Author: Mike Furci (Page 58 of 65)

Mike Furci graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelors of Science in Health Education. His curriculum laid the foundation for his future in fitness and sports specific training. He owned and operated Club Olympia Fitness Center in Westlake, Ohio for more than 10 years, and was voted “Best Personal Trainer” by Cleveland Magazine. In 2009 he decided to expand his knowledge of the human body and attained his license as a Registered Nurse in 2011.

Mike specializes in improving athletic performance through strength, conditioning and nutrition. He uses his education and knowledge to train clients according to their specific goals, i.e., increased fitness, strength, weight loss, health or sports performance. Mike started training 30 years ago, and was a competitive bodybuilder with several overall titles, including the 1999 Mr. Ohio. He continues to train with 100% intensity to this day, which has helped him excel as a firefighter for the city of Lorain Ohio. His experience has also allowed him to train and consult with many competitive powerlifters and bodybuilders.

Mike has appeared on many news stations as a fitness consultant. His qualifications allow him to offer expert information on all aspects of health, fitness and sports specific training.

“Gain 10lbs of Muscle in 10 Weeks.” What the F**k!!

March 13, 2007 / Mike Furci

It is 2007 right? I just can’t believe that I still see articles like the one in the March 2007 issue of Muscle & Body, “Gain 10lbs of Muscle in 10 Weeks.” Just the title alone should be enough to let people know how ridiculous the following information is.

The article starts off with a bang. “To add mass, you have to take in more calories than you need for body weight maintenance. It’s that simple.” The recommendation is to eat 1000 extra calories per day. That’s right it’s not a misprint, 1000 calories per day.

The author Steve Stiefel’s rational for prescribing such a drastic increase in calories is just as ridiculous. He writes, “In fact, if you’re training hard with weights, and you’re not adding as much muscle as you think you should, the most likely reason you’re not attaining your goal is that you’re undereating.” The author Steven Stiefel has his head up his ass.

The article goes on to give recommendations on the proper way to add 1000 calories:

Eat More Protein. This is the only recommendation I agree with. Most people who are looking to gain muscle don’t eat enough protein. Protein maintains and repairs everything in our bodies, if you don’t consume enough you be spinning your wheels.

Eat More Carbs – Increase carb consumption by 150 grams per day. The way in which people process carbohydrates varies greatly from person to person. This will do nothing but make the average person fat.

Eat More Fat. Do most people need to eat more fat? Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more. However it’s the type of fat that’s recommended that I emphatically disagree with. Avocados, canola oil, nuts and seeds. If you’ve read my article, “Fats, Cholesterol and the Lipid Hypothesis”, you know where I stand with polyunsaturated fats. Not only do they wreak havoc on our bodies, they promote fat deposition. If you’re looking to increase your fat consumption use virgin coconut oil and omega-3. Both are extremely healthy and both promote a lean body.

The rest of the article is not worth commenting on. Just more worthless info. There really isn’t anything else to say. The only thing, however, I can say for sure this prescription for gaining 10lbs will do, is get you bigger. And as long as you don’t mind 10 lbs of more fat, you’re set.

Diets, Magazine Hype

Eat fat and forget about your cholesterol.

March 9, 2007 / Mike Furci

The lipid hypothesis states there is a direct link between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and the incidence of heart disease. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Before the mid 1920’s cardiovascular disease was literally unheard of and eggs, butter and lard were conumed in abundance. In 1900 when heart attacks were nonexistent, egg consumption was three times what it was in the mid 1950’s when cardiovascular disease was already the nations #1 killer.

Scientific data just doesn’t support the supposed benefits of reducing saturated fat and choesterol. 20 studies have shown that people who have had heart attacks haven’t eaten any more saturated fat than other people, and the degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated to diet. On the contrary, saturated fats have been nourishing societies for millenia.

Below is a list of guidelines we can and should follow to be healthier and reduce our risk of the nations number one killer:

Read food labels.
Consume whole, unprocessed foods.
Don’t consume any product that contains trans fat.
Don’t be fooled by products that advertise “zero trans fat.” Always read the ingredient list and if “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “shortening” are listed, understand that it has trans fat. By law, companies can claim “zero” if there is .5 grams or less of trans fat per serving. There is no safe level of trans fat.
Don’t consume any product that contains vegetable oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or shortening listed as one of the ingredients.
Only use oils that are labeled “Cold Pressed,” “Expellar Pressed” or “Extra Virgin.”
Consume eggs laid by free range chickens. They are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, and vitamins A, D and E.
Use peanut oil, sesame oil or olive oil for cooking if you do not want to use animal fats. These oils can also be used for one-time frying.
Use coconut oil for cooking or frying. It’s very stable, and has strong antimicrobial properties.
Use butter, not margarine.
Don’t use trans fat-free spreads. They are still made with highly processed oils that are rancid.
Keep your consumption of polyunsaturated fats to a minimum. They are high in omega-6 fatty acids.
Consume meat.
Don’t eat like a vegetarian. We do not possess multiple stomachs, nor do we chew cud. Our stomachs produce hydrochloric acid, which is not found in herbivores. We are omnivores. There are essential nutrients in animal products that cannot be gotten in sufficient amounts by eating plants.
Don’t feed your children a low-fat diet. If they’re fat, it’s because they sit on their asses too much and eat too much junk. Not coincidentally, these are the same two reasons many adult Americans are overweight.
Supplement your diet with vitamins and other nutrients: A, D, E and C, CoQ10, fish oil (omega-3), selenium.
Don’t smoke.
Exercise at least three days per week.
Taken from, “Fats, Cholestarol and the Lipid Hypothesis“

Cholesterol, Diets, Food preparation, Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Supplements, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Omega-3 in orange juice?

March 5, 2007 / Mike Furci

Omega-3 fatty acids have become all the rage over the last 3 years with good reason. Some of Omega-3’s benefits include the following:

Prevents depression
Used to treat bipolar disorder
Improves immunity
Counteracts autoimmune diseases
Prevents and treats cancer
Protects our brains
Fights cardiovascular disease
Prevents and treats arrhythmia
Essential for healthy cell walls

There was a time when omega-3 fatty acids could be found in high concentrations in many different foods like beef and dairy. This is back when farmers supplied local consumers and their animals fed on their natural foods. The vast majority of animals in the U.S. that are raised for human consumption unfortunately are fed garbage like soy and corn, which yields products with sub par nutritional value.

So where do you turn for your omega-3’s? Without a doubt the best sources for omega-3’s are from fish oils. However food giants would like you to believe otherwise. According to USAToday.com omega-3 showed up in 120 new food products in 2005, and in 2006 it showed up in around 250. Omega-3 fatty acids are being added to everything from yogurt to orange juice. Why? Money. It’s a marketing dream for the food industry ever since the Food and Drug Administration and the American Heart Association gave omega-3 the thumbs up.

Looking at the track record of the food industry in this country do you really think they take your health into consideration? Hell no.

Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Supplements, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

McDonald’s changes their frying oil

February 25, 2007 / Mike Furci

Feeling the pressure from health advocates, McDonald’s has been trying to eliminate trans fat in frying oil for quite some time now.? In January they announced that over 1200 of its franchises will be using a trans fat free oil.???

The Chicago Tribune reports, by early 2008 all 13,700 McDonald’s franchises in the U.S. will be cooking all their frie’s, chicken nuggets and other items in a vegetable oil blend.? Cargill did the scientific testing and blending of oils to find one that did not jeopardize the iconic nature of the french fry.? They tested 18 types of oil in more than 50 different blends over 7 years.? The new, “healthier” oil is a blend of canola, soybean and corn oils.?

Ram Reddy vice president and general manager for Cargill’s Napier office said, “We’re not going to turn the french fry into a health food, but it is going to be healthier.”

Healthier, let’s not jump to conclusions.? So instead of using partially hydrogenated oils, they’re going to use polyunsaturated oils.? These oils should never, ever be used in cooking, let alone frying.?

We have been force fed a load of crap concerning the virtues of polyunsaturated fats.? We’ve been told relentlessly that polyunsaturated fats are good for our health and to increase our consumption.? Unfortunately, polyunsaturated fats cause many health problems.? One of the biggest reasons polyunsaturated fats are so unhealthy is because they are very susceptible to becoming oxidized or rancid when exposed to heat and light.? The polyunsaturated oils you buy in grocery stores are already rancid.?
Bullz-eye.com

Food preparation, Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Nutrition

More sun, less cancer.

February 8, 2007 / Mike Furci

We heard it for years, “sunlight causes cancer”.? Well, in an article by William Douglas, MD. In the Fall 2006 edition of Wise Traditions, you learn that this may not be necessarily true.? In fact, two studies in the Journal of National Cancer Institute show that increased sun exposure not only reduces the incidence of one cancer, it increases the survival rate of another.

What is it about sunlight that’s so beneficial? Vitamin D production.

Among whites in the U.S. there is a striking difference in the number of cases of many types of cancer-breast, prostate and colon, for example-between the northern latitudes and the southern latitudes.? The higher the latitude in which you live, the more likely you are to die of cancer.? In other words, New York bad, Birmingham good.? And what’s the major difference between New York and Birmingham?? New York gets a whole lot less sunshine.
What excessive sun exposure does do is cause injury to the inner layer of the skin, the dermis, which in turn, leads to wrinkling of the outer layer, the epidermis.? If you’re thinking that that happens with age (regardless of the sun), you’re right.? But sun exposure can speed up the process, causing the skin to age prematurely and to become loose and leathery.? This is called solar elastosis.
When researchers at the University of New Mexico investigated melanoma, they found a marked decrease in the disease in patients with solar elastosis.? (This information is from one of the two studies talked about in the article.)

I guess this starts to explain why melanomas are usually found on the body, “where the sun doesn’t shine”.????

Cancer, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Vitamin D