Low vs. High Intensity workouts

Many people think that they will lose body fat more efficiently by performing aerobic workouts at a low, rather than a high, intensity. Many aerobic exercise programs and videos feature low-intensity workouts which claim to maximize fat burning. The argument behind such an alleged theory is that low-intensity aerobic training will allow your body to use more fat as an energy source, accelerating the loss of body fat. While it is true that a higher proportion of calories burned during low-intensity exercise come from fat (about 60 percent as opposed to approximately 35 percent from high-intensity programs), high-intensity exercise still burns more calories from fat in the final analysis. For example, if you perform 30 minutes of low-intensity aerobic exercise (i.e., at a level of 50 percent of maximal exercise capacity), you'll burn approximately 200 calories - about 120 of those come from fat (i.e., 60 percent). However, exercising for the same amount of time at a high intensity (i.e., 75 percent of your maximal exercise capacity) will burn approximately 400 calories. Using a 35 percent fat utilization yardstick, 140 of the calories you've burned will have come from stored fat. Although the more vigorous exercise burns both more total and more fat calories, the less intense form of exercise has its benefits as well. For example, because many overweight people tend to find that lower-intensity exercise is more comfortable, they may, therefore, be willing to engage in such workouts. The point to remember is that low-intensity workouts do, in fact, promote weight and fat loss. You just have to do them for a longer period of time. Low-intensity aerobic exercise, however, is not a better or more effective way to lose weight than more intense physical activity - the idea of a "fat-burning zone" is simply a myth. Keep in mind that you lose weight and body fat when you expend more calories than you consume, not because you burn fat (or anything else) when you exercise.

Source: Bryant, Cedric X. 101 Frequently Asked Questions about "Health & Fitness" and "Nutrition & Weight Control". Sagamore Publishing, 1999.

"Remember...you're not stuck where you are unless you choose to be."

Hummus: A Tasty Snack

Hummus

This recipe makes: 8 servings
Preparation time : 15 minutes

Ingredients:
8 ounces of canned garbanzo beans, (chickpeas)
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
About 3 tablespoons olive oil
salt,to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans.
2. Puree the garbanzo beans in a blender or food processor with the tahini, lemon juice and garlic. 3. With the machine running, add the olive oil slowly, until the hummus becomes thick and creamy.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with fresh vegetables such as slices of bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumber, etc.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: about 2 tablespoons
Per Serving: Calories 84, Protein 2 g, Total Carbohydrate 5 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Soluble Fiber 0 g, Insoluble Fiber 4 g, Sugar 1 g, Total Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 4 g

Muddy Buddy Time

For those of you who I have spoken with about the fun and exciting Muddy Buddy team racing events, they have now created an event in Dallas on October 26! How exciting is that. For those of you who don't know what it is, you have a team of two, one bike, a 6-7 mile course, 5 obstacles and a huge mud pit at the end of the race you have to get through together in order to cross the finish line. It is a fun spin on the traditional race and for those of you who have kids, they also have a mini muddy buddy, where your kids...as young as 4....can race as well and go through a mini course and mud pit of their own. Check out the website at muddybuddy.com. So grab a partner, get a bike, a helmet, running shoes, and plan to have fun....and get dirty!

Being a fish

Swimming.....what a great form of exercise. If you are going to the pool to swim laps, play with the kids, or wade around, you will not only get a cardio workout but a strength workout too. Use pool noodles or other floating devices, tread water for 30 seconds at a time, swim a couple of laps, play marco polo....anything that makes you move and work against the water. And what a better time of the year to do it. We all need to cool off, especially in this heat. Just don't forget the sunscreen.

Your metabolism

Metabolism....a quick layman's definition: the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy and the speed of how that happens. I am sure you have heard doctors, nutritionists, friends, t.v., etc. say something along the lines of "I just can't lose weight; my metabolism is so slow", or "My husband can lose weight even if he just thinks about exercise because his metabolism is so fast". Your metabolism helps to determine how quickly, or not, you are able to take the food you eat and turn it into working energy.....basically burning those calories! While metabolism can be a genetic factor, it is also predicted by how you treat it. Diets do work--while you are on them. But statistics show that once you go back to old ways of eating, your body rebounds as soon as you stop following the strict set of rules while on that "diet" and lapse into the same habits of not eating much, or eating too much, that made you gain weight in the first place. Your body will rebel. Depriving yourself of food can slow your metabolism to a snail's pace and make losing weight even harder. Once your body realizes it's not getting as much food, it starts to conserve energy. Continue to starve yourself and you'll suffer from intense cravings and loss of lean body tissue, or muscle; that further compromises your body's ability to burn calories. Getting too much food packs on the pounds and that is a direct result of calories in vs. calories out. Getting results fast is the American way, but losing more than one or two pounds per week is self-sabotage. If you can't see yourself eating or exercising a certain way for the rest of your life -- say, consuming raw foods and running five miles every day -- you shouldn't be doing it to lose weight in the first place. The only changes that work are those you can continue indefinitely. Weight management has to be an uncompromising, non-negotiable, everyday thing, like brushing your teeth. Sure, taking off the extra flab is more work than putting it on probably was, but even when the going gets tough, it's better than eating nothing but cabbage soup, avoiding the bread aisle, or choking down food you hate. People no longer have to make themselves miserable in order to lose weight. STOP dieting and start eating for energy and nutrition sake. Think.....good nutrition and exercise! Two key components to keeping your metabolism going and being successful in losing or maintaining weight.

"Limits are only what any of us are inside."

Yea for push-ups!

Two of my clients, whom I work with seperately but just happened to start training with me on the same day, had very little upper body strength as of 3 weeks ago. Neither one could do more than 2-3 modified push-ups with decent form; one is 60 years old and the other is 36. But only a few sessions into their programs doing many different exercises to strengthen what is normally the weakest half of the female body, I work with one woman once per week and the other twice per week (respectively), they are now able to do 2 sets of 10-15 modified push-ups and in completely great form! I am tickled pink....I actually found myself doing the dance of joy. And they both stated to me that they are proud of their accomplishment....as well as they should be. I can't wait to see what they will accomplish next. KUDOS ladies! Great work.

Secrets to Fighting Cellulite

Cellulite, we all know what it looks like, but we still have many misconceptions about it. The first thing you should know is that, in the true medical sense, cellulite is simply plain old fat. Yet it does have one defining characteristic—a dimpled, cottage-cheese, orange-peel look. Do you want to know why? Everybody has connective tissue that separates fat cells into compartments. While men usually have horizontal or crisscross compartment patterns, women’s compartments have a honeycomb appearance, giving fat a bigger chance to protrude or bulge, hence the cottage-cheese effect. So, women are more likely to develop cellulite than men, mainly around the hips and thighs. Lucky us! However, men can develop the condition, too, but not as noticeably as women. Although cellulite becomes more noticeable with age, largely because the skin gets thinner over time, it generally strikes people in their 30s. Of course, not everybody will develop cellulite in their lifetime. That’s because genetics determines where your fat cells are and how many fat cells you have. Activity level is a crucial factor associated with cellulite. If you exercise regularly, you’ll decrease your odds of developing cellulite, or if you do, the dimpled look won’t be quite as pronounced. But beware of the "Quick Fix". Unfortunately, too many people still hang on to the idea of quick and easy fixes. Beware of cellulite cream makers, medical procedures like liposuction or cosmetic treatments like body wraps. Simply put, they do not work! No cream applied to the skin can penetrate the skin and rearrange the fat cells beneath the surface. Liposuction is designed to remove excess deposits of fat, but it won’t change the appearance of fat. As for body wraps, the effect is only temporary. Fat is compressible, so when you do the wrap, it will smooth your skin, but by the next day, your skin will be back to normal. Another misconception is that dieting alone can zap fat. Although there are diets that make you lose weight, at least one quarter of the weight lost is muscle, which lowers your metabolism. If you return to your usual eating habits, you’ll likely regain more weight than you lost because your metabolism is slower. So what can you do to diminish the appearance of cellulite? Experts recommend daily cardio exercise combined with two to three strength-training sessions a week and a healthy diet. An exercise program doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. For strength-training exercises, any tool is fine, including dumbbells, elastic bands, body weight and machines. Still not sure where to start? A certified personal trainer can help get you started on the right track. And while results won’t happen overnight, a consistent program of regular exercise combined with a sensible diet can go a long way toward not only improving your appearance, but your overall health as well.

You know, I have always struggled with the way the back of my thighs and behind look due to cellulite. I have tried many of the "quick fixes" in the hopes of making that lovely cottage cheese look go away....but to no avail. But the older I get, the wiser I become. I have stopped being so hard on myself and I have taken comfort instead in how strong my body is due to the way I treat it; plenty of good nutrition, exercise, and lots of water. I can tell you that all of that hard work and dedication does pay off because the dimples have decreased in appearance. My "little friends" have become just that....little.

"If you are content with the best you have done, you will never do the best you can do."