Building Muscle Without Heavy Weights

Weight training at a lower intensity but with more repetitions may be as effective for building muscle as lifting heavy weights says a new opinion piece in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
“The perspective provided in this review highlights that other resistance protocols, beyond the often discussed high-intensity training, can be effective in stimulating a muscle building response that may translate into bigger muscles after resistance training,” says lead author Nicholas Burd. “These findings have important implications from a public health standpoint because skeletal muscle mass is a large contributor to daily energy expenditure and it assists in weight management. Additionally, skeletal muscle mass, because of its overall size, is the primary site of blood sugar disposal and thus will likely play a role in reducing the risk for development of type II diabetes.”
The authors from McMaster University conducted a series of experiments that manipulated various resistance exercise variables (e.g., intensity, volume, and muscle time under tension). They found that high-intensity muscle contractions derived from lifting heavy loads were not the only drivers of exercise-induced muscle development. In resistance-trained young men a lower workout intensity and a higher volume of repetitions of resistance exercise, performed until failure, was equally effective in stimulating muscle proteins as a heavy workout intensity at lower repetition rates. An additional benefit of the low-intensity workout is that the higher repetitions required to achieve fatigue will also be beneficial for sustaining the muscle building response for days.

Big Blue Test Nov 1 – 14

What Is Big Blue Test?

The Big Blue Test is a diabetes awareness program started by the nonprofit Diabetes Hands Foundation, that takes place every November leading up to World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14. The campaign reinforces the importance of exercise in managing diabetes. People with diabetes are encouraged to do the Big Blue Test any day between November 1 and November 14 at midnight Pacific Time, by testing their blood sugar, getting active, testing again, and sharing the results online at bigbluetest.org.

In the last two years, just 14 minutes of exercise decreased participants’ blood sugar level between 15 and 20 percent.

In 2010, more than 2,000 people did the Big Blue Test. Over 120,000 people watched the Big Blue Test video. Roche Diabetes Care, makers of ACCU-CHEK® diabetes products and services, funded the production of the video and helped it go viral by donating 75 cents for each of the first 100,000 views, resulting in total donation of $75,000. The donation provided insulin and supplies to more than 2,000 people with diabetes in developing countries.

In 2011, in connection with the number of people that do the Big Blue Test, another donation from Roche Diabetes Care will benefit more than 8,000 people with diabetes in need. Five nonprofit organizations focused on helping underserved areas with a high incidence of diabetes in the United States will each receive $10,000, while $25,000 will go to support the work in Latin America by the International Diabetes Federation’s Life for a Child Program.

Big Blue Test is once again sponsored by Roche Diabetes Care,
makers of ACCU-CHEK® products and services

Walking down your blood sugar

I just got done using the Walk Down Your Blood Sugar at Home DVD and in just 15 minutes of watching this fun and energetic video, I had already walked 1 mile.
This DVD offers a 2 mile walk which I am assuming that for the full two miles is just short of 35 minutes.

The instructor Leslie is charismatic and charming along with her fun upbeat personality and workout group, you feel as if you are in studio with her. This DVD is paced for anyone of any age and any workout ability “…if your moving your doing it right.”

I will be offering one lucky person a chance to get a copy of this awesome DVD just by promoting this blog, and sending link back traffic.  You must send me a list of places you have placed a link or banner for www.hellocupcakeitsme.com and at the end of the drawing I will review all my traffic stats and compare that with each persons list. Double entries will not be counted.

Good Luck

Well Im trying to do better, today I remembered to take all my medications, including my insulin. I also have updated my account over at www.myfitnesspal.com and even ended the day out with 781 Calories left, plus did 15 minutes of walking.

Working Out….Again

Well this morning I started doing my Gentle Tai Chi again. After 6 weeks of not doing it I forgot how great of a work out this DVD actually is.

I had a workout partner today which kept me motivated and focused. My competitive side came out, I had to out do them. So even though my arms, legs, and stomach were burning I kept going.

It was good to do this again, I forgot exactly how much I loved doing Tai Chi. At the beginning of my blog I posted about it, but I thought that I would repost for my newer readers. After a year I am still amazed at how well slow rhythmic  movements can really work your entire body.

I was being laughed at by my friend because I kept yawning, but I told her that was part of knowing it was working, because you only yawn when your body, blood, and brain need more oxygen (which by the amount of yawning I was doing, was a lot).

I’m looking forward to having a work out buddy, as I normally do this by myself. So hopefully this will transpose into a long term commitment.

Related articles

• Beginning Tai Chi for Health (clearstaichi.com)
• Chang Tung Sheng: Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan (dojorat.blogspot.com)
• Tai Chi: Balance in Motion (everydayhealth.com)
• Review: What Is Tai Chi? (dojorat.blogspot.com)

Yard Work + Motivation = Working Out

Well one thing I hate about Fall here in the great North West of Washington is that our grass begins to grow at an alarming rate. Fall typically a time when things begin to wither and die, has somehow forgot to pass the memo to this Evergreen state.

So after two and a half weeks or drizzle and rain, we finally had a great day of sun. So I adorned the ol’ dew rag, my iPod nano, and hit the yard. While listening to my selection of Adam Lambert songs that I’ve downloaded over the last few months, I began to wiz through the yard.

Pushing my mower through the tall thicket of grass, I noticed that my legs were beginning to tighten and feel like a workout. So I started doing lunges and got a full leg and buns workout. It was pretty good. And prior to my out door adventures, I did 10 minutes on the Air Dyne bike, and 10 minutes of weights So all in all it was a great day. I cant wait to see how much my pedometer has racked up!

Pedometer Week 5

Sorry about the way this looks, when I printed it out I did so on portrait instead of landscape, but it is the same form.

I have exceeded this weeks goals, as I had lowered them due to the horrible results last week.

I have made the decision that when it rains out side I will do 10-15 minutes on my Air Dyne bike in place of walking.

I put next weeks goal up to 15 as there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to accomplish this.

Excuses we all make

We tend to find excuses not to exercise all the time. “I can’t afford going to the gym”, “I don’t want people to see me working out”, “I don’t have any equipment”, “I can’t get motivated”. Well trust me I use to say all of these things, until I noticed that I weighed 439 pounds, and was only 29 and couldn’t bend over to tie my shoes without losing breath or feeling like I was going to faint.

I began small, doing little things. I would jog to the mail box and back into the house, or do door jam push up’s (this is where you position your hands on either side of the door jam and lean into the frame in a standing push up motion). Then I started walking, I went out and got a pedometer that not only counted steps but mileage too, and challenging myself to make certain milestones.

Then I was looking around my house to see if I could find “equipment” that I could use for working out. I saw my broom and 2 bags of grapefruit. I put the two bags of grapefruit into shopping bags and hung them on either side of the broom, and thus made myself a barbell. Totally inspired by this creation, and the effectiveness of it, I began really thinking outside of the box. I taped 4 old phone books together to make a cardio step. If this doesn’t work for you then instead of walking or making your own equipment, maybe march in place for 4-5 minutes.

I then started looking at places like Craigslist.org or Freecycle.com to find and request unwanted equipment from people in my area. The first thing to come my way was two 8 pound weights. Next were some ankle weights, then a stair stepper, and then an Airdine Bike, and then a health rider. Saying “Can’t” is a drug that we all are addicted to in the early stages of self-improvement. My motivation for beginning my weight loss was seeing others lose their weight. I likened myself to people like Drew Carrie, and Al Roker, who were both big men, and made the decision to make changes in their lives, and thusly I made the same choice.

I live with 2 other people who don’t typically workout with me, but I still keep myself going strong irregardless of partnership or not. There are thousands of websites, free products, and information that can help you and be beneficial for you, should you choose to make that first step. I know its hard, trust me I know. I don’t claim to be perfect, or be a diet guru, but you can make changes in your life, and in your weight by taking baby steps.

I hate diet’s, can’t stand them and wont do them because I feel deprived. Instead I went out and got a cafeteria style plate with the slots in it, and divided my meals into the slots, and once I was done that was it, no seconds. I kept eating candy, but tried to make it sugar free, or limited myself to 1 a week. Switched from drinking dark color soda (Pepsi, Coke) to sprite and seven up and lost 10 pounds doing that (the caramel coloring is what causes the weight).

So quit making excuses and just do it, as Nike would say!

pedometer week 3

Here is week #3 of my pedometer progress chart. I have to say that I am kicking butt and taking names with this one. Every week I am setting goals for myself based on the preformance of the prior week.

I can’t believe that just walking around the house on some days can add up to over 2 miles. But these results are a combonation of house work, and walking on some of the local trails.

I am super happy with the results, and cant wait until the day come wher I am walking 40+ miles a week, or 10 miles a day.

Walking with a sibling

My dearest sister has decided to join me on my quest for self-improvement, weight loss, and living a healthier life style. Today she and I walked 2 miles of the Larry Scott Trail in Port Townsend Washington. It was quite nice, as normally when ever we would walk together she would blow right past me, leaving me breathless and unable to keep up.

Well I was able to match her stride for stride today, and only fell behind a few times, mostly due to my pedometer falling off, and a leg cramp. I am extremely proud of myself for being able to keep up with her. She wants to eventually add jogging into the regiment, and I’m not too sure about this as of yet, maybe after I lose like 60 pounds or so. My knees are already bad, and I don’t need to add insult to injury.

But we are going to try to do this every day from now on, or at the very least 3 times a week. Should be fun.