Merritt Clubs Blog

   

Q&A: Processed foods can hurt your diet

Posted by Sterling McKinley

Dec 18, 2015

Dear Marcia,

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Topics: diet

Diet 101

Posted by Sterling McKinley

Dec 18, 2015

Diet is one of the most perplexing and frustrating things to balance in our lives. Losing weight is a challenge for most because along with exerting oneself physically, understanding and applying healthy eating habits are crucial for effective results.  An important part of a healthy diet is eating carbohydrates that help sustain energy for longer periods of time so that the body is able to use the food as fuel when working out. These are called complex carbohydrates.

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Topics: food, diet

3 Tips for Leading a Healthy Lifestyle

Posted by Sterling McKinley

Oct 15, 2015

Nowadays, it seems to have become hard to lead a healthy lifestyle because you get a lot of conflicting information from different sources.  Egg yolks are constantly going in and out of fashion.  Some health gurus recommend high protein diets while others encourage you to go for diets high in fat (Atkins).  Even when it comes to exercise, there’s usually some new fad you keep hearing about, from Zumba classes to kettle bells.  So how do you weed through all this information and keep the stuff that you need?  Consider the following tips:

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Topics: health, food tips, exercise, diet, fitness, fit tips, spiritual health

Healthy Life News: 2015 Study Highlights the Importance of Whey Protein

Posted by Sterling McKinley

Oct 13, 2015

Did you happen to pick up a copy of the February 2015 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition? It contains information about a fascinating study that was recently completed by researchers in the Netherlands. The study focused on the benefits of whey proteins. It proved that they have the ability to help overweight adults lose pounds without sacrificing physical strength and muscle mass. The whey proteins that are said to be the most beneficial are those that include vitamin D and leucine. So you might want to consider incorporating them into your plans for a healthy life.

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Topics: diet, fitness

How to Improve Your Metabolism with Food

Posted by Sterling McKinley

Oct 13, 2015

The metabolism is responsible for converting calories into energy. The rate at which this is able to occur can be affected in a positive way, by incorporating specific foods in your diet. Fiber and lean protein are two examples of foods that support metabolic strength. Food that supports metabolic weight loss often takes more energy to digest and is naturally lower in calories.

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Topics: get fit, diet, fitness

Kids Fitness: Study says Elementary School Kids are Unhappy with their Bodies

Posted by RaySa

Sep 29, 2014

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Topics: Merritt blog, diet, family fitness, best diets, Fitness Tips, best kids fitness, balanced diet, kids fitness, Baltimore fitness, best gyms, gym membership

Can a Paleo Diet Support a Healthy Lifestyle and Help You Lose Weight?

Posted by Heather Blake

Aug 14, 2013

One of the most popular diet plans out there today is the Paleo Diet, which focuses on lean meat, vegetables, fish, eggs, and nuts. The concept is based on what our Paleolithic ancestors supposedly ate, and has garnered a lot of attention in fitness circles and the press as the perfect answer to the highly processed foods we consume in the modern world. The Paleo diet might support a healthy lifestyle, but is the Paleo diet also an effective way to lose weight?

A panel of diet experts was hired by U.S. News & World Report to review 28 popular diets to determine if they were effective for both long-term and short-term weight loss. They also looked at the safety, nutrition statistics of the diet, and whether it was easy to follow.

The top-rated diet on the list was the DASH diet, and last on the list was the Paleo diet, which was cited as having studies that were “few, small, and short.”

Three of the five studies on the Paleo diet plan had no control group that randomly assigned them to either the Paleo diet or another diet. As a result, without the corresponding control group following another diet, study researchers could not tell if people lost weight because they were simply participating in a study or on a particular diet.

Two other studies that did have control groups assigned participants with heart disease or type 2 diabetes to either a Paleo diet or a Mediterranean diet consisting of whole grains, fruit, olive oil, fish, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. After 12 weeks, the Paleo eaters had lower blood sugar levels, but did not lose any more weight than the Mediterranean group.

Other trials have tried to answer the question of how a particular diet stacks up in the long run. Comparisons of diets such as Atkins, Weight Watchers, or the Zone diet have shown that none of them were better than others. The most important factor in the success of the diet was whether people stuck to them, with more extreme diets like the high-protein Atkins diet being harder to stay on.

If you are trying to lose extra weight, there is no hard evidence that a Paleo diet will get rid of those extra pounds.

For more information on how we can help you reach your fitness goals, please contact us.

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Topics: Weight Loss, diet, paleo diet, healthy lifestyle, Fitness Tips, pale, Awareness and Support, nutrition, DASH diet, fitness goal

Reach Metabolic Weight Loss Goals with Merritt Athletic Clubs’ Help

Posted by Heather Blake

Aug 13, 2013

High five for personal dead lift record!
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Topics: Merritt Athletics, biggest loser club, Personal Training, help, weightless, diet, fitness, weight loss clubs, metabolism, metabolic weight loss, basal metabolic rate, fitness challenge, Awareness and Support, lifestyle

What you Need to Hear About Exercise and Nutrition

Posted by Heather Blake

Sep 6, 2012

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Topics: health, exercise, consultation, Weight Loss, diet, Fitness Tips, fitness, Awareness and Support, nutrition

Healthy Habits Made Easy

Posted by Heather Blake

Sep 4, 2012

All too often we try to make a complete change in our habits without planning. We tend to grab hold of an idea or goal and launch ourselves into it with a “full steam ahead” approach. I recommend taking a very different approach, setting up for success by implementing small changes and creating new patterns. Try putting a few simple changes into place and build off of the patterns you create. A few examples are:

  • Take a multi-vitamin every morning with your breakfast.
  • Drink a MEASURED amount of water every day. Start with eight 8 oz. glasses of water.
  • Stretch for 10 minutes every day.
  • Read the labels of every food item you pick up at the grocery store.

While none of these changes will make you reach your goal without further efforts, they WILL help you to set up a pattern of success. Following EASY to implement changes will help to create a successful base that you can build on as you continue to work toward achieving your goals.

Written by: Phillip Nohe

Be the first to leave a comment, praise, or say hello! Share your experience and insights in the comment box below.

 

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Topics: water, diet, Healthy Habits, Fitness Tips, multi-vitamin, Awareness and Support, diet lifestyle change, nutrition