What is insulin resistance? It's when insulin is not able to lower blood glucose as it should primarily because the receptors in the muscle and fat cells for insulin are no longer sensitive to the insulin. This can lead to metabolic syndrome which is categorized as having triglycerides above 150 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol below 40 mg/dL, blood pressure above 130 mm Hg for systolic or 85 mm Hg for diastolic, a fasting glucose greater than 100 mg/dL and BMI greater than 30. Therefore, it's not just about glucose. Many studies have shown that exercise is key to preventing or controlling Type 2 diabetes, but that can be challenging to squeeze that in during the day for some. Strong evidence has also found that "unplanned" activity is also very helpful, especially for those who have sedentary jobs. This type of activity can be taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. One study done on a university hospital setting found employees who took the stairs increased...
Is Your Body A Fat Burning Machine?
Are you “dieting” and not losing weight? Does your weight remain stagnant even though you exercise on a regular basis? Might you even be putting on weight despite your best efforts? And, what does “blood sugar” have to do with this? Your body has two options for fuel. It can burn fat, and/or, it can burn sugar! Unless you are exercising in an “aerobic” state, with other factors in place, the preferred fuel will be predominately sugar. But while exercising aerobically is the most efficient way to burn body fat at a rapid rate, you can turn your body into a fat burning machine twenty four/seven. You can burn more fat while at rest and especially during exercise. (Wouldn’t you like those workouts to really bring on maximum results?) It’s all in the biochemistry of blood sugar levels. So let’s keep it real simple here. Every time you put a simple sugar in your body, you literally “lock in” stored body fat. That’s...
How and Why Diets Make You Fatter
First, let’s start with “metabolism”. Your “metabolic rate” is the speed at which your body burns through calories. Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories your body burns just to stay alive, like when you are sleeping. It doesn’t count getting up to go to the bathroom…just the amount of calories your body burns “not to be dead”! We’re talking the energy your body needs to repair cells, to breathe, to keep your heart beating, brain functioning, etc. Basal metabolic rate is the largest component of a person’s daily caloric expenditure. Most women have a BMR of 1200 to 1400 calories per day, and men will be slightly higher than that. It mostly depends on the amount of muscle tissue a person is carrying. You see, muscle tissue is metabolically active tissue – it burns calories just to stay alive, twenty-four/seven!!! Between the ages of twenty and forty years of age most people lose between five and...
Don’t Be Taken
Eighty five percent of people trying to tone up and lose weight fail to get the results they were promised. This is the only industry I know where people fail to get what they've paid for and blame themselves. If you have made attempts and are not achieving your goals, you may think it may be because you didn't have enough willpower, didn't follow through, or were too lazy. In most cases, I disagree! It is more likely that you have been armed with ineffective technologies: methods that look quick and easy and offer overnight solutions. Even some of the longer term approaches are laden with mistruths. The general public has been misled and misinformed by the slick sellers of TV infomercials and commercial diet centers. Diets will make you fatter. A "tummy-toner" will not give you a six-pack. A "thigh-machine" will not reduce the size of your thighs and many of the "fat free" foods on your supermarket's shelf are actually 100% fat! Take...
What Do the Labels Really Say?
Reading food labels can be tricky. It’s really hard to figure out exactly what different nutritional claims really mean. So here are some guidelines: WHOLE GRAIN: “Made with whole grain” means that there has to be SOME whole grain in it, but not how much. It could be a lot, but could also be very, very little. Remember that they have to list the ingredients according to the amounts, so check out the first three ingredients on the label. “An excellent source of whole grains” means at least half of the serving must be from whole grains. “A good source of whole grain” means as little as a quarter of the serving is from whole grains. “Multigrain” is any mixture of grains which may or may not be totally refined. FAT FREE/CALORIE FREE Let’s take PAM cooking spray or Fat-Free butter substitutes. They claim to provide fat free cooking. But if you read further into the label you will find that the main (and sometimes only)...
The Truth About Low Carb Diets
Carb depletion can result in rapid weight loss (but remember, it is not random weight loss we want, it's fat loss). If you consume, during the course of a day, a supportive mix of proteins, carbs and essential fats, the carbohydrate foods break down into glucose. Some of that glucose goes into muscle and the liver where it is stored as glycogen. As you move, think, and breathe, your body calls upon that glycogen and as you eat carbs the glycogen stores are replenished. (Glucose is the body's primary fuel source, especially for your brain!) Glycogen attracts water. In fact, your muscles are primarily water. Glycogen storage in muscle, therefore, contributes significantly to the number of pounds you weigh when you get on the scale. For every gram of glycogen stored in muscle tissue, your muscle attracts approximately 2.4 grams of water. After a few days of carb depletion, your body realizes something is going on, and begins to alter its production of hormones and enzymes...
What Makes Cristyn Different?
Cristyn Peters has helped hundreds of people develop lean, tone, healthy bodies as well as healthy lifestyles. She is a professionally certified exercise specialist, personal trainer and health fitness instructor through ACSM, American College of Sports Medicine, ACE, American Council on Exercise and NSCA, National Strength and Conditioning Association.
She holds a B.S. in Human Services with a focus on counseling psychology from Springfield College and a A.S. in Substance Abuse Counseling from NH Technical Institute. Her college education extends to extensive work in Anatomy and Physiology, Human Kinesiology, Physical Therapy, Nutrition and Reiki as well as numerous seminars and workshops to maintain certification throughout the past 23 years.
Within this time she has held positions that include various levels of health club management and fitness instruction, social work and mental health counseling, and working with nutritional supplementation at The Herbal Path in Dover, NH.
Her personal experience includes several triathlons, two marathons, on and off road cycling, years of road races and fitness competitions. Remaining committed and dedicated to her individual clients, she consistently delivers results through education and personal empowerment. She currently offers individual, group, home, office, gym and online personal training services with openings for a limited number of new clients.
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