I thought I’d take a different approach to technical Tuesday and talk about some tricks to shedding fat! If you are struggling to tone up, there are tweaks you can make to your lifestyle to make gains in the right direction.
Let’s quickly dip into human evolution to better understand why our bodies metabolize the way that they do…
Before farming as we know it, humans evolved with a pattern of feast or famine. To make a long, complicated story very short, starving yourself to lose weight will put your body into famine mode and store as fat for later use. NOTE: There are some studies that show intermittent fasting can fire up the metabolism, but this process should be overseen by a knowledgeable dietitian so that the process actually works for weight loss.
Now, back to modern times…let’s get techie about fat loss.
- Know your RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of energy your body burns at rest in one day. To find that calculation easily, click here. This calculation has factors that you can not help, like age. For example, my RMR is about 1600 calories. That means that if i intake more than 1600 calories and I sit around all day and do absolutely nothing, i will gain weight. If I add a workout in or more activity, I can add those burned cals to my RMR. To lose weight I need to eat less calories than my total calories burned. NOTE: This calculation does not consider how much lean muscle your body has. Someone with more lean muscle will have a higher RMR. See #2.
- Muscle burns energy, even at rest. Fat does not. The purpose of fat is to create insulation and energy storage. So, to burn fat we need to cross train. We must build lean mass with resistance training of both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers. There are several metabolic energy systems our bodies call on. They all use different kinds of fuel. The type of fuel depends on the exercise we are doing and how long we do it, and unfortunately not all energy systems use fat for fuel. The oxidative energy system (think slow jogging, swimming, cardio) is the system that burns fat for fuel, but exercise that calls on this system does not build muscle… once again the trick is finding a balance between cardio and resistance training!
- The more you can do MOVE in your spare time, the better! Scientific studies show that small changes in your daily habits add up to big losses in your waistline. In fact, some of these changes can add up to 10 or 12 pounds of weight loss per year! Park inconveniently so you have to walk an extra 200 yards to and from the grocery store. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk briskly for 30 minutes a day in addition to your workout.
- Finally, what you put in (or don’t put in!) your mouth affects everything from your metabolism to your mood. Valuable foods are nutrient rich and whole. The simple act of not putting sugar, soda of any kind, or invaluable foods will change your entire life for the better. Eating healthy is showing respect to your body. The healthier your diet the less crap you will crave as cravings often happen when our bodies are deprived of the nutrients they need. Thing of cravings like bandaids – a temporary fix…whole, nutrient rich foods are what actually heal. A diet high in anti oxidants is great for your health!
| Rank | Food item | Serving size | Total antioxidant capacity per serving size |
| 1 | Small Red Bean (dried) | Half cup | 13,727 |
| 2 | Wild blueberry | 1 cup | 13,427 |
| 3 | Red kidney bean (dried) | Half cup | 13,259 |
| 4 | Pinto bean | Half cup | 11,864 |
| 5 | Blueberry (cultivated) | 1 cup | 9,019 |
| 6 | Cranberry | 1 cup (whole) | 8,983 |
| 7 | Artichoke (cooked) | 1 cup (hearts) | 7,904 |
| 8 | Blackberry | 1 cup | 7,701 |
| 9 | Prune | Half cup | 7,291 |
| 10 | Raspberry | 1 cup | 6,058 |
| 11 | Strawberry | 1 cup | 5,938 |
| 12 | Red Delicious apple | 1 whole | 5,900 |
| 13 | Granny Smith apple | 1 whole | 5,381 |
| 14 | Pecan | 1 ounce | 5,095 |
| 15 | Sweet cherry | 1 cup | 4,873 |
| 16 | Black plum | 1 whole | 4,844 |
| 17 | Russet potato (cooked) | 1 whole | 4,649 |
| 18 | Black bean (dried) | Half cup | 4,181 |
| 19 | Plum | 1 whole | 4,118 |
| 20 | Gala apple | 1 whole | 3,903 |
We could talk for days, literally, on this subject. Ive barely scraped the surface here. Please contact me for more information or click here to set up a healthy lifestyle consultation.
Strength Training to build lean muscle!
Gumsaba Fitness Class schedule Wednesday 4/6/16
5:30AM Sunrise Danville Womens only class – Coach Karen – Core H.V.I.T.
6AM Sunup Moraga Womens only Class – Coach Briana – Core H.V.I.T.
8:15AM Sunshine Moraga Womens only Class – Coach Briana – Core H.V.I.T.
9AM Sunshine Walnut Creek Womens only class – Coach Jentry – Core H.V.I.T.
9:30AM Sunshine Orinda Sleepy Hollow Co Ed PRIVATE Class – Coach Piper – Endurance Training Circuit
11:00AM Cytosport In Trinity In Meditation – Coach Michelle (private class)
12:00PM Cytosport Next Level In Trinity – Coach Michelle (private class)
2PM Cytosport Hatha Yoga – Coach Michelle D. (private class)