The sugar industry has powered its way through Washington as one of the most imposing lobbies, ever since the 1980s.
You may have read recently that sugar is under attack, specifically the industry’s substantial federal subsidies.
At first that might seem like good news, but the primary leader of the attacks is none other than the Corn Refiners Association.
These days, everyone knows sugar’s bad stuff. This ‘new’ news is actually old news. As covered in a previous post, the original studies on the evils of sugar date back to the 1970s. That was before the sugar lobby gained its stronghold.
Once the sugar industry came into power, all nutritional hell broke loose. Fat became Dietary Enemy #1 — sadly, the fitness industry was all over that viewpoint — and US obesity became epidemic.
It took a couple of decades for the pendulum to swing back to sugar. Yes, it’s about time.
But the worst news about the attack on sugar industry subsidies might have to do with what’s coming as a result. Logic tells us that, if the sugar industry loses its subsidies, sugar prices will skyrocket. In a perfect world, that might reduce sugar consumption, not unlike the decrease in smoking that followed sky-high cigarette prices.
The real, and unfortunately more realistic, nutrition danger is that demand for sweet foods won’t decrease.
What Might Happen Then?
One possibility is nothing will change. Hardcore sugar fans will simply pay the higher prices and keep eating their favorite desserts.
The other is that a cheaper alternative will be offered and devoured — exactly what the corn refiners must be plotting.
What will happen if high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) replaces sugar?
Much bad stuff has been written about HFCS — and it sparked controversy. Of course, the pro-HFCS side came from the Corn Refiners Association, so we can obviously ignore that as a highly vested interest.
Let’s simply skip over the looming shift in power in Washington and stick with food — as if sugar in any of its forms could be considered food.
What Does The Science Show Us?
Studies comparing fructose to glucose have measured the response of the hypothalamus to the two sugars. The hypothalamus helps regulate signals of hunger and satiety, as well as reward and motivation.
In comparison tests, subjects consumed either a fructose-sweetened beverage or one sweetened by glucose. Within 15 minutes, test results showed substantial differences in the activity of the hypothalamus. Glucose reduced activity in the feeding center of the hypothalamus, but fructose prompted a small increase.
The glucose drink also increased the participants’ feelings of fullness, which suggests they’d be less likely to keep eating after having something sweetened with glucose. That might relate to its effect on insulin. Insulin plays a role in fullness and reducing food reward.
Fructose is metabolized differently by the body and triggers less insulin secretion than glucose does.
Unlike glucose, fructose also fails to reduce circulating ghrelin, a monster hormone that increases appetite and food intake, while decreasing metabolism.
Sugar contains equal parts fructose and glucose. HFCS contains more fructose. All (all) research shows that fructose is the health troublemaker, not glucose.
Implications For Future Fructose Use
Obesity is epidemic and associated metabolic disorders (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and more) are on the rise now, and largely because of sugar.
Imagine how bad things will get if sugar is replaced by HFCS.
James Davis, of the Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, said his group opposes special breaks for sugar and corn growers alike.
Davis said, “We’re not real interested in climbing in bed with the corn lobby to accuse the sugar industry of being prostitutes. We oppose all forms of corporate welfare.”
That’s a politician’s statement for sure, and this post will abstain from the politics of this issue.
And I’m certainly NOT pushing sugar over HFCS.
But wouldn’t it have been astounding if Davis’s second sentence had been, “We oppose all forms of sugar”??
I've definitely been on a Shazam kick lately so I'm going to share one of my recent favorites with you. Last weekend my husband and I watched the movie Spy. (Highly recommend if you're a Melissa McCarthy fan.) I quickly Shazamed this one as I watched because I knew I loved the familiar voice but I had not heard the song before and I loved it! Gin Wigmore hasn't been on my radar until fairly recently, so I'd somehow missed this one from 2011. I haven't used it yet, but it will be on a playlist soon as a climb. I hope you can use it in an upcoming playlist!
Last week I shared an hour long set that was mixed by DJ Joe. Today I'm sharing what I think is the best 16 minutes of that long mix. I've been using it for the last few days and everyone is loving it. I'm not usually a “Beat Junkie” but I find myself riding and instructing to 64 RPMs whenever I use this mix.
I hope you enjoy it.
[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Right Click on the blue underlined link
Select “Download Linked File As”
Select a download location
Once file is completely downloaded, find it in the location you selected
Drag the file into your iTunes or Spotify library OR
Right Click on the file and Select “Open With”
From the drop down menu select “iTunes” or “Spotify”
File should begin playing and is now part of your iTunes or Spotify library
To download the above media on a PC:
Right Click on the blue underlined link
Select “Save Link As”
Select a download location
Once file is completely downloaded, find it in the location you selected
Drag the file into your iTunes or Spotify library OR
Right Click on the file and Select “Open With”
From the drop down menu select “iTunes” or “Spotify”
File should begin playing and is now part of your iTunes or Spotify library Click here to watch a video on how to download media files from ICI/Pro.
The client’s food log was extreme. She kept track of every bite she ate and calculated the calories in each item. In the food log, she described every workout she did and the calories she had burned. She was working out several times a day.
But the most extreme thing about her food log was that it included almost nothing but sugar: pastries, chocolate, malted milk Whoppers, fat-free muffins.
Her health issues were also somewhat extreme, at least in severity. The problems were varied. She had irregular menstrual cycles, endometriosis, breast engorgement and tenderness, chronic fatigue, and quite a bit more. Perhaps unsurprisingly, none had been diagnosed as linked with her diet.
She didn’t feel ready to quit sugar, but was willing, in her words, “to cut back.”
While I saw a drawback or two with that approach, I was convinced that her long list of health issues had a great deal to do with the sheet volume of sugar she was consuming. All day, every day. I was ready for any improvement I could encourage her to take.
Basics of Sugar Reduction
Cutting back on sugar is pretty basic; everyone knows these basics:
Skip desserts.
Avoid sodas.
Don’t snack on cookies or other sugary foods.
Don’t add sugar to coffee or tea.
Many more.
But environment matters. Especially at home, where what you have — or don’t have — in your kitchen can make a huge difference. Figuring out which foods to stop buying — and which ones would be okay to swap for them — is important. The bad news: It requires an ordeal called Reading Labels.
It’s important to know what to look for on those labels. Sugar can hide behind many names. Here are the names I’m currently aware of — but please keep in mind that the list keeps growing as new sugars are created. Some are technically not sugar, but have virtually identical effects on insulin and brain chemistry. A few are simply different names for the same thing. For example, Cane Sugar and Sugar Cane are, obviously, the same.
Overt and Covert Sugars
Agave
Alcohol
Barley Malt
Beet Sugar
Brown Sugar
Cane Juice
Cane Sugar
Corn Sweetener
Corn Syrup
Date Sugar
Dextrose
Erythritol
Fruit Juice Concentrate
Fructose
Glucose
Glycerin
Glycerol
Granulated Sugar
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Honey
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates (HSH, Maltitol Syrup, Lycasin)
Isomalt
Job’s Tears
Lactitol
Lactose
Lycasin
Malted Barley
Malt Extract
Maltitol
Maltodextrin
Mannitol
Maple Sugar
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Polydextrose
Powdered Sugar
Raisin Juice
Raisin Syrup
Raw Sugar
Rice Syrup
Sorbitol
Succanat
Sucralose
Sucrose
Sugar
Sugar Cane
Turbinado Sugar
Unrefined Sugar
Xylitol
Why Use the List?
What’s true is the first time or two that you shop using this list — and it’s a good idea to take it with you to the grocery store at first — you might need to spend a little extra time reading all the labels.
The good news: After a couple of trips to the store, you’ll know what you can buy and what to skip. At that point, shopping will be just as easy as it is now.
As for my sugar warrior client, she’s been working on reducing sugars for a while now. Yes, during her cutting back process, some of my fears were justified. Eating little bits of sugar made her crave more sugar. That made it tough, even impossible, for her to eliminate cravings. She still thinks of desserts as a viable option when she’s stressed, and has to tell herself “no” each time. The individual “no” doesn’t always work.
But her health has been improving. Her energy has increased a lot. And that has provided enough encouragement and motivation to get her committed to quitting sugar altogether.
Nutrition geek that I am, that’s what I live for; it is, after all, all about the client.
Have you ever been in a rut and not known why ? Maybe in your workout ? Possibly in your teaching style, music, or even time slot ? How about in a relationship, or a career? I'm fortunate (as I am sure most of you are) in that I get to be a cycling instructor because I love it and not because it pays the bills.The reality for most of us who do this is that after music, clothes, gas to the gym and whatever else we spend it's unlikely we walk away with a profit that can be measured in that green paper so many of us obsess over. But I can say now, with my hand to god, that without my position as a spin instructor I would be lost. A very big part of it has to do with the amazing people I work with. People who saw me through a career change, watched me realize my dream of becoming a dad TWICE, and most of all propping me up during my divorce when I just needed an office to duck into so that I could cry. My gym has become my family. The members who come to my class are like friends and the two classes a week that I teach are like fuel for my soul. Saying I love the opportunity doesn't even begin to express how I really feel. And I hope you all feel the same about this thing we do and the place(s) we do it.
I'm at a unique place in my life right now though. At 45 I have come to realize that nothing in this life is as simple as I thought it would be when I was young. The “golden rules” our grand parents taught us seem to be nothing more than a fantasy to some people. I used to think that if you worked hard, you could have more than enough………..but that's not the case is it? As a self employed small business owner, and a single dad, I can say without exaggeration that I put in 100 plus hours a week and hardly ever feel like I am getting ahead. I don't know how someone who makes minimum wage can even afford to eat!! Sometimes I feel like the only place left where “the harder you work, the better results you get” is in the gym and for ME in my class! But what makes this a “unique” time for me is that while I am going thru these paradigm shifts in my life, I am watching my two young children seeing the world with fresh eyes. For them everything is so simple. My daughter will say the sweetest things and ask the sweetest questions about life and without fail she always seems to do it right when I am feeling this dis-appointment in how unfair or unbalanced something seems. So I've found myself saying in my head “Oh I wish I could think like that again.” And then it hits me that I can!! I control my thoughts, feelings, and actions. I have the power to believe anything I want. I have the ability to learn a new way of thinking and to give up old habits that don't serve my purpose.
One thing you are bound to hear me say if you ever come to my class is that “I am more relaxed and more focused on the moment when I am in that spin room than any other time.” And that includes getting a massage !! No joke !! If I get a 90 minute massage, the first 85 minutes I am thinking about all the things I have to do when it's done and then the last 5 minutes I am thinking “I wonder how much time is left.” But when I am teaching a class, I am THERE !! Never wondering who is texting. Never curious what's on TV. Never concerned with what I have to do afterwards. I am just there in that moment, feeling my body alive with energy and passion coursing through my veins. I've said all along in these posts that I consider myself a “story teller” but I also consider myself a “thinker” lol Maybe even an amateur philosopher. I want to know and more importantly UNDERSTAND everything around me. Why things are the way they are and why people do what they do. This trait nearly killed me during the year I went through my divorce. But it's not always a bad thing to have this trait. So when I “think” about why it is that I am most present when teaching a class, I sometimes wonder if it's because I am doing the only “childhood” thing left in my life ! Think about it for a second. Working isn't childlike. Paying bills isn't childlike. Cleaning the house, doing laundry, searching profiles on Match.com, NONE of that is child like. But riding a bike…….that is. I remember vividly the first time I rode my bike without training wheels. I remember being at the end of the driveway, on my white Huffy, with my snow mobile helmet on and my right thumb stretched out like Fonzy right before he did that famous motorcycle jump on TV (and YES I was wearing my Fonzy “AAAAAAAAA” t shirt). So maybe that's what it is, and my soul is connecting on the bike because it remembers the joy of being able to, for the first time, leave my moms side on my own and make my own way to a friends house. FREEDOM right !?!?
I'm rambling, but the point is this. As I learn how to be single at 45, to raise two AMAZING toddlers alone, and regrow my now THRIVING business, I need to focus more on seeing the world through my child's eye. No, that's not a type “o”, I didn't mean my two children's EYES, I meant to say MY child's eye. The little boy who's still very much alive in me. That little man was (is) a dreamer and can teach this old man a lot ! It's time to get back to basics, even if it goes against the grain of how the millennials (just learned that word the other day lol) are taking the planet haha And in my usual way, I wrote a fictional story to share with this message just in case this intro had not done it already.
Thank you again for allowing me to share my thoughts and my journey. The person who asked me to write for this site knew me as a “motivational Spinning Instructor” who told stories to motivate my class, but I am not sure he realized that at this cross roads in my life it's been a struggle to not pull in all the stuff I working through which doesn't always come out like rainbows and butterflies lol But hopefully it's connecting with some of you on some level and deep down the message is truly meant to motivate and inspire. This story is about giving in to the child inside you every once in a while. Go grab a coloring book and new box of crayons and sit down with no tv for one hour coloring and tell me you didn't feel a nudge from your child's eye. And leave that F'n cell phone in your car while you do it !!!!!!!! lol
Have an amazing week.
Follow Me
Last night I had a dream; a dream that moved me. I dreamt that I was walking down a straight road in the middle of the desert. The road was paved, but everything around me felt dry, baron and without color. I kept walking straight down the middle of the road though as if I was waiting for something to happen; as if this road was going to take me somewhere.
I remember being a combination of lonely yet purposeful. It was as if I had convinced myself that all of this, the road and everything around me, was for a greater good. It was as if I was certain that this was the journey I was meant to take and that the certainty I felt was enough to keep me moving forward; that eventually I would find my way to something extraordinary, and so I kept walking.
Every so often, I would see a little boy standing on the side of the road, beckoning me to follow him. But afraid to stray from my path of “certainty,” I could not get myself to stop walking long enough to approach the little boy on the side of the perfectly paved road. So to the little boy’s dismay I just shook my head as if to say “not now” and walked past him, only to see him later on further down the road.
Finally, about the fifth time I passed him, he realized I was not going to come to him and so he walked up unto the road and met me. He turned forward and walked there beside me, in perfect stride, and we talked. He told me about all of the amazing things that he had seen, and how he wanted to take me to those places. But it would involve me leaving my perfectly paved road. “Leave my road?” I thought to myself. “No Way!!” The little boy realized that I would have no part in it so he changed the subject back towards the amazing things he had seen in his own journey. I found myself feeling like his protector; as if he needed me to look after him while he walked “my path.” And sensed that the little boy felt no fear or anxiety and believed that it was his trust in me and the certainty that I possessed in my Journey that made him feel at ease.. The truth however was that this little boy did not need me or my certainty to feel safe and protected because HE had found equal comfort in “UN-certainty” and this detour he was on with me was in fact strengthening his beliefs that every journey has a purpose even if the scenery isn’t all that great.
I shared with him that I also had a purpose and that this perfectly paved road led to something great. I even told him that it was in his best interest to stay with me and follow the road if he really wanted to discover happiness, success, and greatness. After all, this was the road that “everyone” took and had been paved for this very purpose. It’s the path everyone told me to take and “they” would never lie or steer me wrong. I was so certain of it that eventually, the little boy stopped trying to convince me to stray from the path and go his way. I assumed it was because he believed I was right, but the reality had more to do with the wisdom of this little boy knowing that I would need to find out for myself that “certainty” does not always bring you where you want to go.
After some time, he began to look frustrated and doubtful and so I told him that I had many more years of experience in life and that I knew what was best. Reluctantly, the young boy followed and the longer he did, the sadder he got. He was used to bright colors and vibrant sounds; but this road had neither. I kept telling him to hold on and have faith, it would get better; but it never did. Even with no sign of hope, he stayed committed to my words and seemed to want to believe that I would in fact prove to him what I had been saying was in fact true.
After a couple of hours both of us were exhausted. We had not realized it but we had lowered our heads as we walked and were only seeing the road right in front of us. We stopped for a break and raised our heads to look up ahead and were struck with panic.. The road stretched about 20 more feet and then ended abruptly!! We no longer had the benefit of its direction nor did the end of the road have any grand rewards for our laborious walk. There was no prize for holding onto the certainty as we did for all of the hundreds of miles we walked.
I could not bare to look at him because I knew I had failed us both. He had put faith and trust in me and I had led him to a dead end. I knew that if I looked at him, I would be ashamed of what I had done. but I had no choice, I had to comfort this little boy who had followed me all of this way. I had to console him and convince him that things would be okay.
I turned down to look at him, expecting to see tears, but I saw the opposite. The little boy stood there smiling and rubbing his hands together. What I had seen as a dead end, he saw as an opportunity. Without saying a word, he grabbed my hand and pulled me off the road and into the desert. I fought as hard as I could to not turn around and go back to the safety of the road. I tried hard not to think about the past and where I may have gone wrong or missed a turn. Instead, I trusted in the young boy to lead me, the way he had trusted in me.
Within minutes we were surrounded by trees, plants, flowers, and exotic animals. The sights were amazing, but equally incredible were the sounds that we heard. This was like a fantasy playground for grownups and kids alike. Suddenly an amazing new feeling came over me. I tried to define this new feeling as we walked through the fruit filled trees and mossy green grass but my attention kept getting pulled away
After a short time it hit me and I knew what this feeling was; it was the feeling of “UN-certainty!” Like putting knew batteries into a flashlight I found myself with a glow I had not seen in many years and I was CERTAINY that the UN-certainty was exactly what I needed in this moment. I was lost and found at the same time and it felt perfect
What may have been hours, seemed like minutes. I felt recharged and full of life. I didn’t know where I was heading, but for the moment I was happy. In this moment I was a kid again; and then something amazing happened. The little boy stopped and pointed up ahead. There before my eyes I saw a newly paved road just a straight as the first one I walked for so many miles, but with an obvious difference. This road had trees along the roadside, birds in the trees, and the sound of a gentle wind.
The little boy and I stepped back onto the road and continued to walk with new purpose and vigor. We didn’t say anything, but we both knew what the other was thinking. Our journey continued just as it began; with purpose.
The moral of this story is simple; when you’re walking thru life, do not to stay on the wrong path just because it’s what you’re used to and comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to trust the child that is in all of us; the one who wants you to take chances, play from time to time, and walk new trails. Believe that life is here to serve you and that certainty and UN-certainty work equally in your favor. Keep that balance and life promises to get you where you need to be. Be a grown up and take charge when you have to, but don’t be afraid to play every so often. Be open to these principals and you’ll find a better path, and will stay young forever!!
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I've described my Love/Hate relationship with Apple in the past. Here's another example of the “Hate” component.
ICI/PRO Members who have updated to the iOS 9 – the latest operating software for idevices (iPhones and iPads) – might notice a new “issue” when attempting to listen some (but not all) of our Audio PROfiles.
Podcast Not Available notifications while using the Podcast app. There appears to be a change that is preventing the app from recognising that we are providing multiple MP3s, so the app is confused and won't serve anything.
We are currently working on a solution and we will let everyone know when we've solved this.
There's also an issue for new subscribers we're trying to fix!
Pre iOS 9, we had a simple method for subscribing to your personal RSS feed. Clicking your RSS link at indoorcycleinstructor.com used to automaticly open the Podcast app on your iDevice and ask if you wanted to subscribe to the members only Podcast.
The iOS 9 update includes a new “News” app that is feed articles via RSS news feeds = it opens, instead of the Podcast app, when you click the RSS link 🙁
