lifecherry

If you've seen one of these machines at your gym lately and wondered what the heck it was, well, I'm about to tell you. It's a vibrating platform. You don't jump on it, do squats on it or lift it. You just stand there, hold the handles, and it vibrates you. If it sounds suspiciously not like exercise to you, you're right to be suspicious. It's not exercise. But exercise physiologists claim that it can improve your athletic performance, nonetheless.

A study done at California State University shows that athletic performance is enhance for a short period of time after using the machine. How long? Researchers aren't really sure yet, but it's safe to say that it won't help you run a marathon. The effects last only a few minutes.

Another problem with the research is that no one knows why, exactly, it works. Scientists hypothesize that it mimics the effect of doing an easier task after a more difficult one. If, for example, you lifted a twenty-pound weight, a ten pound weight would seem easier to lift afterwards. To be honest, I'm not sure I really understand the logic behind the research. If something seems easier, does it also feel easier to the body? Apparently so.

Another problem is that there's no consensus on how fast the vibrations should be, or what direction they should move in, so there's a great deal of difference between the vibrating platforms being produced. No doubt there will soon be a (highly ineffective) home version being sold on late night TV. In any case, athletes such as Serena Williams are reported to use these vibrating machines with solid results, and the research shows that they can be useful.

You've probably heard that high protein diets are a healthy way to lose weight. Popular plans such as the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet both recommend that dieters consumer high amounts of protein and extremely low amounts of carbs. But is this a fad that will fall by the wayside or good medical advice?

How Much Protein Do You Need In A Day? Is More Better?
According to research, adults should consume about .8 grams of protein for every pound of body weight. That means that a 150 pound person should consume about 54 grams of protein a day. Most Americans consume more than is necessary. So, then, why are we so fat? Because we also consume more carbohydrates and fats than we need in a day, which means that all told, we are consuming far more calories than are necessary to maintain a healthy body weight.

The Journal of Nutrition did a study of laboratory rats, in which they were fed different amounts of protein for fifteen weeks. The rats that ate the highest amounts of protein were found, in the end, to have the highest levels of antioxidants, as well, which led to the conclusion that consuming large amounts of protein can, in fact, be healthy. Unfortunately, the maximum amount of protein that humans can consume without adverse effects is not known.

What's Wrong With Eating A Lot Of Protein?
In and of itself, consuming a high protein diet doesn't seem to be problematic, so long as you don't have any kidney or liver disease that will interfere will how your body metabolizes protein. The real problem occurs when dieters follow high protein diets that are also high in fat and don't contain enough fiber. While the human body seems to be able to utilize high amounts of protein, diets that are high in fat are considered unhealthy across the board. And while most people don't need as many carbohydrates as they actually consume, your body does need the fiber found in whole grain foods and fruits in order to digest properly. Plus, many nutrients found in vegetables, particularly dark green ones, simply aren't found in non-vegetable sources.

Eating too much protein, however, in the amounts that diets such as Atkins recommend, helps lose weight by inducing a false ketonic, or starvation state. This means that because you aren't consuming any actual sugars, your body starts burning fat to convert it into sugar. This is an extremely unhealthy way to lose weight. Too much protein, unfortunately, can be a relative thing. Athletes and other people who have high energy lifestyles can consume more protein without adverse effects than others.

How Do I Eat A Healthy High Protein Diet?
The biggest trick to losing weight is consuming fewer calories. No matter what form the calories come in; fat, protein, or carb, you will not lose weight if you consume more calories than your body needs for energy. It's a simple math equation. As far as protein goes, it's probably healthy to eat up to 50% of your daily calories in protein, which is 154 grams in a 1,500 calorie a day diet, for a short period of time, as long as it's okay-ed by your doctor. In the long term, eating up to 130 grams of protein per day (on a 1,500 calorie a day diet) is probably not going to hurt you.