Training Challenges

Let me share something with you; lately I've been having difficulties completing my own workouts. I registered to run a half-marathon in June, but have stalled in my running because, frankly, it's hard, and I don't really like to run unless I'm already running. I mean, if I'm not 2 miles into a run, I really don't have any interest in running. Sort of problematic!

The other issue I'm facing now is that I am having difficulty with keeping my energy up in the gym. This really ticks me off, because exercise has been a cornerstone of my life since I was eleven years old. So it becomes a vicious cycle of going to the gym, throwing in a half-a**ed workout, and leaving felling unfulfilled and depressed, which saps my drive for the next workout.

There are days, though,that all the stars are aligned and I have a good session. Last Saturday's session included Chain flyes, Olympic deadlifts, chain pullups, heavy bag lunges, and some barbell push presses. I finished, felt great, and left the gym, then did nothing else all weekend. The rest of Saturday was great, emotionally, because I felt as if I was ready to get back on track, then I skipped my run Sunday, and, despite setting aside time today to train, I blew it off. Granted, I have time later today to do it, but emotionally, the drive just isn't there right now.

So, what do you do when you lose motivation? I'm open to suggestions!

What Ultimate Fighting Can Teach You About Setting Effective Goals

I was spending the evening with friends recently watching an episode of 'Ultimate Fighting.' At one point, someone mentioned that a fighter who had previously won the championship title had been beaten badly in his next fight. He'd won several fights in a row to get to the championship fight, won the title, then lost. Based on an interview we watched, it seemed that he had set his sights on the title, focused his energy on doing everything necessary to get there, but, once there, having achieved his goal, had little motivation for the title defense.

When a goal is being set, it has to be set with emotion and commitment. Emotion is important, because the goal needs to be anchored in something powerful. It's the difference in thinking, 'I want to lose 10 pounds before my reunion' and 'I want to lose 10 pounds before my reunion because I was teased about my weight when I was in school and being around those people will bring back those negative emotions of being ridiculed.' The key to finding the real emotion behind a decision is to keep asking 'why?' Eventually you'll come to a reason that has to do with avoiding some sort of physical or emotional pain.

A quick story - I had a client years ago who told me she wanted to lose weight. We worked for a few weeks, and, while she got stronger, she wasn't seeing the weight loss she wanted. She had however, just had her physical and had been pronounced in perfect health; blood pressure, heart rate, stress test and bloodwork were all excellent. I started asking some questions about her family and her health, and learned that her mother had always been on diets, with her weight always up and down. She then told me that 'all she'd ever wanted was to be healthy, without having to worry about constant fluctuations in her weight.' See where I'm going? She'd already achieved her true goal of being perfectly healthy! Changing her weight was actually something she did NOT want to do, even though she thought it was.

When you set a goal for yourself, I recommend three steps. First, ask yourself 'why?' until you get to an emotional, pain-avoiding reason for setting it. Second, write down the goal, and the date you'll achieve it by, and post it somewhere you'll see it daily. Third, tell people close to you about the goal you're working to achieve, so that you're accountable to others, as well as yourself.

Oh - in keeping with the topic, I have set a goal of running a half-marathon in June. It is something I have never done, and I'm starting the 12 week-training program 4 weeks late. But I'm telling you anyway! So ask me about it! Guilt me into running if you have to!

- A

Performance Nutrition for a Faster Metabolism and Better Fat Burning!

The Fire Within

Keys to creating a better metabolism.
-- Andrew Eaton, Personal Trainer, CSCS, RTS2

You’ve tried them all, right? All the popular diets – giving up this, only eating that, can’t eat after a certain time of day? Read this twice - because this is important - people do not fail the diets they try; diets fail the people who try them. Fad diets are filled with misinformation and quick-fix plans. You’ve been eating since you were born, and you’re going to eat ‘til the end, so forget the quick-fix; I’m going to give you the information that will help you take control.

Essentially, metabolism is about generating energy. A calorie is a measure of heat, and the metabolism is a measure of how quickly the body expends those calories over time. Building and maintaining an effective metabolism is very much like building and maintaining a fire. The quality of any fire is dependent on fuel; the better the fuel, the hotter and longer the fire will burn. In this case, the available fuels are carbohydrates and fats.

Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy for muscle and brain function, and are generally categorized into simple or complex. Examples of simple carbs include sweets and low-fiber, high-starch foods made with processed, or ‘enriched’, white flour, like white bread, most cold cereals, and white pastas. Complex carbohydrates include vegetables and whole-grain, high-fiber breads & cereals. Fruits fall somewhere in between, as they typically are high in fructose (fruit sugar) but also have some beneficial fiber.

Like carbohydrates, fats are also grouped in two general categories: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are to be avoided, as they have demonstrated a link to many health risks including heart disease and high cholesterol. Saturated fats also have a higher propensity to be stored as bodyfat. The rule of thumb when distinguishing a saturated fat from an unsaturated one is that the saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Hence, foods like butter, cheese, and animal fats all qualify. Unsaturated fats include those in vegetables (e.g. avocados), olive oil, nuts, and fish; all are rich in nutrients and are more readily used by the body as fuel.

Protein is not to be forgotten, but it should be noted that protein is not truly a fuel; it is a ‘building block’ composed of amino acids. These amino acids are used by the body primarily to build, repair, and maintain muscle tissue. Primary sources of protein are meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. While not readily useable as a fuel, they do play an important role in the metabolic process, which will be explained shortly.

Each time you consume food, the body must expend calories to digest it. The more complex the food, the more energy is required. Your body will burn about 5 calories for each 100 grams of fat you consume. You will expend approximately 10 calories for every 100 grams of carbohydrate you eat. Proteins are chains of amino acids, which require up to 20-30 calories per 100 grams to process. Here is the important part: fat contains 9 calories per gram, while carbs and proteins only contain 4 calories per gram. 100 grams of fat, therefore, has 900 calories, while 100 grams of carbs or protein only have 400 calories! Let’s say you’re eating 2400 calories a day. That’s 400 calories per meal. You could eat 266 grams of fat, or 600 grams of carbs and/or protein. Which would you rather be able to eat each day?

Key number 1: eating complex carbohydrates and lean proteins with each meal provides up to a 30% boost in your metabolism, and they have less than half the calories of fatty foods! The next time you have a choice between fast food and supportive nutrition, keep in mind that it will take twice as long to burn off twice as many calories.

Back to the analogy; when building a fire for heat and warmth, we usually opt for large logs, which will provide a long, slow burn. In the nutritional sense, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins are the logs. They’re filling, take a while for the body to digest, and are, therefore, good sources of energy. As high-fiber foods are the logs, sweets and sugary foods are a piece of newspaper. It provides great heat, or energy, for a very short duration, but then flames out to almost nothing. (How many times have you had a sweet snack in the middle of the afternoon, felt great for 20 minutes, and then felt exhausted? You know what happens next – you reach for another snack!) Reading into the analogy, when you eat high-fiber foods, it takes far less food (and, therefore, calories) to get the metabolism cooking. If simple sugars are a staple of your diet, it takes repeated servings to keep energy levels up…requiring more and more calories.

Key number 2! Snacking on complex carbohydrates – a.k.a. high-fiber foods - is an easy way to eat fewer calories and feel full without depriving yourself of food.

An unattended fire tends to go out. In order to keep the fire burning, it must be stoked at regular intervals. The body’s digestive cycle runs about 4 hours, so it is important to get more fuel in the system before the fire goes out. It is recommended that meals be consumed approximately every three hours to keep the metabolism running at its optimum level. The added benefit of such a schedule is that, like resistance training conditions the muscles, frequent feedings condition the metabolism to burn food efficiently.

Key number 3: eating smaller, more frequent meals provides metabolic boosts throughout the day, and conditions the metabolism to burn calories efficiently.

A word about choosing your foods: stoke the fire based upon the three hours following the meal. If you’re just starting your day, it is important to build a hot fire which will provide energy through the morning. Another way to say that is – you need to eat breakfast! Did you know that people who do not eat breakfast are 400% more likely to have issues with obesity? Complex carbohydrates provide a long-lasting, slow burning source of energy, and are ideal for breakfast, along with a serving of lean protein. In addition, feeding your body quality protein early in the day lets the body burn fat up to 7 times more efficiently! If you’re eating dinner, and you’re going to bed soon, it is not necessary to build a roaring fire. Protein and vegetables provide a nice combination of metabolic boost and few residual starchy calories.

Key number 4: eat breakfast, and plan meals to fuel you through the next three hours.

**A word about nutritional supplements. According to Annette Dickinson, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, “The regular use of multivitamins and a few other nutritional supplements can measurably improve the nutritional status and lifelong health of the American public.”

Key number 5: certain nutritional supplements can help you optimize your energy, physical performance, and overall health. To learn more about which nutritional supplements may help you look, feel, and perform better, ask your pharmacist or personal trainer, or visit my website at www.advocarenutrition.net.

In summary, you are not a slave to your metabolic rate; you have the ability to improve your metabolism. Your body can burn more calories, more efficiently, while providing enough energy to get you through anything you undertake. Better yet, by taking care of your metabolism, you will maximize both your potential and your results in the gym and in life, making your commitment and hard work worthwhile.

You have enough information to take control of your metabolism…stoke that fire and get burning!

Remember: People do not fail the diets they try. Diets fail the people who try them.