Training Tips

Working out is great, but did you know that....

• 15-20% of your results ... come from Rest and Recovery!
  
  
• 15-20% of your results ...  come from the actual "workout!"
  
  
• 60-70% of your results ... come from your Diet!
  
  Where are you putting most of your attention?
  
  

Results are based on a combination of things

• It's NOT how much protein......but are you digesting and absorbing the protein? 

• Do you struggle with bloating, gas, indigestion or other irritable bowel problems after eating a meal or shake? 

• Are you over-training? Is your body (adrenal glands) exhausted and can't make enough growth hormones, testosterone, DHEA, IGF-1 (insulin growth factors)? 

• Are you adding too much physical stress to an already exhausted body?
   
• Is your "aerobic" exercise truly aerobic?  Is your aerobic intensity too high and triggering "anaerobic metabolism" and causing your body to burn carbs and proteins instead of stored body fats?
  
  

Yes, protein, fats and carbs are important...

But if you suffer from bloating, gas or indigestion you are NOT absorbing and utilizing all the nutrients you are consuming and paying for.  Add a good digestive enzyme to your meals.  It is a combination of digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCL).  Commercial radio and television want us to believe these problems are a result of too much HCL --  when in fact, it is NOT enough HCL

HCL is needed to breakdown protein.  Insufficient HCL causes the protein to rot and putrefy in the stomach which leads to the sour stomach.

Is weight loss a simple matter of diet and execise?  Calories in vs. calories out?

How many people are dieting and exercising and still not getting the results they want?  Millions!  Remember it is NOT how many calories you burned, but did your body burn calories from 'stored' body fat.  The body burns calories from either the breakdown of carbs, proteins or fats. 

The body is designed to burn calories from fats.  The body produces two and a half times more energy when it burns calories from fats...instead of carbs and proteins.  Most people who struggle with weight loss and the inability to add lean muscle to their body is because they are constantly burning calories from carbs and lean muscle.  Those who are successfully dropping the weight and keeping it off are triggering their metabolism to burn calories from stored body fat.  That is the key!

FYI....an exercise machine may tell you that you burned 300 calories...but it doesn't tell you if you burned those 300 calories from the breakdown of carbohydrates, lean muscle (protein) or stored body fats.
 

What controls our metabolism and our "fat-burning" mode?

In "To Burn or Not to Burn - Fat is the Question" I spoke a lot about what truly regulates our metabolism.  It's hormones!  Some hormones tell the body to burn fats....some hormones store fats....some hormones burn carbohydrates and lean muscle (protein).  The primary hormones that regulate our metabolism are insulin, glucagon, cortisol and adrenaline.  Stress and diet have direct influence on these hormones.

• Too many carbs (especially refined, processed carbs found in breads, pastas, muffins, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, etc.) in the diet cause the body to produce more insulin, which triggers the body to store fat.
  

• Protein causes the body to produce more glucagon, which helps the body burn fats.
  

• Stress causes the body to produce more cortisol and adrenaline, which triggers the body to burn carbs and proteins.

FYI...Stress is anything that causes the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol and adrenaline.  This includes; mental stress, physical stress (exercise), skipping meals, struggling with digestive issues, being on the go all day long, etc.

 
Exercise can be a double edged sword.

Physical exercise is a form of stress, although most people think exercise is stress reducing.  True aerobic exercise is performed at low to moderate intensity and is stress reducing!

Moderate to high intensity exercise is stress producing, because it triggers additional cortisol and adrenaline from our adrenal glands.   So, even though a high intensity workout felt mentally beneficial…it was stress producing.  This is OK if your body can handle the stress and your adrenal glands aren’t exhausted.  However, if you are struggling with adrenal fatigue and exhaustion or overtraining….you could only be making things worse!

The classic mistake is performing aerobic exercise at too high an intensity level!

Aerobic metabolism triggers your body to burn stored body fat!  Anaerobic metabolism causes your body to burn carbs and protein (lean muscle).  Successful weight loss occurs when you trigger your body to burn stored body fats.

Just because you do 'aerobic exercise' doesn't mean you triggered 'aerobic metabolism.'  When you complete an aerobic workout....you should NOT feel exhausted and tired.  If you do, you probably trained at too high of an intensity level, which means you probably triggered "anaerobic metabolism" and burned lean muscle and carbs.

The best indicator for exercise intensity is with the use of a heart rate monitor.  Many of my patients, who I train, are given a heart rate monitor and instructed on the maximum rate their heart should beat when doing aerobic exercise.  Ninety percent of the time they return saying they have been training at too high an intensity level. As soon as they start slowing down their intensity....they start seeing the unwanted fat peel off, they start feeling better and having more energy.....because they were over-training and stressing their body.  More information on finding your correct heart rate when you do aerobic exercise can be found in "To Burn or Not to Burn - Fat is the Question."

Do I need to do weight training or can I just walk, jog, cycle, dance, etc...?

Your goals and reasons (better health or for competition) for exercising will determine the type and intensity of your training.  For improving health, I usually recommend a program that includes about a 50-50 balance of both strength and aerobic training. 

The number one 'bio-marker' used to determine how well we age is the percent of lean muscle tissue.  So, if you want to have a longer, healthier life -- do a combination of both types of exercise.

 
Why are sleep and the adrenal glands so important to exercise and fitness?

Your body releases its growth hormones, testosterone and IGF-1 when you sleep.  These hormones are needed to rebuild and repair the muscle.  Inadequate amounts of sleep interfere with the release of these very important hormones.

The reason the adrenals are so important is because cortisol is needed to activate your growth hormones.  If you're struggling with adrenal fatigue your body isn't making enough cortisol to activate the release of growth hormones.

If your adrenals are overstimulated and producing too much cortisol and adrenaline....this will trigger your body to continue to burn carbs and (protein) lean muscle for energy.  This is why after a workout the faster you can get your cortisol and adrenaline levels to come back to normal...the faster your body will begin to recover.