By: Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer”
ACE (American Council of Exercise), NFPT (National Federation of Personal Training) Certified Personal Trainer, IHSA Certified Coach, and Boxing Fitness Trainer
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Sometimes you are really energetic, and other times you are really tired huh?! Can’t go out to dinner without trying two desserts huh?! Seven days a week you go to Dunkin Donuts order a large coffee with extra cream and sugar huh?! No, I’m not following you, I just see from your protruding stomach that you have a major sweet tooth. And I also know that you need some information about sugar before you can really start avoiding it, because that is just how you roll.
An average American consumes 154 pounds of sugar per year, or roughly three pounds per week. Sugar in the tank of a car can lock the engine and make the car unable to drive ever again, so imagine what effect it has on your body!
Here are the Top 10 things sugar can do to your body:
— Suppress the immune system
— Contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties and crankiness in children
— Cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
— Cause kidney damage
— Increase the risk of coronary heart disease
— Promote tooth decay
— Speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair
— Contribute to weight gain and obesity
— Cause toxemia during pregnancy
— Cause depression
Studies have indicated that the average person consumes much more sugar than their grandparents did 50 or 60 years ago. This added sugar is mostly in the form of refined, white sugar. It is high in calories and almost devoid of nutrients. This extra sugar is being added to prepared or packaged foods.
Per WomensFitness.net, a 12-ounce can of soda, for example, can contain eight teaspoons of sugar! A piece of pie can have 11 teaspoons of sugar. Chocolate cake, banana splits and other sweet delights can contain as much as 20 to 25 teaspoons of refined sugar!
Here are the best ways to offset your sugar cravings:
— Choose fresh fruits for snacks and desserts instead of processed, high-sugar foods. Natural sugars in foods are part of a complex carbohydrate package that provides fuel and energy for your body.
— Add protein to each meal to stabilize blood sugars.
— Don’t add sugar to your cereal or other foods. Instead, add fruit and nuts.
— Don’t purchase sweets when you go grocery shopping, and ask your spouse not to. If you don’t buy it, you can’t eat it.
— Exercise! It makes you more conscious of what your eating, and it’s hard to stuff your face with cake when you know you have a cardio session the next morning.
— Delay gratification, tell yourself “not this time, but next time.” This puts off eating the product until your cravings pass, and hopefully by then you will have lost so much weight that you don’t want it!
For more information on Siddiqu “The Personal Trainer” go to CF4Life.com
