The sweet stuff

Majority of the things we eat now days has huge amounts of sugar in it. In just one snack, it have have 20g or more of sugar in it. We don't only get our sugar intake from eating sugary snacks or candy, but also from drinks. Many of us drink our daily intake of sugar and calories.

Eating more sugar causes the body to release more insulin to accommodate all the sugar that was consumed.

 Photo: Remi Taum

Sugar is a addiction. It is what it is, whether we want to believe it or not. Chemically, sugar sparks the rewards center of our brain -- too much sugar causes weight gain and  diabetes.

Like a drug, the more you consumer sugar on a regular basis, your body starts to develop a tolerance. You'll need more and more to get that "fix" on sugar, the same pleasure feelings. This can cause the cutback on sugar to be more difficult. While it may seem all to easy that cutting back on sugar is a pinch, it can actually prove to be tough.

In a previous story I wrote, for the Kapi'o Newspress, I spoke with a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness in Hawai'i Kai, he explained that people coming off a sugar filled diet can be a grump.

To cutback on sugar, shift your diet to a whole foods diet. Cut out carbohydrates. Also, eating fats and proteins slow the process of carbs into the intestines. People tend to shy away from fats and are scared of them, but are less scared of sugars. When sugar, expands the waistline and presents a ton of health problems.

Healthy fats are those found in almonds, walnuts, avocados, and more. People can also get their fats from Omega3's.

Anyway, just keep in mind the amount of sugar and be sure to read the labels, make those things your best friends. Anything you can't pronounce or you see that the list is a mile long, put that food or drink back on the shelf and find something else.

More information: 

Everyday Health
Cut back on Sugar

Plank for a strong core

Ah, yes. The good plank. The plank we do to keep us fit, strengthen our core and get stronger.
As we plank, often times the little ab shake starts to set in, and we get tired, then we start to sacrifice the form of our plank. Our mid back starts to sink it, or we life up our lower back and buttocks, making more of a triangle shape. This, makes the plank easier, but is NOT proper form.

Bad form will compromise your fitness benefits, but can hurt your back, as well as your shoulders.

Remember, keeping the proper form while practicing your plank will benefit you all around.


Things to keep in mind: 


~~~ If you can feel your core being engaged, than your abs are at a good working point. Be sure that your back, top of your head, and your buttocks, they should all form a straight line. If someone were to place a stick, each of those points of your body listed above, should be touching the stick. ~~~

Sunscreen is a must

These are some organic sunscreens that are healthier for your skin. Left: Elemis Vital Face Sun Screen, doesn't give you acne. Right: Eminence Tropical Vanilla Body Sunscreen, not greasy and shiny. Leaves skin feeling smooth and protected.

Throughout my life, I've always been told to wear sunscreen, I'm glad that I have. It's such an important necessity in daily life -- especially now days. Years ago, it was known now to go in the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., but now, that time has been extended.

The sun is stronger, 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. are the times to stay out of the sun. I'd suggest, if you are a beach goer and enjoy some time outside, keep in mind that prolonged exposure isn't the best for your skin, and overall health down the road.

Just because you put on sunscreen at noon doesn't mean that you're protected completely from the sun, yes you are, but remember that this is peak hours for Mr. Sun. Reapply, but also be smart.

Wear a hat AND sunscreen -- these are two good ways to help shield your face.

Make and it's SPF factors -- though you may be wearing makeup with SPF in it, that's great, better than nothing. It's not enough for those beach days playing volleyball. Load up that SPF, try to go for the organic type. Sunscreen seeps into your pores, and sits in your body, having those bad chemicals in most sunscreens isn't helpful for your inside health.

Coverage -- Be sure when applying sunscreen you cover everywhere you mean to cover. Aside from the fact you might get a weird tan, it's best to keep the skin equally covered.

Acne etc. -- Also, it's worse not to wear any sunscreen if you feel that it affects your acne. It's possible to find sunscreen meant specifically for your face and body. Some that don't have oils that'll cause your face to breakout. Sometimes they might get pricey, but hey, it's worth it to keep you skin safe.

Check out: Elemis products 

Energy bars

I've always wondered about energy bars. Do they really give you energy? And, what about all the sugar they contain? They're at grocery stores, Jamba Juice, and on college campuses throughout the nation.

Easily accessible foods that may or may not be good for your body. Plus, with health and fitness becoming a trend now, (hopefully people just want to be healthy for themselves) there are tons of nutrition and energy bars out there to alter/enhance post and pre-workout results. Do they really?

The key is to look closely at ingredients, and know what they are.

Protein Bars: Be careful which of these you pick up. Often times, certain gross ingredients (something like pigs feet) are disguised as something different, some sort of gelatin or collagen. Try to steer clear of that. If you do want to opt for something with protein in it, go for whey, or whey-casein. I was reading in Men's Health that an experiment Baylor University did, reported that men who consumed protein with whey and casein pre-workout, gained muscle quicker than those who just consumed whey.

Sugars: Often times you'll find high amounts of sugar in protein bars. Yes, they might have some energetic boost for you before your workout and some protein, but some of these busters are loaded with sugar. Sugar, or high fructose corn syrup, which is not good for you, at all. When your body tastes something sweet, it automatically believes it's sugar, so to speak, and your blood sugar levels rise. Sadly, this cancels out any benefits you could have gotten from some more whole foods. Like my mom always told me, the less ingredients there are, the better. Usually when the ingredients list is miles long and half the ingredients are unpronounceable, best to put that bar back on the shelf.

Energy- Sometimes do you feel tired after you eat your, "energy bar?" Well, partly, all the sugar you are consuming makes you sleepy, and these bars really don't give you energy. You'll just pack on extra calories. (Don't want that? Opt for something healthier) There are times when you can eat them, like after an intense workout.