8.31.2010
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10.27.2009
It Takes 3
I know many of us have heard this before, but I am going to reiterate it now. There is no secret equation to weight loss and/or maintaining a healthy body. There are 3 components, and all 3 must be met. I am going to address all 3, and they are in no particular order, as all are equally important.
The first component is strength training:(2-4x/week) When you work with weights/bands/your own body weight, you are essentially breaking down the muscle in order for it to build itelf up again healthier and stronger. In order for this muscle to sustain itself, it requires more energy than fat does. Therefore, it uses more calories and will break down fat to get what it needs. This is how your metabolism increases. Hence, more calories being burned throughout the day. Cardio work, however, only burns calories while you are working.
Which brings me to component #2: Cardiovascular exercise:(3-6x/week)We all need this "cardio" work in order to work the heart and lungs and pump oxygen throughout the entire body. This is essential for keeping fit. The body works more efficiently when it has oxygen being forced throughout, which is exactly what we do when we are working hard, breathing hard, and getting that heart pumping. And in order to get these efficient workouts, there must be a base of energy, which is created through our diet.
Which of course, brings me to the last, but certainly not least, component: Nutrition(24/7). Food is our body's fuel. When we ingest the right types of food, our bodies recognize the product, break it down, and extract all the nutrients and energy it needs. You will feel better when you eat better. I am not going to go into detail, but to sum it up: Eat real food. No artificial anything! There are plenty of indulgent, satisfying, healthy foods that even if they are high calorie, your body will still recognize and use them for energy. If you are enjoying a cookie, just make sure it has all real ingredients-butter, sugar, eggs, etc. These are the things that your body recognizes and knows what to do with. And as long as you are fulfilling the first 2 components of this blog, that occasional cookie will be used, rather than stored as fat.
It takes 3!
-J
The first component is strength training:(2-4x/week) When you work with weights/bands/your own body weight, you are essentially breaking down the muscle in order for it to build itelf up again healthier and stronger. In order for this muscle to sustain itself, it requires more energy than fat does. Therefore, it uses more calories and will break down fat to get what it needs. This is how your metabolism increases. Hence, more calories being burned throughout the day. Cardio work, however, only burns calories while you are working.
Which brings me to component #2: Cardiovascular exercise:(3-6x/week)We all need this "cardio" work in order to work the heart and lungs and pump oxygen throughout the entire body. This is essential for keeping fit. The body works more efficiently when it has oxygen being forced throughout, which is exactly what we do when we are working hard, breathing hard, and getting that heart pumping. And in order to get these efficient workouts, there must be a base of energy, which is created through our diet.
Which of course, brings me to the last, but certainly not least, component: Nutrition(24/7). Food is our body's fuel. When we ingest the right types of food, our bodies recognize the product, break it down, and extract all the nutrients and energy it needs. You will feel better when you eat better. I am not going to go into detail, but to sum it up: Eat real food. No artificial anything! There are plenty of indulgent, satisfying, healthy foods that even if they are high calorie, your body will still recognize and use them for energy. If you are enjoying a cookie, just make sure it has all real ingredients-butter, sugar, eggs, etc. These are the things that your body recognizes and knows what to do with. And as long as you are fulfilling the first 2 components of this blog, that occasional cookie will be used, rather than stored as fat.
It takes 3!
-J
