The Impact of Acid on the Body
By Michael Cutler, MD

Most of us are familiar with acid indigestion, or "heartburn." However, few of us realize that many Americans have chronic, low-grade acidosis (acid body chemistry) because of what we eat. We are, as a nation, chronically acidic.

And fewer of us realize what a devastating impact acid can have on our bodies.

Bone Loss and Joint Pain
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a seven-year study¹ by the University of California on 9704 women showed that those with chronic acid overload are at greater risk for bone loss than those who have normal pH levels.

Why? Because when your body is highly acidic, it will do whatever it takes to return itself to a healthier pH balance. Your body steals the calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium it needs from your bones in order to buffer the tissue acids and they are systematically eaten away.

The result? Severe bone loss and joint pain.

Bronchial Attacks for Those with Asthma
Research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine announced that high acid levels are strongly linked to asthma attacks.² Dr. Benjamin Gaston discovered that shortly before an asthma attack, acid levels in the lungs shot up as much as 1000-fold. This increased acidity contributed to inflammation in the bronchial airways and triggered an attack. As a result of this study, researchers at Duke University are now investigating treatments using antacid therapy.

Abnormal Cell Growth
According to Nobel prize-winning scientist Dr. Otto Warburg, abnormal cells positively thrive in an acidic environment. "They have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells," he says. In addition, scientific research reported in the journals Psychosomatic Medicine³ and the American Journal of Managed Care⁴ recently revealed that lactic acid and uric acid (both released into the body by stress) may promote the growth of abnormal cells.

And these are only a few of the damaging effects of chronic acidosis...
 

During the last few months, I have been researching data and testing different forms of training to find the ultimate weight loss formula. What I learned may surprise you. The bad news is there are no magic pills. The good news is long aerobic sessions are unnecessary and workouts don't need to last hours. To lose weight, resistance training is mandatory and boosting your metabolism is the ultimate goal.

What is your metabolism and how does it affect you? Well, metabolism is just a fancy word to describe the rate at which the body carries out chemical processes, which in turn burns calories. Here are 5 tricks that can help you boost your metabolism, lose some excess body weight, and improve your current training program.

1. Build Lean Muscle Mass with Resistance Training
Scientific research has shown that a commitment to a resistance training program yields significant results to boosting the metabolism.¹ After any resistance training session, the metabolism operates at a significantly higher rate than cardiovascular training alone. While cardiovascular training should be a part of almost any exercise program, more emphasis needs to be placed on building lean muscle mass. In the battle of resistance training versus cardiovascular training, in terms of raising the metabolic rate, resistance training wins.

2. It's All About Intensity
It goes without saying that pushing it to the limit every time will yield better and faster results. Some ways to increase intensity in a resistance training workout are to increase reps, sets, tempo (rate at which reps are performed), and range of motion. Another way to increase intensity is to decrease rest time between sets.

3. Finish Your Workout with Interval Training
Interval training after a resistance training workout is a sure way to attack fat stores in the body. Since glucose stores are completely depleted after resistance training, fat is available to be burned. You can perform interval training on a treadmill, elliptical machine, exercise bike, or simply by running. It involves repetitions of high speed or high intensity work followed by periods of rest or low activity. An example would be performing 15- to 30-second sprints with 45 to 60 seconds rest. The key to interval training is achieving an elevated heart rate of 75-85% of your maximum heart rate.

4. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Water acts as a catalyst in many chemical reactions in the body. If hydration levels are optimal, the rate at which these processes are carried out (metabolism) will be more efficient -- meaning more calories will be burned! Divide your weight by 2.2. That's how many ounces of water you should drink per day.

5. Eat Often and in Small Portions
When the body is deprived of food, it goes into a state of starvation -- a survival mechanism that will ultimately slow the metabolism and conserve fat. Keep your metabolism boosted all day by eating a healthy protein and carbohydrate every two hours. Your "mini-meal" should be about the size and thickness of one hand. .

Reference

1. Schuenke MD, et al. Eur J Appl Physiol 2002 Mar;86(5):411-7.

[Ed. note: Carlo X. Alvarez is a noted authority in the customized fitness and sports performance field. He is recognized for his integrated and systematic approach to training, based on a foundation of safe and proven methodology that has direct and measurable benefits to performance.
 

Courtesy: Total Health Breakthroughs, Friday, March 07, 2008