full workout disguised as play." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

From BrainyQuote.com

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