Good Fat vs. Bad Fat

If I were to tell you, you could change your body and become a healthier individual by incorporating fat into your diet, would you do it? All too often, we hear how bad fat is for us. Don't get me wrong, excess fat intake is bad for your health, we all know that. But there is a type of fat out there that can benefit your health. Below I am going to break down the types of fat listed on nutrition labels on our foods and help you make the correct decisions.

1st off, the good fats:

• Monounsaturated Fats – Also known as MUFAs. Monounsaturated Fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while also increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). MUFAs help reduce your risk of heart disease, and help with insulin levels and controlling blood sugar. Some examples of foods containing higher amounts of MUFAs include olive oils, nuts, avocados, dark chocolates, and nuts.

• Polyunsaturated Fats – The fats also help lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Items such as salmon, corn, soy, safflower, fish oil, and sunflower oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. This is the group where Omega 3 fatty acids fall under.

The bad fats:

• Saturated Fats – These fats raise total blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. For the most part, saturated fats are found in animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs. Saturated fats are also found in some plant foods such as coconut oils, palm oils, and palm kernel oils.

• Trans Fats – There has been lots of talk of these fats lately. These are found in most packaged foods, as well as fried foods like French fries and fried chicken. They are also found in popcorn and in some cooking additives such as shortening and hard stick margarine.

Reading food labels can be very confusing, no doubt. Hopefully, after this short read, you will be able to choose the healthier foods options. Remember, eating quality fat will not make you fat. In fact, it will help you burn fat. It is up to you to make the right choices about which fat you are putting into your body!

Sources: Livestrong.com, American Council of Exercise

Break Up the Monotony of Winter with Alternative Workouts

With the colder weather upon us this time of year everyone finds it hard to find different ways to get in cardio especially for those who are summer lovers and do not like to be out in the cold. During the warm times of the year it is easy to go outside for a long walk, run, or bike ride but with that being more difficult this time of year what can you do in order to keep up your cardiovascular endurance? So while you can do those cardio based activites inside on a treadmill or a stationary bike boredom will strike at one point or another after several months of the same routine without changing scenary other than changing the channels on the tv while inside. While the workouts here at Black Clover Fitness are always changing; what to do for cardio work on the off training days at the club here can be difficult but there are lots of fun exciting activites to do away from the club to help break those winter cardio blues.

Some simple exercises in order to raise your heart rate during the winter time while at home can always be walking or running on the treadmill at home (if you have one) but in addition to that implementing an interval circuit of jump rope, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, burpees, and boxing. Doing all of these in 1 minute intervals 5 times will give you a great high intense 25 minute workout without the monotomy of just continuously running. In addition there are always those at home workout videos for those who like them.

However, for those who are wanting to get out and about and not be tied down to the confines of their homes there is always cross country or downhill skiing options. Downhill skiing options are limited within the area but there is plenty of places to strap on some skiis for some heart beating cross country skiing or even snowshoeing. For those with kids, taking the kids out to a sledding hill can be a great hidden workout for you as a parent. Pulling the kids back up the hill or simply running around with them is a great way to get your heart rate up. For those really competitive ones with older kids how about racing them up to the top of the hill each time. Then again if you aren't a cold weather person you can either go to a local indoor swimming pool to swim laps or even find a rock climbing wall to get a little strength and cardio.

With those options and many other options available to keep your cardio going this winter you shouldn't suffer from those winter blues!