Supplementation Part I

Not often will you hear me go on a rant about which supplements to take. Heck, not often will you hear me mention anything about the nutritional products I endorse. Why, you ask? Mainly because the area of supplementation can get very tricky and very confusing at the same time. However I thought I'd spend a small amount of time covering some pure basics.

First and foremost, let me say that the majority of my readers are women therefore the majority of this content will apply to them (sorry fellas, but my Momma always said "ladies first"). At the very least a high quality multivitamin should be a front line supplement that both men and women should take faithfully. None of us will ever get all the nutrients we need from the food in the fridge no matter how good your diet is. I would also recommend that you stay away from vitamins in tablet form since these are the hardest for your body to breakdown and absorb. If you are not taking some form of multivitamin I suggest you start now.

Another supplement that is a staple to optimum health and fitness would be protein. Understand this, protein comes in various sources but the superior choice is whey protein. Protein will help you maximize muscle gains (no ladies, you will not look like a man if you consume too much protein) and speed muscle recovery. The problem with protein is that many are concerned with consuming a certain amount when in fact the focus should be on how much is consumed in the bloodstream.

Whey protein is the fastest digesting protein there is - this is also why most people choose whey protein as their post workout supplement. A person should consume .15 - .25 grams of protein per pound of body weight post workout. Whey protein can also be used before a workout as well to provide the energy needed to endure the intensity of the workout.

That's all for tonight, or should I say this morning....It's 1:42am and my eyes are heavy. I will resume this post tomorrow...

Are You 35 Yet?...

Don't take the question literally - this has no reference to your age! The 35 that I'm referring to is 3,500 calories. Are you there yet? Is your body burning 3,500 calories per week more than the food you put into it? If not, then there's your problem right there.

Simply put, it takes 3,500 calories burned to drop 1 pound. This can come in the form of reducing your food intake (and I'm not talking about a diet - I hate that word in the wrong context) and exercise. Or you can do a combination of both which is what I prefer. The bottom line is, you have to do whatever you can remain consistent with.

Here's a fact that we may need to staple to our forehead and forethought - most people expend 65-75 percent of their total daily calories with only their resting metabolism. This means they do nothing, just the normal day in and day out of work, feed the dog, take out the trash, drive to work, grocery shop, watch tv, and occasionally sit on the toilet. 20-25 percent is burned via exercise. This number is higher for active individuals and lower for sedentary people. The remaining 10 percent is what's called thermic (also know as the thermic affect of feeding). In layman's terms - it is the energy we used to consume, digest, and metabolize the foods we eat.

Activity is key. Take a person at 155lbs and another at 190lbs and they both complete the same activities for the same duration of time. The larger person will burn more calories because there's more mass to move thus requiring more effort. So let me breakdown a list of activities both individuals can do and how it relates to caloric output.

Each activity is for an HOUR of duration - remember, we are focused on being 35. The first number is the calories burned for the 155lb person and the second is for the 190lb person.

Desk work: 127 - 155
Watching tv: 70 - 86
Walking (moderate): 246 - 302
Running (moderate): 703 - 862
Weight lifting (moderate): 211 - 259

I merely listed the things most people engage in either on a daily, consistent basis or sparingly. Moderate activity was chose because I believe most people, if shown correctly, will at least partake in moderate exercise. Unfortunately, the problem with this is those same people hardly ever push themselves to do more. Many people are stuck at a light or moderate exertion when it comes to their workouts. This is a huge reason why there are no results.

Increasing the running to something more vigorous means you can cut the time but still have sufficient calories burned. For example, the same two people (150lb and 190lb) can work out at a vigorous rate and burn 422 and 517 calories respectively - double the output. And if you're pressed for time, you can do this in a shorter time frame and get in an hour's worth of caloric expenditure.

Back to my point. Seeing this information it is my hope that you gather something very important - your weight loss may not be happening because you haven't hit 35 yet. 8 hours at work for the 190 pound person is only 1240 calories burned. Factor in a little cardio and weight training and now we're at 2,102 (running) or 1,459 (weight training) total calories burned for the day, but the day is over now. Any additional calories will come from leisure activity.

This would be great if that person is burning 2,102 calories and is only consuming 1,500 calories. But more than likely, a 190lb person will need 2,300 calories to maintain. But if you cut that by 500 (hence 5 x 7 = 3,500) the intake is 1,800 to drop weight. While this seems like a win initially, the 300 calorie difference only equates to 2,100 calories for the week - resulting in .6lb being lost (nothing that you would notice).

Not to sound discouraging but the question that I ask is - Are you active enough to hit 35? Does your exercise/health regimen stop on Friday? Depending upon your answer will determine your fate when it comes to losing the weight....

Understanding the Affects of Salt aka Sodium....

I know I'm not the first person to tell you this and I know I won't be the last - loose the salt!

It is common to add a pinch here and there to help "season or flavor" foods when cooking. I have no problem with that because only 11% of our intake comes from that dash we add at the table or during food prep. However, it is the astonishing 77% that kills me. And where does this enormous amount come from? Come on, take a guess....processed foods!

Don't get me wrong, we do need some sodium to do bodily functions such as influencing the contraction of muscles, transmitting nerve impulses, and even balancing fluids in the body.

Take note that the kidneys are responsible for regulating the amount of sodium in the body. Too little sodium, your kidneys will conserve more sodium and if too much the excess sodium is released through urine. Therefore proper kidney functionality is essential. If the kidneys can't eliminate proper amounts of sodium, it will then begin to build up in your blood. In part, this contributes to congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and chronic kidney disease.

It has been widely accepted that your sodium intake should not exceed 2400 mg per day. The main sources of sodium in our diets come from processed foods, condiments, and natural sources of sodium.

Canned vegetables, soups, lunch meats, and frozen foods contain high amounts of sodium to preserve the food and improve the taste. In most cases one serving of soup will carry half the amount of a person's recommended daily intake. And remember, the label will often dictate that serving as half a cup - who actually eats and gets full off a half a cup of soup?

One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 mg of sodium and the same serving of soy sauce has roughly 1,000 mg of sodium in it. Adding either of these to your meal can significantly raise the sodium intake of your meal.

Naturally you will find sodium in foods like meat, poultry, dairy products, and even vegetables. However in most cases it is a much smaller amount such as a cup of low-fat milk. It carries about 106 mg of sodium.

Now to relate this to your fitness goals let me make this clear, high sodium does not affect your fat levels. However, it does and will affect water retention. When you are stepping on the scale and your body composition has changed but your water retention has either remained the same or increased, the scale can be your worst enemy.

You want to reduce the amount of sodium so that you are healthier and to eliminate excess water from the body. This reduction in water weight will make you not only lighter but will also give you a more toned look to your body. Who doesn't want that?

If you have ever had a conversation with me about reading labels, you will know that I make every attempt to educate people on the misconceptions of those labels. Ultimately, I believe people should understand thoroughly what happens to the foods and crap they ingest and how it affects the body.

So what's your sodium intake? Is it too high?

Does Your Workout Pass the PE Test?

If only all my clients told me "you work me out harder than everyone one else!" In the end, I guess it really doesn't matter because the ones that don't say it are definitely thinking it. And if you're a client reading this and you have never had the thought cross your mind, then this article is for you.

Everyone should know that they are much tougher than they give themselves credit for. Women traditionally don't "push it" because of the fear of pain or injury. This mindset must be eliminated and people must learn to find their individual threshold. Just as your workouts need variation and consistency, they must also have INTENSITY!

Intensity is needed just as much as variety and consistency to give you results. If any training program is going to work, then you must find that special place you need to get to - pushing out extra reps, getting low when doing squats and lunges for extra range of motion, and not being afraid to pick up the heavier weights as you get stronger. Intensity is all about pushing it to that discomfort threshold without stepping over the line of pain (you never want to jeopardize form and increase the possibility of an injury). Under-training or giving up simply because you "can't" do it or saying "it's too heavy" before attempting to pick the weight up will never allow you to know what it's like to get back to the old you (the 20lb lighter version of you that is).

Secondly, there is an understanding that under-training and over-training both accomplish nothing. Doing the same routine with the same amount of weight, and the same intensity yields the kind of results sure to frustrate you - no results! The opposite is when you physically cannot complete the workout, the next 3 days your joints hurt, and you can't feed yourself. The soreness you experience should be in your muscles and not your joints. Vomiting after a workout is also not allowed.

Lastly, you should be able to carry on a conversation during your workout. Getting dizzy and lightheaded is not a good sign (although this could be a sign of not eating as well). Typically if you are experiencing this, you are overexerting yourself and should stop. We all have a perceived exertion that dictates how hard we are working out based on a scale of 1-10. This number should almost always be at least a 5 and should never be higher than a 8 for beginners. As you progress, you want this number to change from 5 to 7.

Think about the work you have been putting in at the gym lately...is it too low, too high, or are you being pushed to your limit? Make note that this does not apply to resistance training only. You're cardiovascular training is affected by intensity as well.

And You Wonder Why....

Still struggling with the idea that the scale hasn't shown you the results you desire? Maybe one of these days you will take advice from someone who has extended education in this area. Or are you waiting for the weight loss media giants to state the real facts?

Look, we've been through this before and quite honestly it really is getting old. For the last time, not eating or not eating enough solves absolutely nothing. Who cares that you started working out this year and you have been consistent with it! And to think that if you eat less that will help, HA! Seriously?

Your body requires a set number of calories just to cover your basal metabolic rate (BMR) just to function. Let me stress that this does NOT include exercise nor daily activity - only living, breathing, and sitting on the couch. I've said it before and will break it down again, if you eat less then yes you will loose weight but trust me it's not the weight you really want gone.

Eating less does one or all three of the following: you loose water, you loose muscle, and you loose very little fat. Not eating causes several things to happen. Your body will begin to go into survival mode and survives by eating your muscle, thus storing fat because that's how it can survive the longest. Do you really think your body knows that your goal is to loose fat? Heck no, it wants you to survive so it seeks a way to preserve itself by using muscle for energy.

As your body continues to catabolize itself, muscle is eliminated and the body is then able to survive off of fewer calories. This is exactly why fad diets do not work for permanent fat loss. Starving your body puts you in a very unhealthy state and drives you to the quickest energy source it needs to survive - sugar and fat (and you wonder why you don't want to eat healthy foods). It is vital that you take yourself out of this phase by stop starving yourself and eliminate the sugar.

If you are loosing weight and the primary loss is muscle, the loss will be very short lived and unhealthy for you body. You need muscle to allow your body to burn more calories throughout the day. Throw your scale out the window and stop relying on it to determine you fat loss. Get your body fat checked and have it checked monthly. Lastly if you see the scale rise or remain the same and you have been eating properly with exercise, know that your body is adding the muscle it needs to burn out the unwanted fat.

Will you continue to rely on the scale or will you do something different now?

Where's the Fat?...

Recently a client asked me, "where does the fat go when you loose weight?" While I gave him the short answer I thought it would be a good topic to discuss with anyone who might be interested. Besides if I'm not writing about the things that interest you the most, then why am I writing in the first place.

It's all too common that many of us would agree that losing 5-10 pounds, possibly more for some, isn't a bad idea. So let's learn some basics so that all of this stuff makes sense. First, we are all born with a predetermined number of fat cells. With the exception of liposuction, this number will not decrease although it is very possible that it can increase.

Even though the fat cells do not increase, the size of the cells can and will increase. We all need body fat to coat and insulate our organs and to do other bodily functions like provide energy. The fat cells will store this energy as triglycerides (fancy term for fat). Therefore the cell will increase or decrease depending upon on filled it is.

When you energy needs are higher than your caloric intake, your body will turn to fat as an energy source. Your body will release hormones and enzymes that tell your fat cells to release fat from storage. Triglycerides are then broken down to free fatty acids (FFA's) and glycerol through a complex process. From here your muscles, liver, and kidneys are fueled from the FFA's via your bloodstream.

Heat is generated from all of this and is used to maintain your body temperature. Carbon dioxide and water are the waste products from this complex chemical process. By now I'm sure you guessed what happens next, you excrete the water through sweat and urine and the carbon dioxide through the air you exhale.

Make note that I am not saying you sweat, pee, or breathe out the fat. That is simply a byproduct of the chemical process your body goes through when the fat is released from fat cells and released into your bloodstream to be used by the muscles, kidney, and liver.

For some reason I want to go for a jog, what about you?

Don't Cheat Yourself....

We are thirteen days into the New Year and the same goes for the resolutions we have made. From what I hear many people started on January 4 therefore they're only ten days in. Either way, I must ask how your progress is going?

No matter when you started I'm certain at some point over the last ten to thirteen days the idea of a "cheat day" has crossed your mind (go ahead, admit it). For some people, every day has been a cheat day or at least had a cheat meal in it. You know who you are! It's natural for us to want to reward ourselves when we have accomplished something therefore having a "cheat meal" is one way of congratulating our minds (and taste buds) for all the hard work.

However, I'm a bit perplexed with this way of thinking. Before I sat down to write this I went back to check the definition of cheat. I found this meaning - to deceive and defraud; to impose upon; to trick; to swindle. This was my favorite from Merriam Webster - to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud.

Hmm...I'm not so sure I want to deprive my health or body of what I consider valuable. I don't know about you but I value my health. It is important for me to be healthy to play with my boys and to prevent illnesses caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. On top of that, I want to look great and feel great.

So that I don't get off subject here, let's go back to this "cheat meal." There is no such reward in depriving yourself of what you value (this would be the reason you're on your diet or decided to workout). I understand through knowledge and experience that your eating habits will not be changed overnight. It is a lot of effort to go days, weeks, and months of eating healthier. This is why you should start off with small steps.

Don't take an entire day to begin eating healthier. By doing this you place pressure upon yourself to compete with the previous day in a negative fashion. Generally what happens is you go one day of eating good then you challenge yourself for another day. Two days become three, then four (if we make it that far) and once we have reached our own personal milestone it's celebration time - hence "cheat day."

To avoid this failure that is masked with the thought of accomplishment, I would suggest you take each day to incorporate a healthier meal or snack. Do this each day with at least one of your meals. For some people it may be adding a healthy breakfast or a snack between lunch and dinner. From there set the bar a little higher and not only continue with the change you made but now swap an unhealthy meal for a clean one (clean means healthy).

Do this with dedication and consistency and you will soon find yourself not having to or wanting to cheat yourself. And if successful, you can then "treat yourself!"