Fitter you

Avoid fat and sugar

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:43:00 +0000

This is something we all know but very few people do. For one thing, it's the fatty foods and sugary treats that are the best.
I'm not talking about all fat. Some fat is necessary and very healthy. It's the bad fat that's the problem. I could go into a full post on fat alone and I'll do one later. For now I'm sure everyone already knows what bad fatty food is.

A couple of things on fat and sugar.
All food is made up of calories and it's really not the type of food that will make you gain fat but the amount of calories you take in. Of course fatty or sugary foods are usually loaded with calories. So you're taking in calories with almost no nutritional value.
While it's calories that make you gain weight, certain foods will convert more easily to body fat.

Let's say that you have a limit of 2,000 calories a day and you eat a 50 gram chocolate with 260 calories then you've already taken in more than 10% of your calories from that little bit of food.

Now if you do eat a fatty or sugary food then just make sure that you cut your remaining calories for the day.

I have a massive sugar issue. I love the stuff. Especially chocolate. I can easily eat a chocolate slab 2 or 3 times a day. I learnt a couple of tips to sort out those cravings.

1) If I am going to eat chocolate then I will always eat an organic, dark chocolate with 70-80% cocoa. The reason is that these are the lowest in sugar and other rubbish. They're a bit expensive but well worth it and since it's pricey you'll have less.

2) Sniff vanilla essence. Okay, don't literally sniff the stuff just the fumes.
Get a bottle of vanilla essence and keep it with you. When you crave sugar take a nice deep sniff.
It effectively fools your brain into thinking it satisfied the craving.

Best cardio to lose fat

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:02:00 +0000

As I discussed before, your best form of exercise to lose fat is cardio. The problem is that running on a treadmill for 30 minutes is extremely boring. I personally hate it.

What if I told you that there was a way to burn more fat in 15 or 20 minutes. Yes, I know it sounds too good to be true but it really works.
I've been using this method with great success for years now.

I'm referring to a method called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). As the name suggest it is high intensity so it's not easier. Certainly static cardio is easier but it yields terrible results.
Now you might be thinking you're too unfit to do anything high intensity. What you have to understand is that this is based on your maximums and not someone else's. So you only go as hard as you can handle.

First let me explain the major benefit. When you do static cardio and run on a treadmill at the same pace for 30 minutes you will burn a set amount of calories. You climb off the machine and the fat burning stops right there.
With HIIT you burn calories for up to 24 hours after you get off the machine. That's how it burns more calories.
So you can see the benefit right there. Well that and the shorter time.

Another benefit is that it has less of a tendency to burn muscle than static cardio. So for guys trying to build a bit of lean muscle or even women who want to be toned this is the way to go.

Rather than explain it myself I will quote this article by Leigh Peele.
"*Note this is for the discussion of program for beginners. This is not involved in those who are further in training on a higher level, I am writing up more extensive material for this later on. I think that is where some confusion has come from*

This is still an ongoing problem. Now I don't like to stick my nose in other people threads but I have issue with the posts made here because what is being discussed is not real HIIT, is just interval training. You will not get the benefits of HIIT if you don't do it the right way. Does that mean there aren't benefits to interval training, no of course not. They just aren't the same thing, and the sooner you understand that the better. Truth is most people should not be doing true HIIT, they don't need it. For some women it may be the last thing they need to be doing.

Clearing Up HIIT: Guide to HIIT

This seems to be #1 in the misunderstood category right now so I am posting this sticky to clear things up on what exactly HIIT is but not getting to science heavy. Hopefully this should put some confusion to rest.

What is HIIT?

High Intensity Interval Training is a type of interval training that is broken up into 2 segments. An extreme high bout of intensity followed a low bout of intensity.

What are the Benefits?

-Increasing your VO2 Max oxygen intake (in short increasing lung capacity and use)
-Lowering resting heart rate
-Longer increase of metabolism over more extended periods of time
-High levels of energy used in a single training session
-Better protection of muscle tissue over standard aerobic practices

The list goes on.

How does it work?

When you are doing a session of HIIT correctly you start with warm up of at least 5 mins to get your body prepared for the extreme work it is about to undertake. I recommend not only warming up by walking, but prior doing some dynamic stretches to prepare your body for the impact especially if doing the training in walk/sprint intervals.

When the first interval kicks in you need to go at an ALL OUT SPRINT for 10-20 secs. Unless you are a highly trained athlete you will not (if doing it correctly) be able to do more than this, period. This isn't running, this is sprinting or better put running for your life as hard as you possibly can. I have seen people fall flat on there face before. You are working at a 85 to 90% . You cannot physically move and go much higher than this. I see a lot of people trying to time themselves or their heart rate during these sprints, it isn't possible. You can't do anything else other than pray and run for that 10-20 secs.

After that sprint you will then walk at a very light pace (you really have no choice but to) for 1 min or even a little longer depending on what you need for recovery time when you are beginning this type of training. After 1 min you will then do it again for 10-20 secs.
You will repeat this for a MAXIMUM of 15 mins. Most people however starting out will do this for about 10 tops.

After you are done with your interval sessions you will then cool down your body for 5 mins at a light walk pace.

Here is how a intro HIIT schedule breaks down

Warm up-Dynamic stretches (lunges, walking kicks, side bends, toe touches)
Warm up-5 mins walk to brisk walk
10-20 secs-Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs-Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs-Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs-Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs-Sprint
1 min walk
10-20 secs Sprint
1 min walk
5 min cool down
Post workout Static Stretches

How intense is this workout?

EXTREMELY intense. After a real HIIT session you will feel light headed, dizzy, you may even throw up, I know I have. This is not a normal aerobic session, infact this is about increasing anaerobic threshold, this is nothing like what most people have done before, even those who claim to do HIIT. This is about in a sense breaking your lungs down and building them back up. Recovering from this is hardcore.

What is the difference between interval training and HIIT?

Technically HIIT is interval training but at it's highest level. The average person looking to advance their fat loss can take advantage of interval aerobic training.

With interval aerobic training you work at a lesser intensity with the goal of burning up your glycogen stores quicker and getting to a state of fat burning for energy faster than you would with just steady state aerobic work. If you keep the intervals on a 2:1 ratio (run to walk) then you can maximize this to the fullest. This is a much safer and smarter alternative to HIIT.

Who can do HIIT training?

Not everyone can start out doing this kind of program. Not everyone period should be doing this program. This is again a very intense and extreme program. It may take you a very long time to get to HIIT, if ever.

What can I do if HIIT isn't for me?

You can do interval training at a moderate level or other style of cardio like Steady State. You do not have to do HIIT to lose fat, it is merely one option. You can also do interval training and throw in one or two sprint in your program and build up from there. Building up to this type of program isn't to difficult, it is much like weight training. You have to have bouts of increasing your intensity. If you are in a strong deficit you do not need to be exercising on this kind of aggressive level, it is just asking for metabolic trouble.

This sounds dangerous, is it safe?

If done properly and with the right conditioning yes it is very safe. I highly recommend though being cleared by your doctor before engaging in new exercise activity. That being said some recent studies have shown that extreme levels of high intensity training alone not just body fat% or deficit can cause disruption in a females menstrual cycle.

I have read about what HIIT is and this isn't it. Do you know what you are talking about?

Yes, but if you don't want to take my word for it you can read these studies and decide for yourself.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise - Abstract: Volume 28(10) October 1996 p 1327-1330 Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and [spacing dot above]VO2max.

Study

LAST MIN ADD ON Q & A.
Question: http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/2008/02/couple-of-studies.html
says that HIIT is so much better for fat loss%u2026 but I don't know if I agree. but if the study is indeed correct and controlled, I don't know how one could argue, what do you think?

Answer: The study has a few flaws so that has to be kind of ignored for a sec. Let's look at the real issues with fat loss and how interval training can play a role.

What do we need to decrease fat? An increase in caloric deficit and overall burn.
If eating a standard moderate or high carbohydrate diet it is going to on average with SS cardio going to take roughly 15-25 mins to deplete that glycogen.
With Interval style training, be it HIIT or High level intervals, you care going to burn up most of that glycogen putting your body in more of a state of fat burning, and burning up just a larger amount of calories
in general. If you follow up those intervals with a moderate bout of SS aerobic work in your "fat burning" HR zone, that is ultimately (thus far theoretically anyway) the best method of fat burning. Go hard, then go slow.

Higher overall calorie burn
Higher depletion of glycogen
Higher overall fat oxidation

This article was written in full by Leigh Peele NASM-CPT. You can find out more about Leigh Peele and her articles, products and services at http://www.fatlosstroubleshoot.com and http://www.metabolismfix.com/.
Also check out her website http://www.avidityfitness.net.

Not all exercise is equal

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:51:00 +0000

So in the last post I discussed how important exercise is. Not only in weight loss but for you general health.

Effectively, adding 5 minutes of exercise a day would be of benefit. I mean, you'd be that much better off than if you didn't do those 5 minutes. The problem is that those 5 minutes wouldn't be terribly effective.

Exercise is a really broad term. It really should be separated into 2 types of exercise. Cardiovascular exercise (aerobic) and resistance training (anaerobic).

Cardio:
Cardio is what you would do to exercise your heart and lungs. The fitter you are the more you'll be able to handle everyday physical demands. You'll also be able to climb a flight of stairs without feeling like you ran a marathon. It really has many benefits. Some others include increased immunity, blood pressure regulation, the list goes on.
Cardio is also what is most responsible for calorie burning. If you want to lose fat, this is the one to go for.

Resistance training:
Resistance training works to increase muscle strength and endurance by doing repetetive exercises with weights, weight machines, or something similar.
Resistance training has a ton of benefits.
To name a few-

Strengthens the muscular system
Strengthens the skeletal system
Improves bone density (decreases the chance of osteoporosis)
Increases metabolism
Improves posture
Limits atrophy of the muscles
Aids in hypertension control
Aids in cholesterol control
Aids in body fat control
Increases circulation
Aids in prevention of adult-onset diabetes
Improves mood and self-esteem
Improves quality of life
Aids in the prevention of heart disease and certain cancers

Earlier I mentioned how cardio is most responsible for fat loss. This is true to a great extent. Resistance exercise effectively increases your lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have the more calories you actually burn. So just sitting around will burn more calories.

Another benefit to fat loss is that doing cardio aloner will cut fat but you'll really just look like a thinner version of what you see now. Adding resistance will give you that muscle definition when you've lost that fat. You'll just look so much better.

Don't forget the exercise

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:54:00 +0000

To lose weight you merely need to use more calories than than you eat. It's really that simple.
So in reality if you just change your diet you will lose weight.

So why do I need to exercise you ask?

First and most important are the health benefits. So many health problems people suffer from can be solved or at least reduced by exercise. If there's a medical condition it's almost guaranteed that some form of exercise will help. People who exercise regularly also sleep better and cope with stress much more easily.
This is a subject that is just too long for this post.

What you're interested in is weight loss. Just changing your diet will burn calories but exercise will burn more calories from fat. Then of course you have to think about how you'll look when you've lost the fat. Do it with diet alone and you'll look good. Add exercise and you'll look great.

I'll go into exercise a bit more in detail next time.

Excellent health assesment site

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:13:00 +0000

I thought I'd pop in a quick post about a site I Stumbled.

healthstatus.com

It has a wealth of health calculators. If you want to estimate anything it's here.
I'm pretty impressed.

Take a look at it yourself.

Ask your doctor

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:43:00 +0000

In my last post I started talking about losing fat. As I said before there are no shortcuts so everything I'll tell you in the next few posts will be basic, common sense advice.
Start changing your lifestyle a little at a time and before you know it you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better.

Before you start a diet, an exercise routine or any major lifestyle change you really need to see a doctor. This is the most important and most overlooked point.
The first reason is that you really don't know what's going on in your body. A doctor will be able to tell you if there are any potential problems. Most of the time you'll find that they'll give you the green light. If you're very unfit or overweight they'll most likely warn you to start off very easy and work your way up. (A piece of advice that applies to anyone new to diet and exercise).
Even if you have some health issue like blood pressure problems or heart problems you will still be able to exercise or diet but the doctor will give you some guidelines specifically for your condition.

A doctor will also be able to help you establish a good baseline to work from. They will also give you some realistic goals. Most of the time people pick a random weight loss figure and an unrealistic time frame. Nothing derails progress like totally missing a goal.
You really can't know where you're going unless you know where you started. So without a basic, accurate measure of your body fat you can't know how much to lose.

Another very important bit of information to find out is how many calories a day you can safely eat to lose weight. As a basic indicator, you never want to eat less than 1200 calories a day.

Losing weight series - Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:16:00 +0000

One of the basic things I get asked all the time is how to lose weight. The reality is that no matter what people say or what you see on T.V. there is no shortcut.
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

The first thing I'd like to clear up is that losing weight and losing fat are two very different things. After all you can lose weight by losing muscle while doing nothing about your body fat.
What matters more? Weighing less or looking good.

The reality is that if you're overweight it may not be great for your self-esteem but it's really bad for your health. I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know.
Now if someone is overweight and truly happy with the way they look then that's not a bad thing. Although, if they were being very honest you'll find that they aren't all that happy.

The problem is that it's no good feeling good about how you look while your health is suffering. I'm not going to go into a long rant on the health issues with being overweight because you've heard it all before.

In the next few posts I'll go through the basics of losing weight.

A place to start

noreply@blogger.com (Unicorn Tears) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Welcome to my blog. If you're reading this then welcome to my first post.

The first thing I'd like to cover here is that I don't know everything about health and fitness.
Like everyone I'm still learning. I'm also not a health professional.
Everything you'll read on this blog is what I've learnt and discovered over the past 12 years or so.

I'll do my best to find useful information that you can use to help you become healthier and fitter. I've spent the last few years helping family and friends with their fitness related questions. If it's got anything to do with exercise, diet, vitamins or anything else I've probably covered it.

I hope that you'll find this to be a wealth of simple, useful information to improve your life.