Fitness and Nutrition Information

Benefits and Risks of Exercise and Youth

2012-10-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

Historically, obesity mainly affected adults, but in the past two decades this has changed. 15-25 percent of children and adolescents in America are now obese. Children are not miniature adults, they have immature skeletons. So they cannot use the same training methods as adults do. They are more prone to growth related overuse injuries. Children and adolescents that participate in exercises can increase flexibility, strength, endurance, power out put and weight control. There are many benefits to exercise for children when proper training methods and guidelines are used. As stated earlier, children are more susceptible to injury, as their muscular systems are undeveloped. Training methods that are used for adults could spell disaster for young children. When training children warm up and stretching must be preformed to help prevent injury. Routines should focus on the basics. Such as proper body alignment, heart rate monitoring, benefit of warming up, ect. Those 5-12 years old should never perform high resistance exercises or use heavy weights. 10-15 repetitions should always be used. Weight training is safe for youth when properly supervised and when proper guidelines are followed for their age range. Fitness should be taught to our youth so they can maintain active lifestyles. Information or content should not be acted upon without first seeking appropriate professional advice.

Popular Fat Loss Programs

2012-10-09T09:44:00.002-07:00

I will be comparing three popular fat loss programs, Atkin’s Diet, Fit for Life Diet and Weight Watchers.
Let’s look into the Atkins Diet first. The Atkin’s Diet is a low carbohydrate diet that has four phases. Each phase you add a little more grams of carbohydrates to your diet. By the time you hit the last phase which is phase four you are only consuming 70 plus grams of carbohydrates. When your body is this low in carbohydrates it starts using fat as its primary source of energy instead of carbohydrates and if your carbohydrates stay to low for to long your body will take the energy it needs not only from your fat but your muscles as well. You will lose weight with this diet but the bad out weighs the good. We need carbohydrates for our, brain, heart, muscles and other vital organs. Our body’s uses carbohydrates as the primary source of energy, you will be tired grumpy and in my case when I tried this a long time ago craving sweet foods. This diet could not support intense training because of the low carbohydrates. A healthy diet would be one that has the proper blend of protein, fats and carbohydrates for the individual.

Now let’s look at The Fit for Life Diet. This diet states that weight is gained by eating protein rich foods at the same time you eat foods that are rich in carbohydrates. It argues that the enzymes that breakdown protein interfere with the enzymes that breakdown carbohydrates, and therefore should not be eaten together. With these low protein diets you will experience muscle soreness and fatigue. Our body is replacing old cells everyday. Every six weeks the cells in our liver are replaced. Each month our body produces a full set of new skin and so many other important functions take place. All of the cells that our body replaces come from the protein we consume each day. So this low protein diet is not recommended period.

The final fat loss program is the Weight Watchers program. Here is the scientific approach to weight watchers, this information was taken from their website, http://www.weightwatchers.com There are four principles from which Weight Watchers will not waiver. First, any approach developed by Weight Watchers must provide healthy weight loss, which means: Produce a rate of weight loss of up to two pounds per week (after the first 3 weeks, during which losses may be greater due to water loss). Guide food choices that not only reduce calories, but meet current scientific recommendations for nutritional completeness and reduced disease risk. Construct an activity plan that provides the full range of weight- and health-related benefits that exercise offers. Be sustainable. Healthy weight loss is weight loss that lasts, so it is necessary to look beyond losing the excess weight and address keeping it off. This program is not a low carb, low fat or low protein diet. From the information I have gathered on this program, I believe it offers a healthy routine of eating and can stand up to intense training. This program takes into account a food's protein, carbs, fat, and fiber.

Truths and Myths of Aerobic Training

2012-10-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

Is aerobic training the only way to burn fat? The answer is no. Many popular magazines have put out lots of myths, misconceptions and untruths that can lead you to unhealthy practices or unrealistic expectations. Saying that aerobic training is the only way to burn fat is one of these myths. Some experts agree that aerobic training places demands on the oxygen using pathways, more oxygen you use the more fat your body uses as energy. This is somewhat true. Doing intense aerobic exercise can burn a considerable amount of calories but this is not the only way to burn fat nor is it the best way. Keep in mind that the lower your lean body mass is, the lower your resting metabolic rate will be. Research shows that combining an aerobic exercise program with a calorically restricted diet does little to help you preserve lean body mass during weight reduction efforts. As a result of this it is likely that you will regain any of the weight loss that you may have achieved. A sound exercise program for weight loss would be one that combines aerobic conditioning and strength training. This will help you to burn a large number of calories while preserving or increasing your lean body mass. The most effective way to change your body composition is,
One, have good eating habits.The right combination of lean proteins, carbs and healthy fats
Two, a sound exercise program that combines both aerobic and strength training.

Muscle Fiber Types and How to Train Them

2012-10-09T09:40:00.001-07:00

Within skeletal muscle there are three types of fiber: Type I that are slow twitch, and Type IIa and Type IIb, which are fast twitch.
Type I muscle fibers have the highest oxidative (aerobic) capacity and the lowest glycolytic (anaerobic) capacity. They contract slowly and are able to keep a steady pace for long periods of time without fatigue. Type I muscle fibers are mainly used in endurance activities such as long distance runners or cyclists. Individuals that participate in such activities usually have an ectomorphic or slim, linear body type.
For a marathon runner to perform better he would need to focus on his linear strength endurance by strengthening his Type I muscle fibers. As for as weight training do twelve or more repetitions with two to three working sets. I would not use weight training but maybe twice a week if training for a marathon. I would focus more on getting better at the sport I am participating in, in this case long distance running.
Type IIa muscle fibers are fast twitch or intermediate fibers. They are larger and much stronger than type I fibers. They are more prone to fatigue than type I fibers but can produce high force output for long periods of time. They also have a high capacity for glycoltic activity. Those having mainly type IIa fibers would have a mesomorphic or muscular body type.

Bodybuilders would be a good example of someone with mostly type IIa fibers. One way for bodybuilders to increase their muscle mass is with resistance training. 75% of their 1RM doing 6 to 12 repetitions for 3 to 6 working sets with one minute rest periods. Doing high intensity training such as this will a also increase growth hormone levels.

Type IIb muscle fibers have almost no resistance to fatigue or injury but are extremely strong. They are ideally suited for short fast bursts of power. Those who perform in activities that require maximal and near-maximal lifts and short sprints would be using mainly type IIb fibers and would most likely have a mesomorphic body type. For someone who wants to increase their 1RM they would need to train with heavy weight. 1 to 4 repetitions and 3 to 5 working sets.

The Correct Way to Lose Weight

2012-10-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

Many people go about losing weight the wrong way. Some people try to starve themselves with super low calorie diets, while others will go on some low carb or low fat diet. These diets can leave you in a bad state of health, with a damaged metabolism. A healthy diet would be one that has the proper blend of protein, fats and carbohydrates for the individual.

There are three main ways your body loses weight. 1. Water or dehydration 2. Lean weight loss which is muscle loss and 3. Fat loss. The water and muscle is something you don't want to loss. The more muscle you lose the lower your BMR (basal metabolic rate) will be. Your BMR is how many calories your body uses a day at rest. On my last post I showed you how to calculate your BMR and how to add in your activity level. That's the first thing you will need to know.
Once you know your daily calorie intake, you now can split your calories up into proper proportions of macronutrients. Macronutrients meaning proteins, carbs and fats. A good place to start would be a 1-2-3 ratio. One part fats, two parts protein and three parts carbs. That equals six parts. So take your daily calorie intake (DCI) and divide it by six. For example let’s say our DCI is 3000 calories a day. 3000/6=500. So each part will be 500 calories. So that would mean 500 calories from fats, 1000 calories from protein and 1500 calories from carbs. There are 9 calories in one gram of fat, 4 calories in one gram of protein and 4 calories in one gram of carbohydrates. (1g fat = 9 cal) (1g protein = 4 cal) (1g carbs = 4 cal). So if we do the math it would be 500/9=55.5g of fat a day, 250g of protein and 375g of carbs a day. This is just a good starting place. If you are doing a lot of high intense training you could go with a 1-2-4 ratio. As you go you can find the ratio that works best for your body, but I wouldn't suggest ever going below 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Every cell in our body's are constantly being recycled. Our new cells come from the protein we consume each day.
Now how do we use this information to lose weight? The answer is by zig zaging your calories to build muscle while you lose fat! Remember the more muscle you have the more calories your body will use each day! For 4 or 5 days each week reduce you caloric intake by two calories per pound of lean body weight. These days should be your light training days or rest days. On the remaining 2 to 3 days increase your caloric intake by 2 calories per pound of lean body weight. These should be your heavy or intense training days.
Healthy fat loss is done at a slow rate. This is one of the most effective ways to lose weight and increase muscle mass.

　

How to Calculate Your BMR

2012-10-08T10:44:00.001-07:00

You will need to know two things, your weight and body fat percentage. You can use a set of calipers to find your body fat percentage. You can get them from a GNC store or order them online, they are not that expensive. For our example we will use a 200 pound man with 15% body fat. You will need to convert your weight into kilograms.To do this you divide your weight by 2.2.

200/2.2= 90.9 kg

Now for men you will multiply 1.0 x bodyweight(kg) x 24
For women you will multiply 0.9 x bodyweight(kg) x 24

1.0 x 90.9 x 24 = 2182

           Lean factor        Bodyfat%        Multiplier
M          1                      10 to 14              1.0
E           2                      15 to 20               .95
N           3                      21 to 28               .90
              4                      Over 28               .85
________________________________________

W          1                     14 to 18              1.0
O           2                     19 to 28              .95
M          3                     29 to 38              .90
E           4                     Over 38             .85
N

Now multiply your answer by the multiplier from the chart.

2182 x .95 = 2073     BMR = 2073

Your BMR tells you how many calories your body burns a day at rest.
To find out how many calories your body burns through out the day you will have to add in your activity level.

1.30 = Very Light Sitting, studying, talking, little walking or other activities through out the day

1.55 = Light Typing, teaching, lab/shop work, some walking throughout the day

1.65 = Moderate, Walking, jogging, gardening type job with activities such as cycling, tennis, dancing, skiing or weight training 1-2 hours per day

1.80 = Heavy Heavy manual labor such as digging, tree felling, climbing, with activities such as football, soccer or body building 2 to 4 hours per day

2.00 = Very Heavy, A combination of moderate and heavy activity 8 or more hours per day, plus 2-4 hours of intense training per day

For our 200 pound man we will use Moderate.

2073 x 1.65 = 3420

Total calorie use in a day 3420

Charts were used from the ISSA's Certified Fitness Trainer Course