The Method Gym

healthy eating

Carbs vs. Sugar Intake


 

It’s no secret… An excess of sugary carbs aren’t the best when you’re trying to slim down and define your muscles. While some carbs are OK and completely necessary as an energy source, too much can completely stall your goals and progress. The key here is the type of carbs your ingesting into your body.


When mindfully eating, “good carbs” are those that get absorbed slowly and avoid spikes in blood sugar levels. Examples of good carbs include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. On the other hand, bad carbs include baked goods, white bread, and simple sugars and syrups.


Something important to keep in mind is that just like calories, not all carbs are created equal. Complex carbs– such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and sweet potatoes– can fuel your body and workouts and keep you full and focused on your goals. Other carbs, like sugary baked goods and candies, have little nutritional value and will spike your blood sugar instead of providing you with a lasting energy source.


When choosing what carbohydrates you are going to put in your body, look for complex carbs vs. simple sugars and carbohydrates. Any carb that also has protein and fiber is a likely a good source, such as steel cut oats, beans, legumes, and fruits and vegetables.


So how many carbs should a man or woman have per day from sugar? According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are 150 calories per day, or 37.5 grams for males, 100 calories per day or 25 grams for women.


Those recommended numbers are less than you probably thought… And there’s more where that came from! For more tips and nutritional guidance, come chat with our personal trainers in durham at our durham gym so we can help you meet your goals!



News, The Method Blog, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Carbs vs. Sugar Intake

Healthy Eating Tips from our Personal Trainers in Durham

mealplanphoto

Happy Wednesday friends! Today we are sharing some of our Durham personal trainers top nutrition tips… 5 to be exact!

  1. Don’t Deprive Yourself: Learn portion control and reward yourself every now and then to avoid binging later! Just make sure you savor your occasional treat!
  2. Food Quality Control: Make sure you use high-quality ingredients that look and smell great like fresh herbs and produce. This will make your healthy dishes more pleasurable overall
  3. It’s All About the Presentation: Make your plate pop with lots of color (fruits and vegetables) and arrange the food in an artistic way. Make your culinary experience as aesthetically appealing as it is delicious!
  4. Add Greens Whenever Possible: Greens aren’t just for salads. Add them to smoothies, sandwiches, and as a garnish. Dark, leafy greens benefit every cell in your body and deliver a variety of nutrients.

  5. Don’t Get Distracted: Put away the phone and devices while you eat. Focus on every bite, texture, and taste, instead of the television. Mindless eating is the quickest way to pack on the pounds!

What are your favorite diet or healthy eating tips? We’d love to learn! For more nutritional guidance, come by our Durham gym and begin training with one of our experienced personal trainers. We are here to help you meet your fitness goals and provide you with smart tips and guidance along the way!
Keep sweatin’ Durham!

The Method Blog
Comments Off on Healthy Eating Tips from our Personal Trainers in Durham

Pro-Tips from Our Private Gym in Durham: The WORST Foods to Eat Before Working Out

image004

We are continuing our fantastic series with famed personal trainer Phillip Goglia! We have disussed proper hydration, diet, and overall fitness! Today we are taking nutrition one step further and reviewing foods NOT to eat before you workout! If you’re loving this series and feel inspired to reboot your fitness and diet plan, come chat with our Durham personal trainers to get started on a healthier you!

We hope you Durham fitness lovers enjoy this article! And as always, thank you Dr. Goglia for your excellent insight!


The ‘NO” Pre-Workout Food List:

  1. Leafy Greens : prior to workout leafy greens will create the risk of abdominal distention, gas, and bloating. Greens are a great source of minerals and antioxidants, but are primarily useful for digestion and NOT as an energizing pre-workout meal
  2. Chocolate Milk : Prior to working out, the use of dairy and its sugars – maltose and lactose – will cause bloating and digestive discomfort. Additionally the sugars found in dairy are inflammatory and mucus producing. In fact, they inhibit the full use of our oxygen pathways. This is why when you speak to athletes and ask them about their dairy consumption, they will all tell you that they do not consume any dairy pre or post-workout as it is like eating moderately hard phlegm. Most of all, dairy can contribute to elevated triglyceride levels and inflammation.
  3. Whole Grain Breads and Muffins: Stay away from carbohydrates that are yeast mold and gluten bound. They are inflammatory, water retentive, and ultimately inflammatory. They provide energy obviously as they are a sugar — but the side effects far out weigh the benefit of sugar energy as a pre-workout meal.
  4. Last night’s Pad Thai: The convenient but bad pre-workout move. These heavy foods lots of digestion time and will hinder workout intensity and fat utilization. Mostly it will set you up for a nap rather than a workout!
  5. Sports Drinks: NOT prior to a workout. Many of these sports drinks are high sodium and sugar and contain caffeine, all of which will cause digestive discomfort and a type of energy that will be “spikey” at best. These sports drinks over load our cells with electrolytes prior to depletion — at which point your body will have difficulty establishing a sweat rate and its ability to manage an appropriate temperature while training. The result will be poor performance during your workout
  6. Protein Bars: There is NO such thing as a protein bar — Does your PROTEIN bar taste like salmon – chicken – steak ? Doubtful!  Chances are your favorite protein bar has some kind of low grade protein in it. If you must choose to use a pre-workout bar make sure it is one that offers up honest marketing that is a health 50 / 50 split of sugar and fat to be used for sustainable workout energy — examples are a bonk breaker bar. This is my favorite choice and the choice of cyclists and multi sport athletes. The other OK choices are a KIND bar or CLIFF bar – all solid choices.
  7. No foods with saturated fats that require long digestive periods

How does what you eat affect your energy level/ability to exercise?

Foods prior to exercise should be strategically consumed based on the time spent exercising and the type of exercise, ie. weights vs endurance or aerobic sport. The wrong foods or hydration choose will greatly reduce your training intensity and your results

Anything else you think is important to add to this article?

There are so many pre-training foods to choose from on the market! I say keep it simple and basic! A pre-training, 90 min or less, low-glycemic meal should be approx 200 calories with a fairly even split of sugar and fat, providing sustainable even energy.  All of my athletes either use a bonk breaker bar or they keep it even simpler : 1 fruit with 1 tbsp of almond butter. Again, keep it simple — no fake science!


Meet Dr. Philip Goglia
President & Founder of Performance Fitness Concepts

Dr. Philip Goglia  has been a certified nutritionist for over 30 years and holds a PhD in Nutritional Science in addition to being a graduate of Duke University, The American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. His nutritional expertise is fully measurable, with the proven ability to take all of his clients and athletes to the highest level of their performance and competitive abilities. He has a pedigree of athletic history himself as a high school and collegiate All-American wrestler, a storied 12 year history as a rugby player, a Mr. North America bodybuilding champion, and a Grand-Am motorsports race car driver.

Dr. Goglia’s bestselling book, “Turn up the Heat – Unlock the Fat Burning Power of Your Metabolism” is an acclaimed “Best Seller” and was featured on E! Entertainment, CNN, People Magazine, In Touch, Life and Style, In style, Men’s Fitness and Vogue. He is the official nutritional consultant for the Dr. Phil show and The Doctors television shows, and was the nutritionist for Jennifer Grey, for her season 11 win on Dancing with the Stars (and the oldest winner).

Having been a three time cancer survivor and once told that he would never walk correctly again or play a sport, he fully understands the commitment it takes to emotionally and physically take a stand for health and well-being. Daily, he supports his clients to overcome their wellness obstacles through the use of his years of education, life experience and wisdom.


The Method Blog
Comments Off on Pro-Tips from Our Private Gym in Durham: The WORST Foods to Eat Before Working Out