Stop Wasting your time! Make your workouts count!

Want to really change your body and save your time?  Rethink your entire workout!  Gone are the days of the "fat burning zone" and maintaining it for 50-60 minutes.  And gone are the days of doing a set of strength exercises and then resting for several minutes and doing another set.  STOP WASTING YOUR TIME!

During a steady-state aerobic workout (meaning you move at the same pace for period of time), your body will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat.  This is where the "myth" comes into play.  There are several problems with this picture.  

First- you are burning a higher percentage of a smaller amount of calories.  Then your body will adapt quickly and you will burn fewer total calories. 

Secondly- the body actually becomes a more efficient "fat storing" machine.  Think of it as a fuel efficient car.  As your body becomes more efficient, you will burn less fat.  This is not the situation we are looking for.  Imagine the body of a marathon runner (endurance athlete) and then a sprinter (track and field athlete).  The sprinter is very lean with sculpted muscles and very little body fat.

When doing strength training, focusing on the old body building format is also very inefficient.  You are working one muscle group at a time and resting in between.  It is a time waste and not effective for burning fat and calories.  

I have found that using a total body resistance training program with shorter rest periods along with two or three cardio interval training sessions a week is most effective to lose body fat.  

Ally’s story!  For years I ran, at least five times a week for at least 50 minutes.  For those of you who know me, I do not have a runner’s body.  I am very short, with short legs and very muscular.  So running did not come easy but I grew to love it and believed it was the best way for me to burn fat.  I also believed if I did not have at least 50 minutes to exercise, it was a waste of my time.  

After years of this type of training, I developed plantar fasciitis.  Plantar fasciitis is the thickening and inflation of the tissue on the bottom of the foot.  It is extremely painful.  I had to completely quit running.  I was wondering what I was going to do and was very concerned that I would gain weight.  I did research and found some circuit training weight workouts I could do at home.  At that time, I could do NO cardio at all because I did not have a bike and I could not walk or run at all.   I could not even walk my dog (he was very sad).   

The research stated that the total body workouts would put more load on the muscles that the traditional upper body, lower body split because you work the entire body three days per week.  This type of training was also showing signs of burning more fat and elevating resting metabolism for days after the workout.

After one month of working out with weights three times a week, doing total body workouts for about 45 minutes each time, I actually dropped a pant size.  I was spending 3 hours less per week exercising and getting much better results-- I was so excited!  I began doing research and learned that metabolic resistance training and/or cardio interval training increases your metabolism for 24 to 72 hours after the actual workout.  

If your goal is to look good, be fit, and not spend your life exercising, be sure to do total body resistance workouts at least three days a week and get a couple of interval  training cardio sessions in.  Free up your time and slim up your body!!!

Tips to make the most of you cardio session and burn more FAT - and spend less time doing it!

1. Keep it short but intense.  If you can maintain the pace for more than 30 minutes, you are not working intensely enough.  In the past we all believed longer was better when it came to burning fat.  New research debunks that (thank goodness!) 
2.  Show up, train hard and get on with your day! If you are reading a book while doing cardio, you probably aren’t working hard enough.  After a warm up, perform cardio at a pace you can maintain for only 1 to 2 minutes, and then recover at an easier pace for the same amount of time.  Repeat this for a total of 20 to 30 minutes before cooling down. 
3. Mix it up. Cardio usually has us moving forward – try some side shuffles, skaters or side lunges to get into a different plan. 
4.  Choose multiple modes. Running or biking only can lead to overuse injuries.  By changing up the modes, you keep it fun and minimize the risk of injury.\
5.  Think long term and big picture – it isn’t the number of calories burned during the session, but the AFTER BURN – the EPOC – that makes the difference.  Short intense cardio sessions increase the calories burned for 24 to 48 hours after the session. 

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The Low Down on FAT!

Low down on FAT When people tell me they want to lose weight, they are really talking about losing fat, getting lean, getting rid of the muffin top, back into the skinny jeans or bathing suits.  So what is a healthy amount of body fat?  Guidelines are between 8 and 18% for men and between 20 to 25% for women.  Maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is important for health.  Maintaining muscle mass, or adding lean muscle mass will help you burn more fat.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even at rest.  Strength training is your magic bullet when you are trying to lose fat - so get the resistance training going, either with weights or body weight.   This is important for maintain a healthy weight and body fat level. The low down on low fat - You get body fat from stored calories.  Fat in the diet, especially the good fat, has a place in your diet.  Beer bellies come from beer - and there is no fat in beer.  The "fat free" diet foods have added sugars and other chemicals and actually are much worse for you and your fitness goals than eating real food with healthy fat.  Healthy fat comes from fish, nuts, and avocados.  These foods are staples of a healthy diet. Cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the number one killer of Americans - more than all cancers combined.  By choosing the right fats we can slash the risk of CV disease.

The GOOD Good fats provide improved neurologic and mental health, protect from some cancers and diseases, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, improve blood fat profile, create a more efficient metabolism and decrease inflammation. GOOD FAT #1 - Monounsaturated fats are plant-based fats that remain liquid at room temperature.  Sources are olive oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.  The benefits of monounsaturated fats are improved health of your arteries, a boost to your metabolism, and protect against insulin resistance (an early precursor to diabetes). TIP - Consuming a small handful of nuts on 5 or more days per week can reduce the risk of death from CV disease by 30 - 50%, while prescription drugs only provide a 25 - 30% reduction.  The same serving of nuts will also reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 27%.  Pistachios are included in the healthy nut list - and also provide an excellent source of powerful antioxidants. GOOD FAT #2 - Omega-3 Fats - these are the heart health superstars!  Benefits include: ·         Reduced progression of atherosclerotic plaque ·         Reduced risk of arrhythmia and sudden death ·         Lowered triglycerides levels ·         Reduced blood clotting tendency ·         Lowered blood pressure ·         Enhanced arterial health ·         Reduced arterial inflammation All of this with no side effects. Where to get these foods: ·         Oily fish - salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, herring and lake trout ·         Walnuts ·         Wheat germ ·         Small leafy greens ·         Whole soy foods ·         Omega-3 fortified eggs ·         Canola oil ·         Flax seeds ·         Oysters BAD FATs -  Bad fats are the saturated fats - or the four legged -as I like to call it.  They come from the four legged animals - cows, pigs, etc.  Along with clogging arteries, these fats impair the function of the HDL cholesterol particles (good cholesterol).   Limit these to 2 times per week. DEADLY FATs - are the Trans fats!  Stay away from these as much as possible.  Trans fats provide a quadruple insult to your arteries, clogging them more readily than any other ingredient ever identified in our food supply.  They lower your HDL (good) cholesterol, elevate triglycerides and directly incite arterial inflammation. In a Harvard-based Nurses' Health Study, subjects who substituted a mere 2% of their daily calories from trans fats with a healthier form of fat, diminished their risk of cardiovascular disease by 53%.  Trans fats are also linked to Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance is the metabolic precursor to both metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, which are both major contributors in the obesity epidemic.   Trans fats are found in three basic food categories: ·         Processed foods made with partially hydrogenated oils ·         Stick margarine ·         Shortening You must read labels to find these because food manufacturers are able to claim their food is trans fat free if it contains a small level.  Read labels and avoid anything with "hydrogenated" in the label.

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Too Busy to Exercise this Holiday Season! Quick Workout Tips for You!

It is entirely possible to burn tons of fat with a short, 15 minute workout.  Today we are giving you ideas for a workout to do when you are too busy for your regular workout schedule.

15 Minute Workout Options:

Option A

This workout uses the 4 minute tabata protocol (20 seconds or work as fast and as hard as you can go with a 10 second rest – repeated 8 times).

Be sure to warm up with a walk, step touches or cardio machine first then perform the following:

1 - jump rope or jump squats or sprint runs outdoors

2 - push ups alternated with burpees

3 - Alternate these exercises doing the first set for the first four minutes, the second set for the second 4 minutes and the final set for the last four minutes.


Option B
Warm up as above.

Perform 8 - 10 reps of each exercise in the circuit below going from one to the next without rest and repeat as many times as possible in 10 minutes. No breaks and move quickly but with excellent technique.

alternating jump squats or jump lunges
+
push ups or inverted bodyweight rows
+
core pushups or floppy burpee
*all exercises featured in the warrior workout video below

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The Low Down on Winter Weight Gain!

Most people are less active when it’s cold outside. Even though they continue to workout at the gym, recreational activity declines when the weather worsens.

Then ENTER THE HOLIDAYS!  Most people think of  two food-oriented holidays, but they forget about Halloween!  Halloween candy sitting on every desk and counter is beginning of what I call the “The Eating Season”.  The constant access to chocolate and candy corns makes it hard to resist and then the sugar cravings get out of control!

An additional factor leading to winter weight gain is lack of exposure to sunlight.  This can lower the levels of melatonin and serotonin, a neurotransmitter that’s linked with mood. So to make up for the low serotonin and improve your mood, you grab the sweets and high-carb foods with lots of calories and little nutritional value.

WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO?

Ø  Get outdoors and walk at least a couple of days / week – even when the weather is bad.   This will help you feel better and keep the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) at bay.

Ø  Keep active – try to exercise every other day.  If you are really busy and cannot get a full workout in, crank up the intensity and make it count!  Even 20 minutes of high intensity exercise is well worth the time!

Ø  Make sure you strength train.  Cardio exercise, especially long duration medium intensity only burn calories while you are doing it.  Strength / resistance training and high intensity cardio burn more calories for up to 72 hours after the activity.

Ø  More reasons to strength train – the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate is.  As we age, we lose muscle mass which then lowers are metabolism and leads to age related weight gain.  Prevent this from happening – keep and build your muscles.  Your bones will thank you also.

Ø  If you are struggling with time to fit your exercise in over these hectic holidays, try one of these ideas to keep with it.  1 – reduce the duration of your work out - but really boost the intensity!  Working out harder can burn the same amount of c calories in less time. 2 – break it up into two or three sessions throughout the day.  Get a 10 minute walk or jog before work, 10 at lunch and 10 when you get home. Don’t let anything derail you from getting activity in.  It is the best way to keep the unwanted pounds away!

Ø  High intensity does not mean high impact.  Adding incline to the treadmill or elliptical or resistance to the bike does the job.  Find a neighborhood with hills and repeat them.

Ø  Enjoy the Day, the Family and the MEAL – then be done.  Move on.  The following day make sure you exercise to burn extra calories, drink plenty of water to avoid bloat, and eat clean – focus on lean proteins and fruits and vegetables.  AVOID PROCESSED FOODS.

Ø  GET YOUR SNACKS IN - Eat frequently to prevent hunger and over eating.

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The best Exercise to Burn Belly Fat – Body Fat

Strength training, which involves using your body weight, weights, bands, kettlebells, or tubing challenge your body to work harder than it does in everyday life.  Endurance activities like running and biking also challenge your body.  The difference is how long and how much these activities boost your metabolism.  This is biggest factor in impacting your overall ability to lose body fat and/or decrease your weight.


What are the components of metabolism?
1 - Resting metabolic rate, or RMR. This is the energy or calories needed to keep us living and breathing. Your RMR makes up about 60 to 80 percent of our total metabolic rate.
2 - Thermic Effect of Activity, or TEA. The more active you are, the more your total metabolic rate will be increased. TEA includes all activity from mowing your lawn, playing sports, attending exercise classes, etc.  TEA includes all activities that we engage in every day to live our lives, not just structured exercise.
3 - Thermic Effect of Feeding, or TEF. This is the amount of energy expended to eat and digest 
food and convert nutrients to energy.


Metabolism is known as Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) = RMR + TEA + TEF.  Each component is different for each person, resulting in unique metabolic rates.


Why is Strength Training so Important for losing body fat and weight?


Strength training increases the  TEE by elevating the amount of calories expended in activity (TEA). The harder you strength train, the greater the amount of calories you burn through exercise.


Strength training also increases the amount of calories expended in your RMR by increasing the amount of lean muscle mass you carry.  The more lean muscle mass you have, the  more energy is required to maintain it.  Both strength training and endurance exercise will increase your energy expenditure at the time of activity and for a few hours after.


Strength training is unique in that if the energy expended afterwards, known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) can be elevated for 24-36 hours. Some people call this the “Afterburn” effect of serious strength training or metabolic training.


Strength training will boost your metabolism, but it has to be more challenging than activities you do every day. You can’t expect 3lb dumbbells to make much difference to your metabolic rate ( and I know most of you have pocketbooks that weight more than that!)


Strength training requires “strength” and requires a challenge to build muscle, lose fat, and look better in your clothes.  That is what we are looking for, right?

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Blast the Fat Friday!

Fat loss is a process that takes time, patience, persistence and effort.  That being said, it doesn't mean you have to spend hours in the gym doing cardio.  Remember high intensity workouts will get you faster results!

Try this for a great total body fat blaster!

TRX row or lat pull down
Stability ball push up (legs on ball or hands on ball)
Dumbbell squat with overhead press
Stability ball hamstring curls
Floor Push ups (any version that works for you)
one leg squats
standing mountain climbers
10-12 reps each exercise - repeat circuit 1 to 2 times

1 minute water break

4 min. Tabata HIIT circuit
Skaters (lateral leaps) 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
squat jumps - 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
Burpees with med ball or BOSU 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
Jump rope or step ups 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
Plyo jacks 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
Jumping jacks 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
Skaters (lateral leaps) 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest
Step ups 20 sec. work 10 sec. rest

Finish this up with stretching and a plank!  Eat a healthy post workout meal and feel good that you have gotten this done for the day!

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