Category Archives for "weight loss"
March 15, 2016
- in fitness , solo show , weight loss by julie
Why didn’t I lose weight with crossfit?
Today we’re discussing a listener question from Kelley. Kelley has done Crossfit for four years, but didn’t experience much weight loss. She finally decided to stop once her back started hurting. Today, she is swimming and walking every day. She wants to get back into weight lifting but needs guidance on what types of lifting to incorporate and how much to do.
Some important notes about Kelley include that she has metabolic syndrome. This means she is insensitive to insulin, and this overproduction can cause her body to store the excess as fat. Kelley is also maintaining a low carb, high protein diet.
Crossfit is a metabolically challenging program. It includes metabolic conditioning, where one will be moving significantly—running, jumping, lifting. It’s a very dynamic that puts a strong demand on the body to have the endurance to get through. Because of this, one may experience much hunger after a workout, which can lead to eating more. Once again, the body fat loss will typically plateau. This may explain why Kelley did not lose much weight with Crossfit.
Kelley should consider lifting again, as lifting does slightly increase your metabolism over time and can lead to weight loss. However, she should also continue walking and swimming. Also, she may not need as much protein as she’s taking in. If she consumes too much, that excess will be stored as fat. This may be why she is seeing spikes in her blood sugar. If Kelley reduces her protein intake and adds in healthy fats such as fish, grass fed beef, and nuts, this will also help with regulating her hormone cycle.
When Kelley lifts weights again, she should incorporate one full body lifting session in place of one of her other exercises. She should work in the low to moderate rep range and use moderate to heavy weights. Taking these steps will be a great alternative to Crossfit and will assist in attaining the weight loss Kelley is trying to achieve.
You can get the guide on how to manage your hormones at older.fitness/glands.
If you’d like your questions answered, you can contact me on speakpipe and I may include your question on the show.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
March 11, 2016
- in personal training , weight loss by julie
John success and lessons learned
John has reached the end of his 10-week program, however there is no end in sight to his massive lifestyle change. He’s sharing a bit about his success and a few lessons learned over the past 10 weeks.
First, John recognizes that this was not a program or diet, but a re-education of the healthy lifestyle he should be leading. During this process, John has seen much success. He is now able to enjoy food that does not contain sugar. He now understands why the sugar would affect him and chooses to find healthier food options. He has more willpower than he ever imagined. The biggest lesson he learned is that he is fully in control. He was tired of making excuses for himself. Once he made the decision to change his life and realized he was in control of his path, he was able to make large gains.
Measuring himself became a reality check as to where he started versus where he now stands. His stomach has gone from 47” to 41 1/2”. He has lost almost three inches in his chest, two inches in his waist, three inches in his hips, and three inches in each upper thigh. John feels more empowered than ever before.
However, these successes did not occur without challenges. He had to learn to moderate his drinking, after realizing that beer and alcohol contain sugar that was impacting his results. While he doesn’t want to stop going out socially, he now has the tools to compensate for a drink here or there by adjusting his intake prior to or after having an alcoholic beverage.
John has lost 38 pounds overall. He’s seen his A1C levels drop significantly and plans to be off his medication by October. He’s sharing his lessons learned with others in his life and encourages them to take control of their own health. Once John realized he was in control, success was easily in his future.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
March 8, 2016
- in personal training , weight loss by julie
Tammy success and lessons learned
Tammy is closing out her 10-week program and sharing her success story and lessons learned. At the beginning of her program, she made a commitment. That commitment remains strong today, as she is dedicated to moving forward in her health and fitness journey.
During these 10 weeks, Tammy experienced some challenges. She continued to work through health issues that came up. She has had issues with her back and is committed to working through these issues with a doctor, as this is really part of her overall wellness and an important foundation of her physical health. Though sometimes her issues caused her to be unable to work out, she knew that she couldn’t let that keep her down.
Tammy learned that it is one’s diet, and not necessarily exercise, that is the real key to the equation. She acquired the patience to stick with a solid eating plan over time and really began to focus on the type of food she was eating and making healthier choices.
As a result, Tammy is now fitting back into clothes haven’t fit her for quite some time. She has lost about 25 pounds and reduced her stomach and waist measurement significantly. She’s been a great partner along this journey with her husband, John. Tammy has even shared her experience with co-workers, who are now starting to make some changes in their own health as well.
Tammy now says “no” to so many foods that she never thought she could go without. After this experience, she looks at sweets and knows she doesn’t need them. The lessons that Tammy has learned over the past 10 weeks will continue to pay dividends as she continues this new healthier lifestyle in the future. Tammy knows success is in her future.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
March 1, 2016
- in personal training , weight loss by linda
Stepping it up
In this episode, we are stepping it up with John and Tammy.
John discusses his exercise program, which includes walking about 15,000 steps per day. He has been working on his squats and is making improvements to his form.
We introduce the concept of Tabata to his workouts. The premise of a Tabata is a series of rounds where you move as hard as you can with an exercise for 20 seconds, in this case squats, jump squats or even push-ups. Then you take 10 seconds of rest. The cycle is repeated for a total of 4 minutes. If you really want to step it up, you can walk a lap or two when the first cycle is finished, then repeat another cycle with a different exercise.
There are apps that you can find that are Tabata timers or interval timers which work well with this concept and guide you through the on and off cycles. It provides a fantastic workout in a short period of time, while increasing your cardiovascular endurance.
Stepping up your exercise routine with Tabata or interval training will give you a good metabolic kick. We will continue to follow John and Tammy as they continue their health and fitness journey.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
February 29, 2016
- in health , solo show , weight loss by julie
Fat 101
I received a request on Facebook to discuss body fat in more detail. Consider this Body Fat 101. Body fat can be complex, as there are different types of fat and various reasons for it to be stored. Specifically, there are two types of body fat. The first is white adipose tissue, where energy is stored as fat. The second type of fat is brown adipose tissue, which generates heat. Brown adipose tissue is something you will want to have.
It’s also important to consider where the body fat is stored. Visceral or abdominal fat is packed between the organs. This is a bad fat. Abdominal fat is linked to insulin resistance, heart disease, and inflammatory disease. It is more common in men, but as women get older, their bodies may shift toward a tendency to store more body fat in the abdomen. Subcutaneous fat is located under the skin and muscles. This type is not as dangerous as the abdominal fat. If you are in good shape, simply try to keep your body fat in a reasonable, healthy range.
It’s important to note that eating dietary fat does not give you body fat. In fact, it is the insulin response to blood sugar that causes fat storage. When you eat simple carbohydrates and processed foods loaded with sugar, your blood sugar and insulin will spike and lead to a gain in body fat. This is why it is important to eat sensible, real food and avoid processed foods.
Contrary to popular belief, the scale is not an accurate way to measure body fat. Great ways to get an accurate body fat measurement include being evaluated by a professional or using a DEXA scan. The DEXA scan will not only measure body fat, but also indicate your bone density.
To better understand your personal Body Fat 101, be sure to take measurements of your body and use tools at your disposal to estimate your body fat. For more information on health and fitness measures, visit http://older.fitness/measures to obtain a helpful guide.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
February 25, 2016
- in solo show , weight loss by julie
How is sleep affecting my weight loss?
It’s true that sleep has a significant impact on your health, and more specifically, your weight loss. This was shown in a study from November 2015 called “Interactions Between Sleep, Stress, and Metabolism.”
The study pulled together information to explain how a lack of sleep can adversely affect one’s health. It found that sleep is a major component to keeping the body healthy and the metabolism working well. When you’re not getting enough sleep, your body continues to stay in a stress mode. The body is not fully recovering, adrenals are being overstimulated, and cortisol is being produced. Excess cortisol can lead to weight gain.
Another interesting study showed the connection between sleep deprived individuals and exposure to unnatural light in the evenings, such as from a television or computer. This stimulation from the unnatural light was throwing off the individuals’ hormone cycles. As a result, they were gaining more weight than those who were only sleep deprived and not exposed to the unnatural light. This is a cautionary tale to those who stay up late to watch TV or work on the computer, as these activities could be adversely affecting fat loss.
The key is to maintain good sleep hygiene and adopt a pattern of behavior that will allow you to enter and stay in a rested state for the night. Be sure to select a noise-neutral location. Don’t eat or drink things that could be disruptive to sleep, such as caffeine or alcohol. There are also apps that can monitor your sleep and provide information as to how long you maintain a deep sleep or if you have issues with snoring or sleep apnea. Sleep studies can also be an option. Simply find tools that will help you to manage your sleep better.
If you’re not sleeping well, you will struggle in getting healthy. Sleep is so very important to your overall health, including your weight loss. Getting adequate, solid sleep will allow you to have more energy, feel better, and experience fat loss.
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
Note: Link to episode 107
February 9, 2016
- in personal training , weight loss by julie
Ready to Rumble
This week, John and Tammy are ready to rumble. To this point, they’ve been persistent and shown patience, but now it’s time for progression. They’re charged with stretching what they’re capable of doing and experimenting with pushing those boundaries. They’ve built a good foundation, but now it’s time to build the house upon that foundation.
John’s approach will be to rebuild his athleticism. He will want to mix focus and play with added intensity. Both John and Tammy will reconnect with that competitive spirit, only this time they are competing against the John and Tammy of yesterday.
Last week was a busy week for Tammy and she did not have as much opportunity to practice focus and play. However in the afternoons, she had some down time and was able to do some squats and other physical activity. She even encouraged some of her coworkers to participate. Tammy used to be a dancer, so one approach that might work for her is to adopt some sort of dance in her workout routine—perhaps Zumba or watching dance routines from YouTube videos.
The changes that John and Tammy have been making are clear, as people are starting to notice a change in their physical appearance. This has helped to encourage Tammy’s sister to begin her own fitness program soon. Though John’s physical results appear to be more obvious than Tammy’s, she is not letting herself get discouraged. After all, they are both making progress and each person’s success is a success for them both as a couple.
John and Tammy are ready to rumble, as they are now focused on their progression. This week, they will find ways to add intensity to their workouts, while finding their inner beast.
Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music