When Fitness is a Lifestyle

I have been a fitness trainer for over eight years now, and have figured out that to achieve long term success you need to follow a simple three step plan. This newsletter I will explain the first and most important step. The next two newsletters I will talk about the other two steps.

Most people when embarking on a fitness program do so to lose weight. So, they start a diet that limits them to certain foods or eating at certain times of day. There are so many diets out there each one promising to undo all those unwanted pounds, and stating that you or the food or both was the problem for the weight gain. The biggest problem with eliminating certain foods or going on a very restrictive program is that most everyone will fall off the wagon. Not because of a lack of will power, it just is not realistic. I just had my birthday, and I love mayonnaise cake (I know it sounds gross, but it is wonderful). Once a year my mom makes me this cake, and I enjoy every bite of it. If I was following a strict diet, then I could not have my favorite cake. The cause of most food binges is that people think they can no longer have a particular food. Now we know this doesn't work. We know it doesn't, because the bookstore is full of weight loss books. How many do you have?

If our body composition (amount of lean weight and fat) stays the same, we are consuming and expending the same amount of calories. If we are gaining body fat, then we are taking in more calories than we are burning. So, in order to lose body fat, we want to create an energy deficit.

Step One: Know and understand your metabolic rate:

You hear the term metabolism all the time. Most people think they have a terrible metabolism. The reality is that if you are overweight, more than likely have a high metabolism to sustain your current size. The energy balance is such that you are eating more then you are burning. In theory if you weigh 150 pounds your metabolism is going to be lower then someone who is 300 pounds. Find out what your RMR (resting metabolic rate) is! We measure that here at my office. That tells us how many calories your body uses at rest (which accounts for up to 75% of your energy output). Remember, what you eat and what you burn determines how much fat you carry around. Once we know your RMR, we can figure out how much food you can eat to lose body fat. To lose one pound of fat per week, there needs to be an energy deficit of 500 calories per day. One pound of body fat has approximately 3500 calories of stored energy.

The next part is what most people struggle with. That is to keep an accurate food diary to track how many calories you are putting in your mouth. It’s easy to blame our weight gain on the unknown. However, if you really think about our bodies and keeping energy balances, it is quite simple. Keeping a food journal can be as easy as writing everything down in a journal, or keeping track with software like the BalanceLog. In the beginning, weigh and measure your food. Most people underestimate food and overestimate exercise. Everything you put in your mouth counts! Don't forget about the things you drink throughout the day. If you eat a few of your kid's french fries it counts. It is the same with a checking account. If you write a check for $3.00 it still comes out of your account. Your bank would not say “that is such a small amount let’s not take it out of their account”. The best part of keeping track of your calories is that you can pretty much eat what you would like. With that being said, if you make poor choices, you will limit how much you can eat. Plus, you will not get the right amount of vitamins and minerals. Keeping a food diary also will show you how much you were eating while gaining weight. I promise that if you follow this first step, you will be on your way to a healthier leaner body.

Client of the Month

Ashley has been coming in since April 2006. She just completed her first triathlon. Ashley trained very hard for this event, and with the guidance of Functional Conditioning she did even better than expected, despite crashing on her bicycle a few days before the event (those darn clipless pedals). Her total time was just over an hour and 45 minutes. 750 meter swim was 18:50, transition time between swim and bike was 5:51, 20k bike ride was 45:00, transition time between bike and run 4:57, and then the 5k run was 30:37. I am very proud of  what she accomplished, and will continue to accomplish. Great job!!!!