Is Your Workout Working?

Did you know that the average health club exerciser quits after just six months for one of the following reasons: not enough time or not seeing results?

Eight Common Reasons Your Workouts Don't Work

Sadly, most people become frustrated and quit exercising before they see any real results. But it's not too surprising, given the common mistakes many people make with their training programs. Are you making these workout mistakes?

1. All Quantity, No Quality

Take a look around the gym (if you haven't quit going yet) and see how many people are really getting a quality workout. I'm always amazed by how many people are wandering aimlessly, walking leisurely on a treadmill while reading a book, lifting weights so light that not one hair moves out of place, or simply looking bored. A lot of exercisers head to the gym out of habit, and as if on automatic pilot, put in some time and head back to work or home. If you are one of these people, ask yourself, "What do I want to get out of this?"

If you want serious results, you need to do serious exercise. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it and have fun. But it does mean you need to focus on what you're doing and increase the quality of every movement. Once you start exercising with a real purpose and pushing both your aerobic capacity and your strength, you will find your workouts take half the time and yield better results.

Most exercisers are far too generous with estimates of exercise intensity and time, the amount of weight lifted, and the frequency of their workouts. To avoid overestimating, it's helpful to keep an exercise log and track these items.

Additionally, many people mistakenly believe that if they exercise at a moderate pace for 30 minutes, they've burned lots of calories and fat. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. While exercise does burn calories over time, and consistent exercise is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off, it's hard to lose body fat through exercise alone. Which brings us to the next mistake.

3. Underestimating Your Eating

Many people are in denial about the foods they eat, and particularly, the quantity consumed. If you want to lose weight, you need to be honest with yourself about what you put into your body and how that helps or hinders your weight-loss goals. To get real with yourself, write it down. Tracking what you eat in a food diary will help you break the cycle of food denial. You can also try using a calorie counter for more advanced diet support.

4. Doing the Wrong Type of Workout

Where did you learn your current exercise routine? By watching others at the gym (who may be exercising incorrectly)?

From your friends, coworkers, the web, TV, the newspaper, the latest research findings, or perhaps your 5th-grade gym teacher? What you're doing for exercise directly determines the results you will get. To learn what you should do, there's no better place to start than by writing down your goals and then working with a professional trainer to design the right workout to meet those goals. Haphazard exercise will provide haphazard results.

5. Never Changing Your Workout

When you do the same thing day after day, you get very good at it. In exercise, this is called the principle of adaptation. It means that we become very efficient by doing the same exercise over and over. This is great for sports performance, but not that great for weight loss, increasing strength, or physical fitness progression. If you always do the same workout for the same amount of time, you will eventually hit a plateau where you fail to see any additional change. One way of overcoming this plateau is to modify your workouts every few weeks or months. You can change the type of exercise you do, the length, the amount of weight lifted, or the number or reps. This is why professional athletes change their programs during the off-season.

6. Using Incorrect Form or Technique

Learning the right way to exercise is essential to getting results. Form does matter, especially when doing any strength training exercise. Incorrect form or technique also sets you up for potential injuries, pain, and soreness. To learn proper technique, there's no better place to start than with a personal trainer or coach.

7. Setting Unrealistic Goals

So, what are your exercise goals? Are they realistic for you? If your goal is to be the next Lance Armstrong, and you only have 30 minutes a day to train, or you want to lose 25 pounds in a month . . . Ask yourself how realistic are your goals? Again, it comes back to being honest with yourself about your abilities, your level of commitment, and your lifestyle. You need to set appropriate goals that start from where you are and progress at a reasonable rate, or you're sure to get frustrated and quit.

8. Measuring the Wrong Results

Many people think their workout isn't working because they don't measure the right things. Looking for proof in a scale is often a set-up for disappointment because some new exercisers build muscle and lose fat, but the scale doesn't provide information about body composition. Better ways to measure your fitness progress include tracking your heart rate at a given pace, measuring the distance you can cover in a certain amount of time, tracking the amount of weight you can lift, or even writing down how you feel -- physically -- at the end of each day. Many of the benefits from exercise are subtle and not visible by looking into the mirror, but things such as cholesterol level, blood pressure, and the ease with which you can do daily chores are every bit as motivating -- if you monitor them.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Why You Don't Need to Avoid Gluten or Dairy

By Shereen Lehman, MS - Reviewed by a board-certified physician

I like this post because some of us dieting have read about glutens in enriched flour and have snapped to a hasty decision to cut out glutens and were I do believe some of us should cut out gluten, be all don't have to.

Crezalyn Nerona Uratsuji / Getty Images

Going gluten-free has become a big trend, and a number of people think they should avoid dairy products as well. Most people don't need to avoid gluten and by doing so, you run the risk of suffering from some nutritional deficiencies. 

Problems with dairy products are more common than problems with gluten. The primary reason for consuming dairy products is to get enough calcium, and while dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, you can get it from other foods. True, and if you're trying to lose body fat, cut back on dairy. If you want to protein then try non-fat dairy. Actually, there are a dozen different alternatives to milk on the grocery store shelves. You don't need all the fat in dairy.

What's the deal with these conditions?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It helps give bread its shape. People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity need to eat a gluten-free diet -- otherwise, they can suffer from some terrible digestive symptoms, weight loss, and other health problems.

Dairy products contain lactose a form of sugar. People with lactose intolerance can't absorb the lactose and have intestinal problems when they consume dairy products.

These conditions aren't all that rare, but they don't affect everyone.

Celiac disease affects about one person out of every 140. Lactose intolerance is more common, especially in specific populations. About 1 of every 5 Caucasians has it, and about 80 percent of Asians and Native Americans, 75 percent of African Americans and about half of Hispanics have it.

If you think you have any of these conditions, you should speak with your health care provider about your concerns.

If you do have a problem, a dietitian or nutritionist can help you set up a diet that takes these conditions into consideration and still eat a balanced and nutritious diet.

But I thought eating gluten made me gain weight?

It doesn't. Consuming more calories than you burn is the reason people gain weight.

There may be differences in your metabolism compared to other people, and certain health conditions can affect your weight, but ultimately it's calories that go in compared to calories burned.

Fad diets typically require you to avoid specific food groups such as grains or dairy products. Or they pick on specific foods that contain certain components like gluten or phytic acid, saying they are bad for you, or they may refer to them as anti-nutrients -- something that sounds much scary, but it's not.  

But there is a clear reason for not eating foods with enriched flour. It's the enriched flour that people are trying to avoid and it does contain gluten. It's not really the gluten most people are trying to avoid, it's the enriched flour that seems to be in everything that has flour except gluten-free products. Enriched flour has been proven to raise blood glucose levels the same as refined sugar. 

The best way to watch your weight and provide your body with all the nutrition you need is to follow a healthy balanced diet.

Choose a variety of foods from each food group to ensure sufficient intake of macronutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals:

• Fruits and vegetables: two or three cups of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Grains and cereals: at least half your grains should be whole grains.
• Protein sources: choose low-fat protein sources like lean meat, poultry, seafood, fish or legumes.
• Dairy foods: you need two or three servings of dairy or other calcium-rich foods every day. (non-fat dairy if possible)
• Fats and oils: get a little bit of healthful fat like omega-3 and monounsaturated fats.

It's also important to watch your portion sizes and keep your calorie intake to a level that lets you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Is there a best time of day to exercise?

There might be some logic to this post, but I can't agree with the conclusion. I think the best time to exercise is the first hour after you wake up.

Two of the top reasons people give for not exercising regularly include lack of results and lack of time. So, for many people, the best time to exercise is the time that is most convenient and the time that fits into a busy schedule.

Research on exercise and time of day is growing, but still limited and not without controversy. In general, if you can find a time for exercise that you can stick with consistently, you will be much more likely to train regularly and get better results.

Human sleep and wake cycles follow a daily cycle called circadian rhythms. It's this cycle that regulates our body temperature, blood pressure, alertness, and metabolism, among other physiological functions. In general, these rhythms conform to our 24-hour day and may be reset based on environmental cues. The time of day that we typically exercise is one of these cues. Research by the University of North Texas in Denton found that although circadian rhythms are inborn we can reset them based upon our behaviors. For example, using an alarm clock, establishing meal times and even when we workout are all cues to help rest our rhythms. They found that people who consistently exercise in the morning "teach" their body to be most ready for exercise at that time of day. When they switched to evening exercise, they didn't feel as strong.

Also See: Does Jet Lag Decrease Athletic Performance?

The ability to adjust your rhythms is important for athletes training for a specific event. The message is to train at the same time of day that the event will occur. Research supports this advice. Studies show that your ability to maintain exercise intensity will adapt to your training time. Therefore, if you do your marathon training in the morning, you may perform better on race day (marathons typically start in the morning).

But if you train in the evening, a morning race day may leave you feeling weaker and slower.

Individual Differences and Exercise Timing

Some people are just naturally morning people. They have no trouble exercising first thing in the morning. Others don't get moving so quickly and are more likely to feel like exercising later in the day. If you have such an obvious preference it's pretty easy to decide what sort of exercise schedule you might stick with. The interesting thing is that research shows that no matter when you think you are better able to exercise, almost all of us are, in fact, physically stronger and have more endurance in the late afternoon.

Scheduling Exercise

Not everyone can choose to exercise when they feel like it. Work and family commitments often take priority and we end up squeezing in some exercise. If you find that the only time you have to exercise is when you least feel like it, don't despair. As we learned earlier, you can change your rhythms and your body can adapt to a new exercise time.

However, it may take about a month to reset your internal exercise clock. (get tips on adjusting your circadian rhythms during air travel).

Research and the Best Time to Exercise

While there is specific research being conducted on this topic, unfortunately, the answer to the question, "What is the best time for exercise?" varies based on the specific question you ask, your training goals, and your exercise adherence. Here are some of the latest specific research findings:

Late Afternoon is Best for Exercise
Research shows that the optimal time to exercise is when our body temperature is at its highest, which, for most people is 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (body temperature is at its lowest just before waking).
Strength is Greater in the Afternoon
Dr. Hill reported that strength output is 5% higher at around mid-day; anaerobic performance, such as sprinting, improves by 5% in the late afternoon.
Endurance is Greater in the Afternoon
Aerobic capacity (endurance) is approximately 4percent higher in the afternoon.
Injuries Are Less Likely in the Afternoon
Afternoon exercise is the best if you want to avoid injuries for many reasons. We are most alert; our body temperature is the highest so our muscles are warm and flexible; our muscle strength is at its greatest. These three factors make it less likely that we will get injured.
Morning Exercisers Are More Consistent
Even though afternoon exercise might be optimal from a physiological standpoint, research also shows that morning exercisers are more likely to stick to it than late-day athletes.
Evening Exercise and Sleep
Most research supports the idea that exercise can improve sleep quality. But does exercising too late in the evening keep you up? Studies have shown improvements in sleep from both morning and afternoon exercise, so it's not yet clear if evening exercise keeps you up. One study even showed that vigorous exercise half an hour before bedtime did not affect sleep.
One thing that is agreed upon is that sleep deprivation can hinder sports performance.

The Bottom Line
The good news is that you get to decide the best time for you to exercise based upon your personal goals, schedule, and lifestyle. Ideally, you will pick a time that you are able to stick with consistently and make part of your daily or weekly schedule. If you are training for competition, it's wise to modify your training to accommodate the event start time, and it's always wise to warm up before any workout. Also See: Why Your Workouts Don't Work.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Heart Rate Wristbands Often Inaccurate

Any of us that workout will tell you that you have to stay at your target heart rate during the workout to burn fat. So the best way to do that is with a heart monitor.

Watch-like wristbands that monitor heart rate may not offer true readings during exercise.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic's Heart and Vascular Institute tested four different wrist-worn heart rate monitors.

"All worked pretty well at rest," said Dr. Marc Gillinov, the Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeon who led the experiment. "But as people exercised, the accuracy diminished."

None of the four devices achieved the accuracy of a chest strap monitor. In treadmill tests, the Apple Watch and Mio Fuse were the most accurate.

The other two devices fell short: Basis Peak, which is no longer being manufactured, overestimated heart rate during moderate exercise, and Fitbit Charge HR underestimated heart rate during more vigorous exercise, the study found.

Intel Corp. issued a safety recall last summer due to incidents of the Basis Peak overheating, causing burns or blisters on the skin. Intel and its Basis Science Inc. unit urge people to stop using the device and return it for a full refund.

In a statement, Fitbit defended its "PurePulse" technology, saying it performs to industry standards for wrist-based optical heart rate monitors, with an average absolute error of less than 6 beats per minute (bpm) and an average error of less than 6 percent.

"Fitbit devices were tested against properly calibrated industry devices like an EKGchest strap across the most popular activities performed worldwide, including walking, running, biking, elliptical and more," the company said.

For Fitbit, the findings follow other disappointing reports on its products. Earlier this month, a report in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found that fitness trackers, including one marketed by Fitbit, fail to boost activity levels enough to improve health.

Fitbit said its trackers "are not intended to be medical devices."

But, the Cleveland Clinic team noted that cardiac patients increasingly rely on wrist-worn monitors to gauge heart rate during rehabilitation and exercise.

These watch-like devices retail from roughly $70 to several hundred dollars, based on prices quoted online.

Dr. Mitesh Patel is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He studies the impact of technology-based interventions on behavior but was not involved in the new analysis.

Despite growing interest in so-called wearables to measure heart rate, there has not been much evaluation of their accuracy, he noted.

"For the general consumer, wearable devices may still be able to give them a general sense of their heart rate trends," Patel said. "However, further study is needed to determine which devices are more reliable for use in clinical care." 

An adult's average resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute; maximum heart rate is about 220 bpm minus the person's age, according to the American Heart Association.

An electrocardiogram records the heart's electrical activity. It's the "gold standard" for measuring heart rate, Gillinov said. A chest strap, which also monitors electrical activity, is just as accurate, he added.

Wrist-worn heart monitors use optical sensing technology to detect heart rate. They emit LED light to measure blood flow in and out of tissue, and a sensor picks up that data and converts it into heart rate readings using proprietary algorithms, Gillinov explained.

In the study, published online Oct. 12 in the journal JAMA Cardiology, the Cleveland Clinic team recruited 50 healthy men and women, with an average age of 37. Participants wore a Polar H7 chest-strap monitor and were randomly assigned to wear two different wrist-worn monitors during 3-minute intervals of exercise on a treadmill.

Heart rate readings were recorded when participants were at rest and at the 3-minute mark of each exercise. Participants exercised at increasing levels of intensity, from 2 to 6 miles per hour (mph), with rests between each exercise.

The researchers also measured people's heart rates at three points during their recovery.

Compared with electrocardiogram, the optical heart rate monitors varied in accuracy, the investigators found. 

At 2 and 3 mph, median differences of roughly 9 and 7 bpm, respectively, were recorded between the Basis Peak.

With Fitbit, researchers recorded median differences of approximately 7 and 6 bpm at 4 and 6 mph, respectively.

"We're not being nitpicky because as people moved, we had readings that could be off by 30 and 40 bpm, so it's not a small difference," Gillinov said.

His advice?

"If you're an elite athlete and you're using your heart rate to guide training, or if you're a cardiac patient who's been given specific heart rate targets or ranges, use a chest strap," he advised.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Compulsive Eating and How to Stop

I found this post on WebMd and for those who overeat, this read is a must.

Think back to the last time you ate when you felt absolutely stuffed. Were you tearing into a huge cake to celebrate a friend’s birthday? Loading up on turkey and sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving? Or were you at home alone, maybe at the end of a tough day? How did you feel afterward -- simply annoyed that you gave yourself a stomachache? Or were you tormented by guilt or shame? For me, it was the guilt and shame that I could control myself.

Eating too much every once in a while is normal. So is eating for emotional reasons. “From the moment we’re born, we’re nurtured with food, rewarded with food, and so emotional connections to food are normal,” says Michelle May, MD.

People who compulsively overeat, though, may use food as their only way of coping with negative emotions. As a result, they often feel that their eating is out of control. They think about food all the time and feel guilty, ashamed, or depressed after eating. “That’s very different from what someone feels after, say, eating a big Thanksgiving meal,”Dr. May says. “You might feel full, and you might regret having had that last slice of pie, but you’re not consumed with shame.”

Some people who overeat have a clinical disorder called binge eating disorder (BED). People with BED compulsively eat large amounts of food in a short amount of time and feel guilt or shame afterward. And they do this so often: at least once a week over a period of at 3 months or more.

Not everyone who overeats is a binger. You might eat a lot of food throughout the day, rather than all in one sitting. And you might not do it regularly, but only when you’re feeling stressed, lonely, or upset.

Can people be “addicted” to food?

In recent years, food addiction has become a popular idea among some scientists. Those researchers say that certain foods high in fat, sugar, and salt are addictive, causing changes in the brain similar to those made by drugs. Studies in animals have shown that rats that binge on sugar, for example, can develop signs of dependency.

But the idea of food addiction is controversial. For one thing, the standard treatment for addiction is abstinence, and that’s not possible with food. Also, “dieting is a very strong component of the binge eating cycle,” May says. “From that standpoint, it’s counterproductive to label certain foods as negative.”

There’s no doubt that eating can stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, Hudnall says. “But that doesn’t make food an addictive substance. There’s evidence that it’s actually the behavior -- the restrict/binge cycle -- that causes the signs of dependency, not the food itself,” she says. Some researchers have even stated that the term “eating addiction” is a more accurate term than “food addiction.”

How can I control compulsive eating?

Seek help. It can be hard to stop overeating on your own, particularly if there are deep-rooted emotional problems involved, says Robin B. Kanarek, PhD, professor of psychology at Tufts University. Working with a counselor can help you uncover the psychological triggers -- like a negative body image -- that may be driving your behavior.

Page 3 of 3
Avoid labels. “Understand that you’re not a bad person doing bad things,” May says. The same goes for labeling foods. “Food is food -- it’s not ‘good’ or ‘bad,’” Kanarek says.

Take a pause. When you feel like eating, pause for a moment and ask yourself: Am I hungry? “Sometimes people get so focused on what they want to eat that they don’t stop and ask themselves why they want to eat,” May says. If you use food as a coping tool, you may be out of touch with the cues that signal hunger or fullness, and it’s important to bring your awareness back to your body. In other words, you may have changed your entire reason for eating. If you have been using food as a coping tool for several months, you may not be eating to nourish your body anymore. You're only following the impulse to eat food so you can cope and therefore you never really get hungry. You may have changed your need for food and that is what causes you to overeat.

“A habit is very often simply a behavior that’s on autopilot,” Hudnall says.  You can't ban foods, that can cause you to overeat later on. If you’re really craving something -- even if you’re not hungry -- give yourself permission to have a small amount.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Do Carbs Make You Gain Weight?

This post from the HungryGirl website. It explains why you don't have to be afraid of  carbs.

Carbs can be downright confusing: Some sources claim that eating carbs can hinder weight loss and cause weight gain; others say carbs are a diet essential. I’m Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien, and I’m here to clarify the truth about carbs.

There are rumors out there that eating carbs can be detrimental to your diet. Low-carb diets have gone through periods of being super popular for weight loss. But here’s the deal:

Reality: Carbs Don’t Make You Gain Weight; Excess Calories Do

Carbs don't cause instant weight gain, but starchy carbs do have a tendency to be calorie-dense. And if you eat too many calories, you’ll probably put on weight, whether those calories are from carbs or another nutrient. Sure, it’s a problem if your diet consists only of carbs, but it’s also problematic if you’re skipping them completely. Carbohydrates play an important role in your diet; they provide energy to your body. The name of the game is balance: The USDA recommends that 45 to 65 percent of an adult’s daily calorie intake comes from carbs, with the remainder of calories coming from a mixture of protein and fat.

When it Comes to Carbs, There Are a Few Things to Keep in Mind

1. Not all carbs are created equal.

Certain carbs are better for your health than others. It’s important to limit refined carbs, which are prevalent in foods like processed white bread and cakes.

The process of refinement means the whole grains have been extracted, removing much of the fiber and nutritional value and leaving you with sugary carbs and empty calories. 

A better way to fill your daily carb quota is with complex carbs, which are found in whole foods like oats, whole grains, beans, green veggies, and potatoes.

Complex carbs are low in sugar and tend to be high in fiber. And fiber takes longer to digest than other carbs, so it keeps you satisfied and feeling full for a long time. That’s definitely true for me — if I snack on something like an apple, I’m much less likely to reach for a candy bar later in the day.

2. Even complex carbs can be calorie-dense, so watch your servings.

Always read nutritional labels, and practice portion control. One of my favorite ways to enjoy calorie-dense carbs in moderation is to bulk up the serving size with low-calorie foods like veggies: You get the health benefits of the carbs, plus a big portion and a low calorie count!

Green-leafy vegetables are carbs too and they are important to everyones diet. Complex carbs are the ones you want and the man-made carbs are the ones to avoid. 

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Is Sugar Bad For Your Brain?

5.3 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease, and that number is projected to sharply increase as our population ages. As we look at various ways to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, including mild cognitive impairment, one of the many areas that has been studied frequently is that of sugar.

We Americans, in general, love our sugar. But is it possible that sugar increases our likelihood of developing dementia?

Research on Sugar and Cognitive Functioning

There's an already established link between type 2 diabetes and the development of dementia. But how does sugar affect people who don't have diabetes?

Multiple studies have been conducted on how sugar, or more specifically, glucose levels in our blood, impact cognition. A few of them include the following:

• In 2008, the journal Neuroepidemiology published research that measured the fasting insulin levels of more than 1,400 middle-aged women who did not have diabetes. Beginning 10 years later, the researchers measured the cognitive ability of these women over the next four years. They found that the women who had higher insulin levels in mid-life were more likely to experience cognitive decline later in life.
• In 2013, the journal Neurology reported on a study where researchers again found that higher blood sugar levels were associated with significantly poorer performance on cognitive tests measuring delayed recall, memory, and learning. This study involved 141 participants with an average age of 63 years old, none of whom had diabetes.

• An article published in 2013 in the Physiology and Behavior journal described research involving 98 participants without diabetes. The scientists measured each person's cognition by using the Stroop test, which is widely considered to be an accurate measure of the brain's executive functioning ability. The results indicated that participants with an inability to regulate their glucose levels achieved lower scores on the Stroop test, indicating decreased cognitive ability. The researchers stated, "Our results indicate that even mild hyperglycemia in the non-diabetic range is associated with attentional processing difficulties in a sample of younger adults." 

How About Sugar Intake?

The British Journal of Nutrition in 2011 outlined a study that sought to determine if sugar intake (not blood glucose levels) affects cognitive functioning. 737 people without diabetes, ages 45 to 75, were involved in this study, which was part of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study conducted from 2004-2009. The participants' cognition was measured by a variety of tests including the Stroop test, clock-drawing test, digit span test, and verbal fluency tests. These results were compared to the amount of sugar ingested by each person. The researchers found that in general, higher levels of sugar intake were correlated with lower cognitive scores.

Effect on the Brain

Not only does research show a connection between cognitive functioning and blood sugar levels, it also has demonstrated a correlation with actual brain size and structure. A study reported in Neurology found that higher blood glucose levels in people without diabetes were correlated with brain atrophy (shrinkage) in the hippocampal areas and the amygdala.

White sugar or refined sugar is the problem and it should be avoided like the plague. 

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.