Steve Edwards Online

Overeating is bad for many obvious reasons, but one you probably don't know is that it can also cause a decrease in the amount of fat that is released during exercise. It has to do with a hormone called adenosine. Adenosine's function is to tell the cells to hold onto the stored fat. Another hormone, adrenaline, which is released during exercise, tells the cells to release fat. However, eating too much decreases the ability of the cells to ignore adenosine while exercising. Thus, the fat stays in the cells and less reduction occurs.

What to Do When You're Starving Before Bed
By Steve Edwards

Here at Beachbody, we're always drilling the "no eating for 3 hours before bedtime" rule into your head and, sure enough, it's important not to go to bed with undigested food in your stomach, especially carbohydrates and fat. So what about those nights when you're so hungry that if you don't eat, you know it will affect your sleep?

The answer is a protein shake. Usually, truly feeling hungry is a sign indicating a lot of muscle breakdown. When you have muscle breakdown you need protein, especially at night, which is when your muscles do most of their recovering. So if you are famished, a small protein shake with no added ingredients, like fruit or milk, cannot only allow you to sleep but speed up your recovery process as well.

The Hunger Scale
By Steve Edwards

On a hunger scale that rates from 1 (you´re starving) to 10 (you´re stuffed), if you aim to stay between 4 and 6, your eating should remain under control. Two ways to help this are eat early before you feel hungry, and stop eating as soon as you're not hungry, never waiting until you feel full.

Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too!
By Steve Edwards

Surpassed only by Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day is hard on the figure. And how can it not be, with virtually ever purveyor of decadent goodies flooding the market with ads? Here's a trick to survive Valentine's Day still looking like a Valentine.

Eat up! One bad day won't ruin a diet. In fact, if you've been eating healthy, your body will treat this indulgence as an anomaly and most of those junky calories will get flushed right out of your system. But take note, you've got to eat clean going in. If you start your chocolate celebration a few days early, your body will quickly respond. But if you eat well prior to, and immediately after, then one day of overboard indulgence will do you precious little harm. Have fun!

Caffeine
By Steve Edwards

Caffeine aids sports performance for many people. Endurance activities are most affected, with runners being able to go longer without tiring, but studies have indicated shorter-duration activities also benefit. Large doses of caffeine are a banned substance by the Olympics. Some people do not benefit, and may suffer nervousness or have trouble staying hydrated, but if you're used to it, a cup or two of coffee before your run, ride, or workout may be beneficial.

Pre-Workout Eating
by Steve Edwards

Eating enough to sustain your workout—what to eat pre-workout—should depend upon the type of workout that you plan on doing: high, moderate, or low intensity; or cardio or resistance. Here are some guidelines for any moderate- to high-intensity workouts, whether they are cardio or resistance, because you will need some carbs in your system if you want to perform your best.

Three or four hours before exercising, a large meal is fine (600 calories or more).

Two or three hours beforehand, a smaller meal is suitable (400–500 calories).

One or two hours before, a liquid meal is appropriate (300–400 calories).

With around an hour, a small snack will do (200–300 calories).

Try not to eat during the last hour before you begin a workout because it promotes excessive use of blood sugar in the initial stages of your workout.

Getting Enough Fiber
By Steve Edwards

We need around 25-40 grams of fiber daily and most of us fall short. The main reason is because fast and convenient foods tend to have very little. Fiber is the indigestible part of plants, so the more refined your foods are the less fiber they'll tend to have. A simple way to ensure that you'll get close is to always say "yes" when asked if you want "lettuce, tomato, and onions with that." This goes for desserts, too. Berries and nuts have fiber, so add 'em. For breakfast, check the fiber content of your cereal. Some whole-grain cereals are very rich in fiber and it's always listed on the side of the box. Still short? Pick up some psyllium husk and add a spoonful to a glass of water each night.

Thanksgiving Dinner as a Post-Exercise Snack?
By Steve Edwards

You can stack the odds in your favor this Thanksgiving by earning your dinner. This idea has probably been suggested before, but you can take it one step further by timing your workout to turn your Thanksgiving feast into a post-exercise, er, snack.

Since most people eat dinner early, it should not be a problem to schedule your daily exercise session just before dinner. And don't let a family get-together ruin your plan. Instead, invite them all to join in a game of football, basketball, softball, or any team activity. Depending upon where you live, perhaps hiking or skiing are more appropriate. But it doesn't so much matter what you do. The bottom line is that a good old-fashioned active family exercise session is not only great fun, but also a fantastic way to work up an appetite.

Plus, if you time this right, you'll get an added benefit. Finish just in time to shower, gussy up, and get to dinner. Your body will then better utilize those calories. Not only that, but after exercising, when your body is tired, it's less apt to overeat since it naturally wants enough calories to recover, but not too many so it has to spend extra energy digesting.

Tip of the Week: Free Calories—the Post-Exercise Snack!
By Steve Edwards

At the end of your workout, when your body's glycogen stores are low, you have a window of opportunity of around one hour when calories will be used up to 400% more efficiently than at any other time. Food eaten during this period is so vital for recovery that it is often referred to as "free calories."

What to eat matters, however. Sugar is important—perhaps the only time it really should be part of your diet. Traditionally, it made up nearly, if not all, of this snack. But recent science shows us that a ratio of 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein with very little fat will provide you with the quickest recovery time, up to 26% better than sugar alone. Fat should be virtually absent here as it slows the absorption of nutrients (a plus at any other time).

A layman's explanation of the science is this: your body uses all its stored blood sugar during an intense workout in which your muscles are broken down. In this depleted state, much damage can be done, so quick replenishment of blood sugar is vital. The quicker you recharge your system the less damage you do and the faster you'll recover. Sugar is absorbed quicker than any other nutrient, which is why you want something high on the glycemic index. And since it's your muscle tissue that is broken down, a little protein added to the mix piggybacks the sugar to jump-start your recovery.

As you may imagine, this is vital for athletes, so you'll find that most sports companies today make a 4:1 recovery formula. Beachbody is one of these, and in my opinion, our Peak Recovery Formula™ tastes by far the best of any on the market. In lieu of this, real food can be used. Something like a small bowl of cereal with nonfat milk or soymilk and a banana will work, or fruit dipped in a little yogurt. Other creative ideas I've seen are sushi rolls (high glycemic white rice with fish) and Gatorade with a scoop of protein powder.

Plan Your Meals Around Fruits and Veggies
By Steve Edwards

An easy way to tick off those 5 to 6 servings of fruits and veggies per day is to start planning your meals around them instead of a protein source. While there is no denying that we need protein, studies show that most Americans fall drastically short in the fruit and veggie department. And while lack of veggies is not the sole culprit, making the right food choices will reduce your risk of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, most degenerative diseases, as well as control obesity and digestive problems. Plus, while there are only a handful of protein choices, there's an almost endless array of different and unique fruits and veggies to choose from, which can lead to fun new adventures in eating. Pass the chayote!

Don't Overhydrate
By Steve Edwards

Most of us don't drink nearly enough water, but it is possible to drink too much. Excessive water consumption will dilute the concentration of your body's salts (electrolytes) and can be dangerous in extreme situations, like competing in endurance sports. While not usually a factor when you work out less than an hour a day, those with squeaky clean, saltless diets still need to be careful. If you totally avoid restaurants (that tend towards excessive salt usage) and exercise regularly, you'll want to add salt or a sports drink to your diet.

If you want to see if you drink too much water, weigh yourself before and after exercise. If you gain weight during your workout, you are drinking too much water. If you lose more than two pounds, you are drinking too little.

Living by the Numbers
By Steve Edwards

There's a lot more to restructuring your body than numbers, but knowing the very basics will help your path to fitness, especially in the beginning while your habits are changing. Committing these to memory will serve you well:

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories
3,500 calories = 1 pound of body weight

For example, a candy bar that's 10 grams of protein (40 calories), 60 grams of carbs (240 calories), and 25 grams of fat (225 calories) is 505 calories. If you were eating one per day, that's 3,535 calories per week, so by cutting out your candy bar you'll lose a pound per week by changing nothing else.

Three Ways Not to Overeat
By Steve Edwards

1. Wait. When you decide you're hungry, make yourself wait at least 15 minutes before you eat. This will help you determine if your hunger is habitual or your body is craving nutrients.

2. Drink. A tall glass of water 30 minutes prior to a meal will reduce your tendency to overeat.

3. Exercise. The perfect scenario is to have a glass of water followed by some exercise, like a walk, jog, or some stretching. This will take your mind off of food and you'll be far more likely to only crave the foods your body needs

The Symbiotic Effect of Combining Diet and Exercise
By Steve Edwards

People who reduce calories enough to lose weight will do so, whether they exercise or not. But those who exercise and cut calories are over 10 times more likely to keep the weight off. That's one reason dieters generally gain the weight back and have to go on another diet (yo-yoing).