Maximum Fitness highlights

Years ago I was a Men's Health guy. It was a good magazine for me at the time, but eventually it began feeling like every issue contained the same stuff, spun differently. After a few years, I canceled my subscription. This year I've become a MaxFit guy. (Thanks, Mom.) Maybe down the road I'll feel the same way about the content in Maximum Fitness as I did about MH, but at this point I really enjoy the reading, information, meal recipes, and workout recommendations.

The magazine is also full of short little tidbits based on study results from universities or laboratories. Here's a couple of ones I found enlightening from the most recent issue:

"Five recent studies confirm that watching more television puts you on the fast track to a wider waistline."

They went on to say that the average number of televisions in an unsuccessful dieter's home is 3.4. People who keep better tabs on their diet own 2.6 T.V.'s. Makes sense, right? My home is below the average with exactly 2 T.V.'s, but don't let that fool you. I must admit, they're turned on a lot. The real key to the number of televisions per household is exactly what the rest of the study concluded: people tend to eat more and zone out in front of the T.V. And, of course, the more time you spend in front of it...the less active you are.

Here's the other study that caught my eye even though it's a no-brainer, but I wanted to pass it along here because it's one I really try to practice at every meal:

"You already know that eating meals quickly almost guarantees that you're not chewing your food properly (which doesn't do your digestive tract any good), but recent research from Greece indicates....the savoring type stays fuller longer because pacing yourself at the dinner table can help your small intestine produce two hormones that keep your gut full."

I firmly believe this to be true. Subconsciously, I think I began eating slower awhile back just to make the meal last longer. But I also started it due to some digestion issues, one of which is associated with nuts. Now that I eat more nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts) I want to be sure to chew them properly. In time it has progressed to other foods. I have, in fact, mastered the art of eating slowly in front of the television, which is somewhat of an oxymoron when discussing these two studies. In the morning, before leaving for the office, I find myself taking a bite or two and then sitting back to watch a few minutes of television. Sometimes I forget I even have food in front of me. Go figure.


Maximum Fitness excerpts are from the July/Aug 2010, Page 39.