The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity released a report called “Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation.” In the report they list endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a possible reason for increased obesity in the country and describe how scientists have coined a new term for these chemicals — “obesogens” — because they “may promote weight gain and obesity.”

What does this mean for you? It means that weight gain is not just about calories-in versus calories-out.

No, America’s obesity crisis can’t entirely be blamed on too much fast food and too little exercise. We have to consider a third factor: the obesogens. They’re natural and synthetic compounds, and many of these chemicals work by mimicking estrogen — the very hormone that doctors DON’T want women taking anymore (as a large clinical trial linked hormone therapy to increased risk of heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots and abnormal mammograms).

Why traditional diets don’t work anymore

Because high school biology was likely a while back, here’s a quick refresher: The endocrine system is made up of all the glands and cells that produce the hormones that regulate our bodies. Growth and development, sexual function, reproductive processes, mood, sleep, hunger, stress, metabolism and the way our bodies use food — it’s all controlled by hormones. So whether you’re tall or short, lean or heavy — that’s all determined in a big way by your endocrine system.

But your endocrine system is a finely tuned instrument that can easily be thrown off-kilter. “Obesogens are thought to act by hijacking the regulatory systems that control body weight,” says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., curators’ professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri. That’s why endocrine disruptors are so good at making us fat — and that’s why diet advice doesn’t always work — because even strictly following the smartest traditional advice won’t lower your obesogen exposure. See, an apple a day may have kept the doctor away 250 years ago when Benjamin Franklin included the phrase in his almanac. But if that apple comes loaded with obesity-promoting chemicals — nine of the ten most commonly used pesticides are obesogens, and apples are one of the most pesticide-laden foods out there — then Ben’s advice is way out of date.

The obesogen effect is the reason why traditional diet advice — choose chicken over beef, eat more fish, load up on fruits and vegetables — may not work anymore. This is why we’re calling for a New American Diet.

See, while digging up all of this research on obesogens we’ve discovered some good news: There’s no reason why all of our favorite foods — from steak to burgers, from pasta to ice cream — can’t be part of a reasonable weight-loss program. We just need to get rid of old thinking. We can reverse the obesogen effect if we simply adopt these four simple laws of leanness:

Leanness Law No. 1: Know When to Go Organic

The average American is exposed to 10 to 13 different pesticides through food, beverages and drinking water every day and nine of the ten most common pesticides are EDCs. But according to a recent study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, eating an organic diet for just five days can reduce circulating pesticide EDCs to non-detectable or near non-detectable levels.

Of course, organic foods can be expensive. But not all organics are created equal—many foods have such low levels of pesticides that buying organic just isn’t worth it. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) calculated that you can reduce your pesticide exposure nearly 80 percent simply by choosing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables shown in their tests to contain the highest levels of pesticides. They call them “The Dirty Dozen,” and (starting with the worst) they are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes and grapes (imported). And you can feel good about buying the following 15 conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that the EWG dubbed “The Clean Fifteen,” because they were shown to have little pesticide residue: onions, avocado, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mango, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes and honeydew melon.

Leanness Law No. 2: Don’t Eat Plastic

This ought to be a no-brainer. Indeed, you’re probably already thinking, Well, I don’t generally eat plastic. Ah, but you do. Chances are that you’re among the 93 percent of Americans with detectable levels of bisphenol-A (BPA) in their bodies, and that you’re also among the 75 percent of Americans with detectable levels of phthalates. Both are synthetic chemicals found in plastics that mimic estrogen — essentially, artificial female hormones. And like pesticides, these plastic-based chemicals trick our bodies into storing fat and not building or retaining muscle. Decreasing your exposure to plastic-based obesogens will maximize your chances both of losing unwanted flab and of building lean muscle mass. Here’s how: 1) Never heat food in plastic containers or put plastic items in the dishwasher, which can damage them and increase leaching. BPA leaches from polycarbonate sports bottles 55 times faster when exposed to boiling liquids as opposed to cold ones, according to a study in the journal Toxicology Letters. 2) Avoid buying fatty foods like meats that are packaged in plastic wrap because EDCs are stored in fatty tissue. The plastic wrap used at the supermarket is mostly PVC, whereas the plastic wrap you buy to wrap things at home is increasingly made from polyethylene. 3) Cut down on canned goods by choosing tuna in a pouch over canned tuna. And get any canned and jarred foods from Eden Organic, one of the only companies that doesn’t have BPA in its cans.

Leanness Law No. 3: Go Lean

Always choose pasture-raised meats, which, studies show, have less fat than their confined, grain-fed counterparts and none of the weight-promoting hormones. Plus, grass-fed beef contains 60 percent more omega-3s, 200 percent more vitamin E and two to three times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, a near-magic nutrient that helps ward off heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and can help you lose weight, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) than conventional beef. If you must choose a conventional cut of beef, choose lean cuts top sirloin, 95 percent lean ground beef, bottom round roast, eye round roast, top round roast or sirloin tip steak. Bison burgers and veggie burgers are also great substitutes when grass-fed beef isn’t available. And select sustainable lean fish with low toxic loads (meaning low levels of toxins like mercury and PCBs). A study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that even though the pesticide DDT was banned in 1973, the chemical and its breakdown product DDE can still be found today in fatty fish. Bigger fish eat smaller fish, and so carry a much higher toxic load.

Avoid ahi or bigeye tuna, tilefish, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, marlin and orange roughy — and focus on smaller fish like anchovies, Atlantic herring and mackerel, and wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Choose farmed rainbow trout, farmed mussels, anchovies, scallops (bay, farmed), Pacific cod, Pacific Halibut, Tuna (canned light) and mahimahi. Also, when you cook the fish, broil, poach, grill, boil or bake instead of pan-frying — this will allow contaminants from the fatty portions of fish to drain out.

Leanness Law No. 4: Filter Your Water

The best way to eliminate EDCs from your tap water is an activated carbon water filter. Available for faucets and pitchers, and as under-the-sink units, these filters remove most pesticides and industrial pollutants. Check the label to make sure the filter meets the NSF/American National Standards Institute’s standard 53, indicating that it treats water for both health and aesthetic concerns. Try The Brita Aqualux ($28, brita.com), Pur Horizontal faucet filter ($49, purwaterfilter.com) and Kenmore’s under-sink system ($60, kenmore.com). However, if you have perchlorate (a component of rocket fuel!) in your water (you can find out by asking your municipal water supplier for a copy of its most recent water-quality report) you’ll need a reverse osmosis filter. But for every five gallons of treated water they create per day, they discharge 40 to 90 gallons of wastewater, so make sure it’s necessary before purchasing one.

Thank you Yahoo for this article and Jolly for bringing it to our attention.

The amazing thing about this show is that it demonstrates what a difference your physical fitness makes in your overall life. When you feel and look good you have more energy to enjoy life with those you love. By taking a step toward better health you take a step toward a better life.

Unfortunately, Jillian Michaels is only visiting 8 families this season and yours is probably not one of them. On the bright side, for just $199 you can hire your very own Jillian Michaels! At Epic Boot Camp we can provide the same kind of motivation (minus the in your face screaming) and 4 week boot camp exercise program that will help you achieve results like those seen with Jillian Michaels.

At our Philadelphia and Pittsburgh boot camps you have the option of attending 3 or 5 days a week for a 4 week program that is designed to help you lose fat, inches, and improve your overall health. Register today to get on the road to your best life, we will be there with you every step of the way!

When most people hear the word diet they think of small amounts of unsatisfying food and the feeling of hunger. It’s time to change that perception to one of eating fresh, delicious food that gives you more energy, helps you feel and look fantastic, and reduces your risk for illness. Here are some easy guidelines to follow:

• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Prepared, packaged, and processed foods contain chemicals, sodium, and other unwanted preservatives that can detrimentally affect you over the long term. The more fresh fruits and vegetables you can incorporate into your diet, the better.

• Reduce portion sizes. In recent years portion sizes have risen dramatically, especially in restaurants. When eating out resist the urge to eat everything on your plate just because it is there. When cooking at home, ensure that your portion sizes are as follows:

• Protein should be about the size of a deck of cards

• Serving sizes of sides should be about a cup each

• One serving of salad dressing is a tablespoon

• No Food is Forbidden. If you are craving a certain type of food, don’t forbid yourself to eat it, just make sure that you partake in any unhealthy foods in moderation.

• Eat regularly. By eating breakfast and small snacks between lunch and dinner you can actually increase your metabolism and it will keep you feeling energized.

Changing your eating habits may seem difficult at first, but remember it only takes 2 weeks to change any habit and then you will be on the road to a healthy lifestyle change. By coupling our exercise boot camps with nutritional tips such as these and the unlimited motivation provided by our certified personal trainers who will oversee your transformation, you can change the way you look and feel.

Sign up for the next Epic Boot Camp today!

You won’t find a better bikini body workout, we guarantee it! Our certified and insured personal trainers will keep you motivated to help you reach your goals. While some boot camp fitness programs place a heavy focus on running, our workouts vary day to day to keep you from getting bored while you are getting in shape. For just $299 you will get 20 hours of personal training; that works out to just $15/hour, an unbelievably low price!

If you haven’t tried our boot camp fitness classes, there is no better time to start. New campers can now get 3 classes free before they sign up. We are so sure that you will love our fitness boot camp and start seeing results that we are willing to let you try before you buy.

Sign up today, you have nothing to lose other than a few extra pounds!

There is something about friendships that make people successful. So warm up, stretch and meet up at Epic Boot Camp’s Memorial Day Bring a Friend Day.

January 04, 2010|By Jeannine Stein >>>LA Times

When the New Year’s resolution calls for getting in shape fast, joining a gym and pushing yourself hard every day probably won’t happen. What will work? Having someone scream, “Drop and give me 20!”

Fitness boot camps may be one of the fastest ways to go from zero to fit. The setup is simple enough: A trainer leads a group of clients through an intense hour of cardio and functional-strength training. The secret lies in the circuit-style workout that toggles between cardio and muscle building. This leaves little if any down time, and the shuffling of routines prevents boredom and exercise ruts. For people willing to put in the work, boot camps enable exercisers to see results quickly, the better to stay motivated.

“It’s a very efficient workout because you’re working your whole body in a short period of time,” says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. “It’s fun, and the exercises are different, so you’re not going to get bored.”

Los Angeles-based actor Ed Stanley made his New Year’s resolution to get fit a year ago, joining Boot Camp L.A., a nearly decade-old program that takes place six days a week at the park by the Page Museum on the Miracle Mile. Stanley wasn’t happy with the ever-increasing size of his waist.

“I knew that I needed to be accountable,” he says. “But I didn’t expect it to be fun. It’s challenging, but it’s also fun.”

He now takes pride in pushing himself to achieve athletic goals he didn’t think possible. “I never thought of myself as an athlete,” he says. “But I ran a 5K within a month of starting boot camp. And I thought, ‘I really have to start looking at what I tell myself.’ ”

Stanley says he lost about 15 pounds in two months. “After about three weeks, I looked in the mirror and noticed my body was starting to transform.”

Boot camps have some special features. Many are held outdoors and often incorporate common environmental features such as stairs or ledges for cardio as well as functional exercises using only body weight or free weights. Encouragement comes not just from the instructor but also from the other participants, who cheer and clap for fellow campers. And people are often paired or grouped for friendly competitions, fostering a camaraderie and support not usually found in regular fitness classes.

That camaraderie strengthens with time, establishing accountability, something fitness experts say is essential for sticking with a program. After you establish a presence in the program, other participants expect you to show up — and they may call if you don’t. While some people sign up for only one or two month long sessions to get in decent shape before moving onto other sports and activities, others stay for years. Weight loss depends on diet, metabolism and how much effort is put into class, but can be maintained by continuing to take part in boot camp, or segueing into something else.

“It definitely helps push people,” says Jay Kerwin, Boot Camp L.A.’s founder. “If we’re doing stair drills and someone is tired, someone else will say, ‘Let’s go slowly, and I’ll go with you.’ ”

“I’ve seen people say, ‘I’ll see you here tomorrow’ — and they shake on it,” says Barry Jay, who has been at the helm of Barry’s Bootcamp in West Hollywood since 1998. He’s expanded his boot camp to other locations (where sessions are led by other instructors) and a series of DVDs, but he still commands the troops at his indoor studio, putting men and women through their grueling but enthusiastic paces every day.

“Boot camp means commitment,” Jay says. “You can join a gym and not go, but if you sign up for boot camp for a month it tells you where to be five days a week. The workout is hard, but you could never do this on your own. You can’t go to the gym and duplicate this.”

Some newcomers, or potential newcomers, are intimidated by the programs. Kerwin says they shouldn’t be.

Classes are filled with many first-timers or people who haven’t exercised in a while, especially in January, he points out. “This is not triathlete boot camp; this is regular-people boot camp. If you were in great shape, you’d be the trainer,” says Kerwin, adding he modifies exercises for those with bad knees or weak backs.

Boot camps do share one thing with other fitness programs: muscle soreness

That probably can’t be avoided, but, Jay says, it shouldn’t be bad enough to derail fitness plans. “The fact is, if you haven’t done anything, there’s no way around being sore. It’s something everyone has to go through. But if you’re feeling like you can’t get out of bed, you can. The first week is the worst week, but after that you’re going to feel great. Take a couple of Advil.”

Despite the moniker, most boot camps aren’t anything like the real deal. Instructors may be tough and demanding, but few call clients “maggot” and push people until they vomit.

Kerwin learned not to do this the hard way — he served in the Air Force special ops for four years and tried the angry drill instructor persona when he first started teaching boot camp. He quickly realized that wasn’t going over well. “The average person doesn’t want to get yelled at,” he says. He does, however, have clients who address him as “Major,” and he sometimes makes them run while singing the cadences he learned in the military.

Old dogs, new tricks

Boot camps have become such an indelible part of the fitness culture, having proved their get-you-into-shape-fast effectiveness over the last decade or so, they’ve spawned a host of variations. Beach boot camps take advantage of the sand and water; bridal boot camps help brides fit into their gowns. Some are geared toward women, children or seniors, and others are sports-specific. Each location and instructor brings a different environment or atmosphere.

At Thank Dog Bootcamp, people work out with their dogs, which not only get exercise but behavior training as well. “You’re not only doing it for you, you’re also doing it for your dog,” says Jamie Bowers, who co-founded the Burbank-based program with her twin sister last year (classes are also held in Long Beach, Orange County and Northern California). “It also gets everything done in one hour. Everyone’s busy, and people don’t want to work all day and come home and train their dogs.”

Dogs and humans have separate trainers and go through an initial consultation before the first class. Dogs may practice following the “stay” command while their owners do some weight training, and both get some cardio workouts on the grass.

Finding a suitable boot camp may take a few tries — the setting may feel uncomfortable or the instructor might not be a good fit. If you’d really rather slug the instructor or if you’re bored by him or her, the class won’t do much good. Although instructors should do a health screening for new students, participants themselves should be up front about any injuries or chronic conditions.

Bryant says boot camp is not something to be entered into lightly — preparation is key. “Make sure you get adequate rest and that you get adequate nutrition — those things are going to impact how enjoyable the actual workout is going to be.”

He adds that über-competitive former athlete types may need to check their egos at the door. “They need to be man or woman enough to back off and not attempt to keep up with everyone. Maybe you don’t do every exercise that everyone else is doing, and you can’t be so prideful that you say, ‘I’m going to do it even if it kills me.’ ”

“That you continue to show up and enjoy it is half the battle,” Jay says. “It’s hard, yes, but people are having a great time.”

Strength & Energy. You need energy – calories from food – for weight lifting and for daily activities.

Muscle Mass. Protein is necessary to build muscle & for muscle recovery. Nutrition can also minimize muscle breakdown.

Body Fat. Fat is emergency storage. Your body holds on to fat when you don’t eat enough calories or don’t eat enough fat.

Health. Testosterone levels, hydration, vitamins, minerals, fiber, … Your nutritional choices reflect your health.

The next 10 nutrition rules will take care of the above…

1. Eat Bre akfast. Sleeping gets you in a catabolic state. Eating breakfast stops the muscle breakdown. Eating breakfast also helps fat loss by increasing the amount of calories you burn at rest.

• Some breakfast recipes: scrambled eggs with veggies, oats & bananas, protein shakes, smoothies, etc.

If you have problems eating breakfast, read the article on how to build the habit of eating breakfast.

2. Eat Pre & Post Workout. Pre workout so you feel full of energy at the gym. Post workout for muscle recovery & to replenish your energy levels.

• Pre Workout. 1 hour before working out. Proteins, carbs, some fat. Meat, rice, veggies for example.

• Post Workout. Directly after working out. Post workout shake of whey & oats or whole meal of proteins, carbs &

some fats.

You burn more calories post workout so if you want to eat junk food, the best time is post exercise

(check rule #10).

3. Eat Ever y 3 Hours . Boosts your metabolism. Prevents cravings by keeping you filled with healthy foods. Provides you with the calories you need for energy and to gain weight.

Example meal plan:

7am Eggs with veggies

10am Quark cheese with fruit.

1pm Tuna, brown rice & pineapple.

4pm Mackerel, brown rice & apple.

5pm Workout.

6pm Post workout protein shake.

7pm Meat or poultry with potatoes & veggies.

10pm Cottage cheese, berries, flax seeds & fish oil.

4. Eat 1g Protein per Pound of Body-we igh t Daily. You need protein to build muscle & for muscle recovery. Protein also boosts your metabolism: your body burns 25kcal per 100kcal protein ingested, which is more than for carbs or fats.

Get 1g protein per pound of body-weight. That’s 2.2g protein per kilogram of body-weight.

Sources of protein:

• Red Meat Beef, pork, lamb, deer, buffalo, etc.

• Poultry Chicken, turkey, duck, etc.

• Fish Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc.

• Eggs Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.

• Dairy Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, quark, yogurt, etc.

• Whey Not necessary but great for easy post workout shakes.

If you weigh 150lbs/68kg, 1 can of tuna at lunch, 300g cottage cheese as snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 150g protein. Check also these protein sources for vegetarians & vegans.