Fitness Contrarian

Researchers have concluded that avoiding weight gain, not taking hormones, exercising and limiting alcohol, are the best ways to lower your risk of breast cancer. One of my favorite newsletters, Nutrition Action, had a great article about how to lower your risk of breast cancer. The article pointed to these four factors as being the [...]

One of the biggest problems with insulin is that it stops your body from burning fat. When insulin levels are high from eating too many sugars like processed carbohydrates you are pretty much locking in the fat in your fat cells and not letting it out to be burned off.

There have been books written about the ill effects of insulin and how it is more important than calories for losing weight. Chronic high insulin levels do lead to weight gain and a number of other health issues like obesity, insulin-resistance, diabetes and heart (…)

According to a recent study published in the April issue of JAMA, eating higher amounts of added sugars in processed foods is associated with lower levels of HDL, the “good cholesterol” and higher levels of triglycerides, which is an important risk factor that can lead to cardiovascular disease. The authors of the study said “In [...]

A new study found a correlation between eating a Mediterranean diet and lower risk of brain damage. A Mediterranean diet is made up of mostly vegetables, legumes, fruits, fish and monounsaturated fatty acids like olive oil with moderate amounts of alcohol. The study ran for six years and showed that the participants who most closely [...]

How do you feel when you do not get enough sleep? I’m sure you’re tired but do you realize you’re hungry, as well. On the days that I feel hungrier than normal I have noticed I did not get enough sleep the night before. I feel like I’m eating all day for energy because I’m tired. It took me a long time to figure this out. Once I realized that the (…)

One of my personal training clients lost over 35 lbs last year following one simple rule: Don’t eat more than 1,500mg of sodium per day. When you reduce the sodium in your diet to no more than 1,500mg a day it becomes real difficult to gain weight. All the processed foods that are most likely making you fat are loaded with sodium. The average (…)

Blueberries are a rich source of antioxidants and phytochemicals that can improve memory. A study just appeared in the ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showing the relationship between drinking blueberry juice and improved memory in older adults. The study took a group of volunteers in their 70’s who had early memory decline and had [...]

In this video Mike Cola from Fitness Contrarian recommends a good multi-vitamin that he is taking based on price and quality.