Sweat Training

The Angry Nutritionist Manifesto

2009-07-13T08:02:00.001-05:00

I'm a nutritionist and I'm angry. Why am I angry? In the field of nutritional science there is so much misinformation distributed to the public. People are told things as if they are fact, yet there are so few "facts" when it comes to the science of nutrition. Science typically disproves theories more than it proves theories, yet we assume that these theories and hypotheses are facts. I want this blog to be a place to gain unbiased knowledge about food and nutrition as a whole. I am in a constant pursuit of knowledge in this field, and I want to provide people with knowledge that they can use to form their own opinions. I love this field but their is so much nonsense spouted in the media or by so-called "experts" that it makes me ANGRY...thus the ANGRY NUTRITIONIST was born.
I do not want to use this blog to pontificate about some product or system that I endorse...everything is fair game. I will review nutritional supplements,foods, and comment on the latest news and findings around nutrition and food.

Muscle, Fat, & Visual Appearances

2009-06-25T15:16:00.007-05:00

The image above is 1 pound of Muscle compared to 1 pound of Fat. 1 pound of each obviously weigh the same, but there are two visual differences in relation to our bodies. First of all Muscle is more dense than Fat. So when you compare 1 pound of each the Muscle will take up less space (see image above). How this relates to the way your body looks is very important. If you lose 5 pounds of fat and put on 5 pounds of muscle you will weigh the same, but you will have lost inches. Therefore you will be smaller & you will fit into smaller clothes sizes. The image below compares 5 pounds of each. The second difference is the look of the two tissues is very different. Fat is lumpy & bumpy while muscle is smooth and dense. So, with more muscle you will have a fit & in shape appearance. You also won't be as I call it "doughy" to touch. For those of you who love your Cardio, don't forget about your Resistance Training.

Exercise Myth: Spot Reduction

2009-06-02T15:34:00.004-05:00

Spot Reduction is the Exercise Myth that claims you can lose fat in a specific area by working the muscles in that area. So if you have Leg Fat that you want to get rid of doing leg exercises doesn't remove that Fat from your legs. How you lose Fat in the specific areas of your body is genetically predetermined. Everyone is genetically different with which areas of their body that they gain and lose Fat. Doing leg exercises will help give your leg muscles more shape, but that shape will be revealed after a consistent lifestyle of exercise and clean eating burns through the Fat Layer that covers the Leg Muscles. So, if you have an area that doesn't have much shape you can incorporate a lot of exercises with that body part to re-shape the muscles in that area, but to get rid of the fat......... burning lots of calories in your workout, building muscle, and eating clean is how your are going to get rid of the Fat in your Problem Area.

Everyone genetically different, but in general this is what I see with how people carry their Fat and how they will lose it.

All Over: You lose Fat evenly all over

Pear Shaped: First lose in your arms, chest, & upper back. Second lose in your abs & low back. Third you lose in your butt & thighs

All Over and Belly: You lose evenly all over including your abs, since you carry the most in abs the last phase mainly comes off the abs.

Reason or Excuse for Not Working Out

2009-05-13T14:44:00.004-05:00

So one of my clients and I had a great conversation the other day about the difference between Excuses and Reasons. No one has a special circumstance, EVERYONE has Reasons (Roadblocks) why working out is hard to do consistently.

REASONS: Work, Time, Family, Social Obligations, Bored, Money, Don't Know What to Do, Motivation, etc.

REASON: With my work schedule it's hard to workout.

I completely agree that all these reasons make it hard to workout, and are definitely roadblocks. The problem is when people use these REASONS as EXCUSES to not workout. A person who wants to workout and be fit will find a way to work around or through their reasons/roadblocks to get to their goal. On the other hand you can be a person who just keeps running into the same roadblocks/reasons and using them as Excuses.

EXCUSE: If I wasn't so busy with work I would workout. Once my schedule slows down then I'll workout. (When work slows down then it's ......on to the next Excuse.)

By definition working it out means a plan intended to resolve a problem. So, here is a solution.

Solution:
1. Write down your Reasons, and own up to which Reasons you use as your Excuses.
2. Take Action! Don't let your Reasons be Excuses, be creative and find a way to work through or around your Reasons/Roadblocks to start working out.

I am Disappointed that I am (Insert Age) and Out of Shape.

2009-05-05T17:41:00.011-05:00

I am disappointed that I am (insert age) and out of shape. I am so optimistic that I can have healthy habits. The most important thing is the EMOTION behind these statements. When we are emotionally attached to our fitness goals we are MOTIVATED.

What I have found is that there needs to be 3 elements to get people to their fitness goals 1. Emotional Attachment to the Goal, Motivation 2. The Right Tools and Resources 3. Working through the Roadblocks.

1. Emotional Attachment to the Goal:

When clients come in to see me for the first time I always want to know what their motivation is. I hear lots of reasons: midlife crisis, my fat clothes are tight, don't want to feel fat and out of shape at my age, need accountability, & so on. Whether it be fear, anger, excitement, optimism, or disappointment.... when people are emotionally attached to their goal they are motivated to do the work to get to the goal.

2. The Right Tools and Resources:

If you are motivated and working hard, but what you have been trying all these years doesn't work......you have the WRONG tools and resources. If you want to progress you need to go out and find the RIGHT tools and resources to get you where you want to go. People come to see me for this very reason, so that all their hard work will get them directly to their goal.

3. Working Through the Roadblocks:

Reverting to old habits, losing sight of the goal, standing in your own way, or losing motivation. Everyone is going to experience roadblocks. A defining difference is whether or not people work through the roadblocks or they give up at the first sign of difficulty. My job is to help clients to recognize roadblocks, support them while they struggle, and help them to push through the roadblock.

When you combine all 3 of these things you are on the path to attaining your goal.

Fat Loss Wars: Cardio vs. Weight Training

2009-04-28T09:16:00.003-05:00

When I tell people what I do for a living, they normally ask me what type of workouts I do. I tell them that mainly I weight train, I workout like I train my clients. I do High Intensity Interval Training with weights, calisthenics, & plyometrics. The cardio that I do is sprint training, and I avoid straight cardio at all costs. People's normal response to that is that I am crazy. They tell me, "I could never do that. I have to do a ton of cardio to stay in shape." Two things go through my head I know scientifically why they have to all that cardio (b/c they aren't weight training), and I want to save them from hours on the treadmill. I avoid straight cardio for a lot of reasons but my top two reasons 1. I find the repetitive action boring to no end 2. It isn't the BEST for fat loss.

So, I came across an article Fat Loss Wars: Cardio vs. Weight Training, and I thought it had some good points on the topic. It compared Straight Cardio and Straight Weight Training in several different areas, scoring a point for each area it wins. In the end Weight Training won with a score of 4 to 2. My Personal Training Philosophy.......get all the benefits of both so I combine Cardio with Weight Training in High Intensity Interval Training & Sprint Training. (Article: www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_training_wars.htm)

1. Weight Training and the Metabolic Increases for the Period after: 1 point Weight Training

After weight training your metabolism is boosted for hours after, increasing your post-workout calorie burn. In the general area of 360 calories. These calories can really add up over a month. You might burn 40-80 calories after a moderately paced cardio session, but that is dependant upon the length of time and the intensity.

If you do cardio for a long duration that can produce a high calorie post-workout burn, but those are the marathon type runners who typically don't have to worry about fat loss. Now, Sprinting is another case. Sprinting can produce post workout effects similar to weight lifting (that's that high intensity working for you).

2. Weight Training and Long Term Metabolic Increases: 1 point Weight Training

Your Basil Metabolic Rate, how many calories you would burn if you did nothing all day, is calculated to include how much lean muscle mass you have. Basically you are burning more calories all the time. Since muscle mass is fairly long term (as long as there is stimulus and you are eating enough protein) this proves to be a long term strategy for losing body fat.

3. Weight Training and Total Body Reshaping: 1 point Weight Training

Cardio training will help you lose weight, but it is typically a combination of muscle and fat, so you end up becoming a smaller version of your current self. With weight training and a clean diet you tend to lose pure fat, and therefore emphasize the natural curves of your body. One of the best compliments that my clients hear is that their body looks so different.

4. Weight Training and Hormonal Environment: 1 point Weight Training

Cardio Training promotes high levels of cortisol release which promotes loss of muscle mass & fat accumulation in the abdominal region. Weight training puts the body in an anabolic state to promote muscle gain or maintenance, which will increase your metabolic rate and promote fat loss.

5. Calorie burn during your workout: 1 point Cardio

You can burn 500-800 calories during the actual cardio workout (depending on intensity and duration), and this will help with weight loss. Remember though the weight loss will be a combination of muscle and fat. Time and boredom will become a factor because you will have to keep up with these workouts to burn the calories each time since you don't get the similar after workout burn nor do you get the metabolic increases with weight training.

6. Cardio and Cardiovascular Health benefits: 1 point Cardio

They both contribute to your cardiovascular health, but Cardio obviously will have more of an impact on your cardiovascular health.

My Personal Training Philosophy ......combine them in an efficient way to get ALL THE BENEFITS:

1. High post workout calorie burn
2. Increased long term Metabolic Increase
3. Reshape your body to show your natural curves
4. Put your body in an anabolic state to build muscle and lose fat
5. High Calorie burn during your workout
6. Cardiovascular Health

The Governator Associates Pleasure with Working Out!

2009-04-21T14:37:00.006-05:00

Do you associate Pleasure or Pain with working out? Whether you associate pleasure or pain with working out will drive your MOTIVATION to actually make it apart of your lifestyle. In life I think the general rule of thumb is that most people want to avoid pain in life and gain pleasure. The things in life that we associate pleasure with we are MOTIVATED to put our thoughts, energy, and time into. The things in life that we associate pain with we are NOT MOTIVATED to do.

Take for example The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a man who has been very successful in working out and eating healthy. You have to wonder where his motivation came from to become 7 time Mr. Olympia & have a Movie Career based off of his physique. In this Classic Clip from Pumping Iron Arnold describes how he associates pleasure with working out. Yes, the clip is funny/extreme, but it gets the point across and hopefully makes you think about how you view your workouts. You can see in his face that when he talks about his workouts and how describes his workouts.....HE DEFINITELY ASSOCIATES PLEASURE WITH WORKING OUT!

If you Associate Pain with Working Out: I don't like it, it's no fun, it's just more stress, it makes me tired, it's hard, it hurts, I don't like sweating, it's just another thing to do, I don't get results.

Ex-Athlete Associating Pain with Working Out: This is boring, I am not able to challenge myself enough, I miss my team environment, I need a coach.

Associating Pleasure with Working Out: it's fun, it's time for myself, stress relief, taking care of myself, staying healthy, the pain my body feels in my workouts makes me feel challenged and alive.

A lot of the people that associate pain with working out and eating right are the FAD DIETERS/INCONSISTENT GYM GOERS. They want the PLEASURE of being thin without the PAIN of consistently eating healthy and working out.......instant gratification.

Find internal motivation to workout.....start associating PLEASURE with working out and PAIN with NOT WORKING OUT.

Coffee is Breakfast, Right?

2009-04-08T11:04:00.012-05:00

"Danielle when I don't eat breakfast, I'm not as hungry. I eat less during the day, and I can wait a long time before I eat my first meal. " I hear this all the time. Not eating breakfast is not a good tool to control your eating habits. Actually eating every 2-4 hours, and making the right choices is the harder thing to do, but it is the better method. I definitely recommend breakfast food to go along with your "breakfast" coffee.

1. Hunger is a good thing. You aren't hungry because your metabolism is slowing down. Everyday you have to fire up your metabolism. Eating breakfast and getting hungry a little while after is evidence that you started your metabolism for the day.

2. When you don't eat breakfast your body has to have energy to run itself. Your body goes into survival mode and holds onto your fat, and starts burning up your muscle for energy. (Less muscle = slower metabolism = fatter).

3. People who don't eat breakfast tend to eat less meals (slowing your metabolism), and in the evening tend to eat more calorie dense meals and more carbs. You body can't handle a ton of calories at once (getting fatter), and a lot of carbs at once spikes your insulin levels (getting fatter).

4. People who lose weight and successfully keep it off.......drumroll.....consistently eat breakfast.

Make your Body a Fat Burning Machine

2009-03-31T09:39:00.011-05:00

If your body was a car the muscles would be the engine, so to burn fat you want to build the biggest engine possible and race that engine as hard as it can go. I love training myself like this, and I train a lot of my clients like this (photo of Jamie and Betsy above). In this blog I explore "The Fat Burning Zone" and the science of how High Intensity Interval Training turns your body into a fat burning machine.

DURING your workouts your MUSCLES (importance of resistance training) look for fuel from mainly Carbs and Fats in the bloodstream or within the muscle itself. Protein is mainly used for fuel during the depleted state, post workout.

Energy from Bloodstream: Carbs are in the form of Glucose, Fat is released from stores into bloodstream (liposys).

Energy from within the Muscle: Carbs are in the form of Glycogen, Fat in the Muscle is called Triglyceride.

During your workout your MUSCLES use a combo of Fats and Carbs for energy based on the DURATION and INTENSITY of your workout. The "Fat Burning Zone," is based on the science that fats require more oxygen to be used as fuel. Fat Burning Zone theory is low intensity, more oxygen, fat burning...going along with this theory still high intensity, less oxygen, more Carbs used for fuel. The low intensity part is true but the high intensity part is a little deceiving. As intensity increases, more fat is burned just in a lower percentage to the contribution of Carbs being used as fuel. I believe in the science of what the fat burning zone is (fat burning occurs when oxygen is available), but I don't believe that a low intensity workout in the fat burning zone is efficient for optimal fat loss. This is explained in 2 parts:

Part 1:
Low Intensity: Fat in blood stream is primary source of Fuel
Moderate Intensity: Triglyceride (Fat) in the Muscle is primary Fuel source
High Intensity: Glycogen (Carbs) in Muscle is primary Fuel source (more fat is burned at this intensity than at low but Carbs are primary source)

Part 2:
What happens after your workout. After you finish a session of High Intensity Interval Training your body has used up a large amount of stored energy from inside the muscle. Your muscle needs to refill these empty stores so it takes Glucose (Carbs) from the bloodstream and converts it to Glycogen (carbs) in the muscle. While your body is doing this it needs energy to run itself so it takes stored fat in the body and uses that for energy. After your workout you will notice that you are breathing a little harder (EPOC, Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption), this oxygen rich environment it is optimal for your body to be burning up fat for energy (the science of the fat burning zone that I believe in).

This post workout process of refilling your muscle stores and using fat for energy can take up to 48 hours depending on how much you depleted the stores. This post exercise fat burn would not occur at low intensities because the intramuscular stores would not have been depleted. The duration and intensity of the post exercise process are directly related to the intensity and duration of your workout.

The more and more you do high intensity interval training the more and more your body becomes a fat burning machine. This goes along with my philosophy that when you focus on the work/consistency that's when the results come. Your bodies ability to convert glucose to glycogen (rather than as stored fat) increases, and the amount of stored glycogen in the muscle increases. This allows for more of a depletion during training which increases the amount of fat burn post workout. This means your body becomes more and more efficient at burning fat for fuel.......Fat Burning Machine.

If Your Body was a Car your Muscles would be the Engine

2009-03-24T10:50:00.017-05:00

So, if you haven't figured this out by now I am a Resistance Training aficionado, but what you might not know is that I am also a big believer in training at a High Intensity. These two things definitely define my athlete based training style. Let me apply this to trying to get that lean/shredded and toned/athletic look..........combining cardio and resistance training.......High Intensity Interval Training. WHY.......

Imagine your body is a car and your muscles are the engine. The only difference from a real car is that this car has to be fueled up everyday. The food that you eat everyday is the gas that is used to fuel that car. All day long your engine is using fuel, and at the end of the day the unused fuel is stored in your gas tank for later use.....Fat. The more and more you don't use all your daily fuel the larger and larger your gas tank gets.

Say you want to lose Fat........your engine has to burn through the fuel that you take in everyday and then use some of the fuel from what is stored in your gas tank. So to lose all the fat that you don't want and to keep it off.............your car needs to burn through all the fuel in the tank (however big the tank), and then from there on out your engine has to be efficient enough to use all the gas from the daily fuel ups.

Knowing this you want to build the biggest engine possible in your car and race that engine as hard as it can go so it uses up the fuel from it's tank. .....High Intensity Interval Training is a great way to do this. I utilize this training method with some of my clients, helping them to get into that athlete mindset and push themselves to an intense level. So, build up your engine so that you can burn through your fuel tank to rebuild (reshape) your Mini Van into an Aston Martin.

I will get more into how this works in my next blog.

Where is Your Inner Athlete?

2009-03-13T14:57:00.013-05:00

Lost your inner athlete or never found it. I see a big disconnect from the energy of being on a team to the energy of working out on your own. I experienced this when I went from being a gymnast to being a regular gym goer. When I opened Sweat I decided to not train clients one on one, but to group train all my clients to create a team atmosphere. Through our training methods, coaching style, and group training Sweat Clients train with the mentality and challenge of being athletes for life. They take the energy that they get from their training at Sweat to drive their regular gym time so that they can have the mentality and challenge of always being an athlete.

A Team Atmosphere brings many advantages to workouts and personal goals:

1.Camaraderie: All my clients are different (teens-70's, male/female, athletes-never workout) and have different goals, but the one thing that bonds them is that they all work hard under one roof to reach those goals. Training together makes them a Team.

2.Competition: What athlete likes to lose? Train with other people and competition is natural.

3.Atmosphere: People working hard in one gym to achieve goals, that is a strong energy that breeds hard work. On days that you don't wanna workout your coach and your teammates push you through your workouts.

4.Encouragement: We want to win, but we want to see our teammates succeed. Everyone can use some positive yelling, screaming, and pats on the butt.

5. Affordability: To train in a private studio can be expensive (even more if you train with the gym owner). It's not often that you can get more for less money, and in regards to group training it definitely holds true.

6. Motivation: My clients train with me because they like training and they like the time they spend here. I also only want clients who want to work hard and have fun.......NO CONTRACTS.

7. Coaching: Someone to know your goals and the struggles & accomplishments along the way. Your coach does one half of your workout. They make sure you have an effective, continually challenging, and fun workout you just have to do the other half show up and work hard.

Stop Losing and Gaining the Same Weight

2009-03-10T10:03:00.018-05:00

Winter is a time for eating lots of food and not working out so much, but Summer is here so it's time to eat healthy and head back to the gym. This is a familiar cycle for for many of us. Nobody wants to lose and gain the same weight every year. Most of us want to look good all the time, and continually improve our body......we just don't know why we don't do it. The question to be answered is how can we workout and eat healthy consistently all year long?

Problem

One part of motivation is Autonomy..........I am working on healthy habits because I chose to. Why did you choose to? It can be a number of things...summer, fitting into your skinny clothes, an event to go to, athletic event, prove a point, because everyone else does, because you should, set an example, fear of aging, etc. The trend that I see in clients is that what initially starts people into healthy habits isn't what always keeps them with healthy habits. So, you start with momentum and excitement then two things happen 1.) you lose motivation and enjoyment as you go 2.) you reach your goal. Normally after either of these most people will go straight back to not working out and eating what they want. A few months later you have another reason to go back to the gym and the same cycle repeats. What is the piece that is missing that makes us not continue consistently & with enjoyment for the long term.

Solution

Autonomy.......I am working on healthy habits because I chose to do this for me, because I want to take care of me on the fundamental level. I want to put healthy food into my body and workout because it's good for me. Yes, the other reasons to be healthy will create short term motivations that will make us work harder at times or add to our motivation. What I have found is what keeps people consistently motivated for the long term is wanting to workout for themselves, because it relieves stress, gets energy out, and makes them personally feel good everyday.

Enjoyment

Workouts should be fun, interesting, dynamic, and effective. Some days you might love it after, you might love it during, and you might not love it at all. The point is if you dread going, hate it while you are there (you almost find yourself convincing yourself that it's good for you while you are there), and every time you leave you are just glad it's over.........you ain't gonna last long term.

Mentality

You have to mentally be in the moment and be into what you are doing. Make your time in the gym about you and having fun. The negative thoughts in your head can spread like cancer.....this is hard, I'm tired, I don't feel like being here, I have other things to do, can't wait till this is over...........you have to get those thoughts out of your head. Positive thoughts....I am strong, I can do this, this is for me, I am improving....these thoughts are going to help push you to have a better workout and help you to enjoy your time in the gym. Try to find something fun or positive about every workout session. For example: the people, variety, the environment, a new exercise, good conversation, a hard workout, the time to relieve stress, an instructor that pushed you, a new class you tried, etc.

Having healthy habits for you and enjoying the actual behavior is what will keep you consistent in the long term. Use the short term motivators to accomplish some goals, and then go back to your consistent healthy habits to maintain your results.

Get Off the Scale and Get Your Fat Pinched.

2009-02-17T15:42:00.015-05:00

Imagine your body in layers: you have skin on top, fat in the middle, then muscle on the bottom. The goal is to REMOVE the Middle Layer...........the FAT. When you do this the skin will lay right next to the muscle, & you will be able to see the actual shape of your body. So, get off the scale and get your fat pinched so that you can decrease your middle layer.

In my opinion Body Fat %, pictures, and the tape measure are the best combination to see the current condition your body is in, and to measure your progress. The most important in this combination is Body Fat %.

Weight on the Scale

The SCALE LIES! Weight can change daily based on the weight of the food and liquid that you have taken in during the day, the last time you went to the bathroom, bloating, etc. With these daily variances it's hard to stay motivated and easy to get disappointed when you are basing your results off of weight alone. In addition to the daily variances a loss on the scale doesn't necessarily indicate positive results nor does a gain indicate negative results. The body will very easily give up muscle mass before it gives up fat mass. One might continue on a plan that is causing them to lose muscle mass if they continue to see the scale dropping which will be slowing their metabolism and getting rid of their tone shape (decreasing the bottom layer..muscle......left with fat and skin.......not sexy). A weight gain can actually be a sign that you are building muscle, increasing your metabolism, and re-shaping your body. If you don't know that it's muscle you might give up or change a program that is working. Weight on the scale is an important tool, just shouldn't be the sole yard stick for progress.

BMI

BMI is an old school ineffective tool in my opinion. Body Mass Index puts you into a category of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese based on your height and weight alone. It's downfall is that it doesn't differentiate between lean muscle mass and fat mass. For example if you have two people who are 5'10" 225, they both fit into the obese category. The difference is that one guy is 6% body fat and the other is 30% body fat. So, imagine a beer drinking non athlete and a running back.......they don't belong in the same category that the old school BMI puts them in. I don't think this tool should be used by someone who is trying to accurately see how in shape they are nor should it be used as an accurate measurement tool for progress. Now, Dr.'s tend to use this on your yearly check-in as a "scientific" "non-personal" way to tell you that you need to lose weight. I guess this could be BMI's one positive is that it acts as a buffer and scientific tool for the Dr. to tell patients who obviously need to shed some pounds to lose weight.

The Ultimate Combination

1. Body Fat %
Imagine your body in layers: you have skin, fat, then muscle. The goal is to remove the middle layer...........the FAT. We want to get the skin to lay right next to the muscle so that we can see the shape of your body....... this is decreasing your body fat percentage.

Fat Calipers is my tool of choice as the most inexpense and accurate way to measure body fat %. It combines gender (men genetically have more lean muscle mass), weight, age (we lose muscle as we age), and I prefer a 7-9 site test to determine your body fat %. At the 7-9 sites you literally are pinching all the fat that is covering the muscle in several different areas all over your body. Body fat % determines how much lean muscle mass you have compared to fat mass.

I think someone who is really serious about wanting change in their body should get their body fat % done every week by someone who is very experienced at doing it. My clients who have a set goal get their body fat done every week. I personally get mine done every week by my trainer, and it helps me to keep my workouts effective and my eating healthy.

Body fat % options:
(+)Two well known tools are hydrostatic weighing (water tub) and the bod pod are accurate, but can be expensive and inconvenient.

(-)The other well known, and convenient method is the scales or the handled devices (used at a lot of franchised gyms). These tools utilize Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), the scale sends a current through your limbs, working on the concept that lean tissue and water conduct electricity better than fat does. These two tools don't measure current through the entire body and can be affected by food intake, water, skin temperature, and other factors. These methods are convenient and inexpensive but not very accurate.

2. Tape Measure
This doesn't differentiate between muscle and fat, but it does allow you to visually see the inches/clothes sizes that you are losing....motivation.

3. Photos
Even though we see ourselves in the mirror everyday pictures allow us to actually see our progress.......motivation.

Natural Decline of Your Metabolism Starts at Age 25!

2009-02-13T11:24:00.021-05:00

Listed are the reasons why male or female it is beneficial to weight train. I believe weight training should be incorporated in all workouts......even runners.

1. The natural decline of your metabolism starts around AGE 25 and rapidly increases after age 50, weight training helps to reverse the decline. At age 25 we start to lose muscle each year which means our Basil Metabolic Rate will decrease each year. A decrease in BMR means our body is less able to use the food that we consume as energy. So.......1.) We hit 25 2.) We lose muscle 3.) BMR decreases 4.)Our body is less able to BURN the food that we ate as energy 5.) We gain adipose tissue........WE GET FAT. That's why people look back and say "Now that I think about it in my 20's I kept eating the same way, but I just kept gaining and gaining a small amount of weight every year and now I am 10-50+ pounds overweight." I hear this ALL THE TIME! It's because they weren't doing cardio & lifting or weren't lifting weights with their Cardio just to gain the muscle that they were naturally losing due to age. So, if you decide not to weight train in your 20's and after you will have to continue on a path of eating less or doing more cardio year after year just to maintain the weight that you are at. That's not even talking about improving your body.......Lots of cardio or eating less, just to maintain.......... That SUCKS!

2. When we weight train we can actually RAISE our basal metabolic rate = you burn more calories 24 hours a day. When you build the muscle that you lost due to aging you help your BMR to stay constant. When you build what you lost and then build more you actually you will raise your BMR and burn more calories all day long which will make controlling a healthy weight much easier. This will also make it easier to actually improve the look of your body. So you can lift weights, eat the same, and actually improve ......I'm all bout' it. A prime example of a higher BMR in effect is that men can eat more than woman and maintain a healthy weight. Why do you think this is? Men naturally have more lean muscle mass so they have a higher BMR so therefore they can eat more.

3. Your BMR can stay elevated for several hours after a weight training session. This means for those hours after your workout you are burning more calories than normal. The amount of the post exercise energy expenditure is mainly due to intensity of your workout (how hard you worked out) and to a lesser degree duration (how long you worked out for). So, get in the gym and keep the intensity high! For example: heavy weight with little rest in between or lighter weight with no rest.

4. Weight Training with weights, resistance, your own body weight (calisthenics), etc. is the best way to change the muscular structure of your body. The type of change you get depends on what type of weight training program you select. Muscular structural changes include long and lean, fit & tone, athletic, large muscles, dense compact muscles, etc.

5. Strengthen your bones, decrease risk for osteoporosis

6.Your body is able to control blood sugar levels with less insulin. Decrease your risk for Adult Onset Diabetes

7. Increased Balance and Coordination

8. Improves Posture

9. Less likelihood of low back pain

10. More efficient Heart, from lowering your resting heart rate, and decrease in resting blood pressure

11. Increases levels of HDL Cholesterol (good cholesterol that helps to get rid of the LDL, the bad kind)

12. Enhanced performance in sport or exercise

13. Increases joint stability

14. Decreases risk of injuries

15. Increased immune system function

The Role of Motivation in Behavior Change

2009-01-07T17:20:00.013-05:00

In this months issue of ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal there was a great article about the role of motivation in behavior change. I don't believe in New Years Resolutions, but I do believe that the New Year plays in important role as a measuring point that holds people accountable for how well they have accomplished their personal goals. Accountability is a very important thing, but in regards to fitness the accountability should be a weekly thing not an annual thing....cough cough a personal trainer. So, as it goes once a year people feel that they haven't been accountable to their fitness goals, plan to change that for the upcoming year, typically don't change and then find themselves in the same position the following year. So, I am going to explore motivation from this journal article, and show how these findings are applied at SWEAT Training.

Sometimes what gets us started working out is not the thing that will keep you working out in the long term. "Motivation concerns energy, direction, and persistence. Motivation is the energy that directs our behavior. That energy can come from different sources." These sources would be the direction that it is coming from. We workout because WE WANT a better body, we want to AVOID THE OUTCOME of not fitting in our clothes and being embarrassed, or because we LIKE IT and ENJOY IT. The amount of motivation, but mainly the quality of the motivation is what will determine our persistence in exercising for the long term.

Quality of motivation is lower on the extrinsic and higher on the intrinsic end. Listed are examples of the lowest to highest examples of quality of motivation. It is possible to have all of these qualities motivating us, and not just a single one, but it is important to mainly be motivated by the highest quality of motivation. That is what will keep us going in the long term.

Lowest to Highest Qualities of Motivation

1. I am exercising, but I don't know why I am doing it and it has no value to me.

2. I exercise not because I like it, but because I get something out of it. I value just the reward of the result, losing weight.

3. I exercise because I should, not because I like it. I am avoiding the guilt that I feel from not working out. It's good for my health or I feel pressure from others to keep up with what they are doing.

4. I have value in actually working out, but I don't enjoy it.

5. I WORK OUT BECAUSE I FIND VALUE IN ACTUALLY WORKING OUT AND I ENJOY THE BEHAVIOR OF DOING IT

At Sweat you will hear over and over and over again focus on the work and have fun while you are here. As a Trainer one of the most important things is that even though workouts are challenging that they are fun, and clients feel a sense of accomplishment with each workout. We motivate our clients by encouraging their behaviors. For example staying mentally tough, pushing themselves to try new exercises, improving on exercises, increasing the amount of weight they can lift, and getting through workouts faster and more efficiently. Training session are fun at Sweat. Clients never do the same workout twice, the energy is always high, and the conversation is always interesting. Clients begin to have a sense of accomplishment for showing up to their workouts consistently, enjoying the time they spend with their teammates & trainer, and feeling like they are an athlete that is constantly challenging themselves with new exercises not just someone that goes to the gym and puts time in.

There are ways to influence the quality of motivation. The quality is influenced by people's psychological needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

In regards to competence the more that a client understands how to do the exercise, why they are doing the exercises, and that they are progressing to harder exercises or heavier weights the more competent they are going to feel. At Sweat clients are taught to focus on the work and on consistency. When new clients come in the most important thing that they try to accomplish in the first few months is consistently getting to or rescheduling their personal training sessions. Getting to training sessions is something that clients can control, and feel a sense of accomplishment. When clients don't have an understanding of the of the work and consistency it takes for change it can lead to extrinsic motivation such as "I'm not getting the results I want, this is not working." "Developing a task-oriented focus rather than an outcome-orientated focus is more likely to lead to persistence."

In autonomy it is "satisfied when people feel that they have personally endorsed or chosen the behavior and don't feel pressured or controlled by others." At Sweat we don't have contracts for this very reason. Sweat clients discover why they are here, and need to come to the conclusion that they want to be here on their own. When clients ask me how often they should come I tell them however often you WANT to be here. How often you come with affect your level of results, but in the beginning it has to be about how often you WANT to come and WILL ACTUALLY come. Another way Sweat clients feel autonomy is that they set their own goals. Clients decide what they want to do, and once they choose that goal we help to push and support them. If that goal changes we support that also. A way to decrease autonomy is to tell clients "if it was important enough, you'd do it." This is something that you will never hear out of a Sweat Trainer. Here clients aren't judged or criticized as they make missteps on their path to making fitness apart of their life. They are obviously here because it is important to them we just need to support them, give them the resources, and keep the accountable to they goals that they set for themselves.

"The need for relatedness is satisfied when people feel connected to and appreciated by others in the behavioral context. They don't feel out of place or socially excluded." At Sweat our clients are all teammates and the trainers are more like coaches. Our clients train in pairs of two, they have their individual goals but they are apart of something greater....a team. Clients here are all different, but are all connected by their desire to be an athlete and are willing to push themselves to work hard and build a better body. Sweat clients are around people that support them while doing workouts that they enjoy and are effective.

At Sweat having a set workout session each week keeps our clients accountable to themselves and their personal goals. We encourage clients to focus on the behavior of working out consistently, and enjoying the actual time they spend working out to help to motivate them in the long term. We also make sure our clients feel like they are learning, improving, are being support instead of criticized, and have a team environment when they workout with us. These are the things that help keep our clients motivated in the long term to workout, and as a bonus that's when the results come.

Rodgers WM, Loitz CC. The Role of Motivation in Behavior Change. How Do We Encourage Our Clients To Be Active? ACSM'S Health & Fitness Journal. Jan/Feb 2009. 7-12.

Consistency and Work

2009-01-06T16:16:00.005-05:00

Consistency
Ah to be consistent in our workout routine, such a battle. How many times do you say to yourself, I am going to try and fit a workout in today, and then never do. It's hard to come to the gym when you are stressed, tired, hungry, and when the weather is bad outside. This is a big reason why I believe in personal trainers. With a Trainer you have your set days/times each week and the biggest struggle you face is getting in the car and making it there. Once you get there your trainer takes care of the rest. So, now that you have someone pushing you a couple times during the week you are going to make sure that you push yourself in your own workouts so that you can keep up with your personal training sessions. THIS IS CONSISTENCY AND CONSISTENCY BRINGS CHANGE!

Focus on the Work
Stop talking about it and do it! Some people are obsessed with talking about getting in shape. I seriously think it can be an addiction. Next time say to yourself or your friend, NO MORE TALKING ABOUT IT. WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY DOING ABOUT IT? Focus on getting a trainer, getting to your workouts, and eating clean. Stop thinking about the results that you want, start focusing on doing the work. FOCUS ON THE WORK AND THE RESULTS WILL COME!

GI: What does this mean?

2007-03-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

With the trend of low-carbohydrate diets, it is important to understand the differences between “good” and “bad” carbohydrates. This distinction has to do with how carbohydrates are metabolized by the body. Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy that are broken down to glucose, a simple sugar. Glucose circulates in the blood, fueling the processes in the body and the brain. Insulin, a protein secreted by cells in the pancreas, activates cells so that they can metabolize this glucose and use it as energy. Recently, the quality of carbohydrate has been linked to blood glucose levels and how they are maintained. The glycemic index (GI) provides a quantified measure of “good” carbs. “Good” carbs have a higher GI since blood glucose levels are sustained for longer periods of time. This means that the cells have a constant amount of fuel while giving a feeling of fullness. Lower GI foods cause blood glucose levels to drop soon after they are eaten, causing one to feel hungry even though they just ate. Therefore, GI could be used to determine good food choices that allow you to eat the right type of carbohydrates. High GI foods include grains and other complex carbohydrates such as whole-wheat breads, spelt, and barley. Lower GI foods tend to be simple carbohydrates such as sugars. GI can be used as a good marker for a distinct biochemical effect food has on the body.
For more information, please visit http://www.glycemicindex.com/. This database can be used to find the GI of your favorite foods.

The new miracle supplement?

2007-02-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

What you don’t know about CLA and Guarana

While fat cells never go away, with the help of CLA and Guarana, fat cells can shrink and even disappear completely. Well, what is it? CLA is Conjugated Linoleic Acid, a omega-6 fatty acid found naturally as trace amounts in cow’s milk. CLA is found to reduce the size of fat cells, especially in the abdominal region. CLA supplementation is consistently shown to reduce the amount of fat and increase the amount of lean muscle. CLA works by decreasing the amount of ingested food that turns into body fat. Studies also show that CLA reduces the risk for cancer and atherosclerosis. However, CLA only decreases the size of fat cells, not the number. Guarana is a form of caffeine native to Brazil that works as an appetite suppressor and stimulates the migration of fat to be metabolized. While 2.5 times more potent than coffee, guarana enhances the effects of CLA and reduces the number of fat cells. With this combination, reducing the size and number of fat cells and cancer risk, is it any wonder that it is a miracle supplement?

For more information on studies or for a manufacturer, please see the Life Extension Organization at www.lef.org

-Sunina Nathoo

Muscle Myth #2 - Fat Turns Into Muscle

2007-01-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

Fat does not turn into muscle. I repeat. Fat does not turn into muscle. I don't know how many times I've heard people say that muscle turns into fat. That's like saying that my dog just turned into a cat one day; it's physiologically impossible. Fat cells grow, shrink, and multiply. Muscle cells grow (hypertrophy) and shrink (atrophy). They never turn into one another. As you embark on a clean-eating regimen and intense exercise program, your fat cells shrink and your muscularity increases. At then end of the day when you see someone who has "lost a lot of fat" and put on a lot muscle; the fat cells are still there; they've just gotten smaller.

The troubling thing about fat is that you end up with a set number of fat cells by the time you finish puberty, which is your bodies biological way of saying; these are all the fat cells that you need for the rest of your life, but as you age; you can actually increase the number of fat cells in your body. That's the dangerous thing about liposuction because with lipo (I'm no doctor; I just study and read a lot) you are actually having fat cells removed from your body, and what happens if too many get removed and you end up with less than your body biologically intended for you to have...needless to say; you could die. Not that I'm an advocate for liposuction but if you are going to have it done please have it done by a reputable and experienced doctor because it is such a dangerous procedure.

Xenedrine EFX Absolutely Nothing

2007-01-05T15:37:00.000-05:00

Back before the heavy regulation of ephedra, Xenadrine was one of the hottest weight-loss supplements on the market. Personally, I preferred Hydroxycut back in the day...now I just rely on my nutrition and exercise to get the results I want. Well, Xenadrine and some other "fat-burners" are in the spotlight again. Now the FTC has decided to crack down on the false advertising and marketing claims made by the manufacturers of these products. Some of the interesting points of this article outlining the investigation is the fact that the FTC did a study where it discovered that people on a placebo had a greater weight-loss than those on Xenadrine. Furthermore, it discovered that the customer testimonials, the before and after pictures, were really the results of strict dieting and strenuous exercise regimens...go figure. The products will continue to be sold, but who's going to buy something that has been proven to be ineffective at its primary claims?

200 Calories is a whole lot of Broccoli and not too much Peanut Butter

2007-01-04T12:22:00.000-05:00

I think that this article is amazing...I don't know how this person found the time to do this, but notheless; it's really cool. I always explain to people that calories are like currency. You want to get the most bang for your buck, and this is a great illustration of this. For 200 calories I can get a plate full of broccoli, or I can get an small pat of peanut butter. Your calories go a lot further with certain foods. The pictures are organized by caloric density, which basically draws an indirect correlation between grams and calories. It makes you think twice about using butter, canola oil, or bacon. Those foods at the top of the list have a great impact on satisfying hunger, but have a minimal impact on your waistline.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Fat

2007-01-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a great article about Fat . The article identifies 7 very interesting facts about fat. This article explains why fat gets stored on your stomach...primarily men. It also goes into the fact that fat is necessary for a normal functioning body. People need to understand that fat is not the enemy...excess fat is.

Fat cells can swell to as much as six times their minimum size
Fat cells secrete extra estrogen
If you lose a lot of weight, your fat cells shrink, but they do not disappear
Fat tissue attracts cells that promote inflammation
Fat cells behave differently in different parts of the body
If you consume no fat at all, you will short-circuit your body
Fat calories should only be 30% of your total daily calories

FDA OK's Cloned Meat...FDA OK's Cloned Meat

2006-12-28T18:34:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or does the notion of eating cloned meat make you never want to eat meat again, and I love meat...I may be the most carniverous person that I know. On the other hand, I buy my food from the meat section of the grocery store, and as long as my steak looks like a steak and tastes like a steak...what do I care where it came from...well I do.

Here's the thing. What good does cloned meat serve? It's got to be cheaper to get two cows to just get it on than to clone the cow. This feels like science for the sake of science. I don't know how I feel about my food being raised in a test tube.

In the past I wasn't all too concerned about this sort of thing, but considering how much meat, chicken, and fish; I think that I want my food raised "old-school". All of this genetic modification could wreak havoc on anyone who adopts the "Clean Eating" lifestyle where animal protein is a huge component.

29 Healthiest Foods On Earth

2006-12-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

Here’s a list of what some are calling the 29 Healthiest Foods on Earth. How many of these do you incoprorate in your diet on a daily basis? I’ve tried or regularly eat a number of these foods except for Quinoa, which has been getting a lot of press lately. Quinoa is gluten–free, high in fiber, has a good amino acid profile (It’s a decent source of protein), and it’s a complex carbohydrate, which are great for preventing insulin levels from spiking which leads to storage of fat. With the New Year coming around the corner, a good goal would be to start incorporating these into your dietary habits. I'm going to have to come up with my own list, since I think there are a few things missing...like boneless, skinless chicken breast.

How Can I Lose Weight?

2006-12-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

When Nik and I talk about Sweat Training or the fact that we compete the first question that we always get is "How can I lose weight?" So, I thought I would address this question. What I tell everyone is motivation, planning, healthy eating, lifting, and cardio. It's not one of those things it's all of those things in combination and that's how you lose weight.

Motivation is something that you have to find for yourself, and for everyone it is different. For Nik and I our motivation comes from many areas: competing, long term health, our desire for knowledge about health and fitness, and much much more. Ultimately your desire to be Fit has to outweigh your desire to eat bad foods and be inactive. Motivation is what gets us started and keeps us going when we have challenging days or weeks.

Planning is what helps you change and make new habits. As einstein said doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. You can't lose weight unless you make a plan for your diet, cardio, and lifting and stick to the plan consitently. Some people comment that it is too much of a commitment to make a plan for all of that. When you think about it you make a plan for everything in your life work, family, money, friends, etc. Anything that you want to have happen you make a plan for and you work towards it, and your fitness and health is no different.

There is no end to the road of health and fitness it is one of the most challenging things to work to maintain your healthy lifestyle, but it is also one of the most rewarding and satisfying things you can do.