The greatest fat burner is muscle. This is a proven medical fact. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about muscle and fat. There are some people that think muscle will turn into fat if you stop working out. This myth has come about because there have been some well conditioned athletes with a lot of muscle mass that leave their sport and then gain a lot of body fat. The reason this happens is very simple.
To maintain the amount of muscle mass these athletes have, they need to eat a lot of calories. Most will eat anywhere between 3,000 to 4,000 calories a day (some eat even more). They also burn a lot of calories because of their activity to stay well conditioned and to be competitve. When they stop competing, a lot of them continue to eat the same but they will cut way back on their exercising. Thus they are not burning as much calories as before which means that the excess will turn to fat.
Now that this myth has been explained, I can now go into an afflication every man in the world goes through. Every male is subject to sarcopenia. This is the loss of muscle mass that occurs naturally with aging. This starts at the age of 25. But we do not have to let this happen.
Exercise physiologist Gianni Maddalozzo, PhD of Oregon State University conducted research that focused on the study of osteoporosis and muscle strength in adults ages 40 to 80. Most suffered from advanced sarcopenia. Sarcopenia happens gradually by losing a fifth of a pound of muscle per year from the age of 25 to 50, then picks up speed to up to a pound of muscle each year. It is usually not noticable because the muscle is usually replaced (not turned into) by fat.
The reduction in muscle has been linked to declines in the immune system and the onset of heart disease and diabetes. In addition to this you will have weaker bones, stiffer joints, and slumping postures.
The old way to train an aging population was to not let them lift weights. The thinking back then was that this was too much of a strain for older people. Now we know better. Everyone needs to have some strength (resistance) training. With proper nutrition and a safe, effective resistance program, we can prevent the onset of sarcopenia. A proper program can slow the aging process. It is even believed that muscle mass can help to prevent some cancers.
I plan on aging slowly. I have been very successful thus far and plan on being able to do what I do now for another 40, 50 or even 60 years. If you want to join me, I can help. So find a good program out there that offers a mix of cardio, resistance training, and nutrition counseling. It is not hard and you will feel better. Your family will thank you.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
To Supplement or Not to Supplement?
That is the question. The short answer any fitness professional will tell you is yes. But there is a caveat. You need to know what you are doing. You can go into The Vitamin Shoppe or GNC and they will sell you anything you want. You can even ask them some questions but most of them are not going to tell you any more than what is on the label.
It is a widely understood fact that we need to eat every 2 to 3 hours. It has to do with the thermal effect and maintaining a high metabolic rate. This would be a discussion on its own for another time. Let's just say there is plenty of scientific evidence backing this statement up. So, even if you follow this, can you obtain all of the nutrients your body needs from food alone?
Once upon a time this was possible. With all the modern conveniences, fast food and even faster lifestyles, this has become next to impossible. In order to receive all the essential micro and macro nutrients our body needs, we must take a high quality, well recognized vitamin and mineral supplement. If you are active and/or have a poor diet, then the need becomes even greater. Look for a good multi-vitamin. Ask your physician or fitness professional for a recommendation.
In addition to vitamins there are energy bars, drinks, creatine, glutamine, amino acids and even caffeine. I will address each one in order to give you the scoop and what to take and not take, when and why.
I see some people use energy bars and drinks to replace a meal. When I say they use it to replace a meal, they eat an energy bar or drink an energy drink instead of eating one of only three meals a day. The problem here is that three meals is not enough. Everyone should be eating 5 to 6 smaller meals each day. Then you can have the energy bar or drink to replace one of these meals only when it is not possible to eat a real meal or to supplement an intense workout.
Eating a high protein energy bar as a mid-morning meal after you had a morning workout is ideal for assisting a person to lose unwanted fat. A high intensity workout is one in which you have stressed your body for 60 minutes or more. For illustration purposes, I drink a protein shake one hour before my workout. I then perform a high intensity workout and have a high protein energy bar or another protein shake immediately after. I did this for a month and then measured my body fat percent. I lost 6 pounds and 1.3% body fat. That equated to over 4 pounds of fat!
Creatine is a good supplement for anyone trying to gain muscle mass. It should only be taken by individuals who are lifting very intensely. There are products out there that do not require loading. Loading is where you take a large quantity for a period of time and then reduce it to a smaller level. If you want to use creatine, stay away from the liquid kind. Creatine breaks down in water so if you have to mix it in water or take a liquid creatine, you are actually getting very little, if any benefit. Use capsules. If used properly, it can increase muscle size and endurance over the course of a few weeks. I used it during the month I mentioned above in order to minimize any muscle loss.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in plasma and skeletal muscle. Studies show that taking 5 to 12 grams of glutamine following rigorous exercise aids in the recovery from tissue damage. If you plan on an intense one hour or more workout lifting very heavy weights, this would be a good supplement to take. Otherwise, there will be little to no benefit to you.
If you are an endurance or strength/power performance athlete, use amino acids for increases in performance. This only benefits those who workout vigorously and eat a healthy diet.
Finally there is caffeine. There have been studies that show that caffeine can enhance performance. This supplement has been long debated but the evidence is very strongly in favor of being a safe performance enhancer. Unlike most of the other supplements, this one can benefit you performing only 30 minutes of exercise. Caffeine will prolong fatigue by up to 10%. The best part is that this supplement can increase fat oxidation and thermogenesis without adversely affecting fluid balance. There are tablets that can be taken but a black cup of coffee can have the same effect. Just do not put cream and sugar in it as this will add calories, fat, and carbohydrates.
Supplements are a great tool for weight management and for maintaining good health. But it is only a tool. Proper eating habits and regular exercise are still needed. Always get advice from professionals who are more familiar with supplementation. Express Train Fitness for Men can give you information and supply you with what you need. There are also many vitamin remedies for every day ailments which we can tell you about.
It is a widely understood fact that we need to eat every 2 to 3 hours. It has to do with the thermal effect and maintaining a high metabolic rate. This would be a discussion on its own for another time. Let's just say there is plenty of scientific evidence backing this statement up. So, even if you follow this, can you obtain all of the nutrients your body needs from food alone?
Once upon a time this was possible. With all the modern conveniences, fast food and even faster lifestyles, this has become next to impossible. In order to receive all the essential micro and macro nutrients our body needs, we must take a high quality, well recognized vitamin and mineral supplement. If you are active and/or have a poor diet, then the need becomes even greater. Look for a good multi-vitamin. Ask your physician or fitness professional for a recommendation.
In addition to vitamins there are energy bars, drinks, creatine, glutamine, amino acids and even caffeine. I will address each one in order to give you the scoop and what to take and not take, when and why.
I see some people use energy bars and drinks to replace a meal. When I say they use it to replace a meal, they eat an energy bar or drink an energy drink instead of eating one of only three meals a day. The problem here is that three meals is not enough. Everyone should be eating 5 to 6 smaller meals each day. Then you can have the energy bar or drink to replace one of these meals only when it is not possible to eat a real meal or to supplement an intense workout.
Eating a high protein energy bar as a mid-morning meal after you had a morning workout is ideal for assisting a person to lose unwanted fat. A high intensity workout is one in which you have stressed your body for 60 minutes or more. For illustration purposes, I drink a protein shake one hour before my workout. I then perform a high intensity workout and have a high protein energy bar or another protein shake immediately after. I did this for a month and then measured my body fat percent. I lost 6 pounds and 1.3% body fat. That equated to over 4 pounds of fat!
Creatine is a good supplement for anyone trying to gain muscle mass. It should only be taken by individuals who are lifting very intensely. There are products out there that do not require loading. Loading is where you take a large quantity for a period of time and then reduce it to a smaller level. If you want to use creatine, stay away from the liquid kind. Creatine breaks down in water so if you have to mix it in water or take a liquid creatine, you are actually getting very little, if any benefit. Use capsules. If used properly, it can increase muscle size and endurance over the course of a few weeks. I used it during the month I mentioned above in order to minimize any muscle loss.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in plasma and skeletal muscle. Studies show that taking 5 to 12 grams of glutamine following rigorous exercise aids in the recovery from tissue damage. If you plan on an intense one hour or more workout lifting very heavy weights, this would be a good supplement to take. Otherwise, there will be little to no benefit to you.
If you are an endurance or strength/power performance athlete, use amino acids for increases in performance. This only benefits those who workout vigorously and eat a healthy diet.
Finally there is caffeine. There have been studies that show that caffeine can enhance performance. This supplement has been long debated but the evidence is very strongly in favor of being a safe performance enhancer. Unlike most of the other supplements, this one can benefit you performing only 30 minutes of exercise. Caffeine will prolong fatigue by up to 10%. The best part is that this supplement can increase fat oxidation and thermogenesis without adversely affecting fluid balance. There are tablets that can be taken but a black cup of coffee can have the same effect. Just do not put cream and sugar in it as this will add calories, fat, and carbohydrates.
Supplements are a great tool for weight management and for maintaining good health. But it is only a tool. Proper eating habits and regular exercise are still needed. Always get advice from professionals who are more familiar with supplementation. Express Train Fitness for Men can give you information and supply you with what you need. There are also many vitamin remedies for every day ailments which we can tell you about.
Monday, October 1, 2007
No More Excuses!
It is amazing the number of excuses that people can come up with when it comes to exercise and proper nutrition. Along these same lines, there are many excuses on why they are overweight or not very healthy. I have heard many people that are over overweight say that they are healthy or they are satisfied with the way they look. When I hear this I know they are lying. The worse part is that they are lying to themselves. Until they admit that they need to do something then they will not change. The sad part is that they will live a shorter and lower quality life then if they were to do something.
The number one excuse I hear all the time is that they do not have time. We all live busy lives. Modern conveniences have allowed us to do more. Here is a question I would like all people who use this excuse to think about. Don't you always find time to do things that are consider most valuable to you? Do you find time to watch sports or a favorite TV show? How about finding time to go out to eat, to the movies, to a play, to a party or to your children's events? Isn't your health just as important or even more important than most of these?
Work out facilities are now more accessible and convenient then ever before. Many people are trying to work out but stop after a short period of time. Find a gym that offers you support. Look for a staff that is friendly and out going. There are gyms out there that support their members and encourage the members to get to know each other. This way members support each other. Stop making excuses and find the right gym.
Express Train Fitness for Men offers this type of atmosphere for its members. We provide an efficient work out that can fit into any schedule. The 30 minute circuit offers both a cardio and strength workout. The staff is very friendly and will give advice on exercise progression and proper eating habits. There is also an additional in depth weight management program. New friendships have been developed in our facility because of the relaxed, casual atmosphere.
No more excuses! A program that can fit into any schedule, exercise and nutrition guidance, freindly staff and members, and a non-intimidating environment. What more can you ask for?
The number one excuse I hear all the time is that they do not have time. We all live busy lives. Modern conveniences have allowed us to do more. Here is a question I would like all people who use this excuse to think about. Don't you always find time to do things that are consider most valuable to you? Do you find time to watch sports or a favorite TV show? How about finding time to go out to eat, to the movies, to a play, to a party or to your children's events? Isn't your health just as important or even more important than most of these?
Work out facilities are now more accessible and convenient then ever before. Many people are trying to work out but stop after a short period of time. Find a gym that offers you support. Look for a staff that is friendly and out going. There are gyms out there that support their members and encourage the members to get to know each other. This way members support each other. Stop making excuses and find the right gym.
Express Train Fitness for Men offers this type of atmosphere for its members. We provide an efficient work out that can fit into any schedule. The 30 minute circuit offers both a cardio and strength workout. The staff is very friendly and will give advice on exercise progression and proper eating habits. There is also an additional in depth weight management program. New friendships have been developed in our facility because of the relaxed, casual atmosphere.
No more excuses! A program that can fit into any schedule, exercise and nutrition guidance, freindly staff and members, and a non-intimidating environment. What more can you ask for?
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