When Fitness is a Lifestyle

I have been helping people get into the best shape of their life for almost five years now.  In that time, I have seen thousands of people.  Most everyone initially wants to lose weight, but what you weigh (Body Composition) is just part of the whole picture of fitness.  Let me explain - there are five components of fitness:

1. Body Composition - the percentage of fat and muscle that you carry.

2. Cardiovascular Fitness - how efficient your heart is able to deliver oxygen.

3. Muscular Strength - how much weight can be lifted at one time.

4. Muscular Endurance - how many times the weight can be lifted.

5. Flexibility - the range of motion around a particular joint.

To improve cardiovascular fitness, you need to engage in cardiovascular activities. To improve muscular strength, you need to lift weights that are difficult enough to recruit and stimulate muscle fiber to grow stronger. To improve muscular endurance, you need to lift a weight enough times for that muscle to adapt to that load over a period of time. To improve flexibility, you need to work and stretch that particular joint and improve the range of motion in that joint.

So how do you change body composition? Some people think that doing cardio will help you lose body fat. I am going to let you in on a little secret - the best way to change your body composition is to monitor what you put in your mouth! Most people think that if you are skinny, you must be fit. Can someone be fit and fat? Body composition is just one piece of the fitness puzzle. If you think that just exercise alone will get rid of those extra pounds you are in for a long ride.

Let me explain why. One pound of body fat contains 3,500 calories. The following table shows you how much exercise it takes to lose that one pound of body fat.

So, how much food do you need to eat to gain that one pound of body fat?

Sure, you might not eat all that food, but as you can see it is much easier to gain weight than it is to lose it.  Who wants to wash and wax their car for over nine and a half hours?

The bottom line is if your goal is to lose weight, keep track of the calories you are eating.  If you eat more than you burn, you are going to gain weight.  If you eat less (without starving yourself) you will lose weight.  Your weight loss goal should be one to two pounds per week of fat. Two pounds equates to a caloric deficit of 7,000 calories.  If you are losing more than that, most likely its muscle and water you are losing, not fat.

So many people will quit exercising because they are not losing weight fast enough.  Exercise because it will increase your metabolism.  Exercise because it will make you stronger.  Exercise because it helps you feel good.  Exercise to improve the other components of fitness.  However, exercise alone will not be enough to lose those unwanted pounds.  It’s all about the food...

Client of the Month

Tony Burks

Tony is a forty-one year old male, and looks fantastic! Tony started with Functional Conditioning this last June. He has done an awesome job! Check out his statistics:

* The lower your heart rate, the more efficient it is providing oxygen throughout the body.