FITNESS: Cuckoo for coconut oil

BY LORNE OPLER

Spend enough time in the gym, as I'm sure many if not most readers of this blog do, and you'll likely get all kinds of advice about nutrition.  Some of what you'll hear is credible, some not.   Such is the case with coconut oil. Look for

and have a soft, distinct taste and te

You can’t go anywhere today without hearing about saturated fats. And what you hear from almost all dietitians is that saturated fats are bad for you. Truth is, not all are.  Coconut oil is a good example. Indeed, if exercise and healthy eating are part of your daily routine, coconut oil should be part of it too.   

While coconut oil is almost entirely made up of saturated fats (approx 90 percent), it is mostly medium triglycerides (triglycerides being the term for fat molecules found in the body). Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) have a shorter "chain length" than other saturated fats. This is what makes coconut oil easier to ingest and digest.  It does not require the use of bile salts for digestion. Therefore, MCTs are rapidly absorbed from the intestine and sent to the liver where they are oxidized (burned).  As a result, they are much less likely to be stored as fat. MCTs found in coconut oil help conserve lean body mass, because they prevent protein from being utilized as an energy source.

FITNESS: You are what you drink

By LORNE OPLER

Walk around any gym, and you’ll see everyone carrying a water bottle.  We all know we're supposed to drink water when we exercise, but why?  Here are some of the most important reasons:

1)      Water is critical to maintain healthy joints.  Surrounding your joints is a thick, water-containing substance called synovial fluid, which lubricates the bones’ cartilage (shock absorbing material at the ends of the bone).  Synovial fluid ensures smooth movement of bones when they rub against each other.  When we exercise, we lose water through perspiration.   If we don’t hydrate sufficiently, there is less water in our synovial fluid to keep the joints healthy. 

2)       Water affects our digestive system.  Drinking adequate amounts of water helps to improve the transporting of nutrients from the bloodstream to muscle cells, and the excretion of waste products.   Typically, weight trainers consume more calories than the average person, making adequate water consumption even more important.

3)      Water helps reduce fatigue. Research has shown that a loss of 2 or more percent of  body weight from perspiration is connected to a drop in plasma volume (Plasma is the liquid which carries blood cells and is almost all water).   With less plasma moving through the body, the heart works harder to get blood and its nutrients circulated.  This can also cause muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue.  With a 2 percent loss of water, the body is already in a state of dehydration.     And dehydration will always cause your exercise performance to suffer.