Denise's Fitness Tip

I receive e-mails from Shin Otake (his info is below). Just thought I would share this one about sugar. Long, but good info. Denise Are you completely frustrated with the one problem area you just can't seem to get rid of....your belly? It seems like you're doing all of the right things...putting time in at the gym, sweatin' up a storm, and you may have already made headway with other areas of your body. Yet those elusive flat, sexy abs still hide somewhere underneath that stubborn layer of belly fat. The reason you have excess stomach fat may be due to one thing... SUGAR. I know what your thinking..."I only eat sugar here and there". But if you really counted how much sugar you consume in a day, I bet it's a lot more than you think. The thing with sugar is that it's in too many things. Ready made foods, fast foods, processed foods, etc.. all have TONS of sugar in them. It's hidden almost everywhere and unfortunately, even if you don't taste it, your body knows it's there. You see, every time you consume sugar, it triggers a biochemical process in your body that releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is responsible for maintaining healthy sugar levels in your bloodstream. But the problem is that there's just too much sugar in most of our diets and it ends up overwhelming your system. The end result? The de-sensitization of insulin. This is not a good thing... A lack of insulin sensitivity slows the uptake of sugar from your bloodstream. The extra sugar left behind ends up being stored as fat. And guess where it loves to settle... Your belly. So even if you think you're being good about not eating too much sugar, if your insulin is already insensitive from your prior bad eating habits, even a little amount of sugar that you eat will get stored as belly fat. And remember, sugar doesn't have to be sweet. Booze (beer and liquor) and starchy foods like bread, rice, and pasta break down into to sugar quickly, perpetuating the problem at hand. The good news is you can re-sensitize your insulin and lose the love handles, but you MUST ditch your sugar habit. Here's what you can start doing today: Eliminate refined sugars (sweets like candy, soda, cookies, etc...) at least 5 days out of the week, moderate your starch intake, and go easy on the alcohol. Instead, replace your sugar cravings with fruits and starch cravings with vegetables. The fiber content in fruits and vegetables slows down the entry of sugar into your bloodstream, helping your insulin from being overwhelmed and becoming insensitive. If you can change just this ONE bad habit, your insulin will thank you and body will start shedding away that stubborn belly fat so you can finally get rid of the muffin-top and finally get reveal your tight, sexy midsection. Eat your way to permanent fat-loss and optimal heath with my 90-day rapid fat-loss plan, The Lean Body Diet (for a limited time only, you get this book free when you purchase MAX Workouts). You'll learn how to calculate your daily calorie needs (protein, carbs & fat) and choose from an extensive list of healthy, delicious foods. Plus, discover the hidden dangers of processed foods, the one food that will keep you fat (no matter how much you exercise), and learn my secret to curbing late-night cravings. I'll reveal 32 anti-aging and disease-fighting foods, meal plan ideas and my supplement list (I'll tell you about the good ones AND the bad ones). Follow this 90-day plan in combination with MAX Workouts for accelerated fat burning and insane muscle definition! To learn more, visit:www.maxworkouts.com Stay Lean, Shin Ohtake Author of MAX Workouts, The 90-Day Ultimate Lean Body Fitness Program