August 24, 2009

Make Today Your Someday


So I was reading a new book this morning and I absolutely loved this section.



"The Timing is Never Right.

I once asked my mom how she decided when to have her first child, little ol' me. The answer was simple: "It was something we wanted, and we decided there was no point in putting it off. The timing is never right to have a baby." And so it is.

For all the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? the stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up all the pins wither. Conditions are never perfect. "Someday" is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it's important to you and you want to do it "eventually," just do it and correct course along the way."

-THE FOUR HOUR WORK WEEK BY Timothy Ferriss



I know this is the old cliche Carpe Diem but in reality I think that too many of us get caught up in the Diem stuff and forget to Carpe anything. Make things happen today, start working out today don't wait for a traumatic event or wait until you think you need it because usually by the time that thought comes around you REALLY DO! We make time in the day for the things that are most important to us and what is more important than your health? Without it you can't take care of loved ones, you can't enjoy life to the fullest, can't enjoy the years you have left, can't spend the money you worked so hard to make, and can't work to make more!!


OK, I'm off the soap box. Make today your Someday, Go Big or Go Home, whatever catchy saying works for you just realize that conditions will never be perfect to do/be/have what you want so do it NOW.
Blake Robinson
Momentum - What Keeps You Moving?

August 10, 2009

Metabolism & You

What you need to know and DO to have the body you want
Key Points to Understand:

More Calories in than Calories Out = Increase in Weight
Fewer Calories in than Calories Out = Decrease in Weight

There Is NO Magic Bullet (diet, pill, shot, or exercise contraption) That Can Alter This Equation. It’s A Law.

Your success in achieving your health and fitness goals is determined solely by you and no one else. Not your boss, not your significant other, not your parents, not your coworkers, not your sister, no one but you controls your success.

We make time for the things that are vital and most important in our lives, how important is your health to you?

Metabolism:

Metabolism is the process of breaking down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to yield the energy your body needs to maintain itself. The rate of your metabolism depends on the interaction between the number of calories you consume, the number of calories you burn while eating and exercising, and the calories you burn based on your individual genetic makeup.

What Affects It?


Genes?
While you can’t do anything about your genes and many people believe that their bodies are the way they are because of their parents isn’t quite true. Your genes only affect 5% of your total calorie burn and while your parents may have given you the best or worst of themselves they don’t determine your health and fitness levels.


Age?
It’s true that your metabolism does slow down with age, BUT it’s less than you imagine it to be. Starting at age 25 the average person’s metabolism declines between 5% and 10% per decade. The good news is that such a drop in metabolism only occurs because North Americans tend to become FAR less physically active over the course of their lives. People who maintain their physical activity levels throughout their lifetime only see a .3% metabolic decline per decade which results in a 1% to 2% decline over a person’s lifetime as apposed to a 20% to 40% drop.

Gender?
There are relatively small metabolic differences between men and women. On average, women's total energy expenditure, which is the number of calories burned for metabolic needs, including breathing, blood circulation, digestion and physical activity, is around 5 to 10 percent lower than men's. The reduced energy expenditure can be partly explained by body composition.

Muscle?
Beyond the increase in metabolism during muscle-building exercise, muscle improves quality of life and has benefits far beyond the aesthetic aspect.

Studies have estimated that for each pound of muscle that you add to your body, you burn an additional 35 to 50 calories per day. So, an extra 10 pounds of muscle will burn approximately 350 to 500 calories a day, or an extra pound of fat every 7 to 10 days, without making any other changes. In another study, researchers found that regular weight training boosts basal metabolic rate by about 15%. This is because muscle is 'metabolically active ' and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you're not moving.

What Can You Do About It?

Hit The Weights
Adding 5 to 10 lbs of lean muscle mass with increase the number of calories you burn by 175 to 500 calories each and every day even if you lay in bed all day and do nothing!

HIIT
High Intensity Interval Training will increase the number of calories burned during the workout in a shorter period of time and you’ll burn another 100 to 200 calories while sitting on the couch. HIIT Burns 3x the calories moderate cardiovascular training does. Think about a sprinter’s and a marathoner’s body…

Sleep
You burn the highest percentage of fat while sleeping. Without proper sleep your body can’t repair muscle tissue or perform the basic functions of daily life as needed. Lack of sleep will also decrease the number of calories burned the following day, so not only is your body unable to rest and recover but it is playing catch up the next day.

Eat Often
Notice that it doesn’t say eat a lot, eat often, there is a HUGE difference. Eating every 2 to 3 hours feeds muscle and starves fat. Research from Georgia State University shows that people who eat every 2 to 3 hours have less body fat and faster metabolism than those who eat only 2 or 3 meals per day.

…And Intelligently

Frequent eating is not mindless snacking on empty calorie foods. It should be a mini meal including a serving of fruit or vegetable with a healthy source of protein, egg, chicken, or nuts. Increasing high fiber foods, vegetables is one of the most effective ways to increase your metabolism. Your body can not digest fiber but will try it’s hardest to break it down any ways, which increases your metabolism. Vegetables also provide vital nutrients to your body while maintaining a low calorie count. Next time you go to the grocery store shop the peripherals where the veggies, fruits, unprocessed proteins are kept, purchase a combination of 7 fruits and vegetables and eat one each day. The following week purchase a combination of 14 fruits and vegetables, 2 a day and so on until you are eating a fruit or vegetable at every meal.

The Hype
While there is some truth to every supplement and weight loss aid out there your efforts will yield better results if you concentrate on the basics. Too many of these supplements lack conclusive studies, contain potentially harmful substances and… well if you want my lecture on supplements you can contact me at training.momentum@gmail.com.

Go Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids are found only in fish oil and increase heart health, decrease overall cholesterol, and give up to a 400 calorie burn boost to your metabolism.

Move More
Never sit when you can stand, or stand still when you can walk. Thanks to desk jobs, family commitments, and a great lineup of must-see TV shows, most of us move less at ages 30, 40, and beyond than we did during our teens and twenties, Berardi says. Regular periods of movement -- whether it’s a trip to the office water cooler or a stroll around the block after lunch -- nudges a sluggish metabolism into gear, lifting your spirits and obliterating excess fat. Park your car an extra block away, walk to the grocery store or park your car at the back of the lot, when the phone rings stand up when you answer it. We are a hurry up and sit society so fight it, walk when you can, take the stairs, every bit counts at the end of the day and your body will thank you.

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." ~Jim Rohn~

Blake Robinson

Making The World A Better Place One Workout At A Time
Momentum – What keeps you moving?