There is a lot of misinformation in the fitness industry. It’s hard to know what to listen to and what to ignore. Here are 4 fitness myths you should know about and stay clear of:

1. If I lift weights, I’ll get bulky. Both men AND women have fallen to this myth. If you put a pound of fat next to a pound of muscle, you’ll see that a pound of fat takes up a LOT more space. Lifting weights will NOT make you bulky. To think it would is like saying learning physics will turn you into Einstein. It takes a TON of effort (and sometimes a lot of drugs) to get as big as some of the top professional bodybuilders around today. So lift without worry, knowing that weight lifting will make you sleek and toned.

2. Morning is the best time to train. Newsflash—your body doesn’t care what time you work out. As long as you put in the same amount of effort and intensity, you will burn an equal amount of calories. So feel free to train whenever you feel your strongest and most energetic.

3. Not eating carbs will make you lean. The truth is that not eating more calories than you burn will make you lean. You can eat carbs in moderation, so long as you maintain a caloric deficit.

4. Fat makes you fat. Nope. Again, it comes down to your overall caloric intake. That said, you SHOULD be eating “healthy” fats from sources like fish, olive oil and nuts. But do so while still

You’re about to find out.

The fist vitamin B to be discovered was thiamine. Since it strengthens the immune system and gives the body strength in stressful conditions, it is known as the “anti-stress” vitamin. Foods that contain thiamine include whole grain pastas, cereals, and breads. Many of these foods are fortified with B vitamins since the refining process destroys thiamine. Thiamine is also naturally found in lean meats and seafood. Small amounts are also found in dairy products, fruits, vegetables, pecans, and Brazil nuts. It is recommended that men get 1.2 milligrams a day and women consume 1.1 milligrams daily of vitamin B1.

 B2 (Riboflavin)

Riboflavin boosts your energy level, immune system functioning, athletic performance, and memory. It slows aging, promotes a healthy reproductive system, helps heal burns, ulcers, liver disease, sickle cell anemia, carpal tunnel syndrome, eye problems, migraines, cervical cancer, blood disorders, acne, and muscle cramps. Riboflavin is found in foods such as meat, eggs, nuts, milk, green vegetables, and enriched flour. Men should consume 1.3 milligrams daily, women should go for 1 milligram.

 B3 (Niacin)

The third of the B vitamins, niacin takes the protein from food and uses it to build new tissues and cells. It’s good for your nervous system, skin, and digestive tract, and it is used to treat high cholesterol. Sources of niacin include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, nuts, and enriched grains. Women need 14 milligrams a day, and men need 16.

 B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

Pantothenic acid has many uses. It is proven to help your body use proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates and help your skin be its healthiest. Pantothenic acid is used for many other things, though not all of them are scientifically proven. These include battling allergies, alcoholism, acne, asthma, baldness, autism, yeast infections, carpal tunnel syndrome, colitis, dandruff, depression, headache, insomnia, osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s, anxiety, hypothyroidism, insect bites, and more. Pantothenic acid is found in meat, grains, legumes, vegetables, eggs, and milk. Men and women should each get 5 milligrams each day.

B6 (Pyridoxal; Pyridoxine; Pyridoxamine)

our body needs vitamin B6 to regulate blood sugar, break down proteins, make hemoglobin (carries oxygen in the blood), make antibodies which fight disease, and for healthy nerves. You can find vitamin B6 in bananas, avocados, dried beans, nuts, meat, poultry, and whole grains. Men and women under 50 need 1.3 milligrams daily. If you’re over 50 and are a woman, you’ll need 1.5 milligrams daily, whereas men need 1.7 milligrams.

 B7 (Biotin)

Biotin is a B vitamin, but is also known as vitamin H. Biotin helps to keep your skin, digestive tract, nerves, cells, and metabolism healthy. It is used for brittle nails, diabetes, and treatment of certain types of nerve diseases. Biotin is naturally found in whole grains, eggs, dairy, salmon, and chicken, and everyone should get 30 micrograms of biotin each day.

 B9 (Folic Acid)

The natural form of this B vitamin found in food is called folate. The man-made form found in vitamins or fortified foods is called folic acid. This B vitamin prevents birth defects such as cleft lip, cleft palate, and spina bifida. Folate is found in citrus fruits, liver, dark green vegetables, and fortified bread, pasta, and cereal. Vitamin C helps your body absorb folate. It is recommended that men and women get 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, and pregnant or breast-feeding women need even more.

B12 (Various Cobalamins; Cyanocobalamin Supplements) This nutrient keeps nerves and blood cells healthy, helps make DNA, and works to prevent weakness and fatigue brought on by anemia. Vitamin B12 is found in beef liver, clams, fish, poultry, meat, dairy products, eggs, and fortified cereals. Adults need 2.4 micrograms per day.

A Lot o’ B - Overwhelmed with all the B you need in your diet? Eat a healthy diet with a wide variety of foods, and you should be covered!

Fat. In many circles, this three-letter word is as bad as any four-letter word in the dictionary, and is said with equal disdain and fear. For people trying to live a healthy lifestyle, fat is everything they’re trying to avoid. The antagonist. The elephant standing in the room that they’re trying to shove through the window. But did you know that all fat is not created equal? That’s right – fat gets a worse rap than it deserves.
Does a Body Good

You may be surprised to learn that just like it needs water and oxygen, your body needs fat. Granted, you don’t want to eat as much fat as you drink and breathe water and air, but a little fat isn’t going to hurt you. In fact, if it weren’t for fat, your body wouldn’t have the energy it needs to stay strong and moving forward each day.

The trick is getting the right kinds of fat. To find this mythical creature, go with foods that aren’t pre-packaged. You should also keep reading for more tips.

What to Avoid

Now that you realize fat isn’t all bad for you, you may want to grab a massive piece of chocolate cake to chase the fatty steak you just finished off. Stop! Doing this isn’t just a bad idea. It’s a horrible idea that could damage your good health for a long time to come. Instead of diving headfirst into the fatty aisles at the grocery store with reckless abandon, be attentive and skeptical. A food may be low in fat, but the fat it contains may be a bad fat.

What kinds of fat are bad? Trans-fats and saturated fats are the most dangerous to your system. When these are eaten in cookies, cakes, French fries, and other products, they raise your total cholesterol level and your level of low-density protein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol. In the process, your risk of heart disease also increases.
Where to Go

Instead of these kinds of fats, look for foods with unsaturated fats. They come in two forms, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. While saturated and trans-fats increase your risk for heart disease, these good fats can actually reduce your risk of heart disease. The most powerful of these fats is the polyunsaturated fat known as omega-3 fatty acids, which are found frequently in salmon. Other sources of healthy fat include olive oil, sunflower seeds, nuts, and flax oil.

Regardless of what fats you find yourself eating, you should always keep one rule of thumb close at hand. Keeping your fat consumption to moderate levels is key to staying happy and healthy. Eating too much of anything – even a good thing – can cause you to put on extra pounds, which takes the fun out of eating.
Under the Microscope

Fats are almost everywhere, including some of the foods you and your family may be eating every day. Here are a few items with unnecessarily high levels of fat you’d be better off without.

• potato chips
• butter
• dinner rolls
• salad dressing
• buttered popcorn
• mayonnaise
• tartar sauce
• candy bars
•  ice cream

Fortunately, there are low-fat options to many of these delicious delights, and most of them taste pretty good. So keeping healthy and enjoying the flavors you love is easier today than it has ever been!

In fact, one very important carbohydrate, fiber, is something that most people should have more of in their diet. So whether you are following a low carbohydrate diet or not, fiber should be on the menu.

Studies show that eating at least 25 grams of fiber each day can help lower your risk of heart attack and lower your cholesterol. Fiber also aids in digestion and helps keep people from becoming constipated.

There are two different types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber turns into a gel and mixes with liquid when it is ingested and passes through the body. Insoluble passes through the large intestines as is, without mixing with liquid.

Both types are indigestible, which means they don’t break down, they have no affect on blood sugar levels (good news for diabetics) and they don’t add to the overall carb count in the foods you eat. In other words, when reading the label, subtract the carbohydrates in fiber from the overall carbohydrate count in a particular food to find out the total “digestable” carbs.

You’d think that getting enough fiber in your diet would be an easy thing. After all, we’re only talking about 25 grams. Unfortunately, if you’re on a high protein, high dairy diet, or you just don’t enjoy fruits and vegetables, you may not be getting enough fiber to handle what your body needs.

Here are some tips for getting more fiber in your diet without having to completely change the way you eat!

• Fruits – Instead of grabbing a package of cookies or chips, which are high in carbohydrates you don’t really need, fill your refrigerator produce draw with apples, pears and other fruits high in fiber. Don’t take out the vegetable peeler and cut away the skin though. The skin of the fruit has a high fiber content that helps get rid of toxins quickly in the intestines. Strawberries, raisins and oranges are also full of fiber and are tasty snacks, too.

• Go Green – I’m talking about green vegetables. Some vegetables, such as green beans and dark leafy vegetables have a high content of insoluble fiber.

• Get Nuts – Seeds and nuts of all kinds have a high amount of fiber in them. In fact, many nuts, such as walnuts and almonds, have a fiber count that amounts to the entire carbohydrate total. This means they’re a zero carb snack! The same is true for flax seed. But keep in mind that when you eat whole seeds, the body can’t absorb the nutrients they have in them. If you do add flax seed to your food, try using ground flax seed meal. A few spoonfuls in your cereal or yogurt will add a nutty flavor.

• Buy Whole Grains – Instead of buying potato bread or breads with bleached white flour, reach for the whole grain or oat breads. See if your grocery store sells whole grain pasta and cereal. Adding some raisins or fresh strawberries to your cereal could give you as much as 15 grams of fiber before you even walk out the door to start your day!

• Choose your snacks wisely – It’s easy to grab a cookie or a piece of cake when you have the munchies, but there are other snacks that are healthy and full of fiber. Did you know that 3 cups of popcorn have 7.5 grams of fiber? Take it easy on the butter and you have a healthy snack.

Just a few simple changes to your normal eating habits by adding more fiber to your diet can make a world

Make it a great day!

By SouthWest Fitness on January 26, 2012

1. Get Organized.  Getting and staying healthy requires you to seamlessly integrate a LOT of things into your life.  That’s why being organized is the key.  You’ll need to plan and prepare your meals in advance… get your gym clothes ready for the following day… make sure you allow yourself time to get your workout in, etc.  It sounds basic, but so many people fail to do this, subsequently, they never reach their fitness goals.
2. Create a ‘success’ environment .  Clear you kitchen and living space of any temptations.  If you have high-calorie foods you love that are accessible with just a few steps, chances are you will give in.  Avoid this in the first place by making sure your house only has healthy, body-transforming foods.  
3. Find ways to deal with stress.  Stress can literally put a screeching halt to all your goals.  It can cause you to emotionally eat, skip workouts, and more.  So start now by learning better ways to cope with and deal with stress.  Better yet, incorporate a daily stress-reduction program that works with your schedule. 
4. Get accountability and support.  No big journey should be undertaken all alone.  Getting help along the way is critical to staying the path, even when things get tough.  Find friends who can keep you accountable.  Join a group of like-minded people you can go to for support when things get a little hetic.  Every mega-successful person you read about had a little help along the way.  Give yourself the same advantage. 

View our Party Schedule…Download Your Zumba VIP Party Pass and come on down and party yourself into great shape!

Click here to view our party schedule and download your Zumba VIP Party Pass

Zumba Fitness® is the only Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music, created by Grammy Award-winning producers, and contagious steps to form a “fitness-party” that is downright addictive.

Since its inception in 2001, the Zumba program has grown to become the world’s largest – and most successful – dance-fitness program with more than 12 million people of all shapes, sizes and ages taking weekly Zumba classes in over 110,000 locations across more than 125 countries.

Zumba is offered a several times at SouthWest Fitness in the Five Towns.

To Experience Zumba Fitness Party Click On The Link Below For Your FREE Zumba VIP Pass.

I Want To Attend A ZUMBA Party!

SouthWest Fitness Annual Food Drive is on again and we are counting on everyone to help make it our biggest year ever.  As if helping other members of your community wasn’t enough of a prize, you also get a chance to win a ONE YEAR Membership for every five non-perishable food items you donate.

So give early and often — Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away!

Donations will go to the Hempstead Salvation Army.

SouthWest Fitness has teamed up with Jenny Craig of Valley Stream to give you a fabulous gift of wellness.  SouthWest Fitness members are invited to a a FREE Thanksgiving Tip Seminar on November 12, 2011 between 2-3pm.

November 12, 2011

Jenny Craig – 207 W. Merrick Road.  Valley Stream, N.Y 11580

Call and Reserve your seat, 516-599-0857

To your best health ever!