part deux--you are what you eat. kind of.

before we get down to the neety greety (think nacho libre accent there..i know it's a stretch, but work with me, people), i just wanted to share the little ray of sunshine in my day. these bad boys came today, so i HAD to wear them. anybody who knows me knows of my obsession with nike shoes. well, i am my own enabler, and i had to have these. so i wore them to group x tonight (for anyone interested, here's a shameless plug--i teach group exercises classes 3 times a week for $35/week. let me know if you're interested! first class is free :) free is good!) and seriously, i never want to wear another shoe again.

alright, here we go. i'm breaking this up into two sections, for ease of future reference's sake...before i do that, i want to reiterate what everyone probably already knows--applying only one of these two components won't get you the results you are looking for. being fit and healthy requires eating healthy in addition to exercising frequently. enjoy!

diet

let me warn you--my nutrition schedule for training seems ridiculous at first glance, but let me explain. since my main goal is to decrease body fat percentage, it makes sense that to accomplish this goal, my energy expenditure (calories spent) must be higher than my energy intake (calories consumed). the goal is to work up to a certain amount of calories to meet my protein and energy requirements, but starting out at such a high number is counterproductive. the way this meal plan is set up is fairly flexible--if my metabolism speeds up very quickly, we will up my calorie intake, but for the first week, my calorie intake will be relatively low to help me accelerate my body fat decrease. NOTE: this is no way means that i am starving myself. i want to make something very clear here. starving yourself to 'get skinny' is completely counterproductive. when you starve yourself and don't eat consistently, your body goes into survival mode and starts using protein as energy, which essentially breaks down your muscles to use as fuel. since nobody wants that, the best way to decrease body fat while still increasing lean muscle mass is to eat slightly fewer calories, but to eat more consistently throughout the day. this is helpful/effective for a few reasons: 1) eating 5-6 small meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day keeps your metabolism at a steady state, and avoids spiking very high or very low, which in turn makes it speed up, allowing you to use more stored fat as energy. 2) insulin levels stay consistent. this is VERY important for people whose family has a history of diabetes--when you don't eat consistently and then eat a large amount of food, your blood stream is flooded with glucose, so insulin production goes into hyperdrive (which is bad). eating consistently and in smaller sizes means there is a continuous stream of insulin in the blood, and your blood glucose remains constant. 3) eating smaller meals throughout the day keeps you satisfied and helps you avoid snacking on things that aren't as healthy just to "tide you over".

my meal plan (again, just for the first week or so) contains approximately 1500 calories/day, and that's split into 3 meals with snacks in between so I'm essentially eating every 2-3 hours. since my goal is to increase lean body mass, my diet is going to be high in protein (but very lean protein sources, like chicken, turkey, or fish), but will also have vegetables and fruit. since most americans consume WAY more sodium (salt) than is recommended, i'm also cutting out added salt in any meals. i'm also trying to eliminate any saturated fats or processed foods. so there you go, my diet in a nutshell.

i would like to take a second and address fad diets like the atkins diet etc. diets that tell you that you can only eat protein, or vegetables, or diet shakes, or whatever are nutritionally unsound.  basic nutrition is balancing the main macronutrients: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.  cutting any one of those out in favor of overloading another makes you miss out on key components that help your body function optimally.

just to review the key points:
-starving yourself is NOT a healthy or effective way to reach fitness goals
-eat 5-6 small meals during the day, every 2-3 hours
-steer clear of diets that focus solely on one macronutrient, or forbids another.


exercise

this category will take waaaaaay more than just one blog post, but i'm going to try to hit the major points. first, i'm going to rant for a second. to be fit and healthy, you are in NO way required to be at the gym for 2, 3, or 4 hours. scientifically and physiologically speaking, most exercising over one hour is basically ineffective.  the hour mark is basically when your muscles reach their peak of exhaustion, and anything after that is 'beating a dead horse'--it's not going to help you any more. so hopefully that gives everyone a lot better feeling about going to the gym. alright, so there are a billion and one different types of exercises, classes, yogalates, pilates, jazzercise, boxing, .... what have you out there. i personally believe that there is not only one effective way of exercising. it's all about figuring out what you enjoy doing and balancing that with workouts that are going to push you and fatigue your muscles.

my personal exercise regimen specific to my goals breaks the week down into parts of my body--monday is biceps/triceps, tuesday legs and core, etc. my trainer/boss (whose name is Jerry Shannon for anybody interested--look him up, the guy knows his stuff!) customized this plan for me and my goals, so it will work best for me. i do also enjoy just going out for a run or hitting up a pilates class every now and then. again, it's all about finding out what works best for you, and sticking with it.

if you have specific questions, comments, or tips, please feel free to leave me a message here or on facebook. i'd love to help!